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

The following morning, Cheng Youde led a vanguard battalion of three thousand men, ready to depart.

Li Yan and Ma Chongxi came to see him off, but their expressions were quite different.

Ma Chongxi's smile held a deeper meaning, while Li Yan looked worried.

He knew that this battle would affect the entire war situation. The Southern Route Army had already suffered three defeats and could not afford to lose again!

Meanwhile, the urgent memorial sent to Juyong Pass has already set off, and it is still unknown how Li Zicheng will deal with him.

Little did they know that before the urgent courier horse, another courier horse had already set off.

drive!

drive!

The rider on horseback cracked his whip and galloped north out of Zijing Pass.

Zijing Pass had already been taken over by the Shun army. When the garrison commander Liu Dadan saw the token, he naturally dared not check it and immediately let them pass.

About half an hour later, another fast horse galloped in.

"Open the door immediately, I need to get out!"

Liu Dadan, looking puzzled, stood on the city wall and asked loudly, "Which unit are you from? Do you have a token to leave the pass?"

"I am a subordinate of Li Yan, commander of the Southern Route Army, and I have been ordered to deliver an urgent document!"

"Another Southern Route Army unit?"

Liu Dadan scratched his head and said, "Where is the token?"

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 202ᴋᴋs.ᴄᴏᴍ]

A bamboo basket was lowered from the city wall, and the person on the other end said impatiently, "I'm carrying urgent documents. Open the gate immediately, don't delay!"

Liu Dadan ignored him and said, "We are here by imperial decree to guard the gate. Only after verifying your token can we open it!"

Left with no other option, the other party had to throw the token into the bamboo basket.

Liu Dadan looked at it from left to right and confirmed that it was indeed the token of the Southern Route Army, exactly the same as the one from before.

That's strange. Since they were all clerks for the Southern Route Army, why weren't they sent together?

Making trip after trip, don't you get tired?

The man below the city grew increasingly impatient and shouted, "Now that you have the token, why haven't you opened the gate? Can you afford to take responsibility for delaying military intelligence?"

"What are you yelling for? Just wait!"

Liu Dadan checked the token repeatedly to confirm it was valid before ordering, "Open the city gates and let them pass!"

After a brief delay, the riders dared not slacken their pace and galloped all the way to the Juyongguan camp before nightfall.

Li Zicheng's face turned very ugly when he saw Li Yan's urgent report.

The Northern Route Army's offensives suffered repeated setbacks, and it urgently needed the Southern Route Army to relieve the pressure on the Ming army. However, the Southern Route Army performed even worse, and Li Yan and his wife organized three military operations, all of which failed!

Normally, a temporary victory or defeat wouldn't be a big deal; at most, there would be a punishment or a few verbal reprimands, and then the fight would continue.

However, Li Zicheng had just received a secret report from Ma Chongxi!

Ma Chongxi has made it very clear that Li Yan and his wife have problems.

Moreover, the problem is very serious.

Based on the fact that Hong Niangzi was captured and released twice, it can be concluded that she and Chongzhen must have reached some kind of agreement.

There are only two possibilities: either Hong Niangzi has already betrayed him and Li Yan is unaware of it.

Either Li Yan and Hong Niangzi have already betrayed us!

These two men command the southern army. If the southern army is lost, it will be a minor issue if it relieves the pressure on the Ming army, but the emptiness of the southern front will be a serious problem!

With the Central Plains wide open, Emperor Chongzhen could flee at any time. Even if Beijing fell, the Ming Dynasty still had Nanjing!

This means that the Great Shun Dynasty could at most take over half of the country, and the Great Ming Dynasty could make a comeback at any time.

Moreover, if the Southern Route Army were to turn against them, they might not even be able to defend Xijing City, let alone attack Beijing!

After much deliberation, Li Zicheng decided that the only option left was to replace Li Yan and his wife.

However, he still found it difficult to make a decision because he trusted Li Yan.

Since Li Yan joined his ranks, the Da Shun army has been invincible. How could he possibly betray him?

During the Great Shun Dynasty, Li Yan was the prime minister, second only to the emperor.

What could Chongzhen give him?

What benefits would he gain from surrendering to the Ming Dynasty?

Perhaps Ma Chongxi's guesses were all wrong; Li Yan did not betray them, but simply suffered a defeat.

Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. I myself was once defeated by the Ming army and fled into the deep Qinling Mountains.

This kind of thing requires careful consideration; a decision should not be made lightly...

"Your Majesty, Chief Minister Niu requests an audience!"

Li Zicheng abruptly raised his head: "Declare!"

Niu Jinxing was a Grand Secretary of the Tianyou Hall in the Great Shun Dynasty, as well as the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. He and Li Yan were known as the Left and Right Chancellors of the Great Shun Dynasty, which shows his high status.

"Your subject, Niu Jinxing, kowtows to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"

"Mr. Niu, please don't stand on ceremony!"

Although Niu Jinxing had already become prime minister, Li Zicheng still habitually addressed him as Mr. Niu.

Niu Jinxing, of course, didn't mind and got up to express his gratitude.

He then said, "I have heard that a report has been sent from the Southern Route Army. It must be that Brother Li Yan has rendered great service. I have come to congratulate Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng's expression turned even uglier.

He handed Li Yan's report over: "Mr. Niu, take a look for yourself!"

Niu Jinxing bowed and accepted it, glanced at it, and suddenly showed a surprised expression.

"How...how could this be?"

"Does the gentleman also find this unbelievable?"

Niu Jinxing nodded and said, "Brother Li Yan is skilled in strategy, how could he make such a mistake? This matter is too strange, I can't understand it."

Li Zicheng asked, "Is it certain that Hong Niangzi's stubbornness and self-will led to the repeated failures of the operation, and Li Yan is merely framing her?"

"That's possible..."

Niu Jinxing pondered for a moment, then said, "Even if Hong Niangzi is willful, Brother Li Yan is the commander-in-chief. When it comes to matters of principle, Brother Li Yan will never be ambiguous. Besides, they have Ma Chongxi by their side. In terms of strategy, he is no less capable than Brother Li Yan. How could they possibly suffer repeated defeats?"

"Sir, please speak frankly. I have always been fair in my rewards and punishments. If Li Yan truly harbors any ill intentions, I will not let him off lightly!"

A barely perceptible glint of joy flashed in Niu Jinxing's eyes. He lowered his head and said, "I believe this matter is far too suspicious. Your Majesty should handle it with utmost care, lest it lead to a great disaster!"

Li Zicheng pressed further, asking, "What's strange about this?"

After a moment's thought, Niu Jinxing said, "I have a habit of always preparing for the worst. Even though Brother Li Yan is my closest friend, I still believe that he is not entirely without suspicion!"

"Your Majesty might as well make a bold assumption: what if Emperor Chongzhen made promises to Li Yan and his wife and reached some kind of agreement? What would Your Majesty do then?"

"My Great Shun has been unable to break through Juyong Pass for a long time. To put it bluntly, Great Shun has only occupied Shaanxi, Gansu, Shanxi and Henan, not even half of the country."

"This is only the current situation. If the Ming Dynasty catches its breath and launches a counterattack, it is still unknown who will ultimately prevail in this world."

"The identities of Li Yan and his wife are enough to influence the course of the world. If these two lead the Southern Route Army to surrender to Chongzhen, the Central Plains will return to the hands of the Ming Dynasty. With this shift in power, the survival space of our Great Shun will become even more precarious."

Niu Jinxing stopped talking after saying this.

Li Zicheng's brows furrowed more and more tightly, almost twisting into a pretzel shape.

Judging from the current situation, the possibility of Li Yan's betrayal is not high, and a temporary victory or defeat does not prove anything.

But what if?

If Li Yan were to actually defect to Emperor Chongzhen, the consequences would be unbearable for him.

Seeing this, Niu Jinxing devised another plan and said, "Your Majesty treats people with courtesy, which I greatly admire. However, my Great Shun must never allow another 'Mountain-Crossing Falcon' to appear!"

"Mountain Flying Hawk" was Gao Jie's nickname. Niu Jinxing deliberately mentioned this person because he was a thorn in Li Zicheng's side.

Gao Jie and Li Zicheng were from the same hometown and joined the rebel army at the same time. He was brave and good at fighting. At his peak, he overshadowed Liu Zongmin and Liu Fangliang and was on par with Li Guo.

However, this man was a womanizer and looked down on those singers and dancers. He only liked to steal other people's wives. One day, he got drunk and slept with Li Zicheng's wife, Xing.

This made things serious. After much deliberation, Gao Jie realized he couldn't escape Li Zicheng's wrath no matter what, so he simply surrendered to the Ming Dynasty.

Li Zicheng's first wife, Han Jin'er, had an affair with a landlord in the village and was stabbed to death by Li Zicheng himself. Now his second wife is having an affair with someone else. The dignified leader of the rebel army and the future emperor of the Great Shun Dynasty is so green with envy that grass could grow on his head!

What's even more infuriating is that Gao Jie, who went from being a rebel general to a Ming Dynasty soldier, turned around and suppressed the peasant army. He lost both his wife and his army, and he was utterly pathetic.

In any case, Li Zicheng could not tolerate the emergence of a second Gao Jie.

After Niu Jinxing finished speaking, he secretly observed Li Zicheng's reaction. Sure enough, when Li Zicheng heard the words "mountain hawk," his face immediately turned ashen.

What's this called?

The past is too painful to recall!

"What you say makes sense."

Li Zicheng, struggling to suppress the anger in his chest, said, "This matter is of great importance, and I cannot make a decision lightly. Issue my decree to summon Li Guo, Liu Fangliang, Liu Zongmin, and Song Xianze to a meeting!"

Upon hearing this, Niu Jinxing immediately felt reassured.

These were all high-ranking generals in the Shun army, and they all shared a common characteristic: they disliked Li Yan and his wife very much.

In the past, Hong Niangzi acted alone and won many battles, taking over a lot of territory. In addition, Li Yan stayed by Li Zicheng's side for a long time and was deeply trusted. Although everyone was dissatisfied, they could not do anything about the couple.

But now, the Southern Route Army has suffered a series of defeats, and the outcome is predictable!