The Ming Dynasty: A bookstore sells the history of the Ming Dynasty, leaving Emperor Chongzhen bewil

Wu Sangui?

The name struck Chongzhen like a thunderbolt, leaving him frozen in place.

In this world, there are two people whose names alone would frighten Emperor Chongzhen: Li Zicheng and Wu Sangui.

As for Li Zicheng, Chongzhen personally went to find him and eventually brought Li Hongji, who had not yet become Li Zicheng, to his side, which can be considered as killing Li Zicheng.

However, Emperor Chongzhen had not yet figured out how to deal with Wu Sangui, nor did he have the time to deal with him now.

Unexpectedly, Wu Sangui appeared in his field of vision so suddenly.

Actually, it's not entirely accurate to say it was completely unexpected, because Zu Dashou always liked to take his nephew with him wherever he went. In the original historical timeline, during the Jisi Incident, when Emperor Chongzhen summoned Yuan Chonghuan and Zu Dashou to the platform, Zu Dashou was accompanied by Wu Sangui.

However, Wu Sangui was just a nobody at the time, so Emperor Chongzhen couldn't possibly pay special attention to him, or perhaps he simply didn't find the name appealing.

But it's different now.

This young man before us will, sixteen years later, surrender to the Qing Dynasty, lead the Qing army through the Shanhaiguan Pass right beneath our feet, and in the Battle of Shanhaiguan, defeat Li Zicheng, becoming the main driving force behind the Manchu conquest of the Central Plains.

What should I do?

kill him!

At this moment, Chongzhen's mind was somewhat out of control.

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty? What's wrong?" Sun Chengzong, who was standing nearby, noticed that something was wrong with Chongzhen and asked in a low voice.

Emperor Chongzhen's mind was suddenly brought back to normal, and he let out a soft breath.

"It's nothing, let's go."

Emperor Chongzhen did not wake Wu Sangui. Instead, he turned around and walked past Wu Sangui as if he had not seen him or had seen him but did not care at all.

Wu Sangui remained kneeling with his head bowed low, only able to see a shoe sole stepping past him, followed by many more shoe soles stepping past him.

But no one dared to wake him, including his father Wu Xiang and his uncle Zu Dashou.

He doesn't understand.

Shouldn't the Emperor have said something like, "Like father, like son"?

Why did the emperor completely ignore him?

To embarrass him in front of so many people?

What exactly did he do to offend the Emperor? Or did he do something wrong?

Why?

Why?

He knelt for an unknown amount of time, until his legs went numb and there was no more sound around him, before Wu Sangui dared to slowly raise his head, revealing his two bloodshot eyes.

Looking at the deserted city gate, Wu Sangui couldn't help but clench his fists...

……

The Jiliao Military Governor's Office had been temporarily upgraded to a "temporary residence" at this time. The so-called "temporary residence" refers to the place where the emperor temporarily stayed when he went on tour. From the Song Dynasty onwards, it gradually evolved into a temporary political center outside the capital. After the Southern Song Dynasty established its capital in Lin'an, it was still called "temporary residence" to show that it did not forget Bianliang.

In a meeting room with a stove, there were only Emperor Chongzhen and Sun Chengzong.

"Your Majesty, please come with this old minister."

Sun Chengzong led Chongzhen to the back of the council chamber, and when he saw what was in front of him, Chongzhen was taken aback.

"This is?"

Sun Chengzong replied, "This is a sand table model made based on the map you gave me."

It turned out to be the case.

No wonder this sand table was different from the ones he had seen before. This sand table was much more detailed, with undulating mountains, river valleys, cities and villages, everything was included and complete, with multi-dimensional and precise information.

It can be said that even if you have never been to the Guan-Ning-Jin defense line, as long as you have this sand table, you can have a complete understanding of the entire Guan-Ning-Jin defense line, as well as the surrounding terrain and landforms, all of which are clearly visible.

Emperor Chongzhen dared not imagine what would happen if this thing fell into enemy hands.

Sun Chengzong saw Chongzhen's worries and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, this sand table is a top military secret. Apart from me, only Your Majesty has seen it."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, but still reminded him, "One must always be wary of others; please be careful, sir."

In the original timeline, after the Ming Dynasty generals surrendered to the Manchus, they not only took people with them, but also many military secrets. These people are now in the Ming Dynasty's military camp.

Sun Chengzong, of course, knew nothing of this. He introduced the place to Chongzhen, saying, "Look here, we are right here now, Shanhaiguan. The court sees Shanhaiguan as the end point, but they don't know that it is actually the starting point. It can be used to support various routes when going out, and to protect the capital when going in. Ningyuan is the central stronghold. This city, together with Jinzhou, Songshan, Xingshan, Tashan, and the forts of Dalinghe and Xiaolinghe, is like the five fingers of a palm..."

As Emperor Chongzhen listened to Sun Chengzong's introduction, he nodded in satisfaction.

In fact, besides letting the emperor understand the Guan-Ning-Jin defense line, Sun Chengzong had a deeper purpose in giving these introductions to Chongzhen. That is, since there were many impeachments against him in the court, he was now showing the emperor what he had done and why he had done it, which could also be considered as defending himself.

He was unaware, of course, that Emperor Chongzhen at this time trusted him implicitly.

After listening, Emperor Chongzhen asked, "Sir, do you think the Manchus can cross the Shanhaiguan Pass?"

"If I were here, we would not have survived."

Sun Chengzong was very confident in his defenses. After speaking, he added, "Even if I am not here, as long as the three lines of defense I have built, namely Guan, Ning and Jin, are not destroyed, and we continue to follow my defensive counterattack strategy, the Manchus will not be able to get through."

"But what if..."

Emperor Chongzhen approached the map hanging nearby and drew a line on it with his hand: "What if the Manchus take this route? What if they bypass the Guan-Ning-Jin defense line, head west, cross Mongolia, and then break through the Great Wall at passes like Da'an Pass, Longjing Pass, and Malanyu Pass?"

"this……"

Sun Chengzong looked at the marching route drawn by Chongzhen, his expression gradually becoming solemn. Finally, he took a deep breath: "This marching route is indeed daring, but it does involve surprise and catches the enemy off guard, and it has a certain degree of feasibility. Hmm... the Manchus really might take this route... no, the Manchus can only invade our Great Ming this way!"

"The court's current focus is entirely on Guan Ningjin; if he..."

At this point, Sun Chengzong suddenly stopped, a hint of fear flashing in his already slightly cloudy eyes. He bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty's vision is truly admirable."

Emperor Chongzhen smiled and said, "To be honest, these were not deduced by me, but were told to me by a wise man."

A master?

Upon hearing this, Sun Chengzong was secretly surprised. The Emperor indeed had someone behind him. After a moment's hesitation, Sun Chengzong still spoke up and asked, "May I be so bold as to ask, was this map also given to us by that master?"