Chapter 1053: Chongzhen's Final Choice (2)

（1053）

"Wu Sangui...... After the rebellion, what happened? ”

Chen Xinjia asked with a somber face.

After all, he is the secretary of the military department, and he needs to be directly responsible for the military. Wu Sangui rebelled, and if Chongzhen wanted to be held responsible, he would definitely be the first to be held accountable. However, now what he is worried about is not the question of rebellion, nor the question of being held accountable, but the question of what Wu Sangui will do after the rebellion.

Wu Sangui and Wang Dou's army were just north of Xi'an, and only a day's journey from Xi'an Mansion was a day's journey for cavalry and five days for infantry. What does this mean? This means that once the two legions meet and kill Xi'an, Xi'an will not even have time to prepare for resistance. Chen Xinjia instinctively felt that such a possibility was very great.

Think about it, Wu Sangui finally took refuge in the Tiger Ben Army, if he didn't bring a little greeting gift, how could Zhang Zhun give him a good face? How could he possibly get a good position? With Wu Sangui's jīng Ming, he will never forget this. And for Wu Sangui, what kind of meeting gift is the best? Of course, it's this big lump in Xi'an.

It stands to reason that it is not so easy for Wu Sangui to sneak attack Xi'an City. After all, in Xi'an City, there were also twenty or thirty thousand soldiers in the Beijing camp, and they were all under Cao Huachun's command. However, do you dare to believe the combat effectiveness of the three battalions of the Beijing Division? Regardless of whether others believe it or not, anyway, he Chen Xinjia doesn't believe it.

In the past, the strongest combat unit in the imperial court was Wu Sangui's 5,000 Liaodong cavalry. After Wu Sangui surrendered with them, the only troops with combat effectiveness were estimated to be in Hong Chengchou. They were all stationed near Tongguan. If they can quickly come back to help, Wu Sangui will not have a chance.

However, herein lies the problem. Once Wu Sangui attacks, can Hong Chengchou quickly come back to help? Chen Xinjia has no confidence in this. On the Tongguan front, the Xuanwu Legion of the Tiger Ben Army stared Hong Chengchou to death. Hong Chengchou was able to hold the front line of Tongguan, and Chen Xinjia was already thankful. For the rest, he really didn't dare to hope for it.

The more Chen Xinjia thought about it, the more he felt afraid, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that the situation was critical. Wu Sangui defected at this critical juncture, and the timing was indeed too good. It is estimated that Wu Sangui has been planning for a long time, and then it is finally implemented today. Sure enough, as soon as Wu Sangui moved, the entire imperial court was immediately on the verge of collapse.

"Damn it!"

Fu Zonglong cursed in a low voice.

He shuddered at the thought that Wu Sangui's iron cavalry might appear under the city of Xi'an Mansion at any time. With Wu Sangui leading the way, the other troops of the Tiger Ben Army will definitely come at the end. This simply means that the days of the imperial court are numbered.

"Dongchang and Jinyiwei, how did you do it?"

Yang Sichang couldn't help but get angry.

He wants to put the responsibility for Wu Sangui's defection on the factory guard. However, the factory guards are indeed responsible, and they know that at this stormy moment, they do not strengthen their control over officers at all levels, which is really damned. Since its establishment, the factory guard has not done anything meaningful, which is really outrageous.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Tongguan urgently!"

While he was talking, suddenly, someone hurried to deliver an urgent message.

Hearing the word Tongguan, everyone trembled, and subconsciously looked at the messenger who sent the letter. They prayed from the bottom of their hearts that it would not be better if Tongguan was lost. If Wu Sangui rebelled and Tongguan was lost, then their only choice was to immediately raise their hands and surrender, and open the city to the arrival of the Tiger Ben Army.

Thankfully, they haven't heard the news yet. The urgent report was sent by Hong Chengchou. The content is very simple, the Tiger Ben Army is on the front line of Tongguan, and it has put on a posture of attacking in a big way. The Tiger Ben Army dispatched two legions: Qinglong and Xuanwu. Hong Chengchou felt that he could not bear it, and hoped that the imperial court would transfer Wu Sangui's cavalry to him as reinforcements. FeelingsHong Chengchou didn't know that Wu Sangui had betrayed, and he was still counting on Wu Sangui!

"The Blue Dragon Legion is also coming up?"

Chen Xinjia's face was obviously a little stiff.

The faces of the other officials were also very ugly. They wanted to say something, but they didn't say anything. Because, no matter what is said, at this time, there is no effect. Since it's useless to say it or not, then why bother with saliva?

The Blue Dragon Legion once defeated the Tartars and was the main force to destroy the Tartars, which was known throughout the court. Previously, the Blue Dragon Legion had been in a state of semi-rest and had not been transferred to the front line. Now, this machete has been lifted by Zhang Zhun again. With the combat effectiveness of the Blue Dragon Legion, it is not difficult to conquer Tongguan.

The Tiger Army's means of attacking fortifications have always been very strong, even if it is a natural danger in Tongguan, I am afraid that it will not be able to stop the attack of the Tiger Army. Hong Chengchou was so worried that he asked for Wu Sangui's cavalry to be transferred over precisely out of consideration for strengthening the troops. However, Wu Sangui had already rebelled, and the imperial court simply did not have any troops to mobilize.

It's over, it's completely over.

"What should I do?"

Yang Sichang looked at a few colleagues helplessly.

As a result, several colleagues also looked at him helplessly.

"Let's go to see the Emperor!"

"Together, we ask the Sacred Heart to decide."

Yang Sichang could only say helplessly and bitterly in the end.

……

Xi'an Mansion, Qin Wang's Mansion, Zichen Palace.

As if he had some kind of induction, Emperor Chongzhen felt that his time was running out. Standing in the Zichen Palace, he looked very haggard, as if he had aged twenty years in just one night. The white hair on the top of his head is already very obvious. In fact, in terms of age, he is not yet thirty years old.

Zhang Yixian, Cao Huachun, Wu Mengming and others were kneeling in front of him, all of them were suspicious, their heads drooped, their buttocks cocked high, and they didn't dare to move. Wang Chengen stood behind Chongzhen, as if he had settled down, as if everything in front of him had nothing to do with him at all. However, judging from his face, he should also be quite bitter in his heart.

The news of Wu Sangui's rebellion, Chongzhen already knew. The eyes and ears of the factory guard, after all, are still a little useful. Why Wu Sangui rebelled, the factory guard is not clear. However, when Wu Sangui's rebellion happened, they learned the news as soon as possible.

Even if it is the truth of deceiving the superiors and subordinates, Zhang Yixian, the eunuch of Dongchang, and Wu Mengming, the commander of Jinyiwei, dare not hide this matter in the slightest. Because, Wu Sangui may hit the city of Xi'an at any time. If they conceal it and don't report it, Wu Sangui didn't enter the city, and the two of them would lose their heads first.

"Rubbish!"

"It's all rubbish!"

Chongzhen's routine began to lose his temper.

However, his tantrum this time was relatively short, and it ended after a few words of scolding. The main reason is not that he has become benevolent, nor that his xìng character has changed, but that his health is not good and he does not have as much jīng force to support his tantrums. After all, scolding is also physically exhausting, isn't it?

Wu Sangui's rebellion was indeed a great blow to Emperor Chongzhen. He has always had high hopes for Wu Sangui. From the time when Wu Sangui bravely rescued Wu Xiang and passed on filial piety to the nine sides, Emperor Chongzhen continued to give Wu Sangui honor and power. Arguably. He has absolute trust in Wu Sangui.

However, it was the person he absolutely trusted, who betrayed him without hesitation at this most critical time, and was ready to attack Xi'an Mansion with a counterattack. In the past, Lu Xiangsheng rebelled and Sun Chuanting rebelled, and there was still a bottom line, that is, they would not directly oppose the imperial court. Only this Wu Sangui not only rebelled without hesitation, but also took the initiative to attack Xi'an Mansion, arrest him Chongzhen, and dedicate it to the Tiger Ben Army! Every time he thought of his trust in Wu Sangui, Chongzhen felt that his heart was about to be broken.

"Are the three battalions really so unbearable?"

Chongzhen said bitterly.

"The Guilty ......"

Cao Huachun lay on the ground and didn't dare to move.

What kind of goods are the three major battalions of the Beijing Division, the court has known for a long time, what can he do? When I was in Beijing, the three battalions were already a pile of waste, and after they arrived in Xi'an, they were even worse than waste. Perhaps, this is simply a bunch of manure machines. Except for manure, nothing else really does.

"Will Wu Sangui really go south?"

After a moment, Emperor Chongzhen asked slowly.

He was very clear about the combat effectiveness of the three battalions of the Beijing Division. That's where the lords and the powerful eat empty quotas. Before the Jiajing Dynasty, it may have been slightly better. After the Jiajing Dynasty, the three major battalions were completely rotten. In the hands of his Chongzhen, he never expected the three major battalions to be able to play a role at a critical time.

In the past, when the military headquarters sent reports, it always said how strong the combat effectiveness of the three major battalions was, how there were 200,000 or 300,000 men, and how they could shoulder heavy responsibilities. In fact, Chongzhen himself knows that the three battalions combined are only about 50,000 or 60,000 people, and all of them are old, weak, sick and disabled. Combat effectiveness, I'm afraid it's all blown out.

"Wu Sangui does have signs of going south."

Zhang Yixian said heartily.

"What about Jinyiwei?"

Chongzhen frowned and asked.

"Will go south."

Wu Mengming said with difficulty.

Chongzhen could only sigh helplessly.

Wu Sangui's ability, he knows a little bit. This traitor can indeed fight. Now, the imperial court is stretched again, and once Wu Sangui attacks, there is indeed no solution. The only hope is that Wu Sangui is a cavalryman and cannot directly attack the city. Hopefully, he didn't arrive with infantry and siege equipment.

Chongzhen was silent for a moment, and was about to say something, when a eunuch came to announce that the four ministers of the cabinet had arrived. They said they had something important to do and negotiated with themselves.

"Let them in."

Emperor Chongzhen said coldly.

He knew that the arrival of Yang Sichang and others must be for Wu Sangui's rebellion. It is estimated that these guys who usually boast about themselves have no way to do it now. When they arrived, they must consider Zhang Zhun's suggestion for themselves and avoid continuing to use force to solve the problem. Alas, this bunch of waste. I really don't know, why Zhang Zhun's subordinates have so many talents, and their own subordinates are rich in waste?

"The ministers are guilty!"

Sure enough, soon, Yang Sichang and others came, first knelt on the ground, wept bitterly, saying that they were immoral and incompetent, and they were not able to solve problems for the court. Then, as soon as their words changed, they turned to the advice sent by King Xiang at the beginning. They unanimously agreed that only by accepting Zhang Zhun's suggestion was the only way out.

"I see."

Emperor Chongzhen said bitterly.

The atmosphere inside the Zichen Hall seemed to be condensed.

Finally, it's time to make a final decision. Emperor Chongzhen was silent for a long, long time. He would rather be mute. If you are dumb, you don't need to speak such a heart-wrenching language. However, he is not dumb, he is still the emperor. As the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he had to make decisions that his ancestors had never made.

"You contact the Tiger Ben Army and ask them to stop the attack temporarily, I am willing to go to Luoyang and meet Zhang Zhun in person. I am willing to accept the conditions he offered. ”

Emperor Chongzhen seemed to be slowly squeezing out word by word, his face was pale, and he had difficulty breathing. For a Ninety-Five, or a Ninety-Five, or a Ninety-Five Zun with strong self-esteem, it is really too difficult to make such a decision. Fortunately, he ultimately made a wise choice and avoided further deterioration of the situation.

All the ministers finally breathed a sigh of relief. Emperor Chongzhen finally decided to accept Zhang Zhun's conditions. Between the Tiger Ben Army and the imperial court, the final killing was finally avoided. Everything ended silently.

……

Shaanxi, Guyuan Prefecture.

Guyuan Prefecture was originally a military town, and it was the seat of Shaanxi Town, one of the nine sides, and there were only garrisoned troops and their families in peacetime. At the time of Shaanxi's movement, the population of Guyuan Prefecture was constantly decreasing. At its lowest, there were only 40,000 or 50,000 people, and the population was scattered and completely devoid of the atmosphere of a town.

It was not until Li Zicheng led the army to arrive, and stayed here for a long time, accepting refugees from all around for a long time, that the population of Guyuan Prefecture gradually increased to about 200,000. Due to the increase in the number of people, the streets of the city gradually prospered.

In the northwest corner of the city, there is a magnificent courtyard with red walls and green tiles, and there are solemn rebel sentinels at the mouth of the mén. In front of the mouth of the mén, there is also a tall mast, on which flutters a large dark red flag with a large character "Chuang" written on it. As long as you are from Shaanxi, when you see this flag, you will not know who his owner is.

This magnificent mansion is Li Zicheng's residence. Since coming to Guwonju, Li Zicheng has lived here and has never moved. Carefully calculated, Li Zicheng has been here for more than three years. Such a quiet day, in the past, was simply unimaginable.

Since the arrival of the Tiger Army in Luoyang, the Shaanxi rebel army has been very quiet. The imperial army did not continue to attack them, and they did not continue to attack the imperial army. The two sides are basically at peace. Some of the rebel officers and soldiers who remembered not well had even forgotten about the previous killings and began to enjoy the rare quiet days.

It's just that such quietness always makes Li Zicheng feel as if he is missing something. How to put it, it just seems to be boring. In his subconscious, it seems that he still has to fight, fight everywhere, and loot everywhere in order to meet his psychological needs. It seems a little tired of staying in the same place all day.

However, boredom is boredom, and unhappiness is unpleasant. No matter how bad he is, he has to stay in Guyuan Prefecture obediently. There is no other reason than nowhere else to go. Most of China has been occupied by the Tiger Army, where else can he go?

That afternoon, Li Zicheng was in the courtyard, holding stone locks with nothing to do. The current rebel army is basically in a state of putting horses in Nanshan and putting swords and guns into storage. Li Zicheng is the only one who insists on exercising every day. Well, to be precise, exercising is incidental, and the main purpose is to vent excess jīng energy through exercise.

Suddenly, there was the sound of hurried footsteps, followed by his godson Li Guo. Li came over to Li Zicheng, handed him a piece of information, and said, "King Chuang, this is urgent information from Xi'an Mansion!" ”

Li Zicheng said casually: "What content? ”

Li Guo said briefly: "Wu Sangui defected to the Tiger Ben Army. ”

"What did you say?"

"Wu Sangui surrendered to the Tiger Army?"

This news really surprised Li Zicheng.

Wu Sangui's name, Li Zicheng has heard of it. When Wu Sangui was stationed in Fengxiang Mansion, Li Zicheng's subordinates and Wu Sangui's subordinate cavalry had several conflicts on a xiǎo scale. Li Zicheng knows that Wu Sangui is a general. The combat effectiveness of the troops under his command is still relatively strong. Originally, Li Zicheng thought that Wu Sangui would be loyal to the court to the end. Unexpectedly, he actually surrendered to the Tiger Army.

He slowly put down the stone lock in his hand, took the information, and read it carefully. His level of education is not bad, and he knows most of the words. That's right, intelligence shows that Wu Sangui did get in touch with the Wang Dou Army of the Tiger Ben Army and took refuge in the Tiger Ben Army. Moreover, the Wang Dou Legion of the Tiger Ben Army had already joined Wu Sangui and was preparing to go south and try to attack Xi'an Mansion.

Judging from the intelligence, the most fatal place is not that Wu Sangui defected to the Tiger Army, but that he was preparing to attack Xi'an Mansion with the Tiger Army. Such a ruthless person, Li Zicheng is indeed rare. Not to mention the surrender in the past, he also has to dedicate his old master to the new owner. This kind of good thing, it is estimated that only Lu Bu is the best at it.

"This Wu Sangui."

Li Zicheng's thick dark eyebrows furrowed.

Wu Sangui defected at this time, what a coincidence!

The infiltration ability of the Tiger Ben Army is indeed too strong, and it can actually plot Wu Sangui's surrender. Isn't this a ruthless break in the backbone of the imperial court? It must be known that Wu Sangui's Liaodong cavalry is the last defense of Xi'an. Without this Liaodong cavalry, the field combat capability of Xi'an Mansion basically does not exist.

[Today is still a ......]

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