Xi'an, Dashun Imperial Palace.

At this time, Li Zicheng no longer wore a dragon robe, and returned to his previous outfit of cloth and felt hat. When he was in Shanxi, he asked people to stay as prime minister of Shanxi Defense, but none of Liu Zongmin and others were willing, and they also said a few strange words. At that time, he was pressed for time, and he did not care, and when he returned, he returned to the same way he was before he ascended the throne. He has realized that he has to stay close to his brothers in order to bring everyone together.

He took Li Yan's letter and asked, "What do you think of Li Yan's proposal?" ”

Everyone looked at each other, and no one expressed their opinions. They couldn't figure out what Li Yan meant. It is said that Li Yan fought with them in Jingcheng, which was already in a hostile state, and for the battle between them and the Qing army, it was enough to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight. And they finally knew that Li Yan had defeated the Qing army and controlled Zhili, so there was no need to join forces with them to deal with the Qing army.

"Yufeng, you say." Li Zicheng asked by name.

Tian Jianxiu said helplessly: "This, it's really hard to say." Although Li Yan said that he wanted to join forces with us to deal with the Qing army, in my opinion, his main purpose was to divide the upper part of Shanxi equally. Eventually, he wanted to get a forward base from which to move west. ”

Liu Zongmin asked, "You mean, give Datong to the Qing army?" ”

Yuan Zongdi immediately spoke: "That's useless." The Qing army was driven out of the Great Wall by Li Yan, even if they won Datong, would they come to attack Shanxi and Shaanxi? Or will you go to fight with Li Yan for Zhili? Don't forget, the Mongolian tribes outside the Great Wall are all vassals of the Qing State, and without the Great Wall, we won't have a good time. ”

Gao Yigong immediately said: "That's right." Just received the news from Fang Liang, Wang Genzi in Yulin was also uneasy, as if he had more contact with the Mongols outside the border wall. ”

At this time, Li Zicheng also remembered that when they crossed the river to fight the capital at the beginning of the year, it was this Wang Genzi who forwarded a letter to the Qing State, saying that the Qing State was willing to work with them to attack the Ming Dynasty. After defeating the Ming Kingdom, you can still share the world or something. At that time, their prestige, where the Ming army heard the wind and surrendered, he threw away this secret letter casually. But in the end, he was forced by the Qing army and was forced to withdraw from Beijing in embarrassment. Moreover, he lost forty or fifty thousand elites, and killed several generals such as Gu Ying.

Li Zicheng instructed: "Yigong, you take 10,000 people to the north and take over the defense of Yulin with Fang Liang." That Wang Genzi was transferred to Hanzhong. If he makes any changes, he must act decisively and not let Yulin mess up. ”

Gao Yigong immediately agreed: "Okay, I'll leave tomorrow." ”

Li Zicheng then ordered: "After handling this matter, let Fang Liang lead people across the river." I will let Li Guo hold on, and you must also take over Yulin quickly. When the troops from the west are gathered, I will send you reinforcements. ”

Everyone now knows that Li Zicheng is going to cooperate with Li Yan.

Liu Zongmin immediately persuaded: "Zicheng, the Qing soldiers came just to grab some things and capture some people and livestock, but Li Yan occupies an area. Our future opponent will be Li Yan, not Qing Guo. ”

Li Zicheng gritted his teeth and said: "I believed this before, but when they occupied Beijing, they didn't just come in to grab things. They founded the country much earlier than us. Our Dashun is also under the threat of the Qing Kingdom. If we can't beat them back at this time, our military morale and people's morale will be scattered. ”

Tian Jianxiu also said: "Your Majesty is right, at this time, it is indeed necessary to stabilize people's hearts. Didn't Li Yan want a piece of Shanxi place, let's give him Datong. Let's defend the inner Great Wall and the pass in the Taihang Mountains, it is not easy for Li Yan to enter Shanxi. And the more places he has contact with the Qing Kingdom, the greater the restraint will be, and he will not have the strength to fight with us. ”

Li Zicheng said with a smile: "Well, that's what it means. Use the Qing State to drag Li Yan, we should clean up the interior first! There are too many troops and generals, and we need to clean it up. ”

There was a cold glint in his one eye. The lesson to him this time is too profound. He wanted to mobilize troops to counterattack, but the generals everywhere were restless, so he couldn't concentrate his troops for two months. He felt that he had done his duty, and gave those high-ranking officials who had been demoted, let them continue to lead the generals under his command, and let them continue to be independent. But these people are white-eyed wolves who are not familiar with it, and they are ready to fall with the wind as soon as the wind blows. So this time he has to be completely cleansed!

Niu Jinxing hurriedly persuaded: "Your Majesty, you must be cautious in this matter." It is better to proceed slowly, lest those generals jump over the wall in a hurry and rebel. ”

"How can you take your time?!" Li Zicheng said angrily: "If you don't use thunder methods, they still think that I can't help them!" If they hadn't hindered me this time, I would have led my troops to take Beijing back! They failed me first, not me! ”

Niu Jinxing was very angry when he saw Li Zicheng, and he didn't dare to persuade him anymore. He was very disappointed in his heart, according to his meaning, it should be the right way to unite the Qing soldiers and deal with Li Yan together. Li Yan is their biggest enemy, although the Qing army is strong, it is still not Li Yan's opponent, and their population is not large. When Li Yan is defeated and Li Yan's men are gathered to deal with the Qing army, the Qing army can also be driven out of the pass.

But now Li Zicheng is estimated to be blinded by hatred, and he is determined to seek revenge from the Qing army, so it is useless for him to say anything. And after being in Li Zicheng's team for a long time, he also knows the temperament of these reckless heroes. If you lose face, you must get it back, but if you are scared and convinced by the other party, then even if you don't bow down, you will definitely have to take a detour in the future.

Song Xiance didn't mean to speak at all. In his opinion, Beijing is the land of dragons. At the beginning, if Dashun had insisted on Beijing, as long as he could hold it, the world would definitely have it. However, Li Zicheng and others chose to retreat westward in a hurry, and they had already lost the popularity of the world.

Of course, this is not the fault of Li Zicheng and others. At that time, the plague was epidemic in Beijing, and people's hearts were uncertain. If he really defended Beijing, and Li Yan maintained a tacit understanding with the Qing army, he might not be able to hold out to the rescue of the large army. So this is also the will of God, this Dashun, can hold the existing territory, and the days of emperors and generals in a few years will come to an end.

Li Zicheng saw that there was no objection from everyone, so he ordered: "All departments should step up their training, cut down those old and weak, and let them become local officials." It can not only improve the combat effectiveness of the troops, but also better control the place. Also, give orders to all localities, asking them to collect all the taxes that should be collected as soon as possible, and if they miss the major military affairs, I will not forgive! ”

...