In the city, the bandits committed no offense, not even the slightest. He himself issued the decree and said: To kill one person is like killing my father, and to violate one person is like violating my mother.

Is Li Zicheng ultimately a bandit leader, or a leader of a righteous army? This question is difficult to answer. In fact, Li Zicheng has always been a capable leader of a violent power bloc. As the head of this violent faction, Li Zicheng has consistently pursued the maximization of “blood reward.” The bandits burn, kill, and plunder, seeking to maximize immediate blood reward; upon entering a city, [he] spares the populace, aiming to maximize the long-term systemic return.