After Zhu Yuanzhang and Fan Jingwen left, he looked at Wu Mengming and said, "Wu Qing, after Niu Jinxing exposed Li Yan, is there anything unusual among the rebels?"
After hearing this, Wu Mengming pondered for a while and said: "There's nothing special about it... Oh, it seems that Niu Jinxing was so excited that he couldn't even listen to Li Zicheng's words, but then he was calmed down by Li Yan somehow."
"He was suppressed by Li Yan. He has not been dealing with Li Yan all the time. How could he give in so easily? Could it be that Li Yan caught him with something?"
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said with some doubts.
Wu Mengming shook his head and said: "Our spy also heard what others said. The specific situation is not clear, but it seems that Li Zicheng intends to form an alliance with the Jurchens."
"Because Li Yan strongly opposed it, Li Zicheng did not express his position at the time, but he kept Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance after the meeting, presumably to discuss an alliance with the Jurchens."
"Li Yan seemed to be a little disheartened because of this, and asked Lady Hong to quietly leave the military camp with her cronies, as if she was going back to her hometown in Henan."
Zhu Yuanzhang heard this and asked: "How many people did the Red Lady bring?"
Wu Mengming said: "The Red Lady and her party only have twenty or thirty people, and most of them are her female soldiers. There are also four or five strong men following them."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "Are there any other situations besides this?"
Wu Mengming thought for a while, shook his head and said, "Our spies have heard this information. If Your Majesty has any doubts, I will immediately arrange for someone to investigate."
Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a while and said: "You go to find out the situation of the rebel defense line first. As for the spies on the Hengshan side, stay lurking for the time being. If necessary, you can withdraw from Hengshan."
Wu Mengming was shocked when he heard this and said: "Your Majesty, do you suspect that our spy has been discovered?"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "This is very possible, because what you just said is confidential. Since our spy did not participate, logically he should not know such things."
"But now that this kind of information that ordinary people cannot know is found out, either the other party deliberately spread the information, or there is something wrong with our spies."
"But no matter what the situation is, it means that our spy has been discovered by the other party, so you must handle it with caution."
Wu Mengming bowed and said: "I understand, I will deal with it now!"
After he said that, he hurried out of Dongnuan Pavilion.
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a while, then looked at Shen Zhanran and said, "Shen Qing, what do you think of this matter?"
Shen Zhanran bowed and said: "Wei Chen also feels that this may be a conspiracy of the other party, but he doesn't know who they are behind the show!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "The one who acted this time must be Li Yan. Unexpectedly, we just came up with a divorce plan for him, and he performed a drama for us backhand. He is really a talent!"
"However, although the play is fake, there are also real things in it. For example, Niu Jinxing and Li Yan have had a long-standing feud, so it is impossible to act in a play. And Li Yan's abnormality this time may be a hint to us that he wants to use our Get rid of Niu Venus with your hands!"
Shen Zhanran was silent for a while and said: "Niu Jinxing is now in a high position among the rebels, so how can we..."
He suddenly stopped as he spoke, looked at Zhu Yuanzhang in surprise and said, "Is it possible that Niu Jinxing and the Jurchens are colluding?"
Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a moment and nodded: "It is very possible. We heard from Wang Shoulin that Niu Jinxing used Fu Fu Tower to contact the Jurchens last time. I think Li Yan must have found out something and knew about us. The Jurchens were forced to retreat last time, so we have this hint."
"If this matter is true, then Li Yan's frustration should be false. Although the relationship between him and Li Zicheng cannot be confirmed, based on Li Yan's character, he should still be loyal to Li Zicheng, so the change of defense should be A trap."
Hearing this, Shen Zhanran said with some confusion: "Although Wu Sangui's troops are not many, they are all elite soldiers and strong generals. However, Li Thief's morale is low now and his numbers are not superior. It should be impossible for him to attack Wu Sangui..."
As he spoke, he suddenly looked panicked and said, "Could it be that his target is Ping Xihou?"
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and said: "This is very likely, but it is a pity that Jinyiwei's carrier pigeon can only send messages in one direction, and we are beyond our reach now."
"Fortunately, Wu Mengming just said that Gao Jie and others were attacking the defense line, and Gong Yonggu was not involved. I hope he can see through this!"
Hearing this, Shen Zhanran said with a sad look on his face: "Your Majesty, although the chance is slim, should we send someone to notify him? Maybe it will be too late!"
"You must know that this battle is of great importance. If Ping Xihou is defeated, the offensive and defensive situation will be reversed, and our previous efforts may be in vain."
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Shen Zhanran carefully, and after confirming that he was showing his true feelings, he said in a deep voice: "Shen Qing, you have to remember that if you want to be called an excellent military strategist, no matter how many emotions you have in your heart, you must not let it go. It clouds your judgment."
When Shen Zhanran heard this, his body trembled slightly and he hurriedly apologized: "Your Majesty, I know that I was wrong. Please forgive me!"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "We don't mean to blame you, we just remind you not to let your emotions affect your judgment."
"Actually, what you just said is not entirely wrong. Ping Xihou's army is almost all our property. If he really falls into the trap, our losses will be huge."
"But looking at the overall situation, the impact will not be too serious, because Wu Sangui should have seen the conspiracy if he dared to send troops, and he should also know that he is guilty, so he will not sit idly by and ignore it."
"And the rebels are on par with us in terms of strength. They simply cannot absorb all of our troops. At worst, they will enter a stalemate."
"But the determined Ma Chongxi has been defeated. With Huang Degong moving north, our chances of winning are still very high."
Shen Zhanran had indeed lost his normal judgment due to emotional influence just now. Now after listening to Zhu Yuanzhang's analysis, he nodded repeatedly.
Then he gathered his energy and said: "Your Majesty, since this matter is a trap, then the story of the Red Lady returning to her hometown in Hunan is probably also a lie. Now Zuo Liangyu is confronting Yuan Zongdi on the border of Henan, could she take the opportunity to help? Yuan Zongdi?"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "The Red Lady and her party only have twenty or thirty people. Even if they get to Henan, it will be difficult to achieve anything. We are afraid that she will take the opportunity to wipe out Shanxi, which will cause some trouble for the Anguo Guild!"
"Although An Guogong has joined Fu Shan, Han Lin and others, his strength is limited after all. You can go back and draft a decree to let Li Ruolian lead his army to sneak into Shanxi to see if you can assist An Guogong."
"But the two places are too far apart, so it may not be possible in time. I only hope that Ping Xihou can see through the conspiracy and maintain his strength."
"If this is the case, you should write a letter to Ping Xihou as a friend and ask him to send some people into Shanxi Xiang to help Duke An Guo if his military strength allows!"
Shen Zhanran nodded and said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, all the ministers have taken note of it, and Anguo Gong Ji, the Prime Minister, will definitely be fine."
As he spoke, he glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang again, and then whispered: "Your Majesty, there is another thing that should be true, and that is the alliance between Thief Li and the Jurchens."
"There is no news about Weibeihou yet. I don't know what his situation is in North Korea. If Li Thief and the Jurchens form an alliance, we may have to fight on two fronts, and the situation may become even more passive."
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "Don't worry too much about this matter. According to time, Shi Kefa's army should arrive in the next two days."
"Although the Southern soldiers are not good at land warfare, they should be better at water warfare than the Jurchens. When the time comes, we will let them attack Pi Island, which will delay the Jurchens' dispatch of troops..."
While the two were talking, a young eunuch came in to report that Ni Yuanlu and Li Jing were outside seeking an audience.
