After hearing that the troops would be dispatched in August, Li Zicheng, Song Xiance, Niu Jinxing and the generals present all frowned.
It is now mid-June, and there is still a month and a half left until August.
The Ming army would surround them soon, and they would not be able to wait until then.
"Why August?" Song Xiance continued to ask.
"This year is the year of the imperial examination. In August, the Ming court will transfer troops to the examination site for garrison. This will leave the troops in other places empty, and we can take advantage of the opportunity to move in."
The Shun army generals looked at each other and shook their heads.
Not to mention one and a half months, even half a month would be enough.
The Ming army has surrounded them from all sides, and if they don't leave, they will be in danger of being surrounded and annihilated.
"It's not that we can't wait," Song Xiance stepped forward, "The emperor can order Ze Hou (Tian Jianxiu) to transfer troops from Xi'an to Wuguan for garrison, and our army will break through the encirclement of the Ming army and defeat the enemy."
"We will counterattack in August. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Song Xiance accepted benefits from Wang Zhaolin and began to help with advice.
"What do you think?" Li Zicheng looked at everyone else.
Some others agreed, some opposed, and the final decision fell on Li Zicheng.
After some hesitation, Li Zicheng agreed to Wang Zhaolin's plan.
In the next few days, the two sides began to discuss the details of the operation.
......
June 19th, Dongzhimen, the capital.
In the early Ming Dynasty, this gate was not called Dongzhimen, but was called Chongrenmen following the name of the Yuan Dynasty.
During the Yongle period, it was renamed Dongzhimen, which echoes Xizhimen in a distance, with the meaning of promoting education for the people, stretching east to the East China Sea and west to the western frontier.
Since Dongzhimen is the smallest gate, and most of the people who come here are hawkers and small merchants from the suburbs, it is the poorest of the nine gates in the capital.
Liu Zhaoji was wearing military uniform. After showing his identity documents, he walked into the city wall.
Passing through the city gate, countless figures suddenly came into view.
The capital is too prosperous.
Everyone says that Jiangnan is prosperous, but compared with the capital, Jiangnan lacks some of the worldly atmosphere.
After all, this is the most populous city.
"Soldier, please be careful and don't step on me." Liu Zhaoji had just raised his right leg when a child suddenly appeared beside him.
The child is about eight or nine years old and looks very cute.
He was wearing a loose, worn blue cloth coat, had a braid on his head, and was holding a stack of papers in his hand.
Liu Zhaoji was in a good mood and asked, "Kid, what are you holding in your hand?"
The child rolled his eyes and said in a childish voice, "Report it."
"What newspaper?"
The child did not answer the question immediately, but asked back: "Sir, are you from another place?"
"I come from Nanzhili." Liu Zhaoji chatted while looking around.
"Look, this is the newspaper I'm talking about, the 17th year of Chongzhen." The child waved the latest edition of the newspaper in his hand.
"How much?"
"Fifty cents." The child spoke with force on his legs, ready to run away at any time.
Liu Zhaoji not only heard of the Seventeenth Year of Chongzhen, but also read several issues of it.
The content is indeed interesting, especially the newly added unofficial history section, which is very popular among the general public.
"Why is it so expensive? It only costs two or three cents in Nanzhili." For the first time, Liu Zhaoji felt that prosperity was not a good thing and that prices were too high.
The child looked disdainful and said, "How can you compare newspapers? Those newspapers are old, and the ones we have are new. How can they be the same price?"
Liu Zhaoji was despised by a child, and his old face turned red. He coughed to hide his embarrassment. Then he took out the money and bargained: "Cheaper, it's just a piece of paper."
"Oh my, you're bargaining with me!" the child shouted. "My goodness, looking at your armor, you must be a high-ranking official of the second rank or above. It's really stingy of you to bargain with me!"
Following the child's voice, people nearby cast strange looks at him.
Liu Zhaoji's old face turned red instantly. He threw out fifty coins, snatched the newspaper, and strode away from the scene.
The child happily picked up the coin and ran away.
Just after walking a few steps, another child came up to Liu Zhaoji and asked, "Would you like to buy a newspaper, sir?"
"How much money do you take?"
"Four cents a piece."
"Duo Shao?" Liu Zhaoji turned around to look for the kid who was selling newspapers before.
But the child had long disappeared.
Liu Zhaoji cried out that he had been fooled, slapped his forehead and sighed: "Damn, I've been fooled."
"What's wrong with you, sir?"
"I just bought a newspaper from a kid for fifty cents. It was a huge loss."
"We have a solution," another child raised the newspaper in his hand, "General, just buy the newspaper from us and the cost will be shared."
"You buy a newspaper for fifty cents, and you lose forty-six cents for each newspaper. You buy two newspapers for fifty-four cents, and you lose less than twenty-three cents for each newspaper."
"Go away, stop fooling me." Liu Zhaoji kicked the kid lightly on the butt and continued on his way to the imperial city.
After reporting, Liu Zhaoji came to the courtyard of the Qianqing Palace under the guidance of a young eunuch.
Looking at the figure in the distance, Liu Zhaoji knelt down hurriedly and saluted: "Your Majesty, I, Liu Zhaoji, kowtow to you. Long live the emperor..."
"Stand up," Chongzhen looked at Liu Zhaoji.
Liu Zhaoji was tall and had a full beard, giving people a feeling of being strong and honest.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Liu Zhaoji stood up somewhat at a loss, with his hands hanging at his sides.
"Admiral Liu was cheated out of fifty cents just after entering the city gate. Does he have no good feelings towards the capital?" Chongzhen suddenly asked.
"It's just fifty cents, I..." Liu Zhaoji's second half of the sentence was suddenly choked in his throat and he couldn't say anything.
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