Today is the 17th day of March in the 17th year of Chongzhen, that is, the day when Li Zicheng was stationed at Diaoyutai outside Fuchengmen, Beijing.

After breakfast, Li Shuangxi led 1,000 cavalry from the imperial battalion to Beijing with a large group of mules and horses carrying heavy goods, and the officials and entourages of the central yamen set off next. Because Li Zicheng is the emperor, he is driven by Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance and Li Yan, and sets off with cannons, leading the guard of honor with drum music. Li Zicheng rode on the oolong horse, in front of him was a yellow umbrella, silver saddle and golden stirrups flashed, he held the apricot yellow silk reins in his left hand on the horse, and pointed out the mountains and rivers to Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance with a horsewhip in his right hand, talking about how easy it was to capture Beijing, he smiled.

Now Li Zicheng's march and garrison are completely different from the past, when to start driving, when to station, are all determined by Song Xiance's divination, and seek good fortune and avoid evil. Because he was not needed to personally direct the attack today, according to the advice of the military advisor, he should arrive outside the Desheng Gate between Shen You, and then turn around, and arrive outside the Fucheng Gate a little later in You. As for how to clean the palace, how to keep a tight guard, and how to designate the temporary stations of the central yamen within a radius of three miles from Diaoyutai and Yuyuantan, Wu Ruyi and Li Qiang have already gone to arrange it, not only do they not need to worry about it, but they don't even need to move their mouths.

When they arrived at the Qinghe place, the royal camp of Hu Jie stopped to rest, and after hitting the point, he continued to advance slowly. When he vaguely saw the head of Beijing, Li Zicheng glanced back at the chief and deputy military divisions who were following behind him, and wanted to say something, but he didn't say it. He saw that Li Yan, the deputy military division, was still thinking about something like last night, which made him even more unhappy, and said to Li Yan in his heart.

"Li Yan, I treat you and your husband and wife well, why are you not happy when you are cheering for the victory of the civil and military forces? When you were in Xi'an, you insisted on being steady and advised me to lead my army to the north, but fortunately I did not listen to the advice and was determined to cross the river on the ice. As I expected, I conformed to the fortune of Longxing, the heaven and the people returned, and the Ming Dynasty was like a devastating country, and today I successfully arrived at the city of Beijing. If I listen to your advice, will I not miss my great things?"

Walking for a short time, there is a mound in front of you, there is a gap in the middle, which runs through the north-south avenue, and the mound is densely wooded up and down, the smoke and clouds are swirling, and the weather is extraordinary. Li Zicheng was looking from afar on his horse, and suddenly saw many soldiers and generals clustering around a general, riding out of the gap, dismounting at several tall stone monuments, and lining up on both sides of the avenue. Li Zicheng asked Song Xiance, "Where is this?"

Song Xiance replied respectfully: "This place is commonly known as the whole city pass, which is the north gate of the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, and is a few miles away from the Desheng Gate. Your Majesty, please see, it was the Marquis of Ru who led the generals to greet the holy driver. ”

Li Zicheng was suddenly overjoyed, and unconsciously sighed.

Liu Zongmin's station was outside Fuchengmen, and he constantly sent generals to Shahe Road to listen to the news of the holy driving in order to welcome him. Later, when he received a report that the holy car was only a few miles away from Tucheng Pass, he immediately led the generals above General Guo Yi stationed outside Xizhimen, Deshengmen, and Andingmen to line up outside Tuchengguan.

Because it was time to fight, the generals only bowed down and hugged their fists on the horse with Liu Zongmin, and said in unison: "Welcome to the holy driver!"

Li Zicheng asked Liu Zongmin about the situation of the siege of Beijing, and Liu Zongmin replied: "There are dozens of miles between the inner and outer cities of Beijing, and the inner city is the most important. Our army has surrounded the east, west, and north of the inner and outer cities to prevent Chongzhen from escaping. The southern city is an outer city, and only the gates of the outer city are surrounded by troops, and cavalry is sent to constantly patrol to cut off news from the outer city and the outside world. The siege cannons have been set up, and the ladders needed to climb the city are all ready tonight. ”

Li Zicheng nodded with satisfaction: "Everyone has worked hard for a few days, and after breaking Beijing, the soldiers have made great contributions to the country, and I am not stingy with rewards." ”

The generals once again clasped their fists on their horses and bowed down, and said in unison: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Immediately, Liu Zongmin led a group of generals to escort the holy car forward, and the generals stationed outside the Desheng Gate and Anding Gate sent the emperor off and galloped back to the station.

After Li Zicheng's imperial cavalry entered Tucheng Pass, they walked for more than a mile and then turned westward, and after a few miles, they met the avenue and turned south again, and then continued to the south from the vicinity of the white stone bridge of the Wanfu Horse Villa outside Xizhimen, and walked in the direction of Diaoyutai. The people defending the city saw more than 2,000 neatly dressed cavalrymen walking outside the city, with a yellow umbrella and a simple guard of honor in the middle, and a group of people in civilian clothes all riding horses following behind the yellow umbrella, guessing that Li Zicheng must have come to the outside of Beijing.

Many of the eunuchs and the people of the city who were guarding the city peeked out from the gaps in the battlements and watched. Although there were many cannons on the head of the city, especially the powerful red-coated cannons on several enemy platforms from Xizhimen to Fuchengmen, no one dared to open a cannon to Li Zicheng and his imperial cavalry. The eunuchs and the people who defended the city believed that the general trend of the Ming Dynasty had passed, and they were afraid that if they angered King Li Chuang, they would be slaughtered after the city was broken.

Of course, Liu Zongmin is not a careless person, he ordered Zhang Nai to be stationed in the Moon Temple outside Fucheng Gate, from the north of Xizhi Gate to the south of Fucheng Gate, facing the city wall, with sandbags piled up into many forts, installed cannons, as long as the city head dares to put a cannon, Zhang Nai will wave the red flag, and there will be many cannons to the city one after another.

At this time, it was clear that the oolong horse also understood that Beijing had arrived, and roared excitedly. Li Zicheng looked at Ma Xi, but when he saw the sunset street mountain, the mountains around the West Mountain overlapped, and he was lush and blue, and it was indeed as Song Xiance said, the king of the West Mountain was very strong. He nodded with a smile and said in his heart: "If you occupy Beijing, the country will be decided!"

He immediately reined in the reins of his horse and stopped advancing, and as soon as he stopped, all the troops behind him stopped, and the troops in front of him were also immediately ordered by Li Shuangxi to stop. He looked back and whispered to the propagandist beside him, "Please Prime Minister and two military advisors." ”

A preacher shouted backwards: "The prime minister and the military advisers are driving." ”

When Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance, and Li Yan heard the pager, they immediately lifted the silk reins and rushed to the side of the holy car to listen to the edict. Li Zicheng smiled with a hesitant smile and said: "A year ago, we were in Xiangyang at this time, and we didn't expect to be able to come to Beijing now. ”

Niu Jinxing replied: "It can be seen that Your Majesty's seizure of the Ming Dynasty today is not only a matter of course, but also a matter of course." ”

Li Zicheng asked: "Offer advice, you said last night that if there is a light rain on the 18th, the city can be broken at dawn on the 19th." I think the weather is going to be sunny now, if there is no rain tomorrow, it will take a few days to break the city, and will there be a fierce battle?"

"From the courtier's point of view, just wait for changes in the city, and there is no need to shed blood and storm it. ”

Li Zicheng looked at the head of the city and said: "We must prepare for the siege tonight, so that we can force the city to surrender without storming." ”

Niu Jinxing bowed down on the horse and said: "When resting in Shahe Town today, Du Xun once said to his ministers that he was willing to enter the city tomorrow to meet Chongzhen, and bitterly persuaded Chongzhen to give way, but please Your Majesty will not kill Chongzhen and his palace dependents, and treat each other with courtesy." ”

Li Zicheng asked Song Xiance, "Does the military advisor know about this?"

Song Xiance said: "The minister said to the minister, and the minister also asked Du Xun at that time, and saw that Du Xun was indeed out of loyalty to the new dynasty, and did not mean to deceive His Majesty. ”

"Will Chongzhen kill him?"

The minister was also concerned about this, but Du Xun said that he was willing to risk his life, and he would also enter the palace to persuade Chongzhen to give way. ”

"Li Yan, is this feasible?"

"The minister thought that he might as well give it a try, if Du Xun was killed, but the death of a eunuch who surrendered to us would not be harmed by our army. If Du Xun sees Chongzhen's persuasion successfully, then His Majesty will be able to win the world with Zen after success, which is also a good name for the ages. ”

"Okay, ask Du Xun to see me tonight. ”

Li Zicheng raised the whip slightly, and at the same time gently lifted the apricot yellow silk reins in his left hand, and the oolong horse slowly advanced. Without him saying a word, the entire official, cavalry, yellow umbrella and honor guard walked quietly in the direction of Diaoyutai under the illumination of the slanting sun. The soldiers and civilians defending the city on the west city looked out of the city in surprise, and did not dare to fire cannons, dare not shout and scold, and did not even make a noise.

After Li Zicheng sat down on the throne, Niu Jinxing and the others were about to kowtow and salute, but they were stopped by him with gestures. He ordered everyone to sit down, and then asked Wu Ruyi, "Where is Du Xun?"

Wu Ruyi bowed down and replied: "The minister has prepared five military tents for him, in the direction of the city gate, only more than three miles away, there is a small street next to it, and there is a pine forest where you can tie horses and shelter from the wind. ”

"Hurry up and tell Du Xun to rest and eat quickly, and wait for me to summon him to have something to ask. ”

"Yes!"

Li Zicheng looked at Niu Jinxing and the others again and said: "You are tired from the saddle horse all day today, and you are covered with wind and dust, and now you will go back to the station to rest." Since Du Xun is willing to go into the city to persuade Chongzhen to give way, I think this is a big deal, so you might as well give it a try. Go back to your station first, and wait for me to tell you to come after the first watch, and discuss great matters. ”

After Niu Jinxing and the others saluted and withdrew, Li Zicheng was left with his servants to clean the dust on his body, wash and comb his hair, and then eat. After dinner, he walked around the palace compound under the escort of Double Happiness and a group of personal generals. He walked up to the Diaoyu Tai in the southwest corner of the palace and looked out into the open barren pond for a while. The moon had risen in the east, shining on the rippling waters.

This is the season when the frogs in the Beijing area begin to courtship and breed after they are unearthed, whether it is the pond in the pond, the frogs everywhere are constantly chirping and responding to each other, and from time to time there are fish splashing and jumping on the surface of the water, and at the same time the white light flashes. Li Zicheng ordered Shuangxi to send a few propaganda officials to send several important ministers to come to discuss the matter quickly, and also sent Du Xun to come.

After he instructed Shuangxi, he said excitedly in his heart: "Staying in this good place under the city of Beijing is indeed the luck of water virtue, and it is not accidental. ”

When it was about to be the second watch, Li Zicheng knew that Liu Zongmin, Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance and Li Yan had arrived, and they were waiting for the summons in the east in the front yard of the palace. Liu Zongmin and others entered the hall and kowtowed to him. He ordered them to sit down in a chair next to them.

Liu Zongmin sat directly on a chair, but Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance and Li Yan bowed respectfully before they dared to sit down. Li Zicheng asked: "Du Xun said that he is willing to go into the city to persuade Chongzhen ......"

Before Li Zicheng finished his words, suddenly there was a series of cannon sounds from the city near Fucheng Gate. Everyone was not surprised, and listened to it for a while, but it was silent.

Song Xiance said with a smile: "This is a three-shot air cannon, only loaded with gunpowder, not shells. ”

Li Zicheng asked: "The city knows that my imperial camp is here, what does it mean to release air cannons?"

Song Xiance was about to get up and answer, when suddenly Liu Zongmin shouted out of the curtain: "Someone!"

Immediately a general opened the curtain and came to him and stood in front of him, waiting for orders. Liu Zongmin said: "Quickly go to the east bank of the Sanli River and give an order to our artillery to return to the three artillery in the city, fight on the spot, and let the eunuchs and people guarding the city taste the power of our artillery." ”

"Obey!"

Li Zicheng asked the military advisor again: "Advice, what does it mean to release empty cannons in the city?"

Song Xiance got up respectfully and replied: "It must be that the eunuchs guarding the city saw that a big official was ordered to patrol the city around Fuchengmen, and the eunuchs deliberately set off three empty cannons, thinking that they were perfunctory, not really defending the city, and they did not dare to be my enemy, lest they hurt the rebels outside the city." ”

Niu Jinxing also stood up and said: "The ancients said that the survival of the country depends on the will of the people, and Chongzhen has reached this day, not only the people's hearts have been lost, but even the domestic slaves he raised have changed their minds. Since my righteous teacher crossed Datong, the guards and eunuchs of the important towns along the way have all hoped to surrender to the wind. The eunuch guarding the city fired three cannons, but the eunuch guarding the city had changed his mind and had a sign of dedicating the city. ”

Li Zicheng said with a smile: "I also thought that the Northern Expedition to Youyan would be successful, but I didn't expect it to be so easy to capture Beijing. ”

Niu Jinxing said: "This so-called destiny is crucial, if Beijing is conquered without a fight, the prestige is within reach, and Jiangnan will definitely be able to spread the word." ”

Li Zicheng nodded and said: "What you said is that, in my opinion, after breaking Beijing, Jiangnan will definitely be able to spread the word, although there will be a war, but it will not be annoying with bloody battles." ”

He paused for a moment, and suddenly asked: "Du Xun entered the palace to persuade Chongzhen to surrender, if he didn't succeed, he would be killed, and even his family would be beheaded, why did he take such a big risk?"

Niu Jinxing replied: "Maybe he calculates that Chongzhen will not kill him." ”

As he spoke, the cannon erected on the east bank of the Sanli River rang out. Everyone listened, and every moment a cannon was fired, and three shots were fired in a row, which not only shook the earth, but also the sound of cannonballs rumbled in the sky into the distance.

Song Xiance said with a smile: "This is the real magnifying cannon, the cannonball crosses the city and falls far into the city, which is enough to deter the enemy." ”