In March of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, Beijing fell.

In the same month, the emperor Nanxing was stationed in Shandong.

The ministers of Jiangnan waited for the emperor's holy car to appear, but they did not wait. There was no news from Shandong that the emperor had come to the palace of Shandong and set up a bank to inquire about affairs. For a while, rumors arose, some people said that the crown prince forced the palace, and the emperor had been placed under house arrest; Some people also say that the emperor has actually died, and it is the crown prince who keeps the secret of mourning in order to consolidate people's hearts. Those officials who knew that the emperor was indeed in Laizhou, but they did not dare to find out the inside story of the Heavenly Family.

The reality is far less complicated.

When Zhu Cihong went to the temporary palace to see Chongzhen and Queen Zhou, he generously kicked the ball to Chongzhen's feet:

"Will my father stay in Shandong, or go to Nanjing."

Chongzhen also replied cheerfully: "Nanjing." He participated in a military council and a political council of Zhu Cihong, and it can be seen from the full audience that the crown prince has set up a team as if he was playing a trick. Although this team is not enough to take charge of national affairs, it is enough to assign various prefectures and counties, especially at present, it only occupies the two prefectures of Deng and Lai, as well as part of Qingzhou Prefecture.

In the midst of such a siege, the emperor's aura was obscured, and his orders could not even get out of the inner hall. Although Chongzhen had thoughts of suicide, Zen position and other escapes, but calm down and take a look, Jiangnan is still the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and there are still soldiers available in Jianghuai, and the country may not die. What's more, the ancestors set up the two capitals, isn't it just to retire them in times of emergency? If you stick to the mausoleum, you will live up to the hard work of your ancestors.

It's not that Chongzhen didn't understand this truth before, but it was really difficult to calm down under pressure. After observing the military discussion of the East Palace system, he also asked for a picture of Emperor Mingkun, locked it in the house and looked at it for three days, and finally decided to go to Nanjing to revitalize the dynasty.

- Not really. I also personally lead the troops into battle! Ancestors can, sons can, why can't I!

Emperor Chongzhen was enthusiastic for a while, and only hoped that he could unify the troops and horses after arriving in Nanjing, and the Northern Expedition counterattacked.

However, the reality is brutal.

"I can't go." Zhu Cihong didn't really have the ability to make the emperor do multiple-choice questions, but he just used this to draw out the truth he wanted to say. With the thought of the emperor. He shook his head and said, "Father, there are really no troops to draw now. There are also bandits in the mountains along the way, and it is too dangerous to be escorted by a battalion of troops. ”

Chongzhen was speechless for a while. He knew that Zhu Cihong had two battalions of soldiers under him, and he had also seen the sand table with his own eyes, and knew that these two battalions would be distributed on a 400-mile-long defensive line. Moreover, that defense line is all walled forts in Jihua, not a moat, and it is even more difficult to defend. If the troops are drawn out from this kind of overstretched troop deployment, Chongzhen himself can't say anything.

"Zhou Yuji has set up a horse farm in Pingdu Prefecture. The formation of cavalry battalions began. Zhu Cihong said: "Tannin is also training the reserve camp, as well as Xiao Tugeng's firearms division. Once these three troops are formed, we can advance to Jiaoxi, connect with Nanzhili, and escort my father back to Nanjing. ”

"Then should we also tell the world and order the Qin Wang Army to come to Shandong?" Chongzhen is no longer able to dictate to Zhu Cihong as a monarch's father, even the current simple and vulgar but hard-won life is all due to the prince.

Zhu Cihong shook his head and said, "Father, if there is a Qin Wang Army." I had already gone to Beijing. Today's plan is only self-reliance. ”

"Aren't you worried about the thieves going south?" Chongzhen frowned.

Zhu Cihong smiled. He drew a triangle in the air and said, "Father, it is five hundred and sixty miles from Shanhaiguan to Beijing, and if you pass from the four cities of Yongping, it will be nearly two hundred to three hundred miles. According to the farthest calculation, five hundred and sixty miles, where can the Li thief go south? You can only go to Wudi County. That is, the junction of Shandong and North Zhili. Father, Wu Sangui is now the king of Guangning, but the descendants of thousands of generations, don't they have other ambitions? For example, to kill thieves for the emperor and the sect master, he will get more land in the pass. even occupy Shenjing and annex Youyan. ”

Human ambition never swells suddenly. At that time, Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty just wanted to be an official position like the Jinwu - the general of the Jinyi Wei Han - and as a result, Zuihou became the emperor. Another example is Li Zicheng, who just wanted to eat a full meal, but later became a general, and then became a king, and now he dares to sit on the throne in a big way, and he really thinks that he is the true son of heaven.

Wu Sangui is much higher than their starting point, and he has grown up in Liaodong for generations, and he is the nephew of Zu Dashou, and he has been running for two generations, father and son, and has a solid foundation. Although the number of Liaozhen soldiers and horses in his hands is not large, he is an elite soldier polished with the Manchurians all the year round, and his name is not small. If Li Zicheng came out of the city, Wu Sangui would never have a reason to sit idly by.

What's more, after Wu Sangui sat firmly in the Qing court, he had to rebel desperately despite his old age and decrepitude, how could such a character let go of any opportunity to expand Shili?

"If Li Zicheng hadn't gone south," Zhu Cihong said with a smile, "I wouldn't have been afraid of him." ”

In addition to the more than 8,000 people in the two guard battalions, Zhu Cihong also had a hidden soldier - the Sichuan soldiers led by Luo Yukun. This army successfully defeated Liu Zeqing's troops the day before yesterday, and Liu Zeqing broke out of the encirclement under the protection of his family and fled southward, never more than fifteen cavalry. In this battle, Luo Yukun suffered more than 600 casualties, captured 2,784 Liu Bu, captured 200,000 taels of silver, 300 good horses, 400 pack horses, donkeys and mules, 300 stone of grain, and some cotton and silk.

These things were also the spoils of Liu Ze's cleaning and robbery of Linqing, and before he had time to sell the stolen goods and enjoy them, he was caught up by Luo Yukun's cottage mandarin duck array and beaten violently.

"Lao Tzu is so dizzy, he even chased after him!" After Luo Yukun finished the battle, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and accidentally exposed the truth about the siege of Liu Zeqing's troops.

Chen Chong was writing a report, and when he heard the words, his pen shook, and the paper suddenly became a ball of ink. He was surprised: "I thought you were using your soldiers like a god, and you surrounded it just right." ”

"Who knows if these homeless people can fight, where does Lao Tzu dare to surround them like this?" Luo Yukun leaned over and glanced at Chen Chong's report: "You said that we seized so many good things, will the crown prince give you a reward?" ”

"Reward?" Chen Chong's face was solemn: "Do you know how many people we died?" ”

"More than six hundred, what? It's not our own people, it's all homeless. Although Luo Yukun also cherishes the lives of the homeless, the lives of his fellow villagers in central Sichuan are more important to him. Because the only real reliable thing is still his own lineage, every time he dies a person, it makes his heart ache.

"That's our own." Although Chen Chong's voice was low, he said firmly: "This time more than 300 enemies were annihilated, and the battle loss ratio was two to one, and he actually died twice as many as the enemy, which is enough to be dismissed from his post in the East Palace." ”

Luo Yukun was stunned: "The way to live in the East Palace is really difficult to do. ”

"But we don't have standard equipment, so we shouldn't be applied." Chen Chong took a piece of paper again: "I'll also see if I can ask for a trainer and a green shirt doctor." ”

"Good, good!" Luo Yukun finally saw the unusual place of the Mandarin Duck Formation, and was very eager to learn the full set of formations. This cottage formation alone has the strength to fight with officers and soldiers, if you learn it all, wouldn't it be invincible in the world?

"Don't be complacent about this battle." Chen Chong said as he wrote: "If it weren't for the fact that there were many of us and scared most of Liu Zeqing's army away, how could it be so easy to win?" We still have to get the drills up. ”

Luo Yukun nodded on the side and said, "Even if you don't fight this formation, it's scary enough to stand neatly." Originally, those homeless people looked at the black and sloppy, but they didn't expect that the formation was really so imposing. ”

It was this momentum that frightened Liu Zeqing's troops into fleeing in all directions. And because they had just sacked Linqingzhou, the soldiers had more or less private goods on them, and they had no intention of fighting. If the displaced people were equipped with iron tools, instead of just taking a wooden stick and mallet, Liu Zeqing's casualties would have been even worse.

"What about things? Do you have to turn it in? Luo Yukun asked.

"Of course." Chen Chongdao: "All seizures must be handed over to the public, and those who dare to hide privately will be given fifty rods, and they will not be used for expulsion." ”

"Then can you pay the soldiers first?" Luo Yukun asked tentatively.

"Of course not!" Chen Chong insisted: "This matter is one yard to one yard, and the East Palace will definitely pay on time!" ”

Luo Yukun was bored, and muttered and walked out: "Lao Tzu is very dizzy!" A little insect is also on top of Lao Tzu! ”

Chen Chongquan didn't hear it, and concentrated on writing the report. He felt a stream of heat circulating through his body, as if he had suddenly become a normal person. (To be continued......)