In the blink of an eye, it was already July of the thirteenth year of Chongzhen.
In the Qianqing Palace, the midsummer heat wave swept everywhere. A young eunuch was holding a big fan and shaking it for Zhu Youjian to dispel the heat. But Zhu Youjian's face was ashen as if there was ice hanging on it.
Zhu Youjian held the Tang Bao sent by Yang Sichang from Xiangyang. Although Yang Sichang defended himself in every possible way in the Tang Bao, he still could not hide the situation of successive defeats.
After Zhang Xianzhong was defeated in two games, he hunkered down in Xinggui Mountain, gradually gathering his defeated troops and regaining his strength. During the few months when Zhang Xianzhong was most vulnerable, Zuo Liangyu, He Renlong and other Ming army generals adopted thieves to respect themselves and only stayed outside the mountain. Sitting back and watching, not a single official army actually went deep into the mountains to annihilate Zhang Xianzhong.
In June, after Zhang Xianzhong rested in the mountains for two months, he fought his way out and attacked Sichuan. At the same time, the officers and soldiers surrounding Zhang Xianzhong outside the mountains were inexplicably low in morale and plagued by epidemics. Zhang Xianzhong's rebel army It was like a tiger descending from the mountain, killing all directions at the junction of the two provinces of eastern Sichuan and western Chu.
On the ninth day of June, Zhang Xianzhong defeated Zhang Yingyuan, the commander-in-chief of the Beijing camp, and Wang Yunfeng, the deputy general, at Tutuling in eastern Sichuan. He annihilated more than 5,000 officers and soldiers and beheaded deputy general Wang Yunfeng.
On June 17, Zhang Xianzhong took advantage of the victory to attack Sichuan general Qin Liangyu and Sichuan deputy general Zhang Ling who were stationed at Huangni Pass and Zhujunping. Zhang Ling, who had a long-standing reputation for bravery, was shot to death by a crossbow arrow on the battlefield, and 30,000 officers and soldiers were routed. Qin Liangyu gathered his defeated troops and fought again, but the officers and soldiers were routed again. Qin Liangyu fled to Chongqing alone.
On June 26, Zhang Xianzhong pretended that he was short of food and wages, and used a trick to lure Sichuan Governor Shao Jiechun into the mountains. As soon as Shao Jiechun entered the mountains, ambushes were everywhere. His newly recruited 20,000 recruits were surrounded by tens of thousands of bandits and were almost wiped out. Shao Jiechun was defeated in the battle and died in the army.
In just one month, the situation that Yang Sichang boasted of being a great success and defeating the thieves turned into a mess. In the blink of an eye, Zhang Xianzhong wiped out 50,000 of his 100,000-strong army. One governor and two lieutenants were killed in the battle. Yang Sichang attempted to destroy Chu , the "Special Suppression of Yuanpan" plan to annihilate Zhang Xianzhong in the border area of Shu came to nothing.
Last month, Emperor Zhu Youjian of the Great Ming Dynasty was still immersed in the fantasy that the bandits had been eliminated and the Central Plains was at peace. He awarded Yang Sichang and the bandit generals a lot of titles and rewards. At this time, the cruel reality suddenly shattered the illusion. , couldn't help but feel a little angry.
Zhu Youjian took a breath and tried to suppress the anger in his heart. He raised his head and stared blankly at the roof of Qianqing Palace.
Zhu Youjian, who had been silent for a long time, said coldly:
"Yang Sichang's so-called spreading a net on all sides means raising taxes and increasing troops. His so-called personal supervision of divisions means increasing troops to encircle and suppress. Now a hundred thousand troops surround Zhang Xianzhong, who has tens of thousands of people, but they can't take it no matter what! Instead, Zhang Xianzhong defeated them one by one, and one hundred thousand In the blink of an eye, people lost more than 50,000 yuan."
"It was in vain that I trusted him so much and invited him to join the cabinet and become the prime minister."
"Now that Qin Liangyu has been defeated, Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong don't listen to his orders. They just sit back and watch the thieves attack the officers and soldiers without helping each other. How can Yang Sichang suppress the thieves?"
"This Yang Sichang is really an idiot!"
After Zhu Youjian said this, he slapped his hand on the imperial case, and then closed his eyes helplessly.
Wang Chengen looked at Zhu Youjian's face carefully and said: "Your Majesty, Zhang Xianzhong is going to Shu! Once Zhang Xianzhong enters Shu, I am afraid he will become even bigger, and no soldiers and horses can stop him."
Zhu Youjian closed his eyes and said nothing.
Wang Chengen said again: "Your Majesty, now that the situation has come to an end, the only way to defeat the thieves is to mobilize Li Zhi's troops!"
Zhu Youjian shook his body, as if he heard the words he least wanted to hear.
Wang Chengen said: "Your Majesty, if Li Zhi is no longer needed, I'm afraid Zhang Xianzhong will be unable to suppress him!"
Zhu Youjian opened his eyes and looked at Wang Chengen.
After a long time, Zhu Youjian said coldly: "It's not that I don't know how powerful Li Zhi's troops are, but I really don't dare to use them."
"Then Li Zhi was so domineering after his meritorious service in repelling Dong Nu that he was about to commit suicide as governor of Tianjin. If Li Zhi were to kill Zhang Xianzhong, what would I reward him with? A title? If he was made an uncle, how arrogant would he be? I am afraid that all the officials in Tianjin would not dare to say a single word in front of him."
"I have deliberately not used Li Zhi this year, but I am afraid that Li Zhi will make new achievements and turn Tianjin into a country within a country."
Wang Chengen was stunned for a moment and said nothing.
Zhu Youjian stood up and walked back and forth in the Qianqing Palace with his hands behind his back.
"Now Dong Nu is attacking Jinzhou again, and Ji Liao's soldiers and horses are all restrained and unable to move."
"The 100,000-strong army encircling and suppressing Zhang Xianzhong is really a lot. However, this group of civil servants and generals are helpless. Is there no one except Li Zhi? With so many general soldiers and so many governors encircling and suppressing, even Zhang Xianzhong can't defeat him. Can’t be destroyed?”
Wang Chengen gritted his teeth and said: "Your Majesty, now the only thing left to do is to deal with Li Zhiping. I would rather pay Li Zhi with a town in Tianjin than let the whole of Sichuan and Sichuan be ravaged by Zhang Xianzhong!"
Zhu Youjian was stunned when he heard this and stopped.
Wang Chengen said: "Your Majesty, no matter how domineering Li Zhi is, he is just a vassal and has no intention of turning back. If the traitor is allowed to become big, he will kill whoever he sees and fight all the way to the capital."
"Moreover, the intruder Li Zicheng has now broken through the siege and broken into Henan. I don't know how big a storm it will cause. The soldiers and horses to suppress the thieves are all in Huguang, and the Central Plains is very empty. If the thieves are not put down as soon as possible, I am afraid that the entire Central Plains will never have peace again. "
Zhu Youjian stood in the middle of the Qianqing Palace, looking at the layers of cornices and brackets outside the palace, without speaking.
Wang Chengen did not dare to say any more, and he bent down and carefully stood aside, waiting for the emperor to make a decision.
After a long time, Zhu Youjian said: "Wang Chengen, what you said makes sense. It would be better to pay Li Zhi with a town in Tianjin than to hand over all the Central Plains, Sichuan and Shu to the ravages of thieves."
"Pass an edict to Li Zhi to lead troops into Shu and annihilate Zhang Xianzhong!"
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In the Tianjin General Military Mansion, Li Zhi touched Cui He's big belly and said with a smile: "In one month, I will give birth!"
Cui He pursed his lips and said, "She keeps kicking me in the stomach?"
Li Zhi smiled and said, "Does it hurt if he kicks you?"
Cui He held Li Zhi's arm and said with a pout, "Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it doesn't."
Li Zhi leaned over Cui He's belly and said, "Listen to me."
Li Zhi was there to listen to the sound of the fetus, but was disturbed by his son Li Huan who kept running and screaming under the bed, and could not hear the sound of Cui He's belly.
Li Zhi shouted to his son: "Li Huan, don't make any noise!"
Li Huan looked at his father with wide eyes and said loudly: "I want to eat candy!"
"What kind of candy?"
"No. 1 Candy!"
Li Zhi reluctantly took a piece of No. 1 Candy from the table to Li Huan and said, "Don't argue anymore!"
Li Huanzhi took the No. 1 Candy proudly and stuffed it into his mouth.
Li Zhi then leaned over Cui He's belly and listened carefully for a while.
"Haha, I heard it! She is moving!" (To be continued.)
