A little eunuch brought a bowl of fragrant tea with a silver tray, put it on the imperial table, and gently withdrew. Immediately, Wu Ruyi came in, knelt down and kowtowed, and said, "The minister has arranged a good house for Luo Hu in accordance with the order." He will soon arrive in Beijing, and after a short rest, the minister will take him into the palace to listen to the emperor's important message. ”

Li Zicheng nodded, thinking to himself: It's a pity that there are too few capable generals like Xiao Luohu.

"Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi haven't come back yet?" he asked.

"Back to Your Majesty, Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi have returned to Beijing. They stayed in Tongzhou last night and rushed back to the capital this morning. ”

"Send them to me. ”

"Just now, the minister received a report from the military division's mansion, saying that the two Qincha are following the two military divisions from the military division's mansion on horseback, and they will arrive in a while. ”

After Wu Ruyi kowtowed and withdrew, Liu Zongmin and Niu Jinxing came in, and after saluting, Li Zicheng asked them to sit down: "I already know the two things that happened last night. At present, the people of Beijing are unstable, and we did not expect it. It seems that Wu Sangui's early surrender and his smooth ascension to the throne the day after tomorrow are two things of great importance. After watching the ceremony, we deliberated carefully. The bell on the Wufeng Tower has been ringing for a while, and at this time, the civil and military officials are entering the noon gate, so you hurry up to the Zuoshun Gate Tower to watch the ceremony. I have to wait for Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong to come and play the results of going to Shanhaiguan, they are coming soon with the offering. ”

Liu Zongmin said: "I heard that Wu Sangui is unwilling to surrender, and Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong can be completely clear when they enter the palace. If Wu Sangui dares to resist and refuses to surrender, please ask Your Majesty to decide a way, and he cannot be left as a trouble. ”

"You're right. Li Zicheng paused for a moment, and then said in a firm tone: "After I listen to the Qin Cha face, we will discuss the method." Jiangnan is not peaceful, and the Qing soldiers will attack again, and we must strike first at Wu Sangui around us. After destroying him, we will defeat the enemy of southern Manchuria!"

After Liu Zongmin and Niu Jinxing withdrew from Li Zicheng's face, they walked out of Wenhua Gate and walked towards Hushun Gate, both with a heavy emotion in their hearts. Last night, Song Xiance visited Liu Zongmin and Niu Jinxing respectively, and told them the top-secret news that the Manchurians that Liu Tichun had detected were mobilizing the Eight Banners and Wu Sangui were preparing to defend the Shanhaiguan and refused to surrender, so after they saw the holy car in the Wenhua Palace, they walked towards Zuo Shunmen, thinking that the emperor would soon hear the report of Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong. Whether or not to use troops against Wu Sangui is a major event in the Dashun Dynasty, and it will be decided within two days today and tomorrow.

Li Shuangxi was very interested in today's performance, and with the four small colonels, he stood quietly in the vermilion threshold of Zuoshun Gate. I saw that he gave a few words to a small colonel beside him, and the junior colonel did not dare to slack off, and immediately walked down the steps, intending to pass between the Jinshui River and the Wumen, and ran to the right gate to give orders.

But just as he stepped up, he heard Li Shuangxi whisper an order: "Go around the back of the Huangji Gate!" Xiao Xiao suddenly understood, and immediately withdrew from Zuoshun Gate, crossed a stone bridge from the outside of the palace wall to the north, and ran to Wenzhao Pavilion.

At this time, Liu Zongmin and Niu Jinxing arrived. Li Shuangxi took them up to the Zuoshun gatehouse, sat down by the window, and immediately a guard brought two cups of fragrant tea with a vermilion lacquer tray and put them on the table.

Liu Zongmin turned around and said, "Double happiness, don't look here, go back to Wenhuamen to be on duty." The emperor summoned Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong, if there is any important news, you will come to report it immediately!"

Li Shuangxi respectfully replied yes and went downstairs. When he returned to the Wenhua Gate, he heard three rings of the silent whip coming from the Danqi in front of the Huangji Gate, and at the same time saw Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong following Song Xiance and Li Yan into the Donghua Gate with a group of servants.

Li Zicheng was waiting for the Qin mission to come to see him, when he suddenly heard three loud whips in a row from in front of the Huangji Gate, his heart moved, and he secretly thought: "This is the three rings of the silent whip!"

Sure enough, after a moment's pause, the sound of drums came from in front of the Emperor's Gate. Li Zicheng knew in his heart that the grand performance of the ministers had begun. Until this time, he still hoped that the news of Shanhaiguan that Liu Tichun had played yesterday was not very accurate; even if Wu Sangui had the heart not to surrender, but after Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong's persuasion, there should always be room for a change of mind, right?

Not long after Li Shuangxi returned to Wenhuamen, Song Xiance and Li Yan also arrived with Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong. In order to respect the court system of the new dynasty, Song Xiance and Li Yan naturally stayed in the Wenhua Gate, and did not dare to speak loudly, but only softly called Shuangxi to go in and start the emperor.

Li Zicheng was looking forward to them coming, and said to Shuangxi: "Quickly call them in!"

After Song Xiance, Li Yan and the others kowtowed in front of the emperor, Li Zicheng ordered them to sit down, and then asked: "The two of you went to Shanhaiguan to persuade the army to surrender, what was the result?"

Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong hurriedly stood up, and according to the wording that had been repeatedly discussed on the return journey in the past few days, Zhang Ruoqi bowed to the new lord and replied: "Your Majesty, the minister and General Tang are ordered to carry a huge amount of money to Shanhaiguan to sacrifice the army, announce Your Majesty's virtue, and persuade Wu Sangui to descend quickly. Wu Sangui received His Majesty's decree and a huge amount of money from the army, and he was quite grateful, and he did have the intention of surrendering. However, there were many soldiers in Guanning, and some people were unwilling to surrender, vowing to avenge the emperor and queen of the Ming Dynasty and not hesitate to fight. Encountering this situation, Wu Sangui was very hesitant, hoping that His Majesty would understand his distress and give him a few days of grace so that he could calmly discuss with the Guanning generals. ”

When Li Zicheng heard this, he understood that Wu Sangui wanted to use the strategy of delaying the army and waiting for the Manchu army to go south, and secretly said in his heart: "Liu Tichun's report is indeed true!"

He didn't ask again immediately, but thought of the important matter of using troops against Shanhaiguan. In the moment when he was silent, the sound of music and the praise of the Honglu Temple officials faintly came from in front of the Huangji Gate, which increased his anger towards Wu Sangui even more.

After thinking about it for a while, he then asked, "Does Wu Sangui know that I will hold an enthronement ceremony on the sixth day of the fourth month?"

Tang Tong hurriedly replied: "As soon as the minister arrived at Shanhaiguan, he told him about the day of the emperor's enthronement ceremony, and hoped that he could personally lead a part of the civil and military officials to Beijing to participate in the grand ceremony." ”

"He won't come?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. ”

"Won't you send an official to send a congratulatory watch?"

"Yes, please calm your Majesty's anger. ”

Li Zicheng asked again: "I heard that Wu Sangui stepped up preparations for war, supervised the army and the people to rush to work day and night, and continued to build Xiluo City, which has not yet been completed, is it determined to resist our righteous teachers in Dashun?"

Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong were forced to ask and sweat on their backs, so they had to answer yes. The only thing that reassured them at this moment was that some of the private things they talked about with Wu Sangui that were unfavorable to Li Zicheng did not even know about Wu Sangui's left and right generals, and even if Li Zicheng was wise and outstanding, he would never guess it.

Li Zicheng continued to ask: "The two Aiqing are in Shanhaiguan, have you heard about the movements of the Manchu Tartars?"

Zhang Ruoqi replied: "The minister is in Wu Sangui's army, and it is rumored that Shenyang Dolgon is mobilizing the people of the Manchurian and Mongolian Eight Banners, and there will be a southern attack. But when the Qing soldiers invaded the south, there is no know. ”

"Will Wu Sangui surrender Manchuria?"

Tang Tong said: "Chen and Wu Sangui were both generals of the previous dynasty to defend Manchuria, and they received the favor of the first emperor and were knighted at the same time. It's just that the minister knows that the mandate of heaven has been changed, and he conforms to the fortune of Longxing, so at the last moment, he decided to abandon the darkness and turn to the light, go out of Juyongguan to meet the righteous teacher, and bow to His Majesty in front of the horse. Wu Sangui lived in Liaodong and was unclear about the situation in the interior, so he was still undecided about His Majesty Guicheng, which is also understandable. ”

But to say that he surrendered to Manchuria is not to say so. Half a year ago, due to the loss of all parts outside the border, Ningyuan hung alone on the seaside, and there were rumors in Beijing that he surrendered to Manchuria. In order to avoid the suspicion of the DPRK and China, he asked for his family to be moved to Beijing, how could he surrender to Manchuria? From the opinion of Yichen, he was still hesitant because he was a Ming minister and was deeply favored by the Ming Dynasty and did not forget his old master, and because the soldiers were still discussing undecided. Please wait a few days for Your Majesty, and when he has negotiated with the important civil and military officials of Guanning, even if he cannot come to Beijing in person, he will definitely send reliable officials to come to congratulate him. ”

"Can't he come himself?"

"The Manchu Qing Dynasty wanted to seize Shanhaiguan for a long time and open up the road to the Central Plains. Now the Manchurians have occupied Ningyuan and the surrounding castles, and are very close to Shanhaiguan. Wu Sangui heard that the Manchurians had mobilized troops and horses, and they were about to invade again. He is the general soldier of Guanning, and he has the heavy responsibility of defending the border, so he does not dare to leave the defense lightly. ”

Li Zicheng didn't believe in Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong's loyalty, and Qin sent them to Shanhaiguan to sacrifice the army and persuade them to surrender only because they had shared hardships with Wu Sangui, thinking that they could have a deep talk with Wu Sangui, and they were also willing to accept this mission and make meritorious contributions to Dashun. After a conversation at this moment, Li Zicheng not only knew that they had not completed their mission, but also became more suspicious of them.

Li Zicheng saw Song Xiance's eyes and wanted to stop asking, but he couldn't help but ask again: "General Tang, Wu Sangui's stubborn resistance has been revealed, but I still don't want to use troops against him." You might as well say it bluntly, did he say anything about his refusal to surrender?"

"Your Majesty is wise, please forgive your ministers for failing to fulfill their orders. Wu Sangui does not forget the Ming Dynasty, so he will naturally have some thoughts. The ministers did not dare to read the holy ears in person, and some of the ministers had already reported to the Song military division in detail, and asked His Majesty to ask the military division to know. ”

Song Xiance quickly stood up and said with a smile: "Wu Sangui has not forgotten his old monarch and pleaded with His Majesty. Although it is a matter of thought, it is also a matter of course, and it is not surprising, Rong Chen then played in detail. The two Chincha lords galloped day and night, and were very tired from saddle horses, so I ask Your Majesty to allow them to return to the mansion to rest quickly, and if Your Majesty has any other inquiries, they will be summoned again tomorrow. ”

Li Zicheng understood what the military advisor meant, so he immediately changed his mild color and said to Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong: "The two Aiqing are tired from traveling for days, so hurry up and rest." ”

Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong were both relieved, quickly knelt down and kowtowed, and respectfully withdrew.

After Li Zicheng saw Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong withdraw from the Wenhua Palace, the gentle look on his face quickly disappeared, and he looked at Song Xiance and Li Yan and asked, "What do you think about Wu Sangui's matter?"

Li Yanwang looked at Song Xiance, knelt down and replied: "Your Majesty, I am foolish to ...... ministers."

"You can be flat, you might as well sit down and discuss the matter. ”

Li Yan kowtowed and got up, sat down again, and then said: "In the humble opinion of the ministers, Wu Sangui is unwilling to surrender and is determined to resist our dynasty according to Shanhaiguan, and the matter is obvious. But he knew that he was limited in people and was alone, so he neither refused to surrender to the table, nor did he dare to openly mourn for Chongzhen Su, spread the word far and near, and called the soldier a prisoner. ”

He already knew that Dolgon was going to make a big invasion of the south when he had mobilized men in Shenyang, so he had to wait for time to wait for Manchuria to take advantage of the fishermen. The minister thought that the most worrying thing at present was not that Wu Sangui would not surrender, but that the Manchu Qing Dynasty took advantage of the fact that our Great Shun Dynasty had not established itself firmly in Beijing and invaded the south on a large scale. Manchuria is a truly formidable enemy of our DPRK and cannot but be taken seriously. ”

"It's very true. Li Zicheng nodded lightly to Li Yan, and immediately ordered the palace maid outside the palace to send Li Shuangxi to ask Liu Zongmin and Prime Minister Niu Jinxing to come to Wenhua Hall to discuss matters.

Liu Zongmin and Niu Jinxing sat on the Zuoshun door and watched the ceremony through the window. They are all watching the etiquette of the great court meeting for the first time in their lives, so they are naturally quite fresh. But because the emperor was delayed, the dragon chair set up in front of them was empty, so while watching the performance, they remembered that the emperor summoned Zhang Ruoqi and Tang Tong. Liu Zongmin was thinking about the fact that Qin sent him to Shanhaiguan to persuade him to surrender, and at the same time he considered many problems in fighting Wu Sangui as a last resort.

After all, Niu Jinxing was born as a literati, and although he was worried about the war that would happen, he thought that he would not fight, and Wu Sangui would surrender to Dashun. Because the mentality of these two civil and military ministers when watching the performance is different, Niu Jinxing is always smiling, and his expression and demeanor are like the successful and proud prime minister of the peace, while Liu Zongmin always has a grim expression, as if there is a war horse galloping in his heart.

In the wide palace courtyard between the Huangji Gate and the Noon Gate separated from Zuoshun Gate, Concubine Dou led a group of palace maids to quietly stand on the tower of Youshun Gate to watch the ceremony. The window of the right door was closed, and Concubine Dou and the palace maids all pierced the small holes in the window paper and looked out with one eye. The emperor's guard of honor arranged in two rows from the bottom of the Danqi to the Inner Jinshui Bridge first reflected their eyes, and then they saw the civil and military officials in the sound of fine music according to the praise of Honglu, the imperial history of the correction, step by step, and according to the size of the grade, standing on the top of the Danqi.

Suddenly, there were four Wenchen, wearing blue square-collared cloud complement court clothes, crowned with pheasant tails, walking backwards step by step, appearing from outside the east gable of the Huangji Gate, guiding an empty chariot carried by four eunuchs, followed by a few attendant eunuchs, turned to the front of the Huangji Gate, and the chariot landed. Danqi and Danqi are in two classes of music. When Bu Yuan appeared, the Hong Naiguan shouted praise, and the hundred officials knelt on the ground in the music, not daring to raise their heads. Immediately, the four scholars and the eight eunuchs who came backwards entered the temple as if they were carrying the holy car. According to the praise of the Honglu official, the hundred officials knelt three times and bowed nine times, shouting long live.

A palace maid beside her whispered to Concubine Dou in surprise: "Niangniang, why are those four Wenchen regressing step by step?"

Concubine Dou said: "This is called the Imperial History Guide. In the real court, the holy driver first went to the middle pole hall to rest, and then there were four royal historians to invite the court to go out. The holy driving Binggui is on the chariot, and the imperial historians walk in front of the chariot, step by step backwards, which is called the guide. ”

The ceremony continued. Concubine Dou moved her gaze to the Zuoshun Gate Tower directly opposite. To her surprise, the throne was always empty. She had already ordered the palace maid to ask the eunuchs of Wuying Hall who were waiting downstairs, and knew that the burly military commander sitting on the left side of the throne was Liu Zongmin, and the prime minister Niu Jinxing on the right was Prime Minister Niu Jinxing. At this moment, the emperor has not personally watched the ceremony, why is this?