"Didn't Wu Mengming say why the rebels retreated?"
Seeing that Zhao Erhu did not tell the reason for Li Yan and others' retreat, Zhu Yuanzhang asked again.
Zhao Erhu shook his head and said: "No, it is said that Ping Xihou and others are also surprised, because as long as Li Yan leads the army to attack for another day, General He will definitely be defeated."
"The rebels will not only be able to capture Datong, but also advance to the capital. But I wonder why they suddenly retreated?"
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he knew that Wu Mengming had not told Gong Yonggu and others about the rebellion, and he recognized him more in his heart.
He was silent for a while and then asked: "Since the rebels who besieged Datong have retreated to Shaanxi, have the troops who fought Zuo Liangyu also retreated?"
Zhao Erhu said: "The visitor didn't talk about this matter, but he said that the two adults, Hou and Li, have come forward to provide relief, and now the momentum of the refugee riots has weakened."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "Okay, you immediately send more manpower to pay close attention to the movements of Dorgon and Hauge. If there is anything abnormal, report it immediately!"
After Zhao Erhu bowed in agreement, he withdrew from the tent.
Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a while, then looked at Zhang Huangyan and said, "Zhang Qianhu, what do you think of this matter?"
Zhang Huangyan heard this, thought for a while, and then said: "Your Majesty, I don't know much about the situation of the rebels."
"But they withdrew to Shaanxi when they were about to win. It seems that something very important happened in Chang'an. To be on the safe side, we might as well wait and see what happens."
"Firstly, it allows our soldiers to have a good rest, and secondly, it prevents the army from pressing on the border and forces them to attack the outside world in unison!"
A flash of surprise flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, and he asked again: "Do you think Li Yan and others retreated because of internal fighting among the rebels?"
Zhang Huangyan nodded and said: "Marching and fighting is no child's play. You can fake retreat to lure the enemy on the battlefield, but I have never heard of retreating to the mainland to lure the enemy."
"You must know that the three armies have not moved, and the food and grass go first. Tens of thousands of soldiers are spending a lot of money every day. The general feels that the rebels will never joke about such a thing."
"War is a continuation of politics, especially since Gao Yigong, who had been staying in Chang'an, suddenly led his army to go on an expedition. The general guessed that this should be the result of their internal fighting."
"Moreover, the troops from Datong that came out later have withdrawn, but the troops that attacked Taiyuan before have not retreated. Either Li Zicheng had doubts about these troops, or Gao Yigong and others were anxious to go back to deal with internal affairs."
"But no matter what the situation is, it shows that there are conflicts within the rebels, and..."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded secretly when he saw that Zhang Huangyan could infer so much information from just a battle report and a few conversations.
In fact, after he heard that Li Yan and others had retreated, he guessed that the surrendered general had attacked Li Zicheng, and that Li Zicheng had been injured, otherwise Li Yan and Gao Yigong would never have given up such a good opportunity and returned in a hurry.
But if that's the case, how could Wu Mengming have no news? Or is it that Wu Mengming didn't get the exact information?
Hao Yaoqi and others did not retreat. Was Li Zicheng suspicious of them, or was Gao Yigong worried that they would help Li Guo after returning and deliberately prevented them from going back?
Then he thought that Li Zicheng was not mediocre, and it was impossible not to be wary of the returning generals. In addition, the level of the reduced generals who stayed in Chang'an was not high, so they might not have the chance to hurt Li Zicheng.
If this is the case, then this is most likely a conspiracy.
But what is the purpose of Li Zicheng doing this?
Could it be that Li Zicheng wanted to use this to eliminate rebellion and straighten out the government?
If this is the case, even though Li Zicheng will not go east in the short term, he should not be underestimated.
Then he thought about the plague. When Shen Zhanran and Gong Yonggu returned to Beijing last time, although they also talked about it, they did not tell the details.
Judging from the news sent back by Wu Mengming, this plan should have been designed before and was not a temporary idea.
If so, Shen Zhanran's move should not only help Gong Yonggu repel Hauge, but also be suspected of causing Gong Yonggu to commit suicide!
Because since Chongzhen ascended the throne, he has almost never won the battle with the Jurchens. If Gong Yonggu defeats Haoge, his reputation will be as high as the sky.
Did Shen Zhanran come up with this plan because he was suspicious of him and worried that Gong Yonggu would be burdened by his fame?
These thoughts flashed through Zhu Yuanzhang's mind, and then he looked at Zhang Huangyan who was talking eloquently.
After the other party finished speaking, he asked: "Zhang Qianhu, do we remember that Xia Wanchun said that you were from Wenju?"
Zhang Huangyan was stunned when he heard this, and then said respectfully: "I am lucky enough to be blessed with God's grace. I was lucky enough to win the election two years ago!"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "Okay, then you can help us draw up two decrees. One is that Pingxi Hou Gong Yong has made great achievements in defeating the enemy, and Jin will be granted the title of Pingxi Gong!"
"The second one is to ping Xibo Wu Sangui for his meritorious service in defending the city, and he will be named the Marquis of Zhendong!"
Zhang Huangyan had a look of surprise on his face when he heard that he was asked to draft the decree.
Then I heard that Gong Yonggu and Wu Sangui were both granted dukes and marquises due to their military exploits, and I remembered that Zheng Hongkui had been conferred the title of Jingdong Bo before, and I couldn't help but feel shocked.
He calmed down and said with some hesitation: "Your Majesty, imperial edicts are usually written by civil servants from the cabinet or the Hanlin Academy, and the final general is a military general. I am afraid that this edict is..."
"It doesn't matter, if we ask you to draft it, then you can draft it boldly. And who said military generals can't draft edicts!"
Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted Zhang Huangyan loudly before he could finish what he said.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Huangyan walked towards the case cautiously, but Huang Ting behind him showed a look of surprise.
After Zhu Yuanzhang said the general idea casually, he walked slowly to Kun Yutu and was about to check the topographic maps of Shandong and Henan. Unexpectedly, Zhang Huangyan respectfully handed over two drafts of the imperial edict.
Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly startled. He took it and took a look at it. He found that not only the words were gorgeous, but also the depth was appropriate.
It not only reflects Zhu Yuanzhang's praise for them, but also does not lose the royal majesty.
After Zhu Yuanzhang praised it three times in a row, he asked him to write the original copy, stamped it with a jade seal, and asked Zhao Erhu to send it away.
With the issuance of these two imperial edicts, the morale of the soldiers in Shanhaiguan and Datong was greatly boosted.
At the same time, memorials from the DPRK and China impeaching Gong Yonggu and Shen Zhanran were delivered to Zhu Yuanzhang's case like snowflakes.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang had no time to pay attention at this moment, because he had been waiting for three days, but Dorgon's smuggled troops had not yet arrived.
Of course, if it were just this matter, Zhu Yuanzhang would not be worried. What really worries him is the war situation in Shandong and Henan.
Because Wu Mengming has sent news one after another in the past few days, saying that after Gao Jie occupied Liaocheng, he immediately marched into Puyang, preparing to force Ren Qi's troops to retreat and seal Guo Sheng to death in Shandong.
Unexpectedly, Xie Bu used the excuse that Guo Sheng intended to attack Liaocheng, sent troops to Liaocheng, and had a conflict with the Xing family.
When Shi Kefa learned of this, he had to go to mediate again.
Unexpectedly, the mysterious army suddenly appeared again and took the opportunity to attack Shi Kefa and Lu Jiude's troops, causing the eastern defense line to collapse.
After Ren Qi was defeated by Gao Jie, he retreated westward to Heze, Shangqiu and other places, but accidentally suppressed Li Ruolian's uprising in these two places, causing Li Ruolian's plan to fail.
It turned out that Li Ruolian was worried that Zuo Liangyu would stop him from attacking cities from the north to the south.
Therefore, after setting off from Datong, he broke into pieces, with thousands or hundreds of soldiers as units, and sneaked into major cities east of Henan in batches, preparing for an uprising together, and opening up the passage before Zuo Liangyu could react.
Unexpectedly, the uprisings in both the north and the south were successful, but Heze, Shangqiu and other places in the middle were occupied by Ren Qi, so that the passage was cut off in the middle.
Fortunately, Zuo Liangyu's prime ministers Jin Shenghuan and Hui Deng were still confronting Hao Yaoqi, and Mianchi's 100,000 troops were still under the control of Du Yinxi and Shen Yunying, so Zuo Liangyu did not take any action.
However, according to Gao Wencai, who was lurking next to Li Yan, news came that after Li Zicheng was assassinated, he has not shown up yet and has not issued any orders.
After Gao Yigong returned from Datong, he immediately threw himself into the battle for power with Li Guo.
Although Li Guo was a fierce general on the battlefield, he was far from Gao Yigong's opponent politically.
In order to save the defeat, Li Guo had intended to recall Hao Yaoqi and others.
If Hao Yaoqi and others retreat, Zuo Liangyu will definitely let Jin Shenghuan attack Li Ruolian.
Not only will it be impossible to open up the channel to the east of Henan by then, I am afraid that the war situation in Shandong will also be reversed.
If another rebellion breaks out in the south and food from the south cannot be transported north, the north may fall into chaos again, making the situation even more difficult to deal with.
Some people died, but not completely...
