A few hours ago.
Li Ruolian led the Beijing garrison forward.
This place is more than 100 li away from Shanhaiguan and more than 100 li away from Ningyuan.
It's right in between.
Li Ruolian knew perfectly well what the Jurchens originally intended.
They heard that after he led his troops out of the pass, if he planned to besiege the city and attack the reinforcements, they would take action against his army.
Then this is the best location.
Neither the Guan Ning cavalry at Shanhaiguan nor Yuan Chonghuan at Ningyuan could come to their aid in time.
The generals of the Beijing garrison also sensed that something was wrong.
Although they wanted to inflict a great loss on Li Zicheng, they didn't really want to hand over their lives to the Jurchens.
A general immediately found Li Ruolian.
"General Li, shouldn't we slow down a bit?"
"The terrain around here is very favorable for cavalry charges."
"If the Jurchens launch a surprise attack, we'll be in big trouble."
However, Li Ruolian deliberately displayed an arrogant and self-willed demeanor.
Are you scared?
"Heh heh, the Ming army of my Great Ming is invincible. Even if the mere Jurchens dare to come, they'll only be throwing their lives away!"
As he spoke, he smiled at Li Zicheng again.
"Besides, he also has his cannons!"
Upon hearing this, the generals all sneered inwardly.
"Hehe, Li Ruolian has really gone mad!"
“If those cannons were placed inside the fortress, then what he said wouldn’t be wrong.”
"But this is the wilderness!"
"After the cannon fires a volley, it takes several incense sticks' worth of time before it can fire again."
"In that time, the Jurchens could slaughter us from head to toe!"
After exchanging a glance, they abandoned any last thought of dissuading him.
"Fine, if Li Ruolian is determined to court death, then let him be!"
"Anyway, when the Jurchens attack, we can just scatter!"
"As long as we have troops, we are not afraid of being held accountable by the court afterward."
After they made up their minds, they started to speak with smiles on their faces.
"General Li is absolutely right; we were overthinking it."
"We will retreat now and have our troops advance quickly so that we can relieve Ningyuan as soon as possible."
After they left, Li Zicheng suddenly spoke.
He said with great excitement, "General Li, I never imagined that your power was so formidable."
"With just a few words, they all gave in!"
Upon hearing this, Li Ruolian wore an expression that was both funny and exasperated.
"Young man, you've been fooled by them!"
"Their words just now weren't an admission of submission to me; they were just trying to make a fool of me!"
Seeing the puzzled look in Li Zicheng's eyes, he explained it to him again.
After hearing this, Li Zicheng nodded in admiration.
"After hearing what you said, General Li, I admire you even more."
He gently patted the table next to him, his tone full of emotion.
“I remember Master Gao telling me that people who always praise you are not necessarily good people, and people who always scold you are not necessarily friends.”
"This is what is meant by 'good medicine tastes bitter but is good for the disease, and honest advice is unpleasant to the ear but is beneficial for conduct.'"
"General Li, it is truly commendable that you were not misled by those deputy generals."
Upon hearing this, Li Ruolian's mood indeed improved considerably.
"Haha, it seems that Brother Li has learned quite a bit from Master Gao."
There were no outsiders present at the time, and Li Ruolian considered herself Zhu Youjian's confidante.
A sense of curiosity arose within me.
"Brother Li, just what kind of person is Master Gao?"
"I once heard someone say that Master Gao seems to have magical powers. He can not only refine pills and make medicine, but also summon wind and rain."
The "alchemy and medicine making" naturally refers to Gao Qingyun's use of antibiotics to save Zhu Youjian's life.
As for the claim that he could summon wind and rain, it was purely unfounded speculation by the officials.
After all, Zhu Youjian had once tricked the entire court of officials by relying on Gao Qingyun's "weather forecast".
Those ministers may be greedy, but they weren't fools.
In hindsight, they also realized something was wrong.
How did the emperor know that the weather was about to change suddenly?
“The young emperor grew up in the deep palace, so he certainly doesn’t have the ability to read clouds or predict the weather.”
"This matter is definitely related to Gao Qingyun!"
And so the news that Master Gao could also command the wind and rain spread.
Li Zicheng had always followed Gao Qingyun, so he naturally knew that his master was just an ordinary person.
But just as he was about to speak, certain scenes flashed before his eyes.
“We always lived on the island in the middle of Taiye Pond. I usually searched the entire island with that big oaf Zhang Xianzhong.”
"But I've never seen that Italian cannon."
"But then the cannon suddenly appeared; there must be something wrong with that."
"Sir, you may indeed possess some magical powers."
Thinking of this, Li Zicheng dared not speak recklessly.
"What if he has eyes and ears that can see a thousand miles and hear the wind, and is secretly observing me?"
"If I talk badly about him behind his back, he'll definitely punish me when I get back!"
Li Zicheng quickly replied, "I am Master Gao's disciple. How can a disciple possibly evaluate his teacher?"
But being young, he couldn't help but reveal something:
"However, General Li, you may not know this, but the cannons I brought this time were inexplicably brought to the palace by my husband."
Upon hearing this, Li Ruolian was startled.
Although the Ming Dynasty was declining at this time, the palace was still heavily guarded.
Artillery is such a large thing that it couldn't possibly have been smuggled in from the outside.
Li Zicheng's words clearly implied that this thing wasn't something Master Gao had obtained from somewhere behind their backs.
Instead, it appeared out of nowhere.
"So, Master Gao is quite extraordinary."
"When I have time, I must inform His Majesty so that I may also meet Master Gao."
Just as Li Ruolian was feeling sentimental, his expression suddenly changed.
He suddenly flipped off the horse and pressed his ear to the ground.
Li Zicheng was only stunned for a moment before exclaiming, "General Li, could it be the Jurchens?"
He is not yet the Li Zicheng of history, but he did grow up in the Northwest.
However, he was very familiar with the Mongolians.
When large numbers of Mongols set out, the hooves of their horses pounded the ground.
Experienced hunters can detect enemy tracks from miles away by observing ground tremors.
So when he saw Li Ruolian's actions, he naturally started to make connections.
Li Ruolian stood up and nodded to him.
“Brother Li, you’re right, a large force of cavalry is indeed coming.”
"The only ones who could arrive at this time are the Jurchens."
"They actually intend to besiege the enemy stronghold and ambush reinforcements!"
Although all of this was something Li Ruolian had anticipated long ago.
But when it actually happened, he couldn't help but feel a little excited.
"This is the first time I've truly fought against the Jurchens."
"We absolutely cannot afford any mistakes!"
Li Zicheng was even more excited.
He quickly stood up and said to Li Ruolian:
"Don't worry, General, I'll go prepare the cannons right away and teach the Jurchens a lesson they'll never forget."
"Let them all know how powerful I am!"
He was about to leave when he remembered something.
"By the way, General Li, where is this place?"
Li Ruolian was taken aback, wondering why he was asking this.
But he still instinctively said, "There are no names here."
Li Zicheng then nodded.
"My master always tells me that my fate is incompatible with a place called Yipianshi."
"So I would like to ask General Li for a favor. When you write the battle report to the court after this battle, please say that this place is a rock."
This doesn't even qualify as a requirement.
Li Ruolian smiled and waved her hand: "Okay, I'll remember."
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