With the defeat of Sun Chuanting and Cao Bianjiao's tribe, half of the country in the northwest of the Ming Dynasty became a place where bandits were wreaking havoc. Li Zicheng ordered the bandit battalions to begin sweeping across Henan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi.
After receiving the order, Yuan Zongdi led an army of more than 100,000 soldiers from the Youying Battalion to capture Taiyuan and Ningwu, and defeated Li Fuming, the chief military officer of Shanxi Town. Li Fuming led thousands of remaining soldiers to Datong Mansion in embarrassment.
Wang Pu then concentrated his troops and together with Li Fuming, urgently deployed defenses in various places in Datong Prefecture. At the same time, he sent 800 miles to rush to the capital to report to the imperial court and ask for reinforcements.
At this time, the entire three northwest provinces, except for Datong Mansion, which was still in Wang Pu's hands, the rest had been captured by Li Zicheng's army of bandits. The bandits were spreading everywhere, and the world was shocked!
Then Li Zicheng marched eastward, Li Guo led the bandit rear camp to break into the southern tip of Beizhili, and Liu Zongmin led his troops southward into Hubei and other places. For a time, Li Zicheng's name became famous, and the situation in the world was ruined in the blink of an eye. Extreme.
In mid-September, Li Zicheng led 5,000 knights into Xiangyang City. At this time, Liu Zongmin led his troops to capture the city. For the first time, he did not rob the people. Instead, he began to imitate the officers and soldiers and set up lists inside and outside the city to appease the people.
Li Yan, Gu Junen, Niu Jinxing, and Song Xiance also entered the city with Li Zicheng. Everyone rode their horses and followed Li Zicheng. They saw that the people in the city were relatively stable and there was no large-scale escape. Several people's faces were exposed. A hint of a smile.
Song Xiance said with a smile: "King Chuang can obey the destiny of heaven and obey the people's will. If so, hegemony will be achieved!"
Niu Jinxing reached out and counted with his fingers, and then said: "In my opinion, now our rebel army is attacking
Ke Xiangyang, this is the hub of the world, it is in line with the hexagrams of the saints of heaven, and it is in compliance with the will of heaven. Therefore, I suggest that King Chuang proclaims himself king in Xiangyang City, and instead calls him King Xinshun! "
Li Yan saw that Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance were advocating the trick of becoming king again, with a look of dissatisfaction on his face, and he was about to speak, but he saw Gu Junen shaking his head slightly at him.
Li Dingguo on the side also frowned, as if he knew something, and for the first time he remained silent.
Li Zicheng smiled and said: "Didn't I say it before? It's too early to claim the throne at this time, and this proposal is not advisable."
Soon the large group of people arrived outside the official office in Xiangyang City. Many people had gathered here, kneeling on both sides of the large group of people, shouting "Long live King Chuang", "Mighty Heaven", etc. The smile on Li Zicheng's face became even bigger. .
Then the five thousand knights also shouted, and after a while, everyone's shouts converged into the word "Long Live".
At this time, Li Zicheng was already laughing, and Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance on the side were shouting loudly, conspicuous like the "atmosphere group".
When Li Yan saw this, he understood that these common people were secretly found by Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance. They were obviously here to enhance the atmosphere, give Li Zicheng a "yellow robe", and give Li Zicheng a way to become king.
Li Dingguo rode his horse to Li Yan's side, with a hint of worry in his eyebrows. When he looked at Li Yan, he saw that Li Yan was also the same.
The battle had just been won, but the rebel army was already in a state of excitement. Even the always self-restrained King Chuang was feeling dizzy with the title of King Xinshun.
"well!"
Li Dingguo and
Li Yan and Gu Junen were all sighing. Looking at the farce in front of them, the three of them felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
At this time, Li Zicheng enjoyed the feeling of being admired by thousands of people, as if the world was crawling at his feet. This feeling was something that real money, silver, fine clothes and food could not give. Only the supreme authority could bring this kind of satisfaction. feel!
Li Zicheng just wanted to roar loudly at this moment, shouting out all the suffering and fear he had experienced over the years, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and all the sounds converged into one sentence: "From today on, I am the King of Dashun!"
"Long live! Long live! Long live!"
Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance took the lead in shouting three times, and then the people who gathered, as well as thousands of thieves and soldiers, started shouting and roaring, creating a spectacular scene.
On that day, Li Zicheng ordered to change the prefect's Yamen in Xiangyang City into his temporary palace. Then he discussed with Li Yan, Song Xiance, Niu Jinxing, and Gu Junen for a long time, and finally decided to recruit the exiled people, "give cattle breeding, relieve poverty, The strategy of "raising animals and farming mulberry trees" was also "recruiting people to cultivate fields and collect their seeds to pay the army".
Li Yan said: "Your Majesty, from now on, our rebel army should completely abandon the banditry. After conquering cities and territories, we must establish a firm foothold, treat the people well, encourage farmers to cultivate mulberry trees, and improve military discipline. Only in this way can we become stronger with each war and finally overthrow this decadence." The world!"
"In addition, our rebel battalions must not disperse their forces and settle for pleasure. Instead, they should concentrate their forces in the Kaifeng area, threaten Beizhili from the north, and at the same time beware of Liu Yan's tribe in Shandong."
Niu Jinxing said: "In this way, there will be insufficient soldiers and horses stationed in various places, and the surrounding officers and soldiers
What if we counterattack? "
Li Yan said: "Nowadays, all the soldiers in the Ming Dynasty, except Liu Yan's tribe, that is, the elites from all over the nine sides, and Qin Liangyu of Sichuan, are still some threats. However, this time Qin Liangyu and other Sichuan troops only sent troops to threaten, and did not cooperate with Sun Chuanting's tribe. , it can be seen that Sichuan soldiers and horses also lack money and food, and are unable to attack at all."
"Therefore, each battalion of our rebel army should take this opportunity to replenish its troops, and at the same time follow Liu Yan's example and establish garrisons in various cities to prevent the elite soldiers of our rebel army from being divided and dispersed."
Li Zicheng clapped his hands and said, "Just do what Mr. Li wants!"
Seeing that Li Yan's proposal was accepted again, Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance's expressions turned cold again, and they were very jealous.
Over there, Li Zicheng said: "Since I have decided to ascend to the throne of Xinshun King, preparations for the enthronement ceremony will begin and will be held in Xiangyang City. Mr. Song will be responsible for this."
Song Xiance stood up and accepted the order.
"After the ceremony, our rebel army was changed into the Dashun Army. Each battalion immediately replenished its troops and prepared to build a garrison. Then the generals of each battalion and General Quan led the troops to assemble in the direction of Kaifeng and wait for orders!"
"yes!"
Late at night, Li Yan returned to his temporary residence in Xiangyang City and entered the courtyard. The red lady opened the door and welcomed him out with a smile: "I heard that during the day, all the soldiers supported King Chuang's accession to the throne and King Shun. Such a happy event , Husband, why is your face so grim?"
Li Yan pulled the red lady into the room, and then said: "This is not supported by all the soldiers. It is obviously the plan of Song Xiance and Niu Jinxing, in order to get the merit of Conglong!"
"This is not a bad thing. Now our rebel army has swept across the river.
The three provinces of South China, Shanxi, and Shaanxi, and even part of Hubei Province have been captured. Our million-strong rebel army is in full swing. It is reasonable for such a happy event to interfere with the king's accession to the throne. "
Li Yan worriedly said: "Most of the generals in the rebel army are from reckless backgrounds. Our rebel army is developing too fast now. They will be dazzled by the victory and the glory and wealth in front of them. If even King Chuang is obsessed with becoming king, then I The rebels will most likely become corrupted quickly, and in the future..."
At this point, all Li Yan's words turned into a long sigh, and the red lady also frowned slightly and said: "My husband is worried about this and it is not the solution. Let's take it one step at a time. I think Li Dingguo from the Firearms Camp is still very strategic. My husband can make more friends with this person to help him."
"Li Dingguo is indeed a talent, and his ability is by no means inferior to Yihu and Li Laiheng. However, he is Zhang Xianzhong's adopted son. King Chuang will not regard him as a confidant. Let him lead a battalion by himself. This is considered important. In the future, people will not be able to do much in the rebel army, and they cannot be called a big help."
The red lady said: "Don't think about these things for now, there is something I want to talk to my husband."
Li Yan said: "Let me tell you, the lady rushed from the old camp in Luoyang, not just to see me, there must be something going on."
The red lady then said with a solemn expression: "Right now, the hearts of the people in the old camp are floating. Many family members of the rebels believe that King Chuang is about to seize the world and become a great treasure. Therefore, many people in the old camp consider themselves to have contributed to the founding of the country and start to do evil in Luoyang City. If this continues, something big will happen!"
Li Yan said: "At this time, I will report to King Chuang tomorrow, or let Chuang Chuang
The king ordered the old camp to be reorganized. Before King Chuang gives the order, don't deal with it casually. Just stabilize the situation first. "
"I see."
The next day, Li Yan reported the matter of the old camp to Li Zicheng, but at this time Li Zicheng was obsessed with breaking into Beizhili. He was looking at the map and discussing with Gu Junen and Niu Jinxing how each camp should go north.
After listening to Li Yan's report, Li Zicheng smiled and said: "Haha, our rebel army has swept through half of the Ming court. With such a victory, it is reasonable for the people in the old camp to cause some trouble. Tell the red lady, just give it a little beating. , don’t hurt the harmony.”
Li Yan wanted to say more, but was stopped by Li Zicheng: "Mr. Li, come and take a look. Mr. Niu suggested that our rebel battalions start from Kaifeng and go north through Kaizhou and Neihuang to enter Beizhili."
"But Mr. Gu thinks that this route is too close to Shandong, and he is worried that Liu Yan will send troops to stop him from participating in the war. Therefore, Mr. Gu thinks that our Dashun Army units should go north into Shanxi, capture Datong Prefecture first, and solve their worries, and then concentrate their forces from Taiyuan Prefecture. Break into North Zhili, go east from Jingxing Pass, go to Zhending Prefecture and Baoding Prefecture, and then besiege Beijing City!"
Li Yan actually does not recommend attacking the city of Beijing at this time. Now that the hearts of the rebels are floating, the most important thing is to stabilize the hearts of the various units, rectify military discipline in each battalion, strengthen drills, etc. If the expansion is too fast, they may even actually capture the city of Beijing. , the rebels are unable to control the fruits of victory.
But Li Yan did not dare to say such words, so he had to say: "Your Majesty, the students still prefer Mr. Gu's opinion. It is right to capture Datong Mansion first. But after capturing Datong Mansion, I, Dashun
Should the various military departments reorganize themselves first to prevent them from advancing too quickly and unprepared, and being surprised by Liu Yan's troops? "
When Liu Yan was mentioned, the excitement on Li Zicheng's face also dissipated a lot. After pondering, he said: "It makes sense, let's do it like this. After all the battalions are assembled, first go north to Datong Mansion to surround and annihilate Wang Pu and Li Fuming's troops. , and then make a decision based on the situation!”
When Li Yan returned to his residence, Lady Hong came over eagerly and asked, "What did King Chuang say?"
"well!"
Li Yan said: "King Chuang asked you not to hurt your harmony and just try to persuade him."
"It hurts the harmony? This kind of thing that violates military laws can only be done with a heavy code. King Chuang should directly give me the authority!"
Li Yan said: "Don't you understand this? Now King Chuang is obsessed with capturing Beizhili and seizing the world. Now he needs the support of the soldiers of each battalion most and their service. How can he punish the family members of the old battalion for these things? ?”
Lady Hong said worriedly: "If we act like this, even if we capture the city of Beijing, will our rebel army really be able to secure the world?"
