Chapter eight hundred and seventy fourth Guan Ning's hesitation
"General Yang! General Yang! His Highness the Crown Prince has summoned us!"
While Yang Rusong was busy, an eunuch squeezed into the crowd and asked Yang Rusong to visit the prince Zhu Cihong.
Yang Rusong immediately frowned. He was still young and was not very good at hiding his emotions, so his impatient expression was immediately revealed. However, when he thought that it was the prince who was being summoned after all, he couldn't do too much. Yang Rusong
After explaining a few words, he followed the eunuch with a few soldiers.
"...General Yang! You have worked hard and made great achievements. When you retreat from the rebellion, I will report it to my father, Emperor Ming, and give you a generous reward..."
Listening to Prince Zhu Cixiang talking dryly and nonsense, Yang Rusong became a little impatient. There were so many things going on now, and he wanted to stop time, but Prince Zhu Cixiang still wanted to waste time on polite words, which made Yang Rusong a little impatient.
I can't control my temper anymore.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness the Crown Prince! If nothing happens, the general will go and arrange the city defense." Yang Rusong finally couldn't bear it anymore and interrupted Crown Prince Zhu Cihong.
The prince Zhu Cixiang was stunned when his words were unexpectedly interrupted. He was just a minor, and the words he just said were taught by several civil servants and eunuchs of the East Palace around him, so he was at a loss when something unexpected happened.
So Prince Zhu Cixi looked to the left and right with helpless eyes.
"Ahem!" Seeing the silence, Chen Yan, the highest civil servant accompanying the prince Zhu Cihong, the former assistant, had no choice but to step forward, "General Yang! What the prince means is that seeing that you are young and promising, his highness regards you as a
The pillar of the imperial court."
In fact, the summons at this time was not the intention of the prince Zhu Cihong, but was instigated by civil servants such as Chen Yan. By now, Chen Yan and the others also understood that Emperor Chongzhen must be in trouble, so they also had to prepare for the prince's succession.
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But now there are many civil servants around Prince Zhu Cixiang, but only a handful of troops. Therefore, Chen Yan and the others want Prince Zhu Cixiang to show their kindness to Yang Rusong. It is best if Yang Rusong can come over to him. If not, at worst, they must maintain a good situation.
relationship to facilitate the smooth succession of Prince Zhu Cixiang.
But Chen Yan and the others never expected that their carefully planned words were just playing the harp to a cow. Yang Rusong was completely unaware of the hidden meanings contained in the dialogue. Instead, he felt that it was all empty words and clichés. There was no way, in the end, Chen Yan
He had no choice but to go into battle in person, shirtless, and clearly stated what Prince Zhu Cihong meant.
But when Yang Rusong heard Chen Yan's words, he felt quite disgusted. Among the Runing army, Yang Rusong's family does not have the highest status. But the power of the entire family is among the top. Are you going to join the prince Zhu Cihong now? Unless Yang Rusong's
My brain is burned out.
Besides, with the Dashun Army approaching outside the city now, who has time to engage in intrigues? So Yang Rusong still pretended not to understand, saluted to the Crown Prince Zhu Cihong and Chen Yan, and said: "Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince! Thank you Mr. Chen Ge!"
The general will definitely fulfill his mission and protect the safety of His Highness."
Looking at Yang Rusong's retreating figure, Chen Yan couldn't help but sigh: "Martial men are so domineering!" And the expression on the prince's face became even more confused.
…
July 20, Luan County.
After setting off from Shanhaiguan on July 18th, the Guanning cavalry entered the customs at a very fast pace. As soon as the news of the fall of Beijing reached Wu Sangui, Wu Sangui immediately ordered the entire army to stop operations in Luan County. It is necessary to observe the current situation clearly.
changes.
The Guan Ning cavalry spies who observed the battle in Beijing only saw a large number of Dashun troops filing into the city from a distance, so Wu Sangui and others also took it for granted that the Ming Dynasty had been destroyed. And the entire city of Beijing had fallen into the hands of the Dashun troops.
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At this time, Wu Sangui needs to make a choice. What if he abandons his territory in Liaodong and rushes to the south? How to solve the problem of food and salary? Not to mention the long journey, Wu Sangui cannot control his troops just by abandoning his possessions in Liaodong.
Don't collapse.
What if they surrendered to the Manchus? Wu Sangui and others were not willing to do so. Years of fierce fighting had already caused a blood feud between the Guan Ning cavalry and the Manchus. Therefore, Wu Sangui would never use this last resort until he was desperate.
Besides, although the battle with the Manchus was repeated defeats, Wu Sangui and the others still looked down on the barbarians of the Manchus. Even though Huang Taiji had already founded a country and proclaimed himself emperor, Wu Sangui and the others still thought that the Manchus were just sitting in a well and watching the sky. Who cares about the flowers of the Central Plains?
How about going to the bitter cold land of the far north to suffer? Not to mention the act of surrendering to a foreign race would bring shame to our ancestors.
If Li Zicheng's Dashun Army surrenders? Wu Sangui and the others are also quite resistant. Because Li Zicheng's policies are too radical, leaving no way for the officials and gentry to survive. As big warlords and landowners in Liaodong, Wu Sangui and the others are essentially the Dashun Army.
natural enemy. Therefore, Wu Sangui was prepared to wait and see, preparing to talk about the new policy of the Dashun Dynasty after it came out.
So now there are very few ways out for Wu Sangui and the others. If they do not surrender to the Manchu Qing Dynasty or the Dashun Army, what arrangements should the Guan Ning Cavalry make?
So after some discussion, Wu Sangui and the others discussed the following plans:
First, Guan Ning's cavalry can surprise Juyongguan, open the Shanhaiguan Highway, and allow the Dashun Army to fight with the Qing Army. While he can block the entrance to Beiyan Mountain, forming a restriction on Beijing. Then he can defend in a dangerous place and steal Zhangjiakou at the same time.
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In this way, on the one hand, the Guan Ning Cavalry can restrain the Dashun Army from the north. On the other hand, it can also rely on this place to watch the Dashun Army and the Qing Army fight. No matter which side wins, the Guan Ning Cavalry has hope.
Reoccupied Beijing.
Second, if the situation fails, the Guan Ning cavalry can also go north from Mongolia to form a new joint force with the Qing army. At the same time, as long as the main force is in hand and the advantages of the Mongolian cavalry are used, the Guan Ning cavalry can be well supplemented and strengthened.
On the other hand, it can also break away from the direct coercion of the Qing army and form a certain independent situation. In this way, it can also increase its weight and room for maneuver among the Qing army, the Chuang army and the Nanming army, and improve its own position.
For political status, if the Dashun army is defeated, the Guan Ning cavalry can steal Shanxi, attack Shaanxi and then northwest, forming a separate power; if the Dashun army is defeated, they can quickly go south, capture the Yellow River ferry, clean up the scattered troops of the Ming army, and strive to win the battle in the north.
The Shandong and Henan front lines have been developed, and they have established contact with the old Nanming forces in the Yangtze River Basin. Maybe they can also get half of the south of the Yangtze River.
However, these two plans are tortuous and dangerous, and there are two major problems that are difficult to solve.
The first is that when the various forces in the north are at war, the Guanning Iron Cavalry must be completely forgotten and allowed to grow and develop. This is almost impossible to achieve, because the Guanning Iron Cavalry is one of the most powerful armies in the world, and the various forces will never
Turn a blind eye.
Secondly, the north cannot enter other forces. Otherwise, there will be too many variables. Under the pressure of all forces, the Guan Ning Cavalry will never be able to survive alone. Therefore, the wishful thinking made by Wu Sangui and others will be difficult to realize.
Of course, Wu Sangui and the others didn't know yet that Wu Shigong's Runing Army had already joined the battle in the north, and the prerequisites they set had long since ceased to exist.
But at this moment, a secret envoy from the Qing army suddenly appeared in Wu Sangui's army. He pointed out another "golden road" to Guan Ning's cavalry, which was to borrow troops.
The secret envoy of the Qing army was eloquent. He first assured Wu Sangui and the others that the Qing Dynasty's ambitions were only outside Liaodong and the Great Wall. The only requirements for the Central Plains were to recognize the Manchu Qing Dynasty as a brotherly country and to pay a certain number of coins every year.
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He then pointed out: Li Zicheng's peasant army was the common enemy of the Manchu and Ming Dynasties. Because both the Manchu and Ming Dynasties jointly safeguarded the interests of the official and gentry classes, they must not be allowed to stand up.
Then the secret envoy explained: The Manchu Qing Dynasty had no ambitions for the Central Plains, so they were willing to support King Zhu Yipai of Lu as the new emperor. If Guan Ning's cavalry was willing to fight side by side with the Qing army, then Wu Sangui and the others would also have support in the new dynasty.
meritorious deeds.
The last emissary also promised that as long as the Dashun army was defeated, the Qing army would return Beijing to the new emperor and put King Lu under the control of Wu Sangui.
Wu Sangui and the others were moved by these words. Because there were two edicts such as "The Letter from King Lu to the World", King Lu would also be responsible for the bad reputation of attracting wolves into the house, and Guan Ning's cavalry would be responsible for being "foolishly loyal" at most.
Fame. This also eliminated the biggest psychological obstacle for Wu Sangui and others.
In the subsequent joint operations, Wu Sangui and others, who were well aware of the Qing army's combat effectiveness, also felt that they had a good chance of winning. This was much better than Guan Ning's cavalry fighting alone.
After defeating Li Zicheng's Dashun Army, it would be best if the Manchus kept their promise. Wu Sangui and others would be able to gain great benefits in the new dynasty.
Even if the Manchu Qing Dynasty Hui Nuo occupied the capital and the Yanyun area and refused to leave, as long as the Guan Ning cavalry did not disperse and maintained their independence, they could develop in the vacuum zones of the northwest provinces and receive what the Dashun Army left behind.
"Heritage" became one of the forces on the separatist side.
So within a very short period of time, Wu Sangui and others made the decision to join forces with the Qing army.
But Wu Sangui and the others had no idea that when Huang Taiji led the entire army to the north, because they heard that the city of Beijing had fallen, the Ming troops in the cities and Tongzhou camp along the way were routed in large numbers, and the Qing army also accepted the surrender of a large number of Ming troops.
As a result, the Qing army actually accepted nearly 30,000 troops. And Zhou Yanru, the chief assistant who was stationed in the Tongzhou camp, only had 20,000 Ming troops left. He was about to start singing "The Empty City Strategy".
Huang Taiji only wanted these surrendered Ming soldiers to shave their heads, and then incorporated them into the Han military flag. Because Huang Taiji knew that it would be difficult for those surrendered Ming soldiers to rebel. After all, it is difficult to grow hair after it is shaved.
, and as long as they have this hairstyle, it proves that these surrendering Ming troops have been separated from the Han people.