Chapter I

On the evening of the third day of October in the eleventh year of Chongzhen, about a change in the weather, the streets of Beijing were already quiet, which looked particularly gloomy and desolate. At the intersections of important streets, soldiers stood to check the occasional passerby. Red or white paper lanterns hang outside the gates of every house, dimly lit and swaying under the eaves. In the dim light, you can see large woodblock printed martial law notices on the walls of the street corners. In the narrow and long streets and alleys, there are often groomers carrying small lanterns, beating broken gongs or bangs, and the shadow of the shrunken appears and disappears into the darkness; The slow, listless sound of gongs or bangs faded away in the wind.

The city is very silent, with a lantern every few distances. Because the Qing troops had already crossed the west bank of the canal in Tongzhou, the Dongzhi Gate and Chaoyang Gate were particularly tight, and the lanterns on the city were relatively dense. There were many fires outside the city, and the sky was purple. From far east, from time to time, the rumbling of cannons rolled in the sky like summer thunder. But the inhabitants of the city could not get the real situation of the battle, and did not know whether it was the officers and soldiers or the artillery fired by the Qing soldiers.

Since Chongzhen's ascension, in the past 11 years, the Qing soldiers have entered the fortress four times, and three times they have approached the city of Beijing. Therefore, despite the rumbling of cannons outside the eastern city, the flames soaring into the sky, and the patrols of soldiers and horses in the city, and the prohibition of night walks, the deep house compound still lives a life of spending days and drinking. In those palaces that were closer to the imperial city, for fear of being heard by the palace, they did not use gongs and drums, or even silk and bamboo, when singing and dancing, and only let the courtesans gently tap the board with red sandalwood or ivory clappers, and sing in a low voice. Sometimes the song is as thin as a strand of hair, and it lingers, hovering over the delicately painted beams of the roof and then flying towards the mysterious space. The host and the guests paused their glasses in their hands, their toes lightly tapping on the ground, and they listened so intently that they almost stopped breathing. As soon as the singing stopped, they nodded their heads frequently in appreciation, happily persuading the wine to let the dishes go, and guessing the fist. Few of them paid attention to the sound of cannons and fires outside the city, and none of them thought about what strategy they should offer to the imperial court to quickly defeat the Qing army. On the contrary, the cranes that lived on the ancient cypress trees in the backyard of the Taimiao Temple and the pine trees on the coal mountain were disturbed by the sound of the cannons, and from time to time they flew up in flocks, hovering over the Forbidden City and the East City, and let out a desolate cry.

In the past two days, more than 100,000 people have fled from Tongzhou and the eastern suburbs, and there is nowhere to shelter them, and many of them are sleeping under the eaves on both sides of the street, huddled together for fear of freezing to death. They shivered in the biting cold wind, **, whined, sighed. The women whispered to God, mourning and weeping. The children shrunk together in their mother's arms, crying and crying out for hunger, tearing apart the hearts of adults. But when the patrol soldiers sent by the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses approached, they were patient for the time being, and did not dare to say anything. Since martial law was imposed on 24 December, hundreds of refugees have died every day, as many as two or three hundred. Although there are porridge factories in all five cities, the mortality rate is increasing, especially among the elderly and children. The northeast wind is blowing tonight, and the cold is terrible, and who knows how many corpses, large and small, will be carried to the mass graveyard tomorrow morning?

Tonight, Emperor Chongzhen dined with his favorite concubine Tian in Chengqian Palace. His name is Zhu Youzhen, and he is the grandson of Emperor Wanli and the younger brother of Emperor Tianqi. Although he was still a young man of less than twenty-eight years old, he had long been in order to support the crumbling country, delusionally hoping that the extremely rotten regime of the Ming Dynasty would not only avoid its demise, but also that he would be able to prosper, and he himself would become the "master of Zhongxing", so he struggled desperately and was in a melancholy mood, so that his originally white cheeks now looked pale and haggard under a few palace lights, and there were already a few deep crow's feet at the corners of his small eyes, and his eye sockets were also a little dark. For several nights, he didn't get a good night's sleep. Today is the five drums of the court, tired for a long time, in the afternoon has been in the Qianqing Palace to review documents. When his grandfather and elder brother were emperors, they did not go to court all year round, did not read the concerts of the ministers, and handed over all major state affairs to the eunuchs who were close to them. When he inherits the unification, he will try his best to correct this disadvantage, and he will bow down to everything. However, because he only represented the interests of a very small number of feudal landlords, such as the imperial family, the big eunuchs, and the big bureaucrats, and was in sharp opposition to the broad masses of the people, and the state apparatus was not functioning well, the more he wanted to "make the country prosperous" in recent years, the more he seemed to be wasting his efforts in vain, and achieving nothing. In order to have too many documents, he was afraid that he would not be able to read them and miss the important ones, so he adopted the method used in the Song Dynasty, asking the General Administration Department to write out the reason with yellow paper when receiving the documents, and paste them in front, which is called Yinhuang, and then use yellow paper to write out the summary of the content and paste it at the back, which is called pasting yellow. In this way, he can take a look at the yellowing and yellowing first, and the less important ones don't have to read the full text in detail. However, the emergency military intelligence secret and the Tang newspaper were sent into the palace as they arrived, and as usual, there was no yellowing, let alone yellowing. Therefore, despite this method, he still has endless paperwork every day, often sleeping after the third watch, and sometimes sleepless all night. Today, he didn't leave the imperial case for a whole afternoon.

Sometimes he felt really tired, so he asked the eunuch Bingbi to read him the song and the Tang Bao and draw up the decree for him. But he was not completely at ease with the eunuchs around him, and often suspected that they were secretly colluding with the courtiers and kept him in the dark, so he rested a little, still struggling, personally reviewing the documents and drafting the decree himself. In the Ming Dynasty, the drafts of some important edicts were drafted by the cabinet ministers, called votes. Chongzhen was always not very satisfied with the votes of the auxiliary ministers, and he had to revise the words with a red pen. This afternoon, he was already in a depressed mood, but by chance, he saw a joke in the ticket of a cabinet minister: he actually took the word "what's more" in someone else's recital as a person's name. In addition to correcting it with a red pen, he added another eyebrow criticism and severely reprimanded this cabinet minister who was born in the Hanlin Academy and was known as a "well-educated man". This matter couldn't help but think about it again when he was having dinner with Concubine Tian, which made his very heavy heart even more unpleasant. At this time, he felt that Zhou Yanru, the first assistant in the past, and Yang Sichang, the current assistant minister and secretary of the military department, were rare capable talents.

After the meal, in order to relieve the emperor's boredom, Concubine Tian presented him a volume of "Qunfang Tu" drawn by herself. This is twenty-four pieces of fine brush flowers, Chongzhen is very appreciative on weekdays, and specially called the royal supervisor to frame the precious yellow brocade into a book. He flipped through it casually and saw that in addition to the original Yangwen Zhuyin of "Chengqian Palace Seal" on each album, there was also a Yinwen Zhuyin Zhuyin of "Nanxun Secret Play", which was even more ancient. He had promised to inscribe a few words or a poem on each page, and Concubine Tian also knelt down to thank him for his promise, but after several months, he had no time and lacked the leisure and leisure to write poems. While absentmindedly browsing the album, he asked a eunuch standing next to him:

"Did you dive high?"

"The emperor said to summon him in the Wenhua Palace, and he is already there waiting for the holy driver."

"Yang Sichang hasn't arrived yet?"

"He is patrolling the city around Qihuamen, and he has already sent someone to summon him into the palace, and he will be there soon."

He handed the album back to Concubine Tian, picked up a jasper cup from a rosewood coffee table next to him that was inlaid with snails, agate, jade, and Chinese jade to form a picture of a fish play and colorful lotus, took a sip of hot tea, and sighed softly. The entire Chengqian Palace, from Concubine Tian to the palace maids and eunuchs, was so worried that they didn't even dare to come out. Concubine Tian wanted to know how much the battle outside the city was going on, but she never dared to ask the emperor for a word. Don't say that she is a concubine, that is, a queen, and it is strictly forbidden to say a word about state affairs. This is the rule, also known as the "ancestral family law", and Chongzhen attaches more importance to this. He took a few sips of tea with a frown, put the cup back on the table, and whispered irritably and majestically:

"Let's go!"

When the emperor arrived outside the Wenhua Gate, Gao Qiqian knelt beside the white marble road, and said in a sharp voice like a singer:

"The slave and maid take over!"

Chongzhen ignored him, got off, walked through the front hall, walked into the Wenhua apse, and sat down on a carved dragon chair covered with yellow cushions in the east room. Gao Qiqian followed, knelt down again, and performed the usual pilgrimage of one bow and three kowtows. If it is an ordinary eunuch, waiting around the emperor all day long, of course, there is no need for so many etiquette. But he is now not a eunuch waiting for the emperor in the palace, but the chief army sent by the emperor to supervise the battle of the Qin Wang soldiers against the Qing soldiers.

"How's the news today?" Chongzhen asked, "The sound of the cannon seems to be approaching again." ”

Gao Qiqian knelt down and replied: "The Donglu army is very sharp, and it has passed Tongzhou today, and it will attack the Jingshi depending on the situation." ”

For a moment, Chongzhen was silent. In fact, he can get a report on the military situation outside at any time, and he doesn't need to ask Gao Qiqian. But in order to maintain his pride, he refused to ask the question he was anxious to know.

"Changping matters," he said slowly, "that is the mausoleum of the ancestors, so be sure to defend it." ”

"Please rest assured. Lu Xiangsheng's Xuan, Da, and Shanxi armies had already partially reinforced Changping. According to the slave maid, it doesn't matter if Changping is gone. ”

There was silence for a while. Chongzhen took a cup of tea from a palace maid, and the faint fragrance of tea was refreshing. He smacked his lips lightly, and looked thoughtfully at this azure Xuanyao Dark Dragon Cup, admiring the exquisite and precious art. Gao Qiqian fully understood the emperor's thoughts, but he waited for the emperor to bring up an extremely important issue first, lest the emperor change his mind in the future, and he would not be able to afford to be guilty. The palace maids and eunuchs standing next to him didn't make a sound, secretly looking at the emperor's facial expression and the subtle movements of his teacup. They all knew that the emperor would ask Gao Qiqian about some confidential matters. But they didn't see any instructions from the emperor, and they didn't dare to avoid it automatically. These palace ladies and eunuchs did not need to wait for the emperor to speak, and they would act according to the slightest movement of his eyebrows, eyes, lips, or beard, which was exactly what he wanted. When the emperor's eyes just left the teacup, a palace maid immediately stepped forward, took the teacup with both hands holding a pile of lacquer and gold plates, and walked out carefully, and the rest of the palace maids and eunuchs all tiptoed out within a second or two.

Now there are only two people left in the Wenhua Palace, the emperor and Gao Qiqian. Chongzhen stood up, paced back and forth in the warm pavilion for a moment, and then said in a heavy whisper:

"Gao Qiqian, you have often gone out to supervise the army in the past few years, and you still have some experience. I asked you to be the director of the world's Qinwang soldiers and horses, this burden is not light. You have to be careful, expel the Tartars, defend the capital, and don't let me down. ”

Gao Qiqian understood very well that the emperor only wanted him to "be careful", and did not want him to fight bravely, and he himself was indeed afraid of the Qing soldiers, but he replied in a generous tone:

"The slave and maid are willing to go to the soup and die on the battlefield, and will never live up to the grace of the emperor for many years."

Chongzhen nodded, sat down on the dragon chair, and whispered:

"Get up!"

Gao Qiqian kowtowed again, then got up from the ground, waiting for the emperor to talk to him about the confidential issue. At this time, under the bright palace lamp, we saw clearly that Gao Qiqian was a burly middle-aged man with no beard. Although he was in his forties, he looked like he was in his early thirties because of his well-maintained and ruddy complexion. Compared with Emperor Chongzhen's pale, tired and melancholy countenance, it was completely two situations.

"Although King Qin's soldiers and horses have reached tens of thousands," Chongzhen suddenly turned the conversation to the point, "but we must both be safe and external, and we can't have both." Over the years, the country's vitality has been greatly damaged. If there is no certainty of victory, it is better to hold on to the full. You are the commander of the army, and you must always keep the camera in and out, and you can't wave the battle. He said the word "wave battle" more slowly and loudly, for fear that Gao Qiqian would not pay enough attention, and then paused for a moment, and then said: "If he gambles these tens of thousands of horses, it is better to stay this family belonging, which will be useful in the future." ”

Gao Qiqian quickly knelt down and said: "The emperor has far-reaching thoughts, and what he said is extremely true. The slave must stop the camera and dare not fight. ”

"Forcing soldiers to be weak and strong and violent on the battlefield not only damages the vitality of the country, but also makes my heart unbearable." Chongzhen finished his words in a tone of compassion, and glanced at Gao Qiqian's face, as if asking, "Do you understand?" ”

Gao Qi knew that the emperor was a person with strong self-esteem, and he could only point to that question here, and the following words must be revealed by him, so he quickly lowered his voice and said:

"The emperor is the king of Yao Shun, benevolence is in the grass and trees, and love soldiers is like a child. As far as today's situation is concerned, it is not only necessary to suppress the thieves internally, but also to resist the eastern captives externally, and it is difficult to deal with both military and financial difficulties. If the peace negotiation can be successful......"

"What's the opinion from the outside?" Chongzhen hurriedly asked, without waiting for him to finish his words.

"No one outside seems to know about this," Gao Qiqian lied without hesitation. In fact, the news that the emperor and Yang Sichang, the secretary of the military department, secretly presided over the attempt to negotiate peace with Manchuria, was not only known to the military officials in the imperial court, but also talked about it by the people in Manchuria, and not only did the common people disagree very much, but even many of the civil and military officials expressed opposition, but they did not catch the evidence and did not dare to rush up and fight.

Listening to Gao Qiqian's answer, Chongzhen was a little relieved, and whispered: "This matter must be carried out quickly with Yang Sichang, and it must not be known to the hundred officials of the outer court. ”

"The slave knows."

"If you want to caress Dongyu, you must caress it!" The emperor said in a resolute tone that he deliberately used the word "fu" to cover up the reality of seeking peace with Manchuria, and did not lose his supreme and lofty status as a great emperor. "If this can be done," he continued, "the country will have no worries about the east, and will dispatch the Guanning Iron Cavalry and the Xuanda Brigade to suppress the thieves with all their might, and put an end to the civil strife." Can Lu Xiangsheng arrive tonight? ”

"Yes, it's here tonight."

"Charge him to be heavy, and not to fight."

"Slave and maid command."

A young chief came in with the eunuch carrying a palace lamp, bowed down and played:

"Emperor Qi, Yang Sichang, the secretary of the Ministry of War, has arrived."

"Call him in." Chongzhen said, waving his hand to Gao Qiqian. Gao Qiqian immediately kowtowed and retreated respectfully.

Yang Sichang was a man of nearly fifty years old, of medium height, with his temples and beard still black, and his eyes were shining, giving the impression of being shrewd and capable. When he heard the edict calling him to go in the west duty room in the Wenhua Gate, he habitually straightened his coat and hat and walked out of the duty room. He was about to cautiously walk inside, just as he jumped out. He hurriedly took a step forward, arched his hand, and asked in a low voice:

"Gao Gong, what does the emperor mean?"

Gao Qiqian leaned close to his ear and muttered: "I see that the emperor is full of eagerness for peace, but he is afraid that he will fall into the name of asking for peace from the enemy, especially afraid of the discussion of the foreign court." Elder Yang Ge, don't tell the emperor that there are already discussions outside. ”

Yang Sichang nodded, bowed his hand to Gao Qiqian, and followed the young eunuch inside.

When a palace maid lifted the yellow satin curtain, Yang Sichang bent over, walked softer, and respectfully walked into the Wenhua apse. Another palace maid lifted the yellow satin curtain of the warm pavilion. His waist bent lower, stepped in quickly, and said: "Minister Yang Sichang is driving!" Then he knelt down and kowtowed to the emperor. Although Chongzhen trusted him very much and favored him everywhere, many courtiers in Beijing and Nanjing impeached him, and they were all reprimanded and punished by the emperor, but every time he was summoned, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. He knew that the emperor was a very suspicious, self-righteous and short-tempered person, and it was difficult to wait, just like the saying goes, "a companion is like a tiger". Today, he is favored by the emperor, maybe one day he will suddenly change his hexagram and be punished by him. For this reason, he had recently obtained the emperor's consent to resign from the post of secretary of the military department and recommend Lu Xiangsheng to replace him, so as to relieve him of his responsibilities and concentrate on his work in the cabinet. After the usual courtesy, he didn't dare to raise his head, looked at the square brick floor in front of the emperor's feet, and waited for the emperor to speak.

"Sir, get up." Chongzhen said, his voice was low.

Yang Sichang kowtowed again, stood up, hung his hands, and waited for the emperor to continue speaking. Chongzhen coughed lightly and asked:

"Lu Xiangsheng will definitely be able to come tonight?"

"Definitely in time."

"How are the three battalions assigned?"

"Part of it is guarding the city, and part of it is stationed outside Dongzhimen and Chaoyangmen. Originally, a part of it was stationed outside the Desheng Gate to support Changping. Now that the soldiers and horses of King Qin are coming from all over the place, Changping is safe, and this part of the people and horses have also withdrawn to Chaoyangmen. ”

"What is the state of the garrison in the city?"

"The Beijing battalion soldiers are enough to defend the city. The red-coated cannons had been transported to the city yesterday, and officials had also been sent to pay homage. ”

Listening to Yang Sichang's answers, Chongzhen nodded frequently, satisfied. He wanted to inquire about the peace, but after hesitating, he changed the subject, and said:

"Now that the captives are invading, the country's military resources are exhausted, and it is not easy to deal with them. The courtiers vented and vented, empty words, not pragmatic, and when it came to an emergency, they could not worry about the king, and they were very disappointed! For example, Shen Xun, the head of the military department, played Chen Bianwu on the sparse role, saying that 'with the world's monks and the world's nuns, they will be assigned to the lijia, and the three will be drawn from one, and they will be trained day and night, and hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers can be obtained'. Isn't this a child's play on state affairs? Confused! ”

Yang Sichang saw that the emperor was angry, and said euphemistically: "Shen Xun's opinion is really confused. But he dared to take the liberty to play, one is that he knows that His Majesty is the king of Yao Shun, and he is not guilty of words; The second is that he is worried about the country and has no time to think about it. There are many things he has to say, and there are many merits in them. ”

Chongzhen pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "Gu Nian is still a little worried about the country, I don't offend him." After speaking, he waved his chin, and several palace maids and eunuchs hurriedly retreated.

"Since I ascended to the Pole," he said in a low, heavy tone, "the Toyo has entered the fortress four times. In the autumn of the ninth year of Chongzhen, the captives invaded, Changping was lost, and the mausoleum was shocked. All courtiers should lie down and taste their courage and swear to avenge the country. However, just two years later, the captives drove in again and ravaged Gyeonggi. It seems that the internal strife has not ended, and the external troubles are urgent, how to do it? ”

Yang Sichang knelt down and replied: "As a soldier, Weichen can't stop the thieves and go out to conquer the captives, and he really deserves death." In the current situation, the only way to concentrate on the thieves is to pay the money to the captives. ”

"I originally intended to summon the army of King Qin of the whole country to fight a decisive battle with the captives, but as soon as the thieves are not peaceful, the country will not be able to concentrate on the outside world. At present, the best policy is to hold on to the captives. If you can talk about caressing, it is not impossible to caress it. Qing and Liao Fu Fang Yizao sent Zhou Yuanzhong to Manchuria to convey the court's wishes, do they have a clue? ”

"The minister received a secret letter from Fang today, saying that Zhou Yuanzhong has returned, Manchuria has won many victories and is arrogant, and his attitude is arrogant, and he is afraid that my court will have different opinions, so he refuses to caress him."

Chongzhen's heart was suddenly disappointed, but it didn't show it, paused for a moment, and then asked:

"What are you going to do?"

"The minister thinks that this matter is related to the safety of the country, and Zhou Yuanzhong should be sent to go again to tell the court in detail about the sincerity of the court."

"Will there be a leak?"

Yang Sichang is an experienced bureaucrat who does not dare to hide all the truth like Gao Qiqian. He decided to tell a little truth and leave a step back for himself:

Because Zhou Yuanzhong was a blind man, he traveled back and forth to Liaodong on weekdays and sold divination for business, so he sent him to avoid the doubts of outsiders. But somehow, there are already some rumors in the capital today. ”

"How did it get out?" Chongzhen was a little surprised, and at the same time a little angry.

"Although there are some rumors in the capital, no one knows the real situation. As long as Your Majesty is determined and does not let the ministers obstruct the plan......"

Chongzhen intercepted and said: "No matter what, you should strive for confidentiality and not let the outer court know." ”

"The minister must be more careful."

"Someone in the official recital said: 'Anything involved in border affairs is not allowed to be copied in the newspaper, and the people of the city are all obsessed with border affairs.' Why is plagiarism banned? ”

"I'm afraid that some of them are related to the peace talks, and some of them are military secrets, so it is inconvenient to pass them on."

"Anything that involves secrets is not allowed to be copied or transmitted; If it is a newspaper between the lines, why is it not allowed to be copied? It is forbidden to copy it, but it will make everyone suspicious. ”

"What the emperor sees is extremely true."

Chongzhen sighed and said: "Now that the captives have come to the city, and there are rumors in the capital, it seems that the matter has to be carried out slowly." After a pause, he suddenly stared at Yang Sichang's face worriedly, and asked softly, "Can Lu Xiangsheng agree with the discussion?" ”

The minister has not yet seen Xiangsheng, and I don't know if he agrees. He will come to see His Majesty tomorrow, and Your Majesty may wish to ask his opinion in person. If Xiang Sheng also advocated the payment, even if there were people in the courtiers who opposed it, the power would be small. ”

Chongzhen nodded. He felt that the foreign courtiers were under great pressure on him on this issue, and feared that even Yang Sichang would not be able to fully understand his eagerness to negotiate peace with Manchuria, so he said:

"I didn't advocate for money either. Helpless to fight wars every year, coupled with frequent disasters and famines, there is a shortage of soldiers' salaries, and they can't take care of the outside without taking care of the inside, so they have to temporarily pay money to the Dongyu. Once the civil strife is calmed down and the hands are free, you can make a big attack on the eastern captives. It's a pity that the ministers of the foreign court don't know how much I suffer! ”

"Your Majesty's foresight is naturally beyond the comprehension of ordinary ministers. However, if the matter is done, the benefit is in the community, and it is obvious to all, and those who are in an uproar today are speechless at that time. ”

"I wish it could be so."

"In the past, there were not many opponents of my proposal? Wait until the payment is completed, I agree to be sealed, the tribute and horse market, since then there is nothing to do, the court has to relieve the northwest border troubles, and force the use of troops in Donghu, everyone knows that I answer the money for the plan. Today's events are the same. ”

"It's very true."

Yang Sichang's eloquence is indeed good, and Chongzhen is very satisfied with a few words, and nods frequently. In fact, Chongzhen is not unclear about the history of the peace with me. This happened sixty years ago, when his great-grandfather, Emperor Longqing, was in power. At that time, the foundation of the country was still very strong, and there were famous ministers such as Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong in the court, and there were many famous generals guarding the nine sides, and the power of the Ming Empire was much stronger than that of Meda, so it was able to achieve a better peace result. Today's situation is the opposite, and it is not at all comparable to the history of more than 60 years ago. However, because Chongzhen was anxious to sue for peace with Manchuria, he was unwilling to seriously think about it for a while.

"Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting are going all out to pursue and suppress the thieves," he asked, "they have been very successful recently, can they be able to fight in one go?" ”

According to the two ministers Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting, some of the thieves entangled by Li Zicheng were defeated, some were annihilated, and some surrendered, and there was not much left. At present, the army is in hot pursuit, blocking on all sides, and the service period is flattened. The thieves wanted to go to Henan, Huguang, and Sichuan, but it was impossible, so they had to flee north from the Shangluo Mountains. Hong Chengchou has already deployed heavy troops to the south of Tongguan, set up an ambush and waited, thinking that he would arrive in Beijing in a few days. ”

A smile flashed on the emperor's pale face, and then he raised his voice slightly and said:

"Sir, please be seated."

Yang Sichang hurriedly kowtowed and thanked him, and then got up, and at the same time two eunuchs came in and placed a lower sandalwood chair for him diagonally opposite the emperor. As soon as he sat down, the emperor called "give tea" again, and he stood up again and bowed down to thank him.

Chongzhen's spirit perked up, and the sleepiness just now was gone. He took a cup of hot tea from the maid of the court, took a sip, and said in a solemn and confident tone:

"If you can make a smooth move, Mr. will be in the middle of the scheduling."

Yang Sichang bowed down and said: "This is the emperor's Weiling, and the soldiers are relying on their lives." Weichen lived up to the emperor's favor with his blunt material; Since he was appointed as the soldier, the thieves from inside have not been extinguished for a long time, and the outside has been captured and invaded, and they have approached the Beijing Division, causing His Majesty to be anxious at midnight and restless in sleep, and he really deserves death. ”

"I understand Qing's difficulties very well, so I don't need to say more." After a pause, Chongzhen said, "Zhang Xianzhong has already been appeased, Li Zicheng is a big trouble for the country, if it can be leveled, other thieves will naturally be easy to annihilate, so there is no need to worry." ”

"Your Majesty has seen the extreme. Li Zi became the old department of Gao Yingxiang, a dead thief, and he was the strongest among the thieves. At present, as long as the thieves are put down, the rest of the thieves will be frightened, and they should surrender without a fight. ”

"After Zhang Xianzhong was appeased, was he really sincere? Is it okay to deal with the situation? ”

Yang Sichang had already expected that the emperor would ask him this question sooner or later, and he was already prepared in his heart. He was suspicious of Zhang Xianzhong's surrender from the beginning, and was not as naïve as Xiong Wencan. However, his plan of "four squares and six corners, and ten sides of the net" and the three-month deadline for eliminating the peasant army have long been in vain, and the only way to appease the government is the only way to give the government a breath at present.

"The pacification situation can be feared and cannot be feared," he replied, "and at the present time it is beneficial to the country, and it is to be feared for the time being." If we take advantage of this time to quit the soldiers, straighten out the armor battle, rest and replenish, and always be in the position of 'controlling the enemy but not controlling the enemy,' then the situation will be even more embarrassing. Otherwise, it is not to be feared. ”

"It's very true."

"From today's point of view, even if Zhang Xianzhong is not sincere, the country has benefited a lot in the past ten months. Since Zhang Xianzhong was pacified in Gucheng, Li Zicheng lost his echo and was almost trapped in a lonely battle, and the country was able to transfer more troops to Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting to concentrate on dealing with the thieves. If it weren't for Zhang Xianzhong's pacification of Gucheng, the situation of suppressing thieves in the past few months may not have been so victorious. ”

Chongzhen nodded with satisfaction, but said uneasily: "I'm afraid that Li Zicheng will contact other thieves and accept him to escape from Shaanxi." ”

Yang Sichang replied: "The reason why Li Zicheng dared to run east was because he contacted Luo Ru to go to Tongguan to answer. Luo Rucai once united more than 100,000 thieves from various groups, and entered the area of Lingbao and Ruxiang last month, intending to break through Tongguan and meet the thieves. But their rabble, in the same bed and with different dreams, will be defeated in a battle. Now he fled to the mountains of Junzhou and Fang County, begging to be appeased. There is no other thief to meet the thief today, so the destruction of the thief is just around the corner. ”

"If the thieves are wiped out from now on, it will be a blessing for the country."

"Therefore, at present, Shaanxi's military is very important, and the war against Dongyu is also related to the security of the country."

"If Shaanxi can calm down the rebellion, that is, Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting will lead the army to Jingqin King in the starry night, there must be no mistake. There have been two urgent edicts to affirm this intention. Mr. Ke drafted another edict on behalf of me, telling Hong Chengchou and others to make sure that the rebellion was put to rest, so that no one would slip through the net and cause future troubles. If there is negligence or ineffective combat, the law of the country is there, and there will be no tolerance! ”

"Command!"

Recently, whenever he thinks that the military in Shaanxi is going very well, Chongzhen eagerly waits for the final good news. He hoped that Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting would be able to behead Li Zicheng and Liu Zongmin, and send their heads to the capital, of course, it was best to capture them alive and sacrifice them to their subordinates, so that the soldiers and civilians in the capital would be greatly invigorated. Sometimes he closed his eyes and pondered as if he saw himself sitting on the noon gate, the prince standing aside, the princes and civil and military officials standing under the noon gate, accepting the prisoners offered by Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting in the sound of military music, and at the same time sending the lord or prince to pay tribute to the Taimiao on his behalf, and the soldiers and civilians waiting in the area of Qipan Street outside the Daming Gate looked at the palace and shouted long live. Now he remembered the question again and asked:

"Can you tell them that it is better to capture the thieves alive and sacrifice them to their subordinates?"

"The minister has already informed Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting of the saint's intention a few days ago."

"Okay, okay, you should sacrifice your majesty." After a pause, Chongzhen ordered in a low voice, "As for the matter of discussing and appeasing the Eastern Emperor, it must be kept extremely confidential, and the ministers of the outer court must not be allowed to grasp the slightest handle and obstruct the plan." ”

"Such a big event naturally has to be kept very secret. However, as long as the emperor is determined to negotiate and appease, even if the outer court knows, no one dares to oppose it. ”

"But the atmosphere in the court is not right, and those crows can say anything!"

"As long as Your Majesty is determined and resolute, one or two officials will not be able to obstruct the plan if they do not understand the matter and talk in vain."

Chongzhen smiled slightly bitterly, changed the topic and said, "If Lu Xiangsheng can rush to the capital tonight, Qing Ke can inform him to call him on the platform alone tomorrow morning." ”

"Yes."

The palace is already playing three watches. Seeing that the emperor was a little tired, Yang Sichang hurriedly said goodbye, kowtowed, and withdrew from the Wenhua Palace.

Chongzhen took the chariot to the Kunning Palace where the queen lived, and thought on the way: "If Lu Xiangsheng does not agree with Yang Sichang's opinion, he will not be able to fight against Dongfu, and he will not be able to win the battle, how can he deal with the aftermath?" So he shook his head and sighed.

Chapter II

When Yang Sichang was talking with the emperor in the Wenhua Palace, there was a troop of cavalry, about 100 people, galloping on the road from Changping to Deshengmen in Beijing. They rode all horses with out-of-mouth horses, sometimes whipping and galloping, sometimes slowly, so that the sweating horses could rest a little. The sound of horses' hooves in the frosty, silent, nightly wilderness was like a fierce torrential rain, often causing dogs to bark from the ruined villages nearby. Some frightened night watchmen hid in the shadows and peered out into the avenue.

Lu Xiangsheng, the governor of Xuan, Da and Shanxi, rode his most beloved horse Wu Mingji in the middle, and his heart was very heavy. After his father died of illness on the way back to his hometown in Yixing in May, he once pleaded with the emperor to allow him to take leave to go to the funeral and keep filial piety in his hometown for three years. He said that he hoped that after burying his father, he would build three thatched houses next to his father's grave, live in them, refuse to travel, and take the opportunity of the "Lu Tomb" to study for three years with peace of mind, and then come out to "serve the dogs and horses" for the emperor. But Emperor Chongzhen knew in his heart that the Confucian ministers liked to boast about the tomb for three years after the death of their parents, but in fact they did not see a minister who had done that. He thinks that Lu Xiangsheng's request to return to his hometown for the funeral is true, and the three years of the tomb are just talking. In normal times, he would immediately approve Lu Xiangsheng to return to his hometown for funeral, keep filial piety at home, and if he needed to come out to do things after a while, he would issue an edict to tell him to "take revenge" and become an official again. However, at present, the state affairs are difficult and the military situation is urgent, Chongzhen not only did not allow him to take leave to go to the funeral, but according to Yang Sichang's recommendation, he was transferred to be the secretary of the military department, which increased his responsibility, and sent Chen Xinjia to replace him as governor. Chen Xinjia is still in Sichuan, and he has not yet arrived to take over because of the long way away. The Qing soldiers entered the fortress, and the courtiers recommended it, and the emperor sent someone to give Lu Xiangsheng a Shang Fang sword, telling him to come to Beijing in the starry night, and the governor of the world to reinforce the army.

Lu Xiangsheng was born as a scholar and was filled with Confucian filial piety since he was a child. Before the invasion of the Qing army last month, there was no war in the Gyeonggi area and his Xuan and Dafang areas, and he wept bitterly every time he thought of not being able to go to the funeral, and at the same time he was very dissatisfied with Yang Sichang. At present, since it is the Qing army, the Beijing division is in danger, so he has to temporarily put aside the idea of running for the funeral and lead the troops to the king. After setting out from Yanghe, he only let the infantry stand for a short rest, while he traveled day and night with more than 10,000 cavalrymen, and when he was really sleepy, he closed his eyelids in the saddle, or lay down in his clothes while feeding the horses. This afternoon, he arrived at Changping with his cavalry, and the infantry would not arrive until three days later. Before entering Changping City, he led several cronies and staff, carrying the sacrifices prepared on the road, into the big red gate, until he walked to the front of the Changling Tomb, paid tribute to the Yongle Emperor, who had great martial arts, knelt on the ground and choked up, saying:

"I hope to rely on the spirit of the two ancestors and ancestors, annihilate the Tartars, consolidate my borders, and fulfill the duties of a minister. The minister is also willing! ”

Just after Shen Shi, he entered the city of Changping, and saw that all the reinforcements had not come, only the cavalry he brought was stationed outside the city. He summoned the officers of the thousand generals and above to the outside of the gate, and said loudly to the heavens:

"The national disaster is like this, and there are not many reinforcements, so I have to rely on the strength of the generals to destroy the arrogance of the East first. If there is anyone who does not fight bravely to kill the enemy, the military law will not forgive him! ”

He originally thought that if he was sent as the governor of Tianxia Qinwang, he could fight to the death with the Qing soldiers in the Gyeonggi area, so that the enemy would not dare to invade easily. Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived in Changping, he heard a news that Yang Sichang and the eunuch Gao Qiqian advocated peace with Manchuria, and did not hesitate to make an alliance under the city. After he halted the deployment of the army, he summoned his close staff and important generals to the hall of the governor's office to discuss how to give the troops a short rest and prepare for the enemy. One of the staff members knew that the emperor was about to summon him and asked, "Your Excellency, if Elder Yang Ge and the Emperor ask your lordship what your opinion is on the peace war, how will your lord answer?" He got up from the table, grasped the handle of his saber, and said:

"I, Lu, am deeply favored by the country, and I can't wait to die for the country. Today, when the enemy soldiers are pressing the border, they can only talk about war, how can they make peace! ”

The staff dispersed, and it was already the second watch. Servants Gu Xian and Li Qi came to take care of him and go to bed. He remembered that Li Qi had been with him for almost two years, serving carefully, without making mistakes, although he was not a child born in the family, he was almost as loyal to his master as Gu Xian. He asked:

"Li Qi, your family lives in Dongcheng, Beijing?"

"Yes, sir." Richie replied in a low voice, making his bed for him.

"When you arrive in Beijing, you can go home and see your parents. I'm afraid your parents miss you too. ”

Lu Xiangsheng turned to Gu Xian again and said, "Gu Xian, when you arrive in Beijing, you take twenty taels of silver and give it to Li Qi, so that he can take it back to honor his parents." ”

"Thank you, sir!" Li Qi bowed down and said, quickly knelt down and kowtowed.

Lu Xiangsheng was about to go to bed, when suddenly the doorman came in to report that Yang Ge had sent an official to see him. Lu Xiangsheng immediately summoned him, and it turned out that Yang Sichang urged him to enter Beijing overnight, saying that the emperor would summon him early tomorrow morning. He decided to leave immediately, and was very emotional, and ordered left and right:

"Hurry up and get ready for the horses!"

On the way to Deshengmen, he was planning how to fight the enemy, and at the same time thinking about how to talk to the emperor tomorrow. As he galloped past the ruins of the great capital, which was called the Jimen Smoke Tree, he heard the howling of a family coming from several huts, which made him think of his dead father again, and his heart was so sad that he almost burst into tears.

When I entered Beijing and returned to my mansion, it was already nearly four watches. Many friends in Beijing were waiting for him in the mansion, hoping that they could tell him what they were thinking and the public opinion of the people in Beijing when he had not yet gone to meet the emperor. They all resented Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian's conspiracy of "betraying the country and seeking peace", and asked him to resolutely fight in front of the emperor. There is a friend who is in the Inspectorate, Yang Tinglin, a native of Qingjiang, Jiangnan, who said very excitedly:

"Ninth Elder, please forgive the little brother for speaking bluntly. At present, your whole body is the hope of the subjects of the world, if you do not fight to the death on this matter, how will the people of the capital view you? How will future generations comment on you? Don't live up to the hearts of loyal and righteous people in the world! ”

"Please rest assured," he replied, his voice a little choked, "Xiangsheng came to King Jingqin with an ominous body, and was able to die on the battlefield, and his wish was sufficient, and he would never be greedy for life and death, and would not dare to fight, so as to disappoint the hopes of the people of Beijing, and be despised by thousands of generations!" ”

Everyone knew that Lu Xiangsheng had been running around day and night for a few days, and they were extremely hard, and they were afraid that if they talked for too long, they would be known by the investigators of Dongchang, and it would be very bad for the host and guests, so they had to talk for a while and resigned one after another. Lu Xiangsheng was about to rest, when suddenly the servant Li Qi, who had followed him for two years, came over, stood respectfully in front of him, and said with a smile:

"Master, you go to see the emperor tomorrow, and I will leave tonight."

Lu Xiangsheng said inexplicably: "Are you leaving?" You mean to go home and see your parents? Why not wait for dawn? ”

"No, sir. The villain's parents died early, and he has an older brother who lives in his hometown of Hejian Province, and only the villain's woman lives in the capital. The villain no longer waits for the master, and now he asks the master for a long vacation. ”

"Why take a leave of absence? Afraid of war? Lu Xiangsheng asked with his eyes, annoyed in his heart.

"No, no," Li Qi said with a quick smile, taking half a step back, "The villain has been serving by the master's side for two years, and there is nothing wrong with seeing the master, and the villain doesn't need to stay with the master anymore." ”

"What the hell is going on? You are crazy? What nonsense are you talking about? Lu Xiangsheng continued to stare at and asked.

"The villain is not nonsense. The villain was sent by Dongchang. ”

Lu Xiangsheng was taken aback, and was stunned for a long time before he asked again: "You weren't recommended by the master of the household department?" How did it come from Dongchang? ”

"It was Dongchang Cao Ye who asked the king to recommend the villain to the master, for fear that the master would be suspicious. If it weren't for the fact that the master treated me well, I wouldn't have explained my identity to the master before leaving. Please rest assured, I will never say a bad word about my lord. ”

After Li Qi left, Lu Xiangsheng sighed with emotion. He never dreamed that he had been born and died for many years, and he had been brave and loyal to the emperor, and Dongchang would send someone to follow him and report his every word and action to the emperor at any time!

The person who went to report to Yang Sichang had already returned, and Yang Mansion also sent someone to follow, telling him that Yang Ge Lao would come to see him in person during the fifth watch and accompany him into the palace.

It's been more than four days now, and the rooster has already begun to crow. The unhappiness caused by Li Qi's incident in his heart just now has been diluted by the great event that is about to be seen. The servant Gu Xian persuaded him to lie down on the bed and sit for a moment. He refused, immediately washed his face, combed his hair, and prepared to enter the palace to see His Majesty. When Gu Xian combed his hair, the faithful servant saw that there was no one else left and right, and couldn't help but murmur:

"Master, I didn't expect Li Qi to be so good in front of the master, he is actually the investigator of the East Factory!"

"Well, there's more to the world than we can think of."

"I'm worried," Gu Xian said again, "The lord said a lot of things about the main battle tonight, will he tell Dongchang and report to the palace?" ”

"I'm afraid that Dongchang won't have time to report inside," Lu Xiangsheng said with a smile, "It would be nice if it could be reported inside." Sooner or later, these words of mine will have to be said in front of the emperor, and wouldn't it be better to let the emperor know my ideas earlier? ”

"But Elder Yang Ge and Eunuch Gao ...... them"

"Them?" Lu Xiangsheng snorted contemptuously, "There are only two of them who advocate an alliance under the city, at most a few people, but millions of people in the capital are against peace. What I said is exactly what you are going to say. Besides, the emperor is a wise lord, and I dare to believe that he will not agree to the alliance under the city! ”

Gu Xian was very excited when he saw him, and he didn't dare to make any more noise.

After eating breakfast and resting for a while, Lu Xiangsheng began to dress. When Gu Xian took out the second-grade civil official court clothes and waited for him to change into the civilian clothes on his body, he saw that he refused to take off his sackcloth, and asked timidly in a whisper:

"Master, when I went to see the emperor today, are you still wearing this filial piety robe inside?"

"Wear!"

"Don't change the white linen towel?"

"Don't change!"

"The net towel will be exposed on the outside of the gauze hat, isn't it a little bad if it is seen by the emperor when His Majesty sees it?"

"The country rules the world with filial piety, how can there be a reason for a father to die without filial piety? Don't grunt! ”

Fully dressed, genius hemp bright. Yang Sichang came, said some words of comfort to him, and accompanied him to ride to the imperial city. On the road, I often see groups of refugees sleeping under the eaves on both sides of the street, crying incessantly. Lu Xiangsheng couldn't bear to look at it, couldn't bear to listen to it, his heart tingled, and he thought angrily: "Look at what has become of the country, there are still people who want to compromise the enemy and want to be safe for a while!" He glanced at Yang Sichang fiercely, and couldn't help asking:

"The captives have come to the city, and I heard that the court and the war decisions are uncertain. What is the emperor's opinion? ”

"The emperor summoned the old gentleman today, and was about to ask the old gentleman what his high opinion is."

"My lord is in the position of the cardinal, and the emperor trusts him very much, I don't know what the opinion of the cabinet boss is?"

"Jiuweng, you know that the emperor is longitudinal and longitudinal, and many things are dictatorial......"

"However, the public is a native soldier and an auxiliary minister, and he is often around the Son of Heaven, so he should have a clear proposition on the plan of peace and war."

"Students are also in charge."

"That's it!" Lu Xiangsheng said happily.

"However, the capture is very sharp, and there is no certainty of victory in the war."

"As long as the imperial court resolutely fights and motivates the soldiers, the soldiers of the kings from all walks of life can still be used."

"This ......"

"Lord Ge, at the moment of the great enemy, can you still be indecided?"

"After the old gentleman meets the emperor, we will discuss it carefully."

Lu Xiangsheng wondered in his heart: "Could it be that the emperor will also make peace?" But he didn't dare to ask directly, and said to Yang Sichang:

"In the eyes of the students, the only way to fight to the death today is to retreat from the enemy to repay the emperor!"

Yang Sichang didn't make a sound, and he was very unhappy in his heart. He felt that Lu Xiangsheng was too temperamental, and it was difficult to reach an agreement with him immediately, so he had to let him touch the nail. Lu Xiangsheng saw through Yang Sichang's master and thoughts, he no longer argued with him, and thought to himself, let's wait until I see the emperor.

They dismounted outside the right gate of Chang'an, west of Chengtian Gate, and entered the imperial city. In the Ming Dynasty, the cabinet was on the east side of the noon gate, and for the sake of secrecy, non-cabinet ministers were not allowed to enter, so Yang Sichang could not invite Lu Xiangsheng to sit in the cabinet. Although it is convenient to rest at the yamen of the military department, it is too far away to see the eunuch when he comes out to announce the edict and the elephant ascends to the palace, so Yang Sichang accompanies him to sit in the deserted court room (today is not the day of the common dynasty) and chat, waiting for the eunuch to pass on the decree.

About a meal later, a eunuch came out of it and passed Lu Xiang to speed up to the platform to meet the driver. Xiangsheng hurriedly said goodbye to Sichang and followed the eunuch into the palace. When he walked past from the west side of the Imperial Palace, passed through the Youshun Gate, and walked to the front of the platform, the Emperor was already sitting on the Coiling Dragon Throne waiting. Behind the throne there are eunuchs holding umbrellas and fans, and there are many eunuchs standing on both sides of the throne. Two one-person-high bronze crane incense burners were emitting fine smoke, and strange incense wafted in the hall. Outside the hall, there are two rows of brocade guards, and the guard of honor in their hands is shining golden in the rising sun in the morning. Lu Xiangsheng performed the regular salute on the Danqi, holding the ivory pilgrimage in his hand, bowing his head and kneeling on the ground paved with white marble, waiting for questioning. When he heard the eunuch's edict calling him to enter the temple, he quickly got up, bowed down and climbed the steps from the left, entered the temple, and saluted again, not daring to raise his head.

Although Lu Xiangsheng held an important military position five years ago and made a lot of contributions to Chongzhen, Chongzhen summoned him alone for the first time, hoping that the national policy he and Yang Sichang had secretly decided on could be supported by this high-profile governor. For a moment, Chongzhen didn't speak, and glanced at Lu Xiangshengtong up and down. This person who was born in Wen Jinshi, who is proficient in martial arts and is familiar with Tao Strategy, has a particularly good impression on him today. Lu Xiangsheng was only thirty-nine years old, with fair skin, a dusty color, a slightly pointed chin, a thin appearance, and a sparse and bright beard, completely like a scholar, not like a person who was adept at riding and archery, and could take the lead and charge into battle. But his sword eyebrows, towering cheekbones, and broad forehead have a calm and resolute aura. After looking at Lu Xiangsheng, who was kneeling in front of him with his head bowed, the emperor spoke:

"The captives are invading, and the Jingshi is under martial law. Qing worked tirelessly, the king of thousands of miles, and also provided reinforcements for the governor of the world to resist the eastern captives, and his loyalty and diligence were commendable. I was very pleased. ”

These two words of encouragement deeply moved Lu Xiangsheng, and he felt that even if he broke his bones, he would not be able to repay the emperor's "kindness".

"The minister has no ability to lead soldiers," he replied, "and he is only foolish in his daily life, and does not shy away from any difficulties." But since the death of his father, the minister's heart has been full of grief and mental confusion, which is far from comparable to the past. In addition, with an ominous body, commanding the three armies, not only is it not enough to convince people in front of the soldiers, but I am afraid that even the beating of the golden drum will not work. Therefore, I am always afraid of failing the grace of God and increasing the sin of my ministers. ”

Chongzhen comforted him again and said: "Loyalty is filial piety." Ministers win affection for the country, and there are often dynasties. At present, the country is in a difficult situation, and the secretary must concentrate on his work, and not be too sad and have a negative intention. ”

Speaking of this, Chongzhen asked the eunuch to take out the silver and python satin and give them to Xiangsheng. Xiangsheng kowtowed to thank Enbi, and Chongzhen asked:

"The Eastern Capture Army is very strong, and the ministers of the outer court have a lot of opinions, and they are inconsistent. In Yiqing's opinion, how should decisions be made? ”

As soon as he heard the emperor raise this question, he seemed to have a wandering tone, Lu Xiangsheng suddenly forgot to be afraid, and also forgot to pay attention to etiquette, raised his head, looked at the emperor with blazing eyes, and said in a loud voice:

"Your Majesty ordered the ministers to supervise the division, and the ministers will fight the main battle!"

The eunuchs were taken aback, and secretly glanced at the emperor's face, thinking that he would be angry. They saw that the emperor's face was red, all the way to the root of his ears. Lu Xiangsheng also realized that his attitude was a little reckless, and quickly lowered his head. But the irascible emperor did not get angry, but was dumbfounded by his short sentence and had nothing to say. It was a long time before he said:

"Saying that I want to appease, it is the ministers of the outer court who have discussed it like this, not my opinion. This matter is very important, and after Qing goes out, he can discuss it with Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian. If you don't need to care, then you can fight or defend, which is the best? ”

"The minister thinks that since ancient times, there are ways of war against the enemy, but there is no law. Only those who can fight can keep their words. If you can't fight, you will be more constrained by the enemy if you keep your word everywhere. ”

"War and defense must be taken into account."

"War is defense. Today, we must focus on war and defend as a supplement, so that we can control the enemy and not be subdued by the enemy. ”

"It's the best policy to say war, but my troops are weak, how to fight?"

Lu Xiangsheng replied generously: "The minister thinks that the current patient is not my weak army, but that the imperial court is not determined!" There were no less than 50,000 reinforcements from Guanning, Xuan, Da, and Shanxi, and tens of thousands of soldiers from the three major battalions were on the outskirts of the city in addition to defending the city. As long as the imperial court is determined to speak and encourage the soldiers, even if the three battalions are not used, the 50,000 soldiers of the king can be a battle. In addition, the enemy attacked on light horsemen, and went deep into Kisuke, so he had to get food on the spot. I implore Your Majesty to send an edict: Strictly order the county of Kifuzhou to clear the wilderness, so that the enemy will not be able to eat; The officials who defend the land will live and die with the city, and those who abandon the city and flee will not be killed. The strong army under the command of Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting can be partially reinforced. As long as the court slightly excites the people, it is not difficult for 100,000 people to gather soon. ”

"Food is difficult."

"In the capital and Kifuzhou County, there are many wealthy gentry and households, and they can advocate donations to save the country's urgent needs."

Chongzhen smiled bitterly, paused for a moment, and said, "Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting are suppressing thieves, so it is not appropriate to transfer." ”

"Even if Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting's men and horses cannot be transferred, although the ministers are dull, they are still willing to lead the armies of Guanning, Xuan, Da, and Shanxi to fight a decisive battle with the captives."

Chongzhen's mind was heavy, silent, and he stared at the top of Lu Xiangsheng's black gauze hat expressionlessly.

Lu Xiangsheng didn't dare to raise his head, and said: "Now that the country is in danger, Weichen dares not to repay His Majesty?" But the soldiers' salaries had to be paid. ”

Chongzhen said: "But Deqing is willing to accept the appointment and share my worries, as for the section on soldiers' salaries, he ordered Yang Sichang and the household ministers to try to help." ”

"Long live thanks!" Lu Xiangsheng kowtowed and said.

Chongzhen asked some more about the defense situation of Xuan, Da, and Shanxi in the Changping Army, and he was very hesitant in his heart. On the one hand, he felt that Lu Xiangsheng's loyalty was commendable, and it was not unreasonable to resolutely fight the main battle, but on the other hand, he was afraid that if he lost the battle, the overall situation would be more difficult to support. After a moment of silence, he said:

"Qing suppressed the thieves in previous years, and played a lot of work. But the East is not comparable to the thief, so he should be cautious. ”

"It is advisable to be cautious in fighting with soldiers. But from the point of view of the foolish ministers, if Gao Yingxiang and Li Zicheng are among the thieves, they are strong and iron-armed, and the troops are strictly organized, and their subordinates are strong and strong, and they do not let An and Shi go, but the ministers are secret, and the court does not know it. Today, if someone exaggerates the elite in front of the emperor, it is just to find a place for peace. ”

"Our army is newly gathered, and it is tired from afar. The enemy is sharp, always take the weight as the top, and do not fight in waves. ”

Lu Xiangsheng was shocked when he heard the words "Don't fight in waves", as if a scoop of cold water was poured on his head. He was about to continue to make a bitter statement to the emperor desperately, when suddenly the emperor said in a cold tone: "Qing Saddle Horse Fatigue, rest." As for the battle defense matters, you can carefully discuss with Yang Sichang, Gao Qiqian, etc., to see how to proceed. ”

Lu Xiangsheng didn't dare to say anything more, so he had to kowtow and resign. As soon as he walked outside the Youshun Gate, a eunuch came out and said that the emperor had given him wine and food at the Zuoshun Gate, so he followed the eunuch to the east. The emperor's wine and rice are usually a formality, and there are only four kinds of dishes, which cannot be eaten seriously; You can't drink the wine seriously, you can only pour the wine in the cup on the ground, and you have to kowtow again to thank you. But in feudal times, this event was considered a special favor of the emperor and a rare honor. Lu Xiangsheng was so moved that he burst into tears, kowtowed to the north, and shouted long live the mountain, and at the same time thought that the emperor was inclined to the main battle again. Then, Chongzhen sent the eunuch Wang Chengen out and asked him what the signs were at this moment, when he was hugging Er, there was a cloud under him, which was bent like a bow and his back was facing up. Like other commanders in ancient times, Lu Xiangsheng was not only proficient in the art of war, but also paid attention to the study of occupancy, and was superstitious. He looked up for a while, and couldn't remember whether it was said in the Han "Star Classic" or the Tang "Wangqi Jing", this phenomenon is the main traitor and the minister, blinding the lord, and he sighed in his heart. But he said to Wang Chengen:

"Please play your majesty on behalf of the students, this omen of defeating the enemy is also."

After Wang Chengen entered, Lu Xiangsheng was afraid that the emperor would ask again, so he didn't dare to leave. After a meal, Wang Chengen came out again and passed on the emperor's message:

"Although there are signs of defeat from heaven, we must also be extremely serious. How to deal with the military, Lu Xiangsheng had to discuss with Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian in detail. ”

Lu Xiangsheng came out of Zuoshun Gate, his heart was extremely heavy. He found Yang Sichang to go to the court room together, and it happened that Gao Qiqian was also waiting for him here, and the three of them talked about how to follow the order meeting in the afternoon. Because one of the meetings must be very tightly guarded, and the other is that Yang Sichang also lives near Chaoyangmen Street, so it was decided to hold a meeting on Andingmen after lunch. Although he couldn't talk about confidential matters in the courtroom, Lu Xiangsheng also heard that Gao Qiqian really had the same tone as Yang Sichang, and was afraid of fighting with the Manchurian soldiers. Leaving the courtroom, his Qinwang's enthusiasm was almost half cold, and the only hope left was to convince them at the afternoon meeting. When he stepped out of the door, he looked back and said with emotion in his heart:

"They are so afraid of the enemy, and they are eager to negotiate peace, how do I fight this battle? As a last resort, I had no choice but to fight alone regardless of life and death to thank the countrymen! ”

On the streets from Daming Gate to Xidan Belt, he saw many refugees, which made his heart even more troubled. Back at the mansion, listening to the return of the family, many guests came to pay their respects and inquire about the court and the war plan. Lu Xiangsheng said that he had not slept for several days, and he was unwell, so he didn't see anything.

"Master," Gu Xian said while taking off his court clothes for him, "Master Yang of the Hanlin Academy came here just now, and he went back if he couldn't wait." He asked the villain to tell the master that he had something important to talk to the master. ”

"Ah, got it."

Although he is much older than Yang Tinglin in terms of official position, he has always respected Yang Tinglin, believing that he has insight, courage, bones, and true knowledge. "What does he have important things to say to me?" Lu Xiangsheng thought in his heart, "Isn't there a place that can help me?" After a while, he instructed Gu Xian:

"When you go back to Master Yang, just say that I will go to Andingmen to discuss with Elder Yang and Senior Supervisor Jun after a short rest. Ask him to wait at the house, and I will be sure to go and receive the instruction when I return. ”

Lu Xiangsheng has no relatives in his mansion in Beijing. His wife and Mrs. Ru both returned to Yixing in May with their children and some servants and maids to mourn. Therefore, Lu Xiangsheng came back from the court, refused the guests, and hid in the study. After eating a little casually, he wanted to sleep for a while, but thinking about the peace war, he was very depressed and couldn't sleep. After sleeping for a while, he sat up suddenly, called the servant Gu Xian to help him get dressed, and set off for Andingmen. As soon as he reached the gate, a man rushed out of the gatehouse, ignoring the doorman's obstruction, and saluted him, saying:

"Old man, Dongzhao is here to knock on you, I hope to talk about it!"

Lu Xiangsheng looked at it, surprised and delighted, stepped forward and grabbed the sleeve of the guest's robe, and said:

"Ah, where did Mr. Yao come from? I can't imagine it! ”

"Dongzhao came to Beijing for something, and when he encountered the invasion of Dongyu, he was going to return to the city in the starry night, because he heard that his husband and ancestor came to Beijing to Qinwang, so he stayed in Beijing and waited for him."

"Good, good. Please go inside and talk. ”

Yao Dongzhao, who came to visit, was about 60 years old, burly, energetic, with a long white beard hanging down his chest, broad eyebrows and broad forehead, purple ridges in his eyes, and his opening and closing flashed like electricity. He is a poor talent in Julu County, generous and righteous, quite respectful, and has a great prestige in the township. In the autumn of the second year of Chongzhen, the Qing soldiers invaded Gyeonggi and went straight outside the Chaoyang Gate. Lu Xiangsheng was the prefect of the daimyo at that time, and he pulled out a knife and slashed the case and shouted: "How can the big husband sit back and watch Hu Ma run rampant!" "Then recruit 10,000 people from the township, the king of starry nights. Passing by Julu, Yao Dongzhao also led more than 1,000 children to participate, and was very rewarded by Xiangsheng, and they have become acquaintances since then. Xiangsheng served as the prefect of the daimyo for several years, and later was promoted to the daimyo military preparation province, governing the three prefectures of the daimyo, Guangping and Shunde, and several times wanted to be an official in Tosho, but was rejected, so he respected Tosho even more. Later, he left the daimyo and did not hear from him for several years, but I heard that when the Qing troops penetrated deep into Kisuke, Yao Dongzhao led the children of the village to fight the enemy, and one of his sons was killed in battle. Now that this old man came to visit suddenly, Lu Xiangsheng was surprised and happy, so he was willing to talk to the deceased even if he had something important. After sitting down in the living room, after a little greeting, Yao Dong said straight to the point:

"Old man, you are about to go to Andingmen to discuss the plan, and the military affairs are handsome, which is not comparable. Dongzhao should not have come to desecrate, but the state affairs have been eroded to this point, and the disaster of the Southern Song Dynasty is imminent, and Dongzhao really can't help but come to see the adults. When you go to the meeting today, do you know that the imperial court is preparing to secretly sue for peace with the Manchu Tartars? ”

"The matter of seeking peace has been heard, but the matter of losing money is not yet known."

"I heard that the imperial court is willing to give 600,000 taels of silver to Dongyu every year, and cut off a large area of land in Liaodong in order to seek peace and security, isn't this the mistake of the Song Dynasty?"

Lu Xiangsheng jumped up suddenly, pressed his hands on the table, his beard trembled, and he glared at the guest with his eyes and asked, "Is this true?" ”

"There are rumors of this, and it is said to be credible."

"Did the captives agree?"

"The captives refused to agree because Zhou Yuanzhong was a blind man, and he had to send ministers from the imperial court to negotiate peace, and he was willing to agree. At present, if there is no war but the enemy, Zhang Guowei is afraid, I am afraid that the alliance under the city, the land will be cut, and the New Year's currency will be lost, and one after another. The boss is concerned about the safety of the country today, and Wan Wang bitterly stated his interests and disadvantages at the meeting, so that the first and second powerful ministers and nobles did not dare to mention peace again. Then encourage the three armies, fight to the death with the captives, and inflict heavy losses, so that the rebels know that there are still people in me, and they dare not have the heart of encroaching on the whale again. In this way, the court is very fortunate, the people are very fortunate, and the old man is immortal! ”

"Sir, needless to say, the students are already familiar with it. If there is an elephant ascending, it will not make the Ming Dynasty a continuation of the Southern Song Dynasty! ”

Dongzhao knew that the adult was today's Yue Shaobao, and he felt even more relieved when he said this. That's it. ”

Lu Xiangsheng grabbed the guest again and said, "Mr. Tun Chu! At present, when the country is employing people, students have a word of sincerity, and I don't know if they can be accommodated? ”

"What does my husband and ancestor have to teach you?"

"Please succumb to the Changping Army and help the students praise the military affairs, so that they can ask for advice day and night. Talking about knowing each other, dare to ask each other, are you willing to give up? ”

"Dongzhao has been favored for a long time, how dare he not listen to the drive. However, judging from the current situation, the captives are afraid that they will drive deep into the country, and Jinan is in danger, so Tosho has decided to leave Beijing and return to China in the starry night after bowing to the adults. As expected, the captives rode deep into Jinan, and Dongzhao swore to lead the children of the township to fight the enemy. After being loved, I had to repay it on a different day, and I begged my husband and ancestors to forgive me. ”

"Good! In this case, students do not dare to force them to stay. Leaving tomorrow? ”

"No, leave immediately, you can still rush to the Changxin store tonight."

Lu Xiangsheng thought that Yao Dongzhao was a poor talent, and Sichuan might not be rich, so he asked Gu Xian to take out ten taels of silver and give it to Dongzhao. But the old man was adamant not to accept it. Xiangsheng knew that he had a good temperament and was not reluctant, so he asked Gu Xian to take the treasure knife he always wore on his body, held it in front of the old man, and said:

"Mr. returned this time, and called on the children of Jinan to fight to defend Sangzi, and the students gave a treasure knife to strengthen their performance."

Yao Dongzhao did not shirk, caught the sword with both hands, and said generously and loudly: "Thank you, my lord!" If the captives ride south, Dongzhao swears to wash this treasure knife with the blood of Hulu, and in case he is not victorious, he will also use this knife to cut himself! ”

Xiangsheng sighed and said, "Maybe we'll see each other again." ”

After sending Yao Dongzhao away, Lu Xiangsheng took his entourage and rode to Andingmen. On the way, on the one hand, he was moved by Yao Dongzhao's visit and generous return to his hometown, and on the other hand, he always couldn't get rid of a bad premonition in his heart: Yao Dongzhao compared him to Yue Shaobao, and he often thought of Yue Shaobao as his own expectation on weekdays, but Yue Shaobao died of hatred and couldn't save the tide! He raised his eyes to the sky, and although there were only faint clouds in the sky, he felt as if there were boundless clouds hanging over Beijing, and the sun was dim. He also saw that in all the streets he passed, the people on both sides of the streets looked at him with their eyes silent, some of them full of sorrow, others with trust and hope in him. How different these eyes are from weekdays!

In addition to Lu Xiangsheng, Yang Sichang, and Gao Qiqian, there were also two military attendants, a minister, Chongzhen's cronies, Cao Huachun, the commander of Dongchang, and several generals who led the Beijing camp. On weekdays, when Yang Sichang saw Wang Dehua or Cao Huachun, he always put himself in the lower position and let the eunuch sit in the chief. Lu Xiangsheng has always looked down on this group of eunuchs, thinking that he is a minister of the imperial court, and he should not befriend them, and he has lost the dignity of a scholar, so he pulled Yang Sichang to sit on the upper seat with a little humility. Gao Qiqian and the others were very unhappy in their hearts, but they were helpless. Xiang Sheng was the first to speak, resolutely leading the battle, and speaking impassionedly, but everyone present looked at each other silently. Lu Xiangsheng was very angry and asked sharply:

"The enemy soldiers are approaching the city, and the princes are still wandering like this, can they just watch the captives ride vertically and horizontally, as if they are in a no-man's land?"

was obviously intimidated by his righteousness, Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian were not angry, and persuaded him not to be in a hurry, and to discuss the combat strategy slowly and carefully. They did not say at all that they did not advocate fighting the Qing soldiers, but they refused to give any positive opinion. However, Cao Huachun was dissatisfied with Gao Qiqian who climbed too fast in the past two or three years, and now he is the director of the soldiers and horses of the king of the world, and said lightly:

"After all, Mr. Lu is right."

The meeting lasted until midnight and was inconclusive. At that time, there was a certain degree of complexity in the question of whether or not the Qing troops were fighting, and it was impossible to resolve it at a single meeting. Lu Xiangsheng only emphasized that the morale of some of the Qinwang soldiers was available, while Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian understood the general morale of the army and the fear of the enemy and the fear of the enemy. Lu Xiangsheng's call on the people of Gyeonggi to join the army and order the officials and gentry of Gyeonggi to pay their salaries is simply not possible. The raising of salaries was strongly opposed by the gentry and the gentry, and new recruits could not be recruited without salaries. What's more, the temporarily recruited recruits will not be able to withstand the blow of the Qing army. Therefore, the meeting went on until midnight without results, which in vain increased the distress and depression in Lu Xiangsheng's heart.

The rumbling sound of artillery came from the eastern suburbs, and the sound shook Lu Xiangsheng's heart, making him feel like he was on pins and needles, and he wanted to rush back to the Changping army immediately and arrange the battle, so as not to waste time here. He frowned, got up and walked to the door, lifted the curtain, turned his head to the east, looked at the fire outside the city, turned back and arched his hand to everyone, and said:

"Tonight, the suburbs are full of war, and there are endless disputes in the city, and Xiangsheng is really sad. I beg your pardon. The students are in military affairs, so they need to take care of it, so let's discuss it another day. ”

Gao Qiqian was happy that today's meeting ended hastily, and quickly said, "Yes, we will discuss it another day." ”

Everyone got off the Anding Gate and said goodbye. Lu Xiangsheng was indignant, jumped on Wumingji and rushed away, neither humble nor looking back to greet him. Yang Sichang shook his head, exchanged a look with Gao Qiqian, and asked Gao Qiqian and Cao Huachun to get on the horse first. Gao Qiqian did not get on the horse immediately, continued to look at the backs of Lu Xiangsheng and Wu Mingji, and praised him repeatedly:

"Good horse! Good horse! A rare good horse! ”

Some of the generals of the Beijing camp were unhappy about today's meeting, but they didn't dare to speak; There are also people who are afraid of the enemy like tigers, and when they saw Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian Jian presiding over the heavy position, they were relieved. Everyone had their own concerns, got on their horses and went their separate ways.

Lu Xiangsheng returned to the mansion after the third watch, and he knew that many friends came to see him and inquire about the decision-making of the war, and some people waited until nearly the third watch before they dispersed one after another. The next morning, as soon as he had breakfast, he went to the palace to take his leave. This matter had already been contacted yesterday with Wang Dehua, the eunuch of the master of ceremonies, so as soon as he arrived at the court room, and soon after waiting, a little eunuch came out and led him into the palace and came to the splendid Zuoshun Gate. As in the case of ordinary ministers, the emperor did not come out, only a few eunuchs stood in front of the palace in two lines. Lu Xiangsheng knelt down respectfully at the foot of the white marble carved dragon steps, kowtowed three times to the solemn and empty throne, and sang loudly: "Minister Lu Xiangsheng bows to the emperor, may Your Majesty live long, long live, long live!" It seems that this sentence is just an ordinary court etiquette, but when Lu Xiangsheng said it, his heart was full of pain and passion, his voice trembled slightly, and he almost couldn't help shedding tears, because he had a bad premonition: After His Majesty's resignation this time, I am afraid that he will not see the emperor again.

A eunuch went down the steps and gave him a sword by oral decree. Lu Xiangsheng held Shang Fang's sword with both hands, kowtowed to thank him, and tears suddenly burst out of his eyes.

Leaving Zuo Shunmen, he went to the cabinet to bid farewell to Yang Sichang. Limited to the system, Yang Sichang was not allowed to sit in the cabinet and sent him out of the noon gate. When he was leaving, he wanted to say a few private words to Lu Xiangsheng, but his lips moved a few times and he didn't say it. After a while, he finally whispered:

"Jiu Weng, you also understand what the emperor means now. The trouble of the country is not on the outside but on the inside, and if it is not at ease, why should it be outside? The soldiers of Shanxi and Xuanda are the elite of the country. The thieves are not settled, so be sure to leave this little belongings for the emperor. ”

Lu Xiangsheng didn't make a sound, made a gesture to him, turned around and left. As soon as he left Chengtianmen, he received a report from Changping, saying that although most of the Qing soldiers moved to the area of Dongbianmen and Guangqumen, there were also rangers who harassed the area between Andingmen and Changping. He decided to immediately return to the Changping army and said to a family member:

"You go and tell Master Yang, just say that I can't go to see him because of the tight military situation, and ask him to move to Changping within a day or two."

After the order, he didn't even go back to the mansion, quickly changed his clothes, got on the horse outside the right gate of Chang'an and ran to Changping.

Chapter III

On the morning of the second day when Lu Xiangsheng returned to Changping, the emperor sent eunuchs to bring 30,000 taels of silver to reward the army, and the other 10,000 taels to give him personally. In the afternoon he gave him a hundred royal horses, a thousand servant horses, and five hundred iron whips. Lu Xiangsheng was very excited and grateful, and every time he received a reward, he immediately thanked him. He thought that it was only Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian who advocated peace, and the emperor was just tempted by them, but now he was resolute. He secretly reproached himself for not misunderstanding the emperor's mind. He even suspected that Cao Huachun had helped him in front of the emperor. On weekdays, when he thinks of Dongchang, he feels very uncomfortable, thinking that it is a major malpractice of this dynasty. Now because he guesses that Cao Huachun is in favor of the War of Resistance in front of the emperor, he is also grateful to the people he usually looks down on extremely. It was only because of the self-esteem of the scholar that he did not confide this feeling in front of his staff.

He also gave his ten thousand taels of silver to the soldiers, leaving only one tael and five pieces of silver and asked the silversmith to make a wine cup for him, which he kept as a souvenir, and chanted a couplet, and engraved it on the cup:

Swear to drive away the Hulu with iron horses,

Praise the golden ou and praise the saints.

Although this couplet of poems is not very good, it truthfully expresses his oath to kill the enemy and his gratitude to the emperor. He decided to wait until he had won a great victory, expelled the Qing soldiers from the fortress, and drunk himself with this silver cup at the celebration banquet held with the soldiers.

In these two or three days, Emperor Chongzhen's heart was full of contradictions. He listened to Lu Xiangsheng's resolute remarks on the main battle, and could not help but be moved, and had the heart to wait for the Qin Wang soldiers to arrive in a decisive battle with the Qing soldiers. But this kind of thought is always vacillating, thinking about it repeatedly, and it is difficult to make up your mind. He summoned Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian respectively in the Qianqing Palace, and told them to seriously consider Lu Xiangsheng's opinions and not to fight in vain. They all spoke in unison, all opposed to a decisive battle with the Qing soldiers, believing that if this part of the emperor's family was regarded as a desperate gamble, once defeated, the consequences would be unimaginable. At that time, most of the Ming Dynasty troops were seriously in arrears and military discipline was corrupt, and Yang Sichang was very clear about this situation. However, he only saw this unfavorable aspect, and did not want to think about the fact that there were many generous and patriotic people among the people and soldiers of Jifu, and they had the mentality of hatred and hatred for the enemy, and as long as the imperial court cheered up, encouraged them, and clearly defined rewards and punishments, the situation would be greatly changed. On the two separate summons, he always explained in detail the reasons why he should not risk a decisive battle with the Qing soldiers, saying that Lu Xiangsheng did not know himself and the enemy, and disregarded the safety of the country.

"Since ancient times," Yang Sichang added, "there has been no one who can win externally without stopping internal strife." Therefore, if you want to go outside, you must first settle inside, and this must be unswerving. Although the situation of the country today is critical, it is not comparable to the situation of the Southern Song Dynasty. Although the eastern captives have repeatedly entered the fortress and harassed Kifu, they have started from Liaohai in the east, Datong in the west, and the important towns of Xiongguan are all in my hands. Therefore, for the sake of the country's plan, it is better to impose a restraint policy on the eastern captives, delay the time, and exterminate the thieves in Guanzhong with a drum internally, and then force the thieves and Cao thieves to bow down; If he still harbors different aspirations and desires, it is not difficult to get rid of them. Once the country has no internal worries, His Majesty can organize the army and fight against the eastern captives, and the shame of snow today will never be the trouble on the border. Forgive me for the small state of Bier, in a corner, how can it compete with the Celestial Empire! ”

Chongzhen's treatment of Yang Sichang is different from that of Gao Qiqian. He is only used as a loyal henchman slave, and he has always regarded Sichang as his minister, who is deeply loyal to the country, and is well-versed in affairs and calculating, and is not within the reach of ordinary ministers. The words that Si Chang said were very much in line with his heart, and he nodded frequently. However, he agreed not to take out King Qin's soldiers and horses as a desperate bet, but he was unwilling to blindly avoid the battle, so that the enemy would be like no one. He said:

"I also know that if you want to fight outside, you must first settle inside, so I have repeatedly told Lu Xiangsheng not to fight. However, if we blindly avoid war, the enemy's arrogance will be higher and my morale will be discouraged, and it is not a good strategy. When I encounter the battle, I have to fight bravely, and in the future, it will be the line, and it will also make the East know that I can't fight, and I will be blackmailed. ”

Yang Sichang bowed his head and said: "The emperor is young, and what he sees is extremely true. ”

Three days after the Andingmen meeting, Chongzhenwen completely fell on the side of the Lord and the faction. Lu Xiangsheng was also worried about this change in the emperor, but he didn't expect it to come so quickly. When he was happy, the director Jun Gao sneaked to Changping. Lu Xiangsheng welcomed him into the governor's office, and after he sat down, he told him about the emperor's gift of silver, horses, and iron whips in the past two days, and said:

"It seems that the emperor is very sharp, and we can only live up to our expectations by charging into battle and killing the enemy to serve the country. As for how to kill the enemy, the students are already familiar with it. It just so happened that the prison army was coming, and I was willing to hear about it. ”

"What is Master Lu's plan?"

Lu Xiangsheng lowered his voice and said: "The students plan to divide their troops into four ways on the night of the tenth day of the first month, take advantage of the moonlit night to attack the enemy camp, take him by surprise, and kill him. What does Gao Gong think? ”

Gao Qiqian smiled coldly and said, "I only heard that the snow night attacked Caizhou, but I didn't hear that the moon night attacked the enemy camp." ”

Ridiculed by this, Lu Xiangsheng was furious in his heart, and he wanted to kick Gao Qiqian out of the hall, but he tried his best to endure it. He knew that if he couldn't stand the ridicule and didn't make trouble for himself, there was no need to talk about the major matter of fighting the enemy. So he smiled reluctantly and said:

"The enemy is victorious. Because it is a moonlit night, they will be more careless and less vigilant. ”

"The enemy is outnumbered, or the best policy is to hold the weight."

"It is precisely because the enemy is outnumbered that a surprise attack is used."

"If you don't win, isn't it a desperate gamble?"

"Winning by surprise is a common thing in soldiers, what is a desperate bet?"

"This made me think about it carefully and try to be sure."

The conversation became an impasse, and neither of them was willing to budge, so they had to remain silent. After drinking a cup of tea, Gao Qiqian suddenly changed the topic, and said with a smile on his face:

"Mr. Jiuwen loves famous horses the most, and he must have brought a few to King Qinwang this time?"

"Bring a few horses, and a few will stay in Yanghe."

"I love horses, too, can you give me a feast for my eyes?"

"Please!"

Lu Xiangsheng accompanied Gao Qi to an open field, and someone had already led ten tall horses out of the stable. Gao Qiqian saw that every horse was a little coveted, and said in his heart: "People say that Lu Jiandou has no other hobbies, but loves horses, which is really good!" He heard that each of Lu Xiangsheng's horses had a name, so he immediately asked a few of them. Yang Lukai, the chief counsellor of the pastoral officer, answered one by one on the side. Gao Qiqian has also seen a lot of famous horses, such as Yan Se Pony, Peach Blossom Skull, Leopard Flower Skull, Chrysanthemum Green and other names he doesn't feel fresh. When asked about a fiery red horse, Yang Lukai told him that its name was Yudingchi, and he said repeatedly:

"Good! Good! Sure enough, it was rouge all over, only a piece of jade white on the top of his head! Then he pointed to Lu Xiangsheng's mount and asked, "What about this horse?" ”

"Wu Mingji." Lu Xiangsheng couldn't help but answer by himself.

"Hey, this horse, with ears like bamboo and eyes like hanging bells, is really a miracle horse!"

At this time, Wu Mingji heard the neighing of the nearby horses, and it suddenly raised its head and neighed, startling Gao Qiqian. Gao Qiqian was originally a burly person, and he stretched out his hand to measure how tall the horse's head was, but it was far from reaching the horse's ears. He then smiled and said:

"This horse is so tall and has a violent temperament, I'm afraid it's not something that ordinary people can control, right?"

"When this horse first arrived in the hands of the students, its temperament was very violent, and every time it rode it, it always did not take the right path for the first thirty miles, but walked obliquely on the side, stubborn and untamable, and walked another thirty miles before it was willing to go honestly. It took several months of hard work for the chaplain and the students to be tamed. Nowadays, only students and chaplains can ride it, and no one else can get close. ”

Gao Qiqian looked at this horse's coat color shiny, like grease, broad chest, round hips, and four slender and powerful legs, which was really "majestic and heroic", which made him very envious. He looked at it for a moment, then turned back and asked:

"Why do you call it Wumingji?"

Lu Xiangsheng smiled slightly, glanced at the shepherd, then stroked his beard with one hand and stroked the smooth and shiny short hair of the horse with the other, and replied:

"You see, the horse's whole body is dark purple, and his mane is black, but his four hooves are as white as frost and snow, and there is also a white hair on his shoulders like a bright moon. These five white hairs are not only invented in the sun, but also in the moonlight, so the students named it Wumingji. ”

"It's just right, it's very fresh. Hahahaha......"

Seeing Gao Qiqian praising his mount like this, Xiang Sheng was very happy in his heart, and rushed away in anger just now. Yang Lukai, the head of the pastor, saw that the senior supervisor was still looking at this divine horse, so he said on the side:

"Lord Inspector doesn't know, about this horse, our Lord Governor still has four words of praise and four seven-word poems."

"What praise?"

"These four praises are: 'The purple body and the mane have a thousand miles of power; The lonely moon hangs from the shoulders, and the frost has no toes. ’”

"What do you say about four verses?"

Yang Lukai recited a song of seven uniques in a sonorous tone:

Tens of thousands of weights of Guanshan Mountain,

The Wowa Divine Horse is like a rushing wind.

Galloping through a hundred battles and drawing Hu Ri,

Blood and sweat can boast of the first achievement.

These lines of poetry are high and dive, and I didn't even hear a single sentence clearly. His attention had already shifted to a white horse next to him, thinking that this Wumingji was Lu Xiangsheng's beloved mount, so naturally he would not give it to others, and if he could give him that beautiful white horse, it would be enough to be satisfied.

"Good poetry! Good poetry! He nodded again and again, pretending that he could appreciate the beauty of this poem, "What a good poem!" What is the name of this white horse? ”

"It's called Thousand Miles of Snow." Yang Lukai replied respectfully.

"Ah, the horse is beautiful, and the name is beautiful!" Gao Qiqian raised his right hand, stretched out to Qianli Xue's back and stroked it, and praised him: "Hehe, I can't find such a good horse in the emperor's stable!" ”

Lu Xiangsheng smiled and said, "Don't hide it from the high prince, this is a royal stable horse." ”

"The stables?"

"Yes. In the autumn of the previous year, the soldiers entered the fortress, and the students led troops from Huguang to help. In September, the students inspected the outside of the fortress and received 50 horses from the imperial stable. The students had five good horses, and they chose five of them from the fifty, making a total of ten. The jade top red you saw just now was also given by the emperor. ”

"Ah, it's strange that this horse is so beautiful, it turned out to be chosen from the imperial stable!" He led Qianli Xue for a few steps, and in order to show off that he was a real expert, he deliberately praised him in the terms of the "Soma Sutra": "Cross the stove!" Cross the stove! What a horse! ”

Lu Xiangsheng said: "The words of the ancients are not entirely credible. It is not uncommon for a good horse to be able to cross the stove, and it is rare that this horse is 'dragon head and phoenix', and there are swirling hairs like milk under the abdomen. ”

Gao Qiqian looked down, and saw two swirling hairs on the horse's abdomen, symmetrical left and right, and said, "Sure enough, it looks like two breasts." After looking at it for a moment, he raised his head and said, "It seems that some book talks about this underwhirlwind, I can't remember it clearly." ”

Yang Lukai replied: "Li Bole's "Soma Law" says: 'The one who spins his hair under the abdomen is like a milk is called a thousand miles.' ’”

"Yes, I'll just say, this horse is not an ordinary horse." Gao Qi looked at Lu Xiangsheng and said, "How about I try it for a ride?" ”

Lu Xiangsheng waved his chin to Yang Lukai, the head priest, and said:

"Tatarama!"

The grooms immediately brought out white saddles studded with silver ornaments, white brocade mattresses, and glittering copper stirrups. The horse's bridle is also white, inlaid with silver ornaments, but it does not appear overly carved and trivial, but shows a harmonious beauty in simplicity and simplicity. As soon as the horse is ready, it looks more and more beautiful. Probably feeling the excitement itself, it raised its head proudly, screamed, and kept stepping on its front hooves on the frosty earth. He flew up and got on his horse, and was handed a whip by the shepherd. When he saw that the whip was made of white strips of leather, mounted on an eight-inch long, carved ivory handle, and tasseled with white horsehair, he admired it in his heart. Before he could raise his whip, Qianli Xue had already begun to run slowly in the direction he had in mind. It runs so smoothly that the rider feels as if it is not running on a bumpy road, but on an extremely soft carpet. Gao Qiqian gently knocked the stirrup, and Qianli Snow immediately flew forward like an arrow. He only felt the wind whistling in his ears, and the trees flickering backwards, almost like riding a divine horse through the clouds. Beware of a deep ditch in front of him, about seven or eight feet wide, with steep cuts on both sides. It was too late to think about it, and his heart was suddenly cold, and he whispered in panic: "It's over!" At this moment of "finishing", Qianli Xue rose smoothly into the air, flew over the deep ravine like a glide, landed lightly on the opposite bank, and continued to run forward. Gao Qiqian couldn't help but say in a loud voice: "Hey, good horse! Good horse! Then he wiped a large cold sweat from his forehead.

After running for about five miles, he turned his horse's head without exhaustion. As soon as he returned to Lu Xiangsheng, before he got off the horse, he screamed:

"Ah, Lu Shangshu, Lord Governor, what a good horse! What a horse! After jumping off the horse, he continued, "This is not a horse, but a white dragon that soars through the clouds!" A white dragon! ”

Lu Xiangsheng smiled happily and said, "Gao Gong is too awarded. ”

At this time, the shepherd personally led Qianli Xue to the square. Its extremely moist white fur glistens silver in the sun, while its lips, nose and eye circles are pale red, showing youthful beauty. Gao Qiqian squinted his eyes at Qianli Xue for a while, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, turned his head, looked at Lu Xiangsheng with a smile and said:

"I have a few good horses, but they are all horses compared to the old man's horses. Looking at the white snow of the old man, I am envious. ”

"It's not 'white snow', it's a thousand miles of snow." Lu Xiangsheng corrected with a smile.

"Ah, it's a thousand miles of snow. Elegant! Elegant! Why don't you call it the White Dragon Horse? ”

People on the left and right couldn't help but chuckle. Lu Xiangsheng couldn't help but laugh and said:

"Although the name of the white dragon horse is good, it is just a bit vulgar. Besides, it's not a pony, it's a mare. ”

Gao Qiqian knew that he was speechless, deliberately laughed loudly, and said mockingly: "Hey, hey, I forgot my male and female!" He went over and uncovered the horse's lips, looked at its teeth, and said, "It's only six teeth, and its mouth is still tender!" In short, I rarely meet such a good horse, it is so likeable. ”

A staff member gave Lu Xiangsheng a look. Lu Xiangsheng suddenly understood the eunuch's intentions, and couldn't help but feel disgust and indignation. He usually hated a group of eunuchs who were accustomed to recruiting power and accepting bribes, deducting military salaries, and not doing good deeds, and said in his heart: "Hmph, damn it, I want to take my beloved horse!" So he smiled coldly and said:

"The director is too humble. When you go out, you will supervise the army on behalf of the emperor, and you will serve the Son of Heaven when you enter the army, not only when you supervise the army, there are famous horses everywhere, that is, the imperial horse in the emperor's imperial horse prison, which one do you want is not just to take it? It's too humble. ”

Gao Qiqian felt embarrassed, but he still didn't give up, and said cheekily: "Although I also have a few good horses, they are not very comfortable, so when I see Lord Shangshu's horse, I don't feel envious." Hahahaha......"

The staff member who made the eyes just now touched Lu Xiangsheng's elbow again, hoping that he would endure the pain and cut his love. However, Lu Xiangsheng has a stubborn personality and despises Gao Qiqian very much, saying:

"Gao Gong is the emperor and the director of the world's soldiers, and he really needs good horses. Although Qianli Xue is a gift from His Majesty, it stands to reason that students do not dare to give it to others. But since they are loved, students are willing to give it, but there is only one condition. ”

"On what terms?"

"Please Gao Gong is not afraid of hard work, on the night of the tenth day of the first month, at the third watch, together with the students, divide the troops to attack the enemy in four directions. Because we are outnumbered, we must all compete for the first, and there is no retreat. Students should make an appointment with the soldiers of the three armies: the sword will see blood, the horse will sweat, the person will be wounded, and the slightest cowardice will not be forgiven. When he returned victoriously, he was not only given a thousand miles of snow, but all the horses in the stables were chosen by the public. ”

"Ah, this condition, this condition......" Gao Qiqian laughed again, his voice as sharp as a woman's.

"How's it going, Gao Gong?" Lu Xiangsheng forced the other party to ask with his eyes, with a contemptuous smile on the corner of his mouth.

"This is not a place to discuss secrets."

"Okay, please go to the middle of the line."

After they returned to the hall and sat down, Lu Xiangsheng stepped back and forced the eunuch to ask:

"How about high public opinion?"

"Field warfare is not the strength of our army."

"I, the soldiers of Guanning and Xuanda, are accustomed to field battles, and while the current morale is high, we should find the enemy to fight to relieve the danger of the Beijing division."

"No, don't rush to war."

Lu Xiangsheng raised his sleeves, pressed the hilt of the knife, and said loudly: "The director is afraid of the enemy like a tiger, and I have to deal with the enemy alone!" ”

Gao Qiqian said arrogantly: "It's okay if the governor is willing to fight the enemy alone, but I also want to ...... people, horses, people."

Lu Xiangsheng resolutely cut off the eunuch's words and said, "Okay, I understand what you mean, no need to say it." The people and horses of Xuanda and Shanxi were originally brought by me, and they are still under my command; I don't want any of Guan Ning's elites, and they are commanded by the superintendent army himself. ”

"Is that good?" Gao Qiqian asked deliberately, in fact, he was very satisfied in his heart.

"The division of troops is weak, which is certainly not good for war. But today there is no better way to do it. ”

"Then we have to divide the troops. When is it divided? ”

"I'll pay tribute to Shu today, and as soon as the emperor's decree arrives, I will divide it immediately."

"That's good. I will go to Beijing now and wait for the edict. No more bothering. Gao Qiqian stood up and said in an official tone, "I also work for the emperor, and I hope the old man will bear with me." ”

"Well said."

Lu Xiangsheng sent Gao Qiqian out of the gate, looked at him on the horse, said goodbye, and said with emotion in his heart:

"Alas, I don't want Yu Chaoen to see you again today!" He glanced at the back of Gao Qiqian who was gradually moving away, shook his head and said, "I only know how powerful the eunuch is today!" ”

In the afternoon of the same day, when it was almost dusk, Lu Xiangsheng received the emperor's decree and agreed that he would divide the troops with Gao Qiqian. He understood that the emperor had listened to Gao Qiqian and Yang Sichang's words, and no longer adopted his opinions, and the last ray of hope placed on the emperor was immediately disillusioned. He felt that he was alone in the middle of the court, and he was really "a tree that could not support the collapse of the building", and he fell into despair and indignation. At this time, a herald came over with a big red notebook to report that Master Yang of the Hanlin Academy was waiting outside the gate to meet him. Lu Xiangsheng glanced at the notebook and ordered, "Hurry up, please come in!" He immediately stood up, and as he went out of the hall to greet him, he said in his heart:

"Brother Boxiang came at the right time!"

Three days ago, the emperor summoned Lu Xiangsheng on the platform to talk about the content, although Lu himself did not leak it to outsiders, but there was no impermeable wall, at first only a few ministers who often interacted with the eunuchs who accompanied the court, and then it spread among many courtiers. Knowing that Lu Xiangsheng really dared to fight peace in front of the emperor and resolutely lead the battle, Yang Tinglin felt full of relief and admiration, but at the same time, he also understood that Lu Xiangsheng's situation in the court was difficult, and Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian would work together to deal with him, which would make his ambition go to waste. Subsequently, the situation of the Andingmen Conference also spread among the courtiers. He was anxious to come to meet Lu Xiangsheng and talk to him and help him plan, but in order to avoid Yang Sichang's attention, he delayed riding out of Beijing until the afternoon and arrived in Changping at dusk.

Lu Xiangsheng welcomed him into the hall, and after a few pleasantries, he led him into the inner room, retreated left and right, looked at him gloomily, and said:

"Boxiang, my brother is hesitant, I didn't expect my brother to come, I don't know how to teach me?"

Yang Tinglin understood in his heart, smiled, and asked, "Why are you so hesitant?" ”

"Brother Qianliqin King, I originally wanted to fight to the death with the enemy, solve the crisis of the Beijing Division, and thwart the fierce flames of Hulu, who ......knows" Lu Xiangsheng said this, sighed deeply, and shook his head.

"Your Majesty the Governor entered the palace to see the situation and the meeting of Andingmen, Tinglin already knows a little bit about it. Could it be that the plan for peace and war is still uncertain, and there are people in the court who hinder it, so that the adults can't fight, so they are so depressed? ”

"The emperor doesn't have anything, but it's a pity that the soldiers and the prison army are afraid of the enemy like tigers, and they have no intention of fighting, they just want to compromise and seek perfection, regardless of the endless troubles in the future. The younger brother's name is the governor, but he is actually lonely in the court and can't fight. You see, how is it good to go on like this? ”

"Your current situation is indeed difficult. In a situation like this, don't say that adults are full of depression and 'stroke a few long sighs', who can not choke anyone who has a little conscience? Who does not hope that the Governor General will fight with the captives as soon as possible to relieve the danger of the Beijing Division? In the past half month, the counties of Kifu have been ravaged by captives and cavalry, and the people have been displaced and killed and wounded, and the misery is unbearable, and who does not hope that the governor will fight with the captives to relieve the suffering of rape, plunder, burning, and killing? The civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty and hundreds of people inside and outside the capital have such ardent expectations for the governor, why does the lord say that he is alone? ”

"But the emperor listened to the words of Yang Wenwan and Eunuch Gao, and he didn't want his brother to fight with the captives, so what could he do!"

"My brother came to pay his respects today, just to borrow a chip."

"May I hear the Ming Sect! As long as it is beneficial to the country, although the liver and brain are smeared, it will not be resigned. ”

"The current situation is like this," Yang Tinglin leaned forward, stared at Lu Xiangsheng's slightly pale face due to military fatigue with his shining eyes, and said in a low voice, "Although the emperor and Yang Wenqiao and Gao Qiqian intend to negotiate peace with the captives, they are forced by the subjects to discuss and openly insist on going their own way and making an alliance with the captives. Although the three-foot boy in the capital knows the land of Liaodong, until the north of Nuergan, the east is bordered by the sea, and it is all on the territory. Gai inherited the old frontier of the Jin and Yuan dynasties for a long time. Every time China is in a prosperous era, the four seas are mixed, and the Hu and Han are the masters. Liaodong has been a place where various ethnic groups in Donghu have lived together since ancient times, not only the Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties were all Chinese subjects, but also the same is true of this dynasty, how can there be another country! ……”

Lu Xiangsheng interjected: "Manchu was originally a remnant of the Jurchens, Zhou was cautious, and Sui and Tang were called Jin Yan. Nurhachi was only a tribal chief in the early years of Wanli, and he was named the general of the dragon and tiger to guard the border for us. Later, due to the failure of the imperial court, it began to be a rebellion, annexed the ministries, and the power gradually became stronger, and the founding of the country was called Houjin in the 44th year of Wanli. It was not until his son succeeded to the throne that his name was changed to Qing. According to history, the Manchurians were really our subjects, and they rebelled and divided the territory. Today, the first and second deacons of the imperial court do not think about how to unify the rivers and mountains of their ancestors, but only seek to make peace with the chieftain secretly, which is very shameful! ”

Yang Tinglin continued: "What the adults said is extremely true. If the peace negotiation succeeds, it will lose power and humiliate the country, so that the eastern captives will gain an inch, and there will be unspeakable disasters. Especially the emperor is a promising lord after all, and he is quite taboo to be criticized by the foreign court in this matter, and he himself does not want to follow in the footsteps of the emperors of the Southern Song Dynasty. If the lord can take advantage of the enemy's repeated victories and lead tens of thousands of reinforcements to attack the enemy, even if the order cannot achieve a complete victory, as long as the damage is commensurate and the enemy's flame is slightly frustrated, the mouth of the lord and the peacemaker can be blocked, so that the emperor can know that the enemy is fearless, and only the battle side is the best policy. My brother has been thinking about it day and night for two days, thinking that this is the only way to reverse the current situation, I wonder if adults think so? ”

Lu Xiangsheng groaned and said: "I plan to do the same, but unfortunately it's too late now!" ”

"Late? Why is it late? Yang Tinglin gently stroked the beautiful hair hanging on his chest, and asked a little suspiciously.

"Alas, brother Tai doesn't know, it's really hard to say! Although there were 50,000 reinforcements from all walks of life, only 20,000 were left under the command of my brother. ”

"Why?"

"Guan Ning Iron Cavalry 30,000 and distributed it to Eunuch Gao."

"Is this what the emperor meant?"

Lu Xiangsheng put his hands on the brazier and roasted, told Yang Tinglin about today's division of troops, and sighed in frustration. Yang Tinglin was speechless for a long time, then got up from the chair, stomped his feet, and said indignantly:

"In this way, sooner or later, the Ming Dynasty will be sent to Manchu!"

Lu Xiangsheng didn't make a sound, his eyes fell on the red-hot charcoal, and he didn't raise his head for a long time. As a commander in chief of the border guards, he was well aware of the enemy's ambitions. But in his position, he didn't want to say anything more. He thinks that being a loyal minister would rather die of hatred than publicize the "monarch father" in front of others. In addition, Li Qi's incident shocked him psychologically, and he felt that his every move was being monitored by the secret agents of Dongchang, and he would report to the palace at any time.

"Today's Manchuria thinks that it is the resurgence of Jinyuan," Yang Tinglin saw that Lu Xiangsheng was silent, and then said, "So Yang Wenqiao, Gao Qiqian, etc. are first-class characters such as Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan!" ”

Lu Xiangsheng noticed that Gu Xian quietly looked inside, not daring to come in. So he raised his head, smiled at his guest, and quipped:

"Brother Boxiang, a Beijing official for several years, you haven't honed your temper yet, you are still a scholar, when you talk about state affairs, you are generous in sad songs, and you are not less than that year. Okay, please eat. After eating, I will listen to higher education. ”

During the meal, because they were accompanied by a group of staff, they did not continue to talk about the peace plan, but just casually talked about some inconsequential news in the court recently. After the meal, Lu Xiangsheng let Yang Tinglin into the room again and asked solemnly:

"Boxiang, the current state affairs are not as good as one day, although I dare not say that the three hundred years of my ancestors will be buried in the hands of my generation, but the situation is indeed very critical. What else do you think about it? ”

Yang Tinglin was silent for a moment, a wry smile appeared from the corner of his mouth, and said: "I originally wanted to give Chen a foolish opinion, but now I feel that adults will not adopt it if I say it, and it is not easy to do it if I adopt it, so I better not say it." ”

"What high opinion? Say it. ”

"The emperor plans to wait for Hong Jiu Lao and Sun Baigu to eliminate Li Zicheng and then transfer them to King Jingqin, do you know?"

"You know, how's that?"

"I once hoped that the lord would come forward and suggest that the emperor pardon Li Zicheng's sins, and summon him to lead troops to fight against the Dongyu and atone for his crimes. At the same time, Hong Jiulao and Sun Baigu were summoned to come to Beijing immediately and served as the governor of Jiliao and the governor of Liaodong respectively. Before attacking the enemy, after Hong Jiulao and Sun Baigu strangled the enemy inside and outside the Great Wall, the strong wall of Jifuzhou County cleared the wilderness, and called on the heroes in the field, the father and the old brothers, and everyone fought to defend Sangzi, then the Dongyu could be defeated in a battle, and the situation of victory and defeat changed from then on. ”

Lu Xiangsheng smiled and shook his head: "Boxiang, this is really a scholar's opinion." How dare such an opinion be heard by the emperor? ”

"Yes, I also think that the adults will not adopt it, and the emperor will not adopt it."

"The Li thief is about to be destroyed, do you think, how can the emperor make Governor Hong and Governor Sun fall short? Besides, a group of thieves like Li Zicheng have been circulating in the interior for the sake of profit, and sometimes they can make the officials and soldiers suffer a little loss, as if they still have some ability. In fact, once they leave the hinterland, they have no cunning people to drive them, and no hungry people to coerce and call on, so they will have no way to use their tricks, how can they fight the captives? ”

"No, Lord Governor. Although the adults have fought many battles with the thieves in the past few years and won many victories, the thieves are not as vulnerable as the adults say. If it is really vulnerable, why has it been like a fire in the past ten years, and the imperial court has not been able to extinguish it with all the strength of the whole country? Moreover, as far as the lower officials knew, Li Zicheng was different from other thieves. He is good at using soldiers, and can often turn danger into victory and defeat into victory. Although Gao Yingxiang's old department is the leader of the thieves and the king of Chuang, he is coarse and bad, and he shares weal and woe with the soldiers. Its troops are highly disciplined, and their troops are clean, and they are much stronger than the officers and soldiers. If the imperial court can really pardon him from death, treat him sincerely, and make him make meritorious contributions, it will really benefit the country without harm. It's a pity that no one dares to give advice to the emperor. Yang Tinglin saw Lu Xiangsheng's face showing a very disapproving look, and felt that he shouldn't say so much to him, so he said with a smile: "Tinglin is talking about each other, so he dares not to avoid presumptuousness and reckless statements." If I were to say these words in front of others, I wouldn't even say a word. ”

Lu Xiangsheng sneered and asked with a smile: "How does Your Excellency know so much about Li Zicheng?" ”

"Cracking down on thieves is a major national event, but it's a pity that the court has a lot of ignorance about the situation of thieves, such as in a drum, like in a dream. If you don't know yourself, you don't know who you are, how can you win? Tinglin has been paying a little attention to this for a year, so he dares to say that he knows a little bit about it. ”

Yang Tinglin actually knew a little about the situation of the peasant army, and a friend of Yu Shangyou, who was an imperial historian, told him. In recent months, Zhang Xianzhong sent a general surnamed Xue to live in Beijing, and because Yu Shangyou was a celebrity in Huguang Province in the capital, he often visited him and had a relationship with him. Yu Shangyou took this opportunity to learn from General Xue about the incident, development history and current situation of the Thirteen Families. Therefore, Yu Shangyou's understanding of Li Zicheng is much clearer than that of those Beijing officials who only rely on Tang Bao, Di Copy, and hearsay to talk about the peasant army. Yu Shangyou also conveyed the situation of Li Zicheng and others to Tinglin. Now that Yang Tinglin saw that Lu Xiangsheng had a deep prejudice against the peasant army, he didn't dare to mention another word. He moved his eyes to the wall and saw a statue of Guan Gong hanging in the middle, next to it was Yue Fei's "Man Jianghong" written by Lu Xiangsheng. The day of the next sign is yesterday, and in addition to the Yangwen "Xiangsheng" stamp, there is also a Yinwen idle chapter: "The doctor has no friends abroad". Yang Tinglin understood that Xiang Sheng wrote this poem and used this idle chapter with infinite emotion, so he reluctantly smiled and said:

"Even if Yue Wu Musheng is born today, I am afraid that it will be difficult to show his ambitions, and he will roar on his own railing, and his ambition will be fierce."

Lu Xiangsheng sighed and said, "Boxiang, you see, as soon as I arrived here, I felt strange in my heart. I don't know who wrote Wen Wenshan's "Song of Righteousness" on the screen behind the seat in the hall, and hung a portrait of Guan Gong in this bedroom, as if this was my fate. ”

"My lord! You are concerned about the safety of the community, why do you make such ominous words? ”

"Alas, it's days!"

"Huh? ……”

"My brother has been born and died in the past few years, and he is exhausted, but the thief is getting more and more ruthless, and the more he is guarded, the stronger he is. Today, the enemy is pressing, the capital is in danger, and the younger brother, as the governor, can't fight, and if he doesn't fight, he doesn't have the above against the Son of Heaven and the people below. Isn't it a number of days in such a situation? ”

"Kisuke has been ravaged by the Tartars repeatedly, and the people's morale can be used......"

Without waiting for his friend to finish speaking, Lu Xiangsheng intercepted him and said, "You can't just look at the people's morale. In the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty, why was the popular sentiment of the Central Plains and Hebei bad? Helplessly, the imperial court had its own opinions, which caused Li Gang to be useless, Zong Ze died, and Yue Shaobao was harmed by the Storm Pavilion. What's the use of popular morale! ”

"As the commander-in-chief, the boss still has a lot to do in the overall situation, so he shouldn't be so discouraged."

"I won't tell you anything, my brother will only do his best from now on, and then die, as for success or failure, it will be paid to heaven." After a pause, Lu Xiangsheng asked uneasily, "Boxiang, have you talked to others about appeasing the thieves?" ”

"I've never talked to anyone."

"This matter is very important, I advise you not to talk to the second person, so as not to cause trouble. The court's appeasement of Zhang Xianzhong was only intended to be restrained for a while, and it will be said later. Zhang Xianzhong has no sincerity in surrendering, and Xiong Wencan will lose in this matter sooner or later. Nowadays, if anyone suggests to appease the thieves, it is too ignorant of current affairs. ”

They talked about a few other issues, and sighed from time to time. About the time of the third watch, Yang Tinglin said goodbye and wanted to leave, because he would enter the palace tomorrow morning. Lu Xiangsheng did not keep him, and asked the servant to bring out the wine and persuade him to drink a few glasses. Lu Xiangsheng used to drink a lot, but since his father's death, in order to keep filial piety, the dripping wine no longer enters his lips. For fear of danger on the road, he sent fifty cavalry to send Yang Tinglin all the way to Deshengmen. When they parted outside the gate, he shook his friend's hand and said:

"Boxiang, please tell the old people in Beijing that I, Lu Xiangsheng, will never live up to the Lord's grace, and will never live up to the ardent hopes of the old people and millions of people in Beijing!"

I don't know if it was because of his emotional excitement, or because of the unspeakable indignation and grief that pressed on his heart, the commander of the Qinwang army's voice trembled slightly when he said this. Fortunately, the biting cold wind was howling, and this slight tremor was not noticed by Yang Tinglin.

The next morning, Lu Xiangsheng summoned the generals to Xingyuan to listen to his lecture. He urged everyone to serve the country loyally and not be discouraged because of the small number of soldiers and the loneliness. As soon as the lecture was finished, Yang Sichang came to Changping. He welcomed Yang Sichang into the hall, and after serving tea, he asked straight to the point:

"Does the Pavilion Elder know about the division of troops between the students and the senior director?"

Yang Sichang smiled and said, "The students already know. The old gentleman also scored a pawn. ”

"What?!" Lu Xiangsheng couldn't hide his surprise and asked, and at the same time felt a chill suddenly penetrate from his back into his heart. He asked softly: "Why do you want to divide the troops again?" ”

"The new governor Chen Fangyuan has arrived in Beijing. The emperor meant to ask him to lead the reinforcements from Shanxi. He will probably come to Changping this afternoon to pay his respects. The students came to express their condolences to the old gentleman on behalf of the imperial court, and secondly, they also informed Your Excellency of the emperor's decision. ”

Lu Xiangsheng didn't answer immediately, he didn't know what to say. He thought that this was another ghost of Yang Sichang and Gao Qi, and they tried to make it impossible for him to fight the Qing army, so as not to hinder them from secretly negotiating peace with the enemy. His heart was filled with indignation. But since this matter has been approved by the emperor, it is not good for him to complain. Feelings of grief, disappointment, depression and frustration weaved into a thick and heavy web that caught his heart. He said in his heart: "Forget it, it's better to die on the battlefield quickly, so as not to be at the mercy of the crowd and be angry!" After a long time, he tried to calm himself, smiled faintly, and said:

"Since it is out of the will of God, of course the students will divide their troops according to the order. That's good. Students wear heavy filial piety, and it is not suitable to be the commander of the three armies. Now with the emperor's holy grace, the students only lead Xuan and the big soldiers and horses, so as not to be overthrown, and their hearts are much more relaxed. ”

They gossiped for a while, and the conversation turned to the news of peace. Lu Xiangsheng couldn't bear it anymore, completely forgot about his personal interests, looked at Yang Sichang's face, and said indignantly:

"Wen is weak! The alliance under the city, "Spring and Autumn" is shameful. The enemy troops ravaged Gyeonggi, and the public did not think about how to send troops to win the decisive battle, but advocated peace negotiations every day. Don't you want to think about it, the events of the Southern Song Dynasty, which have been sad for thousands of years, can be seen again today? I don't want to think about it, Chang'an's tongue is like a sharp edge, how can Yuan Chonghuan's disaster be avoided? ”

Yang Sichang's face was flushed, and he said, "If you say so, the old man's Shang Fang sword should be used by the students first!" ”

Lu Xiangsheng sneered with his nostrils and said, "I can't run for mourning or fight, the one who eats Shang Fang's sword should be me, not someone else!" ”

Yang Sichang stood up, walked back and forth with his hands behind his back for a while, and then stood in front of Lu Xiangsheng, and said with a reluctant smile:

"Nine Elders, don't trap people with Chang'an's gossip."

"Gossip?" Lu Xiangsheng sneered again, "Zhou Yuanzhong went to Manchuria to make peace, and it has not been a day. This matter was initiated by Fang Yizao, the governor of Liaodong, and the main person is your own soldier Yang Wenqiang, everyone in Beijing knows what gossip is! ”

Yang Sichang's attitude was very embarrassed, and he was very annoyed in his heart, but he had to smile bitterly, stroked the beard on his chin and said:

"Since the old gentleman believed it in this way, the student did not have to say anything else."

After sending Yang Sichang away, Lu Xiangsheng returned to the house, thinking that it would be more difficult to fight the enemy in the future, and at the same time couldn't help but think of Qin Hui and Yue Fei, and said indignantly:

"Since ancient times, there have been no powerful ministers, and generals can make contributions to outsiders!"

Several staff members walked over. The staff member who had persuaded him to give thousands of miles of snow to Gao Qiqian whispered to him:

"My lord, it seems inappropriate for you to have a face-to-face argument with Yang Ge Lao just now, so that he will not be able to step down. The ancients said: 'If you can't bear it, you will make a big plan.' 'Why quarrel with him?' ”

"I can't take it anymore!" Lu Xiangsheng paused and said, "At present, the enemy soldiers are deep, and the Beijing division is under martial law, and their eyes are only looking at Shaanxi to suppress the thieves, and they do not hesitate to accept the alliance under the city, so how can I not speak!" ”

"But he is currently both a soldier and an auxiliary minister, and he is deeply favored by the emperor. Arguing with him like this will make it even more difficult for him to do everything in the future. Even if the adults are open-minded and do not think of slander and jealousy, if the adults want to fight against the Dongyu again in the future, it will be even more difficult. ”

"Now we only have a little over 10,000 people left, and of course it's even more difficult. But regardless of success or failure, I am determined to repay the country with death! ”

When he said the words "Serve the country with death" in an extremely sad and indignant voice, his heart was sour, and he couldn't help rolling out two lines of tears. The staff all bowed their heads for a long, long time, not daring to raise their eyes to look at him.

But until now, he still hopes that Yang Sichang will change his mind, and he is not completely desperate for the emperor, always thinking that the emperor is just being deceived for a while. He thought about it, asked the servant to bring a pen and inkstone, and wrote a short letter to Yang Sichang, in which he wrote:

If the old gentleman can return to his heart and help the country, that is, there are strange things in his chest, and the younger brother will never say a word to the emperor. If it is still flickering, it will be deceived to the end, and it will be a bloody pill, and there is no end to it.

After sealing the envelope and sending someone to the capital at once, he immediately got up from his chair and walked up and down the hall. After a long time, he suddenly stopped beside the pillar, and drew half of the sword with a brush, so that the staff thought that he would draw his sword and cut the pillar to vent the grievances in his chest. However, he paused, thrust the sword into its sheath with a click, and commanded loudly out of the door:

"Prepare the horses!"

Lu Xiangsheng strode out. The staff looked at each other and walked out of the gate after him. He took the reins and whip, flew onto Wumingji, and went straight out of Changping City. Family member Gu Xian and a group of pro-soldiers also jumped on their horses and followed him at a gallop. A cloud of smoke and dust rose on the dry road.

He galloped and danced in the school yard outside the east gate, and it was not until the sadness and depression in his heart were a little relieved that he believed in the reins and walked back slowly.