May 22, 12th year of Chongzhen. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

Jingshi, Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Chongzhen, who had a mixture of anger and frustration, sat on the dragon chair, and under the Dan steps, Yang Sichang, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, knelt on the ground.

Chongzhen saw Yang Sichang kneeling in front of the steps so respectfully, but his heart was mixed.

Because Yang Sichang's entry into the palace this time is still what he has always insisted on, he must first settle inside and then outside, and when the Qing army enters the customs, he urgently discusses the decision of peace with the Qing court.

Listening to Yang Sichang, who was kneeling on the ground, he nagged and talked again about this strategy that made Chongzhen's ears calloused, and Chongzhen was very depressed and depressed in his heart.

You must know that at this time, 100,000 Qing soldiers have all entered the customs, and the left and right armies have moved to An, passed Fengrun, and converged in Tongzhou, where they are wantonly plundering in Gyeonggi and other places, and there is a panic inside and outside the capital. At this urgent time, Chongzhen heard that his most trusted minister did not say a word about how to repel the enemy soldiers to protect the prefecture and county, but still proposed to him to quickly negotiate peace with the Qing army, how not to make Chongzhen extremely angry.

"Yang Wenweak, now that the Qing captives have entered the customs, and you are wantonly plundering and doing evil everywhere, as the secretary of the Ministry of Rites and the military leader, you are an important minister of the country's humerus, and you are still only thinking about making peace with the Qing army, which is really disappointing to me!"

Hearing the emperor's angry shouts from the dragon chair, Yang Sichang's body trembled violently.

He sighed lightly and arched his hand: "Your Majesty, with all due respect, the Qing Dynasty is coming here very quickly, but within a few days, it will break through the border wall and go straight to Gyeonggi." The elite part of our Ming official army is still in the places where bandits are suppressed in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Huguang and other places, and it is difficult to rush back in a hurry. If you don't urgently negotiate peace with the Qing court, then the ministers are afraid of the land of Gyeonggi, and it will be difficult to clean up the misery! ”

"Hmph, if you want to fight against the Tartars, it is inevitable that the people will be killed and injured, but how can this be the reason why I want to negotiate peace with the Qing people!" Chongzhen retorted sharply: "If in your opinion, the Qing army has come to Beijing, and my Ming officers and soldiers don't even have the courage to fight a battle, so they will immediately negotiate peace with the Qing people, then the face of my Ming Dynasty will not be at all!" If you sign such an alliance under the city that humiliates the country, and let future generations laugh and scold, then it is better to simply surrender without a fight! ”

The emperor's words were extremely angry, and Yang Sichang, who was kneeling on the ground, was inexplicably bitter in his heart.

He replied: "Your Majesty, with all due respect, the Qing army is here, the momentum is great, and the soldiers are fierce, it is really unstoppable!" Taking a step back, even though His Majesty is willing to sacrifice the people, just relying on the officers and troops from all over the country to help, he wants to repel the Qing army, I am afraid that it is just fishing for the moon in the water! And what Weichen is even more worried about is that if the elite officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty who have spent a lot of money to cultivate are damaged in the area like this and die under the swords of the Qing soldiers, then those rogues who were originally suppressed by our army will definitely re-raise their heads and poison the world. At the time of the realm, only the remnants of my Ming official army remained, and I am afraid that it will be difficult to suppress these cunning and repeated old bandits! ”

Listening to Yang Sichang's sad words, Chongzhen's face twitched, and his expression was extremely painful.

Yang Sichang gritted his teeth and continued: "Your Majesty, with all due respect, the Qing army is here, although it is powerful, but after all, it is a border pass alien race, although it is rampant and plundering for a while, but in the end it will always withdraw its troops and return to China, but it is only elbow and armpit problems. And the hidden rogues in our country are the real national henchmen! Now the officials and the military have spent a lot of effort to barely suppress it. If such a hard-won situation of suppressing bandits collapses once it collapses, then I am afraid that I will be able to return to the sky! ”

"You, you 。。。。。。" Chongzhen gritted his teeth, but he couldn't say anything for a while.

However, Chongzhen's eloquence was limited and he couldn't refute Yang Sichang's words, but he was extremely dissatisfied in his heart, and he was even more indescribably disgusted with Yang Sichang, who was bent on peace.

Shame, shame! Why are the Ming officers and soldiers so weak that they don't have the strength to fight with the Qing army. This enemy has come to the door, burning, killing, plundering and doing all kinds of evil, but the Ming side can only bend his knees and sue for peace, how can this really be true!

In the Qianqing Palace, there was a dead silence.

At this time, a eunuch suddenly came to report, saying that Lu Xiangsheng, who had resigned and was at home, had hurried back to Beijing in accordance with the emperor's decree and was waiting outside the palace.

Chongzhen's eyes lit up, he thought about it for a while, and then waved his hand to let Yang Sichang retreat first, and then urgently summoned Lu Xiangsheng into the hall to speak.

Yang Sichang sighed and bowed back.

When he stepped out of the hall, he saw the eunuch with Lu Xiangsheng and hurriedly entered.

When the two met their eyes, they both saw deep indifference and indifference in each other's eyes.

"Governor Lu, please forgive Yang for saying bluntly, do you really think that with the combat strength of my Ming official army, I can compete with the fierce soldiers and horses of the Qing Dynasty?" Yang Sichang said coldly.

Lu Xiangsheng snorted coldly and replied coldly: "Yang Gebu, Lu is a rough man, he only knows how to serve the country and kill the enemy bravely, but he will never be the one who will only bend his knees and surrender as soon as the enemy army comes!" What's more, with Yuan Chonghuan's lesson in front of him, he also asked Yang Gebu to do it himself. ”

"You 。。。。。。"

Yang Sichang, who was suddenly discolored, did not finish his words, and Lu Xiangsheng had already brushed his sleeves away.

Yang Sichang looked angry, and looked at Lu Xiangsheng's back with hatred for a long time before he snorted coldly and turned around and left.

Lu Xiang ascended to the palace and immediately knelt on the ground and saluted.

"Minister, Lu Xiangsheng, the governor of Xuanda and the marshal of the world's soldiers and horses, knock to see Your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live the minus!"

"Aiqing is flat!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Lu Xiangsheng stood up, and Chongzhen was not polite, and said bluntly: "Lu Aiqing, Yang Wenwan said to me that he wanted me to urgently negotiate peace with the Qing army, but I don't know what Jiandou suggested to him, what do you think?" ”

Lu Xiangsheng frowned, knelt on the ground again, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, with all due respect, if the Qing army comes, our army will immediately bend its knees and sue for peace. The people and scholars of this thousands of years will depend on why Your Majesty is waiting for you! ”

Chongzhen was moved when he heard this, and said in a trembling voice: "Then according to Qing's opinion, how should I deal with it, and it should be appropriate?" ”

Lu Xiangsheng hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, Weichen thinks that since the Qing army has entered the customs and attacked, then my Ming official army should fight to the death with it to protect the country!" Although the minister is incompetent, this enthusiasm is willing to be loyal to the country and the monarch, and it is thrown on the land of the Ming Dynasty. If you finally get the horse leather shroud and return, then the minister will die without complaint! ”

Lu Xiangsheng's impassioned words aroused the long-hidden ambition in the emperor's heart, he stood up from the dragon chair, strode to the bottom of the Dan steps, and personally supported Lu Xiangsheng who was kneeling on the ground.

"Jiandou is so loyal, what else do I have to worry about! That Jiandou thinks that I am a Ming official army, but next, how should I fight the Qing army, is it appropriate? Chongzhen asked anxiously.

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, the Qing army is here, although its momentum is large, after all, it is a guest army from afar, and in a hurry, it is not easy to attack the well-defended capital. Therefore, the minister thought that next, the Qing army gathered in Tongzhou would definitely divide his troops to the south. In this way, our Ming officers and troops can gather superior forces and break them one by one, then the capture can be won, and the destruction of the Tartars will be successful! ”

Lu Xiangsheng paused, and then continued: "Your Majesty, from below, the Qing army is very likely to divide its troops into three ways, all the way to Laishui, and attack Yi County; All the way to the new city, attack Xiongxian; There is also a way, from Dingxing, to attack Ansu. If these three places are keke, then in the area of the Jizhong Plain, there are no more officials and troops to stop. Then the Qing army could divide its troops again, march into southern Hebei and Henan and Shandong, and take our people's livestock and gold and silver goods back to the north, greatly enriching the strength of the Qing state. ”

Hearing that Lu Xiangsheng's words were so firm and powerful, and so well analyzed, Chongzhen was very relieved, and said: "If the Qing army is acting like this, then according to Jiandou, how to resist the further attack of the Qing people, is it important?" ”

Lu Xiangsheng's eyes were blazing, and he said loudly: "Your Majesty, if the Qing army really acts like this, then the Ming officials and troops who are now gathered in the capital, except for the five battalions left in the capital to guard the Beijing division, the rest of the reinforcements from other places can all go to Jizhuozhou first, so as to base themselves. Then they divided their troops to Baoding, so as to block their way and make their various departments not echo. In the end, elite soldiers were selected to encircle and annihilate a Qing army at the border of Qingdu. If this part of the Qing army is destroyed, the remaining two roads will inevitably be frightened, and they will have to retreat north to Tongzhou and return. It is more likely that the might of our army in this battle can force the Qing army to retreat further north and return to its country from the north through the border wall. If this can be done, the war against the Qing Dynasty will be a complete success. ”

Lu Xiangsheng's sonorous and powerful words made Emperor Chongzhen's face feel relieved, and he frequently bowed his head. The emperor's eyes began to flicker with anticipation.

"This plan is very good, I am accurate! Then please Jiandou train the soldiers and horses now, go south to Zhuozhou, if the Qing army really divides the troops, I will be in this Forbidden City, waiting for the victory of Jiandou! ”

Lu Xiangsheng, who was excited, had tears in his eyes, and fell to his knees again, arching his hand: "The minister has the emperor's kindness, dare not do his best to repay it, please ask the emperor to wait for the good news of the minister!" ”

After retiring from the Qianqing Palace, Lu Xiangsheng went to the general camp of the Ming army that came to the aid from other places and summoned a group of generals who came to the aid.

Lu Xiangsheng proudly entered the tent of the Chinese army, sat on the tiger head chair at the upper end, and immediately announced that the generals from other places would come to the aid and enter the tent to meet them.

"Minister, Wang Pu, the chief soldier of Datong, knock to see the governor."

"Minister, the chief soldier of Shanxi, Hu Dawei, knock on the governor."

"Minister, Yang Guozhu, deputy chief soldier of the Xuanfu, knock to see the governor."

"Minister, deputy commander of the Jintang Battalion of the Tang Army, guerrilla general Liu Wenxiu, knock on the governor."

After Liu Wenxiu said this, Lu Xiangsheng's sharp gaze immediately stared at him, and there was no movement.

And Lu Xiangsheng's expression at this time was very complicated.

This Liu Wenxiu, isn't he the young general who defeated his own 20,000 soldiers and horses outside Jintang City?

Unexpectedly, he was a sworn enemy some time ago, but now he also led the army and came to the capital to help. Now this former opponent has become his temporary subordinate.

This world is wonderful, what can be said.

However, when Lu Xiangsheng asked about the number of soldiers and horses, he was greatly disappointed by the number he obtained.

It turned out that there were not as many reinforcements as Lu Xiangsheng imagined. Like Wang Pu, the general soldier of Datong, brought 4,000 soldiers and horses, and the general soldier of Shanxi, Hu Dawei, brought 3,000 soldiers and horses, while Yang Guozhu, who fought with the Tang army some time ago and suffered heavy losses, only brought 2,000 soldiers and horses. Coupled with Lu Xiangsheng's own 5,000 elite soldiers and horses of Xuanda, there are only more than 14,000 troops.

Lu Xiangsheng calculated clearly, even if the 100,000 Qing troops were divided into three routes, there would be more than 30,000 soldiers along the way. If you only rely on the little strength you have, don't say that you can destroy this Qing army, I am afraid that it will not be enough to give these elite Qing troops with strong combat power.

However, he knows the inside story of the Ming Dynasty officials and soldiers, and he also knows in his heart that people like Wang Pu and Hu Dawei do not have their own opinions, but deliberately bring fewer soldiers and horses. The reason why they only brought so many soldiers and horses was because these generals ate a lot of empty salaries, drank the blood of soldiers, and in addition to using the money for their own pleasures, they mainly supported their own families. However, most of the subordinate soldiers are hungry and cold, and it is still difficult to survive even if they are hungry and cold. This despicable and vicious practice eventually led to the fact that the number of soldiers on the books of the military register was very different from the number of soldiers in the actual barracks, and it was almost completely different.

Lu Xiangsheng thought sadly, the problem of empty salaries for officials and soldiers was worse than all over the country in the Ming Dynasty. Perhaps, only Li Xiao, the Duke of Tang Guo, who is completely different from the way the country commanded the army, and his subordinate soldiers, do not have such bad behavior.

Lu Xiangsheng looked at Liu Wenxiu, who was kneeling at the end and had been silent, with a gaze like asking for help.

"Liu Wenxiu, how many soldiers and horses did you bring with you to help the Beijing Division?" Lu Xiangsheng asked softly.

Liu Wenxiu raised his head, this young general in his twenties, with a handsome face and eyes like lightning, he replied loudly: "Governor, under the order of my family Lord Li, a total of nearly 5,000 soldiers and horses from the Dingbei Battalion of the Tang Army were led to aid the Beijing Division. ”

Listening to Liu Wenxiu's report, Lu Xiangsheng felt refreshed.

Well, a guerrilla general of the Tang Army has much more soldiers and horses than these general soldiers of a province, which makes him impressed.

Lu Xiangsheng instantly thought that some time ago, he and these soldiers of the Tang Army's Dingbei Battalion fought to the death outside Jintang City, and he didn't feel ashamed and uneasy.

Fortunately, Li Xiao understood the righteousness and did not kill him, so he was able to lead his troops to escape back to Wanquan Division. After the imperial court negotiated peace with Li Xiao, including his second brother Lu Xiangguan, and Yang Guozhu, who was now just promoted to deputy commander-in-chief, as well as the captured middle and senior officers in Xuanfu Town, they were all released by the Tang army.

Speaking of which, it is self-sufficient that I owe this Li Xiao a great favor.

Thinking of this, Lu Xiangsheng only felt a faint fever on his face, he sighed lightly, and said slowly: "There is a way, Lu Yao knows horsepower, and he will see people's hearts for a long time." I think that at the beginning, the governor was deceived by others, and he actually had a dispute with the Duke of Tang Guo, so that they attacked each other, which really made the relatives painful and the enemies happy. On this day, Lord Li sent many soldiers and horses to come to the rescue, which shows his dedication to serving the country. In the heart of this governor, how ashamed. ”

After Lu Xiangsheng finished speaking, Wang Pu and the others all felt a fever on their faces, and their hearts were even more jealous and envious, which was indescribable.

At this time, the chief soldier of Shanxi, Hu Dawei, snorted coldly and said: "Lord Lu, although there are many soldiers and horses from this Tang army, I am afraid that most of them are perfunctory, and I am afraid that it will be difficult to use them." Although there are few soldiers and horses in Shanxi, they are battle-hardened for a long time, and everyone is elite. ”

After listening to Hu Dawei's sour words, the youthful Liu Wenxiu was not angry, so he replied coldly: "Tiger Commander's words are bad! I, the Tang Army, are all elite people, how can we be shoddy and perfunctory. If the tiger commander is not convinced, he can choose to send soldiers to compete with our army. ”

"Hmph, you, do you think this soldier wouldn't dare?!" Hu Dawei, a general soldier who was nearly 40 years old, was so confronted by Liu Wenxiu, a guerrilla general who was only 20 years old, suddenly felt that his face could not be hung up, and he replied with a stiff face and roaring.

Seeing that the two of them were talking fiercely, Lu Xiangsheng on the tiger head chair suddenly lowered his face, and he shouted angrily: "Shut up! Now that the national crisis is at hand, the two of you don't think about how to cooperate to resist the enemy, but instead quarrel here, and have their own dislikes, what kind of system is it really becoming! ”

After Lu Xiangsheng finished speaking, he stood up and said loudly to Liu Wenxiu: "Wenxiu, you take me to your Tang Army camp to take a closer look. ”