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Chapter 242 Li Zicheng's Conspiracy

While Shen Shuren sent Gu Yanwu, who was kept in the dark, to Nanyang, Shen Shuren's enemies were actually doing the same thing.

Due to the distance difference, on the second day after "Shen Shuren knew that Li Zicheng was about to receive Zuo Liangyu's letter",
Li Zicheng, who was in the Chuangjun camp outside the city of Kaifeng, really received the letter he should have received.

At the same time, because they were not mentally prepared, the contact with the people below was not smooth, and the whole process was delayed for half a day. It was not until lunch time that the messenger was brought to Li Zicheng.

And if Shen Shuren could be present, he would find that the envoy Zuo Liangyu sent to see Li Zicheng was actually an acquaintance. Hao Zhongzhong was bloody and bloody.

Last year, after Shen Shuren planned to frame Zuo Liangyu and moved to the town, when he returned to Nanyang to visit Yang Sichang, he met Zuo Liangyu on a narrow road.At that time, with Zuo Liangyu's acquiescence, Hao Xiaozhong tried to get rough on Shen Shuren, but was shot away by Zuo Zixiong, who was beside Shen Shuren, with a knife handle.

Don't look at this man as a reckless man, but he is very good at currying favor with his superiors, and his loyalty to Zuo Liangyu is very reliable, so this time he was allowed to carry out a secret mission.

On the other hand, Zuo Liangyu also considered that having such a rough-looking person as an envoy would also give people a sense of straightforward deception, which would make Li Zicheng believe in his sincerity even more.

……

Hao Xiaozhong was taken to a large tent of the Chinese army and waited for a long time.During this period, he was also in a disturbed mood, and couldn't help but look around secretly.Seeing that the decoration of the big tent is fairly simple, and the curtains hanging to keep out the cold are also cloth curtains, without brocade or silk, he relaxes a little.

This was the first time that Zuo Liangyu took the initiative to contact Li Zicheng to subdue him. None of his subordinates had been here before, so he naturally worried about whether Li Zicheng was a cruel man.

If you really meet a devil, as a thief, you don't care about "the two armies are fighting without beheading".

And if a person's life is relatively simple, then it should be easier to talk without being arrogant.

"It seems that Li Ziguo is much simpler than Luo Rucai. I heard that Luo Rucai was known as Cao Cao at the beginning, and he was extravagant. There were brocades everywhere in the tent, and dozens of women waited on him..." Hao Xiaozhong thought to himself.

He has followed Zuo Liangyu for many years, and although he has never met any of the bandit chieftains face to face, he still has a good understanding of the reputation of each family.

It's a pity that he didn't know that the reason why Li Zicheng didn't want to decorate gorgeously was just to cover up his features of being not lecherous at the same time.Otherwise, if the residence is luxuriously decorated, but there are no women, some of its physical defects will soon be exposed.

After Hao Xiaozhong waited for a while, a bronze-skinned, burly middle-aged man with a supple beard and a Fanyang Li came in behind the tent. His eyes were scornful. It was Li Zicheng.

Most of the portraits of Li Zicheng in later generations have the shape of a one-eyed dragon, but at this moment Li Zicheng has eyes full of spirit.

Because historically he was blinded in one eye with a bow and crossbow shot by soldiers under the command of Kaifeng General Chen Yongfu during the three fierce attacks on Kaifeng at the end of Chongzhen 14th and Chongzhen 16th, but "History of the Ming Dynasty" did not say specifically the three attacks on Kaifeng Which one of them was blind.

Now, maybe it is Shen Shuren's butterfly effect, or it may be that Li Zicheng is really good enough. In short, at this moment, although he has many scars on his face, his facial features are very complete. In contrast, his old opponent Zhang Xianzhong, His face had been pockmarked by the lead bullet fragments of Shen Shuren, and one ear was cut off.

When Hao Xiaozhong saw Li Zicheng, he immediately knelt down to salute, and briefly explained his purpose of coming.

Li Zicheng also looked down on this kind of person, but after observing the other person's appearance, he was really deceived by his rough appearance, and his trust in what he said also increased a bit.

Li Zicheng sat down on his knees, pointing at Hao Xiaozhong carelessly, and asked: "Zuo Liangyu wants to stay out of trouble with me? For more than a month, I didn't provoke him. Why is he so nervous? Could it be a fraud!"

Hao Xiaozhong said truthfully: "Reporting to King Chuang, my Zongzhen Zuo was also afraid of any misunderstanding between your army and our armies, and that's why I let the future show goodwill. Although your army has not provoked Zongzhen Zuo so far, it has also increased troops in Ye County. .

As a result, my family's general town had to increase its troops in the opposite Yuzhou (Fangcheng) to prepare for unexpected events.If your army can reduce the number of soldiers in Ye County, then our headquarter can also reduce the number of soldiers in Yuzhou, and both sides will reduce the loss of food transported to the front line. Wouldn't it be great? "

Li Zicheng was taken aback for a moment, and then he laughed loudly: "I think of it, Zuo Liangyu and Shen Shuren have a big holiday. He wants to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and kill people with a knife. The old Chongzhen is also a waste, and he used these nests People in Liheng are generals."

Hao Xiaozhong was also angry when he saw his lord being humiliated, but he remembered the mission of this trip, so he endured it.

Li Zicheng didn't give him an answer right away, but read Zuo Liangyu's letter carefully again, and then said that he would have a discussion result within today, and he would send someone to send the letter back to Zuo Liangyu with him tomorrow morning.

……

After Li Zicheng ordered Hao Xiaozhong to be taken down, of course he immediately asked the guards to invite his main counselor to discuss it together.

After a while, a former scholar counselor who was too ugly to take part in the imperial examination came forward on tiptoe.

Li Zicheng didn't meet him either, and directly invited him to sit next to him.

This person is Song Xiance, who has voted for Li Zicheng for two years. He is the second counselor under Li Zicheng's command, second only to Niu Jinxing.

Li Zicheng didn't have many scholars under his command. Niu Jinxing had passed the Juren of the Ming Dynasty, so he was more reserved. He always regarded himself as Xiao He, and liked to talk about some upright principles.

And because Song Xiance has never achieved fame, the psychological burden is much smaller, and he likes to play a little vicious tricks. In order to complement Niu Jinxing, he considers himself Zhang Liang.

In addition, Song Xiance was born in fortune-telling and geomantic omen, and was good at auspicious divination, superstition and other superstitions. Over time, he confused the uneducated Li Zicheng into a godsend.When encountering diplomatic tricks that need to be solved, or using some malicious tricks, they will discuss with Song Xiance.

"I don't know why your Majesty summoned you?" After sitting down, Song Xiance stroked his whiskers with the tone of an outsider.

Li Zicheng also respected him very much and explained the situation in detail.

After Song Xiance listened to it, he thought about it for a while, and felt that Zuo Liangyu's suggestion was acceptable.He also took the opportunity to pat his ass:
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Zuo Liangyu's show of sincerity shows that there are already many conflicts within the Ming army. Your Majesty will soon be able to defeat Shen Shuren! Let the generals of the Ming court no longer dare to risk their lives for Chongzhen!
And if our army can reduce the force in the direction of Ye County, it will be a good time to gather most of the heavy troops in Yancheng to confront the Shen Shu army in Ruyang and Shangcai.If you can seize the opportunity, you will soon be able to tell the winner! "

After Li Zicheng heard this, he had no doubts about Zuo Liangyu's sincerity, but he was naturally aroused by Song Xiance's private goods:

"Mr. Song, how many times have you persuaded the king to move his troops south to Yancheng with the main force? You really say it every time you get a chance. Now the siege of Kaifeng city is difficult, and it is not easy to break the city. I want to keep at least half of the troops to continue the siege, sir. Why do you always persuade me to go south with the main force?"

Song Xiance said sincerely: "Your Majesty, Kaifeng City has been besieged by you for a long time. You know it. Now the morale of the army has dropped again. Our main hope is to cut off food. The siege of the city will starve to death." , At least surrender after a starvation collapse.

It is very difficult for us now to organize an all-out onslaught that does not count human lives.Our army's artillery and shells have already been almost worn out in half a year of fierce fighting.For the current plan, not too many people will be needed to encircle Kaifeng without attacking, and the most important thing is to annihilate the main force of Shen Shuren. "

Song Xiance's words were difficult for outsiders to understand at first glance, but Li Zicheng certainly understood the context.

For more than half a year, the time when the Chuangjun really stormed Kaifeng was only April and August.

In April, shortly after the siege, morale was still strong.

In August, it was because Sun Chuanting and Yang Sichang had just been repelled. The morale that had been under the fortified city for a long time was sluggish, and it was backed up by a big victory in the field, so I felt that I could do it again, and I could attack a few more times .

So at the end of August, when he heard that Shen Shuren was going north, Li Zicheng was actually looking forward to it, because he found that he could finally stop fighting Kaifeng. Give away the head.

For the thieves, of course they had to fight field battles with the officers and soldiers as much as possible. Who the hell wanted to fight a siege? The city was still so strong.

It's a pity that Shen Shuren's troops assembled and advanced very slowly. Obviously the emperor had ordered him to break through the siege outside Kaifeng immediately, but he still used all legal and reasonable excuses to delay as much as possible.

Li Zicheng had not been given a chance to fight in the field for 20 days, so the two sides carefully assembled and confronted each other. After 20 days of delay, the morale bonus that Chuangjun gained after the last big victory was finally worn down again.

So at this moment, Chuangjun actually admitted a tacit understanding in his heart: "We just can't break through a fortified city like Kaifeng, even if the government and army reinforcements don't move forward, we still can't break through."

After pondering Song Xiance's words, Li Zicheng questioned in a probing tone: "Mr. said that it is difficult for our army to break through Kaifeng City by force, and we can only count on the defenders to starve to death. The king agrees with this statement.

But if you want to fight Shen Shuren in a decisive battle, wouldn't it be good to wait for him to go all the way to the city of Kaifeng?He stayed in Shangcai for so long, so our army has to go south to Yancheng to find him?Give up the advantage of waiting for work at leisure to the enemy?What's the point? That's not what you said 20 days ago. "

Song Xiance shook his head and sighed: "At this time, at that time, 20 days ago, when I first learned that Shen Shuren was going north, the officials advised the king to wait for work at ease. Daredevil forced the main attack.

But now it seems that Shen Shuren is much more slick than Sun Chuanting and Yang Sichang, and he doesn't listen to the foolish emperor's orders, so it's not so easy for us to wait for work with ease.

On the other hand, the autumn harvest is now over, and the current military ration situation of our army is also very different from 20 days ago. Twenty days ago, there was still some food in the camp, so we could eat wild vegetables, intercept the Bian River of the Yellow River to get some aquatic subsidies, add vegetation and people, and we could persist.At that time, if the main force went south, the loss of grain transportation had to be considered.

But now, we basically have almost enough food. When the army goes south, they only need to carry some food with them, and there is no need to transport a large amount of food with extra luggage.

Therefore, the departure of the main force can also allow the steadfast troops under the city of Kaifeng to eat less food and reduce the transportation of food from other places to outside the city of Kaifeng.We are people following food, not food following people. "

Li Zicheng stroked his beard and thought about it again. Song Xiance's last dialectical comparison of "people go with food, and food goes with people" made him feel very inscrutable and reasonable.

After a long time, he only thought of a little risk, and questioned: "It's right for people to go with the food, but what if there are too few troops left in Kaifeng City, and Shen Shuren uses a detour to break through the siege? Or the officers and soldiers from other directions suddenly have the guts How dare you come to save Kaifeng when you grow up?"

Hearing this, Song Xiance couldn't help showing a smile. At any rate, he still knew that he was in front of the king, so he didn't dare to be too presumptuous, so he held back and said:
"Your Majesty, worry too much. The officers and soldiers are different from us. The officers and soldiers cannot slaughter people and eat people. They need food and roads. Now the surrounding area of ​​Kaifeng is dilapidated, and even we haven't received new food for half a year.

If Shen Shuren wants to march, every grain has to be transported from Xinyang, it is impossible to expect other directions.To transport grain from Xinyang, it is nothing more than entering the Rushui River from the Huaihe River, then taking the Qulu Canal in the south of Yancheng City to transfer to the Yingchuan and Shahe Rivers, and finally entering the Bianshui River before reaching the outside of Kaifeng City.

Therefore, the Qulu Canal outside Yancheng City cannot be bypassed. Your Majesty may not know that this Qulu Canal was dug by Cao Pi, Emperor Wen of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period, for the purpose of communicating with Ruying. Your Majesty should have read " The story of Romance of the Three Kingdoms?It was Cao Pi who sent the great Sima Cao Xiu to the south to conquer Sun Quan. If there is no such canal, it will be very troublesome to support the Huaixi battlefield with grain from Henan.

But before our army fought with Yang Sichang and Zuo Liangyu, Zuo Liangyu came from Poye County in Nanyang, but he still had to go east to break Yancheng first, just to control this canal.Whether it is Nanyang or Huaixi, the food there must pass through the Qulu Canal if it wants to go to the city of Kaifeng and finally enter the Bian River.We stationed heavy troops in Yancheng, and Shen Shuren wanted to go around, that is to ignore the food road and go deep alone. "

Li Zicheng didn't know geography very well, so he subconsciously asked, "Does the officer and army really have no other sources of food?"

Song Xiance saw that Li Zicheng seemed to think he was bragging, rolled his eyes, and thought it would be better to give him a spare tire option, so that his rhetoric would be more credible.

When any counselor persuades the lord, he must give the final decision to the lord, so that the lord will feel that "this decision was made by me", and he will be more emotional and willing to stick to this decision in the follow-up execution.

So Song Xiance borrowed the donkey from the slope: "Actually, it can't be said that there is no such thing at all. If you don't go to the Taolu Canal to communicate with Ruying, then the Shenshu people have to transport the grain from Huguang to Xinyang through Xinyang Road, and then directly enter the Huaihe River from Xinyang. Down,

Then it was transported all the way to Shou County in Luzhou Prefecture, which is the ancient Shouchun.It is the first hub in the middle reaches of the Huaihe River, where Feishui River in Huainan and Yingchuan River in Huaibei converge into the Huaihe River.After the grain arrives in Shou County, it can go directly to Yingchuan, then go upstream, and then pass through the Shahe River to the Bianhe River, and then arrive at Kaifeng City, that is, take the road of the Honggou Ancient Canal.

But this road will suffer a lot of wear and tear. From Xinyang to Shouxian County, you have to go back and forth for [-] miles, and then turn back, and you have to walk nearly a thousand miles in total. "

After Li Zicheng heard this, he thought about it for a while, and felt that there was really no need for the officers and soldiers to make such a fuss, after all, where to fight is not to fight.Why should the officers and soldiers bear so much extra loss and abolish part of their war potential before they start fighting?
And if you really want to make such a big noise, you can fight inside, dispatch more quickly, and respond immediately.

After thinking everything through, Li Zicheng finally made a decision and made two important decisions one after another:

"The reply to Zuo Liangyu is Mr. Lao. Let's see how to stabilize him. In addition, after the matter is completed, the siege troops in Ye County and Kaifeng City will be further dispatched to the front line of Yancheng to find Shen Shuren for a decisive battle!"

(End of this chapter)