James Morgan had just entered the city when he threw himself at Henry Clark's feet, crying and wailing. He was the Shuntian Governor, second only to Charles Harris in responsibility for the area north of the capital, and letting Li Zicheng enter through the northern route was indeed his direct responsibility.

"Get up. It was I who failed to judge people correctly and used a bunch of traitors and rebels. What does that have to do with you?"

Henry Clark helped him up as he spoke.

James Morgan looked at him in surprise, clearly feeling that this emperor was a bit different. He was not like those prefects or military officials who might only see the emperor a few times in their lives; he knew very well that, given Chongzhen's temperament, it was not easy for him to say such words. Could it be that the shock he suffered in Beijing was too much?

On the side, Edward Harris gave him a meaningful look.

"Your Majesty, where do you plan to go next?"

James Morgan hurriedly asked.

"You've come at just the right time. First, let's eat. After the meal, you will accompany me to Shanhai Pass immediately. I estimate that the Guan-Ning Army has already arrived by now. Next, we will defend Shanhai Pass. I have already sent envoys south, and it won't be long before the relief armies arrive. At that time, we will counterattack and retake the capital."

Henry Clark said.

"I obey Your Majesty's command."

James Morgan replied quickly.

After Henry Clark and the others finished their meal at the prefectural office, together with the three hundred cavalrymen brought by James Morgan, the one hundred and fifty cavalrymen mustered from Jizhou, and the thirty remaining Jinyiwei (another twenty had just died in battle), they had a total of less than five hundred cavalry. Along with the Shuntian Governor, a commander named Lieutenant Brooks, the group left Jizhou and headed northeast straight for Zunhua. They knew very well that after the Shun army detachment that had been pursuing them returned, Li Zicheng's main force would soon arrive. In fact, James Morgan had run into that defeated Shun army and only then learned that the emperor had already escaped, though he had originally intended to go to Zunhua anyway.

Their group, all on horseback, moved quickly and reached Zunhua by nightfall.

At this time, Charles Harris had already gone to Fengrun. The equally cunning James Morgan also knew that at this moment, no one could be trusted, not even his own superior and old friend, so he likewise supported Henry Clark's plan to seize the army at Shanhai Pass. After staying one night in Zunhua, the next day they, along with the former Xuanhua General Steven Bennett who was gathered in Zunhua, another deputy general, and three hundred cavalry, and with James Morgan's arrangements, put together a makeshift imperial entourage and headed straight for Shanhai Pass. Even Henry Clark's dragon robe was washed; originally, James Morgan wanted to mend it for him—though there was no time to make a new one, the dragon robe was full of holes and tears and looked quite shabby.

However, Henry Clark refused.

"I want them to see that even I can fight on the battlefield covered in blood—can't they do the same?"

Henry Clark said.

At this point, he was already sitting in a carriage, with Alice Wright kneeling beside him. James Morgan rode outside, and there were large numbers of cavalry guarding them on all sides. It finally looked a bit like an imperial procession on the move. In fact, the soldiers at this time were still quite simple and honest; at least before the enemy arrived, they could still show enough loyalty to the emperor. The same was true for the officials and generals, especially since this counted as meritorious service in protecting the emperor. The soldiers, steeped in all kinds of legendary operas, were full of passion!

"Your Majesty is wise."

James Morgan said quickly.

Of course, he was not like those soldiers. Cunning as he was, he knew very well that this journey was far from simple. A deposed emperor had no real authority. If, upon reaching Shanhai Pass, Peter Reed was truly loyal, that would be fine; if not, it was entirely possible he would tie them up and hand them over to Li Zicheng. At that point, he did not believe these eight hundred cavalry would fight to protect the emperor. The emperor's attitude was at least an attempt to appeal to their emotions.

"Your Majesty, I have a plan to propose, but I must ask Your Majesty to pardon me first."

He said cautiously.

"Borrow troops to suppress the rebels?"

Henry Clark said with a half-smile.

"Uh, Your Majesty is wise. At present, the southern armies closest to the capital are only those of Liu Zeqing, and they are still a thousand miles from Shanhai Pass. The rebel army is only four hundred li from Shanhai Pass, and with the time needed for messages to travel, even if Wu Sangui and others are completely loyal, they would need to hold Shanhai Pass for at least over a month. Moreover, Liu Zeqing's forces are unlikely to defeat the rebels. In my estimation, there is little hope for reinforcements within half a year. Whether Wu and Gao's armies can hold Shanhai Pass for half a year is uncertain, and Wu's army also has over a hundred thousand relocated civilians—hundreds of thousands crowded at Shanhai Pass. Not to mention anything else, just the food supply alone will be insufficient. From this perspective, it will be very difficult to guarantee the safety of Shanhai Pass. The best plan now is to imitate Emperor Suzong of Tang and borrow troops to suppress the rebels—invite the Qing army to march south, promise them great rewards, and have them fight the rebels. Whether they succeed or fail, it will at least buy time until the relief armies gather."

James Morgan said.

"What if the Manchus refuse to leave once they've taken up position?"

Henry Clark asked.

"Your Majesty, at this point we can't worry about that. Besides, if they refuse to leave, once our relief armies have gathered, we can simply drive them out. As long as we don't allow them to enter through Shanhai Pass, but instead have them come via Zunhua and Jizhou, and our army holds Shanhai Pass tightly, even if the Manchus have ulterior motives, at most they will just loot a bit, which is not a major issue."

James Morgan said.

"What if the Manchus are in league with the rebels?"

Henry Clark asked.