After Wu Sangui sent away the two envoys sent by Li Zicheng to reward the army and persuade him to surrender, on the one hand, he made preparations for battle, and on the other hand, he ordered two civilian staff members to prepare a manuscript on his behalf, saying that he would never surrender to Li Zicheng and that he would be loyal to the Ming Dynasty.

After the letter was sent to Beijing, he knew that it would inevitably provoke Li Zicheng's anger and that war would be inevitable. Therefore, on the one hand, he listened to the news of Li Zicheng's troops, and on the other hand, he stepped up to listen to the movements in Shenyang, preparing to borrow troops from the Qing Dynasty.

At the same time, he ordered to work day and night, repaired the gap in the wall of Xiluo City, and transported the large and small firearms guarding Ningyuan City to Xiluo City in Shanhaiguan. The Ming Dynasty stored two red-coated cannons in Ningyuan, which once exerted their might when resisting the siege of Ningyuan by Manchurian soldiers, causing Nurhachi to suffer a great setback.

It was rumored that Nurhachi was wounded while directing the siege and died on the way back to Shenyang. Although it is only a legend that Nurhachi actually suffered from a slump and died, it is indeed a fact that when Nurhachi commanded the attack on Ningyuan City, due to the fierce artillery fire on the city, the Manchurian soldiers suffered heavy casualties, and Nurhachi was forced to retreat. After the Battle of Songshan, the Qing soldiers quickly encroached on the large and small castles near Ningyuan, but they were unable to attack Ningyuan, because Ningyuan had more artillery, and the Qing soldiers had suffered a big loss under the city. Now a fort has been built on the city of Silo, and the red-coated cannons have been erected.

The second important task of Wu Sangui's preparations for the war was to replenish the men. The number of people who entered the customs with him was only about 100,000. At the beginning, in order to exaggerate the merits, and also to ask the court for money afterwards, he falsely reported it as 500,000 people. These 100,000 people who have migrated from the interior are scattered in the counties near Guannei, and their lives have not yet been stabilized, and there are also various contradictions with the local people, so it is necessary to leave young and middle-aged people to take care of the old and weak women who have entered the Guan, take care of production, and take care of safety. It is not easy to be able to draw a few thousand people to replenish the army in a hurry.

Therefore, Wu Sangui was ready to defend Shanhai City, and the total number of soldiers was only more than 30,000, falsely claiming to be 50,000. He heard that Li Zicheng's Eastern Expeditionary Army was claimed to be 200,000, and even if it was reduced by half, there were 100,000 people, which was more than twice as many as his Guanning soldiers, and it should not be taken lightly. He sent people overnight to transfer all the men and horses stationed in Yongping back to Shanhaiguan. He also summoned some of his cronies, generals and staff, and also invited several local gentry to hold a meeting overnight to discuss the matter of borrowing troops from the Qing Dynasty.

During the discussion, almost everyone listened to Ping Xibo's generous words and did not dare to speak casually. Wu Sangui said: "Until now, no matter how difficult it is, we will all vow to be loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty, avenge the first emperor, and restore the country for the Ming Dynasty." Borrowing troops from the Qing Dynasty to help our dynasty exterminate the thieves is only a temporary expedient measure. Since ancient times, there have been many examples of a country in trouble, asking for help from neighboring countries, and restoring social security. All the civil officials and local gentry present here today are full of poetry and books, and they are well-versed in the past and the present; although the military generals have not read much, they have also heard operas. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was a Shen Baoxu ......"

He was afraid that he would not remember clearly, so he glanced at Yu Yiyuan, the most famous local gentry who was sitting in a precarious position and listening solemnly, and asked, "Is the person who ran to Qin to ask for help in order to restore the Sheji of Chu State?"

Yu Juren replied respectfully: "It's called Shen Baoxu, and this famous story is called Shen Baoxu crying Qin Ting." And ......"

Wu Sangui asked, "Who else?"

Yu Yiyuan himself didn't know why, maybe it was out of sensitivity, maybe he heard some rumors, and suddenly thought of the character Shi Jingjiao, but he was suddenly shocked, thinking that in the current sinister situation, if he accidentally said a wrong word, he would be killed.

Quickly changed his words and said: "I just heard the uncle's words that are deeply in line with the righteousness, and I know that the 50,000 soldiers in Guanning are inspired by the uncle's loyalty and righteousness to raise the teacher to beg the thief. Shanhaiguan and the people of nearby states and counties, whether wise or foolish, all of them are of the same mind and wholeheartedly support. Later generations will write in the annals of history, it will be called the closing of the door and righteousness, and it will be passed down for a long time. Uncle mentioned that Shen Baoxu begged for a teacher from the Qin State, and Yiyuan thought that Shen Baoxu could not specialize in the past, so the uncle borrowed troops from the Qing Dynasty to restore the country, which is today's Shen Baoxu. ”

Wu Sangui nodded: "Yu Juren is a learned person in the end, what he said is very true. Ben Jue decided to borrow troops from Manchuria, and he also followed Shen Baoxu to beg for troops from Qin. ”

He paused for a moment, in order to dispel the doubts of the local gentry, and then said: "I am borrowing troops from Manchuria, and I am by no means surrendering Manchuria. Manchuria will never come to Shanhaiguan, and I will never let the Manchurians come to Shanhaiguan. Please rest assured that the gentry will be assured of this. ”

A gentry timidly asked, "Uncle, where will the Manchurians enter the Great Wall, join forces with my Guanning army, and fight side by side to defeat the thieves?"

Wu Sangui said: "During the Chongzhen period, the Manchurians invaded the interior several times, and they all chose a place from the Chinese Association or the Western Association, entered the Great Wall, threatened Beijing, penetrated deep into the interior, and returned with plunder. Yu Juren knows all these things, right?"

Yu Yiyuan replied: "I would like to go back to my uncle, Yiyuan can probably remember it because he has paid attention to current affairs in recent years." The first time the Manchurian soldiers invaded was in November of the second year of Chongzhen, and the Manchurian soldiers invaded the south on the third road, all the way to Da'ankou, all the way to Youjingkou, and all the way to Malan Valley. These three entrances to the Great Wall are all in Zunhua County. ”

"The second time the Manchurian soldiers invaded was in September of the 11th year of Chongzhen, all the way from Qingshankou to the Great Wall, all the way from the wall of the ridge into the Great Wall, all in Miyun County. The third invasion of Manchuria was in November of the 15th year of Chongzhen, and it was still from the north of Miyun County that the Great Wall entered the Great Wall. The above three large-scale southern invasions all entered the Great Wall from Zunhua and Miyun. ”

Wu Sangui nodded frequently, looked at everyone and said, "Okay, good." Yu Juren is worthy of being a well-educated person in Shanhaiguan and pays attention to current affairs. According to the reports we have received, the Qing troops have already been dispatched from Shenyang, and there are many men and horses, which is much higher than in previous years. This time, the commander of the army went south was Prince Rui Dorgon, who was renamed regent from auxiliary king, and ruled the regent's military and political power on behalf of the young lord. We also heard a very important piece of news about our army's crusade against the thieves in Shanhai City...... , Yu Juren, you just said four words, how did you say it?"

"I said that the annals of history will be called the Closed Door Righteousness, and it will be passed down for a long time. ”

"Yes, yes. This is a definite piece of news, which is already ironclad, and it has not changed. The strategy of the Manchurian regent was the same as in previous years, and it was very beneficial to the rebellion of the people of our mountain navy. ”

Wu Sangui saw that the gentry still had a look on their faces that they didn't understand very well, and said to everyone: "The regent has decided to find an opening from the Zhongxie and the Xixixi to enter the Central Plains, first occupy a city as a place to garrison troops, and then enter to suppress the thieves and break through the Jingshi. ”

He paused, and suddenly raised his voice and said, "Benjue swears allegiance to the Ming Dynasty to the death, and he will not share the sky with the thieves. ”

The civil and military dignitaries and local gentry present were all moved by Wu Sangui's loyalty and filial piety.

"Although Sangui is a military general," Wu Sangui continued: "I don't learn, but people are not grass and trees, so I don't have the heart of loyalty and filial piety." Since the thieves captured Beijing, Sangui has deeply cherished the pain of losing his country and the sorrow of losing his family. I invite you to come today, in order to make it clear to you, I am determined to lead the Guanning soldiers to fight the thieves, and I will not hesitate. ”

Wu Sangui looked around and saw that everyone in the audience was silent, waiting for the following, and then continued: "This is an excellent opportunity, I want to borrow Dolgon's knife to cut Li Zicheng's neck." Today, I will send a powerful general, carrying a book on borrowing troops, to meet the regent of the Qing Dynasty on the road, and state my intention to borrow troops from the Qing Dynasty to restore the country. It shows that I lure the enemy deep here, so that the Central Association and the Western Association will not be defended by thieves, so that the regent can lead the Qing Dynasty army into the Great Wall smoothly, so that the Li thief can not take care of the tail, and the front and back at the same time will fight hard, and fall into the situation of inevitable defeat. As long as the Li thief is defeated in a battle, it will not be difficult to recover Shenzhou. ”

The gentry thought that Pingxibo's strategy was reasonable, and everyone listened respectfully and nodded slightly. A gentleman boldly asked: "May I ask my uncle, Emperor Chongzhen has been martyred, and all the people hate him." After working with the Qing army to recover Beijing, how to restore the Ming Dynasty?"

Wu Sangui replied: "Although the first emperor was martyred, the crown prince and the two kings of Yong and Ding are still in the world, and the prince should inherit the throne." ”

"I heard that the prince and the two kings are in the hands of Li thief, and the gentry of the mountains and seas are very concerned about the prince and the two kings and the whole family of your house. I don't know what kind of rescue my uncle has?"

"The matter...... I've got something else planned. However, because it is a military secret, it is not appropriate to disclose it, so please don't ask more. ”

Yu Yiyuan and the other gentry were still suspicious, but they didn't dare to ask again. Wu Sangui continued: "In the past few days, there have been many rumors in the Shanhai Acropolis, and the people have fled one after another. I am very tired of you today to help me pacify the people, please do not panic, this lord will be a strong soldier, and wait for the day. Once the thief comes, he must be told that he will have no place to return, and there will be no place to bury him. ”

The gentry listened solemnly, but no one made a sound. The meeting ended in a solemn atmosphere. After the meeting, Wu Sangui summoned the deputy general Yang Shen and the guerrilla general Guo Yunlong to the study of the residence, gave them another secret order, and ordered them to set off immediately with the prepared letter to Dolgon.

＊＊＊＊＊

Suddenly, a slight ring sound and footsteps came to Li Zicheng's side, and at the same time, a sweet fragrance rushed in. He couldn't help but look back and saw Wang Ruifen coming to his side, his clothes were elegant, his face was like a peach blossom, and his lips were like Wodan, and he didn't feel that his heart moved.

Wang Ruifen bowed down and said: "Emperor Qizuo, the weather is not early, it is already after the second watch, please go back to the harem to rest." ”

Wang Ruifen's beauty and gentle and pleasant voice suddenly alleviated the heaviness in Li Zicheng's heart. He suddenly thought of Concubine Dou, who had not been summoned for two nights, and saw that Concubine Dou's eyes had clearly cried at night yesterday morning and this morning, and couldn't help but ask, "Can Concubine Dou sleep in the Dongnuan Pavilion?"

Wang Ruifen replied: "Because the emperor has not yet rested, Dou Niangniang does not dare to go to bed, and is studying in the East Warm Pavilion to wait for the order. ”

Li Zicheng loved Concubine Dou very much, and immediately ordered: "You go and tell Concubine Dou to live in Xinuan Pavilion tonight." I'm going to read a few important papers, and I'll go back to my dormitory in a while. ”

"The slave is going to preach!"

After Wang Ruifen went to the East Warm Pavilion of the Renzhi Hall to pass on the emperor's message to Concubine Dou, Concubine Dou's cheeks turned red in an instant, her heart beat for a while, and her bright and beautiful eyes were shrouded in a thin layer of tears.

Wang Ruifen said: "Please put on some makeup and wait for the holy car to return to the dormitory." The slave maid went to tidy up the couch. ”

After Wang Ruifen left, two palace maids immediately came in, brought warm water in a silver basin, waited for Concubine Dou to wash her face, and then served her to comb her hair slightly. Many of the jewelry in his hair were removed and placed in a jewelry box, leaving only a jade hairpin in a bun and a bright red silk flower in the sideburns. She was born with fair skin, but in order to add a little fat powder, she applied a little fat powder to her face, which seemed to be nothing. After finishing the makeup, accompanied by several palace maids, he went to the palace of the emperor of Xinuan Pavilion and waited for the driver.

Concubine Dou ordered the palace maids to wait on the Danqi, and the gift was immediately passed on when the holy car returned. She saw that the yellow satin embroidered dragon quilt on the imperial couch had been placed, and smelled a strange fragrance in the dormitory that made her heart turbulent, and took advantage of the absence of the palace maids to quietly ask Wang Ruifen: "Why did you add that strange fragrance to the furnace?"

Wang Ruifen leaned close to Concubine Dou's ear and replied with a smile: "The slave maid wishes that Niangniang will give birth to a prince as soon as possible, so that the Dashun Dynasty will celebrate with the whole world." ”

Dou Meiyi blushed from her face to her pink neck, lowered her head, did not speak, but thanked Wang Ruifen for her kindness, and said in her heart: "Good Ruifen, as long as I will always be rich and prosperous in the future, I will definitely repay your kindness." ”

This night, Dou Meiyi enjoyed the emperor's affection on the royal couch again, and the love was still the same as before. She really hopes to get pregnant as soon as possible and give birth to a prince early for the emperor. But after all, she is a woman who is deeply influenced by etiquette and religion, and has recently left the virgin life, and she is a founding emperor who is in the same bed, which is not comparable to ordinary folk couples, so she is very shy, restrained, and passive in the pillow banquet, and she is only at the mercy of the emperor, and she does not dare to take the initiative.

But she is as delicate as a hair and sensitive as electricity. She knew that although the emperor was the lord of the world, he was a person after all, her husband, and he was the same as ordinary people on the royal couch. Tonight, she often felt from the emperor's careless subtle movements, from his occasional pause in his ear, that his heart was very serious, different from the past.

She didn't dare to ask a word, but asked in her heart: "The enthronement ceremony will be held on the sixth day of the first month, and the emperor's pole gate will be honored tomorrow, is there any major event that makes the emperor unhappy?"

After the five drums sounded on the Xuanwu Gate, Dou Meiyi and Li Zicheng woke up from their pillows almost at the same time. Two nights ago, Li Zicheng was worried about state affairs, and did not let Concubine Dou stay with him, and always woke up suddenly without waiting for the fifth watch drum of Xuanwu Gate, and when the first drum sounded, he had already sat up in his clothes, and without waiting for the call, the four palace maids who served him to dress and wash and comb his hair came in immediately.

Dou Meiyi, who was sleeping alone in the Dongnuan Pavilion, knew this situation very well, because she woke up earlier, and at this time she was being served by the palace maid, making up in front of the bronze mirror. Although he felt cold by the emperor because he occasionally stayed alone, he couldn't help but have many doubts, just afraid that the common saying is impermanent, but he also admired the emperor for not being greedy for women, and he really deserved to be a wise founding emperor. But when she woke up early this day, she had a different mentality.