In mid-September, the situation in the northwest completely collapsed, even all parts of Hubei were broken into the army of thieves, with the fall of Xiangyang City, the officials in the city, the vassal king was ordered by Li Zicheng to be executed, Emperor Chongzhen could no longer sit still, and immediately summoned Hong Chengchou and Chen Xinjia to discuss matters.

At this time, the ministers of the cabinet, the civil and military forces of the imperial court have already fried the pot, and there are all kinds of things to say in the court meeting, all kinds of quotations and classics, all kinds of moral accusations, and all kinds of people, but no one has come up with a specific strategy for expropriation and suppression, and no one can really solve the problem.

Emperor Chongzhen angrily brushed his sleeves away, met Hong Chengchou and Chen Xinjia in the imperial study, and then ordered Wang Chengen to find Li Zhiwen, the secretary of the household department.

"The thieves are powerful, how can the court deal with it!"

Emperor Chongzhen leaned on the dragon chair very tiredly, his brows had wrinkled into a Sichuan shape, Hong Chengchou, Chen Xinjia, and Li Zhiwen were silent, it was Emperor Chongzhen who insisted on not wanting to mobilize the new army in Shandong, so that Li Zicheng became bigger again, and half of the country in the northwest collapsed in an instant.

Who can clean up this tragedy now?

Seeing that everyone didn't speak, Emperor Chongzhen looked at Hong Chengchou and said, "Does the elder have something to say?" ”

Hong Chengchou paused and said: "Your Majesty, for today's plan, the only way to do this is to mobilize the soldiers and horses of various towns in Liaodong to the south, and the imperial court will do its best to raise money, food, and military equipment, and then send troops. The army first recovered Shanxi, and then joined forces with the remnants of Datong Town and Shanxi Town, and then went south to recover Henan. ”

Emperor Chongzhen asked, "What if the Qing army takes the opportunity to go south?" ”

"You can leave the soldiers and horses of Shanhaiguan Town to stick to the city, and order the soldiers and horses of the guards in Liaodong to defend the city and resist layer by layer."

Hong Chengchou's meaning is obvious, now

The only way is to exchange the land of Liaodong for the lost land in the interior, and the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty and Liaodong can only give up one!

Of course, there is another way to take care of both, that is, to recruit Liu Yan's new army to participate in the war, but Emperor Chongzhen never let go.

Emperor Chongzhen's face was solemn, he looked at Li Zhiwen, and asked, "How much grain can the household department raise?" ”

Li Zhiwen said: "Your Majesty, the treasury is currently empty and cannot support the large-scale mobilization of troops and horses. If you follow the strategy of the elder, I don't know how many soldiers and horses need to be mobilized? ”

At this time, everyone's eyes looked at Chen Xinjia, only to see Chen Xinjia say: "According to the strategy of the elder of the pavilion, 30,000 soldiers and horses can be recruited and transferred from Miyun Town, 12,000 soldiers and horses from Qiantun Guard, 36,000 soldiers and horses from Ningyuan Town, 13,000 people from Zuoguang Xian, the chief soldier of the Zuo Guang Army, and 20,000 soldiers and horses from Liaodong Town. A total of more than 110,000 troops were mobilized. ”

"The rest of the troops and horses in Jinzhou, Songshan, Ningyuan, Shanhaiguan and other places cannot be mobilized, and must be stationed in various places, which is already the minimum of the Liaodong garrison."

Li Zhiwen pondered for a moment and said: "Your Majesty, if you want to recruit more than 110,000 people to go on the expedition, even if the household department smashes the pot and sells iron, it can only raise the money and food needed for the army for two months. ”

"Two months?"

"Two months!"

At this time, even if Emperor Chongzhen didn't understand military affairs, he knew that it was impossible to end the war in two months, and even if Xu Da was reincarnated, it would be impossible to wipe out millions of enemy troops in two months!

"Half a year!"

Emperor Chongzhen said angrily: "The household department must raise the money and food needed by the army for half a year, and it will be raised within a month!" ”

"Your Majesty! If you want to raise so much money and food, then Your Majesty will directly push the ministers out of the noon gate and behead them

, there is nothing to be done! ”

Emperor Chongzhen was so angry that his eyes were full of stars.

Two days later, Emperor Chongzhen issued an edict to take Hong Chengchou as the governor of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Hubei, and Beizhi to subordinate the military and government of the provinces, and commanded 36,000 soldiers and horses in Miyun Town, Qiantunwei, and Ningyuan Town, and aided the commander-in-chief Zuoguang Xianbu and Liaodong Town, totaling more than 110,000 elite troops to suppress Li Zicheng's troops. The troops and horses of each department arrived in the capital within a month to converge.

At the same time, he ordered the soldiers and horses of Datong Town and Shanxi Town to defend Datong Mansion and drag the thieves and horses in Shanxi.

This time, Emperor Chongzhen directly sent the Jinyi Guards of the Fusi of Beizhen to the towns to deliver the edict, and the Jinyi guards of each team did not immediately return to the capital to resume their lives after the edict was delivered, but had to return to the capital with the army.

If there is a perfunctory delay and refusal to obey orders, Emperor Chongzhen gave these Jinyi guards the right to arbitrarily make decisions on the spot, to put it bluntly, whoever does not send troops, Jinyi Wei will kill whose head!

In the blink of an eye, at the beginning of October, when Wu Sangui, who had the farthest distance, led 36,000 troops to arrive outside the Desheng Gate in Beijing, it was announced that all the armies had arrived in advance, and the camp of more than 110,000 soldiers stretched for more than ten miles.

But at this time, Hong Chengchou's heart was very heavy, and just yesterday the household department sent the money and food needed by the army into the superintendent camp. However, the amount was far less than the amount discussed, only enough for more than 100,000 troops to eat for half a month.

Hong Chengchou sent someone to ask Li Cheng accountable, and learned that these money and grain were already all the stocks of the household department, and even the money of the hundred officials in the capital this month was in it. The remaining difference will have to wait until the autumn fu of the provinces is sent to the capital, and then mobilize the people to send it to the front-line army.

There is no way, in the face of Emperor Chongzhen's urging almost three times a day, and in the face of the 800-mile emergency of Wang Pu and Li Fuming of Datong Mansion almost every three days, Hong Chengchou has no time to wait for the follow-up money and grain to arrive, so he can only prepare to start first.

So Hong Chengchou went out of the city that day and came to the supervision camp, in the big tent of the Chinese army, Tang Tong, the chief military officer of Miyun Town, Wang Tingchen, the chief military officer of Qiantun Guard, Wu Sangui, the chief military officer of Ningyuan Town, Zuo Guangxian, the chief military officer of Liaodong Town, and Liu Zhaoji, the chief military officer of Liaodong Town, arrived one after another, and everyone's faces were also very ugly.

For this battle, everyone is very unoptimistic, the town of 110,000 troops hastily assembled, not only lack of money and food, but also face the enemy army is more than a million, such a battle, no one wants to participate.

Hong Chengchou looked at everyone and said: "This governor and you are all old acquaintances, when we sent troops to help Jinzhou, we fought side by side together, which can be described as a friend of life and death!" Today, the Governor and all of you are gathered together again, preparing to exterminate Li Chuang's rebellion, this is a battle to protect the country and the people, and I hope that you can work together with the Governor to exterminate this fang! ”

After speaking, everyone was silent, and no one answered at all.

Hong Chengchou's face was a little unhappy, looked at Wu Sangui, and said: "An Ningbo's department has the farthest road, but time is pressing, the comrades in Datong Town and Shanxi Town are still waiting for us to help, this governor will not leave time to rest, the army will set off tomorrow, and I hope An Ningbo will forgive me." ”

Wu Sangui hesitated for a moment, and then said: "The governor is serious, it doesn't matter if you don't have time to rest, everyone is a person who licks blood with a knife, and they are not so squeamish." It's just that the general wonders why the money and grain distributed by the towns are only ten days' amount. And the towns will

The soldier's silver has not been found until now, so that the soldiers of each battalion are chasing the last general to ask, and the last general does not know how to reply to the soldiers, and I hope that the governor will teach me! ”

Wu Sangui started, and the chief military officers of the other towns also inquired one after another, with Tang Tong and Zuo Guangxian being the most energetic.

Hong Chengchou's face turned completely dark, and he suddenly said sharply: "Now that Li Chuang has been called the king of Dashun, the world is shaken, the people are sideways, and the monarch's father is even more humiliated. As long as we are dedicated to the country, the saint will naturally try his best to mobilize money and food for the army, and will never let the soldiers in various towns lack money and food. ”

When everyone heard this, they were noncommittal, and no one believed Hong Chengchou's words at all.

Wang Tingchen said: "Governor, more than 100,000 troops are mobilized to participate in the war, and the amount of money and food required is huge. It's okay to say that there is a lack of some now, and I'll just wait for the generals of the various departments. But after the army and the thieves fought, what if the money and food in the rear were still not available, or even completely cut off? ”

Tang Tong also took the opportunity to say: "Yes, when the time comes, there is no need for thieves to send troops to cut off my grain route, my army's own money and food will be cut off!" ”

Everyone started to talk about it, obviously on the issue of life and death, no one cared about the majesty and face of Hong Chengchou, the governor.

Seeing this, Hong Chengchou suppressed the anger in his heart and said: "In this matter, the Holy Lord has ordered the household department to raise money and grain, and the money and grain will be replenished within this month. ”

Then Hong Chengchou's tone changed, and he spoke coldly to the crowd

The man said: "In this battle, the governor led his troops to fight, if anyone does not listen to the order, don't blame the governor for being ruthless, the saint has given the governor the sword of Shangfang, and has the right to cut first and then play, and arbitrarily at the opportunity!" ”

When everyone heard this, their hearts sank, and they all hugged their fists to receive their lives.

The next day, Hong Chengchou led his troops from Deshengmen and marched southwest to Shanxi.

The army marched through Liangxiang, Laishui, and Baoding, and then turned west into Zhending Mansion, and after eight days of marching, the army arrived at Jingcheng Pass.

Because of its high and flat ground on all sides, the middle part is low like a well, because it is called Jingcheng. "Lü's Spring and Autumn" and "Huainanzi" all call "Jingcheng" one of the nine stops in the world, which shows the importance here.

Jingcheng Pass, also known as Tumen Pass, Han Dynasty was placed at this mouth, it and the south of the Huguan, Tianjing Pass together called \ "Shangdang three passes\".

Jingcheng Pass includes three parts: West Ancient Pass, Niangzi Pass and East Tumen Pass. The restoration of Guancheng in the second year of Ming orthodoxy is the key to the northwest into Hebei, so there is a saying that "according to the nationality is particularly important".

At this time, the 110,000 troops of each town were stationed inside and outside the Jingcheng Pass, and Hong Chengchou took the chief military officers of each town into the city to rest. Now there are only more than 300 defenders in the city, which is far from the "2,000 elites" stipulated by the Ministry of War.

In the official hall, Hong Chengchou was about to deploy a strategy, preparing to lead his troops to recover Taiyuan City first, and then attack Datong Town and Shanxi Town in the north and south, and first defeat the thieves and horses entrenched in Shanxi.

But before Hong Chengchou could speak, Tang Tong took the lead and said: "Governor, when will the money and grain of the imperial court arrive, my camp has run out of food!" ”

Zuo Guangxian also said: "At the time of the opening, the governor said that the imperial court would successively transport the money and grain that was lacking, but eight or nine days have passed

Why haven't you seen the money and food delivered? ”

Hong Chengchou frowned slightly, and said: "The situation in all towns is like this, even the governor's standard camp is short of food. The court is difficult, so you should be considerate and wait a few more days. ”

At this time, Wu Sangui said: "Governor, it's not that I don't care about the imperial court, but along the way, all towns are thrifty and frugal, and the soldiers of all departments are resentful and demoralized. Even in this town, there are already hundreds of deserters, and I believe that the situation in all towns is like this. ”

The rest of the people began to speak, and sure enough, there were deserters in all towns.

Hong Chengchou also knew this, because even the Governor Battalion began to have soldiers fleeing.

Hong Chengchou saw that everyone was resolute, obviously secretly ventilated, and it was not easy for him to make trouble with everyone, so he said: "Then what do you mean?" ”

Several chief officers looked at Wu Sangui, only to see Wu Sangui say: "Don't blame the governor, we are all here to preserve the troops, and only in this way can we win this battle." So I thought that the army should be stationed at Jingcheng Pass, wait for the money and grain of the imperial court to arrive, and then continue to march! ”

Hong Chengchou frowned, and said: "This governor understands your worries, but it is not okay to stay at Jingcheng Pass, and the army must continue to advance. Of course, the governor will not do anything about cutting off food to face the war. Therefore, the governor thought that the army should continue to advance, first take the city of Taiyuan, and then rely on the fortified city to obtain the materials in the city, and then wait for the money and food supplies from the imperial court, how about it? ”

A few people hesitated, and then Wu Sangui asked: "The towns are basically out of food now, how to get to Taiyuan?" ”

Hong Chengchou

Gritting his teeth, he said, "Collect all the grain and grass around Jingcheng Pass and take it all away!" It's not enough, all the departments kill horses to satisfy hunger! ”