On June 16, the eighteenth year of Chongzhen, Wang Zhaolin arrived in Runan County.
"Stop, who are you?" Outside the camp, hundreds of Shun troops formed a horizontal formation and stopped Wang Zhaolin and his group.
Wang Zhaolin brought more than a hundred people on this trip. Although they were all dressed as civilians, the war horses under their crotches and the weapons in their hands told others that they were not civilians.
Wang Zhaolin urged his horse forward and said, "Please inform them that Wang Zhaolin, the military advisor of the Great Western King, is here to visit Song Xiance, the military advisor of the Great Shun King."
Wang Zhaolin was afraid that he would be rejected if he asked to see Li Zicheng directly, so he decided to meet Song Xiance first, give him benefits, and then let Song Xiance introduce him.
"Wait." The leader of the Shun army scouts ordered someone to go back and deliver the letter.
The old charlatan Song Xiance was fortune-telling at this time. He held three copper coins in his hand and threw them on the table after reciting something silently.
Before he could figure out the hexagram, someone outside shouted, "Military advisor, there is a man outside the camp claiming to be Wang Zhaolin, the military advisor of the Great Western King, who wants to pay a visit."
"Oh? Please come in!" Song Xiance quickly stood up, put away the copper coins, and walked out quickly.
The situation Dashun is currently facing is extremely dire.
To the west is Qin Liangyu, to the east is Gao Jie, to the north are Liu Liangzuo and Li Jiyu, and to the south is Wang Zhigang, who is eyeing them covetously.
I can't win by fighting.
There is no way to retreat.
Once the troops are withdrawn, Qin Liangyu's main force will rush to Wugu Pass, and Guanzhong will be in danger.
Therefore, the Dashun Army had to stay in the Runan area to tie down Qin Liangyu's main force.
Wang Zhaolin and his group soon arrived outside Song Xiance’s military tent.
Song Xiance had been waiting outside the tent. He stared at Wang Zhaolin and said, "God has given a poor man a gold ingot. There is no need to fight over it. If we share the gold, all our wishes will come true."
Wang Zhaolin bowed and replied, "I light my own fire and lamp, I listen to my own words; my life has been full of misfortunes and dangers, I think back to the past when I was dreaming."
"Brother Wang!"
“Brother Song!”
"Nice to meet you!" They both bowed and saluted deeply at the same time.
Everyone else was stunned.
A Shun Army soldier whispered to the leader next to him: "Boss, what do they mean by that?"
The little leader thought for a moment and said, "If I'm not mistaken, it probably means hello, I can tell fortunes."
The Shun army soldier opened his mouth wide: "After so many words, is this all you can say?"
"That's about right. These people who ask for divination and fortune-telling like to be mysterious, just like the old charlatan in our village."
Song Xiance had very good hearing and he glared at the two of them fiercely.
The two men shrank their necks in fear and stepped aside.
After the greetings, Song Xiance invited Wang Zhaolin to the military tent.
Half an hour later, Song Xiance, who had gained benefits, took Wang Zhaolin to seek an audience with Li Zicheng.
As soon as they met, Wang Zhaolin said, "I am Wang Zhaolin, the military advisor of the Great Western King. I see that the emperor's eyebrows are shining and his face is plump. He must be blessed with the great fortune of ruling the world."
Li Zicheng was stunned at first, then he smiled.
There were many people within Dashun who could flatter, but the only one who could flatter using prophecies was Song Xiance.
I didn't expect that Wang Zhaolin, who was beside Zhang Xianzhong, also had this ability.
The flattery was just right and made people feel very comfortable.
After laughing, Li Zicheng ordered his attendants: "Come here, reward Military Advisor Wang with 500 taels of silver."
If it were the case before, Wang Zhaolin would definitely be grateful.
But now it's different.
In the face of the 100,000 taels of silver promised by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the 500 taels did not make him feel the slightest bit disturbed.
Out of respect, he bowed deeply to Li Zicheng and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Niu Jinxing stood nearby and asked unfriendlyly, "What is the purpose of Military Advisor Wang's visit?"
The reason he was angry was that Wang Zhaolin was not the first person to visit.
Wang Zhaolin bowed deeply to Niu Jinxing and said, "In reply to Lord Zuo Fu, I came here to ask the emperor to send troops to attack the Ming army together."
Seeing Wang Zhaolin's respectful attitude, Niu Jinxing softened his tone and said, "It looks like you are in trouble."
Wang Zhaolin nodded and said, "We have indeed encountered a difficult enemy. Especially Qin Liangyu. The Sichuan soldiers under her are brave and good at fighting. Even our Dashi elite troops cannot defeat them. With her in Jingxiang, our Dashi army cannot set foot in Huguang, so I specially come to ask the emperor to join forces to attack."
Li Zicheng was somewhat moved after hearing this.
If Qin Liangyu could be defeated, the entire war situation in Henan and Huguang would be completely reversed.
You can even send troops to Sichuan and occupy Shuzhong.
However, his relationship with Zhang Xianzhong had been very strained before, and agreeing to cooperate now would make him lose face.
Seeing that Li Zicheng was in a dilemma, Niu Jinxing rushed to ask, "May I ask how sincere the King of the Great West is?"
"Sincerity?" Wang Zhaolin didn't understand.
"Yes, that's it!" Niu Jinxing stretched out his left hand and shook it upward.
In the Ming Dynasty, this action represented counting money.
At that time, the common currencies among the people were copper coins and silver. Most people would shake the money to estimate its weight as soon as they received it.
After modern paper currency came into circulation, rubbing fingers replaced the action of shaking hands.
Niu Jinxing continued, "In the 16th year of Chongzhen, you captured Wuchang, executed the Queen of Chu, and looted all the gold and silver treasures in the palace. I heard that there were nearly a thousand carriages transporting the treasures."
"Since the Great Western King wants us to send troops, we must show sincerity!"
Li Zicheng turned his head to look at Niu Jinxing, and said in his heart: The one who understands me best is Zuo Fu!
Dashun is short of money again...
Yes, the money stolen from the Yanshenggong Mansion is almost spent.
Li Zicheng wanted to rob again, but he had to give up after considering that there was no Jiannu to take the blame.
Wang Zhaolin lowered his head and thought seriously.
Before coming, Zhang Xianzhong specifically instructed that he would agree to Li Zicheng's conditions as long as they were not too harsh.
"What does Dashun want?" Wang Zhaolin asked.
"This..." Niu Jinxing looked at Li Zicheng.
He is the emperor of Dashun, and only he has the final say on such matters.
"There were some misunderstandings between me and the King of Great West before. Now he is in trouble, I cannot stand by and watch him die. How about this," Li Zicheng stretched out his right hand: "Five hundred thousand taels of silver."
Wang Zhaolin breathed a sigh of relief and agreed after pretending to be embarrassed.
It’s not that Li Zicheng didn’t want to ask for more, but he was afraid that asking for too much would anger Zhang Xianzhong. After all, the situation he faced was not much better than Zhang Xianzhong’s.
After confirming the willingness to cooperate, the two sides further finalized the details of the cooperation.
Song Xiance, who had been silent the whole time, asked slowly, "When do you plan to send out troops?"
"August."
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