At noon on April 26 in the first year of Dashun Yongchang, Li Zicheng finally entered the Desheng Gate of Beijing City under the escort of two or three thousand imperial soldiers.

Li Guo, Niu Jinxing, Chen Yongfu, and Li Yan, who had rushed from Tianjin after receiving the news, and other civil and military officials, all knelt in the Desheng Gate to welcome Li Zicheng's return, just as they did when they sent him off on the same day.

Li Zicheng was still in the same pomp as when he left Beijing, with a yellow umbrella opening the way, knights guarding, and himself wearing a blue robe, a white felt hat, and a red cloak on his shoulders. It's just that his face is dark, his face is full of dirt, and the war horse under his crotch is also too tired, and the horse looks thin and long, and he is embarrassed when he rides alone.

The soldiers and horses that followed him into the city could not be compared with when he left the city, and he went out with an army of 60,000 on that day. Now less than 30,000 people have been brought back, and most of them have entered the city through the second gate of Dongzhi and Chaoyang.

Only Li Zicheng took the imperial camp to the Desheng Gate, and pinched the noon to enter the city - this was calculated by Song Xiance with a few fingers, and it was good luck to enter the city at the Desheng Gate at noon!

However, Li Zicheng still couldn't lift his spirits, and when he saw the ministers who came to pick up the driver, he had nothing to say, but let them follow them all the way to Dashun Gate (inside Daming Gate). Subsequently, Emperor Dashun ordered the Shangshu and Shilang of the six governments (equivalent to the six ministries) to return to the yamen to do business, and only ordered Liu Zongmin, Tian Jianxiu, Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance, Li Guo, Li Yan and others to enter the palace at the beginning of Shen Shi.

After returning to the palace, taking a hot bath, having a meal, and resting for a while, his newly adopted concubine Dou in Beijing woke him up according to his previous instructions.

"The emperor, the emperor, the emperor wake up."

Li Zicheng woke up suddenly, and looked at the Dou family, who was originally from Chongzhen Palace, a woman like a flower and jade, but there was a melancholy in a pair of bright eyes. This woman was chosen for him by Li Zicheng's queen Gao from Chongzhen's palace, in order to give birth to a son for Li Zicheng - Li Zicheng had three wives before and after, but none of them gave birth to a son and a half daughter for Li Zicheng. Among them, the second wife, Xing, ran away with Gao Jie, but they gave birth one after another...... What a strangeness! However, in order for Dashun to have someone to inherit, the "inconferential" Gao family had to choose a few old girls from Chongzhen's harem to try Li Zicheng's luck.

Li Zicheng stretched his waist and smiled casually: "You slept so well, is it time to be here?" ”

"A quarter of an hour to go."

Li Zicheng sat up, got out of bed, and said, "Quickly get my robe, I still have important things to do." ”

Dou knew that Li Zicheng had sent several ministers and generals to Wuying Hall for discussion, so he did not persuade Li Zicheng to rest for a while, so he took a brand new blue robe and waited for Li Zicheng to wear it.

When Li Zicheng arrived at the East Warm Pavilion of Wuying Palace, Liu Zongmin, Tian Jianxiu, Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance, Li Guo, Li Yan and others had already arrived. Among them, Liu Zongmin was carried in, and he made a man slash a few times on a stone battlefield, and he was seriously injured, unable to walk, and it was impossible to kowtow to Li Zicheng.

After the rest of the people kowtowed, Li Zicheng ordered everyone to sit down, and then asked Liu Zongmin about his injuries.

"It's no big deal," Liu Zongmin replied, "Your life is hard!" It's just that I pity the kid. ”

Double Happiness is Li Shuangxi, Li Zicheng's adopted son. In the Battle of One Stone, he led the imperial cavalry to launch a final assault, repulsing the Manchurian soldiers who surrounded Liu Zongmin, allowing Liu Zongmin and the remnants of Zhongquan's pro-army to escape. But he himself was killed in battle!

Li Zicheng sighed: "How is the situation in the capital?" ”

Li Guo replied: "The hearts of the people in the capital are fluctuating, there are many rumors, and the ministers have begun to prepare to defend the city. ”

"How's it going over there in Tianjin?"

Li Yan replied: "It's quite calm, but Emperor Zhu Thief is stuck in Dagukou and has not left, and he is still reorganizing the army, I'm afraid that he will soon counterattack." ”

Li Zicheng nodded and said, "That's for sure...... The Zhu thief led the Tartar soldiers to help in the battle, and he was not afraid of luring the wolf into the house, which is really hateful! ”

Tian Jianxiu said with a worried face: "Just now, the minister received a report that the combined forces of Zhu Thief and Tartar are chasing over, there are tens of thousands of people, all of them are cavalry, and they will arrive in Beijing within two days." Whether to go or to keep, you have to make an idea today......"

As soon as he said this, everyone fell silent.

Guard, probably can't hold it! Not to mention anything else, the lack of food in Beijing alone does not support the defense of the city, unless the common people in the city are driven away and the rations are left for the Dashun army to eat - but the emperor of Dashun is benevolent and loves the people, and will not do this.

Walkable ...... It seems a little inappropriate, too.

Dashun is known as a million heavenly soldiers, and he came vigorously, and along the way, he was looking at the wind and descending, and it was a mess. Now that he has lost a battle at Shanhaiguan and lost more than 20,000 people, he is about to give away the city of Beijing?

That's too cowardly, isn't it? What do you think of the people from all walks of life who have attached to Dashun? Don't you have to look down on Dashun?

"Emperor," Li Yan frowned, and suddenly opened his mouth to break the silence, "It doesn't matter if the Zhu thief comes back, I'm afraid that the Tartars have entered Beijing City!" ”

"What do you mean by that?" Li Zicheng was stunned.

Isn't that understood? Li Yan sighed, a non-resisting emperor who gave up the land of Yanyun Country to the Tartars, can he still expect the world to return to his heart? Don't say anything, Beijing can't hold it! How could Beijing not hold on? The city wall is tall and strong, there are more than a dozen Hongyi cannons, hundreds of Franc machine guns, and the defenders are no less than 50,000, of which the old battalion soldiers are close to 40,000. As for the lack of food...... Rob the people! Zhu Cihong distributed all the food to the people of Beijing before he ran away, go and grab it! Is it rare for the Dashun Army to do this kind of thing? When you shouldn't grab it, you didn't grab it, and now when you should grab it, why are you soft?

Thinking of this, he sighed again: "Emperor, if the Zhu thief enters Beijing, then the Zhu thief will continue to stand between us and the Tartars." In order to keep Beijing, Zhu Thief had to work hard to deal with the Tartars, and he didn't have much spare strength to fight the other party. And the Tartar will be entangled by the Zhu thief, and he will not have the time to fight with us. Our Dashun has a chance to recuperate, and it is not difficult to make a comeback.

Now I'm afraid that the Zhu thief will retreat and continue to move south and run to Jiangnan. Throw the Central Plains to us and the Tartars, so that the Tartars will deal with us Dashun first, and then go south to the south of the Yangtze River......"

Li Yan even doubted that the Tartars would not go south to fight the Ming Dynasty! Because his wife, the Red Lady, is also good at water warfare, but on the Wei River, he was defeated and captured by a gunboat of the Zhu Thief Water Division.

The Tartar horse is terrible on its back, but it can't be on the water. Water warfare is not good, the Huai River and the Yangtze River are all natural dangers, why go south to attack Ming? So according to Li Yan's thoughts, if Li Zicheng is willing to change his mind and stick to Beijing, then Dashun still has something to do, otherwise...... He's going to have to go to the Lord!

"Somewhat." Li Zicheng thought for a while, "But no matter who owns Beijing City, it has to go, and this Beijing City, if you can't manage it, you will take it by Tartar." ”

Li Ziguo is determined to give up Beijing! The reason why he gave up Beijing, in addition to "lack of people's hearts and food", also had the factor of reluctance to leave 20,000 or 30,000 old battalion soldiers behind - it was impossible for him to defend Beijing by himself, after all, he was the emperor, and let people rule like this in the city? But you have to keep the army and the general...... I don't want to, and I don't worry!

Li Yan sighed, and then said to Li Zicheng: "Emperor, the minister thinks that most of the Zhu thieves will go south, so we have to plan for the worst." ”

"Oh? What are your plans? ”

"If Your Majesty feels that Beizhili is no longer possible, the army should retreat as soon as possible. However, Shanxi and Henan must have important ministers and generals to manage them with full authority, otherwise they will not be able to block the fundamental land of Shaanxi. ”

Li Zicheng nodded and looked at Li Yan, "Who can go to Shanxi?" ”

"Chen Yongfu can go to Shanxi." Li Yan said, "In addition, Jiang Hao of Datong Mansion is unreliable, and the emperor must be careful of his backwater." ”

"What about Henan?" Li Zicheng looked at Li Yan coldly.

Li Yan had a ghost in his heart, and when he saw it, he was shocked in his heart, and he didn't know how to answer, but he said: "Zhongzhou is the heart of the world, and it always needs people to operate, especially Henan Mansion (Luoyang) is the most important. ”

Li Zicheng's face softened a little, Li Yan was not the Hou Ye......