"Xinshun King" Li Zicheng rose to the top and stood majestically. The middle and senior officers of the army were seated in two columns. The chair is small and simple, but the people who sit on it are all alive and proud.

On both sides of the handsome chair, there are two smaller Taishi chairs, which are also frontal like the handsome chairs, sitting on the left auxiliary ox Venus and the right Bilaiyi. There is a low chair next to Niu Jinxing, and sitting is the military advisor Song Xiance.

There are two rows of high chairs opposite to the bottom, which are the positions of the core generals of the Chuang Army who have been basically stereotyped after several adjustments, including Tian Jianxiu, the general of the commander's battalion, Liu Zongmin, the general of the middle battalion, Liu Fangliang, the general of the left battalion, Yuan Zongdi, the general of the right battalion, Gu Kecheng, the general of the former battalion, and Li Guo, the general of the rear battalion. After them, Li Shuangxi, Dang Shousu, Ren Jirong, Wu Ruyi and other high-ranking generals of the fifth battalion of the main force of the Chuang army had their own seats.

The seat column almost continued to the wide tent of the Chinese army, and only then did it take Li Jiyu and other external annexes, as Li Jiyu's "entourage", Yang Zhaofeng could only stand behind Li Jiyu with Xue Zhaoyu. When the beating of the snare drum outside the tent gradually stopped, the whole big tent, which had been noisy and noisy, was silent in an instant, filled with a solemn and solemn atmosphere. In such an environment, even though Yang Zhaofeng was quite far away from the top place, he could still clearly hear the content of Li Zicheng and the others' conversation.

The entire military discussion was presided over by Zuo Funiu Jinxing, who was Li Zicheng's mastermind, and Yang Zhaofeng had heard of his name for a long time, but it was the first time he had met. He was in his early forties, with a round face and a slightly chubby face, thin eyes and a wide mouth, with a long beard and fair skin, and a little sharpness in his elegance.

When Li Jiyu also reported his name, after a while, the military discussion officially began. Niu Jinxing shook his sleeves and said: "This time we convened a meeting of all the monarchs, in addition to paying homage to the majesty of King Xinshun, there is also a major opportunity to discuss. This first one is not for anything else, it lies in Xiao Yuanying. ”

As soon as he mentioned "Xiao Yuan Ying", Liu Zongmin slapped his big slap on the armrest of the seat, and immediately couldn't help but shout: "What else is there to discuss in Xiao Yuan Ying, I broke into the army and stepped over, and when I boarded, I was crushed into powder, and it was a hundred." ”

Li Guo smiled gloomily and said, "Master Liu, you don't know this news. "He injured his left eye in the previous battles, and he fell ill, and now he doesn't dare to use his left eye much in normal times, so he covers it with an eye patch, and becomes a one-eyed dragon.

Liu Zongmin shouted: "Fart, why am I not well-informed?" Yuan Shizhong colluded with the Ming army to fight against the water, how could our army sit still and wait to be killed, of course, it was the first to strike first and get rid of this traitor! Li Zicheng established himself as the "King of Xinshun", which can be regarded as a formal establishment of political power to fight against the Ming court. Since they no longer think that they are the thieves of the righteous army, under the propaganda and requirements of Niu Jinxing and others, the whole army gradually began to change the name of the "official army" to the "Ming army" and called themselves the "Chuang army" or "Shun army" to show the mentality of the two sides sitting on an equal footing.

Li Guo didn't give in, his voice became louder, and he said, "You still don't recognize the thief?" Yuan Shizhong ran away half a month ago, and you are still in the dark. ”

Liu Zongmin glared and said, "Ran away?" ”

Niu Jinxing faced the generals at this time and said: "Half a month ago, there was news from eastern Henan, and most of the soldiers and horses of Xiao Yuan's battalion were suddenly dismissed, leaving only about 10,000 people, and moved south from Bozhou to Yingzhou. His battalion was under the control of our army, and he opened without the military order of our army, which shows that he has a heart of disobedience. ”

Liu Fangliang, who had a slender neck, responded: "Yes, at that time, I led the army to Chenzhou, and I noticed that the situation was different, so I sent someone to reprimand me. Yuan Shizhong's mouth was full of flowers, and he directly deduced that it was a military deployment adjustment to guard against the Ming army, but unexpectedly, he pulled out the army overnight and left, which shows that he must be a thief. ”

Li Zicheng, who had been listening, said: "Huaiying and the Ming army are cruising, and the Xiao Yuan battalion can march without scruples, and if nothing else, I am afraid that I will secretly make peace with the Ming court." Last year, I could see that this person was half-hearted, and I originally planned to knock him on these days, but I didn't want to be preempted by him. ”

Li Guo arched his hand and said: "If King Xinshun does not give up, I am willing to lead his troops to attack him, and let Yuan Shizhong the thief pay for his life and apologize." As soon as he said a word, Guo Yi's generals Zhang Neng, Ma Chongxi and others in his camp all began to wave their arms and clench their fists, asking for battle excitedly.

Liu Fangliang shook his head and said, "No." ”

Li Guo rolled his eyes and said, "It's not up to you to decide whether it's okay or not." ”

Liu Fangliang said: "When our battalion came to Xuzhou, Xiao Yuan's battalion had already moved south from Yingzhou Wei to Yingshang County, which shows that its people have never stopped moving. According to the indications, the destination of the crowd is very likely to be the south of Anqing and Luzhou along the river, where there are many mountainous areas, and there are more Ming court Fengyang governors, Jiangxi governors and Nanjing Jiangfang and other widely distributed troops and horses to garrison, it is not easy to attack. ”

"Henan has been defeated, what are you afraid of?" Li Guoman didn't care and said, "There is no need for other battalion heads, as long as I have a battalion of soldiers and horses, it is enough to see Yuan Shizhong!" As he spoke, he turned his gaze at Li Zicheng, swallowing dry foam, looking eager to try.

Niu Jinxing immediately bowed down and asked: "Yuan Shizhong's rebellion is conclusive, how to deal with it, please make a decision for the king." ”

Li Zicheng actually had a plan, so he pretended to ponder for a while, and said: "Although Yuan Shizhong is rebellious, he is just suffering from ringworm. Now that our army is focusing on Shaanxi and Henan, it is necessary to distinguish between priorities and priorities. Defeat Yuan Shizhong, and promote the prestige of the army, so let him jump off the beam clown for a few more days, and wait until the Central Plains is pacified, and then take his life. ”

The voice fell, and the core six generals said at the same time: "Obey the king's holy order!" They started up, and the rest of the generals responded with each other.

It was Yang Zhaofeng's turn to be here, and he also had no intention of exchanging a few words with Li Jiyu, and he thought to himself: "Today's gathering of generals, as well as outsiders such as Yuzhai, is not to discuss the means of disposal, all matters are only afraid that King Xinshun and those generals have already agreed." In this tent, it is just a formality and the announcement of the results. ”

Yuan Shizhong's matter came to an end, and Niu Jinxing continued: "Since the beginning of this year, our army has fought on all sides, and the five battalions have reported good news, and the current Henan province can be said to be in the hands of our army. Wei Wu and Song Zu both started in Henan, and the foundation of the Cheng Emperor was the first of our army to sweep the world. However, Henan is established, the Ming court has not been overthrown, and the people in the world are still suffering from tyranny. I break into the army to do the right thing for heaven, how can I be satisfied with the status quo, hold back, and then try to forge ahead. Speaking of this, he saluted Li Zicheng, and then shook his voice, "I thought that when we took advantage of the power of this Pingyu, we should take Hebei first, go straight to Beijing, and lay the hegemony in one fell swoop!" ”

When the generals heard this, they were immediately boiling. This was the topic they were most interested in, and if words like Niu Venus could only be used as a medicine to relieve pain and soothe wounds, now they had become an elixir that could hit them right in the heart.

"Hit the city of Beijing, break the king and become the emperor, and the brothers will also get a big official!"

"Kill the Dog Emperor, the world is the world of King Xinshun!"

Li Zicheng smiled and looked at the generals who were gossiping and even had begun to quarrel and debate fiercely with each other, this was the scene he expected, and it was also the scene he was happy to see. It was only at this time that he deliberately did not order the audience to be silent.

The excited generals of the Chuang army were blushing and shouting for a while, and gradually some people realized that Li Zicheng had not yet spoken, so they pursed their lips and remained silent, and the rest of the people also quieted down one after another. Li Zicheng's prestige is not comparable to the past, if they could still call themselves Li Zicheng's brother and robe, then now they can see very clearly that Li Zicheng is their king, and he is the most likely male lord to replace Ming Zuo in today's world.

The riot was settled, Li Zicheng did not speak, but Laiyi, who was sitting firmly, said: "According to the humble opinion of the contemptible people, the root of the Ming court lies in the southeast. He served as an official of the Ming court of the Wanli, Taichang, Tianqi, and Chongzhen dynasties, and he was highly respected, and Li Zicheng forcibly invited him out of his home, trying to make him famous rather than talented.

Niu Jinxing shook his head after hearing this, and said: "This is wrong, if you act like this, it is really a good idea for our army to take advantage of the momentum accumulated over the years." ”

The generals of the Chuang army believe in the momentum of breaking the bamboo in one go, and most of the statements on Niu Jinxing should be peaceful. Li Guo said in a loud voice: "Emperor Laozi is all in Beijing, how can he say that the foundation of the Ming Dynasty is in the south and not in the north?" Hit the snake and hit the seven inches, and the thief will capture the king first. Beijing City is the heart of the Ming Dynasty, it is the most important place, we are willing to go to the near and far, go to the southeast to fight a useless Nanjing City, kill a group of idle and idle left-behind officials, what is the benefit? Then he jokingly laughed, "Could it be that you are old and want to go to Nanjing to enjoy Qingfu?" In public, the fact of the retirement of Nanjing officials mocked the elderly Laiyi.

Laiyi's identity looked high, but it was Li Zicheng's shelf used to win the hearts of the gentry, without any real power, and was sprayed by Li Guo twice, where did he dare to scream, Rao is gray beard trembled with anger, and he did not squeak.

Song Xiance, who was sitting next to Niu Jinxing, said in a timely manner: "The words of the old man are the words of the old, according to this line, our army can be invincible, and it is a wonderful strategy to change it in the past." It's just that the destiny is in me right now, and the general trend is also in me, if I don't move forward bravely because of the situation, it's a pity! He is dark and short, short, with a thick neck and a thick waist, and his figure is straight like a sweet potato, but his voice is full of energy, and as soon as he speaks, he attracts the attention of the audience, which is impossible to ignore.

"Oh, what do you think?" Li Zicheng liked Song Xiance very much, and asked with a smile, "Do you have the same opinion as Mr. Niu?" ”

"It's a little different." Song Xiance stood up slowly as he spoke, not much different from the short time he sits, "The old man's strategy is too slow, and Mr. Niu's strategy is too urgent." The hundred-foot high platform is not a day's work, although our army has an advantage, but it is also quite hard-won, do not retreat, but also can not advance. It is more important to take one step at a time, and walk in a down-to-earth manner, which is the right way. ”

"What is the right way?" Li Zicheng tilted his head and looked at Song Xiance with interest.

Song Xiance is ugly and short-sighted, but he has an awe-inspiring posture with his head held high, but he heard him say: "It's better to take Guanzhong first, and then ignore the three sides, and wait for Shanxi to be captured, and then go to Beijing after borrowing the road." After a pause, he explained, "The king prospered in Henan, but originated in Shaanxi. Henan can be towering branches, but Shaanxi has always been fundamental. In Dingguan, take Shaanxi, save the father and the old folks in the fire and water, Shang Ke'an has sacrificed the spirit of the righteous soldiers in the sky for more than ten years, and the people from all over the world can look forward to it, and conform to the will of heaven and the people. As soon as Shaanxi occupies, this is not a hegemony, but an imperial industry! ”

Li Zicheng listened and nodded his head, he was from Shaanxi, and his thoughts of returning to his roots were very strong, especially the words "imperial industry" deeply touched his heartstrings. Not only him, but also the generals of the army who were present, most of them from Shaanxi, they have fought on the battlefield so far, if you talk about money and women, in fact, there are no regrets, but when you think of being able to return to your hometown, the throbbing in your heart rises. There is nothing more comfortable than being recognized by others, after more than ten or twenty years of hard haha, one day I can return to my hometown with a brocade hat and mink fur, and stand in front of those fathers and villagers who once looked down on me, and vent their evil anger fiercely.

"I think what Song Junshi said makes sense." Liu Zongmin laughed and said, "People live a breath of Buddha and fight for a stick of incense, I see, going to be a prime minister elsewhere is not as good as going back to Shaanxi to be a seven-grade sesame official!" ”

This was the voice of several of the generals present, and for a while, they all agreed with Song Xiance's idea. Shaanxi is the name of their hometown, and they all yearn to one day return to their hometown in peace and security. Song Xiance's words were like a clear spring, and suddenly cleared their minds, in addition to women and money, they finally found a seemingly long-term goal, of course they couldn't help but be happy.

Li Zicheng nodded secretly, didn't rush to make a statement, and asked Niu Jinxing: "Mr. Niu, what do you think?" ”

Niu Jinxing knew that Li Zicheng had a heart, and it was difficult to disobey the will of the people, so he said with interest: "Master Song is reasonable. ”

Li Zicheng said: "We are all from Shaanxi, and if we don't go home if we make a name for ourselves outside, we will earn more money, and no matter how big an official we are, we will be sorry for our ancestors and ancestors." As he spoke, he suddenly remembered the great hatred that his ancestral tomb had been excavated by Wang Qiaonian, the former governor of Shaanxi, and his face sank.

Song Xiance guessed his thoughts, and deliberately did not break it, but said for another reason: "In addition, there is Sun Chuanting in Shaanxi, and if he is not eliminated, let Nanjing and Beijing go, our army will not be able to go anywhere." ”

Tian Jianxiu was in charge of the military, and he thought deeply of this, and echoed: "This is very true, Sun Chuanting heard that he was fighting in Shaanxi after the defeat of Jiaxian, and he was plotting against me day and night. If this person is not removed, it is really a big trouble. ”

Li Zicheng nodded solemnly and said: "If someone offends me, I will offend someone, and the main purpose of today's military discussion is Sun Chuanting." ”