Chapter 2 To resist foreigners, we must first settle in
There is a folk saying: Misfortune never comes alone.
This is not superstition. It is often the case that various specific factors contribute to the occurrence of different bad luck at the same time. On the surface, it seems to be accidental, but in fact, it is not accidental at all.
Chongzhen would not even have dreamed that on the same day, he received two memorials in the Qianqing Palace: In the morning, he received a report from Li Xianfeng, governor of Henan Province, saying that Fu Zonglong, governor of Shaanxi Province, was defeated in Xiangcheng, and half of the 40,000-strong army was defeated. Ruined. In the afternoon, we received news that General Wang Pu of Datong had escaped at night. The cavalry and infantry of the Eighth General Army trampled on each other in the Battle of Songjin, causing numerous casualties. General Wu Sangui, Wang Pu and others fled into Xingshan, and General Ma Ke, Li Fuming and others rushed into Tashan, but Hong Chengchou and others failed to break through and trapped Songshan City. They organized several breakouts but failed.
Not long ago, Chongzhen received the news that Fu Zonglong defeated the intruders in Dahongshan. Zuo Liangyu attacked from behind and was about to pacify the Central Plains bandits. He did not expect that Fu Zonglong would fail so quickly and die in battle so quickly. Ten thousand elite soldiers were ruined like this!
Where is Zuo Liangyu? Where is he?
In previous years, he would have been shocked when he received this report. After being shocked, he would have gone to Fengxian Hall to cry for a while. However, since Yang Sichang's death, he has become accustomed to the blow of failure in the civil war. He only feels discouraged, depressed, and worried, but not Cry no more. Fu Zonglong’s death, in Chongzhen’s heart, really cannot be compared with Yang Sichang’s death.
But being surrounded by Hong Chengchou made Chongzhen extremely panicked. Once Yang Sichang died, he was left with only Hong Chengchou as a loyal minister!
"Chen Xinjia hasn't entered the palace yet? It's already the second update!"
Just at this moment, a eunuch walked gently to his side, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Chen Xinjia is waiting for your summons at the Wenhua Hall."
In the morning, Chen Xinjia had been summoned once by Emperor Chongzhen in the Qianqing Palace to ask him about the strategy for dealing with the Central Plains and outside the Pass. Although Chen Xinjia was smart and capable, he had no choice but to lose his life, his soldiers had no fighting spirit, and their discipline was broken. It was difficult to save this critical situation. There was no good plan, so we had a long discussion during the morning meeting, but to no avail.
Chongzhen was already impatient, and the more he had no emergency plan, the more he would become restless and anxious. He would easily lose his temper in the palace, which frightened the eunuchs and maids in the Qianqing Palace.
Just after dinner, he received a secret message from Gao Qiqiang, who was supervising the army at Shanhaiguan, saying that Hong Chengchou was besieged in Songshan and was in danger. He also said that it was rumored that once the Qing troops conquered Songshan, they would once again invade the pass and besiege the capital.
Gao Qiqian mentioned this sentence in his secret memorandum: "I heard that Donglu is still sincere in negotiating peace. If this can be accomplished, it may be able to save the current urgent situation. The state affairs are like this, and we can only ask the emperor to make his own decision."
Although Chongzhen did not like to use the word "peace" with Manchuria and could only say "peace" or "peace", he could not but admit in his heart that it was actually peace, so when he was at a loss tonight, he did not hesitate to use the word "peace". The wording was not inappropriate. As for the secret peace negotiation with Manchuria, he originally thought it was an emergency measure at the moment, and was secretly instructing Chen Xinjia to proceed in secret as quickly as possible.
Now that I received the secret message from Gao Qiqian, I unconsciously said in my heart: "Qiqian is my domestic slave after all, unlike many foreign ministers. He understands my difficulties and is willing to consider my current difficulties!"
Chen Xinjia waited outside for a while, and Emperor Chongzhen finally came to discuss the military plan with him. The emperor looked at Chen Xinjia and couldn't help but think of Yang Sichang. He felt sad and thought to himself: "They are the only two people who know clearly in their hearts!"
"I have called you into the palace tonight to discuss the situation in the Central Plains and outside the Pass. Fu Zonglong was killed and Hong Chengchou was besieged. The situation is really critical."
Chen Xinjia replied: "Hong Chengchou and others have been besieged so far. They have no food and grass inside and no reinforcements from outside. I am afraid they will not be able to support them for long. Zu Dashou had long wanted to surrender to the Eastern captives, but he was afraid of the emperor and was unwilling to betray him suddenly.
Jinzhou defends to the death. If Songshan falls, Zu Dashou will undoubtedly surrender. Once Songshan and Jin are lost, the castles outside the pass will inevitably collapse. The enemy soldiers are more energetic, either cannibalizing the whales, or driving southward, or the two strategies can be carried out at the same time. The trick is
He said: Our army has suffered a sudden defeat, and we really have no good strategy to deal with it. As a humble minister, I cannot share your Majesty's worries on my behalf. It is really a crime that cannot be punished."
"In your opinion, how long can Songshan hold on?"
"It's hard to say. Hong Chengchou has been favored by the country in his life and has been favored by His Majesty. He will do his best to wait for rescue. Moreover, he has been in the army for a long time and is very resourceful. Cao and Wang are also the commander-in-chief of the army.
Our old troops are willing to fight to the death. In my opinion, if there is no internal response, Songshan can still hold on for another month or two."
Chongzhen asked: "Is there any way to rescue him within a month or two?"
Chen Xinjia lowered his head and was speechless.
Chongzhen sighed softly and said: "Now that we have no troops to rush to rescue outside the pass, we have to step up efforts to appease the Donglu, so that the situation can be temporarily eased, and Hong Chengchou can be saved from sinking."
"Last time, because the Lu chieftain was picky about the identity of our envoy and the documents he carried, he could not go back to Shenyang. Now Ma Shaoyu and others are ready and are about to leave for Shenyang to negotiate. Ma Shaoyu must meet with the Lu chieftain before he goes and agree.
Returning will temporarily relieve the emperor's worries about traveling eastward, so that the imperial court can devote its efforts to exterminating the bandits."
Chongzhen nodded and said: "What you said is very true. It is difficult to take into account both the internal situation and the external situation. I have no choice but to implement a temporary restraint policy against the Eastern captives, first to stabilize the internal situation and then to attack the external situation. Only you and Sichang know my difficulties!"
Chen Xinjia kowtowed and said: "Your Majesty is the leader of Zhongxing Ying of our dynasty, and he has great and far-sighted plans that cannot be understood by a group of ministers. However, after the completion of the matter, the border will be temporarily peaceful, the people can rest and recuperate, and the Guan Ning cavalry can be transferred south to suppress the bandits. Come to
At that time, His Majesty's grand plans and far-sighted plans will be understood by the subjects, and they will surely be convinced and praised from all quarters."
Chongzhen knew in his heart that Chen Xinjia just wanted him to negotiate a peace as soon as possible and tide over the current crisis. As for whether this matter could really make "all the people convinced and praised by all quarters", he did not dare to hope, so after hearing Chen Xinjia's words, he even had a little relief on his face.
There was no expression on his face, and he continued: "This matter must be done with utmost care, and not a single word should be revealed. Be careful, be careful!"
What Chongzhen was most afraid of was a repeat of the previous scene where Xie Sheng revealed the internal affairs of the council. He said bitterly: "As a minister, Xie Sheng actually revealed the affairs of the council to the court, causing attacks from officials and officials. It is extremely hateful. I miss him.
It was not a big mistake to cut him off. At that time, it was inappropriate for you to secretly discuss Donglu's affairs with him. However, I still have high hopes that your kindness will remain the same. I will forget the past and will do my best in the future.
Be more careful.”
As soon as the emperor mentioned Xie Sheng's matter, Chen Xinjia quickly knelt down again and lay on the ground. He was very clear about Chongzhen's suspicious, fickle, irritable and vicious nature. Although he had the emperor's trust, he was always worried
Misfortunes come from unexpected events.
He understood why the emperor mentioned Xie Sheng to him at this time, and felt chills running down his spine. He kowtowed repeatedly and said: "I am really guilty of Xie Sheng's matter. Thanks to the great kindness of the emperor, he did not punish me severely, but he still made me punish him."
The center is responsible for the work of the dogs and horses. Although the ministers are grateful, they are always fearful and cautious when encountering problems. Don't you know how important it is to send Ma Shaoyu out to discuss matters of appeasement? I will never dare to reveal a word.
Your Majesty, Fuqi, don’t worry.”
"Every time I give you an edict regarding matters of consultation, do you burn it immediately in accordance with the order?"
Chen Xinjia then carefully replied: "Every time I kneel down to read His Majesty's edicts, everything about the consultations is immediately and secretly burned with my own hands. Not even a single word dares to be preserved in the world."
Chongzhen nodded, and finally mentioned the war situation in the Central Plains and asked: "In your opinion, how will the Central Plains suppression campaign end?"
"In my humble opinion, the rogue bandits are becoming increasingly powerful and Henan has been suffering from a severe drought for a long time. If they are not suppressed heavily, they will definitely become a serious trouble."
The most important thing Chongzhen paid attention to at this time was the problem of rogue bandits in the Central Plains. For this reason, he did not hesitate to tear up the image of a holy king established over the years, put down his arrogance and negotiate peace with the Eastern captives, and also implemented the strategy of calming down the internal affairs before resisting foreign aggression.
"Rogue bandits are a serious problem in the world. Let Wang Qionian take over as the governor of Qin. All parties will mobilize troops to reinforce them to ensure that the thieves cannot break out."
Chen Xinjia quickly said: "Wei ministers have transferred Zheng Jiadong, Yang Dezheng, Fang Guoan and other general troops to assist in the suppression of the Central Plains. Now that the Xian bandits are not strong, they can use Chu troops to assist the Henan Bureau. Twenty to thirty thousand Chu troops have entered the Central Plains to resume the suppression. Qin
With an additional 30,000 troops, even if Chuang and Cao cannot be annihilated, it will not be a problem to contain them in one corner."
Chongzhen felt a little relieved, nodded and said: "That's very good. Please go down."
In order to cope with the lack of military strength in Henan after the Battle of Xiangcheng, Chen Xinjia not only transferred all the elite Qin troops to Henan, but also transferred a large number of the Huguang garrison originally used to deal with Zhang Xianzhong to Henan to organize the second major siege.
.
However, Henan is strong, while Huguang is weak. Chongzhen and Chen Xinjia are weak on the left and right, tearing down the east wall to make up for the west wall. How long will they be able to paper it?