697 Ming Ting's response

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"Report, urgent military situation!"

At noon on the 18th, a herald of the White Dragon Army rode a fast horse and rushed all the way into Zhuozhou City.

After a stick of incense, Li Zixiao summoned dozens of senior generals of the White Dragon Army, such as Li Yan, Qi Wei, Han Tong, and Li Tianba, to his tent in the camp north of the city.

"Sir, is it the Tartar who has made a move?" Qi Wei dared to come in, so he asked Li Zixiao.

"Hmm!"

Li Zixiao nodded, answered, and then turned his head to look at Li Yan next to him: "Li Yan, you can tell the generals." ”

"Good!"

Li Yan stood up and stood next to him on a huge military map that had been arranged, on which this northern Ming Dynasty was drawn, including a part of the territory outside the Guan.

Li Yan held a long black pole, pointed to the map, looked at Qi Wei and the others, and said, "Generals, according to the latest information from the front-line scouts.

After noon yesterday, the Tartar army led by Azig in the west of the capital left the camp and headed west, leaving Haug's 5,000 cavalry behind.

Their target should be Shanxi.

At the same time, the Tartar army led by Dolgon, east of Tongzhou, finally went south, and they went south along the canal, which should have been to Hejian Province.

A day earlier, our intelligence officers in Tianjin Sanwei had sent back information that a small number of Tartar cavalry had been found there. ”

"In other words, the current situation is similar to what the lord expected before, and the two armies that the Tartars separated this time are really going to Shanxi and Shandong respectively!"

Qi Wei interjected.

"That's right." Li Yan nodded.

"What do you mean by that sir? Shall we deal with the Tartars first, or shall we divide our forces as well? ”

Qi Wei turned his head to look at Li Zixiao and asked.

"What do you think? Shall we work together to deal with one Tartar first, or will we divide our forces and fight two at the same time? ”

Li Zixiao swept over Qi Wei and other White Dragon Army generals and asked.

"Sir, the last general thinks it's safer for us to deal with a stream of Tartars first.

According to the information we have received before, there are more than 70,000 people in the west and more than 80,000 people in the east.

Led by two Tartar princes, Azig and Dolgon, these two dog Tartars are both battle-hardened generals, and neither is easy to deal with.

We only brought a total of 60,000 people this time, of which only 20,000 were in the elite of our White Dragon Army, and 40,000 were city defense troops. ”

After thinking about it, Han Tong said to Li Zixiao.

"That's right, General Han said it, and he agrees."

"The last general also agrees, it's better to deal with the Tartars all the way first."

After Han Tong spoke, Li Yan and Qi Wei also echoed.

"Well, Han Tong said that Ben Jue also knows, but we can't let another Tartar team burn, kill and loot in my Ming Dynasty and leave it alone.

So, that's what Benjue thought.

Benjue himself led the main army against the outnumbered Tartar army of Dorgon to the east.

Leave an army to join up with Lord Lu, and join forces with Lord Lu to deal with the Tartars who have entered Shanxi.

Benjue has just sent someone to tell Lord Lu about Benjue's idea, what do you think? ”

"The lord is wise, so it is safe.

I just don't know, who does the lord plan to leave to lead an army to help Lord Lu? Li Yan asked.

"Benjue plans to let Qi Wei lead five thousand white dragon troops, and five thousand city defense troops to assist Lord Lu, Qi Wei, can you agree?"

"Yes, sir, the general has no opinion.

However, this time, if the general enters Shanxi to fight, he will bring as few cavalry as possible and more foot soldiers and musketeers. ”

"Well, yes, the terrain of Shanxi is mainly mountainous, which is actually not very suitable for the battle of the Tartar cavalry.

Bring more musketeers with you, and you may restrain the Tartar cavalry, and now go back to your camps, gather your men and horses, and prepare to go.

Benjue reckoned that it would not be long before the Holy Decree came. ”

"Yes, the last general will retire."

Li Zixiao's expectation was good, an hour later, when the White Dragon Army was preparing to set off in Zhuozhou City, the eunuch sent by Chongzhen to announce the decree also arrived.

Chongzhen's holy decree has a very simple meaning, let Li Zixiao lead the army to choose one of the two, whether to deal with the Tartars who are going west to Shanxi, or to deal with the Tartars who are going south to Shandong.

Li Zixiao took the order and told the eunuch that he would lead the army to Shandong.

In the afternoon, Li Zixiao led an army of 50,000 to leave Zhuozhou, and then passed through Gu'an and headed towards Tianjin.

Before Li Zixiao left, he left Qi Wei and 10,000 horses in Zhuozhou City, and asked Qi Wei to contact Lu Xiangsheng before choosing the opportunity to send troops.

As a result, not long after Li Zixiao led the army through Gu'an, a scout came back to report that the Tartars had broken through Tianjin and were looting around Tianjin Sanwei.

"The Tartars are fast enough."

After Li Zixiao got the news, he was also surprised.

"Sir, I'm afraid it's pointless for us to rush to Tianjin Sanwei at this time.

The Tartars are still unclear about our situation and location, we can find a place to ambush the Tartars, it is much better than us finding the Tartars directly.

In addition, the cavalry in our hands this time, except for General Zilong's 'Flying Dragon Battalion' and General Han Tong's 'Scout Battalion', there is no other cavalry.

A decisive battle with the Tartars in the field is not ideal, so we have to be careful. ”

Li Yan reminded Li Zixiao next to him and said.

Li Yan's implication, of course Li Zixiao heard it, Li Yan was worried that Li Zixiao would despise Tartar too much.

The first few times the White Dragon Army was able to defeat the Tartars, mainly because the Tartars did not know the power of the flintlock pistols in the White Dragon Army, and they treated them as ordinary Ming troops, of course, they had to suffer a big loss.

But judging from the previous report made by Qi Wei in Zhuozhou City, this time the Tatars entered the customs to obviously treat Li Zixiao's White Dragon Army differently from the ordinary Ming army.

The Tartar cavalry was extremely cautious in dealing with the White Dragon Army, and there was no longer a Tartar cavalry wantonly charging and killing the White Dragon Army's array of musketeers.

These foot soldiers, who were originally in the eyes of the Tartars and could be hacked to death by rushing over, have been regarded by them as their biggest nemesis.

Moreover, this time there were more than 80,000 people in the Tartars who went south along the canal, but Li Zixiao only had more than 50,000 people in his hands this time, and the Tartars were still commanded by Dolgon.

Whether it is the combat power of ordinary Tartar soldiers or Dolgon's ability to command the army, Li Zixiao does not dare to despise it, otherwise he will definitely suffer a big loss.

Therefore, in the face of Li Yan's euphemistic reminders and suggestions, Li Zixiao humbly accepted and responded: "Yes, since the Tartars have already broken through Tianjin, it is useless for us to go again."

The raid of the Tartars in Tianjin can only delay their southward journey for two days, so we must overtake them and rush to Shandong in advance to set up defenses. ”

"By the way, Li Yan, Benjue asked you to go to Jinan to contact King De, as well as the messenger to contact Liu Zeqing, the general soldier of Shandong, can you send it?"

Li Zixiao suddenly remembered this and hurriedly asked Li Yan.

"Don't worry, my lord, in the early hours of this morning, I have already sent a messenger to Jinan to contact King De.

However, at this time, it is not clear what position Liu Zeqing, the chief soldier of Shandong, is.

The news that he got before was that General Liu was still raising money and food in Qingzhou, and I don't know if they set off.

However, he still sent a group of messengers, and on the way to Qingzhou, he might be able to find General Liu. ”

After listening to Li Yan's words, Li Zixiao waved his hand and said: "Forget it, Benjue entered Shandong to resist the Tartars this time, and he didn't plan to count on Liu Zeqing, the general soldier of Shandong."

It has been more than 20 days since he entered the customs with the Tartars, and he has not even driven the assembled army of King Qin out of Shandong, so you can know what kind of goods his soldiers are.

This time, as long as he doesn't hold Benjue back, the main object we want to join forces with this time is King De, followed by Liu Zeqing. ”

Three years ago, during the last large-scale raid of the Tartars, the Tartar army led by Dolgon and Duoduo had been killed under the city of Jinan.

According to the normal historical process, that time the Tartars were able to break through Jinan, in addition to looting Jinan, they also killed the German king Zhu Youshu.

However, that time also happened to be Li Zixiao's first northern expedition to Tartars, although Li Zixiao did not have many troops in his hands, but he captured Duoduo, the prince of Tartar Yu, and coerced Dolgon to give up the attack on Jinan.

Therefore, the preservation of Jinan City also allowed the German King Zhu Youshu to escape the catastrophe and continue to be his prince in the rich Jinan City.

Because of this, King Zhu Youshu had a very good impression of Li Zixiao, but Li Zixiao had previously acted against the overflowing private salt in Jiangbei, which harmed the interests of King De.

Although King De did not turn his face with Li Zixiao because of this, the connection between the two sides has also become scarce.

But this time, Li Zixiao had to deal with King De again, because after Li Zixiao entered Shandong, Jinan City was something he had to go to.

Li Zixiao couldn't let the Tartars take Jinan City, because Jinan was his favorite.

"Let's go, order the whole army to speed up the march, don't go to Hejian Mansion, go directly to Shandong, the first stop is Dezhou."

Immediately, Li Zixiao ordered the White Dragon Army to change its marching route and go straight to Texas.

Dezhou is the northern gate of Shandong, and it is also a city with a large population, if Li Zixiao's prediction is good, Dezhou will definitely be selected as a target by the Tartars.

And when Li Zixiao was marching towards Texas, the messenger he sent to contact Lu Xiangsheng finally brought Li Zixiao's letter to Lu Xiangsheng.

"Haha, Li Zixiao, count yourself righteous. Come to someone, prepare a horse, and the marshal will enter the palace to face the saint. ”

After Lu Xiangsheng received Li Zixiao's letter, he knew that Li Zixiao was determined to personally lead troops into Shandong to meet Dorgon's Tartar army.

At the same time, in Zhuozhou, he left himself 10,000 soldiers, led by Qi Wei, who could be handed over to him for command.

Li Zixiao suggested that Lu Xiangsheng select some of the elite of the Ming army, and after Wu Sangui led the Guanning Iron Cavalry and other border soldiers and horses to the capital, he could personally lead them to Shanxi to deal with the Tartars.

For Li Zixiao's suggestion, it coincides with what Lu Xiangsheng thought.

Lu Xiangsheng's previous plan was to deal with the Tartars in Shanxi by himself, and let Li Zixiao deal with the Tartars in Shandong, and he must not sit idly by and watch the Tartars loot in the country.

Soon, Lu Xiangsheng came to the palace, met Chongzhen, and told Chongzhen about Li Zixiao's proposal, hoping to get Chongzhen's consent.

"Okay, I'm ready. Now I have named Aiqing as the commander of the army against the Tartars, and Li Zixiao is the deputy commander, responsible for the war in Shanxi and Shandong respectively. ”

Chongzhen could only agree to Li Zixiao's proposal in the end.

Of course, when Lu Xiangsheng reported to Chongzhen, he said that this was his proposal, not Li Zixiao's, after all, Lu Xiangsheng knew that Chongzhen did not have a good impression of Li Zixiao now.

Even, Chongzhen really didn't want to give Li Zixiao a position of deputy marshal in his heart.

But then Chongzhen thought about it, if he wanted to resist the Tartars who entered Shandong this time, it is estimated that he would have to count on Li Zixiao and Liu Zeqing, the general soldier of Shandong, I am afraid it is not very reliable.

Chongzhen, who was helpless, finally had to make Li Zixiao his deputy marshal, nominally second only to Lu Xiangsheng.

Chongzhen believes that with Li Zixiao's arrogance at this time, perhaps he will only be willing to succumb to Lu Xiangsheng.

If Chongzhen appointed Liu Zeqing as his deputy marshal and let Li Zixiao enter Shandong, he would listen to Liu Zeqing's command, and Chongzhen believed that Li Zixiao would never do it.

The emperor also has to compromise with his courtiers, especially like now, Chongzhen, the emperor, is in a weak position, Li Zixiao is still a 'feudal town', and Chongzhen can only give in no matter how helpless he is.

On September 20, Qi Wei also received an order sent by Lu Xiangsheng, asking him to lead his army north to join him first.

At the same time, Lu Xiangsheng also selected 20,000 elites from the 100,000 troops in his hands, and asked Hong Chengchou of Tongzhou to send 30,000 elite soldiers of the Ming army.

Lu Xiangsheng temporarily had 60,000 elites in his hands, which he was going to take into Shanxi to fight with the Tartars.

And Lu Xiangsheng is waiting now, the 20,000 Guanning iron cavalry led by Wu Sangui has arrived in the capital, and then he will have the courage to go to Shanxi to stop the Tartars.

After Wu Sangui entered Shanhaiguan, the speed of the march was slightly faster, but it still did not match the speed of their cavalry.

You must know that the cavalry vanguard of the Tartars can forcibly march nearly 100 kilometers in one day, and Wu Sangui's Guanning iron cavalry will not lose much to the Tartars.

But after Wu Sangui led the army into the pass, the marching speed was only forty or fifty miles a day, which was basically very slow for the cavalry.

It wasn't until Wu Sangui received the news from the spies he sent out that the Tartars had left the capital and headed towards Shanxi and Shandong.

It was only at this time that Wu Sangui gave the order for the whole army to march at full speed.

Before Wu Sangui arrived in the capital, several other people, such as Li Fuming, the general soldier of Xuanhua at this time, Tang Tong, the general soldier of the Jizhou Central Association, and Bai Guangen, the general soldier of the Western Association, also arrived in the capital one after another.

For this reason, Chongzhen specially ordered that Hong Chengchou, Li Fuming, Tang Tong, Bai Guangen and other Ming generals joined forces with more than 25 troops, all of which were stationed near the capital to defend the capital.

The Weijing troops are led by Li Fuming as the main commander, and Hong Chengchou, Tang Tong, and Bai Guangen are the three deputy commanders, and the main task is to be responsible for the Gongwei Beijing Division.

Even though the Tartar armies on the east and west were divided at this time and headed towards Shandong and Shanxi respectively, Chongzhen still did not dare to relax his defense of the capital.

The speed of the Tartar cavalry was too fast, and Chongzhen was worried that he didn't know when, the Tartar team would come back and threaten the capital.

As for dealing with the two Tartar armies that went south to Shandong and west to Shanxi, Chongzhen was ready to hand them all over to Lu Xiangsheng and Li Zixiao and others, and be responsible!

(End of chapter)