"Your Majesty, there was no movement at Fucheng Gate during the feint attack today. Could it be a trick? I suggest that we first let the spies in the city find out the number of Fucheng Gate defenders and artillery, and then make a decision!"
Liu Fangliang, who had been silent, spoke up.
Others may not consider this issue, but he cannot.
To put it nicely, he was a pioneer and he was the first to conquer the city. To put it bluntly, he exchanged human lives for victory!
The city walls of Beijing are very high and thick, and they cannot be breached in a short period of time.
Over time, the damage caused by the siege will be incalculable!
He must know himself and his enemy in order to minimize his losses.
Li Zicheng smiled faintly: "Fang Liang thinks too much. Beijing City cannot be conquered in a day or two. Even if the Ming army is caught off guard in a short period of time, they have plenty of time to deploy troops."
"I...I..." Li Zicheng had not been emperor for long and was still somewhat uncomfortable with the title "I".
"I am not afraid that Chongzhen will deploy heavy troops at Fuchengmen. On the contrary, I hope he will do so. Only by destroying the elite of the Ming army can he face reality and surrender early!"
At this point, Li Zicheng suddenly began to shake his head, "No, he doesn't need to surrender, he won't surrender! As long as we kill all those defenders and scare them away, they will fall like Luoyang did without a fight!"
When Li Zicheng attacked Luoyang, the defenders were in internal strife, so he opened the city gates and let them in.
"Your Majesty, I accept your order."
Liu Fangliang had nothing to say but nodded his head. In war, people would die. If we wanted to reduce the number of deaths, we had to end the war as soon as possible.
"But..." Li Zicheng changed the subject, "Let Du Xun enter the city from Fucheng Gate tonight and count the number of artillery on the city walls."
"As for the terms of the peace talks... two million taels of silver, plus I will go to Shanhaiguan to help him suppress the Eight Banners Army. The terms are so tempting, he won't refuse, right?"
As soon as Li Zicheng finished speaking, he heard a loud bang outside.
Everyone was so scared that they immediately stood up and looked outside the tent.
"Your Majesty, the Ming army is launching a surprise attack!" Liu Zongmin picked up the helmet with his left hand and put it on his head, then rushed out with the sword in his right hand.
The others also packed up and prepared to meet the enemy.
After a while, Liu Zongmin came back with a mocking look on his face: "Your Majesty is frightened. The sound of the cannon came from the direction of Fuchengmen, but it was an empty cannon without bullets. The scouts reported that the Ming army did not take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack. It should be a strategy to tire out the troops."
"A trapped beast will still fight, there is no need to be afraid!" Military advisor Song Xiance twirled his beard with his hand and smiled slightly.
Zuo Fu Niu Jinxing blinked his eyes and said, "Each camp should pay close attention to the movements on the city gates to prevent the Ming army from launching a surprise attack at night."
......
The capital, the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
With a loud bang!
When the sound of cannons came from the west, Chongzhen knew that it had hit the hour of You.
The defenders on the city fired a cannon every half hour, the first time at the middle of the You hour, and the next time at the beginning of the Wu hour (7pm).
"Your Majesty!" Wang Chengen's voice sounded beside Chongzhen.
Chongzhen finally got the inspiration to write, but was interrupted by Wang Chengen when he was about to write the mobilization order.
He was a little unhappy, "Well, what's the matter?"
"Yan Yingyuan is here!"
"Who?" Chongzhen thought he had heard wrongly.
"It's Yan Yingyuan, the Jiangyin Dianshi, who has arrived!"
Chongzhen trembled all over and threw the brush in his hand away, then stood up excitedly: "Let him in quickly, no, let him in quickly!"
Wang Chengen was shocked.
What is the position of a Dianshi? It is a position without rank and not in the official system. Strictly speaking, it is not an official position, but can only be called a clerk.
It is clear that a mere clerk could be asked to please by the emperor!
A moment later, Jiangyin Dianshi Yan Yingyuan walked in under the leadership of Wang Chengen.
"Your Majesty, I, Yan Yingyuan, kowtow to you. Long live the emperor!"
Yan Yingyuan looked to be in his twenties, thin and tired. He was wearing the most common cotton armor of the Ming army, with a piece of white cloth on his right arm.
When he knelt down to salute, he saw the white cloth on his right arm and felt a chill on his back. He reached out and pulled the cloth off.
"Your Majesty, the Ming soldiers who surrendered to the bandits all tied white cloth on their right arms. I dressed like this to confuse the bandits. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Chongzhen waved his hand and said indifferently, "It's okay, Yan Dianshi, please get up soon. I've been waiting for you to come!"
Yan Yingyuan stood up with a confused look on his face and stood there at a loss as to what to do.
Jiangyin was 1,800 li away from the capital, and he set out immediately after receiving the imperial court's urgent message of 600 li. However, it was still too late, and when he arrived outside Beijing, the bandits had already surrounded the city.
Fortunately, he knew the bandits' details, so he tied a white cloth on his right arm and pretended to be a scout, thus deceiving the enemy. He was then dragged into the city with a rope outside the city in the name of surrender.
But...
You should know that in the Ming Dynasty, apart from the Imperial Censors and the Censors, only officials above the fourth rank were qualified to attend court and meet the emperor.
He is just a small official, but His Majesty personally asked him to come to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. What could be going on?
Seeing Chongzhen's excited face, Yan Yingyuan knelt on the ground and said, "I am terrified. Please give me instructions, Your Majesty."
Chongzhen smiled faintly, "Dianshi Yan, please stand up. I asked you to come here to defend the city, that's all."
"Thank...thank you, Your Majesty." After hearing that he was asked to defend the city, Yan Yingyuan breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.
"Have you had dinner yet?"
Yan Yingyuan looked embarrassed. He had to sleep in the open air all the way. He ate dry food when he was hungry and drank some water when he was thirsty.
If you can't find it, just fight it.
Now I am thirsty and hungry.
I was too embarrassed to say it in front of the emperor, so I could only be vague.
Chongzhen ordered: "Wang Chengen, ask the Shangshenjian to prepare two dishes and some porridge, and bring them over to Yan Dianshi after they are ready."
"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful!" Yan Yingyuan was so excited that he almost cried.
The standard of this treatment is too high!
Not to mention him, even the prime minister, who was in a very high position in the court, had never enjoyed this privilege, which shows how much the emperor valued him.
Chongzhen was not in a hurry to let Yan Yingyuan take on the role of defending the city. He gave Yan Yingyuan a seat and let him rest.
After a while, the Shangshenjian brought over the prepared meal.
Yan Yingyuan did not dare to eat in front of Chongzhen at first, but after Wang Chengen's repeated signals, he turned his back and wolfed down the food.
Chongzhen sat on the chair and observed Yan Yingyuan carefully.
Yan Yingyuan was a remarkable figure in history and one of the three highest officials who fought against the Qing Dynasty!
As for the other two, Chongzhen did not summon them to Beijing because he was not sure whether the capital could be defended. Instead of taking risks, it would be better to leave more talents for the prince.
During his tenure as the prefect of Jiangyin, Yan Yingyuan led 100,000 people to defend the isolated city for 81 days against 240,000 Qing cavalry and more than 200 heavy artillery pieces. The Qing army lost three kings and 18 generals, and 75,000 people died. This is known in history as the 81 Days of Jiangyin.
In the end, Jiangyin was brutally massacred, leaving only 53 people, young and old.
He was able to hold the city against the siege of the Eight Banners Army for 81 days. Apart from anything else, Yan Yingyuan was definitely good at defending a city!
Chongzhen asked Yan Yingyuan to come to Beijing from afar for only one purpose: to defend the city!
As long as we defend the capital, the Ming Dynasty will still have a chance!
With this spirit, it may be possible to turn the tide and support a collapsing building!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
