At the end of February, Changsha, Daxi Palace.

Zhang Xianzhong was in a daze in the apse, he had just met Tian Jianxiu, who had come to contact, and Xu Yixian had already sent it out.

Fortunately, Li Zicheng sent Tian Jianxiu, a good old man, and he didn't have any holidays with him, if he sent other people, he might not meet him.

Originally, he didn't care about the situation in the north, and Li Yan, Li Zicheng, and Qing Guo made a fuss. In his estimation, this situation will continue for many years before it becomes clear. With this time, even if he can't swallow Jiangnan, he can manage his current Daxi better.

His ambition is actually not big. When he first heard that Li Zicheng occupied Xiangyang and was about to expand southward, he was ready to enter Sichuan. He knew that he was not Li Zicheng's opponent, and instead of staying in Wuchang and losing to Li Zicheng, he might as well find a leisurely place early and be the king behind closed doors.

However, Li Zicheng was a big supporter, and put the main force in the north, and was attacked by the two large forces of Qing Guo and Li Yan one after another, and his strength was quickly depleted, and he was no longer able to take care of the south, so he finally took advantage.

However, there are always accidents, when Zhang Xianzhong no longer cares about the threat from the north, Li Zicheng is unexpectedly and quickly defeated, and he was almost driven back to Huguang by Li Yan, so he had to take precautions again. Although Li Zicheng was repeatedly defeated and lost a large amount of territory, he did not dare to underestimate it. Li Zicheng has failed countless times, and each time he has suffered heavy losses, but after that, he can stand up with a stronger posture every time, and he is simply an unbeatable cockroach.

At this time, Zhang Xianzhong was in a dilemma and didn't know how to make this decision. Li Zicheng's ability to regroup is too strong, and the current situation is very similar to when Li Zicheng personally came to Gucheng to contact him to do things together. But last time he made a decision that he regretted, this time, he had to be cautious, he didn't want to regret it again.

After a while, Xu Yixian asked the eunuch to report and came in.

Zhang Xianzhong waved his hand and asked the eunuch and the palace maid to go down. When everyone left, he asked suspiciously: "Sir, do you think Tian Jianxiu is telling the truth?" ”

Xu Yixian nodded: "There should be nothing wrong." Li Zicheng should have been forced to give up Xi'an, and also gave up the entire northwest. Although they had a place in Huguang, it was too close to Henan for them to operate there, so they had to take the risk and get a foothold in Jiangnan. ”

"Li Yan has become so powerful?" Zhang Xianzhong asked puzzledly: "Or, the Qing Kingdom has also become vulnerable?" In the past, when we rebelled, every time we were beaten by the Ming army and were unable to fight back, the Qing army would enter the customs to grab a handful, I don't think it's a coincidence. Could it be that now, when the Qing army knew that Li Yan and Li Zicheng were fighting, they didn't come in to make a windfall? ”

Xu Yixian replied with a smile: "It is said that Li Yan drove the Qing army out of the pass all the way, maybe Li Yan is really strong enough to fight with Li Zicheng and the Qing State." ”

Zhang Xianzhong said in surprise: "If this is the case, then you really have to deal with it carefully." Then he asked, "Sir, what should I do this time?" ”

Xu Yixian didn't answer, but asked with a smile: "Will Your Majesty listen to your subordinates?" ”

Zhang Xianzhong hesitated for a moment before he said: "I didn't listen to my husband's advice last time, and I have always regretted it until now." This time, I listened to my husband, even if I regretted it, I also complained. ”

Xu Yixian laughed happily, he knew that he really regarded him as a confidant. He has always wanted to become a Zhuge Liang-style figure, and today it is finally going to be realized.

He restrained his smile and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, this time the minister suggested that you cooperate with Li Zicheng." ”

"And what if he still lied to me like he did last time?" Zhang Xianzhong immediately asked, with some dissatisfaction in his tone.

Zhang Xianzhong was a little puzzled, Xu Yixian had always advocated eliminating Li Zicheng, a competitor, as soon as possible, why did he give up such a good opportunity?

Xu Yixian continued: "At the same time, we must also guard against Li Zicheng. It is necessary to deploy heavy troops along the Yangtze River to prevent Li Zicheng from directly attacking our Daxi. Now Li Zicheng is a little at the end of his rope, and he may come directly to seize our territory. ”

Zhang Xianzhong was also smart, and immediately reacted: "What does Mr. mean, give up Jiangbei and divide the river?" ”

"Hmm." Xu Yixian nodded: "Your Majesty, this time is different from the past. Li Yan's current strength is strong, and if he expands southward, the Yangtze River moat will be a good defensive measure. If you covet more land, I'm afraid it will outweigh the losses. ”

"What about Sichuan? It can't be left to Li Zicheng, right? In that case, we're caught in the middle. Zhang Xianzhong asked again.

Xu Yixian said noncommittally: "This, it's not easy to say." Now Hanzhong is in danger, if Li Yan takes Hanzhong, will Sichuan still be able to hold it? However, it is also possible that like Li Zicheng, he will be restrained by other directions and have no time to manage Sichuan, so we will not have no chance. ”

"Alas!" Zhang Xianzhong sighed. He was disappointed, although the territory under his rule was not small, and the troops under his command were also quite numerous. However, they were all rabble, and they could not withstand the big war, otherwise they would not have been blocked by the Ming army that fled back from the north, and they were unable to continue to expand in the direction of Nanjing.

There are also craftsmen under his command, who are not very clever in making cannons, and the cannons they make are always much worse than expected, but the copper coins and reward medals they make are quite exquisite. His newly minted copper coins, because of their golden color and good quantity and quality, were just issued and before they were in circulation, they were collected by people or used by women to make headdresses.

Xu Yixian knew what Zhang Xianzhong meant by sighing, he was confident, and made a faint proposal: "Your Majesty, the minister suggests that Cao Cao's old troops and the old man come back to guard against the Yangtze River." Our people have some friendship with Li Chuang and others, but Cao Cao and He Yilong were killed by Li Zicheng and merged with the army, and these two troops will definitely not let Li Zicheng's troops have a chance to take advantage of the river defense. ”

Zhang Xianzhong stroked his long beard and said with a smile: "Well, this is a good idea, with these two people, Li Zicheng can't enter our territory." ”

"As for Sichuan," Xu Yixian hesitated for a while, still uncertain and said: "Let's put it aside for the time being, and then make a decision when there is definite news." Although we look at the strength is not small, on the one hand, we must guard against Li Zicheng's sneak attack, and we must also guard against the remnants of the Ming forces taking advantage of the chaos to attack, and we must also pay attention to Zuo Liangyu's dog jumping off the wall in a hurry. Our strength is limited, and we really don't take into account the strength of Sichuan. ”

Zhang Xianzhong thinks about it, Li Zicheng's men don't know if they can take Sichuan, and now they are worried that this is a little far away. It is still important to organize the Yangtze River defense line first, and it is necessary to guard against and cooperate with Li Zicheng, but to Li Yan, it is necessary to go all out to guard against it, and there must be no carelessness.

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