As soon as the sky dawned the next day, Yao Wenchang's troops and Li Xiao's troops set out of camp and continued to march towards Beijing. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

The path chosen by Yao Wenchang was from Wuding Prefecture to Qingyun County in Beizhili, to Yanshan County, then to Cangzhou, and then north to Qingxian, and then to Baoding, Shuntianfu in the northwest, and then all the way north, through Bazhou, Gu'an, and finally from the Yongding Gate at the southern end of the Beijing Division into Beijing.

Due to the fast speed of Li Xiaojun's march, the two armies had unconsciously distanced themselves. A few days later, Li Xiaojun, whose one-day journey was nearly twice that of Yao Wenchang's troops, had left Yao Wenchang's troops, who could only travel 30 miles a day, far behind.

Li Xiao deliberately accelerated the speed of the march, and there was also a reason for helplessness. Now there are more than 1,200 people in the whole army, and the food consumption on the road is extremely fast, because the march is hard every day, and a soldier can consume up to three catties of rice and grain a day. In one stone of 188 catties of rice grain, after removing bran impurities and other substances, you can only eat about 150 catties. On that day, nearly 25 stones of food were consumed. If the marching speed of Yao Wenchang's troops is followed, the food consumption on the road will nearly double!

In order to ensure the supply of grain, Li Xiao adopted the method of constantly buying grain along the way to supplement consumption, so that there was always sufficient grain stock on the four-wheeled carriage transporting grain. It's just that since entering the boundary of Beizhili, the local grain price has been expensive, and one stone of rice grain can reach four or five taels! In order to reduce the rate of food consumption, Li Xiao had to speed up the march in order to arrive as soon as possible.

When Li Xiaobu and Yao Wenchang's troops were still working hard in the south of Beizhili, the situation in the Xuanfu and Datong areas of the Ming Empire became more and more erosive.

On June 20, Huang Taiji ordered Beledeg to lead two blue banners, as well as the troops of the Mongolian Bahrain Division, the Tumut Division, and the Zalut Division, to enter the Ming Realm from Dushikou, burning and looting all the way to Shuozhou.

On June 30, Huang Taiji ordered Bel Azig, Dolgon, and Duoduo to lead two white flags and the Mongolian Aluon Niute Division, insert the newly attached troops of the Han Department, enter the customs from the outer wall of the Longmen Pass of Xuanfu, and attack the area of Shuozhou from Xuanfu.

On the eighth day of the seventh month, Huang Taiji and Belle Hauge and Abatai personally led the two yellow banners, the Han army, the Kong Youde Tianyou soldiers, and the Shang Kexi Tianzhu soldiers entered Kou Shangfang Fort together, and also burned and looted from Xuanfu to Shuozhou.

The Later Jin army attacked extremely fiercely, and the Ming army in various places could not resist it at all. Zhang Quanchang, the chief soldier of Xuanfu, Cao Wenshao, the general soldier of Datong, etc., were defeated in even battles, and only dared to defend important state cities, and no one dared to beat the Jianrui soldiers of Houjin.

Zhang Zongheng, the governor of Xuanda, Jiao Yuanqing, the governor of Xuanfu, Hu Zhanen, the governor of Datong, and Dai Junen, the governor of Shanxi, were all severely reprimanded by the angry Emperor Chongzhen because of their ineffective anti-Tartar efforts.

What's even more worrying is that Houjin is rampant, and it has caused an even more terrible result.

At the end of July, as the imperial court urgently dispatched troops from all over the country to resist the invasion of the Houjin people, Chen Qiyu, the governor of the five provinces, who had originally trapped Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and other rogue thieves in Chezhou Gorge, had to deal with the imperial court's continuous urging to exterminate the thieves within a time limit, and on the other hand, he had to constantly send troops to the north to share the pressure of Xuanfu and Datong's Houjin invasion. The originally vigorous morale of all the soldiers who suppressed the Kou was suddenly depressed a lot.

In order to end the war of suppressing bandits as soon as possible, Chen Qiyu ordered to intensify the attack on the bandits in the Chezhou Gorge to force them to surrender as soon as possible.

It's just that Chen Qiyu's helpless move was seen through by one person.

This person is Li Zicheng's adviser Gu Junen.

He suggested to Li Zicheng and other rogue leaders: "Leaders, then Chen Qiyu is stepping up his attack on our righteous army like this, but because of his poor skills, he just wants to end the war as soon as possible." This person is so anxious, but our army is just counting it. ”

When Li Zicheng and the others heard him say this, they were all moved, and hurriedly asked him to explain his plan in detail.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there are still many precious women in my righteous army, why don't you bribe this person and open up the joints. With these treasures and beauties presented, Chen Qiyu and his subordinates will not be moved. They are now bent on ending this battle as soon as possible, and if our army can falsely surrender, will it not be as they want? Our army still has tens of thousands of people, and its strength is still sufficient. As long as this person agrees to let our army get out of the canyon safely, our righteous army will be a tiger entering the mountain and flying birds into the forest, then Chen Qiyu will be difficult to control our righteous army. ”

After Gu Junen finished speaking, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and other leaders of the rogue all called this plan wonderful. He then sent an envoy with heavy treasures and many beauties to Chen Qiyu and his generals, saying that they were willing to surrender to the official army.

The envoy's words were humble, and many treasures and beauties were sent, Chen Qiyu and all the generals were overjoyed, and immediately agreed to the surrender request of Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others.

As soon as these treacherous and slippery thieves got out of the Chezhou Gorge, they immediately killed the officials and rebelled, killing all the more than 50 pacification officials placed by Chen Qiyu, and then entered Kou Fengxiang, Renshou and other neighboring county seats, and the power of the rogue began to flourish again in Shaanxi and other places.

Chen Qiyu saw that he had caused a big disaster, regretted it, and in order to protect himself, he put the responsibility on the governor of Shaanxi to practice state affairs. He played the chapter to impeach and practice state affairs, saying that he did not listen to the command, acted recklessly, and forced the rogue who was supposed to surrender, which made his own achievements fall short.

And the governor of Shaanxi practiced the plan, and when he heard the news that Chen Qiyu wanted to use himself as a scapegoat, he hurriedly gave the emperor a chapter.

In his recital, he wrote: "The thieves of Hannan have all entered the Chezhou Gorge, and they have already entered the place of death, and they can be exterminated. However, the governor Chen Qiyu stopped the attack and accepted the surrender of the rogue. When the minister heard about it, he was shocked! It is reported that there are 40,000 people in the gorge, even if they surrender sincerely, what kind of food supply can this person come from, and it is not to go around plundering places! However, due to the successive transfers, there are only more than 20,000 officers left in the officers and troops that our army is now encircling and suppressing, and the number is only half of that of the rogues. Originally, with the danger of the Chezhou Gorge, our army's strength could still hold on, but now to release the Liukou out of the Chezhou Gorge is simply to release the tiger into the forest and the dragon into the water, what other way can be controlled。。。。。。 ”

。。。。。。

Capital.

Qianqing Palace.

The heat wave in the palace is surging, the scorching heat hits people, and in the rows of locust trees outside that have been wilted by the hot and poisonous sun, the cicadas hiss, and the sound does not stop, especially adding to the anxiety of the summer heat.

The seal of practicing state affairs slowly slipped to the ground from the hands of Emperor Chongzhen.

"Bang!"

Chongzhen's right hand slammed on the royal table, and the fine porcelain teacup was instantly overturned, and the bones rolled off the table, and then shattered.

"The Tartars have entered the Kou and even trapped the state fort, and the Liukou have also raged again, the state affairs are so corrupt, and the civil and military officials are so incompetent, what is the use of raising you! What's the use of raising you!! ”

Chongzhen slammed another punch on the table, and then stood up from the dragon chair, his young face full of twisted anger.

He was still angry, and stomped a few more hard feet on the piece of state practice on the ground.

Several internal supervisors next to him who were holding the dust in their hands, seeing the angry emperor like this, they were all angry and did not dare to come out.

"Zhang Fengyi, the secretary of the Ministry of Rapid Transmission, came to see me!"

Soon, Zhang Fengyi, the secretary of the Ministry of War, under the guidance of Cao Huachun, the eunuch of the ceremonial supervisor Bingbi, quickly entered the palace.

Cao Huachun, ancestral home in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, Ming Yongle two years of the family moved to Shuntian Mansion Wuqing County Wangjiatuo, 12 years old into the palace, because of the clever and diligent people, by the great eunuch Wang An appreciated, was assigned to the letter of the palace to accompany the five emperor Sun Zhu Youzhen. After Zhu Youzhen became the emperor, he had a deep affection for this eunuch who grew up with him, and affectionately called him Cao Daban. When Chongzhen was five years old, Cao Huachun became the eunuch of the ceremonial supervisor and the governor of Dongchang

At this time, he and Zhang Fengyi entered the hall, and both of them were already running out of breath and sweating profusely.

"Long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

Zhang Fengyi, the secretary of the military department who was kneeling on the ground, was still panting, and his face was sweating.

"Zhang Jiubao! You say, how did you become the secretary of the military department! Now that the Tartars are rampant in the north and the Liukou in the south are revignant, it is as if they have discussed it, and they will work together to deal with my Daming. Besides, now that the situation is so erosive, what strategy can you have to save the situation! ”

The emperor roared anxiously, causing Zhang Fengyi to tremble.

He didn't dare to raise his head, and continued to kneel on the ground and replied: "Your Majesty, the situation is so critical now, and the minister, as the secretary of the military department, cannot escape the blame. If Your Majesty wants to punish the guilty minister, the guilty should bow down and confess his guilt! ”

Chongzhen saw his incompetent appearance, and his heart was even more annoyed. He shouted again: "Zhang Jiubao, your corpse is in its place, and I should be held accountable for the crime of inaction." It's just that the current situation is so critical, as the secretary of the military department, are you helpless! ”

Zhang Fengyi saw that the emperor was furious, he gritted his teeth, got up boldly, and arched his hand and said: "The emperor is angry, the criminal minister has a word, and he wants to tell His Majesty the truth." ”

"Speak!"

"Your Majesty, the criminal minister thinks that the Tartar has invaded my Xuanfu Datong, burned, killed and looted, and it seems to be dangerous, but it is only for the purpose of looting the people and goods. And now the rogue is reviant, poisoning the land of my Zhongzhou, wandering around, killing the army and civilians, and threatening the people, but it is a big trouble that endangers the root of my Ming Dynasty! Which is more serious, the guilty minister asks the emperor to investigate it! ”

Chongzhen listened to Zhang Fengyi's words and calmed down a little. He snorted coldly: "Zhang Jiubao, what do you mean, but do you want me to take the Liukou as the most important and the Tartar as the lightest?" ”

"My Emperor Shengming. That's what the sinner means. I thought that to deal with the Tartars now, we could draw troops and horses from all over the country and defend them with the city, so that they could not attack the land of Gyeonggi, and when they had plundered enough, they would definitely retreat on their own. However, the elite soldiers of my Ming Dynasty can no longer be easily transferred to the northern border, and they still need to urgently and vigorously suppress the rogues who are causing trouble everywhere, so as to protect the foundation of my Ming country! After Zhang Fengyi finished speaking, he knelt on the ground again.

Chongzhen slowly sat back on the dragon chair, his face was solemn and pondered for a while, and suddenly remembered the chapter of the governor of Shaanxi who had just practiced state affairs, and hurriedly asked: "Zhang Jiubao, the governor of the five provinces, Chen Qiyu, and the governor of Shaanxi practice state affairs, do you know about the above attack on each other?" ”

Zhang Fengyi didn't feel it, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the minister already knows." ”

"Then you say, the situation is like this, but what should be done with the two?" Chongzhen asked.

"Your Majesty, now the truth of the matter has not yet been ascertained, Chen Qiyu and Lian Guoshi, both of them have the same words, and they should not be believed. The minister thought that Chen Qiyu had tens of thousands of elite soldiers of my Ming Dynasty in his hands, but he needed to be appeased, and he should not be forced too quickly. And the governor of Shaanxi practiced state affairs, even if what he said was true, now that the Tartar has not retreated, he can't listen to his words and deal with Chen Qiyu. And this person is impeached, which is really inappropriate, but he needs to be severely punished, as a precept for a hundred officials. ”

Chongzhen nodded invisibly, and then ordered Cao Huachun, who had not dared to speak silently next to him: "The words of Jiubud are also in line with my heart. The eldest companion passed on my will, and Chen Qiyu made meritorious service for his crimes, and continued to pursue and suppress the thieves. The governor of Shaanxi Province practiced state affairs, and was immediately removed from his post and sent to prison, and then interrogated in detail. ”

"The slave obeys."

At this point, Chongzhen's mood calmed down a lot.

He said to Zhang Fengyi: "Jiubao, you can speak flat." ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhang Fengyi got up tremblingly, Chongzhen paid attention to him, Zhang Fengyi, who was not too old at this age, had obviously become thin and haggard in the past few years, his hair was already half-white, and his back was obviously rickety. Chongzhen sighed secretly in his heart, now that the state affairs are difficult, Zhang Fengyi, the secretary of the military department, knows how hard it is at a glance.

"Jiubao, have you already arranged the soldiers and horses from all over the country?" Chongzhen asked again, his voice much softer.

"Your Majesty, the ministers have all passed the order. Liaodong transferred soldiers and horses from the north, Wu Xiang, the chief soldier of Ningyuan, and You Shiwei, the chief of Shanhaiguan, each led an army of 10,000 to urgently aid Datong, and Zu Dale, the deputy chief soldier of the forward battalion, commanded the two people Zu Kuan, led 5,000 soldiers to aid Xuanfu. The soldiers and horses from the south of Shandong, Zhili and other places are still on the road to Beijing urgently. An order has been issued that after he enters the Beijing Division, he will make unified arrangements and send him to Beizhili or Xuanfu and other places to defend the Beijing Division and ensure that the Tartars are not allowed to enter Koujinggi. ”

Zhang Fengyi hurriedly finished saying this long paragraph, and couldn't help coughing.

"Jiubud, the military situation is urgent, the Tartar will not retreat for a day, and my heart will be uneasy for a day. In my opinion, there is no need to let these southern soldiers and horses come to Beijing. You can send orders down and let them quickly go to the important military town that needs soldiers and horses on their own. Emperor Chongzhen said with a stern face.

Zhang Fengyi made a deep gesture: "The emperor arranged wisely, and after the ministers went down, they immediately conveyed the order to those southerners and horses on the road. ”

Chongzhen suddenly remembered something again, and told him: "Now the situation is urgent, all the reinforcements and horses will be sent to the border, and they must not be sent to the realm of nothing to live in confusion." ”

Zhang Fengyi bowed again: "Weichen respectfully obeys the holy decree. ”

Three days later, Li Xiaobu, who had just arrived in Bazhou, received an urgent military order from the military department.

The military order said that the whole army did not have to go to Beijing anymore, and needed to go to the military town to which it was dispatched. And the destination that Li Xiaojun was sent to was the Longmen guard on the North Road of Xuanfu Town.

Seeing the words of the dragon gatekeeper, Li Xiao's heart slammed.

He had read the history of the Ming Dynasty in his previous life, and knew that at this time, the Longmen Guard had been captured by the two white flags of the three brothers Azig, Dolgon, and Duoduo some time ago, and was burned to the ground. Now the military department sent itself to this place, but I don't know what the purpose is.

Li Xiao didn't know that when he was full of doubts and took the soldiers on the road to Xuanfu, Yao Wenchang, who also received the military order from the military department at this time, was furious in the barracks.

"it, Mr. Liu, you've cheated me! Didn't you say that you would arrange a safe state fort for Lao Tzu, why did you arrange Lao Tzu to be the right guard in Xuanfu Town, where birds don't! That hell place, a little further north, is the Mongolian border! Mr. Liu, aren't you borrowing a Tartar knife to kill me? Lao Tzu is gone, but I'm afraid I won't be able to go back to Shandong! ”

Yao Wenchang pointed to the void and scolded loudly. Then he squatted half-crouched on the ground in despair, and lamented again and again.