In Padang, Deng Ming was once again welcomed by the Ming army stationed in the middle of the road, and Liu Tichun, the general guarding Badong, went to the city gate to greet him in person, like Yuan Zongdi.

"General Liu." Deng Ming bowed respectfully. Many people have titles, and it is very troublesome to remember them clearly, and Deng Ming felt that the criteria for granting titles by the Ming court were also problematic, and the status was about the same, but one might be a duke and one was an uncle, so Deng Ming decided to call them generals in the future.

"Mr. Deng." Liu Tichun replied.

After a few polite words at the gate of the city, Deng Ming quickly turned to the topic and asked the same question as Yuan Zongdi in Dachang: "What does the general think of the current shape?" In the general's opinion, should we continue to guard the Sichuan gateway for the imperial court in the Three Gorges, or should we try to develop downstream? ”

Hearing a series of questions, Liu Tichun did not show surprise. Liu Tichun's left-behind personnel in Wushan County had already sent him news, and Yuan Zongdi and Deng Ming did not hide the content of their conversation in front of everyone, so Liu Tichun had already prepared. However, seeing that Deng Ming mentioned this issue as soon as he arrived in Padang, Liu Tichun was a little surprised by Deng Ming's impatience.

"Mr. Deng is right, there is no future in holding on here in the Three Gorges, and it is not beneficial to guard the Sichuan gateway for the imperial court at the moment. I just don't know where Mr. Deng plans to go? ”

Since Deng Ming kept asking people this question, and he still looked impatient, Liu Tichun judged that Deng Ming had already made up his mind to give up the Three Gorges. Whether you want to give up or not can be said in the end, and as for when to give up, it can't be decided for a while, so Liu Tichun doesn't think that there is any direct danger in supporting this construction; If Deng Ming made up his mind to give up, it would not be appropriate for Liu Tichun not to echo a few words verbally, after all, he still hoped to leave a good first impression on Deng Ming.

Liu Tichun replied so happily that Deng Ming was slightly flustered. Talking with Wen Anzhi, Deng Ming always couldn't figure out the meaning of the superintendent's words, let alone guess the other party's thoughts, but it was much easier to see the thoughts of the rest of the camp.

When he was in Dachang, Deng Ming and Yuan Zongdi had a private conversation between the two, and Yuan Zongdi also asked Deng Ming where he wanted to move to before he could judge whether it was feasible or not. Yuan Zongdi believed that the strategic transfer was difficult, and the current situation was very different from that of Li Zicheng's retreat to Shangluoshan, so Yuan Zongdi could not come up with a transfer location that could be considered.

In Deng Ming's view, although Liu Tichun promised very happily, he couldn't get a specific location like Yuan Zongdi, and most of his heart was the same as Yuan Zongdi, and he didn't think that the strategic transfer was feasible.

"Hmm." Thinking of this, Deng Ming's interest was much worse, and he didn't continue to say what he thought but was silent.

"Mr. Deng, do you find anything difficult?" Liu Tichun saw that Deng Ming's face showed worry and asked.

"Don't hide it from the general," Deng Ming replied: "The situation in the southwest is critical, and I hope to do my best to ensure that the Three Gorges is not lost. However, they have only gone to two places, and General Yuan and the general are not optimistic about continuing to hold on to the Three Gorges, which is really a bit embarrassing. ”

"Original...... He wanted to hold on. Liu Tichun was stunned at first, and then complained bitterly in his heart, and even complained a few words in his stomach about the master who helped him with his staff.

After figuring it out, Liu Tichun hurriedly changed his tone: "What Mr. Deng said is, if you think about it carefully, you should stick to the Three Gorges." Now there are many rumors in the army that the battle between the southwest royal division is unfavorable, and if we spread the rumor that we are going to be transferred, this rumor will turn into ten. Besides, here we are familiar with the landscape and terrain, if we change places, it will be the transposition of the host and guest. ”

Seeing that Liu Tichun quickly overturned what he had just said, Deng Ming was convinced that the other party was trying to figure out what he meant to speak. Fortunately, Deng Ming is very self-aware, and Liu Tichun is not good at this, so his tone changed a little stiffly, and Deng Ming was finally not fooled.

"I heard that during the battle of the former Chuang Wangshan Pass, the 60,000 Chuang army was attacked by 120,000 Tartars and 50,000 Guanning troops, because the disparity in strength was too great, and the battlefield shape changed unexpectedly and suddenly, so the battalions of the King of Chuang were defeated all of a sudden, and only the general's army could not be alarmed. Most of them ran back to Běijīng in panic after the defeat, and only the general led his troops back in a group. ”

The initial stage of the Battle of Shanhaiguan was 60,000 troops against the 50,000 Guanning troops who were defending the pass, and because of the small difference in strength and the advantage of defense, Wu Sangui was still bargaining with Dolgon at this time. But on the first day of the battle, Wu Sangui was defeated three times in a row, and all the outer fortresses of Shanhaiguan were conquered by the camp, and more than 10,000 people were wiped out. The next day, when the camp attacked the main fort of Shanhaiguan, the Qing army twice as large as himself suddenly attacked from behind, and the generals who thought that the victory was in their hands were suddenly in chaos, only Liu Tichun reacted the fastest, he quickly calmed the army's heart, controlled the army to retreat in an orderly manner, and repelled the vanguard sent by Dolgon to pursue. In the first battle of Shanhaiguan, 60,000 people lost as much as 30,000 people in the camp, and if it weren't for Liu Tichun, the loss would definitely be even greater.

Deng Ming shook his head and said: "If someone says that the general is a vacillating and unassertive person, I will never believe it." ”

Hearing Deng Ming mention the name of King Chuang and the old incident of Chuang Ying, Liu Tichun did not react violently, his face was very calm, not at all as distracted as Yuan Zongdi.

Deng Ming's shocking remarks in Dachang reached Padang, and when Liu Tichun first heard it, he was even more shocked than Yuan Zongdi who was at the scene - after all, he had never seen Deng Ming, and Yuan Zongdi still knew more or less about Deng Ming's difference; Moreover, Yuan Zongdi can use his absence in běijīng to talk to comfort, but Liu Tichun followed Li Zicheng all the way from Xi'an to běijīng.

After receiving the report and confirming what the third prince said, Liu Tichun and the master worked all night to study the meaning of his words.

In the past, although the Southern Ming Dynasty court repeatedly claimed to pardon the trespassers for their past rebellious crimes, each claim can also be regarded as another confirmation, confirming that they had committed such a great unforgivable sin - their charges cannot be erased, even if Yuan Zongdi can find an excuse, Liu Tichun can't avoid it; And Nanming's repeated pardons are not reassuring, if it is really not to blame in the past, why do you have to state it again and again?

However, Deng Ming's remarks in Dachang were regarded as a seismic change of attitude, which meant that Chuang Camp had not committed any crime at all, and that he had contributed to the country - if Deng Ming had been the son of today and not just an incognito third prince, this would have been the final conclusion on the question of "how to determine how to break into the camp". What makes Liu Tichun and others puzzled is, what is the basis for Deng Ming's statement? If this can really become the definitive conclusion on the coffin of the camp breaking problem, Liu Tichun and others certainly hope that the nails nailed to this coffin are real and indestructible.

In the end, the master's explanation of Deng Ming's remarks - the master's personal understanding or personal guess of the third prince is: Chuang Ying and Xiying are on the side of Qing Jun. Didn't Emperor Lie once have a sentence "The ministers misunderstood me"? The third prince was announcing that he did not regard the act of breaking into the camp as a rebellion against the imperial court, but as a spontaneous act of the courtiers; The third prince is the first time after Emperor Lie's more vague statement that he has clearly confirmed that Chuang Ying and Xiying Qingjun are doing the right thing! Qing Jun is right, the only mistake is that he did not do it cleanly and thoroughly, and these rebellious ministers later defected to Tartar. After that, the cousin who broke into the camp was even more blameless: after clearing the Jiān Yu from the emperor's side, he returned to the banner of the Ming Emperor and continued to fight against the Tartars and those rebels who defected to the Tartars.

Liu Tichun felt that his master's explanation was perfect, he never thought that he could explain the rebellion of Chuang Ying and Xiying in this way. But the only problem is that no matter from which point of view, they can't interpret their ascension to the throne as loyal to the monarch rather than usurping the throne, so Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong still can't clear the charges......

Well, the master also admits that there are many people in history who carry the banner of the Qing monarch's side, and those who fail are undoubtedly traitors, and those who complete the great cause of the Qing monarch have all usurped the throne in the end. However, in any case, the third prince's latest statement is obviously to remove the "traitor henchmen" hats from the surviving soldiers in the camp and the western camp, and classify them in the collection of "loyal ministers deceived by careerists". The soldiers of Chuang Camp and Xiying once wrote a "persuasion" form to the careerists, that is, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, supporting them to ascend to the throne. Not only did he put Li Zicheng on the table, but a month later, the Confucian Mansion also gave another copy to the Manchu Qing Dynasty, could the imperial court still investigate the sins of the Confucian Mansion for this and destroy the clan of the Confucian saints?

Liu Tichun and the master both understood that Deng Ming was just an attitude, although it was very different from the previous attitude of the imperial court announcing the pardon and breaking into the camp, it was still not a gold medal for avoiding death. If the future Son of Heaven has an opinion on Liu Tichun and wants to find him unhappy, he can use other excuses to destroy his clan. In the final analysis, the first thing is to change the opinion in the mind of the future emperor and make the other party like you; The second is to make a meritorious deed so that the Son of Heaven is embarrassed to kill you -- or the merit must be so great that the Son of Heaven feels that it is not worth the loss to kill you to vent his anger in front of the people of the world.

Therefore, Liu Tichun decided to follow Deng Ming's baton, not to be the vanguard and the first bird of opposition, and to find opportunities to make meritorious contributions in the future. Unexpectedly, before he could say a few words, he was pointed out by the other party that he was insincere, and Liu Tichun suddenly didn't know what to do.

"Emperor Lie once said: The ministers misunderstood me. Although the Lie Emperor tried to rule the country, the ministers did many things to deceive the Lie Emperor, so that the Lie Emperor could not understand the truth and distinguish between right and wrong. I hope that the general will be bold enough to tell the truth, and not let the court and the superintendent be deceived. ”

Deng Ming didn't have any official position or identity, so he played the signboard of the Yongli Imperial Court and Wen Anzhi. Although Deng Ming repeatedly denied that he was a child of the clan, and everyone only speculated about his identity, this alone may be enough to make Liu Tichun and Yuan Zongdi unwilling to upset him; In front of the rightful emperor who holds the power of life and death, the courtiers are not only unwilling, but dare not.

Liu Tichun was also a little embarrassed after hearing it, and he would inevitably let the other party look down on him if he was in the wind - fortunately, Deng Ming did not have the right to say anything, so Liu Tichun would decide to answer seriously out of self-esteem, if it was in the Jinluan Palace at this time, in the face of the emperor's heavy heavenly might, Liu Tichun would no longer think about what is the question of whether he will be seen clearly.

"Where is Mr. Deng going?" Liu Tichun asked.

"How is Jiangnan?" Deng Ming felt that Jiangnan was economically developed and densely populated, which could provide a large number of military supplies and soldiers, and could get in touch with Zheng Chenggong and other overseas Ming troops, and it seemed that there was still the possibility of developing maritime trade, so he explained these reasons to Liu Tichun.

"I haven't been to Jiangnan, maybe it's like Mr. Deng said, but the question now is how to go where? If all the strong men and auxiliary soldiers in the Three Gorges area are counted, we still have 100,000 people, more than 100,000 family members, and 300,000 people drag their families to march to the south of the Yangtze River, thousands of miles away. If there is so much grain and grass that can be used, the overseer will counterattack again. Liu Tichun shook his head again and again, there were no Jiangnan people in the camp, and it was a completely unfamiliar area for them: "If only a part of jīng rui is mobilized, it will be just a lone army, and if you can't go to Jiangnan, you will be wiped out by the Tartars." ”

"It doesn't seem like the camp was stuck in one place at the beginning, right?" Deng Ming asked again.

"It was a last resort, there was a drought in Shaanxi, and the people didn't have anything to eat." Liu Tichun meant that if a base area was opened up in the disaster area, then even if the officers and soldiers did not come, they would starve to death: "After arriving in Henan, although there was also a disaster, there was no need to transport grain to Běijīng...... Well, the grain that was supposed to be taken away by those ministers didn't have to be transported out of Henan, so we immediately stationed there......" In the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng opened up a base area in Henan, and the camp grew greatly, and quickly gained the ability to fight and defend the territory with the regular army of the Ming court, and it was no longer the weak and powerless state of being chased by officers and soldiers in the past: "Also, avoid the real and attack the false, Henan was empty at the beginning, so the camp could take root, but Huguang is not empty now, and the Tartars are very strict against us, All the way down from Patong are Tartar fortresses, with numerous troops stationed, and if we could break through these fortresses, we would have expanded our territory long ago. ”

"Hmm." Some of Liu Tichun's words were vague, but Deng Ming could understand what the other party meant, although it was in a crisis at present, it was better than giving up the mobile operation in the control area, which was a last resort.

"In addition, there is also the spirit of the army," Liu Tichun said more and more openly: "Unless everyone knows that they must leave in the place of death, this kind of thousand-mile flow is the most unpopular with the military, and along the way, do you let the soldiers meet with their wives and children?" If they let it, they will inevitably have a fear of war and want to keep their strength to protect their families; There is also food, it doesn't matter if the soldiers share meals and sleep in the open, but what about bringing their families? Who is willing to let his family suffer, he must try his best to collect food for the family, and he will not be willing to let his children suffer from the cold, right? You have to spend energy to build a thatched hut for your family, and the army can move quickly? In the end, it is common for the army to suffer casualties, and the soldiers are used to seeing life and death, but the whole family in the army is very different, every battle must be damaged, after the war the wife cries for her husband, the son cries for his father, and the women who know each other may cry together, and most of them will say deflating words in their husband's ear after crying. Every time I finish a battle, I hear the howling of the whole battalion, and I see my wife and young son crying. ”

At the beginning, Li Zicheng set up the old camp, and the children and women were in the camp, isolated from the soldiers, but there were not many families in the camp at that time, and it was far from being compared with the current Three Gorges Ming Army: "If you really want to go to the south of the Yangtze River, thousands of miles away, you must separate male and female battalions, and husband and wife are not allowed to meet, and if the husband dies in battle or the wife falls behind, he cannot notify the family, so that the soldiers think that their wives and children are following behind them, and they are willing to sacrifice their lives to find a way out; And the wife also thinks that her husband is in the front army, so she will desperately keep up. Liu Tichun felt that acting in this way could theoretically maintain the morale of the army, but there was still the old problem just now, that is, when the shape was not so dangerous, this kind of sub-battalion plan would shake the morale of the army as soon as it came out: "Now many of the troops are Sichuanese, even if they have not lived here in the Three Gorges for many years, or even ten years, I am afraid that after the battalion order, a large number of people will flee into the mountains with their wives and children before they set off, and there are not many people who are willing to follow us to risk their lives to march to the south of the Yangtze River, even loyal subordinates will inevitably have complaints." ”

Deng Ming sighed unabashedly, he was not an unreasonable person, and he couldn't solve any of the problems raised by Liu Tichun.

"If the property and population of Jiangnan are really as good as Mr. said, it is indeed a good place to go," Liu Tichun thought about it again, and said: "Unless Yanping and Zhang Shangshu can gain a foothold in Jiangnan first, it is best to enter a section along the Yangtze River to Huguang, and then we can mobilize the army down the river to fight them." Knowing what the purpose of this trip is, knowing that there are friendly troops there who can provide food and shelter, and that life is much better than here, the officers and men may be able to grit their teeth and persevere; If you close your eyes and throw down the Three Gorges and the whole army will go eastward, don't say that you are soldiers, but I don't want to go, who knows if you can really lay down a piece of land when you get to the south of the Yangtze River? Is there an empty army of Tartars there? ”

"In the general's opinion, where should we attack next?" At this point, Deng Ming has basically given up the strategy of plotting Jiangnan, and Yuan Zongdi and Liu Tichun do not agree, which shows that the feasibility of this strategy is not high.

"Chengdu." Liu Tichun replied without thinking: "But my army has no military rations, and I can't even go to Chóngqìng, if Mr. can contact the imperial court, it is best to let the King of Jin enter Chengdu to flank us with chóngqìng." ”