This was the first time that Zhu Yuanzhang saw Liu Wenbing and Shen Zhanran so tit-for-tat. At this moment, he was secretly happy to see that the two of them had finally put aside their personal feelings and focused on serving the public.
Liu and Shen argued for a long time, but neither could convince the other. In the end, they both looked at Zhu Yuanzhang.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said to Li Guozhen on the side: "Li Qing, what do you think of this?"
Hearing this, Li Guozhen bowed and said: "I feel that although Sir Shen's words are reasonable, the risks are quite high, but An Guogong's plan is more secure."
"Because the rebels have been running rampant for more than ten years, their power in the north is no longer weaker than that of the imperial court. It is too difficult to eliminate them in a short period of time. I think we should proceed step by step and fight steadily..."
After Li Guozhen finished speaking, Shen Zhanran argued with a smile: "Uncle Xiangcheng, although the rebels have been rampant for more than ten years, it took them less than half a year from Xi'an to the capital."
"Except for leaving a few soldiers and horses to guard the prefectures and counties we passed, most of the officials who managed them were the same people. Most of those officials were afraid of the power of the rebels and surrendered, and they did not sincerely submit."
"If we can counterattack in time, they will not hold on, and it is entirely possible for us to conquer them in the short term..."
Li Guozhen shook his head and said: "Sir Shen, what you are talking about is all about the rear. But now when the rebels are fleeing, we are still unable to defeat their defense line. This shows that our army's combat power is insufficient..."
...
After another debate, the three still could not reach an agreement, so they had to ask Zhu Yuanzhang to be the judge.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the three of them, then took off the sword from his waist, handed it to Wu Mengming, and said in a deep voice: "Wu Tongzhi, please give this sword to Ping Xihou."
"Let him supervise the army in battle. If there is anyone who refuses to obey the order, delays the fight, or is afraid of fighting, regardless of his or her position, he can be killed first and then punished with this sword!"
As soon as he said this, everyone present was stunned. Only Wu Mengming stepped forward to take the sword and prepared to walk out of Dongnuan Pavilion.
When Liu Wenbing saw this, he was shocked and hurriedly knelt down and asked: "Your Majesty, the reinforcements from all walks of life have not yet fully returned. If this order is issued, I may be counterproductive. Please think twice!"
Zhu Yuanzhang knew that he had just returned to Beijing and had not understood the situation clearly, so he smiled and said: "Dong An Guo, you don't need to worry. Wu Sangui has something in his heart at the moment and is about to make meritorious deeds to show his loyalty, so he will not dare not try his best."
"Although Gao Jie and Li Chengdong are in the same army, they actually have their own parts. In addition, because of Li Benzhen's incident, they have long been inseparable. When we dismantled the army last time, Gao Jie had no objections. I don't dare to come forward this time."
"As for Ma Jinzhong, Wang Yuncheng, Jiang Yu and others who are all mediocre people, Ping Xihou is enough to control them..."
After listening to Zhu Yuanzhang's story, Liu Wenbing finally understood and took the initiative to ask Ying: "Your Majesty, although the cavalry led by me was damaged in Baoding, it can still fight."
"I am willing to lead my troops to sneak into Shanxi, contact Li Jiantai, Han Lin, Fu Shan and others, and launch an attack on Li Thief from behind."
"Even if we fail to succeed, I can still guard the pass leading to Xi'an and will not let the rebels pass easily."
Zhu Yuanzhang heard this and said in a deep voice: "Although Shanxi is empty, you are going deep alone. Once discovered by the rebels, it may be difficult to break out."
"Although Li Jiantai is from Quwo, he has made no achievements since he led his army out of Beijing. Now he is going to Shanxi because of the situation. He will not have time to take care of himself, so how can he help you?"
Liu Wenbing shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, you don't know something. Although Li Jiantai is cowardly, his pre-military paintings of Fu Shan and Han Lin are quite talented."
"Han Lin's firearms skills are not inferior to Tang Ruowang's. He once formed a musketry team in his hometown to stop the rebels. Fu Shan is not only proficient in various schools of thought, but also has superb medical skills. He has countless people alive in Shanxi and is highly respected by the people. .”
"In addition, Shanxi is the hometown of both of them. With their prestige and talents, they should be able to gather a lot of people in a short period of time."
"In addition, all my troops are cavalry. Even if they are discovered by the rebels, they can still protect themselves. At that time, we can hold the city and wait for reinforcements, or we can lead an army to make a surprise attack. The rebels will not dare to fight to the death because they are attacked from both sides. Such a great thing can be accomplished. . Please give your Majesty’s permission.”
Zhu Yuanzhang had planned this before, but now seeing that Liu Wenbing was right, he was silent for a while and said: "Okay, in that case, we are sure. If there is any disagreement, you should return in time. Don't force it!"
After Liu Wenbing respectfully agreed, he left Dongnuan Pavilion with Wu Mengming.
"Li Qing, although the Jurchens have retreated, we are worried that Hauge hastily accepted the challenge and may not be Dorgon's opponent, so we want to send you to lobby North Korea. Are you confident?"
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Li Guozhen and said solemnly.
After hearing this, Li Guozhen was silent for a while and said: "Your Majesty, when the Jurchens attacked North Korea, North Korea also asked the imperial court for help. However, the imperial court was busy suppressing rebellion and failed to provide timely assistance, which resulted in the collapse of North Korea and the enmity between the two countries. "
"Nowadays, North Korea takes refuge in the Jurchens and respects them like a king and father. I am afraid that my ability is limited and I may not be able to persuade North Korea to come back."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "Uncle Xiangcheng, we have already planned this for you. This time you and Wang Qing will still pretend to be merchants and go to North Korea. At the same time, I will sponsor you another one million taels of silver."
"You can use this money to contact Dorgon and Hauge's forces in North Korea and help Hauge. If Hauge fails, you can visit North Korea as envoys. Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, it will be enough to make the Jurchens Distracted!”
"As for your safety, you don't have to worry. The Zheng clan from Fujian has led his army north. When the time comes, we will let them pretend to attack Pi Island, and then send troops to North Korea to cheer you up."
When Li Guozhen heard this, he was a little surprised and said: "Did the Fujian Zheng family really send troops?"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "Yes, their troops are on their way. Due to the long distance, they have not arrived yet, but they should not be too late than the Nanjing army."
Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang speaking so firmly, Li Guozhen bowed and said: "Since your Majesty has arranged everything, I am determined to persuade North Korea to surrender!"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "North Korea was enslaved by the Jurchens for more than just one day. It is too difficult to change them in a hurry. All you need to do during your trip is to change their attitude."
"At that time, in order to maintain authority, Dorgon will definitely further intimidate North Korea. Then will be the real opportunity to persuade."
After Li Guozhen bowed in agreement, he also turned and left Dongnuan Pavilion.
Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Shen Zhanran had a different look on his face and knew that he had been worried about Zhang Yingjing. After hesitating for a while, he said to him again: "Shen Qing, go to Jiang Qing and ask him if there is any news from the Zheng family. Already?"
Shen Zhanran was thinking about whether he should ask Zheng about it, but when he saw Zhu Yuanzhang taking the initiative to mention it, he whispered: "Your Majesty, if Zheng doesn't send troops, what are you going to do?"
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered: "According to Jiang Qing, although Zheng Zhilong has no ambition, his fourth brother Zheng Hongkui is quite ambitious, and his strength is not weak."
"After our decree arrives, even if Zheng Zhilong is indifferent, Zheng Hongkui may not be able to hold it back. As long as their Zheng family's troops take action, we will let Nanjing's soldiers and horses disguise themselves as Zheng's army and attack Pidao."
"Since the Zheng family is famous and the Jurchens are weak in water warfare, they will not dare to pursue them in a hurry. If the Jurchens do not fight, North Korea will definitely not dare to take action. This can also achieve the goal."
Shen Zhanran was silent for a while and didn't speak again. After bowing and saluting, he was about to walk out of Dongnuan Pavilion when he heard Zhu Yuanzhang's voice: "Shen Qing, when you come back, you can make a decree and make the uncle of Xiangcheng the Marquis of Weibei." , use your strength to show off your beauty!"
When Shen Zhanran heard this, his body trembled slightly, and then he responded respectfully.
