Before hanging himself, Chongzhen lifted the table

Chapter 121

The next day, the weather actually improved and it was still a sunny day.

The entire army of Li thieves mobilized and surrounded Zhending City for three levels inside and three levels outside. A big battle was about to begin!
Before, the roads were muddy and the large siege equipment had been abandoned long ago.

There were also heavy artillery pieces, some weighing several kilograms, which also seriously slowed down the marching speed of the army. In the end, they had to be thrown away.

When Li Zicheng's army arrived outside Zhending City, there were only some small artillery pieces, such as Fran cannons, tiger squat cannons, etc.As far as artillery is concerned, it is definitely not as far-ranged or as powerful as the artillery on top of Zhending City.

Moreover, Li Zicheng's troops only had one day to prepare. For this reason, in terms of siege equipment, there were only simple ladders and flying claws, which were the easiest to make.

In other words, Li Zicheng could only use the ant attack method to break the city.

Under normal circumstances, this kind of siege would have relatively low morale, because everyone knew that such an attack on Zhending would inevitably result in heavy casualties.

But at this moment, after Li Zicheng's army assembled, it did not show many problems. Instead, many people looked at the city with fierce looks.

Li Zicheng looked at this scene, and at the same time he was relieved and shouted to the many generals gathered in front of him: "The imperial army is cruel, so there is no need to emphasize it. After capturing Zhending, I will cook the Ming emperor and have a blessed life again." Feast, take revenge!”

He did this once when Luoyang was captured.At that time, he was eating the feudal king, but this time he went a step further and was preparing to eat the emperor.

"Blood debt must be paid with blood, revenge must be avenged!" All the generals shouted in unison, and then returned to their respective teams with hatred, ready to start the siege.

However, no one expected that when they were preparing for the final siege, they saw several gates of Zhending City open and groups of people crowding out.

what's going on?
Everyone was almost stunned!

Especially those old thieves who have been fighting for more than ten years. What kind of siege warfare have they never seen?But now when the city is about to be attacked, all the people in the city have escaped. What is going on?I really have never seen it before!

It can still be seen that the imperial officers and soldiers on the top of the city are still preparing for battle and do not look like they are about to surrender. So why are so many people leaving the city?
I saw those people who were leaving the city, all running outside and waving to them excitedly. It didn’t look like the people in the city were about to surrender!
Even Li Zicheng was puzzled and quickly used his clairvoyance to see the situation.

At this glance, he suddenly felt familiar, and then he suddenly recognized it. They were not the young soldiers and the soldiers who stayed behind in Zhending. How could they still be alive and run out at this time?
I saw these people running towards the military formation outside the city, shouting loudly as they ran.

"Don't fight, don't attack the city!"

"The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has put us all back. If anyone wants to fight, those still inside will die."

"The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is true to his word. Don't fight until everyone comes out!"

"..."

The troops that had been assembled, especially the generals, were already relatively close to the people who had first left the city. They could tell who they were at a glance. They were suddenly surprised and delighted, and hurriedly approached them to ask about the situation.

The momentum they had gathered to prepare to attack the city and to fight was all gone in an instant.

For those who ran away from the city, there was a sense of escape.I originally thought that if their identities fell into the hands of the imperial officers and soldiers, they would die, but unexpectedly they didn't have to die.I had been worried before, worried that the emperor might not keep his word, but now that he had escaped, he was completely safe.

This feeling makes them want to find their relatives immediately.

As a result, a good siege battle outside Zhending City turned into a large-scale family recognition scene.

Those who escaped were identified by the flags, and then ran to where their relatives were.

As for the military formation, those with good military discipline can barely maintain the formation, while those with poor military discipline have long since fallen out of formation.

Even Li Laiheng immediately rushed to his adoptive father Li Guo's side.

Li Guo was still barely maintaining his formation. When he saw Li Laiheng running towards him, he immediately frowned and asked with some curiosity: "What's going on?"

He had many adopted sons, but Li Laiheng was the most capable, so he valued Li Laiheng the most.

I originally thought that Li Laiheng must be dead, but unexpectedly, I saw him alive and kicking again. That is to say, his arm was bandaged, so he must have been injured.

Li Laiheng ran from the city to Li Guo in one breath, panting and replied with an excited expression: "The emperor didn't lie to us, he put us back!"

After finishing speaking, he quickly asked: "Father, is there anything to eat? I'm starving to death!"

Li Guo couldn't help but frown when he heard Li Laiheng address him directly as "Your Majesty."He felt keenly that his adopted son seemed to have lost his hatred for the Ming Emperor.

So, he asked a little unhappily: "Are you reincarnated as a starving ghost and shouting that you are hungry when you see him?"

"Father, you don't know, we haven't eaten since yesterday, so we are naturally hungry!" Li Laiheng heard this and replied disapprovingly.

When Li Guo heard this, he was a little surprised. He had been hungry for more than a day, but he still had a crush on the emperor?
So, he asked: "The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has been hungry for you for more than a day, so you just let him starve you?"

They are all rebels, why not make trouble?
But who knows, Li Laiheng listened and explained for the emperor: "No, the emperor is right. He wants to let us go, but he is also worried that our young men will make trouble. After all, our army is outside the city, and his There is reason to worry. But foster father, the emperor gives food to the old, weak, women and children, and does not starve them."

At this point, before Li Guo could ask any more questions, he turned around and continued, "This morning, the emperor fulfilled his promise and released us. Let us young men run out of the city first. There must be no delay on the way, otherwise if he finds that there is real danger, he will have no choice but to lower the city gate, and the old, weak, women, children and brothers with injured legs who are left behind will not be able to get out. The child thinks that this all makes sense. of."

When Li Guo heard that Li Laiheng was speaking for the Ming Emperor again, he became angry and immediately shouted: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, have you forgotten how you became an orphan? We are rebels, we just overthrew the imperial court, don't you know?"

Seeing that he was angry, Li Laiheng's excitement about running out suddenly disappeared, but he still wanted to defend himself and said: "Father, I think the emperor... the emperor is still good, he..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Guo shouted angrily: "Go back to the camp!"

He had been hungry for more than a day, and he couldn't go to the battlefield even if he was not injured. Li Guo didn't want to see Li Laiheng, so he told him to get out.

Similar scenes occurred in various places outside the city.However, for most people, when they see their relatives, they will not be as decisive as Li Guo, but they will be happy that their relatives are back.

Especially after the old, weak, women and children left the city, many people threw away their weapons and ran to greet them. Women and children, and some crying with joy while holding their relatives.

Li Zicheng looked at this scene and probably understood what happened, and his face turned livid.

What does he want?
It’s definitely not a family reunion, like Hehe Meimei’s!
He just wanted the Emperor of Ming to kill all these people, so that his men's hatred for the Emperor of Ming could rise to a higher level, so that he could launch a battle of revenge and take back Zhending City in one fell swoop.

As a result, it was good, and all the efforts were gone. Now, who still has the heart to fight, let alone an antfu siege with heavy casualties!
If he ordered a forced siege at this time, it would have absolutely no effect. On the contrary, it would destroy the troops and morale.

Helpless, he had no choice but to order the troops to be withdrawn back to the camp, and then settle the people who had been released.

On the top of Zhending City, looking at the scene outside the city, Emperor Chongzhen was also a little emotional and said: "Everyone has seven emotions and six desires, joys and sorrows, separation and reunion. If you can be reunited and happy, don't be separated for life and death. I hope peace in the world will come soon!"

After hearing this, Fang Zhenghua immediately responded respectfully: "Long live my lord's wisdom and martial prowess, the days of peace in the world will surely come true soon!"

If he had no expectations for the future when he first accompanied the emperor on the expedition, now that he has followed the emperor for nearly two months, he has really felt the emperor's wisdom and prowess. He feels that with such an emperor, peace in the world is really just around the corner. .After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen immediately smiled lightly, but he was not humble. It would be best for his subordinates to have this confidence.

So, he ordered: "Continue to be on guard at the top of the city. I'm afraid Thief Li won't be willing to stop fighting for once!"

"My slave obeys the order!" Fang Zhenghua agreed quickly after hearing this.

………………

About half an hour later, Niu Jinxing ran to Li Zicheng and cried: "Your Highness, those people are like starving ghosts reincarnated, we can't let them eat anymore!"

Li Zicheng never expected that these people who were released would be grateful to the Ming emperor for his small kindness. Even if it was not that exaggerated, they definitely had a good impression.For this reason, he had no choice but to win people's hearts. Since they were hungry, he would let them have a good meal.

As a result, Niu Jinxing, who was in charge of logistics, couldn't bear it.

I heard Niu Jinxing complain: "Your Highness, they have less than 3 people, but they have eaten the entire army's food. This food is already scarce. If we don't think of a way, our army may not be able to sustain food for five days." !”

When Li Zicheng heard this, his head suddenly became heavy.

At this time, he was very suspicious that the Ming Emperor in the city had sent these people back hungry just to consume his food!
Now, he had to face a difficult choice.

First, burn everything and go all out to attack Zhending City. As long as Zhending City is captured before five days of food and supplies are exhausted, everything will be fine. However, if Zhending City cannot be captured within five days, the army will not be able to capture it. Food will inevitably fall apart, and the main army will be gone.

Second, make a decisive decision not to attack the city, but while there are still five days of food and grass, quickly evacuate to a place where food and grass can be supplied. This can preserve the army for another day of fighting.But if he really did this, Li Zicheng would be a little unwilling.

I think at the beginning of the year, after the Qin State was established, they issued a proclamation and marched into the Jin State in a mighty manner. Their momentum was overwhelming. The officials and soldiers of the imperial court heard the news and surrendered, with the intention of taking over the Ming Dynasty and replacing them.But what happened? He lost his troops and went back in despair?As a result, the blow to the morale of the army he led would definitely be huge.

In the future, when he leads a large army to conquer the Ming Dynasty, he is sure that there will never be a repeat of the overwhelming situation where the imperial officers and soldiers surrendered upon hearing the news!

How to choose the next arrangement?To be honest, Li Zicheng was very confused.

Finally, after convening his close advisers Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance to discuss, he decided to go all out to fight for Zhending. If he really couldn't win, he would leave without hesitation and leave the capital to solve the food and grass crisis first.

As a result, before he could dissolve the meeting, his nephew Li Guo came over in a hurry.

Seeing that Li Guo's face was a little ugly, he reported to Li Zicheng: "When General Mo inspected the camp just now, he found that many people who had been released were shaking the morale of the army! They told others that the Ming Emperor had said that as long as If you don’t resist, you can survive by putting down your weapons!”

When Li Zicheng heard this, he immediately sneered and said: "I already knew that the dog emperor had no good intentions in releasing the people back. It seems that he instigated some people to rebel and planted spies to come in!"

After he finished speaking, he looked at Li Guo and shouted with a bit of ferocity: "Kill every one you find, kill every one you find, we must not let the Ming Emperor's insiders remain in the army!"

After hearing this, Li Guo hesitated and said, "Your Highness, I'm afraid these people are not the internal agents of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, but... but..."

When Li Zicheng heard this, he immediately became angry and immediately yelled: "What is it if it's not a spy? If such people are found, they should all be killed and no one should be spared!"

When Niu Jinxing heard this, he also echoed: "That's right, the Ming Emperor's insiders must not be left in the army!"

Li Guo heard what he said, looked at him and said, "Your son Niu Quan also said it."

The children of the family in Zhending City belonged to generals and officials with a certain status in the Dashun Army, and Niu Jinxing's son was also among them.

His son Niu Quan, in the original history, after Li Zicheng's troops were defeated by the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the father and son surrendered to the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and Niu Quan even served as an official with the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

He was greedy for life and afraid of death, so he did not resist when Zhending City fell. After he was released, he told his close friends about the Ming Emperor, but was hit by Li Guo.

When Niu Jinxing heard this, he was dumbfounded and opened his mouth, but did not dare to insist on his statement.

Li Zicheng was immediately embarrassed. Of course he wanted to kill him, but he had to take into account the feelings of his close advisers.

Seeing that the scene seemed a bit mysterious, Li Guo froze here and explained: "It seems that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty told them that if they encounter the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty's army, they will not be killed if they do not resist; and this time , Emperor Ming really kept his promise and released them back, so they felt that Emperor Ming kept his word, so many people said this!"

This is a conspiracy, and you know there is nothing you can do about it. Unless you can use your strength to crush the Ming Emperor's army, once you have a stalemate with the Ming Emperor, or even if you are not as strong as the Ming Emperor, there will be no way to deal with it. This kind of conspiracy.

After all, who doesn’t want to live?
Song Xiance, who had been silent for a long time, immediately sighed, and then said to Li Zicheng: "Your Majesty, the current plan is to take advantage of the fact that it is still early and there may not be too many people saying these things, so we can get rid of all these people." Send them away, and then we can attack the city again.”

Having said this, he paused and then said: "Or just leave directly, it's okay not to attack the city!"

The reason why I say this is that I am still not sure about the siege.

Although the walls of Zhending City are indeed inferior to those of Baoding City, there are [-] troops in Zhending City personally led by the Ming Emperor. This defensive capability is definitely not comparable to that of Baoding City.

Therefore, the meaning of Song Xiance's words is actually to go directly.

However, as the leader, Li Zicheng also had to consider the issue of his face, or to be precise, the issue of his prestige, so he hesitated for a moment.

Seeing him like this, Song Xiance said to him again: "The losses caused by attacking Zhending will definitely be heavy. If possible, maybe we can lure the Ming army out of the city and attack again!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng's eyes suddenly lit up and he said, "How to draw it out?"

Of course he knew how difficult it was to fight sieges and field battles. If possible, of course he hoped to lure the Ming Emperor out and kill him!

He must have considered this matter. No, he immediately added: "In the past few days since we rushed back from the capital, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has been shrinking in Zhending. It is obvious that he wants to destroy our army." Food and grass are running out.”

If Li Zicheng were in the position of Emperor Ming, he would definitely do this.Once the enemy's food and supplies are exhausted, fighting again will definitely get twice the result with half the effort!
After hearing this, Song Xiance seemed to have straightened out his thoughts, and immediately smiled lightly and said: "As long as we attack it and save it, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty will definitely leave the city, and our army will have a chance!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng also understood this truth and immediately shook his head and said: "Impossible, the capital is the most fortified city in the world. Just going back and forth will exhaust our army's food and grass!"

If the food and grass were not enough to support the army to capture the capital, would he really have to rush back for rescue?

After hearing this, Song Xiance smiled and shook his head, and said confidently: "Wei Chen said that if we attack it, we must save it, not the capital, but Qufu, Shandong!"

At this point, he saw that Li Zicheng was a little stunned, so he explained: "If our army enters Shandong, not only can we get food and grass supplies, but we can also attack the holy land of scholars all over the world. The imperial court of the Ming Dynasty will definitely If you are anxious, you will definitely ask the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty for rescue. As long as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty wants to rule the world with scholars, he has to rescue you, at least with this attitude. In this way, our army will have a chance!"

The national policy of the Dashun Army is still to pursue stolen goods and provide salary, and it does not pay attention to the scholars and scholar-bureaucrats in the world. Therefore, there is not much pressure on them to attack Qufu.However, the emperor is different.

When Li Zicheng heard this, he was overjoyed and said, "Wonderful!"

It doesn't have to be an actual attack on Qufu. As long as they put on this posture and let the news out, the pressure on the Ming Emperor will be great.

Song Xiance continued to make further remarks: "When our army enters Shandong, we can win more battles and boost morale. What do you think, Your Highness?"

(End of this chapter)