On March 20, the Emperor's Palace was in the early court. Pen fun and pavilion www.biquge.info

At the beginning of the early dynasty, the head of the household department Li waited to ask and held a tooth card in his hand and said: "The minister Li is waiting to ask if there is something to play!" ”

The officials of Honglu Temple sang: "Play! ”

Li Zhiwen said loudly: "Holy Lord, now the war in Western Liaoning is deadlocked. But the silver in the warehouse has bottomed out. The 170,000 army of Jinzhou consumed 770,000 taels of silver every month, but only 370,000 taels of silver were left in the Tai warehouse. In another month and a half, my army of 170,000 will have no food or grass to distribute. ”

Hearing Li Zhiwen's recital, Wu Fu and He Shishou, who were standing in the front row, glanced at each other and were very satisfied. Li Zhiwen was indeed persuaded by the three of them, and he said that he had no money so quickly.

When Zhu Youzhen, the son of heaven, heard Li Beiqing's words, his face turned white and he became very anxious. After thinking about it, Zhu Youzhen asked: "There is no money in the warehouse, can there be other ways to raise silver?" ”

Li Zhi asked: "You can stop making brocade clothes and guards to wear silver, and you can save two silver and six thousand taels." ”

It's time to do the summer clothes of the brocade guard, and you need a sum of silver. But this amount of silver is really a drop in the bucket compared to the consumption of the Jinzhou war. Even if this money is deducted, I am afraid it will have no impact on the situation of the war. Zhu Youzhen was stunned, but he didn't expect that he could only pick money from Jinyiwei, and he was silent for a while.

"Li Qing! There is no other way? ”

Zhu Youzhen was very anxious at this time, and he had already subconsciously spoken well, and his tone was almost begging Li to ask.

But Li Zhiwen was still ironclad, and said coldly: "Holy Lord, there is no other way!" ”

When Zhu Youzhen heard this, he anxiously glanced at the hundreds of officials in the court, as if he was asking for help. Chen Shandao, the Taifu Temple, saw the Son of Heaven sweeping over him, his eyes and nose and mouth, and his face remained unchanged at all.

Zhu Youzhen took a breath and said: "Dongnu is attacking the whole country, even the 170,000 troops of Jinzhou are not sure of victory. If it drags on for a few months, there will definitely be changes in the Dongnu Kingdom..."

Zhu Youzhen was anxious there, and Zhou Yanru, the first assistant of the cabinet, came out of the queue and said: "Shengshang, our army went out of the customs in March, and there were three big victories in Bijiagang, Hejiaao, and Dabishan, which can be described as overwhelming. At this time, the morale of our army is high, and the soldiers are seeking battle, why not go straight to Huanglong and capture Yizhou. How could it be that because Dongnu recruited some people to fill the number, he cowered and spent money. ”

"If it drags on for a few more months, maybe Dongnu will indeed have a change. But before that, I'm afraid my Daming's finances have also collapsed! Li Zhi's plan is actually a lose-lose method, and the saint cannot use it lightly. ”

Zhu Youzhen looked at Zhou Yanru, who was talking eloquently, and frowned silently.

Wu Fu, the deputy assistant of the cabinet, raised his tooth card and stepped forward, and said loudly: "Whoever fights, there will be victory and defeat, and there is no reason to win and not be defeated." Now that the war is going well, Dongnu is discouraged, it is the time when the military heart is available, and at this time, if you don't send troops to attack the slaves, when the soldiers are tired, I am afraid that it will be too late to regret it. ”

He Shishou, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, bowed his hand and said loudly: "He Shishou seconded the proposal. ”

The civil officials glanced at each other, and secretly said that this was a good opportunity to force Li Zhi to fight, and they all came out and sang loudly: "Minister Zheng Sanjun seconded the proposal!" ”

"Minister Liu Zongzhou seconded the proposal."

Seeing that the civil officials jumped out one after another to force the battle, Zhu Youzhen's face turned pale. He sat on the throne and did not speak for a long time.

After a long time, Zhu Youzhen asked: "What if the Tai warehouse runs out of silver and the war in Jinzhou is not over?" ”

Li Zhiwen shook his head and said, "Holy Lord, if the food and salary are exhausted and the war is still not decided, I am afraid it will be a great collapse. Now the plan is to urge Li Zhi and Hong Chengchou to go out of the city and fight quickly! ”

Zhu Youzhen took a breath and thought for a long time.

In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, "Spread my will, urge Li Zhi and Hong Chengchou to go out of the city as soon as possible for a decisive battle, without delay!" ”

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On 25 March, Hong Chengchou and Li Zhi rode 20 miles outside the city of Yiju and overlooked the Qing army's barracks on a small hill.

There were 230,000 soldiers and horses of the Qing army stationed outside the city of Yizhou, and the joint camp was dozens of miles. Countless Tartar soldiers and horses marched inside and outside the camp, looking through binoculars from the hill like countless surging ants in a huge ant nest.

Hong Chengchou raised his binoculars and looked at the camp of the Qing army, and said, "I have never seen so many Tartars gathered together. These 230,000 Tartars are more than 170,000 of us, and they are really fierce opponents. ”

Looking at Li Zhi, Hong Chengchou said helplessly: "Marquis Xingguo, the Son of Heaven has sent three holy decrees to me in a row, urging me to go out of the city for a decisive battle. The Son of Heaven said that now there is no silver in the Tai warehouse, and if there is no more fighting, there will be no food and salary to Jinzhou. ”

"Xingguohou's good strategy for confrontation may not be implemented."

Of course, Li Zhi knew about the urging of the Son of Heaven, because not only Hong Chengchou received the holy decree of urging the war, but Li Zhi also received it. He raised his binoculars and looked at the Qing army camp in the distance, but did not speak.

Hong Chengchou asked: "This time against the slave chief Huang Taiji, I can only face it head-on." Does the Marquis of Xingguo have a good strategy to kill slaves? ”

Li Zhi said lightly: "Although there are many Dongnu, most of them are indiscriminate people. There are only thirteen or forty thousand Tartars who really have combat effectiveness. ”

Hong Chengchou nodded and said, "That's true!" ”

Li Zhi thought for a while and said, "Now I have no choice but to fight as hard as I can!" ”

Hong Chengchou was stunned when he heard Li Zhi's words. After a long time, Hong Chengchou laughed and said: "I can't imagine that a character like Xingguohou has no way to do it. ”

Li Zhi smiled and did not answer.

Hong Chengchou waved his hand and said loudly: "In this case, we will have a decisive battle with the slave chief Emperor Taiji outside the city of Yizhou. If this battle is defeated, it will be a horse leather shroud, and he will die on the battlefield. ”

Li Zhi looked at Hong Chengchou, and couldn't imagine that this always cautious governor also had such a bold side, and said with a smile: "Well said, if you lose, it will be the horse leather shroud who died on the battlefield and served the country!" ”

Hong Chengchou said loudly: "Marquis Xingguo, there is no need to wait any longer, we will launch the whole army today and attack Yizhou!" ”

Li Zhi said loudly: "Okay, I'll wait until I go back and send troops, and I will definitely annihilate the 230,000 rabble of Tartars in Yiju!" ”

The two didn't say much, rode down the hill with their personal guards, and returned to Jinzhou to transfer troops.

When Li Zhi and Hong Chengchou returned to the camp, they saw that the nine general soldiers and dozens of generals and guerrillas had already put on armor and stood in front of the big tent on their horses.

Li Zhi rode up to the generals and said loudly: "The imperial court is incompetent, and it can't even raise a few months' worth of food. But my generals and other generals are all good sons of the Han family, how can I allow the Tartars to be arrogant? Ladies and gentlemen, today in Liaoxi, we will fight to the death with Dongnu to see who is male and female! ”