After Pang Gang walked to the big tent and reported his official name, the guard in front of the tent came in to announce. Soon the guard came out and made a gesture of invitation to Pang Gang. Pang Gang opened the felt curtain and strode in.
, when Pang Gang opened the felt curtain and came in, all eyes turned to the youngest commander-in-chief in the entire Ming Dynasty.
Lu Xiangsheng's handsome tent was filled with generals wearing helmets and armor, and the tent was packed to the brim. Lu Xiangsheng and Gao Qiqian were sitting on the left and right of the tent, while all the generals were on both sides.
Seeing Pang Gang come in, everyone looked at him.
Lu Xiangsheng saw Pang Gang coming in, nodded towards him and said: "Chaodong is here, you can sit here."
Pang Gang took a look and saw that the place Lu Xiangsheng was pointing to was to his left. Pang Gang took a look and saw that there was a seat next to a bearded man over there, so he walked over and sat down.
Seeing Pang Gang sitting down, Lu Xiangsheng coughed lightly and said: "Okay, since Chaodong has arrived, then our troops have naturally arrived. Now let's discuss how to send troops, Eunuch Gao,
What do you think?"
Gao Qiqian sat in his seat and squinted his eyes as if he was taking a nap. When he heard Lu Xiangsheng's question, he opened his eyes slightly and said: "Our family has to ask the emperor for permission on this matter, otherwise we will not be able to make the decision without authorization.
"
"Your Majesty!" Lu Xiangsheng stopped talking as soon as he heard this and said angrily: "Eunuch Gao, our 100,000-strong army has been here for more than a month and has done nothing except wasting food and pay. Now our army has strong soldiers and horses, how can we shrink?
Here it is!”
Gao Qiqian sneered and said: "Captain Lu, please don't forget that the capital is the most important. If we leave here and the Qing soldiers suddenly attack and disturb the emperor's chariot, can you afford it?
?”
Lu Xiangsheng suppressed his anger and said: "Eunuch Gao, the walls of the capital are high and deep, and there are guards from the capital. Even if it is surrounded by the Tatars for three to five months, the capital can be safe. By then, even if we have to crawl, we can climb there
We are in the capital, how can we stop eating because of choking!"
Gao Qiqian raised his eyebrows and said dissatisfiedly: "Captain Lu, what are you talking about? Do you think our family doesn't want to kill the enemy and serve the country?"
"Humph, is it true or not, my father-in-law has made it clear in his heart!" Lu Xiangsheng was also ready to fight at this moment. The Qing soldiers were raging in the territory, but one hundred thousand Ming elites could only huddle here as watchdogs. Lu Xiangsheng, who had always been the main battler, would never tolerate it.
Yes, but even when Lu Xiangsheng was angry, he couldn't help but mutter in his heart, "A few days ago, the emperor urged him to go to war. But now there is nothing more to do. Could it be that something happened to the court?"
Lu Xiangsheng didn't know, but Pang Gang, who was sitting below, knew everything clearly. He also knew that at this period in history, Yang Sichang and Gao Qiqian, who were ministers of the Ministry of War, were the strongest peace negotiators in the daimyo court.
At this moment, in the Nuanxiang Pavilion in the Forbidden City of the capital, Chongzhen was summoning Yang Sichang, the deputy minister of the cabinet and the minister of the Ministry of War. Yang Sichang was sitting on the seat in front of Chongzhen. His temples and beard were still black, and his eyes were bright, giving people a sense of
The impression of being smarter and stronger than.
Chongzhen sat on a soft couch, looked at Yang Sichang and said in a low and heavy tone: "Since I ascended to the throne, the Tatars have still knocked on the edge four times. In the autumn of the ninth year of Chongzhen, the cavalry was invaded, Changping was lost, and the mausoleum was shocked. Everyone has done this.
All ministers should eat their courage and swear to avenge the country. But just two years later, the captive cavalry drove in again and ravaged the capital. It seems that the internal strife has not subsided, and the foreign invasion is getting more and more urgent. What should we do?"
After Yang Sichang heard what Chongzhen said, he quickly knelt down and replied: "I have been favored by the emperor and appointed to the cabinet, and as the Minister of the Ministry of War, I can't defeat the common thieves and go to war against the rebels. I really deserve death. But I am worthy of death."
In my humble opinion, in the current situation, we can only focus on suppressing the bandits by negotiating peace with them."
"Oh, but some people suggest that we first mobilize the Guan Ning cavalry and Hong Chengchou, and Sun Chuanting come to Beijing to eliminate the Tatars first, and then deal with Li Zicheng and other rogue bandits. What do you think, Ai Qing?"
When Yang Sichang heard this, he was shocked. He immediately knelt on the ground and said with tears: "Your Majesty, it is absolutely necessary. This move will put our Ming Dynasty into a desperate situation!"
Chongzhen's eyes couldn't help but condense, "Ai Qing means..."
"Your Majesty!" Yang Sichang cupped his hands and said to Chongzhen: "The Tatars have certainly caused serious disasters, but they are far less dangerous than the rogue bandits. The Tatars entered the customs just to rob me of our wealth and population, and have no ambitions for our Ming territory. But those rogue bandits want to
But it is our country, the Ming Dynasty, that belongs to us! Therefore, I believe that the best choice is to first settle the internal affairs in order to resist foreign aggression."
Chongzhen pondered for a long time, and then slowly said: "But now the Tatars are still approaching the city, and there are already rumors in the capital. It seems that the peace talks have to be carried out slowly, otherwise the clear stream will be embarrassed again. Alas...
.....I am also in a difficult situation. Please, my dear, please make peace first!"
After saying that, Chongzhen raised his hand and motioned for Yang Sichang to stand up and sit down, and then continued: "According to the records of Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting, some of the bandits gathered by Li Zicheng were defeated, some were annihilated, and some surrendered.
, there are not many left. At present, the two armies are pursuing fiercely, blocking them from all sides, hoping to defeat the intruders in one go. The intruders want to go to Henan, Huguang, or Sichuan, but it is impossible, so they have to flee northward from Shangluo Mountain.
Hong Chengchou has deployed heavy troops south of Tongguan and set up an ambush, hoping that some good news will arrive in Beijing soon."
Yang Sichang smiled and said: "Congratulations, Your Majesty. This is a drag on Your Majesty's good fortune. As long as the intruders are eliminated, Your Majesty's empire will be stable."
A trace of blush appeared on Chongzhen's pale face, and he said happily: "If Shaanxi can quell the rebellion in one fell swoop, that is, with Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting will lead an army to the capital at night, and then join forces with Lu Xiangsheng to quell the Tatars in one fell swoop, then the world will be at peace.
.”
Speaking of this, Chongzhen couldn't help but picture Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting beheading Li Zicheng and Liu Zongmin and then sending their heads to the capital. At that time, he would sit on the Meridian Gate, with the prince standing beside him, and the princes and civil and military officials standing beside him.
Under the Meridian Gate, in the sound of military music, he accepted the prisoners presented by Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting, and at the same time sent ministers or princes to offer sacrifices to the temple on his behalf. The soldiers and civilians outside the Forbidden City looked at the palace and cheered thunderously, shouting long live. By then, his civil and military achievements would surely be
It can also be compared with Taizu.
Thinking of this, Chongzhen opened his eyes and said to Yang Sichang: "According to Gao Qiqian's report, Lu Xiangsheng asked for a decisive battle with the Tatars several times, but I was afraid that the Tatars would become stronger, so I ordered Gao Qiqian to hold them back, but now it seems that
I can't hold it back anymore. The city of Tianjin was defeated a few days ago, and there was already a letter from the imperial censor denounced my mistakes. If it drags on any longer, the trouble will get out of hand. For the current plan, I have to order Lu Xiangsheng to fight with the Tatars first.
How about fighting a few battles to deal with it, my dear?"
Yang Sichang pondered for a while and then said: "This is also a way, but the peace negotiation with the Tatars must be expedited, and we can negotiate while fighting."
Yang Sichang's words won Chongzhen's approval, and the two discussed for a while. As Yang Sichang left the palace, a fast horse carrying the emperor's will also galloped away from the Forbidden City to the West Gate.
At the same time, in the main tent of Lu Xiangsheng's army, Lu Xiangsheng repeatedly listened to Gao Qiqian's tone, wanting to send troops to fight the Qing army, but Gao Qiqian always ignored him, and in the end he even called for wine and food.
Drinking with other generals in the big tent.
Originally, drinking was strictly prohibited in the army when marching and fighting. However, Gao Qiqian was in charge of the army's food and grass and had the power to record the military's achievements. Lu Xiangsheng did not dare to use military regulations to make matters worse, so he had to turn a blind eye.
Just treat it as invisible.
As the commander-in-chief, Pang Gang also received a few plates of meat, a bottle of wine and some meat and rice noodles. Next to him, the generals, guerrillas and some generals like Qian were sitting behind the commander-in-chief, but they were eating with their mouths watering.
Oil.
Everyone devoured the meat sent by the soldiers, pouring wine into their mouths, and behaved very rudely. Many people felt that they were not good at using chopsticks, so they simply ate the meat with their hands, leaving their mouths full and their hands full of oil.
Although Lu Xiangsheng was full of worries, he only took a few bites and then put down his chopsticks and looked at the generals. When Lu Xiangsheng saw Pang Gang and his several guerrilla commanders and others, he was surprised to find that they were just eating by themselves.
The meat and rice noodles in front of him did not touch the wine in front of him at all. He couldn't help but asked in surprise: "Chaodong, is it that the wine here does not suit your taste? How come you don't drink at all?"
When Pang Gang heard Lu Xiangsheng's inquiry, he stood up and said: "Thanks to Governor Lu's inquiry, I and others came to the capital. They have not made any achievements, but Governor Lao gave them food and wine. The general felt guilty and therefore did not dare to drink."
Lu Xiangsheng was startled after hearing this, but before he could speak, Gao Qiqian, who was sitting next to him, cursed angrily: "Pang Gang, what do you mean by this? Are you saying that my father-in-law gives you food and drinks indiscriminately, without distinction between rewards and punishments?
"
Pang Gang smiled faintly: "I don't know if Eunuch Gao does not distinguish between rewards and punishments, but I know that at this moment, countless people in the Ming Dynasty are being ravaged by the Tatars, and countless children have lost their parents, but I can't drink these fine wines."
of."
"You are arrogant!" Gao Qiqian was furious. He could no longer suppress the anger in his heart and stood up. His sharp voice roared in the tent, "Well, you Pang Gang, you are a little general soldier.
How dare you discuss government affairs and ridicule the emperor, what crime do you deserve!"
Pang Gang was also annoyed at this moment. This dead eunuch had been targeting him since he arrived at the camp, and now he was even more serious about accusing himself of crimes. It was really intolerable. If he didn't fight back, what would happen to him in the future?
A dead eunuch can't sit on his head and shit on him.
Angry, Pang Gang also stood up, his eyes flashed with sternness, and he said in a cold voice: "Eunuch Gao, don't use your big hat to put pressure on me. When it comes to rank, my father-in-law is only a fourth-grade official. It's okay.
How can I not discuss government affairs when I am a subordinate of the imperial court? The emperor ordered my father-in-law to come to the army to supervise the army, and he did not ask you to come here to pay attention."
As soon as Pang Gang said this, everyone in the camp was shocked!