Yanqing (the only way from Juyongguan to Xuanfu).
Li Zicheng was half lying on the bed, his brows twisted into a knot.
The defeat had such a huge impact that the emperor was somewhat disheartened. Sometimes he would think, should he surrender?
"Juyongguan is easy to defend but difficult to attack, why did the emperor retreat his troops to Xuanfu?" Sitting on a stool not far from the bed, Zuo Fu Niu Jinxing asked in disbelief.
"This is not the emperor's original intention. It is a decision made by the generals and the emperor after considering various factors!" Military advisor Song Xiance also looked helpless.
"First, after the defeat, our army lost all its food and fodder. Without food and fodder, the morale of the army will be unstable."
"Secondly, there was plague in the army. Those who got sick lost their fighting ability within a day or two, and more and more people got sick."
"Furthermore, this attack on Beijing will block the trade routes. Xuanfu and Datong are the borders where the Ming court does business with the Mongols. If the Mongols can't get what they want, they will try to rob them... By then, our army will have the Ming army in front and the Mongols behind us. The consequences will be disastrous!"
"Oh!" Niu Jinxing sighed after hearing this.
It was he who tried his best to persuade Li Zicheng to launch the Northern Expedition. He originally wanted to use this Northern Expedition to allow Dashun to unify the Central Plains and at the same time gain credit for himself.
I never expected that I would end up losing the rice instead of the chicken.
If there is a reckoning, his crime will be ranked first.
"Then what should we do after retreating to Xuanfu?" Niu Jinxing had no idea at this time and could only ask the military advisor in a low voice.
Li Zicheng, who had been silent the whole time, sat up straight away. He stroked his beard and thought for a long time. He sighed first, and then lay down again: "Oh, if only Mr. Li were here! He must have a good plan!"
Niu Jinxing felt very disgusted when he heard the three words "Mr. Li", but he couldn't say anything in front of Li Zicheng, so he could only sit on the stool and sulk alone.
After a moment, Niu Jinxing's eyes lit up: "Your Majesty, I have a plan!"
"Oh?" Li Zicheng couldn't help but sit up, "Niu Zuofu, please speak!"
Niu Jinxing enjoyed the invitation very much. He immediately stood up and bowed: "There are wealthy merchants in Xuanfu. If we rob them, we can solve the current crisis. We can even regroup our troops and attack Beijing!"
"No!" Li Zicheng rejected the idea directly. "If we rob merchants, we won't be able to buy anything from them even if we have endless money in the future."
"Absolutely not!"
This won't work, and that won't work either. The room fell into silence again.
"Your servant Liu Zongmin requests to see the emperor!" At this moment, Liu Zongmin's deep voice was heard outside the door.
"Come in." Li Zicheng answered in person.
Liu Zongmin stepped into the room and took a look, and found that Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance were both there, and immediately showed an embarrassed expression.
He hesitated for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, I will come back later."
"Zongmin, when did you become so fussy? Niu Zuofu and Song Junshi are both our people. Why do you have to say something behind their backs?"
Liu Zongmin was even more embarrassed.
He stammered, "Before Mr. Li prepared food and fodder, he left me a letter, saying that if the siege failed and we retreated to Juyong Pass, I should give this letter to the emperor."
"I forgot about this when I was at Juyongguan, but I just remembered it now."
He didn't say anything extra. It was obvious that Li Yan was deliberately avoiding Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance.
"It doesn't matter. They are here to help me with my plans!"
At this point, Liu Zongmin could not say much and could only hand the letter to Li Zicheng.
After reading it, Li Zicheng's eyes flashed with light, and he handed the letter to others for circulation.
After everyone had seen it, Li Zicheng asked, "What do you think of Mr. Li's plan?"
At this moment, the jealousy in Niu Jinxing's heart could no longer be described in words.
In the letter, Li Yan predicted that Li Zicheng would be defeated, so he made three plans for the future of the Shun army after the defeat.
The first plan was to retreat to Xuanfu, relying on the geographical advantage to advance and spy on Beijing, or retreat to Datong. However, with the Ming army in front and the Mongols behind, this was a bad idea.
The second plan was to retreat to Datong, with Ningwu Pass behind, so there was no need to worry about being attacked from both sides. Then the troops were divided into two routes, one to defend Datong and the other to bypass Henan. While suppressing the rebellion in Henan, they would seize the opportunity to attack Shandong and cut off the connection between the north and the south of the Ming court.
This is the middle strategy.
The third plan was to negotiate peace with the Ming court temporarily. Since he didn't plan to defend Xuanfu anyway, he might as well sell it to the Ming court. Then he would retreat to Datong, build high walls and store grain to accumulate strength. Let the Ming court fight with Zhang Xianzhong, the Jiannu, and reap the benefits. Then he would wait to enter the Central Plains and unify the world. As for the source of money and grain, Li Yan had no good solution for a while, so he could only try to rob it from nearby Henan.
All three strategies seem feasible.
Niu Jinxing looked at the letter in front of him, shook his head and said nothing.
Li Zicheng hurriedly asked: "What do you think of Niu Zuofu?"
Niu Jinxing pointed at the last one and said, "Your Majesty, the Ming court is very smart, and the Jian Nu are not fools. Why does Li Yan think that we can benefit from the Ming court and the Jian Nu?"
"Once the Ming court recovers from this, it will be difficult to surround Beijing again. And I heard that the Ming court exempted the land tax for one year. If the Ming court does not oppress the people, we will have no soldiers. Your Majesty has just announced a three-year tax exemption, so if we store up grain, there will be no grain, and if we build high walls, there will be no people."
"So this is the worst option!"
Others expressed their agreement.
After all, the problems that Dashun is facing now are money and food. Once they run out of money and food, the surrendered Ming troops will soon rebel again.
"So I think Mr. Li's middle strategy is the best strategy!" Niu Jinxing added.
Li Zicheng took the letter, opened the map he carried with him, and pondered for a long time.
The Northern Expedition is no longer possible.
After this battle, the military strength near Beijing reached its peak. The three camps had tens of thousands of people, Wu Sangui had 50,000 elite troops, and Liu Wenyao had more than 10,000 troops. The total strength exceeded him.
Now we can only shift our attention back to the Central Plains.
“What do others think?”
Song Xiance stepped forward and pointed at Xuanfu and said, "I think what Niu Zuofu said makes sense. Moreover, since no one wants to defend Xuanfu, let's write a letter of peace and sell Xuanfu to the Ming court. It could be as little as 100,000 or as much as several hundred thousand. As long as we can sell it for money, we won't lose money."
Immediately afterwards, everyone present expressed their opinions, and without exception, they all felt that the middle strategy was the best one.
It can not only continue to suppress the Ming court, but also rob money along the way, killing two birds with one stone.
Finally, Li Zicheng made up his mind.
He pointed at Zhengzhou and said, "In this case, we will follow Mr. Li's plan. First, we will write a letter to the Ming court to inform them to sell Xuanfu. If the Ming court does not buy it, we will plunder it and retreat to Datong. Then I will personally lead the troops to Zhengzhou and aim at Kaifeng. I failed to capture Kaifeng three times before, and I want to avenge the previous humiliation!"
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