Li Zicheng looked at the Xi'an City Tower that was faintly visible in the north, and was silent. Although after years of battlefield battles, his face is weathered, but he has always been full of energy, and even when there were only eighteen horsemen left around him, he was also full of confidence. But today, he has already shown some of the old state of Long Zhong, and his face is full of solemnity, which also brings out the wrinkles of the years.

How so?

More than half a year ago, when Li Zicheng led a million lions to sweep across the entire northern Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng was sent to the Jinluan Palace, so that Li Zicheng reached the pinnacle of his life.

Think about him at that time, when he rode into the Chengtian Gate, he bent his bow and shot the plaque, how high-spirited was that? But today, half a year later, not only did he not sit on the hot dragon chair in Beijing, but now even Xi'an is about to be lost. It's like a dream!

Li Zicheng looked at the troops who were following him again. This time, Li Zicheng took the initiative to evacuate Xi'an, and only more than 130,000 people retreated with him. But in this team, the real army is only nearly 40,000, and the old battalion that he relies on the most is not a single one.

If it's just that there are fewer people, but look at the spirit of these people? Like a wandering spirit, there is no morale. But it's not surprising that anyone who falls into the dust from the peak state of life is probably like this.

But it's not that the Dashun army is the only remnant of this little force. Because the decision to evacuate Xi'an was made in a very hasty manner, Li Zicheng was also afraid that after the loss of Tongguan, Xue Yong's Daping army would soon attack Xi'an. Therefore, he could not care about the troops scattered elsewhere.

At this time, Li Guo and Gao Yigong of the Dashun Army were still guarding Yulin and Yan'an; Ningxia, Gansu, and Xining also had garrisons. However, Li Zicheng took into account the situation of heavy troops on Xue Yong and Quan Dashan. Shaanxi could not support it at all, and if it retreated to the west, it would inevitably be cut off by the Daping army in the south. And the remote and desolate northwest corner has little prospect; The southwest is Sichuan under the control of Zhang Xianzhong, but because in the autumn and winter of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, the Dashun Army and the Daxi Army had a frontal conflict, and Li Zicheng was also inconvenient to develop to the southwest.

Therefore, the Dashun army moved southeast to seize the south under the control of the Hongguang court, and continued to fight with the abundant manpower and material resources here. It became the only way out at that time.

At this moment, Li Yan came over with a horse, and he hugged Li Zicheng and said, "King Chuang!" Shaanxi is the foundation. It is necessary to leave one army to contain one or two, so that you can have time to breathe. The student is not talented, and he is willing to recommend himself and lead the army to resist the Wu thief. ”

By this time. Only Li Yan's confidence has not been lost. But Li Zicheng looked at Li Yan's energetic expression. But how do you look at it, how do you feel unpleasant. Especially Li Yan's title of "King Chuang" seems to be a satire of Li Zicheng who just fell from the clouds.

"I know. Sir bothered. Li Zicheng replied lukewarmly.

Seeing that Li Zicheng didn't want to make a decision immediately, Li Yan could only salute again, and then retreated to the team.

Seeing that Li Yan had left, Song Xiance immediately came to Li Zicheng's side and provoked: "Your Majesty! That is, if it is temporarily unfavorable, someone will live their minds. All the generals in the army are generals, such as they lead the troops. Rest assured. But Li Gongzi now wants the literati to lead the army, and I am afraid that he has a different heart. You have to support your own troops! ”

Li Zicheng's eyes suddenly had a hint of murderous intent. However, he immediately returned to his normal expression and said to Song Xiance: "Mr. is a human being, I know it very well. But there are some things and some people that don't need to be said. After finishing speaking, Li Zicheng looked at the figure of Li Yan in the team again, and couldn't help but squint his eyes.

"Fang Liang!" Li Zicheng shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty!" Liu Fangliang immediately hit his horse and came to Li Zicheng, clasped his fists and saluted.

"In Xi'an City, you go again and see if the people I left there have destroyed all the grain, grass and baggage left in the city." Li Zicheng commanded.

"Yes!"

Because the abandonment of Xi'an was in a hurry, the Dashun army only carried valuable goods such as gold, silver, cloth and silk, as well as a small amount of grain and grass, and the rest of the heavy goods were all left in the city. Especially the grain and grass, because of the devastation of Shaanxi and the importance of Xi'an to the Dashun army, so on the way of Li Zicheng's withdrawal from Beijing, the Dashun army carried almost all the looted grain, grass and property into Xi'an City.

For this reason, the current Li Zicheng ordered the general Liu Fangliang to burn down all the grain and other stockpiles and official houses that could not be taken away, so as not to invest the enemy.

"Ladies and gentlemen! You can't burn it! Leave us a way to live! ”

"There will be no food near this city, and without food, we will definitely not survive. The military master is gracious! The military master is gracious! ”

……

As soon as he returned to the south gate of Xi'an, Liu Fangliang saw that around the soldiers of the Dashun Army who were about to set fire, they were all kneeling with black people. And the people were all kowtowing like pounding garlic, and the cries were loud.

And those soldiers of the Dashun Army who carried out the order to burn grain and grass, their faces were ugly. Most of these soldiers are diehards of Li Zicheng, so they are also from Shaanxi. encountered the bloody pleas of the fathers and elders in his hometown, no matter how hard-hearted he was, he couldn't force the order with such ruthlessness.

So as soon as they saw Liu Fangliang's arrival, several leaders ran over to ask for instructions. However, in the words of those leaders, there is still some meaning of intercession for the people.

Looking at the people who flocked to their knees, the old and weak women and children kowtowing all over the ground. Liu Fangliang sighed in his heart: "Forget it! In the past few decades, the disaster soldiers in Qindi have almost disappeared. I'd better kill less! ”

So Liu Fangliang sighed again and ordered: "Just burn the East Gate Tower and the South Gate Tower!" Leave all the food behind. After finishing the work, they will all chase after the emperor with me! Liu Fangliang's words immediately caused a deafening cheer.

In the cheers, Liu Fangliang pulled out his horse and went back. Almost no one noticed it, and he was muttering to himself in an inaudible voice: "The Qin people are hungry, leave this rice to live the people!" ”

In fact, Liu Fangliang didn't dare to admit that his behavior at this time was already similar to that of a person who is about to die, and his words will be good. At this time, all the people in the Dashun army, like Li Zicheng, did not believe that they would make a comeback again.

……

Li Zicheng looked at the smoke and flames in the direction of Xi'an, thinking that Liu Fangliang had obeyed the order. He also turned his horse's head and headed south with the group. The winter sunset shone on his body, and he also pulled a long shadow on the snow. The lonely shadow of the sunset and snow, only to see a desolation like an end.

"How could it be Butcher Wu?" At this time, Li Zicheng was still a little incredulous, he shook his head and muttered. What an ambition! (To be continued......)