The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 439 Li Dingguo

"The present is different from the past. The Northern Kingdom is now in ruins, and the Ming court is trapped both internally and externally. It is already like a candle in the wind."

"Northern Zhili is now suffering from a major epidemic, and the dead are everywhere."

Ai Nengqi looked at Liu Wenxiu and spoke in a serious tone.

"Ningyuan is under siege, and the Mongolian tribes south of the desert have repeatedly violated the border. It won't be long before they will attack Ming again."

"Li Zicheng first captured Pingyang and then Datong. He controlled both Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces. Many Ming court towns surrendered, and his army reached 300,000."

In the Battle of Songjin, in order to lift the siege of Jinzhou, the Ming court mobilized elite troops from the nine borders, leaving the garrison forces in Shaanxi and Shanxi extremely weak.

Li Zicheng took advantage of the situation and marched into Shaanxi, seizing all of Guanzhong.

After conquering Datong, due to the epidemic in the capital, Li Zicheng ordered Liu Zong to stop the troops in Datong and personally led his troops back to Guanzhong to clear out Shaanxi.

The six towns of Gansu, Guyuan, Ningxia, Yansui, Shanxi and Datong were all destroyed, and a large number of Ming troops surrendered to Li Zicheng.

He had nearly 100,000 Mongolian, Qiang, Hui and Han people under his command.

Afterwards, he recruited soldiers on a large scale, and together with the surrendered soldiers from the three border guard camps, his infantry force now exceeded 200,000.

Soon Li Zicheng proclaimed himself king in Xi'an, made Xi'an his capital, named his country "Dashun" and changed the era name to "Yongchang".

Meritorious officials were conferred with five ranks of nobility.

He also issued an order to recruit people to cultivate the land and collect the grain to feed the army.

Providing cattle seeds, providing relief to the poor, raising livestock, engaging in farming and mulberry cultivation, and managing Guanzhong.

Now Li Zicheng has gathered 300,000 troops under his command.

Standing at Guanzhong, we look towards the northern country.

"The Ming court has already lost power and is already struggling to take care of itself, making it impossible for it to govern the Southern Kingdom."

"With the north-south roads cut off, why would Chen Wang care about the imperial court? You said Chen Wang wants us to be his vanguard in the attack on Ming. Do you think he really needs us?"

Ai Nengqi raised his tone, looked at Liu Wenxiu and said in a cold voice.

"Chen Wang is supporting the uprising in Yunyang and Henan. Don't you know about this?"

"Who doesn't know that Sun Qiyun's rampage in Nanyang and his wanton attacks were instigated by Chen Wang?"

"Chen Wang doesn't need us to be the vanguard of the Ming Dynasty. He can just support a few forces of civil rebellion or even directly have his troops change a few flags. Why does he need us to do it?"

Ai Nengqi completely disagreed with Liu Wenxiu's idea.

Liu Wenxiu's idea was too simple, and his thinking was still stuck in a few years ago, when Chen Wang was still unfledged and still needed the banner of the Ming court.

"Even if Chen Wang really needs us to be the vanguard in the attack on Ming."

"We went south to Jiangxi, abandoning the foundation we had worked so hard to build. How far do you think we can go?"

“Could it be that Chen Wang and the Hanzhong Army really treat me as a pawn that can be manipulated and abandoned at any time?!”

Ai Nengqi snorted coldly, and his last sentence was completely a question.

Liu Wenxiu's expression changed slightly. Ai Nengqi slapped him in the face in public, making Liu Wenxiu feel quite embarrassed.

At that moment, Liu Wenxiu couldn't help but sneer.

"If we go south to Jiangxi, there is still a chance to escape control."

"Are we just going to stay in Wuchang City and wait for death?!"

There was a hint of coldness in Liu Wenxiu's eyes, and he sneered.

"You are more confident than Chen Wang. I didn't expect that."

"When my adoptive father was alive, he still avoided the sharp edge of Hanzhong Town."

"Chen Wang attacked the south and the north, and defeated all who came his way. He was even more powerful than Cao Wenzhao."

"Generals inside the pass... no..."

Liu Wenxiu shook his head and then said.

"Among all the generals in the world, is there anyone who can surpass him?"

"Don't tell me, you think you are more powerful than Chen Wang?"

Liu Wenxiu's face was grim and he said with disdain.

"Waiting for the right opportunity is an easy thing to say."

"you!"

Ai Nengqi's brows were furious and his eyes were spitting fire.

He was trapped in Wuchang these days and felt depressed.

Liu Wenxiu's sarcastic words directly ignited the anger in his heart.

However, it is currently a military meeting, and all the officers are in the hall. If they were to quarrel with each other, it would probably make the already unstable military morale even more unstable.

Ai Nengqi suppressed the anger in his eyes, and reason prevailed over him in the end.

Liu Wenxiu also realized this and kept silent.

Ai Nengqi calmed down and said this.

"Brothers, why should you boost others' ambitions and destroy your own prestige?"

"It is true that Hanzhong Town is strong, but our army has gone through hardships and is not lacking in fighting spirit. If the Hanzhong army comes with troops, our army will not be without the ability to fight."

"In this world, it is not uncommon for the weak to defeat the strong, and the few to defeat the many."

"Now, the only chance we have is to fight a desperate battle with the Hanzhong Army in Wuchang."

"In this life-and-death fight, it's still unknown who will win!"

Ai Nengqi knew in his heart that the chances of winning were slim, but this was their only chance.

There is no chance of escaping to Jiangxi at all.

As Ai Nengqi finished speaking, the originally bustling hall returned to calm.

All the officers and soldiers of the Western Army gathered in the hall fell into silence.

Liu Wenxiu's proposal and Ai Nengqi's decision each have their own advantages and disadvantages. For a moment, they didn't know how to choose.

However, it seems that no matter which angle you look at it from, their opportunities are very slim.

The way forward...

It was dark...

A gloomy atmosphere lingered in the hall.

A feeling of despair was quietly growing in the hearts of the Western Army generals.

Could it be that this is really the end?
Many people have a sense of powerlessness in their hearts.

I don’t know how long it took.

Just when all the generals of the Western Army were in trouble, the silence was broken again.

"actually……"

"There is another way to choose."

All the generals in the hall raised their heads and looked in the direction of the voice involuntarily.

Liu Wenxiu and Ai Nengqi were also slightly moved and turned their heads to look to the side.

The person who broke the silence and suddenly spoke was Li Dingguo, who had been sitting quietly on their right and side by side with them.

"Is there another way to choose?"

Liu Wenxiu was suspicious and couldn't help asking.

Li Dingguo nodded solemnly and affirmed.

"There is another way."

Ai Nengqi's eyes flickered and his mind was in turmoil.

When Zhang Xianzhong was still alive, he, Liu Wenxiu, Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo were the four people who were most trusted by Zhang Xianzhong, so he divided the military power among the four to lead the army.

But Ai Nengqi also knew that the people Zhang Xianzhong trusted the most were actually Li Dingguo and Sun Kewang.

Sun Kewang was their eldest brother, and Li Dingguo's status was second only to Sun Kewang. Otherwise, Li Dingguo would not have been left to defend Xiangyang at that time.

Ai Nengqi narrowed his eyes and looked at Li Dingguo.

Li Dingguo remained silent in so many military meetings and basically did not express any opinions.

But this time, Li Dingguo suddenly stood up, leaving Ai Nengqi somewhat confused as to the reason.

"Going south to Jiangxi is a way out, but there are too many variables. But no matter what, it is difficult to escape the cage."

Li Dingguo turned his head and looked solemnly at Ai Nengqi and Liu Wenxiu, then slowly stood up.

He didn't care what Ai Nengqi and Liu Wenxiu were thinking.

Li Dingguo stood up straight, overlooking the Western Army officers sitting in the hall, and presented all the pros and cons of the decisions proposed by Liu Wenxiu and Ai Nengqi.

"Staying in Wuchang is the same as going south to Jiangxi. The chances of success are slim and there is no chance of survival."

"Chen Wang was a famous general of his time. His Hanzhong army was the bravest in the world and invincible."

“Under the torrent, it is difficult to turn back.”

Li Dingguo's hoarse voice was clearly heard by all the generals in the hall.

All the officers and soldiers of the Western Army in the hall could not help looking around.

The noise gradually began to rise in the hall again.

However, the noise that had just begun soon died down with Li Dingguo's next words, and the hall returned to silence again.

"Apart from these two paths, I am going to talk about a third path. In fact, you may have had this idea to some extent, but it was rejected in the end."

The pupils of Liu Wenxiu and Ai Nengqi's eyes dilated almost at the same time, and both of them frowned with the same expression.

The two of them now knew clearly the way out that Li Dingguo was going to talk about.

"Right now, the only way to survive is..."

Li Dingguo did not hide anything anymore and spoke directly.

"surrender."

As the word "surrender" came out of Li Dingguo's mouth.

The originally silent atmosphere in the hall was broken in an instant, just like a huge rock falling into a calm pool of water, causing thousands of waves in an instant.

Ai Nengqi and Liu Wenxiu both stood up at the same time, both looked surprised and silent.

Li Dingguo glanced at Ai Nengqi and Liu Wenxiu, then glanced at the Western Army generals who were in an uproar below, but his eyes were still calm.

Li Dingguo raised his hand, untied the belt that bound the sword, and then took the sword in the scabbard and smashed it on the seat behind him.

"Boom!"

The scabbard touched the armrest of the seat, making a dull sound.

Although the sound was not loud, it seemed to carry some kind of magic, which gradually quieted down the noisy generals in the hall, just like the waves receding like the tide.

The Western Army officers and soldiers who were originally making a fuss also turned their attention back to Li Dingguo.

"If the imperial army were to invade, I would never have the slightest thought of surrendering."

"But today, it was not the imperial court that led the troops, but... Chen Wang..."

Li Dingguo held the scabbard of his sword in his hand, and his eyes slowly looked around at the generals in the hall, pausing for a moment on each familiar face.

"You should all remember why we came all the way from Shaanxi."

"Natural disasters continue, and it is difficult to survive. In order to survive, we have no choice but to take up arms."

Li Dingguo's voice echoed under the dome of the hall, the sound waves refracted back and forth, his words were clear, striking everyone's heartstrings.

"The Wanmin Army betrayed their loyalty and set up the Hongmen Banquet..."

Li Dingguo brought up the old matter again, causing a commotion among the generals of the Western Army.

The Wanmin Army killed Zhang Xianzhong in Nanjing and annexed most of their Western Army's troops advancing eastward, trapping them in Wuchang.

When the news came, they even thought about fighting with the Wanmin Army.

However, Zuo Liangyu and Mengruhu towns were eyeing the area west of Wuchang and would never let them leave Wuchang.

Furthermore, the Wanmin Army is powerful and if Zhang Xianzhong were still alive, they would still be able to fight.

However, with Zhang Xianzhong dead, the Wanmin Army was now several times stronger than them. The gap in strength between them was too great. They could only barely hold on in Wuchang, let alone take revenge.

"I have been tossing and turning for a long time, meditating late at night, trying to figure out a way forward, but I just can't see the way forward clearly."

"You all should know this clearly in your hearts."

"After the Nanjing Incident, our army had already lost the capital to compete for supremacy in the world."

Li Dingguo's eyes were as calm as usual, without any concealment, and he spoke calmly.

Liu Wenxiu and Ai Nengqi remained silent, and many generals in the hall also slowly lowered their heads.

Because everything Li Dingguo said was true.

It is no longer the tenth year of Chongzhen, but the fifteenth year of Chongzhen.

The world has gradually stabilized, and forces in various places are gradually integrating.

"Even if Wuchang wins this battle, what can we do?"

"There are still tens of thousands of Hanzhong troops in Hanzhong Prefecture."

"Henan, Nanzhili, and Chen Wang still have hundreds of thousands of armored soldiers under their command."

"What can our army do if Chen Wang leads his army to attack us again?"

"With just one prefecture, can we fight against the enemy forces of several provinces?"

Li Dingguo asked several questions in a gloomy voice.

"Even Zhuge Wuhou could not conquer the Central Plains and restore the Han Dynasty."

"Does anyone among you think that he can be compared to Zhuge Wuhou?"

All the officers and soldiers of the Western Army in the hall felt depressed and had difficulty breathing.

Li Dingguo's questions came into their ears one after another, and the pressure brought by those questions made it really hard to breathe.

"Li Yan is a man of deep scheming and extremely hypocritical. He claims that everything he does is for the benefit of the people of the world, but in reality, he only does it for his own ambitions."

"Whether we go south to Jiangxi or stay in Wuchang, we are actually helping Li Yan buy time."

"Li Yan wants to shed the last drop of blood of our Dashi Army in Wuchang and Jiangxi to contribute to his ambition to become king. He wants us to consume the combat power of the Hanzhong Army..."

All the Western Army generals in the hall fell into silence.

"Since we have lost the ability to compete for the world, we should stop thinking like this."

Li Dingguo clenched the knife in his hand and said hatefully.

"We must not let Li Yan do what he wants and use our Dashi Army soldiers to exchange for his ambitions of being king!"

"The blood feud between the Wanmin Army and our Dashi Army is hard to erase."

Li Dingguo took a deep breath. His heart was not as calm as he looked.

Coming from Nanjing, he felt extremely painful and depressed.

"Which of these two paths we choose will only make the People's Army applaud and make us weaker."

If they continue like this, the gap between them and the People's Army will only get wider and wider.

By then, how can we talk about revenge?
Now is their only chance to defeat the Ten Thousand Nations Army and take revenge.

There is only one way...

The trend is like a tide.

In that case, why not just go with the flow?

A heart-pounding murderous intent flashed in Li Dingguo's eyes.

Li Dingguo clenched his fists, raised them slowly, looked at the generals in the hall, and spoke in a serious voice.

"The hatred of killing my brother and my father is irreconcilable!"

(End of this chapter)