Shuangxi said to Li Zicheng: "After the third watch, Liu Tichun called the Chaoyang Gate and arrived at the Military Division's Mansion, bringing important military information. Song Junshi ordered him to enter the palace as soon as possible after dawn and personally show His Majesty that he had already come. ”

"Where is he now?"

"Wu Ruyi left him on the Wufeng Tower to wait for the decree, and ordered his sons to ask His Majesty for an edict, when will he be summoned?"

"Summons him at once!

After a while after Double Happiness withdrew, Liu Tichun came in. After he had kowtowed, the emperor ordered the maid to bring a chair and place it about five feet away from the throne, and ordered him to sit down.

He looked at Liu Tichun's expression and said, "Tichun, both of your brothers rebelled with me in the early years of Chongzhen. Your brother died in battle in his early years, I took you with me, and for more than ten years, you have become a powerful warrior by my side. Now although they belong to the monarch and ministers, they are actually like brothers. Based on your military exploits over the years, I could have ordered you to lead a group of men and horses and take on one side alone, but after the destruction of Xi'an, I will use your extraordinary care and alertness to establish some feats for Dashun that cannot be established on the battlefield. ”

"Outsiders don't know that Sun Chuanting was not defeated in the decisive battle of Linru, but in the hands of the spies you sent. Last month, I did not break through Beijing, and many of the people sent by your Xiao Liu Ying had already entered Beijing, on the one hand, to disintegrate the hearts of the people in Beijing, and on the other hand, to report the movements of the Chongzhen court at any time, so that Song Junshi and I knew the situation of the imperial court in Beijing well. Therefore, it is not easy to start a business, and I will not forget the merits you have established in silence. ”

Liu Tichun was moved by the emperor's warm words, and hurriedly knelt down, rolled out tears and said: "Weichen is incompetent, and he is among the generals, so he really doesn't dare to be praised by His Majesty like this." ”

"Flatten, sit down and talk. Li Zicheng looked at Liu Tichun and sat down on the chair again, and asked, "You must have very important news when you enter the palace today, do you know about it?"

"The minister opened the city gate before dawn and went to the military division mansion first. The military advisor got up in his clothes, and after listening to the minister's report, he slapped his hand on the case and said: Sure enough, it is not what I expected! He ordered the minister to hurry into the palace to play to His Majesty, and the minister did not dare to delay and hurried to come. ”

"Is Wu Sangui willing to surrender?"

According to the various signs of the detailed report, the minister concluded that Wu Sangui would never come to surrender. From the beginning, he planned to guard the Shanhai Pass and wait for Manchuria to move. In recent days, it has been rumored in the Acropolis of Shanhai that Shenyang is mobilizing soldiers and horses from the Manchu, Mongolian, and Han banners to prepare for the southern invasion. Wu Sangui's guards heard that the Manchurians were mobilizing troops and horses, and they all liked it, so Wu Sangui had no intention of surrendering to me. ”

"Is he going to surrender Manchuria?"

According to Yichen, Wu Sangui has no intention of surrendering Manchuria at present. He probably wanted to defend the Shanhaiguan, wait for the Manchurian soldiers and our Dashun army to fight near Beijing and lose both, and then take the opportunity to seize Beijing, avenge Emperor Chongzhen, and restore the Ming Dynasty. ”

"He thinks so, but you guessed?"

"It's not entirely what the minister guessed. According to the detailed report, there were many discussions among Wu Sangui's army, and they all said that this was the idea of the lord. ”

"What sir?"

"Wu Sangui was named Pingxibo by Chongzhen, and he was the earl, so Guan Ning's generals and civilian staff called him a lord. ”

"What else can prove that he will not surrender, and dare to be my enemy?"

"The east gate of the Shanhai Acropolis is Shanhaiguan. In order to guard against the enemy in Liaodong, in addition to the strong moon city outside the east gate, a Dongluo city was built in the Wanli period, which was convenient for the troops to defend against the enemy. Outside the West Gate, a city of Silo was also built last year, but it has not yet been completed. Recently, Wu Sangui ordered the army and civilians to rush to repair day and night, and also built several new forts and installed cannons. The elite soldiers who had withdrawn from Yongping and Yutian were stationed in the city of Xiluo. It can be seen that he decided not to surrender to our dynasty and did not hesitate to fight with me. ”

Li Zicheng understood that war with Wu Sangui was inevitable. Sixteen years of military career made him accustomed to quickly thinking and deciding on the strategy of war, and understood that he must use all the forces of the Dashun army in Beijing to defeat Wu Sangui and occupy Shanhaiguan before the Manchurians invaded south, so that the Manchurian soldiers and horses could not concentrate on fighting near Beijing.

He thought for a moment, and then asked Liu Tichun, "How many troops does Wu Sangui have?"

According to the detailed investigation report, it is roughly estimated that Wu Sangui has about 50,000 horses in Shanhaiguan, and half of the infantry cavalry. When he was in Ningyuan, he had more than 30,000 horses, and he was a strong force among the border soldiers, with all kinds of firearms. So though his men were alone outside the gates, Dorgon could not eat him. The Manchurian soldiers had already occupied Songshan and Xingshan, and had occupied Zhongqiansuo, but they did not dare to attack Ningyuan and did not want to damage the Manchurians too much. After Wu Sangui was awarded the title of Pingxibo, he also commanded the garrison of Shanhaiguan, increasing the number of seven or eight thousand people, about more than 40,000 horses. He brought more than 100,000 people from Ningyuan into the customs......"

"Didn't you bring 500,000 people into the customs?"

"Hypothetical claim of 500,000, in fact there are more than 100,000. In addition, the Han people in Ningyuan have lived in Liaodong for several generations, and there are graves of their ancestors, houses and fields, and they are unwilling to leave the wells and become displaced people, and they are unwilling to move into the Guannei. There is also Ningyuan's big family is the ancestral family, the ancestral family has three chief military officers and a group of generals under them, all of whom are officials in Manchuria, these people stay in Ningyuan's family, soldiers' dependents, tenants and relatives, there are many people, and naturally they are unwilling to follow Wu Sangui to move into the pass. ”

According to the minister's estimates, the population brought into the customs by Wu Sangui was only more than 100,000 people, and they were stationed in Changli, Leting, Luanzhou, and Kaiping. It was once rumored that Wu Sangui wanted to recruit Ding Zhuang from these immigrants, but he didn't draw much, and then he didn't draw it, probably because he was worried that the Liao people had just entered the customs, and it was difficult to settle down for a while, and there were many disputes with the locals. ”

"But Wu Sangui said to the Tang newspaper of the imperial court......"

"Your Majesty, Wu Sangui was ordered to bring the people of Liaodong into the customs of King Qin, and no one was allowed to leave one person to the Manchu Qing Dynasty, of course Wu Sangui wanted to say that he followed the order to bring all the people in the Ningyuan area into the customs, which could not only lie about the great achievements, but also receive 500,000 resettlement funds from the imperial court. In fact, please think about it, how easy is it for 500,000 people to stay away from their homeland and relocate for a long distance?"

"There is only one city gate in Shanhaiguan, and 500,000 people support the old and the young, carrying horse-drawn carriages, ox carts, and small carts. Isn't it easy for large and small ploughing cattle, mules and horses, all kinds of farm implements, all kinds of domestic animals and poultry, clothes and bedding, pots and pans, food rations, oil and salt, crowded and crowded, calling for children and daughters, all passing through this closed door?"

"These 500,000 Liao people are stationed in the four prefectures and counties of Changli, Leting, Luanzhou, and Kaiping, and how many houses they have to occupy and how much arable land they will be allocated to them, which will disturb the chickens and dogs in the prefectures and counties. However, in addition to Wu Sangui's 50,000 horse infantry, the people of Liaodong brought with him soon entered the pass, which shows that the number of Liao people who entered the pass was more than 100,000 at most, and there would be no more. ”

Li Zicheng nodded while listening, and praised Liu Tichun's reasonable estimate in his heart. He was originally worried that Wu Sangui would recruit another 20,000 or 30,000 Ding Zhuang soldiers from the people of Liaodong who entered the Guannei, but now he is relieved.

He opened the lid of the tea bowl, drank fragrant tea, suddenly remembered an important question, put down the tea bowl, and quickly asked: "Since Wu Sangui is loyal to the Ming Dynasty and refuses to surrender to me, he should lead the three armies to mourn for Emperor Chongzhen, cry bitterly, and immediately raise troops to restore his sight, and spread the word from far and near, why not?"

"This is Wu Sangui's delaying tactic, waiting for the opportunity. ”

"What time are you waiting?"

He waited for the Manchurian movement, and waited to see the hearts and minds of the people in Beijing and Kifu. Now he not only knows that Manchuria is mobilizing the Eight Banners, but also knows that there is something going on in Beijing and Kifu of the Great Shun Dynasty......"

Liu Tichun stopped talking at this point and knelt down again: "Your Majesty, Wu Sangui sent a lot of fine works, some to the suburbs of Beijing, and some to infiltrate the city of Beijing, and reported to him the various situations of my Dashun Dynasty in Beijing, so he decided to make my enemy of me. Even if the Manchurian soldiers did not invade the south for the time being, he would raise troops to fight our enemy, and play the banner of recovering the country and reporting to the Lord, calling for people from far and near. He estimated that once he raised troops against me, there would be people in various parts of Kifu who would respond, and there would also be people in Henan, Shandong, and other places. At that time, the Manchurian soldiers will definitely take the opportunity to invade the south. ”

"Your Majesty, the ministers are trusted by Your Majesty, and they are responsible for reconnoitring the enemy's situation and being Your Majesty's eyes and ears. In today's situation, we cannot but speak boldly to Your Majesty. Your Majesty, after coming to Beijing, the prestige of our Dashun army is not as good as before, the people are not convinced, the situation in Jifu is unstable, and some places are already ready to move. Wu Sangui and I are enemies, don't be careless, the Mantars are mobilizing people, don't be careless!"

Although Li Zicheng already had a clear understanding of the enemy's situation after listening to Song Xiance's secret performance yesterday, listening to Liu Tichun's secret music at this moment shocked him even more. He was silent for a moment, ordered Liu Tichun to sit down, and asked, "Tichun, these words ...... Have you talked to the two military advisors?"

"The minister has reported to the two military advisors, and they asked the minister to come to the palace to tell His Majesty the truth, and not to hide it. ”

Although Li Zicheng understood that war was inevitable, he still hoped that Wu Sangui would not dare to be an enemy of Dashun until this moment. This kind of unintelligible state of mind makes him always hold on to the vague idea of luck.

He asked Liu Tichun: "Wu Sangui led 50,000 horses into the Guannei, expecting the imperial court to supply food and wages. Now that the Ming Dynasty is dead and the food has been cut off, how can he support it?"

According to Weichen's investigation, the military rations he transported from Ningyuan were enough to support half a year. ”

"How can there be so much rations?"

"Since Jinzhou was besieged, the Ming Dynasty had less and less land in Liaodong, and Ningyuan became the only important town of the Ming Dynasty outside the Guan. Later, Songshan, Xingshan and other castles were lost one after another, and Zu Dashou, who was defending Jinzhou, surrendered to Manchuria, and Ningyuan became a lonely city that the Ming Dynasty had to defend outside the pass. With the loss of Ningyuan, Shanhaiguan will lose its shield, and the Han people trapped in Liaodong will lose their last ray of hope. In order to hold Ningyuan, no matter how difficult the country is, Chongzhen did everything in his power to transport military rations for Ningyuan. According to the ministers' detailed inquiries to the old men of the Liao people who entered the customs, the military rations were sent to the sea by Denglai and transported to Juehua Island by sea ship. ”

"Where is Kyaw Wah Island?"

"Juehua Island is in the sea a few miles east of Ningyuan City. The Manchu Qing Dynasty once wanted to capture Juehua Island, but cut off Ning Yuan's lifeline, so that Ning Yuan would not attack himself. However, because Wu Sangui sent heavy troops to garrison Juehua Island and the coast, and built many forts, the Manchus had no chance to take advantage of it. Wu Sangui was ordered to abandon Ningyuan and enter the king of Qin, and all the military rations on Juehua Island were transported by sea ships, leaving an empty island to the Tartars. ”

Li Zicheng asked again: "Where is Wu Sangui's grain ship now?"

"Our detailed work heard the words of the Liao people who entered the customs, and it was also coaxed by the people in Shanhai City that hundreds of grain ships from Juehua Island in Ningyuan were temporarily anchored on the beach near the Jiang Nu Temple. ”

"Where is the Jiang Nu Temple?"

"I heard that it is about ten miles east of Shanhaiguan. Legend has it that Meng Jiangnu cried on the Great Wall, died on the seashore, and turned into a reef. Later generations erected a temple called the Jiang Nu Temple. ”

"Is there a heavy soldier stationed in the Jiang Nu Temple?"

"Because the Jiang Numiao is on the east side of Shanhaiguan and the Great Wall, there are only a few infantry guarding ships stationed on the shore, and there are no heavy troops. ”

Li Zicheng's heart sank slightly, and suddenly thought that once the war began, if he could manage to burn Wu Sangui's grain ship, he would be able to force Wu Sangui to surrender without a fight. He thought of Luo Hu, who was both wise and brave, and he thought that Luo Hu, who was both wise and brave, was a suitable general, and his 3,000 elite soldiers were also the most available, but how could he bypass Shanhaiguan?

"Pure body, how is the morale of Guan Ningbing?" Li Zicheng stopped thinking about it and asked again.

Liu Tichun replied: "According to several detailed reports, when my Dashun army broke through Beijing, Wu Sangui's forward cavalry had already reached Yutian and did not dare to advance. In the first seven or eight days, because the Guanning soldiers heard that our army had won a hundred battles for several years, and the reputation of strict discipline, and the capital was lost, the emperor hanged himself, and the Guanning soldiers could neither advance nor retreat except for the city of Shanhaiguan, and the situation was extremely disadvantaged, so Wu Sangui's morale was greatly low. At that time, there were indeed people in Wu Sangui's army who privately discussed the words of surrendering to Dashun, but then it suddenly changed. In recent days, Guan Ningbing's rustic spirit has been very strong, preparing day and night, and deciding to fight with me. ”

"Why did Guan Ningbing's morale suddenly rise again? Is it because Wu Sangui has already colluded with Manchuria?"

"No, the problem is on our army's side, and some Weichen dare not speak out. ”

"Why don't you dare to speak out? Wang Changshun is a great loyal minister, he broke into the palace yesterday and told me everything that others dare not say to me, is it not that after Beijing and Jifu coaxed our Dashun army to enter Beijing, military discipline quickly deteriorated, and there were constant robberies of rich families and rape of women? I already know these circumstances, why don't you dare to speak out?"

"There is another big thing, the minister really doesn't dare to say it directly. ”