Before hanging himself, Chongzhen lifted the table

Chapter 100 The important land of food and grass
With a "boom" sound, Ning Wu closed the gate and lowered it.

The soldiers of the former Dashun Army in the Wengcheng suddenly looked like frightened rabbits, frightened and anxious, looking up at the defenders on the walls on all sides.

Emperor Chongzhen looked down, and naturally saw their uneasiness at a glance, and immediately said loudly to them: "Don't worry, I keep my word. If you put your weapons into the city, you can survive. Do you have any sharp weapons on you? They are all lost. In a quarter of an hour, I will send someone to check everyone and then arrange for you."

After finishing speaking, he headed towards the arrow tower at the head of the inner city.

When Zhou Yuji and other generals saw it, they immediately followed the emperor to the arrow tower.

After hearing what Emperor Chongzhen said, the people in the urn city stared at the figure of the speaker in stunned silence until they could no longer see him.

Then, there was a loud noise, and almost everyone couldn't help but speak, and there was a quarrel.

"Is the person who just spoke really the current emperor?"

"It's impossible. How could the emperor come to Ningwuguan? And if I read it correctly, he was the sharpshooter just now. Does the emperor have such ability?"

"It seems impossible, but haven't you seen that Marshal Zhou is following him, who can stand above Marshal Zhou?"

"I heard cheers from the top of the city just now. It must be the emperor, right? But I have a feeling that it seems impossible!"

"..."

If we look at it rationally and from various signs, the man just now is indeed the current emperor!

However, from an emotional point of view, especially based on their knowledge, that person just now can never be the emperor who lives in the Forbidden City!

Therefore, it is a contradiction, no one dares to be [-]% sure!

Later, someone saw the nine people on crutches who followed them into the city. Naturally, they asked those nine people.

Zhang Ergou heard their chattering questions and immediately shouted: "Quiet, quiet, quiet..."

Not to mention, maybe everyone wanted to hear what he had to say, so the crowd of more than 2000 people actually fell silent.

Everyone, whether they could see him or not, turned their heads towards him and listened with their ears perked up.

Zhang Ergou had never seen this scene before. Under the attention of everyone, his head was raised a little higher, and he immediately said loudly: "You all guessed it wrong. The one who just spoke is our Ming Dynasty Emperor, who is the emperor!"

At this point, he saw that the people in front of him seemed to be opening their mouths to speak, but he was not satisfied yet. So many people were listening to him, so he quickly shouted: "Long live Lord has already arrived with the army, but Long live Lord Mercy gave us the opportunity to surrender... and recruit peace, as Long Live Lord himself said, we can go home or join the army, but we just don’t want to be thieves again!"

Hearing this, the soldiers of the Dashun Army in the Wengcheng couldn't bear it any longer. They made another loud noise and started talking in a variety of ways.

"No way, it turns out the emperor is really here. Let me tell you, he looks like a king at first sight!"

"Nonsense, you were doubtful just now. In fact, I have already seen it. The emperor is the emperor. With such powerful abilities, it is a matter of course!"

"..."

It can be seen from their faces and tone that most of them are very excited, maybe because they want to survive, or maybe because they actually see the emperor in this life!

Zhang Ergou was not satisfied yet. Seeing them discussing in different places, he shouted again: "Quiet, quiet, quiet..."

This time, the effect of his shouting was not as good as before, and it took a while before he slowly quieted down.Everyone looked at him again, wondering what else he would say?

Zhang Ergou said loudly: "Let me tell you, I also heard a huge secret. Do you want to know?"

As soon as he heard this, it seemed that he was trying to titillate people. People who were close to him were not happy and immediately yelled at him to tell him to speak quickly.

Zhang Ergou felt bored and had no choice but to say loudly: "I heard that after Lord Long Live came, he paid off his salary arrears and guaranteed that the military salary would be paid on time in the future. Really, I was shocked when I heard what they were saying. I’m stunned! Brothers, you can pay off all the unpaid wages!”

As soon as he said these words, everyone immediately showed expressions of disbelief, just like they didn't believe that the emperor was coming, and started talking one after another.

"How is this possible? The imperial court has been in arrears for so many years. Where does the money come from?"

"Yes, even if it is a problem to issue military pay, where will the money come from to pay off the arrears?"

"I have been a soldier for five years and have never seen what military pay is. Even food is a problem. That's why I surrendered to the thieves. Are you telling me that the court has money to pay off the arrears?"

"..."

Regardless of whether they believed it or not, with the emperor's precedent of becoming possible what they thought was impossible, they eventually became doubtful.

Just as they were discussing, they saw a group of military officers wearing flying fish uniforms appearing on the city wall. The leader looked at the crowd below and shouted loudly: "The quarter hour is approaching. Anyone who has been found with a sharp weapon will use it to plot evil." Those who are killed will be put to death!"

Upon hearing this, there was a clanging sound in the urn city, and there was the sound of a pile of weapons being thrown to the ground.

The appearance of the Feiyu suit once again proved that the man just now was really the emperor.

These people who hide sharp blades may not necessarily have malicious intentions.It's just that when they first entered Wengcheng, they hid the sharp blade to gain some confidence, even though they knew that if the officers and soldiers broke their promise, the result of their resistance would only be "death".

Now it seems that the emperor's golden words will definitely not break his promise, so there is no need to hide this sharp blade.

Soon, the inner city gate opened on one side, and under the supervision of many heavily armed soldiers, a group of royal guards shouted to them to line up and began to search their bodies.

After searching carefully, if no problem was found, they moved forward and came to the front of several imperial guards in imperial robes behind them.

Among them, the captain of the Jinyi Guards would ask them: "Is there any military intelligence report from the rebel army? Important military intelligence can be rewarded!"

Most of the soldiers of the former Dashun Army were just big-headed soldiers like Zhang Ergou and the others, and they were still big-headed soldiers in a miscellaneous army, and could not provide any military information at all.

However, Zhou Dabiao heard this and immediately said: "The villain is the leader of this team. Thousand households in Taiyuan City have important military information to report to His Majesty!"

When the leader of the Jinyi Guards heard this, he immediately became energetic and immediately asked: "What kind of military situation is this?"

"The villain knows where the Dashun Army...the thief army's grain and grass are stored, and where the thief army's small camp is!"

When the Jinyi Guardsman heard this, he immediately felt that the matter was of great importance and immediately took him to the top of the city.

After a while, Zhou Dabiao was brought to the emperor.

"Long live my emperor, long live, long live!" Zhou Dabiao knelt down and shouted as soon as he saw the emperor's figure.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at him and said immediately: "What news do you have?"

When Zhou Dabiao heard that the emperor's tone did not seem to be very angry, he raised his head to look at the emperor and quickly explained: "The villain is Zhou Dabiao from the Qianhu Army of the Taiyuan garrison. He had no choice but to surrender the bandit army before. Please, please Your Majesty will atone for his sins, and the villain will definitely atone for his sins..."

Not hearing what he wanted to hear, Zhou Yuji suddenly frowned, obviously dissatisfied.However, he didn't like scolding in front of the emperor, so he could only wait patiently.

Emperor Chongzhen, on the other hand, seemed to be very patient and did not interrupt Zhou Dabiao's words. He just listened to what he was saying, saying that he was forced to do so and did not really surrender to the thieves.

Emperor Chongzhen knew that Zhou Dabiao must be frightened inside, so he took care of his psychology and let him speak out. If he felt at ease, he might be able to get more news.

Not to mention, after listening to Zhou Dabiao's explanation, Emperor Chongzhen suddenly remembered the historical situation. Many Ming generals rebelled against Li Zicheng after Li Zicheng's defeat.It's hard to say what their thoughts were based on, but one thing is certain, they have no loyalty to Li Zicheng.

Maybe he really sees that the situation is over, maybe he is greedy for life and is afraid of death, maybe he wants to take advantage of the troubled times and sell it at a good price, etc., maybe it is all.

Emperor Chongzhen was thinking about this, and after hearing Zhou Dabiao finish his defense, he said: "The villain is not good at fighting, but he is good at talking, so he has a better relationship with the rebel army. This is also after so many days in the villain's army. The reason why he was sent to die. The villain once heard the thieves chatting, and accidentally heard that the thieves’ grain and grass were stored in two places..."

Upon hearing this, several generals around Emperor Chongzhen immediately became energetic.

Of course they know the importance of food and grass to the army.Countless wars in history were all related to food and grass security.Not to mention anything else, let’s talk about the most recent battle between the imperial court and the Liaodong Jianlu, the Battle of Songjin, which collapsed because the Jianlu cut off the food route.

There was also the war that took place last year. The decisive battle between Governor Sun and Li's army was completely defeated because Liu Zongmin's cavalry army cut off the food route.

And so on, even if you know where the rebel army's grain and grass are stored, it must be heavily guarded, but if you know where it is, you may have a chance, which is also an excellent fighting opportunity.

Therefore, they all listened with their ears pricked up.

Just listen to Zhou Dabiao continue to say: "...the rebel army's grain and grass are stored first in Taiyuan, and the second place is Daizhou. A while ago, I heard from the rebel army that the grain and grass may not be enough, and they need to send grain and grass from Taiyuan to Daizhou for supply. For use by frontline troops.”

As he spoke, he peeked at the expressions of the emperor and others. Seeing that they were all listening seriously, he knew that the news must be very popular with the emperor, so he spoke even more energetically: "... I know this is important, little man. So I eavesdropped with my ears pricked up. It is said that Mianhou... was the thief general Yuan Zongdi who led his troops south, as if to rescue the Central Plains, so the pressure on food and grass was lighter. But the villain is sure that Daizhou's There is still a lot of food and grass.”

Hearing this, Zhou Dabiao stopped and waited for the emperor's opinion.

However, Emperor Chongzhen did not speak, but Zhou Yuji said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Daizhou is close to Ningwuguan and Yanmenguan. If the bandit army stores food, it is indeed a suitable place!"

Of course Emperor Chongzhen had seen the map of Shanxi, especially the map near Ningwuguan, so he nodded and asked Zhou Dabiao: "Is there anything else?"

"And, and more!" Zhou Dabiao responded quickly after hearing this, and then continued, "I also heard that over in Daizhou, Li Zijing, the third brother of the bandit leader Li Zicheng, was stationed, and his daughter-in-law Gao was also stationed there. , with Li Thief’s family camp.”

At this point, he said with a sad face: "I'm afraid the villain's family is also there. Now that the villain has abandoned the dark side and turned to the light, I'm afraid it's hard for the family to survive!"

Zhou Yuji didn't have time to listen to his cries, so he immediately asked: "How many troops does Daizhou have, how many infantry and how many cavalry?"

After hearing this, Zhou Dabiao stopped his sadness, and faced the stern Zhou Yuji, he replied with a little panic: "I really don't know, I have only heard so much news!"

After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen softened his tone and said, "The bandit army may not know that you have turned from darkness to light and corrected your evil ways, so they may not do anything to your family. When I defeat Li's bandit army, maybe you will be reunited."

When Zhou Dabiao heard this, he showed a hint of expectation, obviously caring about his young family.

Emperor Chongzhen saw that Zhou Dabiao seemed to have nothing to say, so he said to him: "Go down and think about it first. If you still think of anything, come back and report it. I said that you can join the army or go home in the future, but you can't go back." Thief, go!"

After hearing this, Zhou Dabiao thanked him profusely and was taken away by the Jinyi Guards School Captain.

During this period of time, there was a guard in Jinyi waiting outside. At this time, he came in to report that the information collected was not as important as the information Zhou Dabiao mentioned, but there was some individual information that could prove the accuracy of the information Zhou Dabiao said.

In summary, through this capture of prisoners, we learned that the news from Li Zicheng's army is that Li Zicheng has less than 20 troops. The food and grass for frontline operations are stored in Daizhou, and even the small camp of the rebel army is also there, garrisoning troops. The thieves are Li Zicheng's third brother Li Zijing and Li Zicheng's daughter-in-law Gao. Their strength is unknown.

I saw Zhou Yuji being the first to report to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the army to Daizhou to fight. If we can destroy the place where the rebel army stores food and grass, the traitor army will be in chaos. Even if the traitor army cannot be defeated, the traitor army will be defeated." Must retreat!"

At this point, he was afraid that the emperor would disagree, so he quickly added: "The last general is familiar with Daizhou and leads the troops to fight from Yanmen Pass. As long as he moves quickly, he can catch the Li thieves' army in front of Ningwuguan before they react. When there is a chance, Yes. Even if we can’t defeat them, we can still scare the army of Li thieves so that they don’t dare to act arbitrarily. It will also benefit the morale of the officers and soldiers and damage the morale of the thieves!”

When He Zan heard this, he immediately clasped his fists and asked for battle: "Your Majesty, the last general is a cavalry army. They move quickly and can attack Daizhou before Li's army can react. Even if it fails, they can retreat to Yanmen Pass in time!" "

There is an excellent fighter opportunity in front of you. As long as you are an enterprising general, you will definitely not want to miss it. He Zhen, another cavalry battalion commander, also said: "Your Majesty, Yanmen Pass is a great victory. Calculate the time. The bandit army will win." I am about to get the news, and I will definitely think that our army's departure from Yanmen Pass will threaten Daizhou, so the cavalry attack can only gain some time, and I will go there in the end!"

Suddenly, several general soldiers were rushing to fight.

But who would have expected that after Emperor Chongzhen listened to what they said, he thought for a while and then said to them: "In the battle of Daizhou, I will lead the cavalry on a trip!"

Upon hearing this, several generals were shocked, and even Fang Zhenghua, who had been silent, became nervous.

The Battle of Daizhou is not an easy one.After all, it was a city. If the cavalry attacked the city, the possibility of capturing it was very small. Moreover, they had to guard against reinforcements from the bandit army at Ningwuguan, so it was also very dangerous.

The emperor guarded the city at Ningwuguan. Because Ningwuguan had a steep terrain, the possibility of the rebels capturing it was small and it was relatively safe.But if you go to Daizhou, the risk is very high. What if something happens to the emperor?Who can bear this responsibility?
Therefore, after Emperor Chongzhen said this, Zhou Yuji and others, including Fang Zhenghua, all immediately advised against it.

Even Emperor Chongzhen had already demonstrated his battlefield skills and won their recognition.But leading the army to fight in the Battle of Daizhou was definitely no small matter, and they still did not dare to let the emperor fight.

However, Emperor Chongzhen was obviously not acting on impulse. When he saw the opposition of his ministers, he just calmly said to them: "In the past two years, especially in recent years, Li Thief's army has been extremely successful. The imperial officers and soldiers surrendered after hearing the news, which seems to be beneficial to Li Thief." , in fact, it is also a disaster.”

Hearing him speak, the others had no choice but to listen.

Emperor Chongzhen continued to analyze them and said: "I know that there are indeed many civil servants and generals in the court who have lost hope in the court and feel that Li Thief is invincible, so they surrendered to Li Thief. However, they surrendered to the traitor. It may not be sincere, but I am forced to do so. Therefore, no matter whether I lead the army to fight against Daizhou, whether it is successful or not, once word spreads, it will inevitably arouse the doubts of these civil and military officials about surrendering to Li Thief. In addition, it will also make Li Thief have no regard for these civilian and military generals. Trust me again. Therefore, the significance of my leading the army into battle is of great significance. It cannot be compared with the gains and losses of a city. It will be of great benefit to the suppression of thieves in the future!"

After hearing this, Fang Zhenghua, as a confidant eunuch of Emperor Chongzhen, was still worried about the emperor's safety, and advised him: "Long live Lord sitting in Ningwuguan will also let the thieves know how powerful Long live Lord is, and it will also have the same effect. Don't take risks." That’s good!”

After hearing this, Zhou Yuji and others nodded, but still did not want the emperor to take risks.

After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen asked resolutely: "I am sitting here in Ningwuguan and I am leading the army to fight in Daizhou. Which piece of news can make the people of the world have more confidence in the imperial court? I have made up my mind and go ahead despite the danger!"

If he was just the original emperor with no power, then he would definitely not be able to take the risk and go to Daizhou.

Now that he thinks he has the ability to protect himself, a trip to Daizhou is actually not a big risk, but in terms of benefits, especially the reputation of the emperor that was previously ruined, it will definitely have a very significant impact.

Just imagine, a brave emperor who can mount a horse and conquer the world, in this troubled world, it is self-evident how many hearts he can win!
Seeing that Emperor Chongzhen was resolute and reasonable, Zhou Yuji was silent for a while and then said: "In that case, I am the most familiar with Daizhou, the last general, and I am willing to accompany your majesty in the battle. If you don't hit a single blow, return to Yanmen Pass as soon as possible. Is this good?"

Emperor Chongzhen listened, looked at him, nodded and said, "That's right!"

It was finally decided that Emperor Chongzhen would lead two cavalry battalions and more than 1000 cavalry troops directly under his command, a total of more than 7000 cavalry troops, and rush to Yanmen Pass to attack Daizhou from Yanmen Pass!
(End of this chapter)