Ming Dynasty entry: I am Chongzhen, the greatest emperor of all time!

Chapter 114 Li Zicheng Attacks Again

Fortunately, Dorgon's plan was not entirely in vain.

An unintentional move yielded unexpected results.

Fan Wencheng thought Li Zicheng was the kind of hero who cared about the public good, but he didn't expect that Li Zicheng just didn't want to be called a traitor.

He used to think Li Zicheng was someone important.

Seeing Dorgon and Dodo's actions, Fan Wencheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With Li Zicheng providing them with indirect assistance, they were finally able to return to the area beyond the Great Wall.

Although Dorgon and Dodo were temporarily unable to issue the order to withdraw troops, Fan Wencheng still had that authority.

He hurriedly summoned several surviving Gushan Zhangjing (military officers) and ordered them to gather their troops and head towards Nuluhuer Mountain.

At the same time, a large number of cavalry were dispatched to contact Jirhalang in the mountains.

Tell him to prepare provisions and backup.

After resting for only three hours, the remaining 60,000-plus Qing troops set off again, not daring to stop along the way.

……

The torches atop Tongguan Pass flickered in the night wind, and Li Zicheng's fingers, gripping the report, almost dug into the yellowed Xuan paper.

The sound of horses' hooves coming from the opposite bank of the Yellow River startled a few crows, and the dust on the battlements was shaken and fell in a flurry.

"150,000?" Li Zicheng turned around abruptly, his felt boots crushing two roof tiles. "Dorgon led 150,000 Jurchens to Kharachin by Zhu Youjian?"

The scout kneeling on the ground lowered his head even further. "Reporting to King Chuang, two days ago, the Ming army's dragon banner was planted on Nuluhuer Mountain. General Tan Tai's secret letter said that the Jurchens had seven camps burned down, and even Dodo's white-bordered banner was broken."

"I'm afraid the number of heads alone is more than fifty thousand!"

"Hi~"

There was a sound of gasping for air.

The Jurchens' formidable fighting strength is well-known.

When the Jurchen army of 200,000 marched south, Li Zicheng and others never thought that Zhu Youjian could withstand it.

They had already begun to think about how to protect the Sichuan and Shaanxi regions when the Jurchens and Zhu Youjian were separated by the river.

But the situation developed in a way that far exceeded Li Zicheng's expectations.

The Jurchen army's four armies were all defeated, but Zhu Youjian miraculously survived and won a great victory.

Zhu Youjian thought that driving the Jurchens out of the pass was the limit.

If they chase after them, they might be outmaneuvered by the Jurchens, who are skilled in open-field battles.

In order to prevent being purged and to seize the potentially lost northern lands in advance.

Taking advantage of the opportunity presented by Tan Tai's private contact a few days prior, Li Zicheng chose to launch an attack on Zhu Youjian from behind.

Zhu Youjian underestimated his letter on the traitor to the country.

If Li Zicheng wants to send troops now, he has to have Tan Tai, disguised as a Ming soldier, massacre the people of a city in order to gain the moral high ground under the pretext of revenge.

But who would have thought that Zhu Youjian would be so ruthless?

They actually defeated a Jurchen army of 150,000 in one fell swoop!

This put his plan in an awkward position.

A few sparks flew from the brazier inside the tent, and Song Xianze's compass needle suddenly stopped at the ominous position.

He was about to speak, stroking his goatee, when Niu Jinxing rushed forward with a map in hand. "King Li Zicheng, think twice! You must not advance any further! Zhu Youjian is now riding high on the momentum of his great victory; if he knew what we were doing..."

"If you know what we are like?" Li Zicheng suddenly laughed, holding the report between two fingers and waving it over the candlelight. "He is now eight hundred li away from the Hetao region. Huang Degong's soldiers are drinking horse urine, and Zhang Shize's armor is only standing up if it doesn't fall apart."

"If they could devour 50,000 Jurchens, how much of their wealth would Zhu Youjian have left?"

"Don't forget that my nephew also led an army. Once the emperor finds out that I've sent troops, he'll definitely take action against my nephew."

"As long as my nephew still has a brain, he can stall the old emperor and make peace with me!"

He slammed the sheepskin map onto the table, his fingernails leaving deep scratches on the official road from Luoyang to Taiyuan. "Order the old camp cavalry hidden in Yansui to be brought out!"

"I'm going to teach Emperor Chongzhen a lesson!"

Niu Jinxing stamped his foot in frustration, his jade belt hook clanging against the iron armor. "Our army has just suffered a defeat in the capital, and the losses are well over a million!!"

"Of the veteran soldiers, only one in ten survived; the rest must not be touched!"

"King Li Zicheng, retreat! Don't lead your army into an abyss of no return!"

"Utter ruin!?" Li Zicheng suddenly overturned the bronze lantern stand, spilling scalding hot lamp oil on the ground. "The Taiyuan granary has 800,000 shi of grain and 3 million taels of silver hidden in the silver vault! We only confiscated one Shanxi merchant's property, and we got another 2 million taels of silver. The capital has even more. Do you think I'm just sitting in the Hetao region drinking the northwest wind to keep cool?"

"As long as we capture the capital, I can muster an army of two million, let alone a million!"

Suddenly, the neighing of horses came from outside the tent. Li Yan rushed in, bringing with him a chill. "The scouts report that Zhu Youjian's decree for Ni Yuanlu has arrived in Baoding Prefecture!"

He unfastened his sword and laid it across the table. "The seven chariots of Tang have headed towards Southern Zhili. When I intercepted them, I saw Shi Kefa's command flag."

Song Xianze's tortoise shell cracked again. He stared at the divination result and gasped. "Seven is an ominous number for war. Shi Kefa and the Zhou king's two armies together number seventy thousand. The southeast belongs to the fire element."

"This is a very bad omen!"

"The rebel leader should not act rashly; it would be best to withdraw the troops first."

"It would take 70,000 pigs half a month to reach Beijing!" Li Zicheng scoffed. "Liu Fangliang is leading 20,000 infantrymen to press towards Zhangde Prefecture, and Tian Jianxiu's 3,000 light cavalry must take Pingyang Pass tonight!"

Then he suddenly turned to Li Yan and said, “Take the elite troops of the old camp, disguise them as refugees, and transport the thirty Hongyi cannons from the Yellow River crossing to me!”

Niu Jinxing rushed to the map in a panic, his official robe sweeping away the command arrows scattered on the ground. "King Chuang! Zhu Youjian is fighting a exhausted army outside the Great Wall, but what about Beijing?"

"There are only eight thousand old, weak, sick, and disabled people in Beijing!" Li Zicheng grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the Tongguan defense map, banging his sword hilt against the brick wall. "Ni Yuanlu was still borrowing cotton-padded clothes from a wealthy merchant the day before yesterday, and three nests of rats have starved to death in the Shenji Battalion's gunpowder depot!"

"By the time Shi Kefa arrives in Zhen Ding Prefecture, I will have you all sitting on the dragon throne in the Forbidden City!"

Song Xianze picked up the tortoise shell, which had split in two, and said, "The divination says the southwest is auspicious, the southeast inauspicious! If the rebel leader insists..."

"Bullshit!" Li Zicheng kicked over the divination table, scattering copper coins and divination sticks all over the ground. "Last year when we attacked Xiangyang, you said the northwest would be advantageous, but I ended up losing a great deal of merit!"

"Last month you also said that the Purple Star was dim, which was very auspicious, and that we could take the capital in one battle."

"And then came the defeat of a million soldiers!"

"Nine years ago, during the breakout from Shangluo Mountain, you, this Taoist priest, predicted great fortune, which led to eighteen brothers being turned into wax figures!"

"If I didn't think you, surnamed Song, had some knowledge, I would have chopped you up long ago!"

"From now on, anyone who dares to mention prophecies or apocryphal texts in my presence will be subject to military law!"

The murderous words fell into the tent.

Song Xianze, however, was not afraid at all.

After his defeat in the capital, Li Zicheng stopped believing in his divination.

Even if he escaped with Li Zicheng.

Fortunately, besides his calculations, he also had a wealth of strategies at his disposal.

Li Zicheng couldn't bear to kill him.

Having no other option, Song Xianze had to try a different approach to persuade them.

"Does the rebel leader still remember the theory of traitor to the nation?"

"Of course I remember, but this time, Zhu Youjian is the real traitor! He actually sent troops to massacre my city! As the ruler of Sichuan and Shaanxi, I swear to avenge this!" Li Zicheng said forcefully. Niu Jinxing and Song Xianze exchanged a glance, but could only shake their heads helplessly.

The devastating defeat in the capital last time had a significant impact on Li Zicheng, leaving him somewhat disoriented.

After carefully crafting his words, Song Xianze subtly reminded him, "Although the King of Chuang is the emperor of the Great Shun Dynasty and should protect his people, the truth about how this city was breached and by whom it was massacred can be found in the words of the people. How can the King of Chuang use this as a pretext?"

"Leaving aside the fact that the traitors to the country are Zhu Ming's shield and cannot be used as his own spear, just consider that the people trust Li Zicheng and sympathize with the people of the fallen city. Although Zhu Ming's ability to win over the people will be lost, the country will be in turmoil in an instant, and rebellious sentiments will be rampant. How will Li Zicheng end this?"

To put it bluntly, Li Zicheng called himself the Emperor of the Great Shun Dynasty, but he let the Jurchens massacre the city on their own and then blamed Zhu Youjian, who drove out the Jurchens. Did he really think everyone in the world was stupid?
Once exposed, not only the Central Plains, but even Sichuan and Shaanxi will be affected.

Even if no one exposes you, it wouldn't be a good thing if you succeeded in attacking Zhu Youjian with this tactic.

Originally, Zhu Youjian used the theory of traitors to resist the Qing. If you go up and get defeated, won't the world be in turmoil? Are you, Li Zicheng, really invincible? Can you defeat so many military leaders in the world?

At this point, Li Zicheng's resolve had begun to waver.

However, Song Xianze's next words suddenly made Li Zicheng make up his mind.

"Although the Jurchens have suffered heavy losses, their foundation remains. They can recuperate for a year and then march south again. How can the Li Zicheng (Chuang King) stop them then?"

The meaning is clear: although the Qing army suffered heavy casualties, the remaining troops are not easy to deal with. After they have recovered, they will march south. How can Li Zicheng stop them?
Zhu Youjian proved that he was more capable than you.

These words thoroughly ignited Li Zicheng's competitive spirit.

The person he hated and despised the most was the incompetent and tyrannical Zhu Youjian!

Being defeated by him last time was already a great humiliation, and now even his own people say he's inferior to Zhu Youjian. How can Li Zicheng remain calm?

He slammed his hand down hard on the table.

"If Emperor Chongzhen was good at fighting, then Li Zicheng wasn't much worse!"

"I've decided to take the capital!"

"If the Ming dynasty can rule this world, so can I, Li Shun!"

"From this day forward, we will only speak of war, never of peace!"

"What's the current situation with the vanguard army!?"

"Chuang King! The brothers from Yansui say that Yulin Garrison is empty!" a young officer reported.

"Huang Degong's entire army has been transferred to the area outside the Great Wall, leaving the Yellow River virtually undefended!"

Li Zicheng's pupils suddenly contracted. "Where is Hao Yaoqi?"

"We passed Fengling Ferry last night." Li Yan grabbed the command token, ready to sign it, "But Hou Xun's three thousand grain transport soldiers..."

"Send Shuangxi with five hundred child soldiers." Li Zicheng drew his command token and tossed it to his personal guard. "Tell Hao Yaoqi that if he sees any officials wearing scarlet robes, chop them up and feed them to the dogs. I don't want any alive!"

Niu Jinxing suddenly grabbed the command token, "Chuang Wang! Hou Xun and Donglin..."

"The grass on the graves of the Donglin Party members is already eight feet tall!"

"How many ministers did Zhu Youjian execute in the capital? Do you think there are still pedantic scholars in Beijing who can write proclamations?"

Song Xianze bent down and picked up the cracked tortoise shell, noticing specks of cinnabar on the inside. "King Chuang, at least wait until Yuan Zongdi takes Luoyang before..."

"Wait a minute!" Li Zicheng grabbed the command flag and threw it outside the tent. "Send the order to all the battalions: anyone who can stand up and urinate, charge north!"

The iron wrist guards rattled against the armor plates. "Tell the officers in charge of the granaries in each camp that after the city is breached, they can take the gold and silver for themselves, but they can keep 30% of the grain. Anyone who dares to burn the government granaries will be burned alive!"

Li Yan stepped forward again, "King Chuang, there is a shortage of ferries at the various crossings of the Yellow River. Why don't we build ferries first and then launch a simultaneous attack with all the armies?"

"Don't Cao Cao's old troops under Luo Rucai still have six thousand water ghosts left?" Li Zicheng tightened his belt, grabbed his whip, and strode out. "Have them build temporary bridges; they must have twenty military ramps built within ten hours!"

Niu Jinxing chased after them out of the tent, his official boots slipping on the muddy ground. "King Chuang! Luo Rucai's troops are demoralized!"

"Kill them if they're not safe!" Li Zicheng mounted his horse, the black steed leaving deep craters in the snow. "You lead the archers to cover the rear. Anyone who dares to retreat even half a step when crossing the river, turn the sergeant into a pincushion!"

As the gates of Tongguan opened with a creak, a fast horse knocked away the deer antlers blocking its path.

The blood-covered scout tumbled off his saddle. "Chuang Wang! Urgent report from Beizhili! Wang, a former subordinate of Sun Chuanting!"

Li Zicheng's whip cracked in the air, "I don't have time to listen to the names of dead men!"

The black horse reared up, its iron hooves, as big as bowls, crushing the scout's breastbone.

"The vanguard marches on! Li Yan escorts the artillery! Shuangxi's child soldiers serve as scouts! If the walls of Bao'an Prefecture are not seen within three hours, you'll have your heads to show for it!"

When Song Xianze chased after them out of the city gate, the compass needle suddenly broke.

He watched the banner bearing the character "闯" (Chuang, meaning "to break through") disappear into the snow, a copper coin slipping through his fingers. "The dragon that soars too high will regret it."

At Mengjin Ferry, 300 miles away, Hao Yaoqi was shuffling towards the north bank on a makeshift wooden plank.

The token that Shuangxi threw at him landed in his hand. "The King of Chuang said that if you don't take Mengjin Water Village by noon, you'll have to swim back to Tongguan!"

Before Hao Yaoqi could finish speaking, three whistling arrows suddenly shot out from the arrow tower on the opposite bank.

He grabbed his shield and roared, "All troops, speed up! If you don't move, you'll be riddled with bullets!"

Just as they were shouting, thirty government and military patrol boats suddenly emerged from the reeds.

Hao Yaoqi grinned maliciously, ignored Shuangxi, turned around, took off his armor, and jumped straight into the water.

When he reappeared, he was already standing at the bow of the sentry ship.

"Tell the rebel leader!" Hao Yaoqi laughed loudly, stepping on the boat's deck, "I'm going to have porridge in Bao'an Prefecture for lunch!"

"Men, seize the ship!"

At a command, nearly two thousand elite soldiers removed their armor and jumped into the water.

They headed towards the sentry ship.

Shuangxi gritted his teeth and ultimately decided not to send anyone up to provide support.

Instead, he anxiously urged the army to cross the river.

The most urgent task at hand is to cross the river and expand our gains.

……

Meanwhile, on the official road in Southern Zhili, a large convoy of horse-drawn carriages was traveling.

There were no fewer than a hundred four-wheeled horse-drawn carriages alone.

Then came countless oxcarts and donkey carts.

It stretches for dozens of miles.

The Imperial Guards alone, responsible for guarding the area, numbered no less than a thousand.

The imperial guards and night watchmen scattered their weapons within a fifty-mile radius as if they were free.

This does not include the two thousand troops sent by the Nanjing government to defend the city.

Leading the group were Zhang Huangyan and Li Ruolian, who had been in Jiangnan for a month.

The convoy was not carrying anything else, but the silver that Zhu Youjian had been longing for!
A full eight million taels of silver, equivalent to one-third of the previous Ming Dynasty's tax revenue.

And all of this is merely a drop in the ocean among the many corrupt officials, wealthy merchants, and powerful figures in Nanjing.

To be precise, it was one hundred out of more than ten thousand names.

The wealth of Nanjing left Li Ruolian speechless.

(End of this chapter)