Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 874 Cracks
In this era when monarchy was supreme, the emperor's will was irresistible. With Chongzhen's order, the Ming Empire began to operate slowly but resolutely.Galloping horse hooves and soaring carrier pigeons conveyed orders from the Ministry of War to various units. Jingying, Guanning Army, Changping Army, Dongjiang Army, Denglai New Army, Tianxiong Army, Heluo New Army, Sichuan Army... all received orders one after another. The order came to assemble the main force and march to western Liaoning.

Then the reaction was intriguing.

The Changping Army and the Guanning Army screamed like chicken blood, straightening out their armaments, preparing food, fodder and equipment for a big fight, full of energy and high fighting spirit, people have a kind of "what we see must be fake" Army" illusion.

In comparison, the reactions of Ming's three most powerful new armies were a bit strange.

When Wu Sheng received the order, his first reaction was to mess around.He was very dissatisfied and said to Yuan Zongdi, who had become his right-hand man: "The bastards in the Ministry of War are really living and returning! It's cold and freezing, and the Bohai Sea may freeze at any time. The fleet can't reach Liaodong for support. It's time to go on an expedition." , isn’t that courting death!?”

Yuan Zongdi sighed straight away: "My lord, when did those bastards in the Ministry of War become reliable? If they really knew about soldiers, why did they let our group of bitter people sweep the entire Northwest!"

Luo Laosan said: "That's right! They just come here blindly!"

Wu Sheng smiled bitterly: "Well, they all say that military war is dangerous and is related to the life and death of the country. How come the war has become so easy in the eyes of those big masters? They can fight when they want to, but they can't fight if they don't want to."

Yuan Zongdi murmured and said: "I'm afraid it's not all because of the military's rebellion... Hong Tai's proclaiming emperor against the sky is a great shame and humiliation for Ming Dynasty. The emperor must respond, otherwise he will not be able to explain to the Li people and the ancestors! From a human point of view, this battle should not be fought, but from the perspective of the emperor, it cannot be fought!"

Wu Sheng could only sigh.Yes, war and politics are always entangled, and they are inseparable. Many times you can’t fight militarily, but you must fight politically. You have to fight when you know you might lose; and sometimes you can’t fight when you know you can win. beat!Huang Taiji proclaimed himself emperor against the sky, the king was humiliated, and the courtiers had to respond. Therefore, Wu Sheng left Yuan Zongdi to stay in the Denglai old camp, and led 7000 troops to the north, preparing to go out to conquer the Qing Dynasty.The morale of Denglai's new army is still quite high. After the defeat of Lushun, the brilliant victory of Jin's [-] troops made them full of confidence in the beating of Jin. , nothing special, this expedition, at least three or four thousand heads will be chopped off to come back!
Lu Xiangsheng frowned after receiving the order.He also believed that now was not the time to go on an expedition. It was freezing cold and the roads could be buried by ice and snow at any time. It would be very difficult to mobilize and assemble the army and supply materials. Moreover, he had experienced the severe cold in Liaodong, and the soldiers of the Ming army would probably be very difficult. It is difficult to adapt to the severe cold outside the customs.What's even more terrible is that the Mongols have gone crazy now. The war between the Tianxiong Army and the Mongols lasted from spring to winter, almost every day without fighting. The pressure is getting bigger and bigger. Now the powerful Oirat Mongols have come from Ye The Nisei and Volga rivers returned to the battle group and stared at the Hexi Corridor. The Tianxiong Army tried their best to block the waves of Mongolian armies outside the Great Wall. If the army was sent to Liaodong at this time, the entire corridor would be destroyed. There will be a huge gap in the defense line, and the consequences are unpredictable!It should be said that Lu Xiangsheng still had a clear understanding of the war situation, but unfortunately, like Wu Sheng, he also had a strong concept of "the king is worried about the humiliation of his ministers, and the king will humiliate his subjects and die". After much hesitation, he still ordered to be stationed in Xuan. Li Chongshi's regiments from Fu and Jizhen accompanied him to Beijing, and the defense line was taken over by Lei Shisheng's regiment, the Mongolian auxiliary army, and the Shanxi frontier army.

Lei Shisheng was taken aback, and said: "My lord, absolutely not! The Tartars are already crazy. Our three legions must do our best to maintain the current front line. If one legion is taken away, the original complete defense line will have a big one." There is a hole, and the Mongolian auxiliary army and the Shanxi frontier army alone cannot fill this big hole!"

Lu Xiangsheng said with a smile: "After arriving in the capital, I will persuade the emperor to let him give up the idea of ​​attacking Shenyang. The army will show off outside the customs and immediately take charge. The army will return to Xuanda in a short time. You can rest assured."

Lei Shisheng said: "A hundred thousand troops marched thousands of miles, just to show off their power outside the pass? Isn't this a fool's errand?"

Lu Xiangsheng said sternly: "The slave chieftain proclaims himself emperor against the sky, if Daming doesn't respond at all, it will make people laugh at him!"

Having said all this, Lei Shisheng had no choice but to give up, saying: "Then you must be careful, Liaodong is dangerous, far more dangerous than Xuanda!"

Li Chongshi's army set out quickly with more than [-] cannons, and arrived in Beijing to join the Denglai new army.Lu Xiangsheng entered the palace to face the saint. Chongzhen was very happy about the arrival of this beloved general. He hosted a banquet in the palace and praised him for his outstanding achievements in running Xuanda and breaking Mongolia many times. Compared with Li Weigong of Tang Dynasty, if Daming has a few more people like Aiqing, the country of Daming will be as firm as an iron bucket and as stable as a rock!"

Lu Xiangsheng said humbly: "It's all thanks to the great blessing of the sage, that my minister was lucky enough to win a few games!" He also talked to Chongzhen about this change in Xuanda: Xuanda newly cultivated 300 million mu of military land this year, and several places Coal mines have been mined, and a large amount of high-quality coal has been continuously supplied to surrounding areas. Now even ordinary people can afford coal.Chongzhen listened with gusto, and the monarch and his ministers talked and laughed very harmoniously.

However, when Lu Xiangsheng tried to dispel the idea of ​​Chongzhen Yujia personally attacking Shenyang, Chongzhen changed his face.

Lu Xiangsheng said: "At this time, it is cold and freezing in Liaodong, with heavy rain and snow, and the roads are slippery and difficult to travel. It is difficult to mobilize the army, so it is really not suitable for large armies to fight. In my humble opinion, the emperor still holds back a little and wait until the next spring, when the flowers bloom and the ice and snow bloom. Melt and make plans again!”

Chongzhen's complexion suddenly became gloomy: "Why, Aiqing, are you afraid?"

Lu Xiangsheng was stunned: "What is the emperor's intention?"

Chongzhen raised his sleeve, stood up, and said: "Aiqing only knows that Liaodong is cold and the roads are slippery, but I don't know that many rivers in Liaodong have been frozen at this time, from the surface of the river to the bottom of the river. It is more convenient to mobilize the army and supply supplies than in summer." Much more! Aiqing only sees the disadvantages, but turns a blind eye to the great advantages, isn't she afraid of what Jiannu is?"

Lu Xiangsheng just felt dumbfounded, and said, "Your Majesty, let me tell you! I have never been afraid of Jiannu. When I was the magistrate of the Daming Mansion, I dared to bring a peasant soldier to the capital to fight Jianu to the death. Now I have There are tens of thousands of strong troops, so I am even less afraid of them! But it is really not suitable for the army to fight now. In my opinion, the army will go outside the pass to show off its power. After capturing hundreds of heads, it will be fine to withdraw immediately. If you want to fight Shenyang , there are plenty of opportunities, why choose at this time!"

Chongzhen said irritably: "You don't need to say too much, Aiqing. I have made up my mind. I will not withdraw my troops until Shenyang is taken!" When I came to Beijing, I demanded that I pay them 300 million years old coins every year! Who do they think I am? There was never a emperor in Ming Dynasty who paid coins and kissed him! I can’t swallow this tone, I must destroy them!”

Lu Xiangsheng was startled: "What else?"

The queen, who had been standing by the side without saying a word, spoke at this moment: "This is what happened the day before yesterday. Jiannu sent an unknown soldier as an envoy to the capital with a letter from the slave chief Hongtai. If the Qing Dynasty pays the New Year's coin, otherwise they will personally lead the army to go south and raze the capital to the ground!"

Lu Xiangsheng frowned and said, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is the method of provoking slaves. Your Majesty must not be fooled!"

Chongzhen yelled violently: "Stop it! Aiqing, I have made up my mind and it will never be changed! I appointed you as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, can you take down Shenyang for me, and take off the dog's head of that traitor Hong Tai?" Come down and present it before me?"

Chongzhen's gaze was full of anger and expectation, which made Lu Xiangsheng quite entangled.He was silent and didn't speak for a long time.

Chongzhen waited anxiously and said disappointedly: "Why, Aiqing has no confidence?"

Lu Xiangsheng gritted his teeth, left the table and knelt down, saying: "I dare not obey orders! At this time, the time, place and people are not on Daming's side to attack Shenyang. I really can't bear to ruin the lives of [-] soldiers with my own hands. I implore the emperor!" Take it back!"

Chongzhen laughed back angrily, and said repeatedly: "Okay, okay, okay! This is the Marquis Su Yi whom I trust the most! This is Marquis Su Yi who I rely on as the pillar of the town!"

Lu Xiangsheng knocked his head several times, his forehead swelled up.He said loudly: "I have absolutely no fear of war and covetousness. I implore the emperor to hold back for a few more months. When the spring is warm and the flowers bloom next year, I will lead the army out of the pass, break through Shenyang, capture Hong Tai alive, and take him back to the capital. Let the emperor take a thousand swords." Cut to pieces!"

Chongzhen shouted: "I can't wait that long! If I wait any longer, I will be disgraced and become the laughing stock of the world! You don't want to lead the troops to attack Shenyang, right? Well, I will lead the troops myself! Don't think that we are leaving. You, no one in the Ming Dynasty can fight!" After saying this, he pointed his sleeves and walked out angrily.

Lu Xiangsheng was in a hurry, knocked his head and shouted: "Your Majesty, think twice! You really can't go to Liaodong at this time! If you go, I'm afraid you will fall into the trick of building slaves. Think twice, Your Majesty!" In a blink of an eye, he was gone.

Lu Xiangsheng stared blankly at Chongzhen's back, only feeling his heart sinking.In the past, he always felt that Chongzhen was good at listening to the opinions of his courtiers, had full trust in capable courtiers, and boldly delegated power, which made him very grateful. Only now did he see the other side of Chongzhen: stubborn, impatient, and intolerant of disobedience!Putting these weaknesses in character on the battlefield is very fatal!

Two days later, Lu Xiangsheng revealed the reason why Chongzhen was so angry: the Heluo New Army refused to send troops to participate in the Northern Expedition on the grounds that Yang Menglong was seriously injured and critically ill and no one could lead the entire army.

Yang Menglong was indeed seriously injured. He was in a coma and didn't know if he would wake up.He is the soul of the Heluo New Army. His assassination has plunged the Heluo area into chaos. Now it is too unrealistic to ask the main force of the Heluo New Army to go on the Northern Expedition. What's more, Chongzhen also chose a very bad way to start the war. If the opportunity comes, the Heluo New Army will naturally not do it.In fact, the reasons given by the Heluo New Army are reasonable. However, there are countless pairs of eyes in the capital staring at Chongzhen. As soon as the Heluo New Army refuses, strange words immediately come out, saying that without Yang Menglong, Chongzhen will be unable to do anything. .These strange words even spread into the palace, making Chongzhen extremely angry. Now Lu Xiangsheng urged him not to go on a personal expedition, let alone to have ideas about Shenyang. He immediately got angry!
Today's Chongzhen is already riding a tiger. I am afraid that even if Yang Menglong is healthy, he will not let Yang Menglong participate in the Northern Expedition. Otherwise, how can he prove that he is no worse than Yang Menglong? In any case, he must make the Northern Expedition to Shenyang, kill Huang Taiji, and prove to the world I am no worse than Yang Menglong!

Perhaps even Yang Menglong didn't expect that there would be such a big rift between him and Chongzhen just because of those cold words.

(End of this chapter)