When the terrible news of Li Zicheng's defeat of the Ming army, the enquest of Shaanxi and Gansu, and the establishment of the Great Shun State in Xi'an reached Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen was almost stunned to the point of collapse.

For a whole day and a night, the supreme ruler of the Ming Dynasty did not eat a drop of water, did not eat a grain of rice, and just sat in the Dongnuan Pavilion in a daze, as if he had already sat down.

What a hate! Li Zicheng, a cattle herder on the high slope of the loess, after more than ten years of arduous conquest and suppression, the official army could not be exterminated, but made it stronger and stronger, until now Xi'an was founded and established.

This postman, who was dismissed by the Ming Dynasty, is so unbelievable that he can completely compete with himself. Could it be that he is really the nemesis of Daming? Or is it that more than 270 years after the founding of the country, the number of qi is really exhausted, and it really has to end in its own hands?

Chongzhen suddenly felt that from his waist to his neck, a swishing coolness was rising. In this warm mid-spring season, I was cold, as if I had frozen into ice.

Now, there is a more realistic and serious problem in front of him. That is, Li Zicheng, who has already established the country and is destined to be the emperor, what does he want to do next.

He was content with being called a lonely man in Shaanxi, and was satisfied with his personal ambitions and selfish desires. Or do you think that taking advantage of this great military momentum and the new establishment of the puppet dynasty, you will immediately lead the army to march eastward, all the way to Shanxi and Xuanfu, and finally point directly at the Beijing Division?

No, we must not let Li Zicheng send troops to the east so smoothly, we must find ways to exterminate this fang, at least we must strangle this fight to the death on the west bank of the Yellow River, so that even if this guy jumps hard, he can only jump in Shaanxi, and he must not be allowed to threaten the Beijing Division.

"Spread my will, and Feng Yuanbiao, the secretary of the Ministry of War, rushed in."

"The slave obeys."

Since the war of Sun Chuanting, the secretary of the Ministry of War, Emperor Chongzhen from the Manchu courtiers, really could not find a suitable candidate to succeed the secretary of the Ministry of War, so he could only be a dead horse as a live horse doctor, and put the old and sick right attendant Feng Yuanbiao of the Ministry of War to the shelves of the duck, and promoted him to the secretary of the Ministry of War.

The reason why he chose the old and sick Feng Yuanbiao was actually the heart of Emperor Chongzhen, who was ashamed of Sun Chuanting after he finally lost the war for the country.

It turned out that when Emperor Chongzhen issued a series of orders to Sun Chuanting on the same day, forcing him to exterminate Li Zicheng, the ministers in the court, most of them were those who only promised and those who were silent, only Zhang Fengxiang, the left attendant of the military department, and Feng Yuanbiao, the old right attendant of the military department, both of whom raised objections to the emperor.

Compared with Zhang Fengxiang, who has a tough and upright personality, he wrote fiercely against the emperor, but was severely reprimanded by the emperor. Feng Yuanbiao, who is much older and is already an old oilman in officialdom, is much more sleek.

He first listened quietly to the emperor's statement, and frequently bowed his head to show that he agreed with the emperor's views. But when the emperor said that if the soldiers do not fight, the thieves will benefit, and the soldiers will be easy to be cowardly if they fight for a long time, Feng Yuanbiao immediately saw the opportunity to interject and said, Your Majesty knows the current situation, and the soldiers are cowardly, and if they do not go into battle, it is better to be a thief than a thief. Therefore, Weichen thought that although Sun Shangshu had elite soldiers and good generals, the most appropriate strategy at this moment was to stand still, stick to the help, and slowly try to do it, which is the right way.

Chongzhen was hit by his cunning confrontation, his face was quite unbearable, and before he could reprimand, Feng Yuanbiao knelt in front of the emperor's throne again, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, the words of the ministers are all from the bottom of their hearts, if there is a filthy saint, please go to prison first, win the battle, and thank the ministers." ”

Feng Yuanbiao's hard, soft and soft attitude made Chongzhen's face blue and white for a while, and he wanted to punish him, but he didn't feel appropriate, so he could only criticize it on the surface.

Feng Yuanbiao observed his face, and after returning from the palace, he immediately took his illness at home, using this as an excuse not to go to the court, so that Chongzhen would be upset when he saw him.

Unexpectedly, the situation in Shaanxi is really as Feng Yuanbiao said, Sun Chuanting's entire army was annihilated, and the entire Shaanxi and Gansu were completely lost.

So, after thinking about it for a few days, Chongzhen finally wiped his face, made a holy decree, and Feng Yuanbiao, the right attendant of the Ministry of War, was promoted to the secretary of the Ministry of War. However, although Feng Yuanbiao was promoted to the secretary of the military department, Chongzhen still didn't trust him very much. And when Feng Yuanbiao further proposed that Li Banghua, the imperial historian of the left capital, and the imperial history of Kefa, the right capital, be added to the military department, Chongzhen refused.

Because, the suspicious emperor was worried that Feng Yuanbiao's move had the selfish intention of using the emperor's favor to expand his own power, so he immediately objected to it.

Seeing that the emperor was just promoting himself to a nominal empty military secretary, Feng Yuanbiao knew his suspicion and distrust of the emperor. Therefore, he was disheartened, and for several days, he was the same as before, and he had been sick at home.

Therefore, when he heard that the emperor was going to summon him urgently, he was a little unable to react for a while. However, after a long time in officialdom, he immediately figured out in his heart what the emperor's real purpose was for summoning him.

Feng Yuanbiao entered the palace with his illness in his arms, trembling and wanting to kneel down in front of the Dan steps, but was stopped by the emperor.

"Ertao, now that the rogues are so rampant, they have rebelled in Shaanxi, which is really hateful. Let me ask you, as the secretary of the military department, how should you control the current situation, and what suggestions do you have? The emperor grimaced and said in a low voice.

Feng Yuanbiao secretly glanced at the emperor who was sitting on the dragon chair with a gloomy expression, and sighed secretly in his heart, not knowing how to reply for a while.

Perhaps, more accurately, it was the current situation that he did not know how to answer.

Fortunately, when he was embarrassed and speechless and didn't know how to answer, the emperor's words continued to come: "Ertao, now that the Liukou have been based in Shaanxi and Gansu, my Ming officials and troops are no longer able to advance and suppress, the situation is difficult and dangerous, and it is as dangerous as a burden." You come to tell me, does this damn Li Zicheng just want to guard the northwest corner of the gate and become a puppet emperor, or does he have greater ambitions and want to cross the Yellow River eastward, wave his troops to attack Shanxi and Xuanfu, and finally attack Jingshi? ’

Hearing these words come out of the emperor's mouth, Feng Yuanbiao's heart relaxed a little. He trembled and raised his head, thought carefully for a while, and then bowed his head and replied: "Your Majesty, Weichen thinks that Liukou has just established a puppet country, and his heart is prosperous, how can he be satisfied with only staying in a corner of Shaanxi and Gansu? They will definitely flow the Yellow River eastward, invade Shanxi and Xuanfu, and the final goal is to attack Jingshi directly. “

Listening to Feng Yuanbiao's words, Chongzhen's face turned pale.

In fact, in his heart, he never thought that the Liukou had developed to the present, the momentum was so prosperous, and Li Zicheng's men even had hundreds of thousands of soldiers, how could he be satisfied with only guarding this corner of Shaanxi and Gansu. It's just that when such affirmative words came out of the mouth of Feng Yuanbiao, the secretary of the Ministry of War, Emperor Chongzhen's heart was still an inexplicable tingling.

What to do?

Now that the situation is so urgent and sinister, what else can I do?!

"Ertao, then, according to your opinion, if the Liukou really crosses east to attack, then how will my Ming officials and soldiers resist it?"

Listening to the emperor's hasty questioning, Feng Yuanbiao sighed secretly in his heart. His cloudy eyes blinked, and he immediately replied loudly: "In today's plan, the only feasible way to look at it from the perspective of Weichen is to order my Ming Pingliao King to immediately withdraw his troops from Qingjing, gather his elite soldiers, and rush to Xuanfu and other places in Shanxi urgently, so as to barely stop the thieves from crossing east!" '

When Chongzhen heard Feng Yuanbiao's words, the entanglement and helplessness in his heart were almost speechless.

Alas, it seems that at this moment, the Ming official army is no longer able to fight against the rogues, and the only thing that can be counted on and relied on is Li Xiao, a guy who once rebelled against himself.

Seeing that the emperor was silent, Feng Yuanbiao thought for a while, and said: "Your Majesty, now Li Xiao, the king of Pingliao, is in the Qing realm, and has successively captured Yingkou, Haicheng, Zhenyuanbao and other places, and the Qing army has been terrified, which really boosts the morale of my Ming army and people!" And some time ago, the soldiers and horses under the King of Pingliao were killed in the land of Vladivostok, and the Qing chieftain Taiji was killed. Wei Chen was thinking, if His Majesty wants to exterminate the thieves and get rid of Li Zicheng, the leader of the rebellion, he will have to reuse Li Xiao, and there is no one else to use! ”

Hearing Feng Yuanbiao say this, Chongzhen secretly agreed in his heart, but he was suspicious, and subconsciously asked: "Er Tao, then in your opinion, how can I reuse Li Xiao?" ”

"Your Majesty, Weichen thinks that you should reward Li Xiao heavily in the name of his merits, give him a heavy knighthood, and really attract his heart. At the same time, he summoned his subordinates to return to China and go to Shaanxi and Gansu to resist the rogues. At the same time, the emperor needs to say again that he will not control and interfere with Li Xiao and his soldiers and horses, and let Li Xiao command himself to dispel his suspicions. And when necessary, let me and other Ming officers and soldiers give full assistance, how to come, so that Li Xiao can serve the Ming Dynasty with peace of mind, so that his soldiers and horses are willing to be loyal to the country, and Weichen thinks about it, this should be the best policy. ”

When Chongzhen heard this, he nodded slightly, but asked again: "Aiqing, if you just order the withdrawal of the army like this, then Li Xiao has finally conquered many places in the Qing Realm, and can't he only lose it to the Qing captives in vain?" In this case, wouldn't it give the Qing court another chance to breathe? ”

Feng Yuanbiao shook his head and sighed: "Alas, Your Majesty, there are priorities, how can you only look at the present?" From Weichen's point of view, although the Tartar is a great rebel and evildoer, compared to the Li Zicheng tribe who established the puppet country, and compared to the critical situation of my Ming Dynasty, it can barely be regarded as a disease of skin moss. Now the real confidant of my Ming Dynasty is the thief of Li Zicheng in Shaanxi and Gansu, this is the most dangerous and the most important problem that needs to be solved immediately. Forgive the old minister for saying bluntly, if the land of Xuanfu in Shanxi has fallen, and even the capital division has fallen into the hands of the enemy, then even if the king of Pingliao pacifies Liaodong and destroys the Qing court, what is the meaning to you, Your Majesty? ’

Feng Yuanbiao paused, and then continued: "Your Majesty, Li Xiao, the king of Pingliao, is an extremely intelligent and reasonable person, how can he not distinguish the severity, how can he not know, now that the thieves have become indiscriminate, how dangerous is it for the whole country?" Moreover, taking a step back, even if the King of Pingliao temporarily lost the captured Qing land, he could successfully defeat Li Zicheng, hold Xuanfu and Shanxi, and ensure the stability of the Jingshi. Then, he can get a solid and reliable rear, and in the future, he can use troops against the Qing captives again more calmly. What's the point of such an expedient change? “

After Feng Yuanbiao finished speaking, he said in an accentuated tone as an end; "Your Majesty, with all due respect, the thieves are so rampant now, and this Cheng is in danger of survival! I also asked the emperor to make a quick decision, immediately send his relatives to follow his father-in-law to pass the decree, and immediately dispatch the king of Pingliao back to China, so that he urgently rushed to Shaanxi and Gansu to suppress the bandits. “

After listening to Feng Yuanbiao's words, Chongzhen pondered for a while, and then sighed solemnly: "Aiqing's words, so are my heart. It's just that Li Xiao and his elite soldiers and horses are far away in Liaodong, and if they want to be urgently transferred to Shaanxi and Gansu, how easy is it to talk about! What if Li Xiao and his subordinates were still on the road, and the Liukou had already launched an attack and crossed the Yellow River eastward? ‘

The emperor's question was quite unexpected by Feng Yuanbiao, and he was stunned for a moment and replied: "If this is the case, then the emperor can only first select a minister who knows the army from the court, as a supervisor, and lead the elite soldiers and horses of the Beijing camp, go to resist for a while, and wait until the Tang army arrives, and then order him to hand over the defense with Li Xiao and lead the Beijing camp back." ”

Feng Yuanbiao's words, in fact, are the same as not saying them.

Because of such a question, almost everyone will answer it like this, and Chongzhen himself knows that this is almost the only way.

What's more, Feng Yuanbiao, an old oilman in officialdom, did not point out who was the right candidate for the supervisor, so these words really have no practical value.

Chongzhen let out a long sigh, he wanted to ask Feng Yuanbiao again who was the suitable supervisor candidate, but at this time, he suddenly thought of someone in his mind.

This person is Li Jiantai, the right attendant of the Ministry of Officials and a scholar of Dongge University.

It is said that Li Jiantai is greedy for life and afraid of death, has neither the talent to control the generals, nor the contingency strategy, does not know the battle formation, does not know the art of war, such a person is simply a kind of sadness to be selected as a supervisor.

And the reason why he was selected by Chongzhen and decided to appoint him as a supervisor was only because he was a famous tycoon in Shanxi.

In the case of a shortage of soldiers' salaries, the emperor took a fancy to his family wealth and pointed out that he relied on him to "break his family to relieve the country's difficulties." ”

On this day, Chongzhen sighed when he was in the court: "I am not the king of the country, everything is the image of the country." The ancestors were in the wind and rain in the world, once lost, what face was seen underground. I wish to supervise the teacher, fight in person, die on the battlefield without hatred, but die without turning a blind eye! But I don't know who can do it, and it is difficult to break the family to relieve the country? “

As soon as the emperor's words came out, the Manchu Dynasty was silent, and when Li Jiantai heard this, he immediately understood the emperor's intentions.

He thought that if the rogues were not far from their hometown of Quwo, then instead of letting the entire family business fall into the hands of the rebellious peasants, it would be better to use these wealths that were about to disappear to gain a reputation for himself as anxious for justice and righteousness.

So, he immediately pretended to be righteous in front of the emperor at the court meeting, and said: "The minister Quwo, I am willing to pay the army with private wealth, and I don't bother the officials, please raise the division to the west."

Li Jiantai's performance left a deep impression on Chongzhen, so now when Feng Yuanbiao mentioned that he wanted to raise a courtier as a supervisor, Chongzhen almost subconsciously thought of him.

"Spread my will, and crowned Li Jiantai, a scholar of Dongge University, as the marching superintendent, received the title of Shangshu, and gave Shang Fang a sword, and immediately led the elite soldiers and horses of the Beijing camp to Shanxi to resist the Liukou, and on behalf of my relatives to conquer the people and calm the chaos, all the dispatching rewards and punishments between the lines are not in the middle system, and the soldiers, horses, horses, money, and food of the state capitals in Shanxi need to be controlled by it, and they need to be controlled, and they are admired."

"Wechen obeys the holy commandment."