In the cabinet hall, Liu Yan convened the cabinet to discuss the matter.

Among the cabinet ministers at this time, Zhao Min, the secretary of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Yue Ming, the secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Tian Huixu, the secretary of the Ministry of National Defense, Xun Jingyun, the secretary of the Ministry of Equipment, Zhang Lei, the secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Song Gongming, the secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Bao Xuezhen, the secretary of the Ministry of Health, Wu Guojin, the secretary of the Ministry of Military Intelligence, and Wang Weizhen, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, were all Liu Yan's absolute confidants.

And Chen Xinjia, the secretary of the General Staff, is also Liu Yan's person, only Huang Jin, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, Xu Shiqi, the secretary of the Criminal Department, and Song Shiwen, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, are the old ministers of the court, but now there is a new policy implemented in the court, and a big war is about to start, Liu Yan has separated the right to education from the Ministry of Rites, and the authority of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Criminal Affairs has been weakened to the greatest extent, and these three people have been unable to influence the government and politics.

Liu Yan looked at everyone present and said with a smile: "Now that the imperial court is rich in money and grain, the Ministry of Finance has prepared all the money and grain to exterminate Li Zicheng, and the people have successively transported it to the direction of Jingcheng Pass, now let's talk about the various matters before the army sets out." ”

Everyone clasped their fists and said, "Please give the elder orders!" ”

At this time, Huang Jin, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, Xu Shiqi, the secretary of the Criminal Department, and Song Shiwen, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, sat very respectfully on the side, basically what Liu Yan said, and the three of them nodded yes, they were completely in the state of "tool people", they would do it well if they had something, and they would not say a word if they had nothing to do, so it can be said that the three of them accurately found their positioning.

Liu Yan is still quite satisfied with this, and is ready to inspect the three of them for a while, if the three of them can use it, let them continue to shine in their respective positions.

"First of all, the deployment of troops, before the case of Jin Shang,

Bengong has ordered the fourth battalion of the garrison to be stationed in Laizhou and Qingzhou, and the first, second, third, fifth, and sixth battalions of the garrison are all heading north. ”

"The first battalion of the garrison army was stationed at Zijing Pass and Juyong Pass, the second battalion of the garrison army was used to defend Gubeikou and Xifengkou, and the third battalion of the garrison army was stationed at Shanhaiguan, replacing the rear battalion of the new army. The fifth battalion of the garrison army was stationed in Beijing to guard the inside and outside of the imperial court. ”

"The rest of the battalions of the New Army and the sixth battalion of the garrison army are all assembled in the area of Jingcheng Pass and are on standby."

Shang Shu Tian Huixu of the Ministry of National Defense said worriedly: "Ge Lao, in this way, our army has only more than 100,000 troops, and the disadvantage in strength is too great, is it possible to transfer some soldiers and horses from other places?" ”

Liu Yan shook his head and said: "My father has also considered it, but Shandong is the foundation of the rejuvenation of the dynasty, and it cannot be lost, and it is already stretched thin to defend with a battalion of the garrison." With the reconnaissance ability of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, we will certainly be able to know that the national dynasty is about to fight a decisive battle with Li Zicheng's million-strong army, and if the northern army is empty, and the Manchu Qing Dynasty leads the army south to pick up the bargain, it will be difficult for our army to take care of the end. ”

This is not that Liu Yan is making a big fuss, but the luck of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in history is really good, when he met the weakest time in China for hundreds of years, he met Li Zicheng, a shit-stirring stick, met Wu Sangui, a big traitor who saw him once in a thousand years, and encountered all kinds of strange operations within the Ming Dynasty, and his luck was bursting, and it can be said that it is the biggest shit luck in history.

Therefore, all the passes in the north must be strictly guarded, and the deployment of four battalions of garrisons in Beijing together with each pass is already the minimum

degree.

After listening to Liu Yan's explanation, everyone also looked solemn, this battle is not easy to fight.

At this time, Wu Guojin said: "Ge Lao, according to various intelligence collected by the Military Intelligence Department, Li Zicheng is now rectifying the bandit battalions, and the combat strength and equipment of the bandit battalions have been greatly improved, and almost all the financial and material resources of the northwestern provinces have been gathered, which shows Li Zicheng's great determination. ”

Chen Xinjia said: "This battle is not as good as our army's defense-oriented, after consuming the thieves' strength and sharpness, our army will launch a counterattack, how about it?" ”

Liu Yan shook his head and said: "At the moment of the war, how can the General Staff change the combat strategy before the battle? Although our army only has one-tenth of Li Zicheng's strength, its combat power is far superior to that of the thief army, even if the thief army is reorganized, it is the same! ”

Everyone looked at Liu Yan's confident appearance, and their hearts were much more steady.

Liu Yan continued: "The issue of troop strength is over, now let's talk about the deployment of the DPRK and China after Bengong led the army to the expedition." ”

"Please give the Elder the Elder the order."

"In this war, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Equipment are responsible for the supply of money and food for the army, and the Ministry of Defense is responsible for the recruitment of reserve soldiers for the army. The Ministry of National Defense began to recruit new recruits for drills in Shandong and Beizhili, with priority given to military households in various health stations. If the war drags on, the Ministry of Defense will have to send a steady stream of new recruits to the front line to replenish the troop consumption of the battalions. The Ministry of Health is responsible for the collection and transportation of medicines for the army."

"At the same time, the officers and men of the Beijing battalion in Beijing were requisitioned as auxiliary troops to protect the grain transporters in the rear and transport money, grain and other materials to the front line."

Yue Ming, Tian Huixu, Xun Jingyun, Bao Xue

The four people in the town clenched their fists and took their lives.

At this time, Chen Xinjia frowned slightly, Liu Yan was not at ease with the more than 30,000 soldiers in the Beijing camp, and drove the soldiers out of the Beijing camp by the way.

So Chen Xinjia said: "Ge Lao, it is better to bring more than 30,000 soldiers of the Beijing battalion to the front line, at least they can be used as auxiliaries, and it is also a supplement to our army's strength." ”

Liu Yan said with a smile: "Letting the soldiers of the Beijing camp escort the grain and grass is also contributing to the war, which is also a very important thing." ”

Chen Xinjia clenched his fists to receive the order, and secretly said in his heart: "The elder is still not at ease with Jingying!" ”

"In this battle, the General Staff Department is responsible for coordinating the transfer of troops, materials, and military equipment, and is also responsible for the intelligence liaison between the front line and the imperial court.

Chen Xinjia clenched his fists and took his life.

"The Military Intelligence Department is responsible for the transmission of all kinds of information, and it is especially necessary to pay attention to the movements of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and it is also reported to this official every three to five days."

Wu Guojin clenched his fists and took his life.

Liu Yan then looked at everyone and said: "The rest of the ministries perform their duties, they must give priority to the stability of the DPRK and China, and all major affairs must be decided by the cabinet meeting, with Chen Xinjia, the secretary of the General Staff, as the main body, and after the cabinet votes, the majority is preferred, and after Chen Shangshu's approval, they will report to His Majesty in red." ”

Everyone clasped their fists and said yes.

After the cabinet meeting, Liu Yan brought the commander of the fifth battalion of the garrison and the deputy chief soldier Shang Zili and said: "After this duke leads the army to go on the expedition, he will immediately implement military management of Beijing City, and the fifth battalion will not only take over the city defense of Beijing City, but also enter the palace to guard

During the war, the city of Beijing was stable and tranquil. ”

Shang Zili clenched his fists to receive the order, but asked again: "Elder Ge, what if something happens when the soldiers and horses of the Beijing camp carrying grain enter and leave the city?" ”

Liu Yan smiled and nodded, it seemed that the commanders of the battalions of the garrison had also grown up, and he could see the deep-seated problems, so he said: "You only remember one thing, after the army goes out, no matter what chaos happens in the court, as long as you hold Beijing City, take care of Your Majesty and the royal family in the palace, it will be a great achievement." If someone really wants to take advantage of the opportunity of the expedition of the prince to do something, you have the right to cut it first without going through the cabinet, even if it is the emperor's relatives and relatives! ”

Shang Zili also felt a pang in his heart when he heard this, this was to put Beijing City into his own hands, so he naturally cheered up and hugged his fists and said: "Don't worry, your subordinates will definitely build Beijing City into an iron bucket, and wait for the Pavilion Lao to lead the army to triumph!" ”

Subsequently, Liu Yan sent a handwritten letter to Jia Hongyu, deputy commander-in-chief of the first battalion of the garrison, Zheng Yi, deputy commander-in-chief of the second battalion, Han Qin, deputy commander-in-chief of the third battalion, and Wei Han, deputy commander-in-chief of the fourth battalion.

For the first, second, and third battalions stationed at the northern pass and Shanhaiguan, Liu Yan ordered everyone to only guard the pass, whether it was the Qing army that went south to take advantage of the fire to rob, or the small group of thieves and horses killed from the west, it was all two words: defend to the death!

With a battalion of more than 12,000 people stationed in the garrison, it is still more than enough to garrison one or two passes, and there is no problem in guarding at least one to two months, which is enough time for Liu Yan to mobilize troops to respond.

As for Wei Han, the deputy commander-in-chief of the fourth battalion of the garrison army who stayed in Laizhou and Qingzhou, Liu Yanze

It was ordered to divide his troops to defend, with Lingshan Wei as the main place, focusing on guarding against the surprise attack of small groups of thieves and horses.

At the same time, Liu Yan also gave an order to Yan Jizu, the governor of Shandong, and ordered Yan Jizu to rectify the Fubiao camp that was rebuilt not long ago as soon as possible.

Now Yan Jizu's Fubiao battalion has a scale of more than 7,000 people, Liu Yan ordered Yan Jizu to complete the rectification as soon as possible, these 7,000 people of the Fubiao battalion has received a lot of equipment transported by the firearms supervision department and the armor supervision office, in terms of combat power and equipment, there is already a certain guarantee, at the critical moment, it should be regarded as a miracle soldier.

After all the affairs were deployed, on May 20, Liu Yan entered the palace to bid farewell to Emperor Chongzhen, and led the personal guard battalion, artillery battalion, and cavalry battalion from Beijing City, and the army rushed towards Jingcheng Pass in Zhending Mansion southwest of Beijing.

After Liu Yan led his troops to the expedition, Emperor Chongzhen sat in the imperial study and said to Wang Chengen beside him: "Liu Yan finally led the army away, I wonder if there will be some turmoil in the court?" ”

Wang Chengen didn't know whether Emperor Chongzhen was looking forward or worried, thought for a while, and said: "Your Majesty, Liu Ge Lao first purged the Donglin Party in the court several times, almost wiped out the Donglin Party in the court, and then reformed the court official system. ”

At the same time, Liu Ge Lao also left a battalion of more than 10,000 elites in Beijing, and transferred the soldiers and horses of the Beijing battalion out of the city on the grounds of transporting the grain and grass of the army. At various passes north of Beijing, three battalions and tens of thousands of elite troops were also deployed, and this series of deployments was carried out

Under the circumstances, the old servant estimated that even if some of the ministers of the DPRK and China were dissatisfied with Liu Gelao, it would be difficult to set off any storms, and the situation in the DPRK and China was destined to be stable on the whole. ”

Wang Chengen's meaning is already very clear, that is, it is difficult for the ministers of the court to turn over, and Your Majesty should not do useless work, and it is the best policy to protect yourself with peace of mind.

Emperor Chongzhen was not a stupid person, and when he heard the words, he just sighed and closed his eyes.

On 25 May, Liu Yan led his army to arrive at Jingcheng Pass, which at this time was already full of banners, and all battalions of the New Army, together with the sixth battalion of the garrison army, as well as some soldiers of the Beijing battalion, gathered here to join forces for more than ten miles inside and outside the city, which was magnificent.

On the same day, Liu Yan convened the battalion commanders to discuss the temporary Chinese army in the pass, and was about to deploy a specific strategy, when he received an urgent military intelligence message from the sharp post of the Ministry of Military Intelligence: Li Zicheng had already led a million-strong army to leave Xinzhou and slaughtered towards Zhending Mansion!