I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

The generals had just left when they were recalled.

However, the atmosphere this time was unusually oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

The book, written by Liu Fangliang himself, recounts the crushing defeat in Baoding.

In this battle, the Shun army suffered direct losses of more than 50,000 men!

The southern front had a total of only 150,000 troops, including a large number of logistics personnel and civilian laborers.

The more than 50,000 casualties were all frontline combat personnel!

Everyone remained silent, unsure of what to say.

Li Zicheng, his face grim, asked, "Can anyone explain to me why the fighting has turned out this way?"

Having just suffered a defeat at Juyong Pass, and now experiencing another major setback on the southern front, the overall war situation has suddenly become far from optimistic.

Everyone turned to look at Li Guo again, since he was in charge of gathering intelligence.

With half his face swollen, Li Guo said, "Don't look at me, I don't know either!"

After a moment of silence, Li Yan stepped forward again.

"After reading the memorial submitted by the Marquis of Cizhou, I have discovered some problems!"

Li Zicheng nodded: "Speak freely!"

"yes!"

Li Yan bowed and said, "According to this memorial, Chen Yan feigned surrender to lure the Marquis of Cizhou into the city. Logically speaking, the Marquis of Cizhou, a veteran of countless battles, should have been aware of this beforehand. This is the first problem!"

"During the great battle, all the Ming generals were unfamiliar faces, and Chen Yan, Zhang Wenyuan, and others whom Ma Chongxi had contacted beforehand had all disappeared. This is the second problem."

"The Ming army won a surprise attack and subsequently launched repeated attacks from Baoding on the Marquis of Cizhou's camp. However, each time they returned empty-handed. This is the third problem."

Li Zicheng looked at the others and said, "What are your thoughts, everyone?"

Liu Zongmin stood up and said, "I think the problem Mr. Li raised is not difficult to explain. First, even someone as experienced as Liu Fangliang can make a mistake, which is not surprising!"

As he said this, he stole a glance at Li Zicheng.

It was as if I wanted to tell him that I, too, stumbled in the Battle of Juyong Pass...

"Secondly, Chen Yan did not show up. He was probably directing operations from the center. After all, he was a civil official and there was no need for him to go to the front line in person."

"The third one is even easier to explain. The fact that the Ming army returned empty-handed further shows that they didn't have any real skills and could only win by resorting to tricks and schemes. When faced with our army's full-scale defense, they could no longer gain any advantage."

Li Yan shook his head and said, "Although it makes sense, if multiple doubts come together, there may be more to the story."

"If you lost, you lost. What other secrets could there be?"

"Let's make a bold guess: what if Chen Yan wasn't deceiving the Marquis of Cizhou, but was genuinely preparing to surrender the city?"

"Then how do you explain the feigned surrender later?"

"Is it possible that Chen Yan was suddenly arrested before he was about to surrender the city?"

"He's the Grand Secretary, who dares to arrest him?"

"Of course!"

Li Yan's face remained expressionless, but his eyes were resolute.

Upon hearing this, everyone seemed to realize something and gasped in shock.

Liu Zongmin also realized what was happening: "You mean... the Chongzhen Emperor?"

Li Yan nodded and said, "Let's make a bold assumption: if Chongzhen had arrived in Baoding before Chen Yan surrendered the city, captured Chen Yan, replaced the commander, and waited for the Marquis of Cizhou to come to him, wouldn't that make sense?"

The group looked at each other and began to whisper among themselves.

This conjecture is quite bold, yet it can explain many things.

Liu Zongmin then asked, "How do you explain that Emperor Chongzhen was at Juyong Pass?"

Li Yan walked to the map, pointed in the direction of Baoding, and said, "It's only five hundred li from Baoding Prefecture to Juyong Pass. If we travel by fast horse, we can get there in a day and a night!"

"You mean, Emperor Chongzhen suddenly rushed from the capital to Baoding, captured Chen Yan, defeated Liu Fangliang, and then hurried to Juyong Pass, ruining our plans? This... isn't that too much of a coincidence?"

Li Yan shook his head and said, "Our army began its attack on Juyong Pass three days ago. The Ming general must have immediately sent an urgent report to Emperor Chongzhen. By the time it reached him, he had just defeated the Marquis of Cizhou and was rushing to reinforce Juyong Pass. The timing is perfect!"

Liu Zongmin looked at Li Zicheng with disbelief and said, "Your Majesty, listen to this! This is too outrageous!"

Li Zicheng, however, was not in a hurry to draw a conclusion. Instead, he asked, "Even if it was Chongzhen who died, so what?"

"Your Majesty, please look!"

Li Yan held Liu Fangliang's letter in one hand and pointed to the map with the other.

"After the Marquis of Cizhou retreated to Zhengding, he established outposts in the northeast and northwest. The Ming army launched several attacks, all at these two outposts, but each time the fighting was limited to a few skirmishes and never involved large-scale battles. What does this indicate?"

Liu Zongmin said impatiently, "That shows they dare not fight against my Great Shun army!"

"No, they're too daring!"

Li Yan's eyes lit up as he said, "The art of war says, 'Warfare is based on deception; appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak!' They used Baoding to lure the Marquis of Cizhou, while secretly ambushing him with heavy troops—that's appearing strong when you are weak. The subsequent attack was like a dragonfly skimming the water, causing no real harm—that's appearing weak when you are strong!"

Li Zicheng asked, "You mean these attacks are just a ruse, and Baoding Prefecture is already empty?"

"Exactly!"

Li Yan nodded and said, "If I am not mistaken, the troops from Baoding Prefecture are currently on their way to Juyong Pass!"

The tent was eerily quiet, with only the sound of everyone breathing.

After a long pause, Liu Zongmin finally said, "These are all just guesses. How can we prove them?"

No proof is needed!

Li Yan continued, "This is the only reasonable explanation. Emperor Chongzhen suddenly arrived at Juyong Pass with cavalry, and they were all elite cavalry. Our people faced this army at Juyong Pass, so it is understandable that they were defeated."

Liu Zongmin thought for a moment, then asked, "Even if what you say is true, what should we do next?"

"Emperor Chongzhen has skilled advisors by his side. In that case, why don't we turn the tables on him? We can feign a strong attack on Juyong Pass, while actually sending a separate force through Zijing Pass into the Central Plains to cooperate with the Marquis of Cizhou, first taking Baoding, and then marching straight to the capital!"

When Li Yan got excited, he couldn't help but clap his hands in praise.

Surprisingly, the other people reacted calmly, seemingly disagreeing.

Liu Zongmin said, "Mr. Li, your analysis just now was indeed very insightful, but ultimately it's still just your own speculation. If you're wrong, do you know what the consequences will be?"

Li Yan looked puzzled and asked, "It's just dividing up one force, what consequences could there be?"

Liu Zongmin shook his head: "The Southern Route Army has lost tens of thousands of soldiers and cannot capture Baoding in a short time. Our hope now lies in Juyong Pass. If we divide our forces again, Juyong Pass will be even more difficult to breach. If both fronts are dragged into a quagmire, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Li Yan had no choice but to turn to Li Zicheng and say, "Your Majesty, this is a golden opportunity!"

Liu Zongmin also said, "In my opinion, the key point right now is Juyong Pass. Not only should we not divide our forces, but we should also send the southern army to fight a decisive battle with Chongzhen!"

Li Yan hurriedly said, "Baoding is undefended, which is precisely the opportunity for the Southern Route Army. How can we mobilize them so casually?"

"Mr. Li, you also know that troops should not be moved rashly. Even if they are to be moved, it should be with a clear purpose, not based on guesswork!"

"alright!"

Finally, Li Zicheng spoke.

Everyone fell silent, awaiting the next instruction.

Li Yan looked on expectantly, hoping that Li Zicheng could understand his good intentions.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; once missed, it will be hard to come by again!

Li Zicheng looked at the crowd and said, "I agree with what the Marquis of Ruzhou said: we must not be rash and must seek stability!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan felt a chill run down his spine.

A sense of powerlessness arose, as if I were isolated.

Li Zicheng continued, "By imperial decree, Liu Fangliang is ordered to allocate 50,000 troops to reinforce Juyong Pass!"

Liu Zongmin replied, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

After everyone left, Li Zicheng once again left Li Yan behind.

Li Guo stood at the door for a long time before asking, "Your Majesty, is there anything else I need?"

Li Zicheng retorted, "Did I order you to stay?"

"Oh, no..."

Li Guo touched his burning cheeks and fled as if he were running away.

Only the two of them remained in the tent. Li Zicheng said, "What you said makes a lot of sense, but I cannot accept it."

Li Yan asked, "Just because there's no evidence?"

"good!"

Li Zicheng continued, "What I need to consider is the entire country and its people. Therefore, I must be cautious in making any decisions and avoid taking risks. Do you understand?"

Li Yan looked somber and said, "I understand!"

"However, I can give you one chance!"

Li Yan hurriedly asked, "His Majesty has already decided to join forces to attack Juyong Pass..."

Li Zicheng raised his hand to interrupt, saying, "Take my imperial edict to Zhengding and have Liu Fangliang personally lead 50,000 troops to reinforce us. Then, you stay here!"

"However, the Southern Route Army has just suffered a major defeat and heavy losses. The Marquis of Cizhou also wants to take 50,000 troops with him. What about the remaining forces..."

Li Zicheng suddenly said, "Don't forget, Hong Niangzi is still in Henan!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan raised an eyebrow and finally smiled.

"I obey your decree!"