Although Chongzhen was lucky to achieve a great victory in Taiyuan, the nine-sided towns of Xuanfu and Datong had fallen into the hands of Li Xianzhong.

Naturally, he didn't dare to stay in Taiyuan City.

Otherwise, the cavalry of Liaodong may go south at any time.

Originally, there were 28,000 cavalry in their hands, and Yang Sichang could use these cavalry to quickly go south.

Although they have defeated Li Zicheng now, their own casualties are not small.

In particular, there are not many Xuanda cavalry left in Liang Tingdong's hands, and now there are more than 10,000 cavalry left.

Just following 10,000 cavalry south, Chongzhen would never dare.

In the end, Chongzhen decided to take 50,000 soldiers and horses from the Taiyuan region to the south.

At this time, they didn't have much money and food in their hands, so they had to take the gentry of Taiyuan to the south together, after all, these people were the core force that currently supported Chongzhen.

left the acting king in Datong before, but he turned to Zhu Yousong after changing hands.

So this time, Chongzhen also made an exception to allow Zhu Qiugui, the king of Jin, to go south with him.

In this way, he also used the money and food of the Jin Palace.

They already had the experience of escaping from the capital once, and this time Yang Sichang and Wen Tiren also made a request to the gentry who followed them south, prohibiting them from carrying useless things, and bringing their own household food and their own chariots and horses.

The meaning is very clear, if you can keep up, you will follow, and if you can't keep up, no one will care about you.

After these people are broken, they can still delay the pace of the pursuers.

From the south of Taiyuan City, the first to bear the brunt is naturally the four counties of Taigu, Qixian, Pingyao, and Jiexiu controlled by the Jin merchants.

Since the uprising of Wang Er in northern Shaanxi in the first year of Chongzhen, the peasant uprising has not been interrupted in these years.

The reason why the Jin merchants were able to keep all the thieves out of the door was that on the one hand, they naturally relied on Fan Yongdou and others to provide materials for the thieves, and the thieves didn't want to lose this trading channel.

Otherwise, how could the calligraphy, paintings, and jewels they loot become the weapons and food they urgently need?

But the main thing is that the group training of the Jin merchants is very strong.

Not only was it equipped with armor, but it also had firearms, and it was well fed.

In addition, these people have the plot of guarding the countryside, and their will to fight is very firm, and if they attack these counties, the thieves will not be able to take advantage of them at all!

Now these counties are actually independent, and they neither take refuge in Li Zicheng's Dashun, nor do they bird Chongzhen!

Originally, in history, these Jin merchants made their fortunes by smuggling with Houjin.

After Li Xianzhong rose in Liaodong, the Jin Shang group headed by Fan Yongdou actually sold stolen goods in the customs for Li Xianzhong.

First, they secretly sold the armaments or other commodities produced in Liaodong to various parts of the Guannai, and then traded with the thieves.

The Jin merchants were very appreciative of Li Xianzhong's Liaodong Bank, and if the Liaodong Bank could set up outlets in all parts of Daming, then the efficiency of their businessmen would be greatly improved, and the risks and costs would be greatly reduced.

And now that thieves are rampant, it is really not safe to keep the silver in your own cellar.

It is not only safe to put it in Liaodong Bank, but also has an interest of 5% per year.

The Jin merchants headed by Fan Yongdou currently have a deposit of 15 million taels of silver in the Bank of Liaodong.

It is clear that they have completely fallen to the Hongguang regime.

Although in the area of overseas trade, the Jin merchants were inferior to the merchants of Liaodong and Jiangnan due to their geographical disadvantages.

In the salt affairs of Lianghuai, they were pressed by the newly rising Hui merchants.

However, they still monopolized most of the trade with the Oirat Mongols.

They bet on Li Xianzhong because Li Xianzhong promised them that in the future, the imperial court would reoccupy the Western Regions and open up the Silk Road.

And they, the Jin merchants, will serve as an important force for the imperial court to control the Western Regions.

The huge business opportunities are self-evident.

This is also the reason why they support Li Xianzhong, these Jin businessmen have all gone to Liaodong for field investigations, and the business environment in Liaodong can be said to be the best in the entire Ming Dynasty.

Although the tariffs are not low, the efficiency of the officials is very high.

You don't need to bother to open up other joints, all taxes only need to be paid once.

In fact, this greatly improved the efficiency of merchants.

Moreover, in Liaodong, the traditional concept of "Shinong Industry and Commerce" is very weak.

In addition to a fixed monthly salary, officials also have bonuses linked to local taxes.

Therefore, the merchants had a very high status in the hearts of the Liaodong government and the people, and not only did they not discriminate against, but they were also valued by local officials.

In some remote places in eastern Liaodong, the government will even provide some tax reduction policies in order to attract businessmen!

Of course, the Jin merchants supported Li Xianzhong.

When Chongzhen crossed the border, these Jin merchants only provided him with 50,000 stone of grain, but refused to let them into the city!

Emperor Chongzhen was furious when he learned about it, and said: "I give you 2 hours to take Qi County, so that these Jin merchants know who is the real emperor of the Ming Dynasty!" ”

Yang Sichang and Yuan Chonghuan glanced at each other helplessly, and finally Yang Sichang said: "Your Majesty, visit Malay to report, the Liaodong Army Ancestor Dashou Department has gone south from Datong. ”

"The vanguard led by Wu Sangui has occupied Dingxiang and Xinzhou, approaching Shiling Pass, and is close to Taiyuan City. At this time, we have to travel overnight, and it is really not appropriate to make any more extraneous branches! ”

Wen Tiren also said: "These Jin merchants who despise the imperial power are naturally unforgivable, as long as we return to Jiangnan, we have a chance to clean them up!" ”

In the end, under the persuasion of the ministers, Chongzhen had to march overnight.

Fortunately, after the defeat in Taiyuan, the main force of Li Zicheng's Dashun army had withdrawn to Henan, and there were not many troops left in Shanxi.

Liang Tingdong, Yuan Chonghuan and others divided their troops to capture Qinzhou, Tongluzhou, Zezhou and other places, and opened up the passage to the south.

At this time, the news came that Cao Wenzhao led the army to support Kaifeng and defeated Liu Zongmin outside Kaifeng.

This means that after crossing the Yellow River, they can go directly south from Kaifeng, and the road ahead is bright.

Just as Liang Tingdong was about to take Yanjin, the ferry to cross the Yellow River in the south, he found that Hong Chengchou of the Daimyo Mansion had made a move.

The Yulin battalion led by Hong Chengchou had already occupied Weihui Mansion before them and took control of the ferry port of Yanjin.

The news of Hong Chengchou's occupation of Wei Hui and his entry into Henan not only frightened Chongzhen and others, but also made Li Zicheng restless!

Li Xianzhong's Liaodong Army had never clashed with his Dashun Army before, and at this moment Hong Chengchou suddenly took his Weihui Mansion, is this the rhythm of Li Xianzhong's entry into Henan?

After Li Zicheng's Dashun army suffered two major defeats in Taiyuan and Kaifeng one after another, its current morale is very low.

He himself wants to change the current predicament with a victory.

But Hong Chengchou's appearance in Henan made the future war full of uncertainties, after all, Li Xianzhong had never fought with the Dashun army before.

Even Li Zicheng felt that Li Xianzhong still had the intention of supporting himself.

At the beginning, Fan Yongdou made it very clear that the source of his weapons was Liaodong, and if it wasn't for Li Xianzhong's nod, it would be impossible for him to get these weapons and equipment.

It is rumored that the Haikou Zheng Zhilong invaded the Denglai area, and the mastermind behind it was Li Xianzhong.

The time of Zheng Zhilong's appearance was very critical, that is, after the defeat of the righteous army in Chuzhou, he was besieged by the official army in Dabie Mountain and was about to be unable to hold on.

It can even be said that Li Xianzhong is deliberately supporting the growth of the righteous army.

Could it be that he is preparing to turn his face against himself?

Song Xiance said: "Your Majesty doesn't need to worry too much, in my opinion, the reason why Hong Chengchou occupied Wei Hui was probably to intercept Chongzhen!" ”

"Zu Dashou had already won Xuanda, but he was slow to send troops to Taiyuan, it is obvious that Li Xianzhong wanted to borrow our hands to get rid of Chongzhen!"

At this time, Li Yan also said: "What Song Junshi said is true, Chongzhen fell into the hands of Li Xianzhong and Zhu Yousong, in fact, it is difficult for them to do it. If Chongzhen is killed, the Ming royal family will definitely leave a handle on people, and it will chill the hearts of some people in the world. ”

"If you don't kill him, you'll leave a legacy of confinement for him. After all, Zhu Qizhen's 'change of seizing the door' is a good example! ”

"Even if Chongzhen died in the chaos, people in the world would guess that Zhu Yousong or Li Xianzhong secretly instructed someone to kill Chongzhen, and they couldn't argue."

"In my opinion, Li Xianzhong's move is nothing more than two purposes, one is to prevent Chongzhen from going south, and the other is to remind us to intercept Chongzhen."

"If Li Xianzhong really wants to grab the territory of Henan, he can do it when the main force of our army goes north to Shanxi, so why wait until today?"

Li Zicheng said: "What a cunning Li Xianzhong, it seems that we can only be used as a gun by him?" ”

Song Xiance said: "In fact, for us, there are many benefits to winning Chongzhen. If Chongzhen is acquainted, we can 'coerce the Son of Heaven to order the princes'; if he does not know each other, after killing Chongzhen, the Ming army in the south will be in chaos, which will help us quickly seize the territory in the south. ”

"For the time being, we don't have the strength to turn against Li Xianzhong, so we can only seize Chongzhen's territory as soon as possible!"

Li Zicheng was able to stand out among the heroes in the late Ming Dynasty, and he was naturally quite far-sighted.

He understood that if Chongzhen was allowed to return to Jiangnan, then Dashun's life would be even more difficult.

He sent his imperial nephew Li Guo and Li Yan to lead an army of 50,000 troops into Huaiqing Mansion to prevent Chongzhen from crossing the Yellow River in the south.

Now Yang Sichang and Yuan Chonghuan will have a difficulty.

Hong Chengchou and Li Guo occupied Wei Hui and Huaiqing, blocking them on the Yellow River.

Although Hong Chengchou had few soldiers, the 30,000 Yulin battalion under his command was an elite division, and in the end they still chose Li Guo's Dashun army.

After all, they had just defeated the Dashun army not long ago, and they still had a considerable psychological advantage.

With Yuan Chonghuan's order, a large number of Ming troops with shields in their hands pushed the ladder and launched a charge towards Huaiqing City.

The artillery in the city also continued to sound, and the curtain officially opened in Huaiqing!

Looking at the dense Ming army under the city, Li Guo said: "Chongzhen, the dog emperor, is really willing to spend the capital, obviously it is just a feint, but he actually made the momentum of tens of thousands of troops attacking the city!" ”

Li Yan said with a smile: "They did this just to let us concentrate our forces to hold Huaiqing Mansion City, so that they could seize the ferry port to the south." ”

"Chongzhen's move was already expected by me, there is not even a small sampan on the north bank of the Yellow River in the entire Huaiqing Mansion, Chongzhen wants to go over, unless he can fly across the Yellow River."

"The Ming army is in a hurry to go south, so it is naturally impossible to carry Hongyi cannons, they can't break through Huaiqing City. As long as we hold out for a few days, when the morale of the Ming army is low and the division is under the old city, it will be the day when we will go out of the city and defeat them. ”

At this time, the cavalry led by Liang Tingdong marched all the way and successfully took Wuzhi on the side of the Yellow River.

Chongzhen and the others could even see the Yellow River flowing endlessly in the distance.

Yang Sichang said excitedly: "Congratulations to Your Majesty, we have finally come to the Yellow River, as long as we cross the river, we will be safe!" ”

This is the first time Chongzhen has seen the Yellow River, and at this time he also changed his previous haze and looked at the river excitedly.

But soon they found a problem, why didn't they even see a boat crossing the river?

At this time, Wang Pu said: "Your Majesty, we have searched for dozens of miles, but we haven't even found a ferry!" ”

"According to the local people, a few days ago, the thieves gathered all the ships on the south bank of the Yellow River, and invited all the nearby craftsmen who knew how to build ships to the south bank of the Yellow River!"

"The thieves also practice the law of joint sitting, if any village provides ferries for the officials and soldiers or helps build ships, once they are discovered, the whole village will be slaughtered!"

"So at this time, all the craftsmen and boats have been concentrated on the other side, and the last general has already sent people to Weihui Mansion farther away to look for it, and I believe that we will definitely be able to find the craftsmen who will ferry or build ships."

Although Wang Pu said this, everyone knew in their hearts that with Hong Chengchou's viciousness, it was even more impossible to leave them with ferries and craftsmen who could build ships.

Even if they were able to build some small boats on their own, the ferries around Zhengzhou on the south bank of the Yellow River were still controlled by the Dashun army.

Their attempt to break through the Yellow River with a few small boats is tantamount to a fool's dream!

Just as their rulers were desperate, they saw a large number of ships rowing towards them on the other side.

Could it be that the intruders from the south bank have come to reinforce it?

Frightened, Yang Sichang hurriedly ordered the firecrackers to go to the river bank to set up defenses to prevent the enemy from landing.

I never thought that it was the Ming army who came.

Soon a young general of the Ming army came to Chongzhen, and he said: "Qingzhou guerrilla Cao Bianjiao was ordered by Cao Wenzhao, the general soldier of the aid and suppression, to welcome His Majesty across the river. ”

Chongzhen said excitedly: "Where is Chief Cao now?" ”

Cao Bianjiao said: "Uncle learned that the thieves wanted to prevent His Majesty from crossing the river, and led the army to conquer Zhongmu overnight, and now he is blocking the enemy army on the front line of Zhengzhou, and I also ask Your Majesty not to hesitate and cross the river quickly." ”

After coming to the ferry, Chongzhen just wanted to ferry, but was stopped by Yang Sichang on the side, he said: "Your Majesty, the enemy situation on the other side is unknown, and the minister is willing to lead the army to cross the river first and explore the way for Your Majesty!" ”

Chongzhen was also greatly moved at this time, he grabbed Yang Sichang's hand and said, "Yang Qing must take care!" ”

Most of the ferries seized by Cao Bianjiao were small boats, and they could only send more than 1,000 people across the river at a time.

After the 3,000 Ming army successfully crossed the river, Chongzhen finally came to the other side under the escort of Wang Chengen and others.

At this time, the horses had already been prepared, Chongzhen did not hesitate, and rushed all the way to Kaifeng under the escort of Cao Bianjiao and others.

After Li Zicheng heard about Cao Wenzhao's raid on Zhongmu, he knew that something bad was coming.

Hurry up and gather a large army to go to Zhongmu.

However, Luoyang is 350 miles away from Zhongmu, and even if the cavalry gallops, it will take more than 2 days.

By the time he arrived at Zhongmu, it had been four days.

Chongzhen had already run to Kaifeng City.

Of the 50,000 Ming troops on the north bank of the Yellow River, 30,000 have successfully crossed the Yellow River.

The 20,000 people and horses behind the palace were entangled by Li Guo's troops and could not cross the river!

But fortunately, Yuan Chonghuan and others crossed the Yellow River.

Cao Wenzhao was once dismissed by Chongzhen and never hired.

Thanks to Yuan Chonghuan's recommendation, he was able to recover!

This time, Cao Wenzhao first relieved the siege of Kaifeng, and then saved the driver.

Chongzhen crowned him as the crown prince Shaobao, the chief soldier of Henan, and the governor of the left capital of the Chinese army.

His nephew Cao Bianjiao was also promoted to deputy general.

Although Yuan Chonghuan's 20,000 descendants were abandoned in Huaiqing Mansion, Cao Wenzhao returned to his subordinates, and he still has a great say in front of Chongzhen.

This also aroused the jealousy of Yang Sichang and Wen Tiren.

Previously, the two of them had reached a political alliance with Wang Chengen.

After the three of them arrived in Nanjing, they wanted to control the government and suppress the officials in Nanjing.

Now the rise of Yuan Chonghuan has broken this situation.

In particular, it had the greatest impact on Yang Sichang, the secretary of the military department.

So Yang Sichang said: "Kaifeng is extremely important to my Ming Dynasty, and I must not give up easily." If Kaifeng is lost, the Yellow River defense line will completely collapse, and we can only retreat to the Yangtze River! ”

Wen Tiren also took the opportunity to say: "What Yang Benbing said is extremely true, Chen Baoju Zhongyi Bo Yuan Chonghuan served as the governor of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong, and Zhili provinces, and commanded the officials and troops of the Central Plains provinces to stabilize the situation in the north. ”

Yang Sichang hurriedly said: "The minister seconded the proposal, only Governor Yuan can turn the tide and stabilize the situation!" ”

Yuan Chonghuan began to scold his mother in his heart, Yang Sichang had already dumped himself once in Fangshan, and then in Huaiqing he wanted to leave himself on the north bank of the Yellow River, and now he wanted to leave himself in Kaifeng to their palace.

It's so deceitful!

This governor of the five provinces of the Central Plains sounds like a big name.

In fact, these territories have long been occupied by Li Zicheng and Li Xianzhong, speaking of five provinces, but the Ming Dynasty actually controls only a part of Henan and Shandong.

However, it turned out that Yuan Chonghuan was still optimistic, and at this time came the news that Li Xianzhong had conquered Yanzhou, and that King Lu and the Confucian family of Qufu had openly supported the Hongguang court.

This also means that Shandong has also fallen in its entirety.

At present, Chongzhen can only control some areas around Kaifeng and Guide Mansion.

The so-called governors of the five provinces have less than two provinces in their hands.

In particular, the betrayal of the Kong family made Chongzhen's legitimacy suffer another blow.

Originally, Chongzhen was still hesitating, after all, the title of governor of the five provinces was too empty.

However, he didn't have time at this moment, because the southern part of Kaifeng and the Runing Mansion in the south of Kaifeng had long been controlled by Li Zicheng, and Fengyang Mansion, which bordered Guide Mansion, was his only way out.

If Li Xianzhong goes south to capture Fengyang at this time, then Chongzhen will once again become a turtle in the urn.

Chongzhen finally appointed Yuan Chonghuan as the governor of the seven provinces, and assigned Huguang and Sichuan to him.

However, he still left Governor Yuan in Kaifeng and was responsible for blocking Li Zicheng.

And he fled to Guide Mansion overnight with Yang Sichang and others.

However, as soon as they ran to Suizhou, west of Guide, they heard that Li Xianzhong had marched westward from Yanzhou and occupied Shangqiu, the capital city of Guide, and Luyi in the south.

This also means that Chongzhen is now surrounded again.

Suizhou City is small, so they resolutely fled back to Kaifeng.

Fortunately, they escaped back in time, because only two hours later, Li Zicheng's 150,000 army once again surrounded Kaifeng!

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