After hearing the contents of the Sanfengtang newspaper, the entire Qianqing Palace fell silent.
More than a hundred students and officials were shocked at first, then their faces were filled with anxiety.
Three newspapers, three pieces of bad news, and each one is worse than the last.
The Jiannu soldiers entered the pass in two groups to plunder, one in Xuanfu and the other in Miyun. There were limited troops available near the capital, and if we took care of one, we would lose the other!
It's difficult!
What's even more difficult is that Li Zicheng attacked the Central Plains again, trying to divide the Ming Dynasty into north and south!
This is just the war in the north. Zhang Xianzhong in the south is gathering hundreds of thousands of troops and heading straight for Chengdu!
After thinking of the many difficulties, they all turned their eyes to the Ming Emperor!
Chongzhen was not in a hurry because being anxious was useless.
There is no need to worry about Xuanfu!
And he firmly believed that Yan Yingyuan could defend Xuanfu Town.
Because in the official history, Yan Yingyuan was able to hold on to Jiangyin for more than 80 days without much supplies. Now, except for the lack of armor, all other supplies in Xuanfu Town are very sufficient.
Silver, food, water, firearms, gunpowder...
As long as they have enough food and drink, they can use the strong city to contain the main force of the Jiannu.
With Huang Degong in Miyun, as long as they were not defeated, they would win. Even if Huang Degong failed, he had a backup plan.
But this back-up plan is rather troublesome.
The only variable is Li Zicheng.
Chongzhen was not afraid of Li Zicheng's conquest of cities and territories, but he was afraid that Li Zicheng would steal money and food through conquest of cities and territories.
The battle in Beijing really hurt his vitality. If he recovers, all his previous efforts will be wasted.
Chongzhen looked around and first ordered Wang Chengen: "Ask Li Gelao to come over."
Wang Chengen took the order and left in a hurry.
Looking at Wang Chengen's departing back, Chongzhen looked calm.
After thinking for a moment, he looked at everyone and asked slowly, "Do you have any good ideas?"
Everyone present looked at each other, all confused.
This was the first time they had come across this kind of news. They had no countermeasures in mind, nor did they know from which angle to think about the countermeasures.
Chongzhen was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and it was impossible for him to tell these people what the rules of the court were, so he turned his gaze to where Teng was.
This Zhongshu Sheren had served in the court for many years and had rich experience as an official. He knew the rules of doing things in the court.
Teng Zhisuo stood up very skillfully, bowed deeply to Chongzhen, then turned to the others and said, "Everyone, you are still students and have only a limited understanding of the affairs of the court."
"I am not talented, but I will tell you some of my experiences as an official in the court."
"Thank you, Master Teng!" The students bowed one after another.
"Ahem!" Teng Zhisuo cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, there is one most important rule after entering the court as an official."
"It means that when handling official business, we must prioritize."
"Take today's three newspapers as an example. Which one should be dealt with first?"
Everyone was very excited. After a brief thought, a student stood up and said, "Miyun!"
"Yes, Miyun. Miyun is a hundred miles away from the capital. If the Jiannu capture Miyun, the capital will be exposed to the Jiannu's military attack." The others echoed.
Chongzhen shook his head slowly: "Wrong, absolutely wrong!"
Under the surprised gazes of the crowd, he placed the newspaper in his hand on the Longshu case and continued, "There are only 20,000 Jiannu who entered the pass from Qiangziling. Even if they capture Miyun, what can they do?"
"Do they dare to attack the capital? Even if they dare to come, do you think the Jian Nu can capture the capital?"
Everyone shook their heads at the same time.
Li Zicheng led more than 100,000 troops to attack the capital. He tried every possible means, but not only did he fail to capture the capital, but he suffered heavy casualties and retreated to Datong.
How dare they do this when the Jiannu army only had 20,000 people?
"You all know that the Jiannu are good at field battles but not at attacking cities, and our Ming soldiers are good at defending cities but not at field battles. The Jiannu will not be stupid enough to use their disadvantages to counter our advantages."
"Unless they are absolutely sure!"
Listening to Chongzhen's analysis, most of the students present nodded, expressing their agreement with Chongzhen's strategic analysis.
However, some people disagreed. One student stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the Jiannu invaded the pass to rob money and loot the people. For the sake of the people of Ming Dynasty, we should defend every city and ensure that the mountains and rivers are safe."
"Okay, well said!" Chongzhen stood up directly. "The premise is that you can hold on and not surrender. Let me ask you, if I hand over the border city to you, in the absence of reinforcements, can you and your defenders swear to fight to the death and not surrender?"
Most people were silent.
One person can defend a city and never surrender, but what about ten people?
One hundred, one thousand, or even ten thousand?
No one can guarantee it.
People are different. Some people are willing to die to show their determination, while others are afraid of death.
This is human nature, and it cannot be avoided as long as you are alive.
Chongzhen smiled faintly: "So, when encountering things, we can't just talk about it, we must take the actual situation and human nature into consideration."
"Some cities were originally small, their defense equipment was in disrepair, and their defenders were old, weak, sick and disabled and unable to resist. The commander of the city surrendered to protect the safety of the people in the city. When our army arrived, they surrendered again immediately."
"Judging by the standards just now, he protected the safety of the people of the Ming Dynasty, but caused the city to change hands repeatedly. Do you think this commander is guilty?"
Everyone was silent because they didn't know how to answer. The general seemed to have surrendered, but he also seemed not to have surrendered.
"Of course, I don't want to see this situation, but it really happened."
"So, sometimes things aren't black and white, so don't be stubborn!"
"The same goes for governing a country, governing officials, and governing the people. As long as the governance is done properly and the people are used properly, even the cowardly ones can bravely fight the enemy following the call of the charge!"
“Only in this way can one become a great talent!”
"I hope that one day I can see you in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, receive your memorials, and see the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty."
The students present were all moved. They wanted to kneel down to express their gratitude, but then they remembered that Chongzhen had deliberately told them before the meeting. Today they were just teachers and students, without the etiquette of monarch and subject.
They bowed at the same time: "Thank you for your teachings, Your Majesty!"
"Okay, after the meeting is over, each of you should write a letter to me. Write down what you want to do, the difficulties you encounter, the bad policies you discover, the injustices you see, and the lawless people you encounter."
"I'll give you a chance, and I hope you won't disappoint me."
"We'll keep it in mind!"
As soon as the students finished speaking, Li Banghua slowly walked into the hall.
When he saw the students, he was slightly startled at first, then calmly walked to the front of the crowd and bowed to Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, Li Banghua is here to see you by order."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
