CHAPTER XXIV

From March 16 to March 19, Wu Sangui's men and horses and the people who had retreated from Ningyuan entered the pass one after another. Linyu County is only a military fortress, and the people who enter the customs cannot stay in the small city of the projectile, but must pass through the city and temporarily settle down in one or two counties in Shanhaiguan. Some of these people who entered the customs were family members of the generals, and they were relatively well cared for; Some are ordinary poor people, with no food or clothing, and the weather is bitter and miserable. They are all worried, thinking that they will leave their homes, ancestral cemeteries, and many possessions, and come to this place where they have no relatives and no reason, and all difficulties will not be solved, and they can't help but complain. On the surface, he is complaining about the court, but in his heart he is complaining about him Wu Sangui.

Wu Sangui saw all this situation in his eyes, listened to it in his ears, and pressed it in his heart. He also felt that the future was uncertain. When the people and horses passed by Huanxi Ridge, a staff member told him that the people from Ningyuan were standing on the ridge and looking back, and many people cried, saying that this should not be called Huanxi Ridge, but should be called Sad Ridge.

Wu Sangui arrived at Shanhaiguan on the 16th and arrived at Yongping Mansion on the 19th. Because of the emperor's edict, urging him to go to Beijing as soon as possible, he stopped at Shanhaiguan for only half a day and a night, deployed some things, and led 30,000 infantry and cavalry to Beijing early on the morning of the 17th. Although he repeatedly ordered his civil and military officials to settle down well for the people entering the customs, because he himself could not stop at Shanhaiguan for a long time, it was actually impossible to settle the people well.

From Shanhaiguan to Yongping, he could have arrived in one day by marching in a hurry, but he walked for two days according to the speed of the weekday march. Because he was not very clear about the situation in Beijing, he was afraid that Li Zicheng's men and horses would suddenly engage in a war in Beijing; At the same time, he also did not want to be too far away from Shanhaiguan all at once, in case of defeat in the battle, he would be in a dilemma. Therefore, on the one hand, he marched towards Yongping, and on the other hand, he constantly sent out scouts to listen to the news from Beijing.

He left Ningyuan this time and came to King Qinnei in Guannei, not really wanting to fight Li Zicheng to the death. Regarding the strength of his own people, Wu Sangui and the officials around him are very clear. With these horses, he was not sure whether he could stop Li Zicheng's army. But he can't disobey the emperor's holy decree, and he can only enter the king of Guanqin. In addition, he also thought that even if he didn't enter the customs, he would lose his foothold in Ningyuan sooner or later. Since last year, Dolgon supported the young son of Huang Taiji to ascend to the pole, and the Manchurian court had fought with each other for power, and Dolgon killed several powerful people to take power into his own hands. Last autumn, Dolgon had sent troops to capture several important military castles near Ningyuan, turning Ningyuan into an isolated city. Since then, the situation in Ningyuan has been unprecedentedly sinister. Therefore, Wu Sangui's edict to King Qin and gave up Ning Yuan was really because he was worried that Ning Yuan would not be able to defend for a long time.

When Wu Sangui led Ningyuan's soldiers and ordinary people to retreat to Shanhaiguan, the Manchurians near Ningyuan did not take the opportunity to harass him, nor did they chase him, obviously intending to let him withdraw from Ningyuan safely and enter the customs smoothly. When he arrived at Shanhaiguan, he immediately received a report that the Qing soldiers had entered Ningyuan City, and they took Ning Yuan without a single shot. The people who remained in the city had already entered the Qing Dynasty, and they had all shaved their heads according to Manchurian customs. So Wu Sangui understood: From now on, he had no way to retreat outside the gate.

It is precisely because of this that he did not dare to rush to Beijing, and would rather be one step later than take his tens of thousands of Liaodong soldiers to gamble. At the same time, in order to leave a way out for himself, on the way to Beijing, he never forgot the defense affairs of Shanhaiguan. Shanhaiguan originally had a general military officer, and below the general military officer there was an adjutant general, two staff generals, and guerrilla generals, and so on, but there were only three or four thousand men. When Gao Qiqian left, he took a thousand people with him, and the people and horses left behind now belong to Wu Sangui. He brought most of the men and horses of Shanhaiguan to Yongping, and left his own trusted generals and 5,000 elite soldiers to guard the Acropolis of Shanhai. He repeatedly instructed that Shanhaiguan must be closely defended. This is not only because in the battle with Li Zicheng, Shanhaiguan was his only way to retreat; And also because it was necessary to prevent the Qing soldiers from coming from Ningyuan to seize Shanhaiguan. Therefore, when he arrived in Yongping, he was still at ease at Shanhaiguan, and sent people back to order that the town guard generals should continue to send detailed work to listen to the movements of the Qing soldiers, and at the same time ordered that some of the generals' dependents should live in the city, so that the dependents could be properly cared for, and the generals could guard the Shanhai Acropolis with all their might.

On the afternoon of the 19th, he arrived outside Yongping City. Soon after he stayed, he immediately received important news from the prefect's yamen and his own horse, which shocked him greatly. The original news said that Tang Tong had surrendered at Juyong Pass on 16 July, and that the men and horses of the three major battalions of Beijing had also collapsed without a fight at Shahe between Changping and Beijing, and that Li Zicheng had arrived at the city of Beijing on the evening of 17 July, and that Beijing was under the onslaught of the Dashun army. He once thought that Tang Tong was not Li Zicheng's opponent, but he didn't expect Tang Tong to surrender without a fight. Tang Tong and Bai Guangen, he knew each other, and they were together when they fought against the Qing soldiers in Liaodong. He also heard about Bai Guangen's surrender, and he was not shocked, because it was in Shaanxi Province, far away from Beijing! Juyong Pass is the closest gate to Beijing, and Tang Tong is the earl who was awarded at the same time as him, and there are eunuchs in the army to supervise the army. The situation in Juyong Pass is dangerous, Tang Tong could have defended it according to the danger, why did he welcome Li Zicheng into the pass? Now that Tang Tong surrendered, King Qin's men were left with him alone. Tang Tongyuan is also a famous general, and he surrendered without a fight, so what can he Wu Sangui do to rescue Beijing?

Wu Sangui was anxious and worried, when suddenly the Chinese army reported: "The governor is coming from the city." ”

Wu Sangui was about to discuss with Wang Yongji, and immediately went to Yuanmen to greet him, and said in his heart: "Okay, it's just the right time." ”

The habit of the Ming Dynasty has always been to emphasize literature over military force. But now the situation is different, one Wu Sangui has been named an earl, the other is a shortage of soldiers, the governor does not have many men and horses, but to rely on Wu Sangui's strength, so Wang Yongji is called the governor, but the actual status seems to be Wu Sangui's senior staff. He returned to Yongping one day from Shanhaiguan and tried his best to raise food for the Guanning army, and he was very busy for two days. Soon after meeting Wu Sangui, the two began to talk secretly. Speaking of the situation in Beijing, Wu Sangui said that Tang Tong did not defend the Juyong Pass in danger, but he surrendered without a fight, which made him feel puzzled. Wang Yongji said:

"Juyong can't hold it, Tang Tong surrendered, I expected it. Tang Tong only has 3,000 men under his command, and he can't withstand the persuasion of his advisers and generals, so what can he do if he doesn't surrender? Nowadays, only loyal ministers and righteous people, who swear to die for the king and the country, can truly contribute to the emperor at a critical moment. ”

His words were to encourage Wu Sangui not to follow Tang Tong's example, but he didn't dare to say it clearly, so he had to tactfully reveal this meaning. Wu Sangui understood very well when he heard it, and said:

"I, Wu Sangui, have received the grace of the country, and now I have left Ningyuan, and all the people have entered the pass, and the people of Ningyuan have also brought one or two hundred thousand. I can't serve the country loyally, and I can't live against my soldiers and people, but I can fight to the death with the thieves! ”

He said it impassionedly, and Wang Yongji was also deeply moved. They all understand that the situation has reached the last moment, and it is difficult to say whether Beijing will be able to hold on. The two of them couldn't help but sigh deeply as they talked. Then Wang Yongji raised his head and asked:

"Uncle, this thief has come with 200,000 people, and the capital is in danger, I don't know what the best strategy the uncle has to save the monarch's father?"

Wu Sangui was silent. He knew very well: even though Beijing had not yet fallen, how could he deal with 200,000 arrogant enemies with only 30,000 horses? What's more, when the enemy arrives in Beijing first, rests and rectifies, and waits for work, is he not throwing himself into a trap if he rushes forward? He only has this little belongings, once he fails, not only will he not be able to save the emperor, but even he and tens of thousands of Guan Ning soldiers will be finished. So he didn't assert for a while, and kept his head down and didn't answer. Wang Yongji said again:

"Uncle, the master of Beijing is in danger, and the monarch is in trouble, it is the ...... of my generation as a courtier"

Before he finished speaking, Wu Sangui suddenly raised his head and said, "Yes, it is the time when my generation gives orders to the courtiers in danger. Of course, you have to be the king of the starry night, and you can't hesitate at all. Sangui Meng Emperor Teen, crowned the earl, even if the liver and brain are smeared, it is difficult to report in case. Whether it is still too late or not, we must march quickly. If he can fight to the death with the thieves and save the Jingshi from danger, Sangui is very willing to die on the battlefield. ”

Wang Yongji bowed his hand again and again, nodded and said: "Okay, good, Uncle is so generous to go to the country's difficulties, if the thief retreats, the court will definitely give a heavy reward and reward for great merit, and the merit will go down in history and be famous for all generations." ”

Wu Sangui said: "We don't dare to stop here for long, so we will wave our troops forward tonight." Please stay in Yongping, quickly raise military salaries and food, and don't make the Guanning soldiers fight in the belly. ”

As soon as Wang Yongji heard about the raising of grain, he showed a little embarrassed face and said: "Raising military salaries is naturally important, but now the eastern Hebei region is very dilapidated, and it is difficult to fully count the food and salaries. However, King Qin had a big business, and Ben Yuan should try his best to raise it, as long as the army arrived in Beijing, although the court was poor, he could always try to solve it. ”

Wu Sangui asked: "From the perspective of my lord, is it too late for our army to rush to Beijing?" ”

Wang Yongji said: "It's hard to say this, my generation has no other good way to serve the country, and we can only do our best to wait for the destiny of heaven." ”

Wu Sangui nodded and said, "Maybe it's too late." ”

Wang Yongji asked, "When will the general set off?" ”

Wu Sangui replied: "I want to convene a meeting of the generals immediately, and then immediately gallop to the Beijing Division, and dare not delay." At the meeting, please come in person, give instructions to the generals, and say a few words to boost morale. ”

Wang Yongji said: "Okay, please send an order to the generals immediately." ”

After a while, all the generals and above came to the meeting. These Guanning generals already knew the news that the defenders of Juyong Pass and Changping had surrendered, and that the three major battalions had broken up at Shahe. Now when I come to Wu Sangui's station, I want to hear what Wu Sangui has to say. They were very at a loss for the aid of the Beijing Division, so after listening to Wu Sangui's explanation of the military situation, they looked at each other one by one and remained silent.

Wu Sangui waited for a moment, and had no choice but to say: "The lives of tens of thousands of soldiers in Guanning and 200,000 fathers, brothers, and dependents of soldiers who entered the customs are all tied to this battle, why don't you say anything?" ”

Wang Yongji also said: "The survival of the country is determined by your Qinwang soldiers. Hurry up, Beijing is saved; If you catch up slowly, it will be difficult for Beijing to defend. ”

A chief military officer said, "Everything is to be ordered by the uncle." ”

Then two more chief officers said: "Yes, yes, please ask the uncle and the master to give an order, if you want us to enter the army, we will enter the army." ”

Seeing this situation, Wu Sangui knew that the generals were embarrassed to save Beijing. But he himself could not show the slightest timidity in front of Wang Yongji. Otherwise, if Beijing can be saved, Li Zicheng retreats, and Wang Yongji plays him at that time, he will not be able to bear it. So he generously said:

"This town has been favored by the emperor, and has guarded Liaodong for the imperial court for many years, and countless relatives and deceased relatives and subordinates have died for the country. Now the town is in charge of the king of Qin, although it is a step late, but we have given up the land and property outside the customs, abandoned the ancestral cemetery, and entered the customs alone, so why did we come? Although the current situation is sinister, we can only move forward, not backward. Let's take a step back, and if the capital is lost, we will be sinners for thousands of years. Moreover, once the thieves occupy the Jingshi, they will inevitably attack us. We have no way to retreat now, at most retreat to Shanhaiguan. How can a lonely city, with no reinforcements and no food, be able to sustain it? Therefore, now I hope that all the kings will go to Beijing with the starry night of this town, and fight to the death with the thieves under the city of Beijing to relieve the siege of Beijing, which is the best policy. Please share your opinions. ”

After listening to Wu Sangui's words, some people were excited, but most of them had heavy faces and melancholy expressions, and they still refused to make a sound. Wu Sangui looked at Wang Yongji and said:

"Your Excellency the Governor, please."

Wang Yongji also had no confidence in the matter of rushing to Beijing, but as the governor, he was ordered to personally urge Wu Sangui to rush to the king, so he couldn't help but say a few words to encourage the generals to be loyal to the monarch and patriotism, and swore not to share the sky with the "thieves". The generals listened to him, apparently indifferent and remained relatively silent. Faced with this situation, Wu Sangui no longer delayed the meeting, so he redeployed his military and ordered him to set off in the middle of the night to march quickly to Beijing. Leave 2,000 infantry and garrison Yongping with Wang Yongji's superintendent battalion, so that when the situation is unfavorable, they can retreat here, relying on Shihe, and make another calculation.

When Wu Sangui set off from Yongping, Wang Yongji came to see him off, and when he asked about the combat strategy, Wu Sangui said:

"According to my estimates, Li Zicheng will attack Xizhimen or Deshengmen, and at this time he has occupied a favorable location and is waiting for work. How our army will attack can only be determined temporarily, and it is difficult to plan it now. ”

Wang Yongji knew that Wu Sangui was not sure in his heart, so he suggested to him that it would be safer to station some of his men and horses outside the city to confront the enemy, and some of them should drive into the city of Beijing to help defend the city, and it would be safer to support each other inside and outside the city.

Wu Sangui shook his head and said, "The people of Guanning can only be stationed outside the city, and I am afraid they cannot enter Beijing. ”

Wang Yongji said: "No, no. If the thieves attacked Xizhimen, Deshengmen or Fuchengmen, why didn't the general enter Beijing from Chaoyangmen or Dongzhimen? ”

Wu Sangui sighed quietly and said, "The emperor is suspicious! Don't adults know? In the second year of Chongzhen, Yuan Chonghuan supervised the division to go to King Qin in Beijing, and held with the Manchurian soldiers outside the Chaoyang Gate, because they were tired for a long time, and asked the emperor to accommodate him into the city. The emperor suspected that he wanted to surrender to the enemy and sacrifice the city, but when someone said that he was secretly colluding with Manchuria, the emperor arrested him and imprisoned him, and later killed him. At that time, my uncle led troops to follow Yuan to supervise King Qin, so he had to flee back to Liaodong with his subordinates. I often heard my uncle and my father talk about this matter, and I complained about Inspector Yuan. Wouldn't that be happening today? ”

Wang Yongji had no choice but to nod and stop talking.

Wu Sangui went on to say: "Since the enemy is besieging Beijing, Tongzhou has been captured by thieves. I am worried that they will garrison Tongzhou with heavy troops to block the army of King Qin of Guanning. In that case, the war would not have been fought under the city of Beijing, but on the banks of the Tongzhou Canal, and it would have been even more difficult to save Beijing. ”

The two looked at each other and couldn't help but sigh at the same time. Wang Yongji had no choice but to say: "Please rest assured that Uncle will lead the army to set off, and I will do my best to do the things that will follow, but ......"

Although the army, led by Wu Sangui, got up in the middle of the night and set off in less than four watches, it seemed that it was indeed the king of the starry night. However, after setting off, they walked towards Beijing at the usual pace of marching.

On the afternoon of the 20th, the army arrived in Yutian County. There are many rumors here, all of which say that Li Zicheng had broken the imperial city of Beijing on the morning of the 19th, and the queen hanged herself in Kunning Palace, and the whereabouts of the emperor and the crown prince were unknown. Wu Sangui and his generals were doubting whether this rumor was true, and then they ran back with another fine work sent to the vicinity of the capital, saying that the capital had indeed fallen, the queen had committed suicide, and the emperor and the crown prince had no whereabouts. After a while, another detail returned, and the content of the report was exactly the same. This made Wu Sangui feel very sudden and shocked. He knew that the defenders of the capital were thin, and the people's hearts had been scattered, so he was afraid that it would be difficult to hold on, but he did not expect it to fall so soon. He immediately ordered the troops to stop advancing, and immediately summoned his close generals and staff to discuss countermeasures.

After the meeting began, Wu Sangui had tears in his eyes and said bitterly: "This town didn't expect to become a minister of the dead country, and my heart is full of grief at this moment. Now we can't advance, and it's difficult to retreat, so how good is it, please give me your opinions. ”

A chief military officer said first: "The capital has fallen, and our King Qin is useless, I don't know what the emperor's whereabouts are, and I don't know whether the old general and his family are safe or not." ”

Wu Sangui said: "The ancients often said: The country is ruined and the family is ruined. Now we meet. Now that the emperor doesn't know whether he is alive or dead, I think my family must have been slaughtered by thieves. It seems that the old general will also be exhausted for the Ming Dynasty. ”

Speaking of this, he rolled out tears, and sighed again and again: "The country is ruined, the country is ruined, the country is ruined, and the family is ruined......"

Wu Sangui's cronies, generals, and staff were overwhelmed by the news of the loss of the capital, and no one could say a good idea. Some people suggested that Yongping should be quickly withdrawn, relying on Shihe, to resist Li Zicheng's attack. Some people advocate retreating from Shanhaiguan. There are also those who advocate simply returning to Ningyuan, borrowing troops from the Manchurian side, and recovering Beijing. But every suggestion was met with immediate opposition. Because neither Yongping nor Shanhaiguan have a long-term foothold, it is impossible to return to Ningyuan. So some people asked if they could find another place to stand in the Guannai. But there is no such place in Kannai. In addition to the thousands of people who were originally in Shanhaiguan, their men and horses were all Liaodong soldiers from Ningyuan. They are familiar with the geography of Liaodong and the customs and customs, and once they become guests in the Guannai, where do they go to find a foothold? In the process of discussion, everyone also thought that Li Zicheng would inevitably send people to persuade him to surrender, and if he did not surrender, he would send troops to attack. These urgent questions swirled violently in Wu Sangui's mind, as well as in the minds of the generals and staff. After a while, Wu Sangui saw that everyone really couldn't come up with a good idea, so he stood up by himself and said:

"Now that the capital has been broken, the queen has been martyred, and the whereabouts of the emperor and the crown prince are unknown, we ......"

Suddenly, he choked up, and tears welled up. The generals also wept, and even if some people held back their tears, they couldn't help but bow their heads sadly. Although when he left Ningyuan, Wu Sangui was not able to go to Rongji quickly, and when he came from Shanhaiguan, he was also timid, worried that King Qin would be useless, but Li Zicheng would eliminate his Guanning family, but at this moment, the idea of loyalty to the monarch that had been passed down for thousands of years and had been deeply imprinted in his soul since he was a child suddenly became entrenched in his heart, making him deeply feel the pain of losing his country. He burst into tears and said to the generals:

"This town is ordered by King Qin, and he can't immediately wave his troops to Beijing, fight a decisive battle with the thieves, and recover the Beijing division. However, our troops are limited and we have no backup, and the food and salary of tens of thousands of soldiers has also become a problem. The opinions that you have just talked about are all out of a loyal and patriotic heart. However, this matter must be carefully considered for the sake of perfection. ”

The generals said: "It's all up to the uncle's opinion." ”

Wu Sangui continued: "The enemy is overwhelming, and we are single, so if we don't temporarily retreat, we naturally can't. but retreat to Yongping, and cannot resist the enemy; If you retreat to Shanhaiguan, you can't resist the enemy. The enemy will inevitably enter in pursuit, how can we defend the isolated city alone? ”

After hearing Wu Sangui's words, everyone nodded unconsciously. Some people thought of asking for help from the Northern Dynasties, but they did not dare to say it, because once Manchuria sent troops, no one was sure what the consequences would be. There was not a single sound in the tent, all eyes were on the manager's face.

Wu Sangui continued: "The emperor and the crown prince are not missing. According to the report, the thieves did not meet resistance when they entered the city, and there were no street battles, so it is clear that the emperor and the crown prince would not die in the chaos. Could it be that they escaped from the capital before the thieves entered the city and hid in the people......"

The generals and staff nodded their heads, and some of them had a glimmer of hope in their desperate hearts.

After a pause, Wu Sangui continued: "If the emperor and the crown prince can not die, change their clothes, and escape from the capital in chaos; As long as they are not found by the thieves, the Ming Dynasty will not be finished. Now half of China south of the Yangtze River is intact, with abundant wealth and a large number of people, and it will not allow the thieves to succeed in the south. As long as the emperor and the prince can escape from the capital, the whole country will have the backbone, not only the southern subjects will always serve their lives to rescue the holy driver, that is, the heroes of Jifu, Shandong, and Henan will also rise up to serve the king, so that the thieves have no respite. Although our current situation is very difficult, it is at this time to save the country and save the emperor; The immortal merit is also at this time. ”

Hearing this, everyone's hearts were slightly excited. Someone stood up and said anxiously to Wu Sangui:

"Uncle, without further ado, how to find the emperor and the prince, after finding it, how to usher in the army, please ask the uncle to instruct."

Wu Sangui immediately ordered a close confidant of the Chinese army to immediately send a secret investigation to find the whereabouts of the holy driver and the crown prince as soon as possible. He said, "According to my guess, the emperor knows that our army is the king of Qin, and he will escape from the capital through Chaoyang Gate or Dongzhi Gate." Since there were thieves and horsemen everywhere outside the city, they had to hide somewhere. If you send someone to visit the countryside in this area, maybe it will be in Tongzhou. ”

The Chinese army said "obey" and withdrew from the big tent.

"Loyalty and filial piety cannot be both. Since ancient times, those who have been loyal cannot be filial, and those who are filial cannot be loyal, when the country is in danger, it is really difficult to have both! Wu Sangui let out a long sigh, rolled out two lines of tears, and then said, "I used to think that even if the country was extremely difficult, it could drag on for decades, so I sent my parents to live in Beijing, so that the court would not be suspicious of me, and I didn't expect that I would become a minister of the country......"

It was getting dark. Wu Sangui likes to feast guests on weekdays, but now the national disaster is at the head and the family is at the head, although he no longer holds a wine banquet, but according to the past custom, he will leave a few generals and staff members for dinner together. After the meal, most of the generals returned to their base camps and deployed military forces in preparation for emergencies, leaving only a few generals and confidants in the tents to continue to discuss.

At about the second watch, he suddenly reported that Emperor Chongzhen had hanged himself from the coal mountain when the city of Beijing was broken; The crown prince, King Yong, and King Ding were all found by Li Zicheng. Wu Sangui suffered a huge mental blow again and felt hopeless. What had been a glimmer of illusion is now shattered. He unconsciously cried bitterly, and then called the generals again and discussed countermeasures overnight.

At the meeting, some people suggested that the first emperor and the latter should be mourned immediately, spread the word from far and near, and call on the heroes of Gyeonggi to avenge the first emperor and the latter together, drive out the "thieves", and restore the Ming room. But after discussing it for a long time, Wu Sangui did not adopt it. He knows better than ordinary generals in their hearts: if he finds Chongzhen and the prince, he can naturally call on the world, he is loyal to the monarch and patriotic, and Chongzhen and the prince are also equivalent to strange goods. But now that Chongzhen is dead, and the crown prince has fallen into the hands of Li Zicheng, with this amount of strength in his hands, he hurriedly mourned for the first emperor and then mourned, and spread far and near, and the result will only be very unfavorable to him.

There are also people who advocate retreating to Shanhaiguan as soon as possible, away from the capital, so as not to be suddenly attacked by Li Zicheng. Wu Sangui shook his head when he heard this, because he concluded that Li Zicheng would not send troops to fight him immediately.

When someone boldly asked whether it was possible to borrow Manchurian power, Wu Sangui only looked up at the speaker sharply, and then did not say no. On the contrary, everyone unanimously speculated that Manchuria might take the opportunity to enter the army. What should they do if Manchuria marches in and they are caught between the Manchurian soldiers and Beijing? Everyone discussed it repeatedly for a while, but they couldn't come up with any good way for a while, so they only decided to temporarily garrison Yutian and wait and see. At the same time, many factions are sent to listen to the movements of Beijing and Shenyang at any time.

Three days passed. Although the Beijing city gate is very tightly guarded, and idlers are not allowed to enter, and the fine work sent by Wu Sangui cannot easily enter the city, there is still a lot of news in the city. The most widely spread cases are still torture and looting, rape, and robbery, which describe the city of Beijing as very terrible. Every news ignited Wu Sangui's new hatred for the Dashun Army, which made him often grit his teeth and scold:

"Thieves really can't do it!"

Regarding Baoding, he also knew that Liu Fangliang broke Baoding on 15 March, and also broke some prefectures and counties along the way. Due to the dispersion of troops and the instability of the situation everywhere, after Liu Fangliang arrived in Baoding, there were only 10,000 or 20,000 men, and there was no strength to reinforce Beijing.

In addition, he also knew that the Dashun army sent people to Tianjin to urge grain, but encountered sporadic resistance everywhere. Day by day, the people of Gyeonggi no longer feared the Dashun army. Everyone became more and more dissatisfied with what Li Zicheng did in Beijing, and their thoughts about the Ming Dynasty became more and more serious.

What shook him the most was the news from outside the gates. He knew that a few days earlier Manchuria had begun to rapidly concentrate its men and horses on Shenyang, apparently preparing to come south. This both exhilarated him and worried him. Because of Manchuria's intentions, he was not clear. If he wants to fight for Shanhaiguan, what will he do?

At this time, there were constantly detailed work back to report on the situation in Beijing, which also brought a lot of rumors and rumors. For example, the matter of torture and looting has been greatly exaggerated, as if Beijing has become a terrifying city. For example, Li Zicheng did not have the destiny to be an emperor at all, as soon as he sat on the emperor's throne, he immediately saw a person more than a foot tall walking in front of him in white clothes, which made him feel eerie and terrifying. He also couldn't wear the emperor's crown, and as soon as he put it on, he had a headache. There are also rumors that Li Zicheng wanted to mint Yongchang money in Beijing after entering the city, but it failed. The imperial seal was cast with gold, but it could not be cast. All this increased the contempt of Wu Sangui and the soldiers for Li Zicheng, and they were confident that they would always have a chance to drive Li Zicheng out of Beijing and restore the Ming Dynasty.

Wu Sangui also sent people to inquire about his home in Beijing. However, the entrance of the alley is guarded by soldiers, and idlers are not allowed to enter or leave. So he has never been clear about the situation of his father and the family. Only one thing he understood: they were already under house arrest, detained.

Since arriving in Yutian and knowing that Beijing was lost and the emperor was martyred, Wu Sangui often felt the pain of losing the country in his heart, and now the pain of the country's ruin is even more than a few days ago. A few days ago, he still had a lot of luck psychology, and now this luck psychology is almost in the past, and it is clear that his parents' lives are not guaranteed. Thinking of this, his mind unconsciously appeared with the shadows of his parents' gray temples. At the same time, he thought of his wife. Although he has been cold to her in recent years, after all, they are married, and she once gave birth to children for him. There are also many relatives who are also with their parents. The thought that all these loved ones and his parents would be killed tingled in his heart. In this way, after thinking about it, he pondered all kinds of situations, sometimes secretly wiped away his tears, sometimes sighed, and sometimes couldn't help but grit his teeth and say:

"If you don't do it, you don't stop doing it, and now you have to deal with the thieves to the end."

After dinner that day, Wu Sangui instructed the generals and important civil officials above the staff general to come to the big tent after the fourth watch.

After the meeting began, Wu Sangui first briefed everyone on the situation in the past few days, and then said: "Although we are very capable of fighting, after all, there are not many of us, so we cannot go to Beijing or stay here. Going to Beijing is a lone army, and the thief army is waiting for work, which is obviously not good for us. Stay here, the thieves come to fight, they are many of them, and we are few, and it is easy to be surrounded by him. For now, the only way to do this is to withdraw the troops quickly, some of them to Shanhaiguan, and most of them to Yongping to stand by. ”

One of the generals asked, "Are you ready to fight the thieves to the death in Yongping?" ”

Wu Sangui said: "It will be decided temporarily. If we all go to Shanhaiguan, the thieves will think that we are cowardly and flee, and he will be in Beijing in early April. Most of us are temporarily stationed in Yongping, and he knows that we have no intention of retreating, so he has to weigh it in his heart. Maybe he won't dare to reach the pole right away. If he goes to Yongping to fight us, we will see how many of his troops he has sent. If he comes with all his divisions and a large number of men and horses, we can retreat to Shanhaiguan again. ”

Another general asked: "Shanhaiwei is a small city, there are 200,000 thieves, let alone hundreds of thousands, can we fight under Shanhaiwei, please consider again." ”

Wu Sangui smiled coldly: "This town has its own good strategy. When the war is fought, we will win, and the thieves will lose. Once the thieves are defeated, they will be out of control, and then Beijing will be able to recover. ”

Some people seemed to understand Wu Sangui's strategy for using troops, while others still didn't quite understand it, and exchanged glances with each other. Wu Sangui knew that they had doubts in their hearts, and then said:

"I have sent someone to find out that the Northern Dynasties are concentrating their forces. When they learn that Beijing has fallen, they will definitely go out of their way. If Li Zicheng comes to Shanhaiguan for a decisive battle with us, as long as we hold out for a few days, the Northern Dynasties will attack Beijing through a gap in the Great Wall. At that time, Beijing was empty, and Li Zicheng must have retreated in a hurry. And with the Qing troops in the west and our army chasing in the east, how can the thieves not be defeated? Even if the Northern Dynasties do not go south through the gap in the Great Wall and are stationed outside the Great Wall, we can send people to borrow troops. Historically, it was not uncommon to borrow troops from outsiders. We often hear that the ancients had a Shen Baoxu, after the state of Wu destroyed the state of Chu, he borrowed troops from the state of Qin, and as a result, the state of Wu was defeated, and the state of Chu was restored. Can't I, Wu Sangui, be Shen Baoxu? What's more, I have tens of thousands of elite soldiers in hand, which is a hundred times stronger than Shen Baoxu. As long as the Northern Dynasty sends troops, we will definitely be able to expel the thieves and restore the Ming Dynasty. Afterwards, it was just to repay the Northern Dynasty with gold and silver. So no matter what, we can be invincible, just wait for Li Zicheng to throw himself into the net. ”

When the generals and staff members listened to Wu Sangui's strategy for using troops, they all admired it very much, and said repeatedly: "Okay, good, so that we will be able to win the battle!" ”

Wu Sangui continued: "If Li Zicheng personally leads his men and horses to fight outside the Acropolis of Mountains and Seas, we will beat him on his back!" ”

The crowd was very excited and said, "It is very appropriate to use troops in this way." ”

After the fifth watch of the same day, Wu Sangui deployed who would retreat to Yongping and who would retreat to Shanhaiguan. As soon as the order arrived, the people of Guanning immediately robbed everywhere, raped ** women, and set fire to the village. The people awoke in their sleep and fled for their lives in the wilderness. Those who could not escape, the men were killed, and the women were raped. After dawn, the Guan Ning soldiers retreated, and there was an empty city left in Yutian County, only to see the fire and smoke everywhere in Siye, crying and cursing......

CHAPTER XXV

Wu Sangui stayed in Yutian for only three or four days, then returned to Yongping, took the governor's more than 2,000 bidders as his own, and returned to Shanhaiguan himself. Governor Wang Yongji did not want to be his diner, and fled to Tianjin with dozens of cronies and servants.

Wu Sangui did not move his troops at Shanhaiguan, while adopting a wait-and-see policy, and on the one hand, he and Li Zicheng were "false and wronged," and on the other hand, they listened to the movements of Beijing and Shenyang. Li Zicheng knew the importance of Wu Sangui. In order to win his surrender, the date of the ascension ceremony was repeatedly postponed, and Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi were sent to carry 40,000 taels of silver, 1,000 taels of gold, and a letter from Wu Xiang to persuade Wu Sangui to surrender.

Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi are both acquaintances of Wu Sangui, and they can talk to Wu Sangui in private. Tang Tong was one of the eight general soldiers who rescued Jinzhou two years ago, and Zhang Ruoqi was the supervisor sent by Chongzhen to Hong Chengchou's side at that time. Although they surrendered to Li Zicheng, they were deeply concerned about the newly established Dashun Dynasty. In addition, on the surface, they were sent by Emperor Yongchang to come to the army and persuade them to surrender, but secretly they also felt that Li Zicheng and his group were not really founding a business, and they had already shown all kinds of weaknesses after arriving in Beijing, and they wanted to take this opportunity to find out Wu Sangui's true thoughts, so as to make plans for themselves.

The day before Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi arrived, they first sent officials to inform Wu Sangui of the news, asking Wu Sangui to know in advance the arrival time of the envoys sent by Emperor Dashun to come to the army. Wu Sangui had already decided not to surrender Li Zicheng at this time, and found out that the Qing troops were about to go south. He sent Yang Shen and several other civil and military officials to the red tile shop on the west bank of the Shihe River a few miles away to greet him, but he himself only greeted him outside the gate, which was not large in scale and had no drum music. As soon as Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi arrived, they immediately understood that Wu Sangui intended to lower the specifications of the envoys of the army. Their hearts were cold, and they exchanged glances with each other, deciding to leave room for conversation.

Wu Sangui happily accepted the gold and silver and a large amount of silk and other belongings from the army, and set up a feast to entertain Tang and Zhang. The two officials and soldiers brought by the two soldiers were no more than a hundred, and they also held banquets and entertained them, and Ping Xibo had another reward. At the banquet, Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi talked several times about the ardent mood of Emperor Dashun and Prime Minister Niu Cheng who expected Wu Sangui to surrender, but Wu Sangui always "talked about him left and right" and refused to give a clear answer. When Li Zicheng is mentioned, he is only honored as "King Li", not the emperor. When Yang Shen toasted the two soldiers, he whispered:

"My uncle will hold a private banquet in the inner house tonight to have a secret conversation with the two adults."

Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi understood in their hearts, so they no longer talked about persuasion.

After the banquet was dismissed, the two soldiers of the Great Shun Dynasty were on a mission, running around on saddle horses for days, and they were very tired from the social activities after Shanhaiwei. Ping Xibo Xingyuan arranged a comfortable place for them to rest. After the second watch, Wu Sangui sent people to invite them into the inner house of his Pingxibo temporary mansion to have a drink and have a secret conversation.

The night banquet was very strictly guarded, and Wu Sangui's cronies and civil and military forces were only attended by Yang Shen and three others. Soon after, according to Wu Sangui's instructions in advance, Chen Yuanyuan came out with a maid ring and poured wine for the two guests. Wu Sangui did not boast to his friends that he had a beautiful concubine, but according to traditional Chinese customs, he said that he was an old friend of Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi, and did not treat them as outsiders.

After Chen Yuanyuan came in, Yang Shen and the others all stood up. She was light, and after smiling and pouring wine, she quickly withdrew, so as not to hinder the men from discussing important matters.

Wu Sangui first said to Zhang Ruoqi: "Master Zhang is from a Jinshi, and he is not comparable to a martial artist like us. According to you, can King Li sit firmly in the world? ”

Zhang Ruoqi didn't answer this important question for the time being, but said with a smile: "Uncle is today's young Yuan Rong, the country's Gancheng; Mrs. Ru is a famous ...... in Jiangnan Famous ......" He was about to say the word "famous prostitute", but suddenly felt inappropriate, paused, and then said: "Jiangnan celebrities, the country is beautiful and fragrant." On the eve of the red eyebrows into the swallow, the green eyes are in the moth eyebrows. A momentary encounter, a story through the ages, really adds color to the battlefield. After Zhang Ruoqi finished speaking, he felt that his words were appropriately worded, elegant and vulgar, so he laughed softly first, and then raised his glass to toast Wu Sangui and the others.

After all, Wu Sangui was a military general, and he couldn't appreciate Zhang Ruoqi's elegant rhetoric, so he took a sip of the cup and continued to ask:

"Master Zhang, at this moment, we are discussing major events in the world, and not a word of what we are talking about here will be transmitted to the outside world. You are a learned person, and now you are trusted by the king of Yongchang, and you come to the army with the title of secretary of the new dynasty military government. According to your opinion, can Li Zicheng sit firmly? ”

Zhang Ruoqi smiled and said: "I have surrendered to King Li, and the relationship with King Li is that of a monarch and a minister, and a minister cannot discuss his monarch privately!" ”

Wu Sangui didn't ask deeply, but just made a very intimate appearance and said: "At present, the world is in turmoil, the situation is unpredictable, and adults also need to take a step back." Lord Tang, what do you say? ”

"Say it, I was confused for a while and got on the thief ship by mistake! Not to mention anything else, let's just say that the Dashun army only values the villagers of Shaanxi, and treats the newly surrendered soldiers as slaves, which is not the bearing of the world. broke Beijing, and did not want to build the capital of Beijing, so he never forgot to return to Xi'an as soon as possible. Because he didn't want to build the capital of Beijing, he connived at the people and horses from Shaanxi to stay in Beijing, rob property at will, rape ** women, torture and plunder officials and gentry to recover stolen goods. Before the wind blows, the gold and silver looted in Beijing were transported back to Xi'an. Can this be the case in the world? Hmph, sit on me! ”

Tang Tong's words were out of personal indignation and had no intention of provoking, but Wu Sangui and his cronies shook violently in their hearts. Wu Sangui turned to Zhang Ruoqi and asked:

"Master Zhang, is that so?"

Zhang Ruoqi nodded and replied, "I'm just hearsay, because as soon as King Li entered the city, we left for the military gate." If so...... It is only necessary to compare the past and the present to predict the success or failure. Liu Bang, the king of the Han Dynasty......"

"Is it Han Gaozu?" Wu Sangui asked.

"Yes, Liu Bang was not yet emperor at that time. He entered Xianyang first, listened to the advice of Fan Xu and Zhang Liang, did not rest in the palace, sealed the heavy treasures, property, and treasury of the Qin Dynasty, returned the military hegemony, summoned his father and old heroes, and announced three decrees, which are called the three chapters of the law in the history books. Therefore, the people are safe and secure as usual, and they have won the hearts of the people. But now that King Li has entered Beijing, what is the situation? Quite the opposite! At first, the poor and small households in Beijing still hoped that King Li would open a warehouse to give relief after he came, but later learned that the luck of Cao had been cut off, and after King Li came, not only did he not open a warehouse to give relief, but harassed him wantonly. Beijing's small and impoverished households are living in even more difficult circumstances. As for the gentry of Kifu, people's hearts are unstable and they miss the old Ming, you know this situation, I don't need to say it. ”

Wu Sangui said: "King Li sent the two of you to come with a lot of money to reward the army, hoping that I can surrender. However, I received the great favor of the first emperor, and even if I could not immediately raise the banner of righteousness, I could not surrender without losing the dignity. You will be back to Beijing in the near future, how can I reply? ”

After Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi came to Shanhaiwei, after chatting with Wu Sangui and his subordinates during the day, and having a secret conversation again tonight, they fully understood that Wu Sangui had no intention of surrendering, so this matter made them feel that it was really difficult to handle. After all, Tang Tong was born as a military general, and his personality was relatively straightforward, and he said:

"Lord Zhang and I have been ordered to come with a lot of money to reward the army, and try our best to persuade you to surrender. If you refuse to submit, there is nothing we can do. It's just that King Li couldn't wait for you to surrender or send a surrender letter, so he changed the date of his ascension to the pole several times, which caused his prestige to suffer a lot, and he was furious. If we go back to Beijing and say that you refuse to surrender, perhaps King Li will personally lead a large army to attack Shanhaiguan. I know that this Shanhaiguan is indestructible when attacked from the outside; Attacking from the inside, it is difficult to hold on. Pinsiber, are you fully prepared for war? ”

Since Wu Sangui abandoned Ningyuan, Ningyuan was occupied by Qing soldiers. But Ningyuan is his homeland after all, and he has lived there for two generations, and his family's farmland, ancestral graves, relatives and old friends are all in Ningyuan. After his uncle Zu Dashou surrendered to Manchuria, he lived in Shenyang, but Zu Dashou's Zhuangtian and ancestral tombs were also in Ningyuan. In order to take care of Zhuangtian, my aunt Mrs. Zuo often went back to Ningyuan to live. Therefore, Wu Sangui is very clear about the movements in Shenyang. He knew that Dolgon was preparing to lead the elite soldiers of the Eight Banners south, intending to enter the Great Wall from Jizhou and Miyun. Therefore, he thought that as long as Li Zicheng could delay the time when he came to attack Shanhaiguan, things would change, and he would be able to let the Qing soldiers and the Dashun army fight near Beijing, and he himself would "watch from the sidelines" of the war. But he couldn't express this thought, and only exchanged a sly smile with his close confidant Yang Shen, and then said to Tang Tong:

"Uncle Dingxi, what you said is very true. The city of Shanhaiwei is impregnable when attacked from the outside; Attacking from the inside is not strong. However, the younger brother has tens of thousands of well-trained Guanning elite soldiers in his hands, and he is good at field warfare. At present, I am retreating to the lonely city, but I am not short of food, which can support me for at least half a year. Red-coated cannons and firearms of various sizes were also transported from Ningyuan, which was not only convenient for field battles, but also conducive to defending the city. Ding Xibo, if the war cannot be avoided, the battlefield is not in the west city of Shanhaiwei, nor is it the battle for Xiluo City, it must be on the west bank of the Shihe River. It is a plain wilderness, with a slight shallowness, which is conducive to field warfare. From Beijing to the mountains and seas, more than 700 miles. Our army waited for work and prepared to meet the enemy on the west bank of the Shihe River. In case the initial battle is unfavorable, you can retreat to Ciro City. The rocky river beach is full of large and small stones, and it is difficult for people and horses to gallop, and there are no trees to cover it, and there is not even a mound. If the enemy pursues the rocky river beach, the red-coated cannons and various firearms set up on the city of Silo will just exert their power and annihilate the enemy on the river beach. All in all, the time, the place, the people, all on my side. What am I afraid of? Doesn't Li Zicheng have any worries? How long can he garrison troops on the west bank of the Stone River? ”

After all, Zhang Ruoqi was a scholar, and from Wu Sangui's tone, he heard the news that the Manchurians were going to march into China, which was exactly a major thing he was worried about. He took the opportunity to ask Wu Sangui:

"Uncle Pingxi, is there any news from Shenyang to march into China?"

Wu Sangui hurriedly replied: "Since I was ordered to give up Ningyuan and lead tens of thousands of soldiers to protect the people of Ningyuan into the pass, the Qing soldiers occupied Ningyuan and did not dare to enter the gate, and the two sides were at peace. Benyuan is concerned about the news from Beijing, and no longer sends people to inquire about the movements in Shenyang, so the news from Shenyang is not as good as Beijing. Lord Zhang, you were famous as a soldier in the first dynasty, and now you have a heavy responsibility in the new dynasty. You ask me, who do I ask? ”

Zhang Ruoqi heard Wu Sangui mention the matter of the previous dynasty, and felt a slight heat on his face. However, he concluded that Wu Sangui must have known about the situation in Shenyang, and then asked:

"Although the uncle did not have time to send people to inquire about the situation in Shenyang, Junzuo lived in Liaodong, and both father and son were marshals of border towns, and they were far more familiar with the situation in Manchuria than the civil and military officials in the interior. According to the judgment of his subordinates, will the Manchurians take advantage of King Li's unstable foothold in Beijing and raise troops to the south? ”

Wu Sangui pondered for a moment, and said in a very confident tone: "I have received the great favor of the Ming Dynasty in my life, and today I can only decide to beg the thief, and I have no hesitation." Regardless of whether the Qing soldiers invaded the south or not, once the time comes, I will restore the Ming Dynasty and avenge the first emperor, and there is no need to say anything else. But I have been through hardships with the two of us, so I can't help but tell the truth. Please only know in your own heart, and don't tell King Li when you return to Beijing. For the sake of King Li, he came to Shanhaiwei to find trouble with me, which was very unfavorable to him. Please persuade him that it will not be easy for him to seize Shanhaiguan by force, and it is better not to stay away from Beijing. ”

Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi had already heard that Wu Sangui must have received a report that the Qing soldiers were about to go south, and understood that they had been sent by Li Wangqin to reward the army and persuade them to surrender, but they could only return in vain. Zhang Ruoqi asked Wu Sangui:

"Since you don't forget the Ming Dynasty and insist on not surrendering, we don't dare to stay here for a long time. Can you order the secretary of the account to write a letter to King Li tonight......"

Wu Sangui had obviously studied and matured with his cronies before Li Zicheng's envoy arrived, so he replied immediately without thinking:

"Please reply to King Li, I mean: I must seriously discuss such a major matter with my generals before I can answer, and I hope that King Li will wait for a few days."

Tang Tong asked: "Could you please simply write a reply, only saying that 40,000 taels of silver and 1,000 taels of gold have been received, and express your gratitude to Li Wangqin for sending the two of us to come with a heavy amount of money to sacrifice the army, and not mention the surrender for the time being?" ”

Wu Sangui replied with a smile: "Before the two of you came to Shanhaiwei, I had carefully studied it with my cronies Wenwu, and I could only ask you to spread the word verbally, and I could not communicate with King Li. ”

Zhang Ruoqi asked, "Why is this?" ”

Wu Sangui said: "Please think about it, what do I call King Li in my letters? If I call him Your Majesty, will I not admit that I have called him a vassal? If I call him a thief, will I not anger him? ”

Tang Tong was more than ten years older than Wu Sangui, and scolded in his heart: "This kid is really cunning enough!" He regretted that he went out of Badaling for 30 miles to meet Li Zicheng that day, and he was very inconsiderate. If you rely on the Badaling Great Wall to hold on for a few days and bargain with Li Zicheng, you will never be as guilty as you are today! He thought that since Wu Sangui resolutely refused to surrender, he and Zhang Ruoqi should immediately return to Beijing to resume their lives, lest King Li blame them for coming to Shanhaiwei to persuade them to surrender, but instead delay the opportunity. After thinking for a moment, he said to Wu Sangui:

"Ping Xibo, since I came with Lord Zhang to persuade him to surrender to no avail, I dare not stay here for a long time, and I will leave for Beijing tomorrow to resume my life......

Before he could finish speaking, Wu Sangui replied: "The two adults are here, please rest for three days, and then return to Beijing before it is too late." ”

Zhang Ruoqi said: "King Li is strict, and his younger brother can't persuade him to surrender, so he will never dare to stay here longer, and he will definitely set off tomorrow." As for the gold, silver, silk and other things of the army, since they have been stored in the uncle's treasury, please be sure to give a receipt as a proof. ”

Wu Sangui persuaded them to stay for three days, and on the surface he was very sincere, but in fact he concluded that the Qing troops were about to go south, so he wanted to delay Li Zicheng's arrival as much as possible, even if it could be delayed for a day or two. Tang and Zhang also seemed to have guessed Wu Sangui's intentions. When they set off from Beijing, they had a good dream, thinking that with so much gold and silver they had brought with them, plus they and Wu Sangui were old people, and they had suffered in the Battle of Songshan, and now that Chongzhen had been martyred and the Ming Dynasty had died, it should not be difficult to persuade Wu Sangui to surrender Dashun. As long as they can successfully persuade them to surrender, relieve the elbow and armpit trouble for the Dashun Emperor, and successfully hold the grand ceremony, the two of them will make great contributions to the Dashun Dynasty. Unexpectedly, since their arrival, although Wu Sangui has been hospitable to them, he has not shown his intention in his words, and always said that he was the general of Liaodong Frontier in his two lifetimes, and he was the first emperor and the earl, so he would try his best to hold the lonely city of mountains and seas, neither marching to Beijing, nor willing to surrender to the new lord. Tang Tong was also the chief military officer of the Ming Dynasty, and he was also sent to Longen by Emperor Chongzhen a few months ago, and was given the title of earl, and was ordered to guard Juyong Pass and block the thieves, but he went out of the pass for thirty miles to meet Li Zicheng. Hearing Wu Sangui's refusal to surrender, he was secretly ashamed, ruthless and clueless about drinking, and said almost in a pleading tone:

"Ping Xibo, you have to be a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty, you will not surrender, everyone has their own ambitions, and my brother does not dare to persuade him. When my brother returns to Beijing, how can he reply to King Li? ”

Wu Sangui said: "I don't want a penny of the army's gold, silver and soft things, you two still bring them back to Beijing and return King Li?" ”

Tang Tong was stunned for a moment, then laughed, and said after laughing: "Ping Xibo, do you want me to die with Master Zhang without a place to be buried?" ”

Wu Sangui smiled and said: "We are friends in trouble in Songshan, and we have no such intention. ”

Tang Tong said: "Even if you have no intention of leaving me and Master Zhang dead in Shanhaiwei without a place to be buried, but as soon as your soldiers hear that the gold and silver of the army have been brought back to Beijing, won't it provoke a mutiny, and we can still leave Shanhaiwei alive?" ”

Wu Sangui said with a smile: "Don't worry, remembering that the three of us were in the same boat through thick and thin on the Songshan battlefield, I sent five hundred cavalry to escort the gold and silver of the army out of the country safely, and sent it directly to a hundred miles away." ”

Tang Tong took advantage of the drunkenness, sneered, and said: "Ping Xibo, I also got out of the army, I am not an amateur in this play!" You sent 500 cavalry to send me out, and there was a mutiny on the road, claiming that it was bandits or rebels intercepting the road, trying to rob and kill me, and no one would avenge me and Lord Zhang. It's better for us to stay with you, be diners for a long time, don't go back to Beijing to resume our lives, and wait for news from King Li! ”

Zhang Ruoqi was afraid that Tang Tong would say something unpleasant again, so he quickly interjected with a smile:

"You two are too off-topic. I know best what Ping Xiber is thinking. He did not have the complete intention of surrendering to King Li, but he had other difficulties, and the situation of Ding Xibo was comparable. Dingxi Bo, after you were made an earl, Emperor Chongzhen summoned you on the platform and ordered you to guard Juyong Pass and prevent thieves from coming east. After several wars in recent years, there are only three or four thousand people under your command, all of whom are soldiers who have followed you for many years, and your family members have also accompanied the battalion to Juyong Pass. Therefore, after King Li sent someone to persuade you, you will go out of the city thirty miles to meet the surrender, and there will be no difficulty. There are many soldiers under the command of Ping Xibo, some from Ningyuan, some of them were originally stationed in Shanhaiwei, and a large group of general soldiers and deputy general soldiers, all of whom have eaten the imperial court for many years, and have received food and salary from the Ming Dynasty, and Chongzhen has the feelings of monarchs and ministers, and it is not easy for everyone to surrender to King Li immediately, which is very different from the situation of your Dingxibo. He looked at Yang Shen and asked, "General Ziyu, I said that Ping Xibo has a lot of trouble with the word whether to surrender or not, do you say yes?" ”

Yang Shen hurriedly said: "Lord Zhang can be regarded as a hammer to the point. Before the two of you arrived, our generals Guan Ning had secretly discussed several times, but we were never able to decide on a final strategy. What about the submission of King Li? After all, everyone has eaten Daming for many years, and they still have the heart of not forgetting the old king. What if it doesn't fall? However, we have tens of thousands of horses and horses left only this lonely city, and it will be very difficult in the future. And my uncle's parents and a family of more than 30 are all in Beijing, and they were originally hostages in the hands of Chongzhen, and now they are hostages in the hands of King Li......"

Tang Tong smiled and said, "It's not easy to oppose King Li, isn't it?" ”

Yang Shen continued: "Also, the dependents and civilians that our army escorted into the pass from Ningyuan, claiming to be 500,000, actually have more than 200,000, which are temporarily scattered and placed in several nearby counties, and there is no stability at all; What to do in the future, my uncle can't help but worry about this heavy burden. Therefore, whether to descend or not to surrender, we cannot but consult with the generals. As long as you stay one more day, we will have to discuss it carefully. ”

Tang Tong said: "Ziyu, what you said is also reasonable, but we were ordered to come to persuade us to surrender, if we delay the opportunity, we can't afford to bear the guilt." ”

Wu Sangui stood up and said to the two guests: "Please drink a few more cups casually to the two adults, and the foolish brother will go to the inner house for a while, and he will come immediately." He arched his hand and went to the backyard. When he was about to leave the table, he asked Yang Shen to go with him.

Ping Xibo's temporary line in Shanhaiwei, the west wing room within the second gate is divided into two, which is the place where Wu Sangui usually discusses important matters with several cronies and subordinates, commonly known as the signing room, also known as the study. In fact, Wu Sangui doesn't read, and there is not a single book on the shelf in this room. He sat on the chair first, and ordered Yang Shen to sit down on another chair. He whispered:

"Ziyu, what you just said to Tang Tong is very decent, even if he understands that we have bitter intentions on the word "surrender or not", and also tell them that for such a big matter, I must discuss with the important generals and civilian staff of my subordinates, and I have not yet made a final decision. Give the Tang Tong a little hope, and you can keep them here for two or three days. According to the Shenyang survey obtained today, Dolgon will lead the Qing troops south and attack the Great Wall, this strategy has been decided, and the day of the departure of the army is also very soon. We have to come up with an idea to keep them for two or three days. As long as they don't return to Beijing and give back to the Li thief, we will not surrender, and the Li thief will not come. Once the Qing troops moved south, the whole situation changed. On one side were the Qing soldiers, and on the other side were the Dashun soldiers, so that they could fight each other near Beijing. We are the Guan Ning soldiers of Daming Ping Xibo, and it is a great opportunity to restore the Ming Dynasty as a call. You have a lot of ideas, how do you get Tang and Zhang to stay here for three days? ”

Yang Shen paused for a moment and replied with a smile: "Uncle, according to our report, Dolgon inherited the will of Huang Taiji and decided to raise troops to the south, and there will be a bloody battle with the Dashun army east of Beijing. As the saying goes, 'When two tigers fight, one must be injured.'" 'Li Thief came from Xi'an alone, with no support, unstable foothold in Beijing, and lost the support of the people, so he will not be the opponent of the Qing army. What Jun Zuo said was extremely true, at present, we must find a way to make the two Dashun Qincha who came to persuade Tang and Zhang to surrender stay here for three days. They stayed for three days, and another six or seven days on their way back to Beijing, by which time the Qing troops led by Dorgon had probably entered the Great Wall. ”

Wu Sangui asked, "How to keep the two of them?" ”

Yang Shen replied: "Please rest assured, I already have an idea." ”

"What's your idea?"

"From the conversations between Tang and Zhang, the two Great Shun Commanders and the persuasion of Qin Cha, I have already understood that although they surrendered to Li Zicheng, they were not of the same mind as Li Zicheng. That's something I didn't expect. Since Li Zicheng can use them to persuade him to surrender, Junzuo can also use them to delay Li Zicheng's tactics. From now on, please Jun Zuo no longer said that he would never surrender to King Li, but only said that this matter was very important, and he had to seriously discuss with his generals and staff, and when the final situation was discussed, everyone agreed to surrender Dashun, and immediately bowed to King Li and congratulated him on his ascension. It is estimated that it is not difficult to keep the two Qincha with these words. ”

"Will they believe that?"

"Would believe."

"How do you know?"

"Jun Zuo has always walked very steadily. First, Junzuo never mourned for the first emperor; Second, he never swore an oath to send troops to avenge the first emperor and crusade against the rebels for the Ming Dynasty. These two things have left a lot of room for maneuver for Junzuo, who can advance or retreat, and is relatively free. At the moment, between talking with them, the uncle might as well pull a hard bow, indicating that the world is favored by the country, the father and son are both generals of the Ming Dynasty, and he was made an earl by the first emperor. Later, the situation was critical, the first emperor secretly ordered the king of Qin, and galloped to help Beijing in the starry night, but because of the delay on the road, Beijing was lost, and the first emperor was martyred, and Junzuo was deeply saddened, so he refused to pay homage to King Li. Today, the two Qincha lords carried a sincere letter from Prime Minister Niu Cheng and carried a heavy amount of money to declare Li Wang's virtue and come to persuade the army to surrender. Some of the generals in Guanning were deeply moved and began to change their minds. The first emperor has been martyred in the coal mountain, the Ming Dynasty has died, as long as most of the generals and important staff are willing to submit to Dashun, Junzuo will also act according to everyone's wishes. However, this matter cannot be decided in a hurry, and it must be discussed again with Guan Ning's important generals and important staff, and it is not possible to ask for it too hastily, which will cause discord among subordinates, which will not be good for the matter. ”

Wu Sangui nodded with a smile and said, "This is quite tactful. What do you say? ”

"Uncle, I'm different from you, easy to talk to. You are the Ping Xibo of the Ming Dynasty, and the head town of the Guanning army, every word has weight. If you say that you will never surrender, Li Zicheng may immediately lead his troops to come; You said that you were willing to surrender, one would not work if you did not hand over the surrender table to congratulate you on ascending to the pole, and the other was that the fighting spirit of the Guan Ning soldiers would collapse immediately, and the local gentry would still not forget the Ming Dynasty, and they would immediately regard us as a thief party. If this is the case, it will not only be detrimental to our army, but also even more detrimental to the Ningyuan villagers who are temporarily scattered and living in nearby prefectures and counties. Therefore, to descend or not to descend, Jun can only say ambiguous words, and other words are dealt with randomly by the humble position. ”

Wu Sangui has always regarded Yang Shen as a confidant, not only because he is loyal, but also because he is quite scheming, and the blink of an eye is insight. At this moment, after listening to Yang Shen's words, he nodded frequently, and then said:

"Ziyu, your opinion is very good. In any case, keep them for three days. In previous years, we were stationed in Ningyuan, and people in the capital went to the capital, regardless of whether they were big or small, and they all gave some silver. For Tang and Zhang, it seems that there should be no exception. In your opinion, how much do you give them each? ”

"According to the humble position, each person will give twenty ingots, and it can't be less."

"A thousand taels per person?"

"One thousand taels per person, and it will be sent to the banquet tonight. Fortunately, there are no outsiders at tonight's banquet and there will be no leaks. ”

"Why is there such a hurry? Isn't it okay to send them tomorrow? ”

"When they take the money, it will be easy for them to speak privately."

"Will they take it?"

They will also say excuses, but their hearts will be happy. As the saying goes, 'black eyes can't see silver', let alone them! ”

"Them?"

"Yes, they love silver more."

"How do you know?"

Tang Tong has revealed the truth in the conversation: The Shaanxi soldiers who followed Li Zicheng to fight the world were very proud of their victory, and they ignored the newly surrendered soldiers and regarded them as slaves. According to our detailed report, after the destruction of Beijing, Shaanxi soldiers were stationed in the city of Beijing, extorting gold and silver, robbing and committing adultery, and corrupting discipline. Tang Tong's troops could only be stationed in the suburbs and Changping. It turned out that there was no salary in the Ming Dynasty, and now under the rule of King Li, there is no salary. Don't say that his soldiers are very poor, although he himself is Dingxibo and the chief military officer, he is also very poor. ”

Wu Sangui nodded with a smile and said, "The old Shaanxi people eat meat in Beijing, and Tang Tong's people don't even drink the broth." Don't lose, who told him to surrender first and betray Emperor Chongzhen! ”

"Zhang Ruoqi is even poorer," Yang Shen continued, "I wish someone would give him a little silver to save the emergency." ”

Wu Sangui asked, "He is also poor?" ”

Yang Arsenic smiled and said, "Uncle, why did you forget?" He has always been a Beijing official and has not let go of foreign appointments. Before the defeat of Matsuyama, he worked in the military department, and was later promoted to the military department of the Ministry of War, and later was ordered by Qin to be the supervisor of Hong Chengchou, and was punished for the defeat. Fortunately, he was not severely punished by the imperial court and barely kept his position. As a Beijing official, especially the Qingshui Yamen like the Ministry of War, although they are the upper officials of the Sipinlang, they are like living on a bluestone slab, and they all rely on the autumn breeze to those new governors and other feudal officials who have entered Beijing from other provinces, and there is no opportunity for corruption on weekdays, so they need the most silver. ”

Wu Sangui laughed and said happily: "In this case, I will give them 'Cheng Yi' two thousand taels of silver each, so they don't have to be small!" ”

Yang Shen said: "Uncle is so generous, our game of chess will come alive!" Junza, do it like this? ”

"That's it, so let's do it. Anyway, the silver was sent by the Li thief, and the wool came out of the sheep. As the saying goes, hit him in the eye with his fist. I want to make Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqiming for the use of King Chuang, and secretly for my use. ”

Wu Sangui said with emotion: "Li Zicheng rebelled for 16 or 7 years, and there were no loyal people around him. As for the fact that the newly surrendered and unscrupulous generals who are different from him come to the court, it can also be seen that he is a thief after all, not the atmosphere of establishing a great cause! ”

Wu Sangui immediately ordered a servant to go to the courtyard next door and tell the quartermaster to quickly take out four thousand taels of silver, wrap every two thousand taels in red silk as a bag, and personally send them for backup.

After a while, the quartermaster and his own soldier came with two bags of silver and placed them on the ground. Wu Sangui asked:

"Two thousand taels per pack, there's nothing wrong with that, right?"

"Back to Uncle, take a total of eighty ingots and divide them into two packs, that's right."

Yang Shen is a very scheming person, and suddenly a question flashed in front of him. He quickly took out two ingots from a red silk bag and placed them on the table, shining white in the candlelight. He picked up an ingot, looked at the words cast on the bottom, and commanded:

"This new ingots can't be used, they will all be replaced with old ingots, as long as they are full of color silver."

Wu Sangui was puzzled for a while, looked at the flashing new ingots and asked:

"Could it be that these ingots are not in good condition?"

"No, uncle, this new ingots can't be used!"

"Why?"

"Uncle, according to the secret agent's report, after the thieves occupied Beijing, in addition to arresting officials above the sixth grade to torture and recover the stolen goods, they also used various methods to loot gold, silver, precious jewelry and other valuable things. It is said that a total of 70 million taels of silver were looted, and the Baoyuan Bureau of the Yamen of the Ministry of Household was ordered to melt the silver and cast it into ingots, and every 100 new ingots, that is, 5,000 taels of silver, were put into a wooden box, and a general named Luo Dain was sent to lead 3,000 elite soldiers to transport the 70 million taels of silver back to Xi'an. The silver that was sent to the army was taken from the silver that was to be transported back to Xi'an. As soon as I saw that this was a new ingot, I understood it in my heart, and then looked at the bottom of the ingot, which was cast with the words 'Yongchang ingot', and I understood it all in my heart. As the saying goes, there is no impermeable wall in the world. In case the Li thief knows, not only will our plot to bribe Tang and Zhang fail, but they will also be killed by the Li thief. It's not fun! ”

Wu Sangui suddenly understood, and asked the quartermaster: "Do we have any old ingots in our warehouse?" ”

The quartermaster replied respectfully: "Uncle Hui, this time we were ordered to abandon Ningyuan, even the bottom of the warehouse was cleared, and all the accumulated silver was moved into the customs. There are a lot of ingots, and they are all full of silver, fifty taels and one ingots, but there is no dazzling silver shine of this new ingot, which is very good-looking. The old ingots we transported into the customs were in the Wanli period, the Apocalypse period, the early years of Chongzhen, the Yamen of the Household Department, and the southern ingots. If the uncle says that it will be replaced with the old ingots, the humble position will be changed immediately, and there is! ”

Wu Sangui nodded and said, "You hurry up and change it, the eighty ingots are still divided into two packs, and they will be sent to the banquet immediately." ”

"Yes!"

"Ziyu," Wu Sangui turned to Yang Shen and said, "Let's go back to the banquet quickly, and just follow what we have just discussed." ”

After Wu Sangui and Yang Shen left the hall just now, although there was still a general and a secretary in charge to accompany the guests to drink, the mood at the banquet became very dull, the wine was very small, and there was no interest in talking. …… While they were wondering, they saw a lantern flickering outside the hall, and at the same time heard the servant say:

"Uncle has arrived!"

The two military dignitaries under Ping Xibo, a chief soldier surnamed Li and a clerk surnamed Ding, who accompanied the guests to eat and drink, immediately stood solemnly, avoided their chairs, turned their eyes to the door, and held their breath.

Although Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi were Dashun Qincha, under this atmosphere, they also stood up and looked at the door of the hall. Tang Tong muttered in his heart:

"Damn, what's the good of Lao Tzu coming early? On the contrary, it has lowered the value of my Ming Dynasty to seal Xibo! ”

Zhang Ruoqi's heart was pounding, and he said to himself: "Probably I will never surrender, I will be detained with Tang Tong, give Li Zicheng a little color, and bargain!" ”

Wu Sangui came in with a smile on his face. Yang Shen followed closely behind him. As soon as he entered the living room, he bowed his hand as he walked to his master's seat. After taking his seat, he said:

"Unaccompanied, unaccompanied. Because of discussing with Ziyu whether to surrender, he was absent for a moment and did not persuade him to drink. In the midst of the tribulation on the battlefield of Songshan, he begged the two adults Haihan. Come, let me pour you two a glass of hot wine! ”

Tang Tong said: "The wine is enough. Let's get down to business. Ping Xibo, how do I talk to King Li with Master Zhang? ”

Wu Sangui did not reluctantly pour the wine, and according to the intention of discussing with Yang Shen, he said that it was late at night today, and he must discuss with his important civil and military officials tomorrow before making a good decision.

Tang Tong said: "Ping Xibo, you are a martial artist, I am also a martial artist, and I am a friend of tribulation on the battlefield of Songshan. As you know, neither I nor Lord Zhang are from Shaanxi, nor are we from King Li's old department, and in the Dashun Dynasty, we were sent by Qin for the first time to handle major affairs for King Li. I don't know what Zhang Dasima thinks, I'm just afraid that I won't be able to persuade him to surrender, and I will commit the crime of delaying the opportunity, just like the saying goes, I can't bear to go around. We will stay for a day or two, waiting for you to discuss and decide with the important civil and military dignitaries under your command, it is not impossible, but we have to give us a word, so that we can return to Beijing to resume our lives. Brother Yuesuo, you are an understanding person, do you say yes? ”

Wu Sangui saw that Tang Tong's words were almost equivalent to pleading, and when he came, the tone of the minister was completely gone, and he nodded and said with a smile:

"I will only keep you for two days, and I will definitely give you a satisfactory word, please rest assured."

Zhang Ruoqi was already completely disappointed with this trip, looked at the half-cold wine glass, and was silent. Yang Shen was about to speak, when the quartermaster and a Wen patrol came in with a heavy red silk baggage. Because of the list of cups and plates on the banquet table in front of the two guests, Yang Shen quickly pulled two empty chairs, put one next to each guest, and ordered the burden to be placed on the empty chair. The two guests had already understood in their hearts, their eyes lit up, they each looked at the red silk burden beside them, covered the joy in their hearts, pretended to be surprised, and asked at the same time:

"What is this? What? ”

The quartermaster and the two quickly withdrew, and did not speak. Wu Sangui told the servant to quickly get hot wine. Before the hot wine was obtained, Yang Shen opened a red silk bag and said with a smile:

"My uncle came to the army because of the two adults who served Li Wang Qin, and the wind and dust were hard, so he came to the army, paid tribute to Fei Bo, and talked about his heart. Send each adult Cheng Yizu 40 ingots, 2,000 taels of silver, and hope to smile. As for the officers and soldiers who come with them, there will be another silver reward tomorrow. ”

Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi also thought that Wu Sangui would send Cheng Yi, but they only thought that each person would send about two or three hundred taels, at most five hundred taels, and they never expected that each person would be two thousand taels. It was so unexpected. They were surprised, delighted, but then turned away. In the end, Tang Tong drank the freshly filled wine glass, laughed, and said loudly:

"This, this, this is really disrespectful, deserved! What do you want me to say? Ping Xibo, if you have something to serve, just say, my brother will do his best! Hahahaha......"

Although Zhang Ruoqi was more excited in his heart, he still did not lose the elegance of a senior civil official, picked up the full wine glass, first raised his glass to Wu Sangui, and then raised his glass to Yang Shen and others, and said:

"On the occasion of the change of ownership and the renewal of the country's fortunes, it is not easy for people to meet. Thanks to the kindness, I dare not be ashamed. Since it was disrespectful, I had to respectfully worship it. As the saying goes, the expression of gold silk is friendly, and the wine is popular. The younger brother was in the guest at this time, and he could not prepare a good wine to express his gratitude; I had to borrow flowers to offer Buddha, please raise a glass together and drink it all. Please! Please! ”

After everyone toasted happily, Yang Shen poured a full cup for the two VIPs and said to the guests:

"Please rest assured. Xiaguan has just agreed with my uncle that tomorrow he will discuss with Guanning's important civil and military secrets about the surrender of Dashun. Now Heguanning and Ningxia are one, the family is big, the army is in groups, some people are willing to surrender to the Shun Dynasty, and some do not forget the Ming Dynasty, so my uncle can't decide on this matter for a while. Fortunately, two adults were sent by King Li to descend on the mountains and seas today, one to reward the army, and the other to persuade them to surrender, so that those civil and military dignitaries who intended to surrender were in a good mood. Just now I agreed with Ping Xibo to take advantage of the east wind brought by the two of you......"

Tang Tong smiled: "Ziyu, we are from the west. ”

"Dingxibo, that's still the east wind of persuasion. Taking advantage of the east wind you have brought, tomorrow's meeting will be ready to begin. ”

Tang Tong said: "Deputy Chief Ziyu, my brother, please forgive me for being a martial artist, I have always spoken like pouring beans from a bamboo tube, straight to the point. There are thousands of people in the family, and the main thing is one person. Tomorrow, you will hold a meeting of civil and military dignitaries, and the decision to surrender Dashun is in the hands of Ping Xibo, not others! ”

Wu Sangui said: "What Lord Tang said is that tomorrow I will of course come up with my own ideas. ”

Yang Shen continued: "Tomorrow, we will not only have a secret consultation with the civil and military dignitaries of the Guanning army, but also with the important local gentry. ”

Tang Tong said: "Huh? And you have to negotiate with the local gentry?! ”

"Yes, the local gentry cannot be hidden."

"The military power is in the hands of Ping Xibo, what does it have to do with the local gentry?"

"No, Lord Tang. My family, Ping Xibo, was ordered to escort more than 100,000 people from Ningyuan into the customs, and after entering the customs, they lived in several nearby counties. After the Dashun army occupied Beijing, the prefectures and prefectures of did not return to Shun, and the Guannai region did not betray the Ming Dynasty. If I, the Guanning soldiers, had not consulted with the local gentry, once the surrender was announced, wouldn't the people and their families who had entered the customs scattered in the vicinity suffer immediately? Therefore, it was essential to consult with the local gentry who lived in the Acropolis of the Mountains and Seas. Do you say yes? ”

Tang Tong said: "Ziyu, you think very thoughtfully, but I'm afraid that I will have a lot of dreams at night and miss a big event." ”

Zhang Ruoqi said: "Lord Tang, we have to stay for two or three days. ”

Yang Shen said: "What Master Zhang said is that such a big event should not be rushed. It's like steaming buns, the air is not round, and the buns are not ripe. ”

Tang Tong nodded with a wry smile and agreed to stay in Shanhaiwei for two or three days, and then return to Beijing to resume his life. Besides, he has already received the rich Cheng Yi given by Wu Sangui, so it's hard to say more. But after a turn of thought, he had already gone out of Yongguan for thirty miles to welcome Li Zicheng as the Ming Dynasty's edict to seal Xibo, which was like doing speculative business, in a hurry, and the capital was too big; If you can't persuade Shanhaiwei to surrender and even lose your old capital, what is Cheng Yi with two thousand taels of silver! He looked at Wu Sangui again and said:

"Ping Xibo, you and I are friends in trouble on the battlefield of Songshan, and they are the earls of Emperor Chongzhen at the same time, this friendship is extraordinary. In order to send the new master Li Wangqin, Lord Zhang and I came to persuade him to surrender, and he also brought a letter from the old general Lingzun, I thought that we could talk about everything, put our hearts in our hearts, discuss well, and get out of the live chess. We don't say that we made meritorious deeds in front of King Li, at least we should not be held accountable and keep our position safely in the new dynasty. But for this important matter of our persuasion to surrender on the orders of Qin, you Ping Xibo will not even say a word of turning around, so that we will run headlong on the south wall, how can we reply to King Li? ”

Tang Tong's words were full of friend feelings, and he didn't talk about official articles, which made Wu Sangui a little embarrassed. He was conflicted in his heart, smiled wryly, looked at Yang Shen and the other two cronies Wenwu who were drinking with the guests, and then looked at Zhang Ruoqi. His embarrassed demeanor was clearly seen by Zhang Ruoqi. Zhang Ruoqi appreciated Tang Tong's words in his heart. He knew that Tang Tong still had a killer weapon hidden in his stomach, and he refused to use it until he had to. He glanced at Tang Tong and encouraged him to finish his words, but his eyes were only understood by Tang Tong alone, and he actually concealed Wu Sangui and Yang Shen and others.

Tang turned his head and said, "Ping Xibo, my friend in distress, my brother Ren, there is one thing you have made a big mistake! ”

Zhang Ruoqi understood what Tang Tong's words meant, nodded in his heart and said, "Okay, good, this sentence is a good teasing!" Martial artists are not coarse, thick and fine! From tonight onwards, I want to be impressed with General Tang! ”

Tang Tong then said to Wu Sangui: "I have already said that I pour beans from a bamboo tube, and I can't hide words in my stomach, especially for good friends. ”

Wu Sangui asked, "I don't know what Lord Tang said?" ”

Tang Tong said: "Last year's overall situation was not good, and the defeat of the Ming Dynasty was already obvious, like lice crawling on a small bald head, anyone can see it clearly." But at this moment, you were ordered to go to Beijing to report on your work. When you were about to leave Beijing, you brought Mrs. Chen back to Ningyuan, but left the old general Ling Zun and Ling Tang in the capital, wouldn't it be a big mistake? Now the old general has fallen into the hands of King Li and has become a hostage. If you are unfortunately killed, will it not be a lifelong pain? What will the world say about you? What will posterity say about you? Don't you scold you for loving beauty and not loving your parents? Brother Ren, you are smart all your life, and you are confused for a while, what a mistake! ”

Wu Sangui looked sad, sighed, and asked in a low voice, "You don't know the inside story of Jia Yan and his mother staying in Beijing?" ”

Tang Tong had actually heard about it a long time ago, pretended not to know, and deliberately provoked and said: "I am not an official in Beijing, so I don't know anything about it." Nowadays, some people don't know that your parents live in Beijing, and mistakenly think that you have no flesh and blood relatives in Beijing, and there are no people who have a heart, so they decide to resist surrendering to King Li and win the reputation of loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty. Your parents and parents in the Beijing Mansion, married to a good wife, and the whole family of more than 30 people, will be slaughtered at any time, and they weep every day to the east, burn incense and pray, just waiting for you to say a word of surrender. For the sake of the lives of the whole family, the old general Ling Zun wrote you that very earnest letter of persuasion to surrender, are you unmoved? ”

Wu Sangui's heart suddenly felt sour, and his eyes couldn't help but burst into tears. said: "The first emperor worked hard day and night all his life, and he worked hard to govern the country, and he was by no means the king of the country. However, he is suspicious, does not make good use of people, kills ministers at every turn, and lacks grandeur. After the defeat of the Songshan army, many garrisons forts, without soldiers to hold on, fell one after another, Ningyuan still held on, becoming a lonely city outside the Guan. My uncle and grandfather ran out of food in Jinzhou and had to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. From then on, the old friends who had surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and were reused wrote to me to persuade me to surrender. Emperor Taiji of the Qing Dynasty also sent me two letters to persuade me to surrender. I didn't say a word. My uncle was ordered by Huang Taiji to write to me to persuade me to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. I replied to the letter, only talking about family affairs, reporting safety, and not saying a word about state affairs. Despite this, the first emperor was still not at ease with Sangui, so he issued an edict to transfer the family to Beijing and the whole family to move to Beijing, and awarded the false title of commander of the Beijing camp, actually taking my parents and family hostage. After my parents became hostages in Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen relieved himself and summoned me to Beijing to report on my work. If my parents and the whole family had not lived in Beijing and had become hostages in his hands, he would not have dared to summon me to Beijing for fear that I would disobey orders in Ningyuan. Not to mention that at that time, I couldn't have expected that Beijing would fall into the hands of King Li, and Chongzhen would become the king of the fallen country a year later, even if I was an immortal and could know the future, I didn't dare to take my parents back to Ningyuan. As for Mrs. Chen, the situation is different. She's just a new concubine I've bought. As the marshal of the border town, I will bring my concubine back to the station by the way, don't say that the court doesn't know, even if you know, you won't be able to speak. Brother Dingxi Boren, you and I were friends in trouble, but I didn't expect you to know about this situation! ”

Zhang Ruoqi hurriedly smiled and said: "Lord Tang was originally a marshal of a border town, and he was not an official in the imperial court, so he didn't know the inside story of Ling Zun's promotion to the governor of Beijing. He just listened to other people's gossip and said nonsense, Ping Xibo, you only need beauties, not parents. He didn't notice it for a while, and said bluntly after drinking, although it was slightly disrespectful, it was also out of good intentions. Uncle is in a current situation, not only for the victory of the dynasty, but also for the parents and filial sons, it is difficult! It's hard! It's late at night, so there's no need to talk about it. But please tomorrow when the uncle and the civil and military dignitaries under his command discuss and fight the plan, they can come up with a proposition, pay tribute to King Li, and live a game of dead chess. He turned to look at Yang Shen and asked, "Vice General Yang, rest tonight, what do you think?" ”

Yang Shen replied perfunctorily: "That's good." Tomorrow in the secret business time, please my uncle to make more proposals. ”

At this time, after the third watch, Wu Sangui took Yang Shen and two other civil and military cronies who accompanied the guests to send the two messengers of Dashun to the guest house in the courtyard to rest. There are two servants in front of them carrying official rank yarn lanterns, and two servants in the back holding two packs of a total of 80 ingots. At present, it is already the late spring and early summer season, the weather is clear, and the northwest wind and the cold wave brought by the northwest wind and the northwest wind that are common in the late spring and early summer of previous years are blocked by the towering Yanshan Mountain Range, so the climate in Shanhai City is particularly mild. I don't know if it's because of the warm climate, or because they drank a few more glasses of good wine, Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi were in a more comfortable mood and talked and laughed on the way to the hotel.

The place to entertain the two Qincha is called the Qincha Xingguan, which is a quiet courtyard next to Wu Sangui Xingyuan, with three upper rooms, and the two rooms are occupied by Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi, and the bed tents are very particular. There was also a small bed in the room for their respective personal servants to sleep. There were also many houses in the courtyard, and the officers and soldiers who came with them lived in the same courtyard.

After Wu Sangui sent the guests, he did not stay, told them to rest well, and said goodbye. Tang and Zhang were indeed very tired, but they quickly counted their ingots, and the amount of forty ingots per person was good, and then ordered the servants to divide them into horse coats. The servant brought them hot water, washed their feet, and prepared them to bed.

Tang Tong's subordinate Qianzong and the official in charge surnamed Wang came in with a gentle footstep to report that tonight Pingxi Bo Xingyuan sent someone to send three hundred taels of silver to reward the officers and soldiers and slaves who came with him, and they have all been dispersed.

Tang Tong was very happy in his heart, and felt that Wu Sangui was still very friendly. When Mr. Wang Qian was about to report to him in detail, he waved his hand to prevent Mr. Wang Qian from continuing, and quickly asked:

"I originally instructed you to have old acquaintances and relatives in the Guanning Ming army, you can look for them and find out a little news about the Manchurians, have you gone?"

Mr. Qian replied: "The gate of the hospital is heavily guarded, and no one can go out." ”

"Huh? Can't get out? ”

Mr. Wang Qian whispered: "I don't know why the entrance control in this small courtyard is very strict, our officers and soldiers can't go out, and the officers and soldiers outside can't come in. ”

Tang Tong's eyes widened in surprise and said, "Strange! Blame! I and Lord Zhang are the ministers sent by Emperor Dashun to sacrifice the army and surrender, why can't our entourage go out of the gate?! ”

Zhang Ruoqi was raising his head from the pillow to listen carefully, and heard Tang Tong's voice raise with anger. He got up and walked out of his clothes, quietly asked about the situation, and then waved his hand to Tang Tong and Wang Qianzong, and whispered:

"No matter what the intentions of the military attache guarding the gate are, we are now in Wu Ying, we can only endure everywhere, and we must not pretend to be the envoy of Dashun Qin. Tomorrow, after Wu Pingxi consulted with his cronies, civil and military and local gentry, he naturally understood whether he was willing to surrender to Dashun or not. If we surrender, everything will be fine, and we have done a great service; Otherwise, we only want to return to Beijing as soon as possible to resume our lives, and we can't ...... here" He didn't want to say very unlucky words, looked at Tang Tong and Wang Qianzong, and said no more.

Tang Tong said, "Okay, let's just rest for now." Whether it's good or bad, let's see tomorrow! ”

Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi's originally happy mood suddenly disappeared, turning into suspicion, shock and disappointment. Although they did not know for a moment why this had changed, the reality was terrible: they and the officers and soldiers who came with them were placed under house arrest.

In recent days, Wu Sangui's greatest concern for the news in Shenyang is no longer whether the Qing troops will go south, but to know exactly when the Qing troops will go south, how large their strength will be, where they will enter the Great Wall, and who will lead the troops southward. The arrival of the Great Shun Chin Cha made these messages even more important. After sending Tang and Zhang to the inn last night, he also quickly returned to the inner house. I wanted to have a good rest, but I was disturbed by these things, tossing and turning, and almost sleepless all night. Fortunately, at dawn, a scout horse galloped back from Ning Yuan and heard all the news clearly.

In order to show special courtesy to the two soldiers who came from Beijing, Wu Sangui still invited Tang and Zhang to Pingxibo for breakfast today. Wu Sangui and Yang Shen accompanied them, and their attitudes were more cordial than at the last banquet last night. Before going to bed last night, Tang Tong's stomach was full of doubts and resentment, and he suddenly relaxed, secretly blaming himself for not being careful. But after all, he was a martial artist, and after drinking a glass of hot wine, he took advantage of the wine, looked at Wu Sangui and said:

"Brother Yueshoren, we are friends in distress on the battlefield of Songshan, no matter whether we are persuaded to surrender or not, our friendship is still there. I didn't know the truth for a while last night, I mistakenly thought that you had put me and Master Zhang under house arrest, and I was wrong to blame Brother Ren. When he said that, he laughed to himself.

Wu Sangui understood in his heart, and deliberately asked, "Why do you say this?" ”

"I heard from my entourage last night that since they arrived at the inn, the door has been heavily guarded, and they are not allowed to go out to visit their friends for a day, nor are they allowed to come in to see them. They said they were under house arrest. ”

Wu Sangui pretended to be surprised and asked Yang Shen, "Do you know about this situation?" ”

Yang Shen nodded with a smile: "I know." This is the case today, lest anything unexpected happen. ”

"Why?"

"We, the Guanning soldiers, are loyal to the Ming Dynasty and have always been loyal to our country's barriers. When it was mentioned that the thieves broke through Beijing and forced the emperor to death, he was heartbroken. After the arrival of the two Qincha yesterday, the Guanning soldiers and the local loyal and righteous soldiers were in a mood for each other, and secretly discussed their intention to kill the two Qincha. The general was reported, and as a precautionary measure, the general immediately ordered that the inn where Lord Chincha lived be on guard, and that no one inside was allowed to come out, and no one outside was allowed to enter, nor was he allowed to approach the gate. ”

Wu Sangui said: "It's naturally good that you are so cautious and careful, but why don't you ask me for instructions before giving the order, and don't report to me after the order?" ”

"Jun Zuo is so busy, it's such a routine, why bother Jun Zuo?"

Wu Sangui nodded, indicating understanding. "Ahh

"Although Deputy General Yang is just in case, out of good intentions, he should be commended for making this precautionary arrangement; But he shouldn't have been careless, and even I didn't know about it, and he didn't tell the two adults, causing them to misunderstand. After speaking, he laughed and asked Yang Shen again, "Do you still have to be on guard today?" ”

"I would like to say that Uncle and the two Qincha lords have to be strictly guarded today until tomorrow when the two Qincha leave for Beijing."

Tang Tong said to Yang Shen: "Ziyu, I only know now that you mean well, I blamed you last night." Master Zhang, you were a little angry last night, weren't you? ”

After all, Zhang Ruoqi was born as a jinshi, and he has been a civilian official in the military department for many years, and he is more detailed. I woke up from a nightmare at dawn today, and thought about the house arrest of him, Tang Tong and the accompanying officers and soldiers. He guessed that in recent days, Wu Sangui must have colluded with the Manchurian side, and everyone in the Shanhai Guards knew about it. In order not to leak the news, Wu Sangui used the excuse of strengthening the security guards for Qincha Security, so that they mistakenly believed that they were under house arrest. He often thinks that his family is in troubled times, and the fortunes of the country are falling apart, so he can be said to have a lot of experience in the world. He believes that the world is full of clues, truth and falsehood, right and wrong, good and evil, friend and foe, and there is often only a layer of thin paper between the two. Not piercing this thin piece of paper is beneficial to both parties, and it can be said that there are many benefits. What's more, it is already clear in his heart that Li Zicheng is not the master of entrepreneurship, and maybe he will use Wu Sangui in the future. This is secretly cost-effective in his heart, so he just listened to the conversation between Tang Tong and Wu Sangui with a smile and did not say a word. It wasn't until Tang Tong finally asked him that he said:

"I was so tired yesterday that I slept until dawn." He turned to Wu Sangui and said, "It is very important for the generals of Guanning to discuss the plan today. I hope that the earl will come up with a proposition, so that we can go back to Beijing and report to King Li. ”

Wu Sangui smiled and said nothing.

In the morning, Wu Sangui held a secret military meeting, which was attended only by generals above the rank of adjutant general and a small number of staff members among civilian officials. Everyone knew that the Qing troops would soon go south, and they were even more emboldened to oppose Li Zicheng. So there were many people at the meeting who were impassioned and waved their fists.

At noon, a banquet was still held in the middle of the line to entertain the Qincha. Before the banquet, Wu Sangui invited the two Qincha to the small study in the second gate for a secret talk, explaining that he had secretly discussed the results with the military officers under his command, and swore loyalty to the Ming Dynasty and would never surrender. If the thieves came to attack, he decided to lead the Guan Ning soldiers to fight to the death in Shanhaiwei, and would rather be broken than destroyed. He begged the two envoys not to mention the matter of persuasion at the banquet, so as not to cause displeasure. Although Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi also prepared for the worst, such a result still made them feel disappointed and surprised. Tang Tong asked:

"Ping Xibo, have you received the definite news that the Manchurian soldiers are about to go south?"

"On the Manchurian side, I don't have any news. Since I withdrew my troops from Ningyuan and entered the customs, I only sent Xizuo to spy on the news from Beijing, and no longer cared about the news from Shenyang, so I didn't know anything about the movements in Manchuria. ”

"Did you write a letter of reply to King Li?"

"If you do not submit to him and do not crusade against him, this book will not be written."

"How about writing a book to Prime Minister Niu Cheng?"

"He is the prime minister of your Shun Dynasty, I am Ping Xibo of the Ming Dynasty, evil and righteousness are not in the same stream, officials and thieves have no personal relationship, and this book is not easy to write."

Zhang Ruoqi felt helpless and demanded: "The two of us are ordered by King Li and Prime Minister Niu Cheng to carry a lot of gold and a lot of silk and satin to come to the army, you have to let us bring back a receipt, right?" ”

"Okay, I've ordered my men to get ready, and I'll leave it to you when you leave."

Tang Tong said: "Since you refuse to surrender, we will set off this afternoon, rush back to Beijing in the starry night, and report to King Li. ”

Wu Sangui said: "The two adults have the king's order, and the younger brother does not dare to force him to stay. Fearing that someone on the road might say that you were the messengers of the thieves and would hurt you, I have instructed Adjutant General Yang to send a proper junior general with a hundred cavalry, and take my command banner to escort you to the west of Yongping. Fearing that the people on the road would be hungry and lacking food, they prepared for you enough wine, meat, food, and forage. ”

Tang Tong said: "You think so thoughtfully, it can be seen that although persuasion fails, our old friendship is still there." ”

Wu Sangui also said: "Originally, a feast should be set up for you today, but one is to avoid the spread to Beijing City that is not good for you, and the other is to have some private things to talk about, so I set up a banquet in this study to see you off. Because Mrs. Chen will also come out to pour wine for you, even if it is a family banquet. ”

At this time, Yang Shen came in and sat down on a chair.

Wu Sangui asked, "Ziyu, is everything arranged?" ”

"Are you ready, let's start eating?"

"Let's serve the food, they'll leave in the afternoon."

Yang Shen gave an order to the servants standing outside the door, and immediately two servants came in and set up the table and chairs of the Eight Immortals outside. After a few more moments, dishes and mulled wine were served. The main purpose of the small-scale family banquet at noon today is to facilitate quiet goodbye and not to eat and drink. There are not many dishes, but they are exquisite.

After Tang Tong drank a large glass of hot wine, he asked bluntly: "Ping Xibo, no matter what the result of our persuasion is, it is a business matter; In terms of personal affairs, we are still friends in distress. As the saying goes, people will see people for a long time. I'm a rough guy and I like to speak outspokenly. Although you claim to have elite soldiers, according to my estimation, you are no more than 30,000 elite soldiers, right? ”

Wu Sangui smiled but did not answer.

Tang Tong asked again: "Since you only have 30,000 horses, you dare to rely on the mountains and seas to defend the projectile of the lonely city, lack of food and grass inside, and no reinforcements outside, you must know that the Manchurians are about to go south, so you dare to confront King Li, do you think I guessed right?" ”

Wu Sangui was shocked in his heart, and secretly said: "Tang Tong is not simple! He was about to say perfunctory, when he overheard Ding Dong ringing in the courtyard, and knew that it was Mrs. Chen pouring wine.

The first to come was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl brought from Beijing, with a slight appearance, and in the back came Chen Yuanyuan, who was a radiant person. In an instant, not only the room is full of light, but also brings in a burst of fragrance. Except for Wu Sangui, who was smiling and sitting still, the two VIPs and Yang Shen all quickly got up. Tang Tong took advantage of this opportunity to look at Chen Yuanyuan seriously, and when he met Chen Yuanyuan's gaze unexpectedly, his heart moved, he didn't dare to look more, and he didn't know what to say, but secretly exclaimed with envy:

"Obediently, Wu Pingxi is really blessed!"

Chen Yuanyuan took the wine jug from Yahuan's hand, poured wine for Tang Tong first, and at the same time said with a gentle and sweet smile, in the so-called Wu Nong's soft language:

"May Lord Tang's official fortune be prosperous and rise step by step."

Tang Tong's eyes fell on Chen Yuanyuan's white, tender and small hand, and he sighed unconsciously in his heart: "Good girl, how long is this hand!" Maybe it was because the wine glass was too full, maybe it was because he was absent-minded for a while, Tang Tong shook the wine glass in his hand, and some of the good wine spilled on the table, and he drank the rest and laughed for no reason.

Chen Yuanyuan then poured wine for Zhang Ruoqi and said the same wishes. Then pour wine for Yang Shen and say the word "please". Finally, she poured wine for her own husband. When she poured wine for Wu Sangui, she didn't say a word, but a smile bloomed from the corner of her mouth intentionally or unintentionally, and at the same time, she passed amorous autumn waves to him.

She didn't say a word again, and left the study with a youthful look, an elegant demeanor, a light fragrance, a graceful figure, a ring of Ding Dongsheng and a sweet smile.

Tang Tong was originally very concerned about the news of the Manchurian soldiers' southward movement, and had just asked Wu Sangui a question, and was about to answer, but Chen Yuanyuan came in to pour wine and interrupted the conversation. After Chen Yuanyuan left, Tang Tong's mind was confused, and he no longer cared about the southward movement of the Qing soldiers, and raised his glass to Wu Sangui and said with a smile:

"Brother Yue, you are really blessed and so smart, so that the foolish brother is envious! Fortunately, as soon as you got Mrs. Chen last year, you immediately brought her back to Ningyuan. If she is left in Beijing, even if she can avoid death, she will definitely be snatched by Liu Zongmin and taken as a concubine. ”

Zhang Ruoqi felt that Tang Tong was very indecent when he said this. He immediately went on to say:

That's not true. At present, Ping Xibo's Ling Zun Wu Lao General, Ling Tangzu's wife, and more than 30 members of his family in Beijing have been taken care of by King Li and become hostages. Although Mrs. Chen is a Jiangnan socialite, how can her important status be compared with her parents, nor can she be compared with her wife, Mrs. Cao! ”

Tang Tong hurriedly said, "Yes, yes." Forgive me for my gaffes, gaffes. ”

Zhang Ruoqi said again: "Take a step back and say, if Mrs. Chen is robbed by Liu Zongmin, in order to ascend to the pole in Beijing, King Li must have already dressed Mrs. Chen as a decoration, used a sedan chair to preach, and sent mountains and seas!" Why don't you send me to come to the army with a lot of money! ”

Wu Sangui was afraid that Tang Tong would not be able to get off the stage, so he needed to quickly diverge the conversation, so he said to Zhang Ruoqi: "Zhang Da Sima, since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety cannot be both, how can I save my parents from dying at the hands of Li Thief?" ”

Zhang Ruoqi groaned slightly, and said to Wu Sangui: "When I came with General Tang, I brought a letter to you from the old General Lingzun, calling it Li Wang Deyi and persuading you to surrender. I heard that Ling Zun's letter to his family was written by Prime Minister Niu Cheng, at least after he personally revised it, which shows that King Li attaches great importance to this letter of persuasion. I asked you last night how to reply to Ling Zun, and you said that you would write a reply in two days and send someone to Beijing. I'm not stupid. I know in my heart that you are unwilling to write a reply letter and bring it to Beijing by us, because you know the news that the Qing soldiers are about to march south, but it is just to delay the arrival of Li Wang Xing's troops. Pinxiber, do you mean this? ”

Wu Sangui was silent for a moment, looking at Yang Shen. Yang Shen understood from the conversation yesterday that the two Qincha from Beijing and Li Zicheng were not of the same mind, and he had quietly suggested to Wu Sangui that he should use the two Qincha and use them for my own use. He saw that Wu Sangui wanted to use Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi at the moment, but he still didn't dare to speak deeply, so he had to encourage Wu Sangui to be bold with his eyes. Wu Sangui raised his glass to the two guests again, and then said:

As the saying goes, don't tell lies to real people. As far as I can see, although you two have surrendered to King Li, you have not yet become King Li's true confidants, and King Li will not take you as his own. King Li is not the founder of the country like Han Gaozu and Tang Taizong, he only trusts his fellow villagers in Shaanxi, and only believes in the old people of the old Eighth Team. The characters who followed him later were only two or three people when he entered Henan and worked hard to start a business. I understand this truth, so you came to the mountains and seas to sacrifice the army on the order of King Li, and I don't see the two of you as King Li's people in my heart, but only as my old friends, who were friends in the battle of Songshan, and were once in the same boat through thick and thin. He looked at Yang Shen and asked, "Ziyu, did I say that to you before the two of them came to Shanhaiwei?" ”

Yang Shen raised a toast to the VIPs and hurriedly said, "What my uncle said is all heartfelt. ”

Tang Tong said suddenly: "Brother Yuesuoren, as soon as we return to Beijing, King Li will see that you refuse to surrender, and he will definitely treat you as his confidant and send troops to come, your troops are not his opponents!" Do you know when the Manchurian soldiers went south? ”

"The foolish brother really doesn't know anything. Since the fall of Beijing, I have only cared about news from Beijing, not about Shenyang. ”

Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi scolded in their hearts at the same time: "Nonsense! ”

Wu Sangui continued: "As for my strength being invincible to the thieves, I am not afraid of this. The people of Ningyuan who came to the pass, among them are many Ding Zhuang, as long as I call for it, there will be twenty or thirty thousand soldiers immediately. ”

Tang Tong asked: "I believe this, but what about the grain?" ”

"I have food, which can support it for at least half a year. Before I withdrew my troops from Ningyuan, no matter how difficult it was for the Ming Dynasty, in order to support the barrier outside the Guan, grain was continuously transported by sea to Juehua Island on the coast of Ningyuan, and when I was about to withdraw my troops, all of them were transported from Juehua Island to the seashore of Shanhaiwei. ”

Tang Tong asked again: "Do you think that if King Li leads a large army to attack, how long can you be trapped in the isolated city of Shanhaiwei?" ”

Wu Sangui said: "First, I have tens of thousands of elite soldiers in Guanning, loyal to the Ming Dynasty, and all of them are united; Second, I have food from Kyaw Wah Island, which can last for several months; Thirdly, I am waiting for work with ease; Fourth, Ning Yuan has a lot of firearms, as well as red-coated cannons, all of which I have shipped. Therefore, I hope that King Li will not come to attack and that he will be safe with me. If you come to me to fight......"

Tang Tong suddenly asked, "Do you plan to borrow troops from Manchuria?" ”

"I'm not going to do that. I am the frontier general of the Ming Dynasty, and Manchuria has always been an enemy, although the country is lost at this time, but I still have to defend this lonely city of mountains and seas for the Ming Dynasty, waiting for the righteous teachers of the king of Qin in the south to restore the country. ”

Zhang Ruoqi knew in his heart that the more Wu Sangui avoided talking about the news of the Qing army's southward movement, the more it could prove that the matter of the Qing army's southward movement was like an arrow on the bow, and it would not last long. But he is willing to maintain a friendship relationship with Wu Sangui, maybe it will be very useful to him in the future. He said:

"Ping Xibo, we were in the same boat through thick and thin on the battlefield of Songshan two years ago, and we still treat each other as old people today. I ask you, is there anything you can help with? ”

Wu Sangui hurriedly said, "Yes, yes." I need help from both of you. ”

Tang Tong asked, "What's the matter?" ”

Wu Sangui said: "From yesterday to today, I have repeatedly told the two of you that I will never surrender, because you are my friends in distress, and I will not tell lies to real people. But don't be so straightforward when you return to Beijing to report to King Li, you might as well be tactful. ”

Tang Tong: "What do we say?" ”

Wu Sangui: "Don't say that I have no intention of surrendering, just say that I am still hesitating, and I, Wu Sangui, will make it clear in my reply to my father in two days." ”

Zhang Ruoqi was shocked in his heart and thought, "Ah, he just wants to delay the army for two days!" The day of the Qing army's southward march is near! But he did not break the paper and replied:

"It's easy, let's do what you ask. I just said that you promised to continue to discuss carefully with the generals again, whether to surrender or not, and to send someone to send a book to explain it in two days, without delay. ”

Wu Sangui hurriedly said: "I only wrote a letter to the old general of Jiayan, showing that I would rather smear my liver and brains, break my bones, and swear to be a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty, and never surrender to the thieves, leaving behind infamy through the ages." ”

The two persuaded Qincha to surrender, their hearts moved, their faces turned cold, and they stopped talking for a long time. They have already understood that Li Zicheng may not be the real founder of the country, and if the Qing army goes south, I am afraid it will inevitably fail. In order to rush for the two Qincha to leave in the afternoon, they ended the send-off luncheon, turned to the inner room and sat down, changed into fragrant tea, and talked for a while.

Zhang Ruoqi asked Wu Sangui, "Uncle about his refusal to surrender to King Li, how do you plan to phrase it in your family letter?" Should you write in a more tactful tone? ”

Wu Sangui replied: "I am struggling with the wording of this letter. You think, since loyalty and filial piety cannot be both, I will never agree to surrender in my letter. But if I don't surrender, my parents' lives will not be saved. Hence the difficulty of wording......"

Zhang Ruoqi sighed and said: "Uncle is so loyal to the Ming Dynasty and has no hesitation, it is really respectable. Xia Guan has read the books of sages since he was a child, and he was born as a scholar and was a high-ranking official, so he couldn't be loyal to the Ming Dynasty, and he was really ashamed. The wording of this book is really difficult, difficult! ”

Yang Shen said: "Lord Zhang is full of economy and resourcefulness, can't he think of a good way?" ”

Wu Sangui heard Yang Shen say this, his expression was sad, he almost rolled out of tears, sighed and said: "I really don't hide it from the two envoys, although the younger brother is not good, he does not dare to compare with the ancient filial sons, but people are not grass and trees, and the younger brother also has the same heart." The younger brother did not mourn for the first emperor, and swore to beg for thieves in the mountains and seas, just because his parents were in Beijing, but he was afraid that his parents and the whole family would be slaughtered first. Alas! In the end, loyalty and filial piety cannot be both! Suddenly, I couldn't bear it anymore, and tears welled up in my eyes.

Yang Shen saw his boss crying, looked at Zhang Ruoqi and asked, "Lord Zhang, do you have any good ideas?" ”

Zhang Ruoqi lowered his head, shook his head slightly, thought for a moment, suddenly slapped his knees, raised his head, and said proudly:

"There it is! Pregnant! ”

Tang Tong, who had been sitting in the chair silently, hurriedly asked, "Lord Zhang, how are the words in the letter?" ”

Zhang Ruoqi thought for a moment before deciding to say his idea. He first thought that since Wu Sangui did not surrender, he would have something to fear; It is not the one who is afraid of it, it must be the Manchurian soldiers who are about to go south. He judged from his words and observations in the past two days: There is no doubt that the Manchurian troops will go south recently. He thought that if Li Zicheng was defeated in the first battle, Li Zicheng would not have time to kill Wu Xiang, and the Guan Ning soldiers or Manchurian soldiers might be able to recapture Wu Xiang on the battlefield, or they might force Li Zicheng to release Wu Xiang. He also thought that at present, there was no other way but to imitate Han Gaozu. So, he said in a tone that was half reciting and half explaining:

"In the past, Chu and Han fought against each other, and the Han king Liu Bang and Xiang Wang both came to Guangwu and held each other for several months. The Chu army was short of food, and King Xiang suffered. Before this, King Xiang captured Liu Bang's father and wife and stayed in the army. At this time, King Xiang put a big case in front of the battle, tied Liu Bang's father to the case, and put a large pot next to it, so that people told the king of Han: 'If you don't withdraw today, I will cook your father.' The king of Han replied, 'Xiang Yuju and I have been appointed to conceive the king in the north, and we are about brothers.' My Lao Tzu is your Lao Tzu. If you must cook your old man, please give me a cup of broth. King Xiang was furious and wanted to kill Liu Bang's son. Uncle Xiang, who is Xiang Yu's uncle, said to Xiang Yu: "The affairs of the world may not be accurate, and the people who want to fight the world do not care about their families, and you kill Liu Bang's Lao Tzu not only is useless, but increases hatred." Xiang Yu listened to the advice, not only did he not kill Liu Bang's son, but later let them go, even Liu Bang's wife. ”

Wu Sangui didn't quite understand Zhang Ruoqi's true intentions, and asked: "Lord Zhang, Li Zicheng hasn't said that he wants to kill Jia Yan yet, how do I phrase it in my family letter?" ”

Zhang Ruoqi: "Hi, Ping Xibo, you are too honest!" Now in your letter to your family, the more mercilessly you order the old general, reproaching him for not being martyred, and not being able to carry a sword into the palace to kill the Li thief......"

"How can he enter the palace?" Tang Tong asked.

"Hey, this is a ploy, not a serious one! Regardless of whether the old general Wu can do it or not, as long as Ping Xibo scolds the old general Lingzun in his family letter, scolds him ruthlessly, and scolds him Lingzun for deserving death, he can save the old general's life. Don't you understand? I don't know who came up with the idea for Liu Bang, Liu Bang used this method to save his Lao Tzu's life, and also saved the life of his wife Lu Hou! He suddenly turned to Yang Shen: "General Ziyu, do you understand what I mean?" ”

Yang Shen scolded in his heart: "This crooked idea of yours is going to send more than 30 people from my uncle's house to death!" He didn't dare to say a word, but he couldn't think of a past event in an instant: almost two years ago, Hong Chengchou led eight general soldiers and 150,000 troops to rescue Jinzhou. Governor Hong was originally steady and steady, gradually advancing, but Zhang Ruoqi, a dog-headed military advisor, claimed to know military affairs and came from the Yamen of the Ministry of War, was somehow appreciated by Emperor Chongzhen, and Qin sent him to Songshan to supervise the army, and even Governor Hong Chengchou did not dare not listen to his opinion. He continued to urge the battle, and the whole army was defeated. Now he has come up with a bad idea again, it is really a night owl who enters the house, and there is no bad thing that does not come in! His eyes turned to Tang Tong's face, wanting to hear the opinion of this general who was in the general army, and asked respectfully:

"Lord Tang has seen a lot, please see if Lord Zhang's idea is feasible?"

Tang Tong thought in his heart that Zhang Ruoqi was pointing out a dangerous move, and it was likely to cost Wu Sangui's family the life of his family in Beijing, but what if this risky move was useful? He pondered for a moment, and then replied:

"You here, the literary and martial arts, there are many talents, and there are groups of strategists. There are still two days to go, so why not let everyone discuss? ”

Yang Shen was very disappointed with Tang Tong's answer. Among Wu Sangui's staff and generals, they have always focused on the question of whether to surrender or not, and did not expect that there would be a letter from the old general Wu Xiang to persuade him to surrender. They had already made up their minds to stick to Shanhaiguan, never surrender, and waited for the Qing troops to move south. Since yesterday, Tang Tong and Zhang Ruoqi brought a letter from the old general Wu Xiang to persuade them to surrender, which suddenly attracted everyone's attention to this problem, but they could not discuss a proper countermeasure. Yang Shen saw that Tang Tong couldn't give a good opinion, so he rethought the risky move pointed out by Zhang Ruoqi. He thought, as the saying goes, if you are in a hurry, you might as well try the prescription prescribed by Master Zhang? ……

Yang Shen didn't dare to answer lightly, looked at Wu Sangui, and met Wu's questioning eyes. At this moment, a partial general under Wu Sangui came in and stood outside the door to report:

"Respect Lord Earl, Master Tang's men and horses have already stood in line, and the hundred cavalry we sent to escort are also in line, do you want to leave immediately?"

Wu Sangui and the two Dashun Qincha who came to persuade the army to surrender glanced at each other, and then ordered:

"Let's go."

After Wu Sangui sent away the two envoys sent by Li Zicheng to reward the army and persuade him to surrender, on the one hand, he made preparations for the battle, and on the other hand, ordered two civilian staff members to draft a letter on his behalf, not only saying that he would never surrender to Li Zicheng, but also bitterly reprimanding his father for not being able to kill Li Zicheng and be loyal to the Ming Dynasty. After the letter was sent to Beijing, he knew that it would inevitably provoke Li Zicheng's anger and that war would be inevitable. Therefore, while listening to the news of Li Zicheng's troops, he stepped up his efforts to listen to the movements in Shenyang, preparing to borrow troops from the Qing Dynasty.

At the same time, he ordered to work day and night, repaired the gap in the wall of Xiluo City, and transported the large and small firearms guarding Ningyuan City to Xiluo City in Shanhaiwei. The Ming Dynasty stored two red-coated cannons in Ningyuan, which once exerted their might when resisting the siege of Ningyuan by Manchurian soldiers, causing Nurhachi to suffer a great setback. It was once rumored that Nurhachi was wounded by artillery while directing the siege and died on the way back to Shenyang. Although it is only a legend that Nurhachi actually suffered from a slump on his back and died, it is indeed a fact that when Nurhachi commanded the attack on Ningyuan City in 1626, due to the heavy artillery fire on the city and the heavy casualties of the Manchurian soldiers, Nurhachi was forced to retreat. After the Battle of Songshan, the Qing soldiers quickly encroached on the large and small castles near Ningyuan, but they never entered Ningyuan, because Ningyuan had more cannons, and the Qing soldiers had suffered a big loss under the city. Now a fort has been built on the city of Silo, and the red-coated cannons have been erected.

The second important task of Wu Sangui's preparations for the war was to replenish the men. The number of people who entered the customs with him was only about 100,000. At the beginning, in order to exaggerate the merits, and also to ask the court for money afterwards, he falsely reported that he was "500,000 people". These 100,000 people who have migrated from the interior are scattered in the counties near Guannei, and their lives have not yet been stabilized, and there are also various contradictions with the local people, so it is necessary to leave young and middle-aged people to take care of the old and weak women who have entered the Guan, take care of production, and take care of safety. It is not easy to be able to draw a few thousand people to replenish the army in a hurry. Therefore, Wu Sangui was ready to defend Shanhai City, and the total number of soldiers was only more than 30,000, falsely claiming to be 50,000. He heard that Li Zicheng's Eastern Expeditionary Army claimed to be 200,000, even if it was reduced by half, it was only 100,000, which was more than twice as many as his Guanning soldiers, and should not be taken lightly. He sent people overnight to transfer all the men and horses stationed in Yongping back to Shanhaiwei. He also summoned some of his cronies, generals and staff, and also invited several local gentry to hold a meeting overnight to discuss the matter of borrowing troops from the Qing Dynasty.

During the discussion, almost everyone listened to Ping Xibo's generous words and did not dare to speak casually. 吴三桂 says:

"Up to now, no matter how difficult it is, we all vow to be loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty, avenge the first emperor, and restore the country for the Ming Dynasty. It is an expedient measure to borrow troops from the Qing Dynasty to help our dynasty exterminate the thieves. Since ancient times, there have been many examples of a country in trouble, asking for help from neighboring countries, and restoring social security. All the civil officials and local gentry here today are full of poetry and books, and they are well-versed in the past and the present; Although the military generals don't read much, they have also heard operas. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was a Shen Baoxu ...... "He was afraid that he would not remember clearly, so he glanced at the most famous local gentry who was sitting in a precarious position and listened solemnly, and he was also the only one who raised people, She Yiyuan, and asked: "Is the one who ran to Qin to ask for help in order to restore the society of Chu State?" ”

She Juren replied respectfully: "It's called Shen Baoxu, and this famous story is called 'Shen Baoxu crying Qin Ting'." And ......"

Wu Sangui asked, "Who else?" ”

She Yiyuan himself didn't know why, maybe it was out of sensitivity, maybe he heard some rumors, and suddenly thought of the character Shi Jingjiao, but he was suddenly shocked, thinking that in the current sinister situation, if he was not careful, he would be killed if he said the wrong word, so he quickly changed his words and said:

"I just heard the uncle's words of deep righteousness, and knew that the 50,000 soldiers of Guanning were inspired by the uncle's loyalty and righteousness to raise the teacher to fight the thief. Shanhaiwei and the people of nearby states and counties, whether wise or foolish, all of them are of the same mind and wholeheartedly support them. The annals of posterity's book will be called 'closing the door and raising righteousness', and it will be passed down for a long time. Uncle mentioned that Shen Baoxu begged for a teacher from the Qin State, and Yiyuan stole that Shen Baoxu could not specialize in the past, and the uncle borrowed troops from the Qing Dynasty to restore the country, and today's Shen Baoxu is also. ”

Wu Sangui nodded: "She Juren is a learned person in the end, what he said is very true. Ben Jue decided to borrow troops from Manchuria, and he also followed Shen Baoxu to beg for troops from Qin. He paused for a moment to dispel the doubts of the local gentry, and then said: "I am borrowing troops from Manchuria, and I am by no means surrendering to Manchuria. The Manchurians will never come to Shanhaiwei, and I will never let the Manchurians come to Shanhaiwei. Please rest assured that the gentry will be assured. ”

A gentry timidly asked: "May I ask Junzuo, where will the Manchurians enter the Great Wall, join forces with our Guanning army, fight side by side, and defeat the thieves?" ”

Wu Sangui said: "During the Chongzhen period, the Manchurians invaded the interior several times, and they all chose a place from the Chinese Association or the Western Association, entered the Great Wall, threatened Beijing, penetrated deep into the interior, and returned with plunder. Sheju people know all these things, right? ”

She Yiyuan replied: "I would like to return to Junzuo, Yiyuan can roughly remember because he has paid attention to current affairs in recent years." The first time the Manchurian soldiers invaded was in November of the second year of Chongzhen, and the Manchurian soldiers invaded the south on three routes, all the way to Daankou, all the way to Youjingkou, and all the way to Malan Valley. These three Great Wall mouths are all in Zunhua County. The second invasion of the Manchurian soldiers was in September of the 11th year of Chongzhen, all the way from Qingshankou to the Great Wall, all the way from the wall of the ridge into the Great Wall, all in Miyun County. The third invasion of Manchuria was in November of the 15th year of Chongzhen, and it was still from the north of Miyun County that the Great Wall entered the Great Wall. The above three large-scale southern invasions all entered the Great Wall from Zunhua and Miyun. ”

Wu Sangui nodded frequently, looked at everyone and said, "Okay, good." She Juren is worthy of being a well-educated person of Shanhaiwei and pays attention to current affairs. According to the reports we have received, the Qing troops have already been dispatched from Shenyang, and there are many men and horses, which is much higher than in previous years. This time, the commander of the army went south was Prince Rui Dorgon, who was renamed regent from auxiliary king, and ruled the regent's military and political power on behalf of the young lord. We also heard a very definite and very important piece of news about our army's crusade against the thieves in Shanhai City...... She Juren, you just said four words, how did you say it? ”

"I said that the history of the record will be called 'closing the door and raising righteousness', and it will be passed down for a long time."

"Yes, yes. This solid news is already ironclad, and it will not change again. The strategy of the Manchurian regent to march into the army was the same as in previous years, and it was very beneficial to the 'closing of the door and the righteousness' of the people of our mountain. Wu Sangui saw that the gentry still had a look on their faces that they didn't understand very well, and said to everyone: "The regent has decided to find an opening from the Central Association and the Western Association to enter the Central Plains, first occupy a city as a place to garrison troops, and then enter to suppress the thieves and break through the Beijing Division. ”

He paused, and suddenly raised his voice and said: "Ben Jue swears allegiance to the Ming Dynasty to the death, and he will not share the sky with the thieves. ”

The civil and military dignitaries and local gentry present were all moved by Wu Sangui's loyalty and filial piety.

"Although Sangui is a military general," Wu Sangui continued, "he doesn't learn, but he is not a grass and tree, and he has no loyalty and filial piety." Since the thieves captured Beijing, Sangui has deeply cherished the pain of losing his country and the sorrow of losing his family. I invite you to come here today in order to inform you of two things: First, I am determined to lead the Guanning soldiers to fight the thieves without hesitation. The second ......"

Wu Sangui looked around and saw that everyone in the audience was holding their breath and waiting for the following, so he continued: "This is an excellent opportunity, I want to borrow Dolgon's knife to cut Li Zicheng's neck." Today, I will send a powerful general, carrying a book on borrowing troops, to meet the regent of the Qing Dynasty on the road, and state my intention to borrow troops from the Qing Dynasty to restore the country. It shows that I lure the enemy deep here, so that the Central Association and the Western Association will not be defended by thieves, so that the regent can lead the Qing Dynasty army into the Great Wall smoothly, so that the Li thief can not take care of the tail, and the front and back at the same time will fight hard, and fall into the situation of inevitable defeat. As long as the Li thief is defeated in a battle, it will not be difficult to recover Shenzhou. ”

The gentry thought that Pingxibo's strategy was reasonable, and everyone listened respectfully and nodded slightly. One gentleman boldly asked:

"May I ask my uncle, Emperor Chongzhen has been martyred, and all the people hate him. After working with the Qing army to recover Beijing, how to restore the Ming Dynasty? ”

Wu Sangui replied: "Although the first emperor was martyred, the crown prince and the two kings of Yong and Ding are still in the world, and the prince should inherit the throne. ”

"I heard that the crown prince and the two kings, together with the old general Wu, are in the hands of Li thief, and the gentry of the mountains and seas are very concerned about the prince and the two kings, the old general Wu and the whole family of your mansion. I don't know what kind of rescue strategy Junzuo has? ”

"The matter...... I've got something else planned. However, because it is a military secret, it is not appropriate to disclose it, so please don't ask more. ”

She Yiyuan and the other gentry were still suspicious, but they didn't dare to ask again. Wu Sangui went on to say:

"In the past few days, there have been many rumors in the Acropolis of Shanhai, and the people have fled. I am very tired of you today to help me pacify the people, please do not panic, this lord will be a strong soldier, and wait for the day. Once the thief comes, he will have no place to return, and there will be no place to bury him. ”

The gentry listened solemnly, but no one made a sound. The meeting ended in a solemn atmosphere.

After the meeting, Wu Sangui summoned the deputy general Yang Shen and the guerrilla general Guo Yunlong to the study of the residence, gave them another secret order, and ordered them to set off immediately with the prepared letter to Dolgon.