Xi'an, a valley in the Shouyang Mountains.
It was already midsummer, and the sun was mercilessly scorching the earth, seeming to melt everything.
Fortunately, there are lush trees in the valley, which block a lot of sunlight. Hundreds of soldiers with incomplete armor are hiding in the shade of the trees to rest.
I saw them gathering in small groups, discussing something in low voices, and looking towards a tent not far away from time to time.
In the tent, Li Zicheng, wearing golden armor, was staring at the march map with a solemn expression.
Not far behind him, Li Guo, Liu Fangliang, Gao Guiying and others were all dressed in military uniforms, whispering in low voices.
At this time, there was a burst of rapid footsteps, and then Gao Yigong was seen running in in a hurry.
After everyone saw him, their faces showed nervousness.
Gao Yigong nodded to everyone before saluting Li Zicheng and said: "Your Majesty, Lin Chengcheng, He Lan and others from Gansu have arrived with 20,000 elite troops!"
When everyone heard this, their faces immediately showed joy, and they looked at Li Zicheng at the same time.
Li Zicheng turned around slowly and said in a deep voice: "They haven't been discovered here, have they?"
Gao Yigong shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. Zuo Menggeng and Gao Jie are still fighting in Chang'an and have no time to take care of our troops west of Chang'an."
"And they came here very cautiously. After entering Shaanxi, they basically took the mountain roads and did not encounter any open soldiers."
Li Zicheng nodded and said, "Okay, it's up to you to arrange their rest, but they must disperse their troops to avoid being discovered by the soldiers!"
Gao Yigong heard this and said hesitantly: "Your Majesty, Lin Chengcheng and He Lan have arrived now, and our military strength has reached 60,000."
"Coupled with the thousands of elites we have lurking in Chang'an and the support of the people, we can definitely..."
Gao Yigong originally spoke very passionately, but when he saw Li Zicheng's eyes, he couldn't help but stop.
Seeing Gao Yigong's eyes filled with fighting spirit and hatred, Li Zicheng couldn't help but shake his head secretly.
However, he was not dissatisfied because he knew that Gao Yigong had suffered a lot of infamy for his role in internal fighting scenes before, and now he was eager to clear his name and wash away his shame.
It's just that the current situation is complicated and we must not act on impulse.
If you are not careful, you may lose everything.
And if he loses, he may never have a chance to make a comeback.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look at the other people present.
When he found that everyone was looking forward to it, his originally determined heart was shaken a little.
Just when he was hesitating, Li Yan's description suddenly appeared in his mind.
Li Zicheng was silent for a while and then said: "I also want to regain Chang'an, but Jierhalang is still in Yulin now. If I send troops now, I'm afraid something will happen in Yulin, which will be detrimental to the overall situation!"
Hearing this, Gao Yigong frowned and said: "Your Majesty, the left governor also sent news two days ago, saying that Jierharang has been forced to Yulin by Li Mou and Yu Yin, and he will be driven out soon. "
"Furthermore, it will take time for us to regain Chang'an, so we can do it at the same time. Moreover, since the fall of Chang'an, the morale of the soldiers has been getting lower and lower. I am worried that as time goes by, the soldiers will lose their fighting spirit..."
As Gao Yigong's voice sounded, the fighting spirit in the eyes of Li Guo, Liu Fangliang and others became more intense.
Upon seeing this, Li Zicheng knew that if Gao Yigong continued to speak, the situation might be difficult to control.
But if he interrupts forcefully at this moment, it will also hurt everyone's hearts.
So after Gao Yigong finished speaking, he pretended to be sad and said: "Marquis Linqu, I know that you are feeling bitter. In fact, I also want to regain Chang'an, but according to the arrangement of the military advisor, the time is not yet ripe."
"You must know that for the sake of this situation, the military advisor did not hesitate to abandon the morality in his heart, destroy his family and bring Gao Wencai into the situation."
"Although Chongzhen has been transferred to Wuchang by the military adviser's plan, and Gong Yonggu has also led his army into Shaanxi, it seems that the overall situation has been decided, but don't forget that Niu Jinxing has not yet reached Jierhalang, and Song Xiance has made another move unknown."
"If this matter failed due to my reckless actions, how could I be worthy of his spirit in heaven, worthy of..."
As soon as Li Zicheng said this, Gao Yigong, Li Guo and others all looked sad.
It turned out that Li Yan was worried about being discovered by Zhu Yuanzhang when he was making the layout. Although he had already laid out Guo Sheng, Dang Shousu and other chess pieces, he was still worried about making mistakes, so he buried Gao Wencai's move.
His original plan was to leave Gao Wencai in Chang'an if Gong Yonggu and others fell into the trap.
If the other party doesn't fall into the trap, leave with a high morale and tell the truth through his mouth.
When Zhu Yuanzhang and others knew that the previous incident was a ruse, they pretended to make a mistake and allowed Zuo Liangyu or Gao Jie to occupy Chang'an.
When Gong Yonggu discovers that things are inconsistent with the information he has received, he will inevitably feel hesitant.
At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang was deeply involved in the war in Shandong and Jiangnan, and could not come to command. With Gong Yonggu's ability, even if he could obey orders and stick to it, he would not be able to restrain his powerful generals who were eager to make achievements.
In addition, Gong Yonggu attaches great importance to reputation. After the spies incited the people to slander him, even if he did not take the initiative to send troops, he would go along with the situation.
As long as Gong Yonggu leads his army into Shaanxi, Najirharang will definitely retreat.
The Jurchens were defeated one after another and should be waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.
At this time, Niu Jinxing, as an important figure who knows the "inside story", will definitely be taken seriously by the Jurchens.
With Niu Jinxing's character and the information he had, he would only suggest that the Jurchens attack Datong, so as to take the opportunity to perform meritorious deeds and enhance his status among the Jurchens.
In this way, Gong Yonggu could only give up Shaanxi and return to Datong.
Dashun's soldiers and horses can take the opportunity to counterattack, seize Shanxi and other places, and besiege the capital again.
Once this situation is formed, Ming soldiers from all over the Yangtze River will definitely wait and see.
Even if they cannot capture the capital by then, they will still be in an invincible position.
Of course, as an excellent strategist, Li Yan also considered the possibility of failure.
Therefore, he joined forces with Zhang Xianzhong to set up a bureau in Sichuan and Guangdong and Guangxi.
This is also the reason why Yuan Zongdi led his army into Sichuan, because if Shaanxi was really lost, Li Zicheng could gain a foothold in Sichuan and regain his strength.
In exchange, the Dashun Army must help Zhang Xianzhong capture Guizhou and other places.
I just didn't expect that the war in the south was going very smoothly, but in Shaanxi, because Li Zicheng was self-centered and did not follow Li Yan's advice, he appointed Song Xiance to defend the city, causing Chang'an to fall prematurely.
Due to the hasty nature of the matter, not only did the Niu Jinxing incident go awry, but the Dashun Army also suffered considerable losses.
Fortunately, Gao Jie and Zuo Mengeng had been fighting for Chang'an and had no time to pursue, so they gradually recovered.
Just when everyone was remembering Li Yan, a personal guard came in and reported: "Your Majesty, the Zuo Governor just sent news that not long after Niu Jinxing and Niu Quan reunited, Jierhalang was driven out by Gong Yonggu's troops. Yulin.”
"Furthermore, Xu Wenpu and Hui Deng have already clashed over the city affairs, and Governor Zuo is trying to provoke them into a fight."
"In addition, Governor Zuo also said that Gong Yonggu is not at ease with General Li and others, and has been secretly wary. Governor Zuo is worried that the other party will find out, and is planning to start an incident in the near future, so that His Majesty can prepare early..."
After listening to the report of the personal guard, Li Zicheng couldn't help but show hesitation on his face.
Some people died, but not completely...
