weaving

More than a month has passed since Xiangcheng was destroyed.

The Cao Cao rebels were stationed between Jiaxian and Yancheng. They took a short rest. While they were training their troops, they sent people to the Taikang and Zhecheng areas to look for another group of big thieves, Yuan Shizhong, in an attempt to recruit Xiao Yuan's camp. Attack Shangqiu together.

In just a few months, Cao Cao's rebel army killed two Ming Dynasty governors Fu Zonglong and Wang Qiaonian one after another on the border of Henan. One of the generals was as fierce as a tiger, and one of the princes was the Tang Dynasty King Zhu Yudao.

King Chuang's power in Henan was growing day by day, and all the thieves and bandits in the surrounding area took notice and came to join the Chuang army one after another, making King Chuang Li Zicheng's power rise day by day and become even more prominent.

…………

"Yuan Shizhong..."

Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng's eyes tightened, but his eyes shone brightly: "You said Li Zicheng wanted to recruit Yuan Shizhong?"

"Yes. The news from Mr. Chen in Huaiqing Mansion should be correct."

Zhang Cheng still has a little impression of Yuan Shizhong. In his memory, among the thieves in the late Ming Dynasty, only Gao Yingxiang, Li Zicheng, Cao Cao, Zhang Xianzhong and others were deeply impressed.

He couldn't even remember which of the five Gezuo battalions were, but Yuan Shizhong was very impressed. In his heart, his position was probably the same as that of the Jiangnan pirate Zheng Zhilong and the righteous thief Xu Du.

Yuan Shizhong was a native of Huaxian County, Daming Prefecture, North Zhili Province. He had read books when he was young, and he was loyal and knowledgeable.

In the 13th year of Chongzhen's reign, there was a severe drought in Shandong, Henan, Hebei and other places, and locusts blocked the sun. In winter, there was a severe famine. Yuan Shizhong took the opportunity to gather tens of thousands of hungry people and kill officials to start a rebellion.

In November of that year, he led more than [-] troops to attack Kaizhou and killed Xi Zhi, the general of the state.

The following year, he, together with Liu Yuchi, Zhu Chengju and others, entered the borders of Kaifeng and Shangqiu and were active in the southeastern Henan and northern Anhui areas. Their bandit soldiers were known as Xiaoyuan Camp.

In the 15th year of Chongzhen's reign, he was severely pursued by the Ming army, so he chose to camp together with Li Zicheng, and his bandits were even used as the vanguard force to attack Kaifeng.

But not long after, because he could no longer stand the restraint of Li Zicheng, he suddenly led his troops and ran away, hoping to submit to the Ming Dynasty. Since then, he has been wandering between Gui and Bozhou, wavering left and right, and was eventually tabooed by Li Zicheng.

In April of the 16th year of Chongzhen's reign, Yuan Shizhong, who was in power for a while, was killed by Li Zicheng's nephew Li Guo in Qixian County, Henan Province. The soldiers and horses of his small Yuan camp were also annexed by Li Zicheng, and most of them were merged into Li Guo's command.

However, another record about Yuan Shizhong in history made Zhang Cheng look at him differently.

According to the Qing army's entry into the fortress in the 16th year of Chongzhen, the official documents of the Ming Dynasty recorded: "Henan native bandits Xiaoyuan camp tens of thousands of people gathered on the river and captured mountains and rivers. Qing people rode close to the camp. The thieves entered the Qing camp at night, penetrated the horse stables, and set fire to them. After burning the cannon, the men and horses started up and tied each other, running and killing each other, and then moved to the camp and moved to another camp. The generals of Henan recruited thieves to attack the enemy, and they went to the shogunate. They laughed and said: "With the officials, you can control the officials. Who is like a thief?" Worrying, how can I use my first merit?'"

This record is about the deeds of Xiaoyuan Camp. On the eighth day of February in the 16th year of Chongzhen, the Ministry of War issued the "Inscription of Wu Luzhong, the Censor of the Imperial Palace", which also contains "The refugee Liu Hai's confession was obtained after trial... Da Zi returned to Shanghai Prefecture, and at the beginning of the first month of the first year On the second day, the city was broken, and soldiers and horses came to fight the Tatars. They first used cannons to shoot, then shot with arrows, and then chopped with swords. They retreated and attacked again, killing the Tatars until they fled into the city.

The Tatar counting house was also burned, the camel was injured, and a hole was dug to consolidate it. Shouting that all the refugees should come to the trenches. ... His soldiers wore half-green and half-red hats and said, "You people have been captured, and your parents want to see you. Each of them will be rewarded fifty coins, so go back quickly." Hai asked where the reward soldiers came from? Everyone said it was Xiao Yuan Yin. "

Xiao Yuan Yin here is the fault of Xiao Yuanying. He dared to fight the Qing army head on, and also distributed money and food to rescue refugees. I am afraid that only Xiao Yuanying could do such a righteous act.

It is also recorded in the fourth volume of "Chronicles of Yubian" that "Yuan Shizhong, a thief from Kaizhou, crossed the river from Kaocheng to the south and traveled between Liang and Song Dynasties. He did not kill anyone or plunder women. He was also one of the rare thieves."

In fact, Zhang Cheng did not know all the contents of the above historical records, but he remembered very vividly the fact that Chongzhen killed the Tatars in 16 years, and therefore felt particularly close to Yuan Shizhong, a bandit.

Although historical records may not be true, this does not affect his favorable impression of Yuan Shizhong and Xiao Yuanying, so he repeatedly told Chen Zhong and Liu Jinhai in northern Henan to pay close attention to the movements of Xiao Yuanying.

"Has Chen Zhong been in contact with Yuan Shizhong?"

"Going back to my uncle, Master Chen sent word that Yuan Shizhong wants to be cared for, but he has to meet his uncle first before he can make a decision."

"Yeah. I still can't trust us!"

Zhang Cheng turned his head and looked at Sun Shixiang and others, and said: "Dunchu, after Li Ji meets Changping, you and he will go ahead and march into northern Henan. Try to contact Yuan Shizhong. He has also been a bandit by chance, so maybe you can It’s easy to talk to.”

"If he can be drawn into our camp, I will grant him the position of commander-in-chief, and he can select five battalions of elite soldiers, which will still be under his command, Yuan Shizhong. The rest, young and old, will all be placed in northern Henan, Shanxi, and Xuanfu and other places will allocate farm tools to the fields so that they can cultivate with peace of mind."

"Here, Yuan Jing obeys the commander's order!"

Zhang Cheng nodded and asked Niu Sheng: "How are you doing in the prefectures and counties in Jinan to store grain?"

"Everything is in accordance with Uncle Uncle's instructions. From the capital to the south, along the official road to Zhuozhou, Xiongxian, Qingyuan, Zhending, Gaoyi, Shulu, Hengshui, Gucheng, and then to Linqing, Gaotang and other places in Shandong, we opened grain stores. Shop, store grain for later use. Especially in the prefectures and counties of the three prefectures in southern Jinan and the three prefectures in northern Henan, more grain is stored, thinking that uncle will use it to help suppress the bandits."

"Yeah. How is the training going with the young men in Huya Village and Langwopo?"

"Sha Shiguang's Huya Village has a population of nearly [-]. Most of them are hungry people from surrounding villages who have gone to seek refuge. [-] young men have been selected from it and they train day and night. Although they lack armor and weapons, they still have fighting strength. If anything happens, Pulling out thousands of people is not a problem.”

"The situation in Wolf's Den is even better. There are more than 500 people in Dingkou, and he controls several surrounding villages. If uncle calls him, he can have up to [-] young men, including [-] cavalry."

"Ah."

…………

Today's military meeting surprised Sun Shixiang. He never thought that Uncle Yongning's power was so huge?

In front of him, some ministers from various ministries came to visit him. In front of Yongning Bo, they all kept silent and strictly observed the etiquette of subordinates. They regarded Zhang Cheng as their immediate superior, food and clothing parent.

Then, he saw the even more terrifying power behind Yong Ning Bo. Yong Ning Bo’s businesses and escort teams were all over the capital, and he opened grain farms in various prefectures and counties to stock up on grains, and secretly cultivated several stocks of thousands of people. The bandits and thieves are armed with men and horses. How deep is it hidden?
How big is his plot?

Sun Shixiang secretly speculated in his heart that although he had already judged Zhang Cheng would be a very popular minister in the future, it was still difficult for him to decide whether he was loyal or treacherous.

In Sun Shixiang's mind, the Ming Dynasty, the current emperor, slaves outside the pass, bandits within the pass, plus Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng, are the five forces in the world today.

It seems that Chongzhen is the current emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He seems to be aloof and his majesty is inviolable. However, he is restrained by courtiers and etiquette at every turn. Coupled with his character flaws, he has not only done nothing for more than ten years, but also has nothing to say. It's because of frequent fainting moves.

The Huanghuang princes in the imperial court represent a faction of the gentry in the world. Although they are divided into several small factions, under the premise of overall interests, they can still hold together to compete with the current emperor. They are a collective group of vested interests. The equivalent of the old guard in the world today.

Previously, Sun Shixiang had always believed that rogue bandits were a destructive force and did not have the ability to build. Their appearance may cause certain blows and damage to the conservative officials and gentry forces everywhere, but they will eventually become the dust of history, just like the Tang Dynasty. The end of the world is like a yellow nest.

Sun Shixiang was originally very concerned about building slaves. This may be because he was in the Xuanfu and inherited his family's knowledge of mountains and rivers. Especially after the old slaves died of illness and the new slave chief Huang Taiji came to the throne, the construction of slaves All the changes in the slave's side caused him great sorrow.

When Huang Taiji took over the throne, there was Mongolian Lindan Khan in the north, the Korean Kingdom in the south, and the Ming Dynasty frontier army in the middle. The situation was not very optimistic, and it was still a bit difficult.

However, Huang Taiji worked hard to govern and changed the policy of killing Han people during the old slave period. Internally, he vigorously promoted Han people to become officials and win over the people. Externally, he successively eliminated Lin Dan Khan, unified all Mongolian tribes under his command, and conquered the Kingdom of Korea, making it his own. 's granary.

After successfully cutting off two arms of the Ming Dynasty, Huang Taiji's ambition was truly exposed. He changed the Yuan Dynasty and proclaimed himself emperor, and founded the country as the Qing Dynasty, which foreshadowed his ambition to compete with the Ming Dynasty in the world.

Seeing that the Ming Dynasty was in a coma, beset by internal and external troubles, it was like an old man at sunset, getting worse day by day, and seemed to be in a state of subjugation. Jiannu repeatedly invaded the hinterland of the imperial capital, but was unable to resist.

Yongningbo Zhang Cheng appeared in the eyes of Sun Shixiang at this time. He shone like a shooting star in the night. He had tens of thousands of strong soldiers, suppressed bandits internally, built slaves externally, and was able to govern the local area. Quite an achievement.

The arrival of Zhang Cheng made Sun Shixiang, who was in confusion, seem to see new hope in an instant!
It was precisely because of this that he took the initiative to find General Liu Guangwu and expressed his intention to serve Zhang Cheng. However, now he also had doubts about his decision.

He doesn't know whether his decision is correct, and what changes it will bring to his family in the future?
…………

On the evening of April [-]th, the moon had just risen above the glass goblet in the Huangji Palace.

Emperor Chongzhen suddenly felt upset. He was so helpless that he reluctantly endured it. But after reading the documents for a while, he suddenly let out a long breath.

I saw him getting up and leaving the Imperial Case, slowly walking out of Qianqing Palace, wandering back and forth on Danqi.

The early summer night was still very cool, which made his swollen temples feel a little refreshing. Then he took a deep breath of cool air and slowly exhaled the long-suffering suffocation in his chest.

Emperor Chongzhen secretly counted the cloud boards and the sound of the drums, and couldn't help but feel more anxious. He asked secretly in his heart: "Why hasn't Chen Xinjia entered the palace yet? It's already the second watch!"

At this moment, a young eunuch came gently, bowed in front of Danqi and said, "Your Majesty, Chen Xinjia is waiting for your summons outside Wenhua Hall."

"Ah...here comes the chariot!"

Originally this morning, Chen Xinjia had been summoned by Emperor Chongzhen in the Qianqing Palace and asked him about his strategy for dealing with bandits from the Central Plains and slaves outside the Pass.

Although Chen Xinjia is considered smart and capable, the Ming Dynasty has been trapped in the dilemma of two fronts, both internal and external, for more than ten years. Money and food have been depleted, and there is also a lack of troops. Generals are useless, soldiers have no fighting spirit, and military discipline has been corrupted.

Nowadays, there is no good way to save the Ming Dynasty from the crisis, so even though they discussed it for a long time during the morning summons, there was still no result.

Emperor Chongzhen was already impatient. The more he had no emergency response, the more anxious and even restless he became, and the easier it was for him to break out of his bad temper.

The eunuchs and maids on duty in the Qianqing Palace were so frightened that they all kept silent and were so frightened that they didn't even dare to take a breath.

Today, just after dinner, Emperor Chongzhen received a report from Henan, saying that the new Governor of the Three Borders, Wang Qionian, had died at the hands of the intruders, Xiangcheng had been gained and lost, and that there were no more troops in Henan Province to stop the intruders' army.

Although Emperor Chongzhen himself did not think that Wang Qiaonian and his like would be more powerful than Fu Zonglong, and he did not expect him to be able to pacify the bandits in Henan Province, but the bandits should be restrained so that they could not freely attack Kaifeng, right?

How could I have imagined that he would be defeated and die just after he entered Henan Province!

Therefore, the secret report of Gao Mingheng, the governor of Henan, shocked him greatly, and almost extinguished all his hopes for national affairs due to the victory over the slave rebels in Liaodong...

Gao Mingheng mentioned this sentence in his secret memorial: "...In the past, Nanyang was destroyed, the general Hu Dawei died for the country, and the Tang vassal was in trouble. Now the governor of Shaanxi, Qiao Nian, died in Xiangcheng. There are no more soldiers in Henan Province, and Kaifeng is in danger , the king of Zhou was in danger.

I hope that the imperial court will quickly send capable generals to assist Henan Province. Your Majesty, I will urge the brave army of Yong Ningbo of Xuanfu to advance quickly to relieve the crisis of sealing and save King Zhou Wuyou..."

Although Emperor Chongzhen didn't have much affection for the princes of the foreign vassals, the King of Zhou in Kaifeng was a little different.

The army of intruders besieged Kaifeng twice, but failed to break through it. Although it relied on the local civil and military forces to defend the territory, the actions of Zhou Wang Zhu Gongzhen also contributed to Kaifeng's persistence, and there must be no loss.

Moreover, Henan is the hinterland of the Central Plains and an important area of ​​the Four Conflicts. If it falls completely into the hands of thieves, it can occupy Shaanxi to the west and invade Shandong to the east, blocking the north-south traffic of the canal. This will cut off the blood supply to the capital of the Ming Dynasty!

Tonight, because of the trouble of bandits in Henan, he thought of the "peace negotiation" with Jiannu again, so he anxiously ordered the eunuch to tell Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, to enter the palace quickly and wait for the summons in Wenhua Hall.

Regarding the secret peace negotiation with Jiannu, even Emperor Chongzhen himself believed that it was the only emergency solution at present. Taking advantage of the Jinzhou War, he was secretly instructing Chen Xinjia to proceed in secret as quickly as possible.

"After all, Chen Xinjia is a man of hard work, unlike those ministers who talk about benevolence, justice and morality. He may be the only one in the civil and military dynasty who understands my difficulties and is willing to consider my current predicament!"