late at night.
Diaoyutai is the main military tent of Shun army.
Li Zicheng sat in the middle, with military advisor Song Xiance and left assistant Niu Jinxing, and the generals stood on the left and right.
Counselor Li Yan sat in the corner of the tent, coughing constantly.
Liu Zongmin stepped forward and said to Liu Fangliang, "General Liu Fangliang, in this Northern Expedition against the Ming court, the other generals were invincible. Only you, who was greedy for merit and rashly sent 3,000 light cavalry to attack the Ming crown prince over a long distance. In the end, not only did you fail to capture him, but you also lost more than 2,000 soldiers and horses in vain."
"Then, you marched slowly, which resulted in your failure to stop Tang Tong's troops outside Beijing, allowing him to slip into the city."
"Furthermore, after the army surrounded Beijing, you failed to discipline the troops properly, which resulted in the Ming army burning their food supplies."
"The morale that our army had worked so hard to build up was completely destroyed by this fire! We could have attacked the city tomorrow, but now that our morale is gone, how can we fight?"
"Tell me, what is the crime?"
Liu Zongmin fixed his eyes on Liu Fangliang, his anger unabated. Liu Fangliang made a mistake, and if he was not punished, the team would become increasingly difficult to lead.
The other generals looked at the two of them quietly without saying a word.
Mind your own business!
Liu Fangliang knew he had made a mistake, and it was difficult for him to refute anything. He could only kneel on one knee and said, "I know I have made a mistake. Please punish me, Your Majesty and General Zongmin."
Li Zicheng squinted his eyes and looked around, his gaze fell on his adviser Li Yan.
He trusted Li Yan very much. If Li Yan had not been sick yesterday, they would definitely not have been ambushed under Li Yan's arrangements.
Li Zicheng waved his hand and said, "Let's put aside whether I am guilty or not. Do you think we should attack the city tomorrow?"
Military strategist Song Xiance was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, I think it would be better to delay the siege for a few days. There are three reasons. First, our army has been fighting for a long time and is now exhausted. It is a good opportunity to let the army rest for a few days. Second, the food and grass have been destroyed and the morale is low. We can use the opportunity of rest to build up morale. Third, we can take the opportunity to prepare food and grass. Only with sufficient food and grass can the morale of the army be stable."
Zuo Fu Niu Jinxing echoed, "I second the motion."
"Where are the other generals?"
Liu Zongmin and Liu Fangliang did not speak, but looked at Liu Xiyao, Yuan Zongde, Li Guo and others.
These generals were good at leading troops in battle, but they were not good at tactical issues such as the use of troops. They knew they had no talent in this area, so they all turned their eyes to Li Yan who was coughing in the corner of the big tent.
Li Zicheng frowned slightly. Although he didn't say anything, he felt very uncomfortable. Li Yan had a high prestige in the army. If anyone could replace him, it would be Li Yan.
However, Li Yan had made great contributions to his current achievements, so he still asked respectfully: "Mr. Li, what do you think?"
(Li Zicheng called Li Yan "sir" from the time he met him.)
"Cough, cough, cough," Li Yan coughed deeply a few times, "I think, cough, cough, we should fight quickly and end it quickly!"
"According to the scouts, Wu Sangui's Guanning Army has arrived at the Shanhaiguan area. Even if they are slow, they can reach Beijing within seven days!"
"Also, Shandong General Liu Zeqing was eliminated by Prince Ming and Liu Wenyao. His 13,000 troops have arrived in Tianjin, waiting for an opportunity to strike!"
"If we don't attack the city now, what will our army do when the king's army arrives?"
After these words were spoken, Li Zicheng and everyone else frowned.
What Li Yan said made sense. Now they were surrounding the Ming army, and when the Ming army's king-saving general arrived, they would be surrounded.
Niu Jinxing was jealous of Li Yan, and immediately retorted: "Wu Sangui is now in the Shanhaiguan area, with only 50,000 soldiers under his command, and he has the Eight Banners soldiers behind him. Even if he can rush to Beijing to help, he can only bring 30,000 soldiers at most."
"Liu Zeqing only has more than 10,000 men, and his combat power is far inferior to that of our Shun army's elite troops!"
"Now that there are more than 100,000 troops besieging the city, there is nothing wrong with a quick victory, but the premise is that we can win! If the first battle goes against us, our army's morale will be even lower."
"I suggest that we rest for a day or two before attacking the city!"
Li Zicheng looked at Li Yan, then at Niu Jinxing, feeling torn.
Both of them have a point.
Especially Niu Jinxing's remarks, morale is very important. The same army, when morale is high and when morale is low, the combat effectiveness shown is very different.
"Ahem," Li Yan coughed again, "I have a question for you, Lord Zuo Fu. The Ming army has fortified their defenses and cleared the fields for fifty miles. Where can they gather food and fodder?"
"If you want to collect food, you can only go to a place fifty miles away. Not counting the time it takes to collect food, it will take two days for the food transport team to go there and back. Is it enough time?"
Niu Jinxing's face became more and more ugly.
Li Yan continued, "Even if we make it in time, how many people will we have to send to escort the food? Tianjin is less than 250 miles away, and Liu Wenyao's 5,000 cavalry are no pushovers!"
"Instead of risking our lives to gather food, we should attack the city right away!"
The corners of Niu Jinxing's mouth twitched. He thought for a long time but couldn't think of the right words to refute. He could only take a step back and stop talking.
Obviously, he lost this debate miserably.
Li Zicheng was very happy and was about to speak when he heard Li Yan speak again.
"General Liu Fangliang has both faults and merits. Now is the time to recruit people. It would be better to let General Liu make up for his crime and make up for his merits."
"As for the lost food and grass, other troops will lend some to General Liu Fangliang first, and then return them to you after he has collected more food and grass."
"I wonder what the emperor thinks?"
Li Zicheng looked at Li Yan sharply, nodded slightly and said, "Well, let's do as Mr. Li said!"
"Other troops, give Fang Liang some food and fodder, and attack the city tomorrow morning!"
"Yes, sir."
"I obey the order."
After receiving the order, everyone left one by one. Niu Jinxing walked at the end. After everyone else left, he turned around and returned to the central military tent.
"Your Majesty, I think Li Yan's behavior today is presumptuous. Whether General Liu Fangliang is guilty and how to punish him should be decided by you, Your Majesty. When is it his turn to speak? In front of so many generals, his actions have damaged Your Majesty's reputation."
Li Zicheng smiled faintly: "Niu Zuofu is too kind. Mr. Li deserves half of the credit for my current position. Mr. Li is also well respected by many generals in the army, and I am one of them."
"Your Majesty, merits are merits, and faults are faults! You are now the emperor of Dashun, and the reign is Yongchang! We, as your subjects, should always remember our identities."
Li Zicheng looked at Niu Jinxing with a serious expression, and nodded after a moment: "I understand, let's talk about it after we capture Beijing."
"I'll take my leave!" Niu Jinxing turned around with a satisfied smile on his face.
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