Xiangyang was renamed Xiangjing after it was conquered by Li Zicheng's army, and he called himself King Xinshun.
Years of fighting have made him exhausted, but unlike other rebellious people, Li Zicheng is not happy with beauty. Although he lives in Xiangwang Palace, he remains reserved.
However, the destruction after the invasion of Xiangyang still overwhelmed the Xiangwang Palace, with many collapses and difficulty in keeping with its identity.
In response, Li Zicheng had no choice but to attack Xunyang, but was forced to retreat because Sun Chuanting of Guanzhong sent Gao Jie to lead the cavalry to rescue him.
After stationing troops in Xiangyang, Li Zicheng couldn't help but hold a meeting to discuss the next march strategy.
He sat high on the throne, his hands hanging on his knees, his hair tied up, his face rough, and his green-brown eyes full of determination:
"Although it is summer harvest now, Henan has been plagued by military disasters for many years. There are no people for thousands of miles, and the Yellow River has been dug. The food in Chengtian Mansion will not last long."
"Army, it's time to find a place to eat."
At this time, General Quan, second only to the Grand Marshal, a fellow countryman of Li Zicheng, and the most trusted adviser, Niu Jinxing, could not help but stride forward and said loudly:
"Now Dashun's troops are strong and strong, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of cavalry. They can be said to be the best in the world."
"Now the Ming court is just Sun Chuanting's 100,000 Qin troops, trapped in the pass, wandering around. The ministers suggested that the army should go north, go straight to Beijing, and capture Emperor Chongzhen. In this way, they can conquer the whole world without any effort."
Li Zicheng nodded and said, "It makes sense."
Immediately, he looked at everyone and said in a deep voice: "This matter? We are concerned about the future of the army, so we can't be careless. You can speak freely, and we can make our own choices."
Li Yan, the general of the Zhongying camp on the side, hesitated and kept silent.
Now that the Ming Dynasty has risen and fallen, he feels a little sad in his heart. No matter how you say it, he is also a Juren.
The imperial court has been raising scholars for three hundred years, how can you do it?
Li Zicheng seemed to notice his hesitation, turned his head, and asked Song Xiance, the chief military advisor: "Does the military advisor have any strategies?"
“Let’s listen to what people think first!”
How could Song Xiance know this? He only studied alchemy and divination for fortune and misfortune. He could not answer such strategic questions well.
And Yang Chengyu, a doctor of Qin Tianjian, came out and said: "Your Majesty, the only rich place in the world is Jiangnan. Taizu of the Ming Dynasty established his empire in Nanjing, and then he went on a northern expedition and swept the world."
"And, following the example of the late Yuan Dynasty, as long as the water transportation is cut off and the city of Beijing collapses without a fight, won't the world be able to capture it?"
Hearing these words, Li Zicheng couldn't help stroking his beard and laughed.
The generals also began to shout: "Jiangnan is great, how beautiful are the beauties with lots of gold and silver?"
"Brother, go to Jiangnan!"
Liu Zongmin, Tian Jianxiu and other generals were extremely happy.
At this moment, Gu Junen, the newly joined Bagongsheng, hurriedly handed over his hands and said: "Your Majesty, although Liudu is a great place in the world, it is ranked low in the world and it is difficult to achieve great things. His strategy is too slow.
"
"In the land south of the Yangtze River, the terrain is narrow and it is difficult for the army to deploy. Instead, it will be divided and surrounded by those Ming dogs. It is really undesirable for the Ming court to calmly deploy troops and besiege."
"And if the Northern Expedition fails, there will be no retreat."
"Then what do you think we should do?"
Li Zicheng frowned, and his broad face was quite hesitant. He was really unsure about the next step he was going to take.
Gu Junen smiled and said loudly: "It is better to march into Guanzhong and return to the king's homeland."
"Guanzhong is the base of the emperor. To the west, we can capture Gansu and to the east, we can plunder Shanxi. We can advance and attack, and retreat and defend. When the time comes, we should leave a good general to garrison, and the king will lead the army through Shanxi and into Beijing. This is a sound strategy.
"
"Okay -" These words reached Li Zicheng's heart. He clapped his hands and said with great joy:
"Shaanxi is the best place in the world, but it was corrupted by corrupt officials. I still think about the millet in northern Shaanxi..."
Other generals from northern Shaanxi also called out one after another and said happily:
"As the saying goes, wealth does not return to its hometown, just like walking in brocade at night. Now that we are generals and the king has become a king, it is time to go home and see our relatives and friends, so that they can also be rich and wealthy."
Even Niu Jinxing couldn't help but get excited. His hometown is also in northern Shaanxi.
Seeing that the other counselors looked uncomfortable, Li Zicheng hurriedly stopped the noise and said seriously: "I know very well that in northern Shaanxi, the soldiers on the three sides are elite. If they are not eliminated, even if they go north, they will be a formidable enemy."
"Besides, Sun Chuanting's 100,000 troops in Xi'an is a serious concern. If it is not solved, how can he go to Beijing with confidence?"
After hearing this, everyone was suddenly enlightened and nodded in admiration.
Therefore, the new political power established a strategy of taking Guanzhong first, then moving to Gansu, Shanxi, and finally Beijing.
"Report, General Quan Li Guo returns to the city to resume his duties!"
"Let him come in -" Li Zicheng was overjoyed and said hurriedly.
"Reporting to uncle, the child has cut off the head of the bastard Luo Rucheng and is here to revive him."
Li Guo eagerly reported the report.
He is Li Zicheng's nephew, but he is six years older than Li Zicheng, and his relationship is extremely close.
"Okay!" Li Zicheng patted his nephew on the shoulder, "Thank you for your hard work, please sit down quickly and let's discuss how to get home!"
…
At this moment, a raging fire broke out in Wuchang City.
The Chu Palace, which used to dominate Huguang, has been ignited with raging fire. The beautiful palace has become history. A large number of palace maids and princesses were raped, and their jewelry was robbed and taken away.
The huge city of Wuchang was also plunged into a sea of fire. The common people and wealthy households panicked, and the casualties were incalculable.
"Spare your life, spare your life!" King Chu rolled and crawled before being escorted up.
"Cook it for me and share it with your brothers!"
Zhang Xianzhong glanced at the fat King of Chu with disgust, waved his hand, and sentenced him to death.
Soon, the broth was cooked according to Li Zicheng's example. Zhang Xianzhong did not dislike it and drank it directly. Li Dingguo, Sun Kewang and other generals on the side also drank heartily.
"My foster father, I got more than six million taels of silver, hundreds of thousands of gold, and countless jewels from the palace of the King of Chu."
Sun Kewang looked at this majestic man and couldn't help but report it.
"Spread it, spread it all--"
Zhang Xianzhong didn't even frown. He waved his hand and said, "Spread all the money to the refugees, recruit an army, and form a navy."
"yes!"
Everyone should obey and dare not violate it in the slightest.
"From today on, I am the King of Daxi. Wuchang will be renamed Tianshoufu, and Jiangxia will be renamed Shangjiang County."
Zhang Xianzhong was extremely ambitious. At this time, he felt that great achievements could be expected.
Immediately, he followed Li Zicheng's example and established six departments and five army governor's offices. He also conducted imperial examinations to select Jinshi.
And coupled with his previous spree of gold and silver, the entire Wuchang Mansion was filled with joy and there were nearly two hundred thousand strong soldiers and horses.
For a time, the rebel army was divided into two mountains, each claiming kingship. The whole world became more and more shaken.