A few days later, thousands of miles away in Beijing, in the Forbidden City, Emperor Chongzhen, who was already twenty-three years old, was burying his head in dealing with the twists and turns, looking old and serious, and did not have the performance that a person of this age should have.

The faint forehead lines on his forehead, the little white head as white as snow, like a little old man, as if he was born with a sad face, I don't know how long I haven't smiled.

"Newspaper... Your Majesty, good news! Good news! ”

With a shout, Chongzhen's thoughts on handling government affairs were abruptly interrupted, and he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, raised his eyes, and was just about to scold, when he saw that the three people who walked in were all his henchmen, and the people on whom the government relied were none other than Wen Tiren, the head of the cabinet, Zhang Fengyi, the secretary of the military department, and Gao Qiqian, the eunuch of the inner chamberlain.

Chongzhen put away his anger and swallowed back the words of reprimand, but there was still some dissatisfaction, contained in the words, and there was no facial expression between the words.

"Three Aiqing, why did you come this time? What's the good news? ”

As if thinking of something, Chongzhen's words stopped abruptly, swallowed back the words that followed, and turned to a look of surprise on his face, but he still had some hesitation and asked uncertainly: "Could it be that the war against bandits in the southwest has subsided?" ”

At this time, as the three of them bowed and saluted, the eunuch Gao Qiqian took a fold from the hand of Zhang Fengyi, the secretary of the Ministry of War, and handed it up respectfully, and the first person stroked Wen Tiren's face full of joy, and he couldn't help but blurt out excitedly: "Your Majesty, although the southwest bandits have not been quelled, but it is not far away, in less than a month, Chen Qiyu led the civil and military generals of the five provinces, killed tens of thousands of bandits, captured twelve bandit leaders such as the Tiger of the Mountain, the King of Wuyan, and the King of Xingyan, and other small minions are even more numerous. ”

"According to Governor Chen, they also searched the mountains in Yunyang Mansion, implementing the principle of 'no hole, no search', and vowed to exterminate the bandits in Yunyang Mansion, so as to advance layer by layer and complete their work in one battle. If there is no accident, at most four to six months, Governor Chen will be able to quell the bandits in the southwest. ”

At this moment, Chongzhen's frowning brows finally stretched, and the big stone pressed in his heart finally fell, and he didn't have time to be happy, but he saw Zhang Fengyi's expression narrowed, and it turned into a very solemn color, and he said in an abrupt deep voice: "Your Majesty, according to the report from the border pass, the emperor's Taiji soldiers went out of Liaodong and went westward, looking at its situation, like the western expedition and the Khan and the Mongolian tribes. ”

"Zhang Shangshu, I know about this." Chongzhen's expression was also constricted, and he responded with a sentence, turned to a solemn expression, and said further: "Just a few days ago, Sun Chengzong, the governor of Jiliao, had already made this matter secret to me. ”

Speaking of this, as if thoughtful, Chongzhen looked at the three of them, and asked in a more solemn voice: "Three Aiqing, what do you think about the Huang Taiji's western expedition to the Khan and the Mongolian tribes?" Sun Chengzong repeatedly emphasized and reminded me in the secret fold, hoping to be vigilant and closely monitor every move of the Houjin army. ”

Hearing this, the three of them glanced at each other, revealing a weak heart, as the secretary of the military department, although there was some reluctance, Zhang Fengyi also had to remind: "Your Majesty, although the emperor Taiji's western expedition to the Khan and Mongolian tribes is a barbarian matter. However, the imperial court must not be guarded against, and the emperor must not forget last year's invasion of Ningxia. ”

"Zhang Aiqing, you mean, Huang Taiji is very likely to invade Ningxia Sanwei?" Chongzhen's face was full of doubts, and his heart sank, and he had a faint bad feeling.

"Your Majesty, Weichen doesn't think so." Zhang Fengyi shook his head slightly, almost instinctively, blurted out a negative sentence, and then explained: "Huang Taiji has such a big momentum, it should be true that the Western Expedition is sweating." However, once the war is over, on the way back, Huang Taiji will definitely pass through the border passes of Datong Mansion, and it is the height of summer, all kinds of crops have just been harvested, and Houjin is likely to make a big move and invade again from Datong Mansion. ”

Although Zhang Fengyi said it very directly, he still had reservations, and did not say that the border passes in the Datong Mansion area were simple and dilapidated, and they were easy to lose. However, all this is enough to arouse Chongzhen's vigilance.

In this way, no matter whether Houjin will invade Datong Mansion in the future, he Zhang Fengyi has already been vaccinated and made a warning, no matter what the result is, he will not be held accountable in the future.

......

At the same time, in the land of Huguang, in the area of Zhuxi, Yunyang Prefecture, Li Jiajun's army was hidden in one of the mountain passes, and the strict team was a little embarrassed, as if it had marched for several days and nights, and the tossing and turning march had crossed countless lofty mountains.

At this moment, Li Zicheng stood on the top of a mountain, climbed high and looked into the distance, looking into the distance, observing the surrounding terrain.

Tian Jianxiu stood aside, his face filled with a faint sense of exhaustion, and said slowly: "Boss, don't worry, Liu Fangliang and Xing Hongwolf's troops have entered the Lushi Mountains and joined Mr. Li Changmao. Just two days ago, they attacked Song County, obtained the granary in the city, and calmly evacuated, without being discovered by the official army, and now they have retreated into the Lushi Mountains, you don't have to worry about their food problems anymore. ”

Li Zicheng was still looking into the distance, nodded lightly, and said reassuringly: "Plus the part of the grain sent by the Guangji Warehouse in Fangshan County and the Zhushan Warehouse in Zhushan County that we attacked some time ago, it is enough for them to support them in the Lushi Mountain Area for three or four months. ”

"Yes, Boss." Tian Jianxiu echoed and further added: "Moreover, the Lu base has already planted sweet potatoes, corn and potatoes, as long as it survives until autumn, you can no longer worry about eating, and you can slowly enter a state of self-sufficiency." As long as the war slows down a little, the Lu base area will be able to develop like a leap forward and open up new bases to the surrounding areas. ”

As soon as the words were received, Tian Jianxiu's expression became very solemn, and he reminded instead: "Boss, these days, Chen Qiyu has been chasing very closely, relying on the advantage of troops, almost gathered the troops of the five provinces, and searched the mountains in this area one by one, many rebel armies have been destroyed, and the leaders of the rebel armies from all walks of life have lost several people. Boss, shouldn't we think about a way out now, Chen Qiyu will search here sooner or later. ”

After saying the last sentence, Tian Jianxiu looked at Li Zicheng directly, with a dignified look on his face, and waited for the other party's reply.

Li Zicheng finally reacted, his expression was a little moved, he slowly put down the binoculars, turned around, looked at Tian Jianxiu, his voice was full of helplessness, and said in a deep voice: "Jianxiu, under the general trend, we alone are Li Jiajun, and we can't confront such an official army at all." Under the hard fight, only the whole army was annihilated, and there was no second result. ”

"But, boss, the situation is so tense, can we draw troops and horses from other base areas?"

Tian Jianxiu's face was full of hope, and he proposed, and further added: "Aside from the newly opened base areas in Shanxi and Henan, the number of troops hidden in each base area in Shaanxi is at least between 300,000 and 500,000, and with the cooperation of the rebel armies from all walks of life, is it impossible to fight with the official army?" Isn't it impossible to overthrow the imperial court? ”

"Jianxiu, now is not the time, nor is it a desperate situation, I don't want to expose the Li Jiajun in various base areas too early."

said three sentences in one breath, although the tone was calm, but with a resolute meaning, there was no doubt, Li Zicheng said even more seriously: "Moreover, see Xiu, even if we transfer all the Li family troops in various base areas, the situation has changed, and the rebel armies from all walks of life are very likely to watch from the wall, watching us fight with the officers and soldiers, they are so cheap, how can they cooperate?" So, see Xiu, things are not as simple as you think, and the unity of the rebel armies from all walks of life is temporary. ”

When Li Zicheng turned his head again and looked at the green mountains and green waters, Tian Jianxiu asked anxiously: "Now the situation is so urgent, boss, what should we do to change the current disadvantageous situation?" You can't wait here for the officers and soldiers to search here, right? ”

His eyes flashed twice, Li Zicheng did not answer immediately, but thought about it, and after a short silence, he said to himself: "The so-called strong fortress is broken from the inside, and it is the next strategy to confront the officials and soldiers head-on, where is their internal location?" ”

At this time, Gu Junen suddenly appeared, walked from not far away, seemed to hear all Li Zicheng's words to himself, and while walking slowly, he couldn't help but exclaim: "What a strong fortress to break from the inside!" ”

Immediately, all eyes were focused on Gu Junen's body, and as he moved and gradually got closer, and slowly shifted, Li Zicheng turned around, followed the prestige, smiled slightly, and said loudly: "Gu Junshi, you are finally here!" ”

"The boss invited, how dare Gu Junen slack off? No, after the military affairs of those logistics supplies were arranged, the subordinates immediately came. ”

While speaking, Gu Junen had already come to the front, and after chatting, his expression was calm, and he solemnly turned to say: "Boss, about the internal affairs of the official army you talked about, the subordinates may have some understanding. ”

"Oh... God help me, Gu Junshi, please speak quickly! Li Zicheng's face was overjoyed, and he couldn't help urging.

"Boss, although Chen Qiyu gathered most of the troops of the five provinces here, encircled and suppressed the rebel armies from all walks of life, as well as the militia from all over the country, the total strength of the rebel armies was already on par with the total number of rebel armies from all walks of life."

"However, in this way, the use of such troops, regardless of military salaries, this food alone is a huge consumption."

"In the southwest of Henan, east of Sichuan, and northwest of Huguang, there are just a few granaries, the Taiping of Kuizhou Mansion in Sichuan was plundered by Zhang Xianzhong, and the Guangji Warehouse in Guangyuan County, Baoning Prefecture was burned by King Chuang; There are also Dafengcang in Huguang Yunyang Prefecture, Guangjicang in Fangshan County, Zhushan Cang in Zhushan County, and Dengzhou Fengning Cang in Nanyang Prefecture, all of which were plundered by the rebel army. ”

Therefore, in the short term, if the official army wants to requisition and replenish grain and grass, the nearest can only be the Guangjicang in Junzhou, the Dayingcang in Xiangyang Prefecture, the Yazhou Guangying Warehouse in Kuizhou Prefecture, and the Ji'an Cang in Nanyang Prefecture and the County Warehouse in Tang County. A little farther away, Chen Qiyu could only transfer grain from Sichuan, Henan, and the county towns of Shaanxi Prefecture. Due to the rugged mountain roads, Sichuan was naturally excluded and listed as the last choice. ”

Obviously, although it was not stated, the three of them understood a truth, although the food consumed by such a large number of troops was not astronomical, it was not something that a few nearby granaries could support.

"As for Henan and Shaanxi, the only county towns that can allocate grain recently are Yongfeng Cang in Xi'an Prefecture and Tongguan Cang in Huazhou in Shaanxi, the military storage warehouse in Runing Mansion in Henan, the Guangji Warehouse in Xinyang Prefecture, and many other grain and grass in Henan Mansion, Kaifeng Mansion, and Guide Mansion."

......

With Gu Junen's narration, from near to far, one by one introduced the nearby granary, the two of them were like Daigo empowerment, a trace of realization flashed in their minds, Li Zicheng interrupted Gu Junen's narration even more excitedly, and couldn't help asking: "Gu Junshi, you mean, the granary is the internal weakness of the fortress of the official army, the easiest to attack, and it belongs to the seven inches." ”

"Yes, Boss, exactly." Gu Junen agreed, then smiled a little, and continued confidently: "As long as the supply of grain and grass for the officers and soldiers is cut off, and the people's grievances in the army have long been boiling, and the soldiers are complaining, once the food cannot be supplied, it is easy to cause a large-scale army mutiny. ”

After a pause, Gu Junen's eyes became sharper, his expression narrowed, and he said sonorously: "The internal affairs of the official army have long been corrupt, full of all kinds of injustices, and the combat effectiveness is not as strong as it is on the surface. ”

At this time, Li Zicheng had a look on his face, and before he could make a decision, Tian Jianxiu said with emotion: "Yes, if the officers and soldiers all fought bravely to kill the enemy and were not afraid of death, the Houjin Army would not be so rampant?" With only a few tens of thousands of people, they actually pursued and killed hundreds of thousands of officers and soldiers, and killed them to a great defeat. No matter how brave and good those nomads are, and how good they are at riding and shooting, they are still human beings, and they can still turn the sky upside down. ”

Speaking of this, Tian Jianxiu looked angry, and further said indignantly: "As long as you have the determination to die, every general and soldier fights bravely to kill the enemy, under such a big difference in strength, two or three people fight one, I don't believe that Houjin will not be destroyed." ”

Gu Junen first nodded, then shook his head, and also looked helpless.

"Captain Tian, this has nothing to do with those generals and soldiers, mainly because of the corruption of the imperial court, black and white, unclear rewards and punishments for merits and demerits, and often withholding and shortages of food for those soldiers, so after years of time, how can those soldiers not be chilled? Correspondingly, the soldiers had no intention of fighting and were not so brave to kill the enemy. After all, meritorious service or not, that's it, it's hard to get rewarded. ”

From beginning to end, Li Zicheng did not express any opinion on the feelings and discussions between the two, as soon as Gu Junen finished speaking, he immediately showed a resolute look on his face, and said in a deep voice: "Okay, just do it!" ”

"Contact the rebel armies from all walks of life, and ask them to focus on attacking the grain and grass transport units of the official army, as well as the cities that have granaries in the cities."

"No matter what means are used, whether it is smashing and looting, or using fire, as much as possible to cut off the source of food and grass for the officers and soldiers. In this way, once the days have passed, the military spirit of the officers and soldiers will inevitably be shaken, and the morale of the army will be greatly disturbed, and the people will become panicked. ”

At the same time, Li Zicheng not only told Tian Jianxiu and Gu Junen, but also told himself that he could completely mobilize the forces of the base areas in various places, although he would not attack the city and seize the granary, but he could rob the troops of the official army transporting the granary.

In short, in a word, sabotage as much as possible, cut off the source of food and grass for the officers and soldiers, and draw salaries from the bottom of the kettle!