Song Xiance and Li Yan dismounted in the moat bridge, leaving a group of retinues outside the Donghua Gate and entering the Forbidden City. When they walked to the gate of the palace courtyard of the Wenhua Palace, they were all nervous.

Song Xiance pulled the sleeve of Li Yan's robe and whispered: "Call the right today, it's different from weekdays, if you make a direct admonition, I will say it, you only need to help with a sentence or two." ”

Li Yan was grateful to Song Xiance for his care, and whispered: "Please brother do his best to admonish him, and then offer a strange plan to break the enemy!"

Li Yan followed Song Xiance's back, led by a palace maid, with very light steps, and respectfully walked into the Dongnuan Pavilion of the Wenhua Palace. The palace maid withdrew. They kowtowed to Li Zicheng, and when they saw the emperor's stern expression, they didn't feel nervous. Only three and a half years ago, when they were stationed in the victorious village of Funiu Mountain, they and Li Zicheng met every day, talked about everything, and were like friends, and that situation without estrangement was gone forever.

In the afternoon, after the imperial meeting in Wuying Palace, Li Zicheng did not rest, first called Wu Ruyi, and ordered him to hurry up and prepare for the marriage of Luo Hu and Fei Zhen'e on the tenth day of the first month, and be sure to be beautiful in everything. He also called the Shangshu and the waiter of the Li government into the palace, told them that he would immediately enshrine Luo Hu as the uncle of Tong Guan and Luo Mu as the wife of Haoming, and ordered the ministers of the Li government to follow the "Great Shun Rite System" and quickly prepare the edict and the bronze seal of Tong Guanbo.

He also summoned Luo Dain, the mighty general and Luo Hu's uncle, into the palace, and ordered him to obey the command of Wu Ruyi, the minister of the palace, and supervise the craftsmen to melt the gold and silver overnight, and cast them into five hundred taels of whole pieces, and put them in wooden boxes and nail them tightly, and put seals on them; Luo Dain led 500 cavalry, 500 mules, and 200 camels, and set off on the 10th day of the first month, escorting tens of millions of taels of silver, as well as gold, jewelry, and other things, all the way to Niangziguan, and escorted them back to Chang'an.

He ordered Li Shuangxi to gallop to the General General's Mansion and asked Liu Zongmin whether he had summoned the generals above Guoyi of each battalion to teach him the decision to attack Wu Sangui and discuss how to send troops. Double happiness returned to the palace to report, Liu Zongmin first summoned a meeting of generals above the general system to convey the emperor's holy decree, and now he is summoning generals above Guoyi in batches to give lectures, boost morale, and swear to fight for His Majesty's loyalty. As for the detailed dispatch of troops, wait for the main and deputy military divisions to go forward, and after discussion, they will give an order. Li Zicheng didn't make a sound when he heard it, waiting for the two military advisors to enter the palace.

After the two military advisors kowtowed in the East Warm Pavilion of the Wenhua Palace, and after giving their seats, Li Zicheng asked them: "How about you returning to the military division's mansion and divining the hexagram for the Eastern Expedition?"

Song Xiance and Li Yan stood up respectfully, and according to the instructions of Xiance, Li Yan bowed his head and was silent. Until this moment, Song Xiance was still muttering in his heart: "Do you want to be blunt?"

Li Zicheng asked again: "Advice, what kind of hexagram did you divide?"

Song Xiance bowed down and replied: "Your Majesty, please forgive the minister for the capital crime!" The minister washed his hands and burned incense after dinner, asked for yarrow, and respectfully divined the hexagram. ”

Li Zicheng was secretly surprised, and asked again: "What kind of hexagram did you get?"

Song Xiance: "...... in the Dry Hexagram"

"In the hexagram...... What hexagram?"

"On the nineth, Kang Long has regrets. ”

"I Ching...... I haven't read it. What does it mean that Kang Long has regrets?"

Song Xiance was scared in his heart, but he still didn't dare to say that this was a murderous hexagram, and said around the bend: "According to legend, Fuxi painted gossip, and King Wen acted as sixty-four hexagrams, which became "Zhou Yi". A "Zhou Yi", the hexagram is profound and endlessly changing. All in all, it is nothing more than the combination of yin and yang, mutual restraint, everything in heaven and earth, there is no escape from easy reason. Because Yi Li is so important, when Confucius lived to be in his forties, he said to his disciples with emotion: If I am a few years old, I can learn "Yi" in 50 years, and I can do nothing. ”

"The Book of Changes" talks about the principle of the change of yin and yang between heaven and earth, and the two qi of yin and yang are transformed into images that are the two hexagrams of Qiankun, and they are turned into numbers, that is, the singular number is yang, and the even number is yin. One, three, five, seven, and nine are yang numbers, and two, four, six, and eight are yin numbers. Because numbers represent the changes of yin and yang, divination is also called the science of mathematics. We-Chen......"

Li Zicheng said anxiously: "I'm not talking about books at this moment, I want you to understand what the master of this hexagram is." It is a vicious hexagram, and the truth of the hexagram must be explained clearly. Say it!"

Song Xiance knelt down and said: "Please forgive the ministers for their capital crimes! The hexagram name Shangjiu has reached the limit of Yangsheng in the dry hexagram, and the so-called extreme is the opposite, it is extreme luck, and it can not move forward anymore." If you go any further, you will be frustrated and you will regret it. Therefore, the resignation of this hexagram is Kanglong's regret. The "Dictionaries" was written by Confucius, explaining this hexagram and saying: Kangzhi is also words, knowing and then not knowing how to retreat, knowing existence but not dying, knowing but not knowing mourning. Today, Your Majesty has obtained Beijing, and he still has to hang his army to the east, regardless of the difficulties, which is in line with this hexagram. The ministers are worried, and they dare not risk their lives to admonish!"

Li Zicheng was shocked in his heart, and he couldn't make up his mind for a while, so he immediately asked Li Yan: "Li Yan, you are a person, you have read the Book of Changes, and you understand the principles of the Book of Changes. What is your explanation for this hexagram?"

Li Yan had already knelt on the ground and replied: "After offering advice, after dinner, wash your hands and burn incense, and use yarrow for divination to get this hexagram." At that time, the minister watched from the sidelines, and his heart was also shocked. In the "Book of Changes", there are also hexagrams in which Kanglong has regrets, but in the upper nine of several hexagrams, Kanglong regrets are the most unlucky. I beg Your Majesty to adopt what you have just said, and think twice about the Eastern Crusade, so as not to regret it. ”

Li Zicheng suddenly suspected that the main and deputy military divisions had discussed the pretense of divination to discourage the Eastern Expedition, and he immediately felt a sense of disgust. He was silent for a moment, and then asked Li Yan with a stern expression, "There is no other explanation for this hexagram?"

Li Yan said: "Fuxi painted gossip, and King Wen acted as sixty-four trigrams, with endless changes. But the hexagram is very simple, and it is not easy for ordinary people to understand it all. Fortunately, there is a Confucian saint, studious and thoughtful, diligent reading of "Yi", once read "Yi" Wei compiled three uniques. The strip of leather worn by the bamboo slip was broken three times, which shows his diligence in reading. ”

He once said that he was forty and not confused, but after he was forty years old, he said to his disciples with emotion: If I study "Yi" in a few years and fifty, it will be no big deal. In his later years, he traveled around the world and came back from traveling around the world to concentrate on writing "Ten Wings", also known as "Yi Chuan", for "Zhou Yi" to teach future generations. The Dictionaries, which are contained within the Ten Wings, are very important, and are written by Confucius, as well as the words of Confucius, which were recorded by his disciples......"

"I want you to explain that Kang Long has remorse!"

"Yes, Wechen was about to explain. ”

Li Yan kowtowed again, and then said: "What you said just now is exactly what Sage Kong said. But there are a few more sentences in the "Dictionaries". On the ninth day, Kang Long has regrets, what does it mean? Zi said: Expensive but no position, high and no people, sages in the lower position and no assistance, is to move and have regrets. These sentences of "Dictionaries" are quite profound. ”

"What do these words have to do with my crusade?"

"Please follow the example of Tang Taizong and listen to the foolish views of the ministers. Although His Majesty founded the country and changed the Yuan to Yongchang, he has not yet ascended to the throne of the Ninth Five-Year Plan......"

Li Zicheng intercepted and said: "If it weren't for Wu Sangui's refusal to surrender according to Shanhaiguan, I would have held an enthronement ceremony within a few days!"

"Wechen is willing to risk his life to speak out, benefit the country, and not avoid the punishment of the axe. Confucius sage, after being noble but without a position, then said that he was high but without people, which is more worthy of deep thought, and it is also in line with my great situation today......"

"My Dashun already occupies half of China from the Yangtze River in the south to Yanshan in the north, and it is not difficult to spread the word in the south of the Yangtze River, how can I say that my current situation is high and there are no people? I would like to have loyal ministers, and I will never blame you, but you must make your words clear!"

"The minister secretly thought, although our dynasty newly occupied several provinces, but there were no sages to govern the land, the people were devastated, and the people did not enjoy the joy of recovery, so although there was land, it did not win the hearts of the people, so the emperor was high but without the people. Xunzi's discussion of the army, the first priority is to win the people, Your Majesty's real worry today is not that Wu Sangui resisted our dynasty and refused to surrender, but that the people everywhere were not convinced. In the event of a setback in the Eastern Crusade, the Manchu Qing Dynasty taking the opportunity to invade, and the army will end up in disaster, how will the aftermath be dealt with? ”

Li Zicheng also felt that Li Yan's worries were not entirely unreasonable, but he was also worried that once Wu Sangui mourned for Chongzhen in Shanhaiguan, took the revival of the army as a call, spread the word to all places, responded from far and near, and the Manchurian soldiers took the opportunity to go south, the situation would be out of control. In the blink of an eye, he considered all kinds of consequences, and still thought that it was the best strategy to strike first and quickly defeat Wu Sangui.

But he didn't say what he was determined to do, and asked Li Yan in a gentle manner: "You said that Confucius explained that Kang Long had a repentance hexagram, what is the next sentence?"

Li Yan said: "The following sentence is that the sage is in the lower position and has no assistance, and he is moved and regretted." ”

Li Zicheng shook his head: "This sentence is inconsistent with the situation of my Dashun Dynasty. I entered Henan in the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, and I got Niu Venus and the two of you, and after I arrived in Xiangjing, I got Yu Shangyou, Gu Junen and Yang Yongyu and others, all of whom are talents. After arriving in Chang'an, there were many Ming Dynasty ministers who were talents, and they knew that the Mandate of Heaven had been changed, and they were subordinated to our dynasty and reused. ”

"Passing by Pingyang, breaking Taiyuan, another group of Wenchen came. Now all the people are full of people, and they are all my auxiliary ministers. As long as it is a talent, I will hire and give it to high-ranking officials, so that everyone can give full play to their talents and help the great cause. ”

"Your Majesty, Shengming, recruit talents, only then can I have six departments in the Dashun Dynasty in a short period of time, and I will help many people. However, there should be many great changes in many places, and the officials of the prefectures and counties will stabilize the territory for His Majesty, govern the country, restore the agriculture, severely punish the evil spirits, and let the people enjoy the joy of recovery. It must be like this, and after three years, we will be able to have enough food and soldiers, and the country's foundation will be slightly consolidated and invincible. As it stands, this is not the case. ”

"Your Majesty probably also knows that our dynasty is still in the midst of a long time, the sages live in the mountains and forests, and the powerful wait for the opportunity to cause chaos, and the state and county officials sent to Henan and Shandong are mostly scoundrels in the market, relying on Your Majesty's prestige, and going to work with their bare hands, only knowing that they want food, money, mules and horses, and even women. The people often heard that the king did not pay for food, and they first waited for it, and then they were disappointed. Therefore, the "Dictionaries" says that the sage is in a lower position and has no assistance, which is roughly consistent with the current situation of the sage who is evading the world and refusing to serve His Majesty. I also regret it because of this. The minister is ignorant, tell what he sees, and beg for forgiveness!"

Although Li Zicheng understood that what Li Yan said was mostly true, he had no choice but that since he arrived in Xi'an, he had been accustomed to hearing words praising merit and virtue every day, and he could not hear words about the shortcomings of the Dashun Dynasty's political affairs. He was silent for a moment, looked at Li Yan, and then looked at Song Xiance, and at the same time thought about the imperial meeting in the afternoon today, Liu Zongmin, Li Guo, Li You and other confidant generals all advocated the use of troops against Wu Sangui, he himself had agreed, and announced to the courtiers to postpone the enthronement ceremony, and Liu Zongmin had also summoned important generals and issued an order for the Eastern Expedition......

Thinking of this, he said to Li Yan: "The plan for the Eastern Crusade has been decided, and delaying time is definitely not the best policy. If I wait for Wu Sangui to be ready, avenge Chongzhen, and take the restoration of the Ming Dynasty as a call, spread troops from all over the country, and the Manchurians will also raise troops in the south, it will be even more unfavorable to me. Besides, after our army arrived in Beijing, its morale was not as good as before, as you all know. Therefore, judging from various situations, it is better to fight late than to fight quickly, and it is better to sit back and wait than to go east. Do not hinder the great plan of the Eastern Crusade again, and disturb my heart in vain. ”

Song Xiance reversed his usual cautious attitude and said generously: "The minister is a cloth cloth in the rivers and lakes, thanks to the grace of the saint, he is obedient to me, and treats me like a confidant, so the minister is willing to serve His Majesty with loyalty, knowing everything and saying everything." ”

"The minister looked at the overall situation, measured the situation, and verified the hexagram, and the minister believed that His Majesty's Eastern Crusade was quite unfavorable to His Majesty, and if Wu Sangui dared to commit a crime in the south, it would be unfavorable to Wu Sangui. The Manchus inevitably took the opportunity to commit a move south, but they didn't know when or where they would do so. For today's plan, instead of conquering Wu, it is better to guard against the Qing army. Although Wu Sangui has tens of thousands of people, but the land outside the gate is all lost, the Ming court has died, and the momentum is like a tree without roots, in the long run, it is not enough to trouble, and he can be broken by strange schemes. ”

"The Manchu Qing Dynasty is different, since Nurhachi betrayed the Ming Dynasty, ran Liaodong, gradually unified Manchuria, north to the white mountains and black waters, and the so-called land of making deer and dogs, the power has gradually strengthened, and it has gone through three generations. After Huang Taiji succeeded to the throne, he inherited the will of Nurhachi, and managed it more carefully, changing the name of the country to the Qing Dynasty, not only occupying the entire territory of Liaodong, but also unifying Mongolia, conquering Korea, using the plundered Han people to plant grains, revitalize hundreds of workers, and make cannons. ”

"This is a strong enemy, and you must not take it lightly. Before today, His Majesty was fighting against the Ming Dynasty for more than ten years, and the Ming Dynasty had already collapsed like a building, and Chongzhen was just struggling to support the crisis. Since Your Majesty has come to Beijing, from today onwards, Manchuria will be a fierce enemy, and the situation of war will be different from that of the past. ”

"Therefore, the minister thinks that His Majesty's current urgent task is to prepare for the Qing army, not to conquer Wu, and to conquer Shanhaiguan in the east, just like sacrificing the original and chasing the end. Once the Qing cavalry marched south, or after invading our army, or rushed to attack Beijing, our army would be attacked by the enemy on its back and would lose its ground in advance and retreat, so how could we deal with it? On the day of the decisive battle for the safety of the country, the ministers were in the position of military advisors, and they were so anxious that they could not help but risk their lives to speak out and beg to listen to one or two, so as not to cause Kang Long to regret it. ”

Li Zicheng couldn't help but waver in his thoughts, bowed his head and muttered for a moment, and then asked, "Can't I defeat Wu Sangui in one battle?"

"The art of war is cloudy: attacking its unpreparedness and taking it by surprise is the way to win. Today, Wu Sangui is guarding Xiongguan, quite prepared and impeccable. and to be at ease. If the Eastern Expedition is unfavorable, will we not break our army's soldiers and horses and frustrate our army's prestige? If the Qing troops take the opportunity to invade the south, our army will be far away from Beijing and without reinforcements, and it will definitely be defeated. Therefore, the minister said that His Majesty's eastward expedition would be unfavorable to His Majesty, and Wu Sangui's coming west would be unfavorable to Wu Sangui. ”

"I just plan to win quickly, and then quickly return to the division, how about fighting the Qing soldiers on the outskirts of Beijing?"

"When the Qing soldiers invaded the south, where they entered the army, whether they had colluded with Wu Sangui, I don't know all this. The Art of War: Know yourself and know your opponent, and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles. I don't know who I am, one wins and one loses. If you don't know who you are, you will die in every battle. Today's ministers and other royal ministers are discussing the Eastern Crusade and the war situation, which is the so-called temple calculation in ancient times. In the current situation, the Manchu Qing Dynasty is the most important, and Wu Sangui is secondary. Our army knows very little about the Qing soldiers, but the Manchus know more about me......"