Chapter 210: Shanxi Crisis 4
Jiang Xiang now acted as if he was determined to fight the Jianlu to the death. On the one hand, he was actively defending, and on the other hand, he secretly sent representatives to negotiate with the Jianlu to demand official positions.
Upon hearing this, Ajige and Duoduo wanted to surrender again. This was a good thing! Let's see what conditions you put forward. They both laughed. They didn't ask for the title of king, but only for the title of earl. In addition, the troops they led could not be moved or separated, but they would be allowed to have military supervisors within the Eight Banners. They would be given three months' worth of food and fodder, and then they would march south with them to attack Li Zicheng.
Duoduo and Ajige had no reason to object to such conditions. Jiang Xiang actually controlled about 50,000 troops, and the Dashun loyalists numbered less than 30,000, all of whom were stationed in the surrounding towns. The Jianlu would have to conquer these armies themselves.
Duoduo said, "Okay! Let's do as Jiang Xiang asks! This way, Shanxi will probably fall into the hands of the Qing Dynasty very soon."
"What about the surrounding cities? Are you going to attack them?" Ajige asked.
"Let Wu Sangui fight! They have many ways to deal with these peasants!" Duoduo said.
Wu Sangui was furious when he received the order. "You're asking me to play as a vanguard again. It seems you're just trying to wear me down." It seems I need to carefully consider Zhao Xiaofei's conditions. Unfortunately, he didn't know that Zhao Xiaofei's path had already been blocked by him. He was destined for death.
Jiang Xiang received an order from Zhao Xiaofei: If the Eight Banners attacked the surrounding cities, then he should ignore them and let them fight slowly, and you should provide appropriate support. If Wu Sangui attacked, he should provide him with information and even use his spies in these troops to help him open the city gates.
Upon receiving the news that Wu Sangui was attacking the surrounding cities, Jiang Xiang immediately sent an envoy to give Wu Sangui the defense maps of these cities. Wu Sangui was delighted to receive this information and hurriedly said to Jiang Xiang's envoy, "Go back and tell Lord Jiang that I owe him a favor. I will repay him when the time comes!"
After sending the messenger away, Wu Sangui mobilized his troops and marched towards these small towns. Wu Sangui's army was still very strong, with many veterans and internal support. Therefore, he was confident of defeating these peasants. To be on the safe side, Jiang Xiang sent a large amount of food to the soldiers in these small towns, of course, this food was spiked with food.
Unfortunately, these loyal Dashun soldiers were quickly wiped out by the combined attack of Jiang Xiang and Wu Sangui. Even if some of the over 40,000 soldiers surrendered, Jiang Xiang demanded that they be executed. Wu Sangui, out of gratitude for Jiang Xiang's actions, did not recruit additional soldiers from the Dashun army.
Duoduo and Ajige had never imagined that Wu Sangui would take over all the surrounding small cities in just three days. Although the surrounding cities were not very important, they were still strategic locations. This time, all the credit went to Wu Sangui, and the silver and supplies also belonged to him. If they had known this would happen, they should have gone together! Wouldn't the silver and supplies have been ours? Why did they let Wu Sangui, a lackey, take advantage of them in the first place? But there was no point in regretting it. Now it all depended on whether Jiang would truly surrender.
Jiang Xiang kept his promise and shaved his head to surrender to the Qing. He opened the gates of Datong City to welcome the Jianlu into the city and presented them with the Datong Fish Scale Book. From then on, northern Shanxi officially became the territory of the Jianlu.
Jiang Xiang's action triggered a chain reaction among the Ming officials who surrendered in Dashun. Wang Liangzhi and Tang Tong surrendered, and local landlords and gentry began to organize armies, killing Dashun officials and looting their supplies. It can be said that this had a very bad impact.
Upon hearing the news, Li Zicheng cursed Niu Jinxing for delaying his important plans. From then on, Niu Jinxing was no longer valued, and Song Xiance became Li Zicheng's main strategist. However, Song Xiance could hardly reverse the situation.
Facing Li Zicheng's rage, Song Xiance said, "Your Majesty! Now we can only shrink our defenses and fight a decisive battle with the Jianlu in Shaanxi!"
Just then, a messenger arrived with a report. "Your Majesty! Zhang Xianzhong has been defeated, and 100,000 men want to join us!"
Li Zicheng couldn't explain the feeling he had when he heard the news. Zhang Xianzhong and he used to be just like him, sharing the same pot, and now you've fled south, and you've even proclaimed yourself emperor. Don't you know there can only be two emperors in a country?
Song Xiance then said, "Your Majesty! Zhang Xianzhong needs to be accepted! We are weak now and need allies! I will personally persuade him to give up his title of emperor and become your vassal. You can then confer upon him the title of King of the Great Western Region! This way, we can unite to fight against the Qing and Ming!"
"Now that Zhang Xianzhong has become the emperor, is he willing to put aside his pride and listen to me?" Li Zicheng asked.
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty! Since Zhang Xianzhong has come, he is here with the mentality of cooperating with Your Majesty and even making compromises! I will definitely live up to Your Majesty's expectations this time!" Song Xiance said.
"Okay! Military Advisor, go quickly and come back soon! The court cannot do without you!" Li Zicheng said.
So why did Zhang Xianzhong suddenly flee from Sichuan to Shaanxi? This brings me back to the battle situation in Sichuan. Fang Xinyu recovered well, and Ma Xiangling gave birth to a daughter, much to Fang Xinyu's delight. However, Ma Xiangling was indeed unhappy, and she cried several times, saying she was stupid for not giving the Fang family a son.
Fang Xinyu smiled and said, "I like both boys and girls, as long as it's you and me! Don't cry, it's not beautiful for a woman to cry during confinement! Come! Your husband will wipe it for you!"
After saying that, he took out a handkerchief to wipe Ma Xiangling's tears. Ma Xiangling was moved by Fang Xinyu's sincerity and her mood turned from gloomy to cheerful.
Ma Xiangling said, "Although you like it, daughters can't inherit the family business. If you confer a title, your daughters won't get it! You should go to the rooms of those two concubines these days! I hope they can give birth to a son!"
"What are you talking about? I went to them just to give birth to a son for me? What's wrong with a daughter? General Qin is also a woman, wasn't she also granted the title of queen? Our daughter will also be a heroine!" Fang Xinyu said.
"How many heroines are there like my grandmother?" Ma Xiangling said dejectedly.
"With your husband here, I'm sure the court won't grant you that honor. Even if my daughter isn't a martial artist, she can still be a civil servant! Maybe one day she'll become the top female scholar!" Fang Xinyu said. Decades later, Fang Xinyu's daughter actually did become the first female scholar to win the imperial examination during the Ming Dynasty, a story that will be passed down through the ages.
"Okay! I hope I can see that day! Can you give your daughter a name?" Ma Xiangling said.
"Just call her Wenjun!" Fang Xinyu is not very good at naming.
"Grandmother said that we are preparing to attack Chengdu next month. Are you confident this time?" Ma Xiangling asked.
“Chengdu must fall!”
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