End of July.

In the past few days, the Intelligence Department has continued to send news from the capital to Jinan Fucheng, and finally presented it in front of Liu Yan.

"And sure enough!"

Liu Yan was worried, and he couldn't imagine that the wheel of history was still stubbornly moving towards the original trajectory under the joint action of all forces, but he had no way to change it.

"The current army of thieves is no longer what it used to be, even if Sun Chuanting has Cao Bianjiao's help, he still can't escape the fate of defeat!"

At this time, according to the information sent by the Intelligence Department, Liu Yan already knew about Emperor Chongzhen's refusal to mobilize the Shandong New Army, although he did not know the details in detail, but the result was the same.

Liu Yan thought about it again and again, and finally decided that no matter what Emperor Chongzhen thought, no matter how this matter developed, he had to do his part, whether it was to protect Sun Chuanting, a hero, or to save Cao Bianjiao, a former comrade-in-arms, Liu Yan could not do nothing.

So Liu Yan immediately wrote a letter asking for war: "...... The minister heard that the war in Tongguan was urgent, the thieves were raging, and the people were miserable......"

This piece was soon sent to Beijing, and after Chen Xinjia received it, he directly brought it to the palace to face the saint, and when Chen Xinjia handed over Liu Yan's invitation to fight, Emperor Chongzhen's face became very ugly.

"Chen Aiqing, what do you mean by Liu Yan? What does he want to do! ”

Chen Xinjia was dumbfounded, what did Liu Yan want to do? People want to lead troops to quell the chaos, but they are working for the court, what can people do!

Chen Xinjia sorted out his mood a little and said: "Your Majesty, Liu Yan cares about the court and wants to share his worries for His Majesty, so he took the initiative to ask for battle, and his loyalty ......."

Emperor Chongzhen directly interrupted

said: "Liu Yan's loyalty, I know in my heart. It's just that where is your loyalty Chen Xinjia! ”

Chen Xinjia hurriedly knelt down and said, "The minister's loyalty to His Majesty can be seen by the sun and the moon!" ”

"In that case, then this piece of music will be kept in the military department, and don't take it out again."

Chen Xinjia had no choice but to give up, sweating profusely to take over the recital, and was ready to retire with it in his arms.

But I heard Emperor Chongzhen say: "Did you send the edict to Sun Chuanting?" ”

Chen Xinjia hurriedly said: "I sent it out a few days ago, and I sent a fast horse from the military department, and I also sent an elite from the Beijing camp to accompany me, so I won't make a mistake." ”

Emperor Chongzhen nodded and said, "That's good, step down." ”

Chen Xinjia is out of the big inside, his heart is still very uncalm, Emperor Chongzhen is determined to "hide" Liu Yan, what to do about the war in the future, his own military department Shangshu can take precautions, once Sun Chuanting and Cao Bianjiao are defeated, they must find a way to clean up the mess!

So, with a heavy heart and a gloomy face, Chen Xinjia rushed towards the yamen of the military department.

Two days later, the fast horses sent by the military department entered the territory of Shaanxi, and at a distance of more than 20 miles from Tongguan, they were suddenly surrounded by a large group of thieves and horses.

Although there are dozens of Beijing battalion iron cavalry guards in the fast horses of the military department, these so-called elites are only better equipped, and no one has ever been on the battlefield at all.

The leader of the thieves who led the army was a lieutenant in the middle camp, and with a wave of his big hand at this time, hundreds of horsemen rushed up with a roar, and those Beijing camp iron horsemen suddenly dispersed in a hurry, and were chased by the brigade of thieves and horses

killed, most of the dead and wounded, and the remaining dozen or so people, together with the fast horses of the military department, were captured by the thieves and brought back to the camp of the thieves in the east of Tongguan.

In the big tent, Li Zicheng looked at Li Yan who was concentrating on dismantling the edict on the side, and Liu Zongmin, Tian Jianxiu, Li Dingguo, Ai Nengqi and others around him were holding their breath, for fear of disturbing Li Yan.

This edict is packed in a specially treated bamboo tube, and then sealed with fire paint, and after ordinary people open it, the stubble of fire paint can no longer be matched.

However, Li Yan is very knowledgeable and knows a lot about this kind of thing, so at this time, he took the fire and the corresponding objects, and took out the edict with his own hands.

Li Zicheng took the edict, couldn't wait to open it and look at it, and after reading it, he couldn't stop laughing: "Haha! Chongzhen Xiao'er is really in a hurry, and wants to order Sun Chuanting and Cao Bianjiao to lead their troops out of Tongguan within a month and fight a decisive battle with our righteous army! ”

"Good! Look at how arrogant Sun Chuanting is! ”

Liu Zongmin shouted loudly, during this time, in order to consume Sun Chuanting's troops, the soldiers and horses of the middle battalion would organize a dozen troops every day, and accumulated many casualties of infantry and dead soldiers, although some were added one after another, but it was enough to make Liu Zongmin hate Sun Chuanting.

Li Dingguo said: "Then Sun Chuanting is not a good type, I'm afraid that he will not be subject to military orders abroad!" ”

Li Yan said with a smile: "General Li don't worry, the reason why Emperor Ming urged Sun Chuanting to send troops is nothing more than that the supply of money and food is not available, and Sun Chuanting will also weigh it, once the money and food are cut off, his situation will be even more difficult." ”

Li Dingguo nodded, and then said: "It's better to break through the king's high opinion and let the officials and military luck go."

The grain team entered and exited Tongguan and consumed the money and grain of the Ming court, otherwise where would the emperor of the Ming court be so impatient? ”

Li Zicheng said with a smile: "Everything has pros and cons, although this move will accelerate the consumption of money and grain in the Ming Court, but it will also make Sun Chuanting have more and more grain and grass in his hands, it depends on whether he will obey Chongzhen Xiaoer's edict!" ”

Then Li Zicheng handed the edict to Li Yan and said, "Mr. Annoyance Lao will seal it again, but don't be seen by Sun Chuanting and Cao Bianjiao." ”

"Don't worry, King Chuang, you will never make a mistake."

"Then how did this edict get to Sun Chuanting?"

Li Yan said: "King Chuang, Chen Yongfu was ordered to serve in the camp yesterday, and he can help in this matter." ”

That night, outside the camp tent where the fast horses of the military department and more than a dozen cavalrymen from the Beijing camp were held, Chen Yongfu walked all the way with two guards, took a warrant from Li Zicheng, transferred the surrounding guards and patrol soldiers and horses, and then entered the camp tent.

"Don't make a sound!"

Under the frightened eyes of the captives, Chen Yongfu asked the two guards to untie the ropes of all the captives, and then took advantage of the unpreparedness of the two guards to directly draw their knives and hack them to death.

This scene frightened the captives and retreated.

"Don't be afraid!"

Chen Yongfu immediately took out his original lieutenant general's seal letter and said: "I was originally a deputy general in Henan, but I had no choice but to be defeated by the thieves, but my loyalty to the court can still be learned, you go quickly, I have already managed to transfer the thieves and soldiers outside!" ”

After speaking, Chen Yongfu took off the bamboo tube containing the edict from his waist, handed it to the military department, and said, "Take the edict and leave!" ”

"What about you, General?"

Chen Yongfu was righteous and awe-inspiring, and said: "I was forced to surrender to the thief

, now that he has the opportunity to serve the court, how can he hesitate, he can only die! ”

Everyone was infected by Chen Yongfu's arrogance, and persuaded Chen Yongfu to go together, but was stopped by Chen Yongfu: "Who will cover you when I leave, the thieves are treacherous, I must stay and break the queen for you!" ”

"Don't say it, let's go!"

Everyone was grateful, and after leaving the camp, they took advantage of the night to find out the thief camp, and sure enough, as Chen Yongfu said, all the nearby thieves and horses were gone.

At the edge of the thief camp, Chen Yongfu found a gap, and then pointed in a direction and said: "That side is the direction of Tongguan, I don't have time to find horses for you, you rush over on foot, whether you can escape or not depends on your creation!" ”

"General Gaoyi, I will report to Sun Duchen and the court after I go back!"

"Okay, let's go!"

Soon, the dozen or so people disappeared into the night, but the expression on Chen Yongfu's face was very complicated, remorse, worry, and excitement.

At dawn the next day, more than a dozen people finally fled to the city of Tongguan, and after identifying themselves to the defenders of the city, everyone was put into the urn city, and then the generals of the supervision battalion came over to screen the identities of everyone one by one.

Half an hour later, the edict was sent to Sun Chuanting, and the dozen or so people who sent the letter were also interrogated separately, and specific confessions were also sent.

Immediately, Sun Chuanting and Cao Bianjiao opened it to watch it, and the two also checked the confession.

"Alas!"

After reading it, the two sighed at the same time, and the thing they were most worried about still happened.

Cao Bianjiao thought for a while and said, "Governor, I think this matter is very strange. Chen Yong

Fu surrendered to the thief, if he was so kind, why did he still surrender to the enemy in Kaifeng City, and die in battle directly? ”

Sun Chuanting said: "I also have this doubt. It's just that this edict is true, whether it is a sealed letter, silk silk, etc., the thieves can't imitate it. ”

"So the only possibility now is that the thieves intercepted the imperial court's edict urging our army to fight, opened it, and then repackaged it and sent it to us."

When Cao Bianjiao heard Sun Chuanting's analysis, his face was very ugly, and he said: "If Li Chuang really did this, it means that the army of thieves has completed the mobilization, and they are just waiting for us to throw themselves into the net!" ”

"Governor, what shall we do?"

Sun Chuanting was very sad in his heart, he could no longer see the hope of winning, or even the hope of survival, he and the soldiers of the whole army had entered a desperate situation!

"The imperial court has no money and food, and His Majesty is urging it like this, indicating that it will not recruit the new army from Shandong to help, you and I will either be trapped in the lonely city and fight to death, or lead the troops to fight to the death!"

Cao Bianjiao nodded heavily and said, "In this way, the last general is willing to advance and retreat with the governors, and live and die together!" ”

Sun Chuanting took a deep breath, and then said: "Order: After half a month, the army will be out of the customs!" ”

The capital city of Jinan.

Emperor Chongzhen issued an edict and ordered Sun Chuanting and Cao Bianjiao to lead the army out of the customs to fight, and the news had been spread in the capital, and the Intelligence Department also reported the news to Liu Yan quickly.

At present, Sun Chuanting's department only has tens of thousands of tired remnants, no matter how high the combat power is, it is by no means the opponent of Li Zicheng's million-strong army, this is a battle without suspense

Taxi to death!

But Emperor Chongzhen wanted to gamble, hoping that a miracle would come, and so did Liu Yan, but reason told Liu Yan that in such a situation, even if the soldiers were reincarnated, there would be no miracles.

At this time, Liu Yan could only cry out in vain, lamenting that he had the intention to kill the thief and was powerless to return to the sky!