Li Zicheng said to Liu Tichun with a smile on his face: "You are my favorite general, and you are also responsible for the important task of reconnoitring the enemy's situation, what should you say to me directly? Say it, say it quickly!"

"Your Majesty, after our army entered Beijing, it arrested hundreds of officials and relatives, tortured and recovered stolen goods, and many people have died so far. This is a very disappointing thing. When Wu Sangui saw this situation, he was reluctant to surrender. The gentry in Shanhaiguan City were still waiting, but now they all persuaded Wu Sangui to spread the word from far and near and regain his sight. People say......"

Li Zicheng picked up the tea bowl again and said with a smile: "Keep talking, keep talking." What do people say?"

Liu Tichun knelt down again and said, "Please don't be angry after hearing this, and forgive your minister." ”

"Body pure, say it quickly, what can't be said directly?"

"People have been talking about it, since ancient times, there has never been such nonsense in winning the world, people scolded His Majesty that although he occupied Beijing, he was a thief after all, a first-class figure in Huangchao, not a man who sat in the world!"

Li Zicheng's deliberate smile suddenly disappeared, and the tea bowl in his hand fell on the imperial case with a bang, and the tea splashed. After a while, he sighed again and said: "The arrest of officials above the sixth rank in Beijing and the severe punishment of the stolen goods was originally a major event agreed upon by Zong Min and Zong Min before the army was sent out in Chang'an. Unexpectedly, the city of Beijing and the people near and far not only did not applaud, but instead separated from me. When I was in Chang'an, Song Junshi and Li Gongzi both politely discouraged this major decision, but I didn't listen, and now it's too late to stop torturing and recovering the stolen goods, what else do you have to report?"

Liu Tichun hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Just now Your Majesty asked why Wu Sangui's Guan Ningbing was demoralized seven or eight days ago, and now the morale is suddenly strong again. ”

"Say it, don't worry. ”

"Wu Sangui's Guan Ning soldiers originally thought that His Majesty really led 200,000 elite soldiers to Beijing, and there was a large army behind, so they were very scared for a while. Therefore, Wu Sangui did not dare to lead 20,000 or 30,000 Guanning iron horsemen to the west in the starry night to rescue Beijing. Within a few days of our army's breakthrough of Beijing, Shanhaiguan still did not know the reality of our army, and it was inevitable that its morale would be low when it saw that it was advancing and retreating. ”

Then he knew that there were only tens of thousands of people in my Dashun to Beijing, and there were no follow-up troops, so he dared to refuse to surrender, and his morale was strong. Now he stood still, waiting for the right moment. If we want to force him to surrender, or defeat him, and capture Shanhaiguan, unless our army has more troops, and at the same time surprise troops bypass Shanhaiguan and burn his grain ships anchored near the Jiangnu Temple. ”

"Ah, I get it. How many soldiers did you bring with you?"

"Because the minister came at night, he brought thirty soldiers with him to prevent accidents. ”

"Stand down. After breakfast, you hurry back to Tongzhou and continue to inquire about the enemy's movements, the sooner the better. Also, after you return to Tongzhou, you will immediately send my message, telling Luo Hu to come to Beijing this afternoon, and I will summon him for important matters. ”

"Yes!"

After Liu Tichun kowtowed and withdrew, Wang Ruifen came in and invited him back to the dormitory for breakfast. He didn't seem to hear, glanced at Wang Ruifen, and thought of summoning Fei Zhen'e, but the time had not yet been determined, and he did not say the date.

After breakfast, he drove to the Wenhua Hall to summon Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi.

＊＊＊＊＊

From Shanhaiguan to Yongping, he could have arrived in one day by a quick march, but he walked for two days at the speed of a weekday march. For the sake of the situation in Beijing, Wu Sangui was not very clear, and he was afraid that Li Zicheng's men and horses would suddenly engage in a battle in Beijing; at the same time, he did not want to be too far away from Shanhaiguan all at once, and if the battle failed, he would be in a dilemma. Therefore, on the one hand, he marched towards Yongping, and on the other hand, he constantly sent scouts to listen to the news of Beijing.

Wu Sangui left Ningyuan this time and came to King Qinnei in Guannei, not really wanting to fight to the death with Li Zicheng. Regarding the strength of his own people, Wu Sangui and the officials around him are very clear. With these horses, he was not sure whether he could stop Li Zicheng's army. But he can't disobey the emperor's holy decree, and he can only enter the king of Guanqin. In addition, he also thought that even if he didn't enter the customs, he would lose his foothold in Ningyuan sooner or later.

Since Dolgon helped Huang Taiji's youngest son ascend the throne last year, the Manchurian courts have fought each other for power, and Dolgon has killed several powerful people and put power in his own hands. Last autumn, Dolgon had sent troops to capture several important military castles near Ningyuan, turning Ningyuan into an isolated city. Since then, the situation in Ningyuan has been unprecedentedly sinister. Therefore, Wu Sanguizhi obeyed King Qin and gave up Ning Yuan, but it was also because he was worried that Ning Yuan would not be able to defend for a long time.

When Wu Sangui led Ningyuan's soldiers and ordinary people to retreat to Shanhaiguan, the Manchurians near Ningyuan did not take the opportunity to harass him, nor did they chase him, obviously intending to let him withdraw from Ningyuan safely and enter the customs smoothly. When he arrived at Shanhaiguan, he immediately received a report that the Qing soldiers had entered Ningyuan City, and they took Ning Yuan without a single shot. The people who remained in the city had already joined the Qing Dynasty and had all shaved their heads according to Manchurian customs. So Wu Sangui understood that from now on, he had no way to retreat outside the gate.

It is precisely because of this that he did not dare to rush to Beijing, and would rather be one step later than take his tens of thousands of Liaodong soldiers to gamble. At the same time, in order to leave a way out for himself, on the way to Beijing, he never forgot the defense affairs of Shanhaiguan. Shanhaiguan originally had a general military officer, and below the general military officer there was an adjutant general, two staff generals, and guerrilla generals, but there were only three or four thousand soldiers.

When Gao Qiqian left, he took a thousand people with him, and the people and horses left behind now belong to Wu Sangui. He brought most of the men and horses of Shanhaiguan to Yongping, and left his own trusted generals and 5,000 elite soldiers to guard the Acropolis of Shanhai.

He repeatedly instructed that Shanhaiguan must be closely defended. This was not only because Shanhaiguan was his only way out in the battle with Li Zicheng, but also because he wanted to prevent the Qing troops from coming from Ningyuan to seize Shanhaiguan. Therefore, when he arrived in Yongping, he still couldn't rest assured about Shanhaiguan, and sent people back to order that the town guard generals should continue to send detailed work to listen to the movements of the Qing soldiers, and at the same time ordered some of the generals' dependents to live in the city, so that the dependents could be properly cared for, and the generals could guard the Shanhai Acropolis with all their might.

On the afternoon of the 19th, he arrived outside the city of Yongping. Soon after he settled down, he immediately received important news from the prefect's yamen and his own horse, which shocked him greatly. The original news said that Tang Tong had surrendered at Juyong Pass on 16 July, and that the men and horses of the three major battalions of Beijing had also collapsed without a fight at Shahe between Changping and Beijing, and that Li Zicheng had arrived at the city of Beijing on the evening of 17 July, and that Beijing was under the onslaught of the Dashun army.

He once thought that Tang Tong was not Li Zicheng's opponent, but he didn't expect Tang Tong to surrender without a fight. Tang Tong and Bai Guangen, he knew each other, and they were together when they fought with the Qing soldiers in Liaoning. He also heard about Bai Guangen's surrender, and he was not shocked, because it was in Shaanxi Province, far away from Beijing.

Juyong Pass is the closest gate to Beijing, and Tang Tong is the earl who was awarded at the same time as him, and there are eunuchs in the army to supervise the army. The situation at Juyong Pass was dangerous, and Tang Tong could have defended it according to the danger, so why did he welcome Li Zicheng into the pass? Now that Tang Tong had surrendered, King Qin's men and horses were left with him alone. Tang Tongyuan is also a famous general, and he surrendered without a fight, so what can he Wu Sangui do to rescue Beijing?

Wu Sangui was anxious and worried, when suddenly the Chinese army reported: "The governor is coming from the city." ”

Wu Sangui was about to discuss with Wang Yongji, and immediately went to Yuanmen to greet him, and said in his heart: "Okay, it's just the right time to come." ”

The habit of the Ming Dynasty has always been to emphasize literature over military force. But now the situation is different, Wu Sangui has been named an earl, the soldiers are in a panic, and the governor does not have many men and horses, but he has to rely on Wu Sangui's strength, so Wang Yongji is called the governor, but his actual status seems to be Wu Sangui's senior staff. He returned to Yongping one day from Shanhaiguan and tried his best to raise food for the Guanning army, and he was very busy for two days. Not long after he and Wu Sangui met, the two began to talk secretly. Speaking of the situation in Beijing, Wu Sangui said that Tang Tong did not defend the Juyong Pass in danger, but he surrendered without a fight, which made him feel puzzled.

Wang Yongji said: "Juyong can't hold it, Tang Tong surrendered, I expected it a long time ago." Tang Tong had only 3,000 men under his command, and he could not withstand the persuasion of his advisers and generals, so what could he do if he did not surrender? Now only loyal ministers and righteous men who swore to die for the king and the country could really contribute to the emperor at a critical moment. ”

His words were to encourage Wu Sangui not to follow Tang Tong's example, but he didn't dare to say it clearly, so he had to tactfully reveal this meaning. Wu Sangui understood very well when he heard it, and said: "I, Wu Sangui, have received the favor of the country, and now I have left Ningyuan, and all the people have entered the pass, and the people of Ningyuan have also brought one or two hundred thousand people. I can't serve the country loyally, and I can't live against my soldiers and people, so I can only fight to the death with the thieves!"

He said it impassionedly, and Wang Yongji was also deeply moved. They all understand that the situation has reached the last moment, and it is difficult to say whether Beijing will be able to hold on. The two of them couldn't help but sigh deeply as they talked. Then Wang Yongji raised his head and asked, "Uncle, this thief has come with 200,000 people, and the capital is in danger, I don't know what the best strategy the uncle has to save the monarch's father?"

Wu Sangui was silent. He knew very well that even though Beijing had not yet been captured, he only had 30,000 horses, so how could he deal with the 200,000 arrogant enemy? Not to mention that the enemy had arrived in Beijing first, rested and reorganized, and waited for work. So he didn't assert for a while, and kept his head down and didn't answer.

Wang Yongji said again: "Uncle, the master of Beijing is in danger, and the monarch is in trouble, it is the ...... of my generation as a courtier."

Before he finished speaking, Wu Sangui suddenly raised his head and said, "Yes, it is the time when my generation gives orders to the courtiers in danger. Of course, you have to be the king of the starry night, and you can't hesitate at all. Sangui Meng Emperor Teen, crowned the earl, even if the liver and brain are smeared, it is difficult to report in case. Whether it is still too late or not, we must march quickly. If he can fight to the death with the thieves and save the Jingshi from danger, Sangui is willing to die on the battlefield. ”

Wang Yongji bowed his hand again and again, nodded and said: "Okay, good, my uncle is so generous to go to the country's difficulties, waiting for the thief to retreat, the court will definitely give a heavy reward, to reward great merit, and the merit will go down in history and be famous for eternity." ”

Wu Sangui said: "We don't dare to stay here for long, so we will march forward tonight." Please stay in Yongping, quickly raise military salaries and food, and don't make the Guanning soldiers fight in their stomachs. ”

As soon as Wang Yongji heard about the raising of grain, he showed a little embarrassed: "Raising military salaries is naturally important, but now the eastern Hebei region is very dilapidated, and it is difficult to fully count the grain and salary. However, King Qin had a big business, and Ben Yuan should try his best to raise it, as long as the army arrived in Beijing, although the court was poor, he could always try to solve it. ”

Wu Sangui asked: "From the point of view of my lord, is it too late for our army to rush to Beijing?"

Wang Yongji said: "It's hard to say this, my generation has no other good way to serve the country, and we can only do our best to wait for the destiny of heaven." ”

Wu Sangui nodded: "Maybe it's too late." ”

Wang Yongji asked, "When will the general set off?"

Wu Sangui replied: "I want to convene a meeting of the generals immediately, and then immediately gallop to the Beijing Division, and dare not delay." At the meeting, please come in person, give instructions to the generals, and say a few words to boost morale. ”

Wang Yongji said: "Okay, please send an order to the generals immediately." ”

After a while, all the generals and above came to the meeting. These Guanning generals already knew the news that the defenders of Juyong Pass and Changping had surrendered, and that the three major battalions had broken up at Shahe. Now when I come to Wu Sangui's station, I want to hear what Wu Sanhang has to say. They were very at a loss for the aid of the Beijing Division, so after listening to Wu Sangui's explanation of the military situation, they looked at each other one by one and remained silent.

Wu Sangui waited for a moment, and had no choice but to say: "The lives of tens of thousands of soldiers in Guanning and 200,000 fathers, brothers, and dependents of soldiers who entered the customs are all tied to this battle, why don't you say anything?"

Wang Yongji also said: "The survival of the country is determined by your Qinwang soldiers. If we hurry up, Beijing will be saved, and if we hurry slowly, it will be difficult for Beijing to defend. ”

A chief officer said, "Everything is only to be ordered by the uncle." ”

Then two more chief officers said: "Yes, please ask the uncle and the master of the platform to give an order, if you want us to enter the army, we will enter the army." ”

Seeing this situation, Wu Sangui knew that the generals were embarrassed to save Beijing. But he himself could not show the slightest timidity in front of Wang Yongji. Otherwise, if Beijing can be saved, Li Zicheng retreats, and Wang Yongji plays him at that time, he will not be able to bear it.

So he said generously: "This town has been favored by the emperor for many years, and has guarded Liaodong for the imperial court for many years, and countless relatives and deceased relatives and subordinate soldiers have lost their lives for the country. Now this town is serving the king of Zhaoqin, although it is a step late, but we have given up the land and property outside the pass, abandoned the ancestral cemetery, and entered the customs alone, so why did we come?"

"Although the current situation is dangerous, we can only move forward, not backward. Let's take a step back, and if the capital is lost, we will be sinners for thousands of years. Moreover, once the thieves occupy the Jingshi, they will inevitably attack us. We have no way to retreat now, at most retreat to Shanhaiguan. Therefore, I hope that all the princes will go to Beijing with the starry night of their town, and fight to the death against the thieves under the city of Beijing in one go, so as to relieve the country of Beijing. Please share your opinions. ”

After listening to Wu Sangui's words, some people were excited, but most of them had heavy faces and melancholy expressions, and they still refused to make a sound. Wu Sangui looked at Wang Yongji and said, "Please give instructions to the Governor." ”