Standing at the end, the submissive Du Xun never expected that Li Zicheng would call his name. No, he thought it would be good to just stand at the end and have a stable life and future, but he was suddenly called.
He had no choice but to step out slowly and answer: "Your Majesty, I think Wu Sangui didn't come. I'm afraid he just sent a confidant to visit the king, and the rest of the army is probably staying halfway."
"Oh? Why do you guess so?"
In Li Zicheng's eyes, Du Xun was once a minion around Emperor Chongzhen, and his close men must know more about some important ministers in the court than he did, so his opinion on whether Wu Sangui came to help was reasonable.
"Your Majesty, I once stayed in the palace and met Wu Sangui by chance. Although this man is a military general, his thoughts are no worse than any literati. Your Majesty, you can think this way, if he really comes,
Why did he only bring 10,000 people? You must know that he is a man who knows how to fight. We have hundreds of thousands of troops. Is he just bringing 10,000 people here to show his loyalty by dying in battle?"
"Although he is not afraid of death, he is afraid that his family will have no one to take care of him, so he does not dare to die easily. Therefore, if he comes, he will bring at least 20,000 people with him! As Uncle Ping Xibo, he will not know that even 10,000 Guan Ningjun
Facing an army of hundreds of thousands, he will still die in battle."
"What you said does make sense."
Li Zicheng mopped up his goatee and looked thoughtful, and from time to time some laughter could be heard.
"Do you have any other opinions? Share them all."
"I also feel that Wu Sangui didn't come, he was just a close confidant." Li Yan also stepped forward and expressed his opinion.
Seeing that the others had no other objections, Li Zicheng stood up and said: "Since King Qin's army only has 10,000 troops, not even 20,000, let's destroy them first and let the emperor know that we have great power."
Shun still controls half of the Ming Dynasty. Even if he is just a king, he cannot restore the Ming Dynasty!"
"Send the order! You will lead an army of 20,000 troops to attack the capital, and then pretend to be defeated and retreat to the Tongzhou area. Then Li Guo will lead 30,000 troops and horses to march into Tongzhou at full speed, and attack Guan Ning's army with you! This time, I want to wash away my past.
shame!"
It was now the third watch of Shen Shi, but the palace was very lively, and the noise was even louder than yesterday.
The imperial dining room has never been so busy. The imperial chefs were sweating profusely, and the assistant cooks around them were wiping their sweat away. The palace maids and eunuchs filed out, each holding a dish in their hands and passing the dishes around.
The palace has not been so lively for a long time, adding a lot of popularity.
"Everyone, I have two joys today. The first is that the intruders have retreated and the capital has returned to peace. The second is that Commander-in-Chief Li has arrived with his army. This gives the capital an extra layer of protection and makes the people in the city feel at ease.
.”
Zhu Ling smiled and spoke, and kept gesturing to the maids to pick up food for Li Yuan.
Li Yuan also felt deeply guilty. He could have arrived a few days ago, but he had to postpone it until today. He seemed overwhelmed by His Majesty's enthusiasm. He lowered his head and said sincerely: "Your Majesty is considerate of us. I am very grateful! I also wish your Majesty and your family the best."
The Ming Dynasty will never die!"
When the other ministers saw Li Yuan being so embarrassed, they also chuckled a little in their hearts. As a general soldier, this person was able to dine at the same table with His Majesty. It was a great honor for him.
Zhu Ling did not blame him at all for this, but ordered someone to add a glass of wine to him, and continued: "The Guan Ning army you brought is the elite of the Ming Dynasty. With this hope, I and the ministers are even more excited.
In the future, you will also be a great hero, but I am a little confused, are you going to stay in the capital this time or not?"
Seeing that His Majesty asked such a sensitive question, Li Yuan quickly put down the wine glass in his hand and said in panic: "Your Majesty, I am a small general soldier who only came day and night on the order of the general. He only knew that King Qin was required to guard the capital. The others were...
Not sure anymore.”
Hearing that Li Yuan was so cryptic, Zhu Ling's face did not change at all, but there were many considerations in his mind. I am afraid that Wu Sangui just told Li Yuan to come to Qinwang and return to Shanhaiguan as soon as it is confirmed that the capital is safe, but if this is the case
, he took a group of people southward, and when they arrived in Tianjin, he would leave.
Then his only chance to conquer this Guan Ning army is on the road, and it is not feasible to just share food and accommodation with them, so he must find other ways.
"Just work hard these days. Once the other armies arrive and the intruders retreat, you can return."
Just as Li Yuan was about to reply, Wang Chengen suddenly hurriedly walked to Zhu Ling and whispered a few words, with a rather anxious expression on his face, as if he had encountered something big.
After Zhu Ling heard the news, he did not appear shocked. After shooing away Wang Chengen, he calmly said to the ministers who were looking forward to the news: "Tens of thousands of intruders seem to be planning to invade the capital."
What? Invasion of the capital?
Several people present were immediately shaken inwardly, with panic on their faces. They had just received the news that the intruders had retreated, and they were about to attack again in just one day? Even Meng Zhaoxiang frowned at this, and they even became suspicious of the news.
This is too unbelievable.
"Your Majesty, this news?" Li Yuan was also stunned and asked quickly. He was also worried that his army would be suddenly attacked by intruders. If it was attacked and suffered heavy losses, he would definitely be punished by the general.
"Li Ruolian told me!" Zhu Ling was not frightened, but calmly suppressed his thoughts.
"Let's think of a way."
The solution? The capital has no available troops. Even the recently reorganized capital camp only has 3,000 troops to mobilize, but this is obviously not enough to resist the intruders? Besides, the other defenders are even more weak. If they are allowed to charge into the battle,
I'm afraid that the others he led will retreat in the face of the battle, so only the ten thousand Guan Ning army led by Li Yuan will be left.
Moreover, he came to Qinwang. Now that the intruders are attacking, he must be the first to lead the charge. It is very reasonable.
Therefore, several ministers intentionally or unintentionally turned their attention to Li Yuan who was sitting next to His Majesty. At this time, he did not remove his armor, but only took away the accessories. Therefore, it was most appropriate for him to go, but whether he went or not still had to be seen.
His Majesty's opinion.
Seeing that the other ministers were looking at him, Li Yuan was not stupid enough to know what they meant, but he was also very embarrassed. When the general ordered him to protect His Majesty along the way, he also blocked and attacked the intruders, but did not order him to come to the capital to serve the king.
, if it was really a disastrous defeat and the general found out about it, then I...
Zhu Ling saw his hesitation, but said calmly: "General Li, can you fight for the capital?"
"Your Majesty, I am willing, but..."
Li Yuan did not dare to raise his head, and he was quite flustered in his heart. He hesitated but did not come up with a result.
"I asked Meng Zhaoxiang to lead three thousand soldiers from the capital to fight with you against the intruders. On top of the city tower, I will personally beat the drum for you! Do you dare to fight?" With the last sentence, Zhu Ling came out with the style of a monarch, which was quite a bit...
Vigor.
It was this sentence that made Li Yuan no longer hesitate, immediately stepped back and knelt down and said: "I will not let your Majesty down!"
"Neither can I!"
Meng Zhaoxiang also knelt down and said, his tone more ambitious than Li Yuan's.
"Okay! The two of you should leave immediately. I'll be waiting on the tower for your news!"
[Author's digression]: Thank you Chaoyang Lifeboat Book Friends for your golden ticket!