Before hanging himself, Chongzhen lifted the table

Chapter 114
It's late spring and early summer, and it's still early for the autumn harvest. It's a bit unimaginable if there is no food.

The local officials in Baoding were also curious. If there is famine in this place, then there will be an unimaginable famine in Taiyuan this year!
After hearing this, He Zhen showed a little anger and said: "According to the messenger, it seems that when Li's army left Taiyuan, they took away all the food and grass in Taiyuan!"

Every time Li Zicheng's army controlled a place, they would pursue looting and support. Even in those places that surrendered, they would pursue looting and support. The difference was at most the intensity.

In this way, the local wealthy households must have stored grain, but due to the looting and subsidies, the grain wealth will be plundered by Li Zicheng's army.If it is further divided among the people, there is nothing to say. But if these are taken away, it is conceivable that it is equivalent to robbing the local area, and the people in the local area will definitely suffer from famine!
Shocked, Emperor Chongzhen immediately ordered a messenger to interrogate him personally.

As a result, after asking this question, the matter was basically restored.

It turns out that there is a big trap here, waiting for him to step on it.Unexpectedly, he wanted to defeat Li Zicheng's partial army first, so he returned to North Zhili instead of going south. Fortunately, he escaped this trap.

Li Zicheng's army who stayed behind in Taiyuan has sent messengers several times to ask for help, but there has been no news and they seem to be ignored.

Upon hearing the truth, Shao Zongyuan and others were shocked, and then turned angry, scolding Li Zicheng for his cruelty.

After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen immediately said angrily: "Publish the decree to the world and announce this matter. I can pardon other thieves who were forced to rebel, but I will not pardon such a heartless thieves!"

This was a good opportunity, and he certainly wouldn't miss it.

Once this imperial edict spreads throughout the world, the traitors will know that he intends to forgive them, and the resistance will not be strong; the people will realize that Li Zicheng, a tyrant, is actually just playing with people's hearts, and that he is a ruthless person at his core.

This time, Li Zicheng shot himself in the foot!
This news first spread in Baoding City, and people were excited for a while.

Especially when the current emperor gave them food as a comparison, it showed the kindness of the current emperor and the cold-bloodedness of the bandit leader.

Even the original thieves who were absorbed into the Beijing camp were shocked.

Most of them were miscellaneous troops in Liu Fangliang's army. They were the imperial officers and soldiers recruited by Liu Fangliang on his way from Taiyuan to attack Beizhili.This is also why they choose to lay down their weapons and surrender when they see that the situation is not going well.

As for Liu Fangliang's direct line of old thieves, most of them had a strong will to resist and were killed, or they were unwilling to surrender when the opportunity came, so they followed Liu Fangliang to escape.Therefore, among the [-] prisoners, there must be very few, if not none, old thieves.

The ideological transformation originally intended by Emperor Chongzhen was basically achieved after this incident spread.

In this regard, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but lamented that it was better to do things openly and honestly, otherwise once the conspiracy was exposed, there would be backlash.

Even if we don't talk about this matter, if Li Zichenghuo and others strengthen his team, it will be nothing when everything is going smoothly for him. But when he encounters a major setback, history has proven that his power will fall apart. There are many mountains and far away. Not other forces can be a manifestation of one heart.

Emperor Chongzhen thought about this and immediately looked north in the direction of the capital.The news of Baoding's defeat is expected to reach him tomorrow, and he will know about the exposure of Taiyuan's conspiracy sooner or later. When the time comes, I wonder what he will think?
Just thinking about this, Emperor Chongzhen issued an order for the entire army to complete rest and recuperation as soon as possible and set out early tomorrow morning to rush to meet Zhou Yuji and implement the crucial second step of the battle plan.

………………

At Juyongguan, Xuanfu Governor Zhu Mintai personally led the reinforcements and arrived. He was discussing the rescue of the capital with Hu Kegui Shizhong Wu Ganlai when he saw the newly naturalized citizen Mo Rigen coming back. With some surprise, he reported to them: : "Sir, those thieves are spreading the news that the emperor has been killed by them in Jin!"

Mo Rigen's newly naturalized [-] cavalrymen were all good at riding and shooting, so Wu Ganlai temporarily refused to use them that night to spy on the military situation and get information.

When Zhu Mintai heard this, he immediately sneered and said: "The thief is telling the truth. His Majesty personally led the expedition, and Yu Tianwei fled from Jin to Beizhili. He did not dare to confront your Majesty, and he even fabricated such a lie. What a joke!" "

The emperor had given him orders before departure to deal with the escaped Shanxi merchants, resettle the naturalized Mongolians, etc., so he was the one who knew the situation on the front line best.

However, after Wu Ganlai heard this, he was shocked and said: "No, the thief's rumor is probably very powerful!"

When Zhu Mintai heard this, he was a little surprised and immediately asked: "How do you say it?"

Wu Gan came to look at him and immediately explained: "A few days ago, a Jinyi Guardsman passed through Juyongguan and returned from Shanhaiguan. Calculating the time, Shanhaiguan should have known that His Majesty was in Jin to conquer the traitors, but now the traitors have arrived. Since I have not seen His Majesty in the capital, I am afraid that Shanhaiguan will be deceived!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Mintai's expression suddenly changed.

There is no doubt about the importance of Shanhaiguan.Once Shanhaiguan makes a wrong judgment, it may lead to serious consequences.

So, he immediately said: "I will write a letter immediately to inform you and expose the rumors about the bandit!"

This was a very necessary thing. Wu Ganlai personally polished Zhu Mintai's ink. Seeing how nervous they were, Mo Rigen laughed and said, "You sirs are overthinking it. Your Majesty is so brave that he could be killed. How could he be killed?" It’s impossible even if you think about it!”

He is still shocked by the power of Emperor Ming. It can be said that Emperor Ming is the person he admires the most.

Such a heroic man will be killed by bandits, even if he is beaten to death, he will not believe it.Not to mention, he also knew that the emperor was fine at all.

When the two civil servants heard what he said, they ignored him at all and quickly wrote two letters with similar contents.

Wu Ganlai also signed his name at the end, and then used his seal to seal the mud.

Zhu Mintai looked at Mo Rigen with a serious expression and ordered: "You immediately rush to the Ji Liao Governor's Mansion in Ji Town and deliver the letter, and then rush to Shanhaiguan to deliver another letter to the governor of Liaodong. To Quick, must be quick!”

The clan members were all living under the governor of Xuanfu. Although Mo Rigen didn't take it seriously, he still took the letter and rushed to Jizhen day and night.

One person and two horses, the Mongolians are talented enough to sleep on horseback, so the task of delivering messages and rushing on the road is not difficult for them.

However, when he arrived at Ji Town, he was told that Governor Ji Liao had already rushed to Shanhaiguan and was not at the Governor's Mansion.Morigen had no choice but to rush to Shanhaiguan again.

Near noon the next day, in the lobby of the Liaodong Governor's Mansion in Shanhaiguan, the person sitting at the main seat was not Li Yutian, the governor of Liaodong, but Wang Yongji, the governor of Jiliao. All the civil and military officials in the hall were listening to him.

I heard Wang Yongji say with a heavy expression: "The envoy from Dashun Kingdom is waiting for news in Houya. Colleagues, the national situation is like this. How should we deal with it?"

Everyone in the lobby was silent, and no one answered immediately.

Does the emperor really think that leading troops to fight is a joke?He actually had to lead troops out of the capital to fight against the bandits!
What happened to the many famous generals and ministers who fought against thieves?Basically it’s an ending!

Well now, the bandit army besieged the capital, and they even said with certainty that the emperor had been killed by them, and the weather was about to change. They were asked to make a choice. If they surrender at this time, they would be serving as ministers of the dragon and serving the founding of the country. Hero; if you don't surrender, you will wait for the bandits to capture the capital and send troops to attack them. Then there will be no glory and wealth to speak of.

However, they have also heard of the thieves' strategy of recovering stolen goods to support them, and they especially have trouble with officials, and ransacking their homes is commonplace.Surrender to the traitors, but what if the traitors don't admit their guilt?
Of course, they also considered what if the emperor was not dead?After all, it was just the bandits talking now, and there was no token. Although the main force of the bandits came from Jin to besiege the capital, they most likely came after defeating the emperor's army.However, it is also very important whether the emperor is really dead or not.

How to choose will affect the rest of the lives of these people present. No one dares to make a decision easily.

When Wang Yongji saw that everyone was silent, he immediately became anxious and said, "If you don't want to speak, how about we follow the example of Ting Tui, and everyone writes down their choice. The one with the highest number of votes is for our future, how about that?"

In the original history, these people also faced such a decision after Li Zicheng's army captured the capital. That time, it took five days of deliberation before the final result was reached.

But this time, Li Zicheng was afraid that the rumors would be exposed, so he gave them a short period of time and did not give them a chance to verify it slowly, which made them all anxious.

At this time, after hearing his words, Tong Kui, a fifth-rank official, came out and said categorically: "I think we are all ministers of the Ming Dynasty, how can we subjugate the thieves? The thieves' army is so brutal that it is This is something everyone knows!”

As soon as someone spoke, Wang Yongji immediately asked: "What do you think?"

Everyone looked at Tong Kuixing and heard him say loudly: "In my opinion, the following officials can follow the example of borrowing troops from Huihe to quell the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, and send people to ask for help from the Qing Dynasty, borrow troops to suppress thieves, and relieve the siege of the capital. !" When Wang Yongji heard this, he hesitated a little and said: "The Qing Dynasty is a country of tigers and wolves. If you do this, it will be easier to invite gods than to send them away!"

In the original history, although he finally surrendered to the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, he probably had no idea when Wu Sangui presented the border. He did not go to the capital to seek refuge with the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Instead, he went south first. After being unsatisfied, he finally surrendered to the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

Hearing his words, Tong Kuixing immediately replied: "The Uighurs are like tiger and wolf soldiers, plundering Chang'an and returning. If the soldiers of the Qing Dynasty can help the court to wipe out the bandits, what if they are allowed to plunder the capital? At least the Ming Dynasty will remain the same. It can be saved!”

The history of the Tang Dynasty can be used as a reference. Qing soldiers also entered the pass many times to plunder, and eventually came out.

Thinking of these, Wang Yongji was a little moved.

However, at this moment, a military general stood up and said loudly: "The last general thinks it's impossible!"

Everyone heard the sound and took a look and found that it was Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of Ningyuan.

Now that he has the most powerful troops, even if he is a general, his opinions are very important.

Therefore, after Wang Yongji heard this, he immediately asked: "Why not? Why not?"

After hearing this, Wu Sangui said in a somewhat firm tone: "I don't believe that your majesty has passed away. My lords, please don't forget that there is Emperor Taizu appearing behind your majesty. So what can Li Thief do to get your majesty?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in shock.

They all also heard about the apparition of Emperor Taizu, and the news was very true.However, for them, they still don’t believe in this kind of myth.

However, Wu Sangui was different. He received a secret edict from Emperor Chongzhen, which contained things that others could never know. Without the help of gods and ghosts, he would not believe it.

When he heard these civil servants talking just now, he originally just listened, but when he heard Tong Kuixing said that he wanted to borrow Qing soldiers.

He had many acquaintances in the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. He had received many letters from the Qing emperor and his relatives and friends. He had long known that the Qing Dynasty actually had ambitions in the Pass.

In this way, once you borrow troops from the Qing Dynasty and let Shanhaiguan pass, Wu Sangui is sure that the Qing troops will definitely stay in the pass and will go back if they cannot help you defeat the bandits.

When he came to this conclusion, he immediately remembered what Emperor Chongzhen had warned him sternly in his letter, that is, he must not surrender to the Qing Dynasty.

Wu Sangui was shocked when he thought of this.

The emperor didn't say that he surrendered the thieves, but warned him so sternly not to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. He had a vague feeling that this could be the fulfillment of what happened today, right?

Because if the discussions among several civil servants continue, the final result is likely to be reduced to the Qing Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Wu Sangui was under great pressure. Emperor Taizu appeared, and it was Emperor Taizu!

Finally, he stood up and said these words.

At this time, Wang Yongji and others heard what he said so decisively, and they were a little at a loss what to say.

Although they speculated that the emperor most likely died, what if, as Wu Sangui said, he did not?
Just when the people in the lobby once again wondered whether they should believe it or not, they heard someone coming in from outside to report: "The messenger from the Governor of Xuan Mansion wants to see all your lords!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Yongji was a little surprised. Thinking that he was from Jin Dynasty, he quickly ordered: "Pass it!"

Soon, the messenger of the governor of Xuanfu, Mo Rigen, came to the lobby. Seeing so many people, he took out the letter from his arms and said: "The letter from the Prime Minister is for fear that you will be deceived by thieves. Yes, I am writing to you."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yongji quickly asked: "Is the emperor okay?"

Mo Rigen looked at the officials sitting on the main seat and replied with a little ridicule: "The Emperor of Ming Dynasty is extremely brave, and there is also an official in a red scarlet robe next to the emperor who is also very powerful. How can something happen to them?"

When the civil servants and military officers in the lobby heard what he said, they all felt that he was exaggerating.It's just to praise the emperor, who wouldn't want to praise him?

Thinking this way, they ignored him. Wang Yongji and Li Yutian took their respective letters and read them.

By this time, it was naturally confirmed that the emperor's death was just a rumor of a bandit.

Wang Yongji was a little angry, because he felt that knowing the current emperor, it was unreliable to rely on him to lead the troops in the war. It was normal to suffer casualties in defeat, so he believed the rumors of the bandits and brought the bandit envoys with him. I came to Shanhaiguan for this meeting.

So, they immediately tortured and interrogated the envoy of the bandit, and they roughly found out that the bandit was actually only about [-] troops.Although it is still a lot, it is not an exaggeration.

After Wang Yongji and Li Yutian discussed it, they decided to Qin Wang.Wu Sangui also wanted to show off, so he went to prepare troops.

At this point in history, right and wrong began to become different.

Two days later, everything was ready, and just when Wu Sangui was about to lead the army to set off, he suddenly received news that he had not collected the report and returned home, saying that the bandits who besieged the capital had retreated!
This time, they were a little dumbfounded!

What's going on with this thief?The thunder is so loud and the raindrops are so small, so what?

There was no choice but to send a messenger to the capital to inquire about the situation.

They didn't know that Li Zicheng really wanted to attack the capital at first.However, just when he had been preparing for two days and was almost ready to attack the capital, some of the defeated soldiers in Baoding fled north and brought the news to the gates of the capital.

Not only Li Zicheng, when he held a military meeting and told the news, everyone was shocked.

There were 6 troops of Cihou Liu Fangliang in Baoding. How come they were all gone in one battle?
Those who can be named marquis by Li Zicheng are all old men who follow Li Zicheng, and they are also old men who can fight!When did the imperial court still have such a powerful army, and they unexpectedly attacked Liu Fangliang!

However, Song Xiance quickly thought of it and immediately reported to Li Zicheng: "Your Highness, this Ming army did not appear out of thin air, but was undoubtedly an army led by the Emperor of Ming Dynasty himself!"

"You mean, after he recaptured Taiyuan, he ignored the affairs in Taiyuan and came after him again?" Li Zicheng was a little confused after hearing this, and said, "Even so, Gu Guan is not easy to fight. Why didn't Gu Guan receive some information beforehand? information?"

From Taiyuan to Beizhili, the closest route is to pass through Guguan Pass.Li Zicheng had long thought of this possibility, because Guguan was heavily guarded.

After hearing this, Song Xiance shook his head and said: "The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty probably did not go to Taiyuan, passed Pingxing Pass, exited Zijin Pass, and then arrived at Baoding Prefecture."

When Niu Jinxing heard this, he couldn't help but ask: "Taiyuan doesn't want it anymore?"

It’s no wonder, Taiyuan sent fast horses to ask for food, which is a good thing.

However, he really couldn't understand why the Ming Emperor didn't want Taiyuan?
Song Xiance didn't answer his question because it didn't make sense whether he was right or wrong.I heard him say to Li Zicheng: "Wei Chen can be sure that the Ming Emperor must be in Baoding. In Wei Chen's opinion, our army should return to Baoding and defeat this Ming army, whether it is to capture or kill the Ming Emperor , will be more important than continuing to attack the capital now."

Having said this, he paused, raised his voice and emphasized: "Besides, our food, grass and family are all in Zhending, and we must also prevent the Ming Emperor from going south to attack Zhending!"

Last time, the Ming Emperor attacked Daizhou where he was hoarding grain and grass. Li Zicheng was shocked. This time, he gave the Ming Emperor another chance and slipped behind the army. No matter what, Li Zicheng was worried. , he immediately made a decision and sent his troops south to find the emperor of the Ming Dynasty for a decisive battle!
(End of this chapter)