Li Yan was secretly surprised, for the first time in these months, he heard such words, he saw that the monk still had a smile on his face, but the smile was a little cold, so he unconsciously moved the chair forward, and said in a low voice: "Please don't worry, Master, everything has something to say, but it doesn't hurt to say it." ”

The monk nodded, and then said: "The way of using soldiers, virtual and real. I saw General Liu Zongmin's inscription, saying that he led a large army of 500,000 soldiers to cross the river, and that Prince Li himself mentioned a million people behind him; just now the general also said that the Dashun army had 500,000 troops to the east, but this is all false, but this is not the case. So I smiled and said nothing, in the opinion of the poor monks, the current army to cross the river, there will not be 300,000 people, divided into two routes, all the way from Jinnan to northern Henan, all the way to Taiyuan, will come to the city of Beijing, but more than 100,000 people, about less than 100,000 soldiers. ”

"King Li has been fighting for many years, although he occupies a wide area, he has not gained a firm foothold, just like eating, only knowing how to gobble up and have no digestion, which is the biggest worrying thing. If an accident occurs, not only will you not be able to win the battle and stick to Beijing, but you will also have no place to retreat. At that time, you will see Kifu, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, and all parts of the Central Plains, all of which are enemies of Dashun. ”

Why do you say this? Dashun has neither deep benevolence nor strong troops to defend all localities. Qin annihilated the Six Kingdoms, its momentum was ten times and a hundred times better than that of King Li today, once Chen Shi was in trouble, the heroes of the Six Kingdoms rose together, and immediately became out of control. Today, King Li left and right, just to break through Beijing as soon as possible. I thought that if Beijing was broken, King Li would be able to take the overall situation when he ascended the throne, and Jiangnan could be pacified, and he could sit back and relax. But I'm afraid that things may not be so easy in the world, has the general ever thought deeply?"

The blunt words of the monk made Li Yan even more moved, and he leaned over and asked: "Quan Jin is as good as he masters, Beijing is in sight, and there is no reason not to break Beijing." However, with the master's opinion, how is the best policy?"

The monk was silent for a while, secretly thinking about how to save Chongzhen from dying, maybe there was still a glimmer of hope, so he said: "If you can capture Beijing without unexpected setbacks, this is the best policy." Once again, I beg your pardon for taking the liberty of saying that what you have done today is only a middle policy, not the best policy. ”

Li Yan asked, "Why is it the middle policy?"

The monk said: "The Dashun army traveled 2,000 miles to go on an expedition, and the place where the army was deep and the people were unfamiliar could break through Beijing, but they could not deal with unexpected setbacks. The temple only thinks about how many days it will be in Beijing and when it will be able to ascend the throne, and the rest is beyond the reach of thought. Everyone in the new dynasty thinks that this is a good move, but in my opinion, it is a dangerous move, and it is difficult to predict whether it will be a disaster or a blessing. Lao Tzu said: Misfortune and fortune are relied on, blessing and misfortune are lurking, and Anzhi is victorious when he breaks through Beijing.

Li Yan was suddenly shocked again: "What the mage meant, could it be that the Qing soldiers will attack Beijing?"

The monk said, "Didn't the monarchs and ministers of the new dynasty think of this?"

Li Yan sighed softly: "It's not that no one thought of it, it's just that they don't pay much attention to it." ”

The monk said: "The Manchurians have long been eyeing the Central Plains and waiting for an opportunity to invade the south.

Li Yan could hear that the monk's tone contained sarcasm and even a lesson, but he only felt admiration in his heart and was not angry. He smiled humbly and explained honestly, "Don't tell the master that everyone thinks about how to succeed smoothly, but they never expect to encounter unexpected setbacks. When I was chatting with Prime Minister Niu Cheng and Song Junshi in private, I also talked about the Qing soldiers, but they were not as far-reaching as the mage's plans. ”

"What do you mean by that?"

"Prime Minister Niu Cheng and many civil and military ministers all believe that the Manchurians only dare to invade the Ming Dynasty, and may not dare to be the enemy of our Dashun. ”

"You don't know who you are, what else do you think?"

"We have heard that the Manchurian Emperor Taiji died suddenly of illness last autumn, and that Dolgon supported the young lord to ascend the throne and proclaimed himself regent. Manchukuo is in the state of the new mourning, the government is unstable, and will never send troops to invade the south. ”

The monk sneered: "Your judgment is poor. ”

Li Yan asked, "How did you judge wrong?"

The monk said, "Dolgon, the youngest of the Manchurian kings, is quite eloquent. After Huang Taiji's death, it is said that Huang Taiji's eldest son Haoge should inherit the throne, and there were also some princes and county kings who supported Haoge at that time. In an almost evenly matched situation, Haug was finally defeated by Dolgon, and on that basis, Dolgon really cannot be taken lightly. ”

"Now although there is a new mourning in Manchuria, and there is a struggle for the throne in the imperial court, the overall situation has been decided, and Dolgon undoubtedly wants to subdue the kings, so he must unify everything internally, so that others will not have a chance to resist, and externally, he must make great achievements for Manchuria, so that others cannot disobey him. Now Dashun wants to attack Beijing, whether it is the Dashun army stationed under the city of Beijing, the snipe and clam holding each other, or breaking through Beijing, the foothold has not yet been consolidated, it is a great opportunity for Dolgon to enter the south and invade. How could he sit still? Therefore, in my opinion, seven or eight out of ten Qing cavalry will go south, this is the real enemy of the Dashun army, and his strength is far from comparable to that of the Ming Dynasty. ”

Li Yan asked, "Is there any way to prevent the Qing army from attacking?"

Monk Bukong secretly thought that it was time for him to speak out about his plan to delay the Eastern Expedition of the Great Shun Army. But he thought about whether to say it or not, because he understood that Li Yan was not a person in power, and after he said it, Li Yan played Li Zicheng, and Li Zicheng thought that this was a plan to obstruct the great plan, and when he asked about it, shouldn't he destroy it? Or Li Zicheng had another way, changed his route, and no longer took the road of Datong, but quickly went out of Wuguan, from Zhenzhen to the north, the road was easy to walk, and it was relatively close, so he broke through Beijing first, and waited for work.

By that time, Chongzhen had also perished, and the Manchurian soldiers might not be able to defeat Li Zicheng when they came in. In the end, the soldiers ended in disaster, and the people suffered even more, and he was thinking about it repeatedly. Because Li Yan kept looking at him with his eyes, waiting for him to say a way, he finally replied: "In the opinion of the poor monk, the Dashun soldiers do not need to rush north, they should stop in the mountains, mobilize 200,000 elite soldiers, and then attack Beijing, which is the best strategy." But no one dared to say this, and the general should only keep it in his heart and not say it. ”

Li Yan felt that it made sense. But he also thought that in order to mobilize 200,000 horses and raise grain and grass, he had to prepare for more than half a year, and I was afraid that Li Zicheng would not agree. It also made sense for the monk to tell him not to say it.

So he said: "At present, the whole court is waiting for our lord to come to Beijing to ascend the throne, and he will not take such a suggestion." I really don't dare to make this suggestion, I wonder if the mage has another plan?"

The monk shook his head and said: "There is no good way, now with such people and horses to Beijing, the Manchurians will not come, if they come, they will not be able to resist." Moreover, if Beijing cannot stay for a long time, how can we handle food? Without food, the army will disperse without a fight. Therefore, only if the general is asked to quietly tell Song Junshi this meaning, maybe there will be a way. ”

Li Yan shook his head and thought to himself, "Isn't this an obstacle to my lord's plan to ascend the throne?"

But he didn't say anything, and asked the monk again: "In case the Qing troops enter the customs, can I fight them with the city and win?"

The monk shook his head: "The use of soldiers is ever-changing, how dare you predict it." However, one thing can be understood, today's Dashun is vigorous, and it is the time to be vigorous. If we can't capture Beijing for a while, and the troops stick to the city, this sharp spirit will be over; fortunately, when we attack Beijing, the women's jade silk will be inexhaustible, and it won't be long before the sharp spirit will change. At that time, the sharpness of the Dashun army turned into twilight and became emotional, but the Manchurian soldiers were a sharp spirit, and the inertia of the Dashun army was attacked with the sharpness of the Manchurian soldiers, and I think it was difficult for the Dashun soldiers to win. ”

Li Yan had to admire the monk's judgment in his heart, so he persuaded the monk to go out of the mountain and establish a meritorious career for the Great Shun Dynasty. Moreover, it is said that King Li is humble and respectful, and he will be able to treat each other with courtesy and obey his words. The monk Zhengse said: "The general is a scholar, don't you know that I am no longer alive? Originally, I had no intention of using it for anything, but I just wanted to close my door and read the book and annotate the Art of War in detail. ”

"Unexpectedly, three years ago, Governor Hong was ordered to go out of the customs and lead the troops of the Eighth General Army to save Jinzhou. The imperial court insisted on going its own way, urging the battle, and the army of the Eighth General Army was defeated in the Battle of Songshan. Fortunately, the poor monk left in advance and was not killed or captured. Since then, I have become a monk in anger, and now I am in my twilight years, and all my thoughts are lost, how can I be a Feng woman again?"

"What's more, although I am very resentful of the corruption of the Ming Dynasty, after all, I was once a minister of the Ming Dynasty, how can I be the second master? Because I knew that the general was originally a scholar, I did not take the liberty to talk about the current situation without concealment. If the general wants me to follow King Li as an official and establish a meritorious reputation, he will misunderstand the poor monk's character. ”

Li Yan said again: "Tomorrow I will return to Taiyuan and introduce the Master to talk to my master?"

The monk sneered and said, "This matter is absolutely impossible, please don't say that there is a person like me in the world, our conversation tonight will end here." If there is a fate, there will be a period later. ”

Li Yan saw that the monk's expression turned cold, and he knew that it was not good to say anything else, so he got up and said goodbye. Li Yan returned to Taiyuan County, and did not dare to tell Li Yu all the conversations of the monk Bukong, afraid that if Li Yan was not careful, he would reveal a few words to Li Jun and others, and if it spread, it would cause a big disaster. So he only talked about the monk's opinion in general terms, and then fell asleep.

This night, Li Yan tossed and turned, and his bed was restless. At the fourth watch of the next day, he got up and called up the servants and hurried on the road. As soon as the sky was bright, he arrived at the place where Song Xiance lived, he retreated left and right, and quietly made a statement to Song Xiance, especially the words of the monk who reported it.

Song Xiance's face was grim, and he said to him: "You and I have thought about this, but I haven't said it thoroughly yet. Today, there is a sense of joy and victory in the court, the emperor is also anxious to go to Beijing to ascend the throne, and the ministers are even more looking forward to this day coming soon. If you don't empty the words of the monk, you must not say it to others, you know that I know it, forget it, once it is spread, you and I will definitely have unforeseen disasters. ”

Li Yan asked, "Offer advice, do you want to meet with the monk and talk about it in person?"

Song Xiance shook his head: "Today's situation is not comparable to previous years, as a military advisor of the current dynasty, I must have many escorts in my actions, and I can't help but let the emperor know." The emperor knows that I will go to the Jin Temple to see a monk from Wutai Mountain, and he will ask me what is the matter, and it is not good for me to tell the truth, and it is disloyal to the emperor if I don't tell the truth, so I don't have to see him. What's more, Li Yan, you are smart and foolish for a while, do you think that the monk will stay in the Jin Temple and wait for us to find him again?"

Li Yan asked, "Why won't he wait for us to talk again?"

Song Xiance smiled slightly and said, "This monk's wisdom may not be beyond your reach. He talked about this with you, not only for the sake of his advice to our Dashun Dynasty, but also for his righteousness as a monarch and minister to Chongzhen, and he couldn't bear to see Chongzhen die quickly. ”

Li Yan asked, "How can you see it?"

Song Xiance said: "He wants us to stay in Taiyuan for a few more months and prepare more people. This seems to be very beneficial to us, not only to consolidate the three Jin, but also to send more people to Beijing, so that we are invincible. From this point of view, it is a piece of advice to us, but he also understands that if we don't enter the army for a few months, Shi Kefa and Zuo Liangyu's soldiers in the south can go north to King Qin. In addition, we have received a report from the secret agent, and Chongzhen is preparing to transfer Wu Sangui's troops into the customs. As long as Beijing has 100,000 or 50,000 troops to defend the city, it will be difficult for us to break through Beijing, so he plans for us and Chongzhen. ”

Li Yan was surprised: "Oh, the monk is very attentive." ”

Song Xiance continued: "So I conclude that on the fifth watch today, he will definitely leave the Jin Temple and return to Wutai Mountain, and he will never continue to stay in the Jin Temple." ”

Li Yan said: "If the emperor wants to use him, you can send someone to chase him back." ”

Song Xiance said: "After all, you are a scholar, so you don't have to worry about this anymore." Now we have to have breakfast and go to the palace together. ”

Li Yan asked, "I don't know what the emperor wants us to discuss?"

Song Xiance said: "Yesterday afternoon, we received another report from a secret agent from Beijing, saying that some people in the imperial court advocated that Emperor Chongzhen flee to Nanjing, and some people opposed it. From the first month to the present, there has been no discussion, and the matter of transferring Wu Sangui's troops to Beijing to defend the city has also been discussed but not decided. So I discussed it with the emperor, as well as Ruhou Liu Ye and Prime Minister Niu Cheng, and decided to march to Datong within two or three days. ”

"Today is to discuss the matter of entering the army, the emperor can go one step later, with the Marquis of Ru as the leader to command the former enemy horses, you and I will follow, your men and horses will also be sent, and the men and horses that make up for it, more elite, must leave first. As for how to move, the news of Datong's surrender has not yet returned, and Ning Wuguan does not know whether he surrenders or not, and he may have to prepare for a battle. Today, the emperor convened a meeting to the palace to discuss this matter. ”

Immediately, Song Xiance ordered the meal to be opened, and after eating, they rested for a while, and they went into the palace.