In fact, Zuo Liangyu initially joined the army. Although he wanted to gain fame, he also had the intention of saving the world and serving the country.
But later, with the increase in power and suppression by civilian officials, his mind gradually changed.
However, because Chongzhen had always treated him with great courtesy, even though he often acted against his will, and even secretly communicated with some people who had different intentions, he only wanted to deceive and gain some benefits, and never thought of doing anything rebellious.
It wasn't until the capital was besieged and the whole country was filled with the atmosphere that Chongzhen was destined to die and the Ming Dynasty was exhausted, that he accepted Mr. Zou Da's suggestion in order to stabilize his power and win a supporter.
Unexpectedly, not only did Chongzhen not die, but he beat Li Zicheng until he fled.
After he learned about this, he also regretted it.
It was just that a big mistake had been made, and although Chongzhen was victorious, he was weak, and he was surrounded by enemies on all sides, so he made the mistake and acted daringly.
But as the situation evolved, especially Zuo Xianmei's advice, he felt hesitant.
So at this moment, facing Lu Jiude's persuasion, thinking that the other party had been exposed and that Chongzhen wanted to kill him, he was unwilling and did not dare to express his position, lest he would be unable to return.
Zuo Liangyu was silent for a while, then glanced at the secret letter in his hand, and said thoughtfully: "Although Zhu Cixiang is reckless, Queen Zhou is not simple."
"It is said that after Zhou Hou learned about this, he had already severely punished Zhu Cixiang. Now that Zhu Cixiang can't even walk, how can he lead his army to the expedition?"
Hearing this, Lu Jiude shook his head with a smile and said: "Zhu Cixiang's punishment is not a big deal. You must know that his expedition this time is not to fight in battle, but just to boost morale through the personal expedition."
"What's more, according to our family's news, Zhu Cixiang only received more than ten sticks before being stopped by Zhu Aona, so the injury was not serious. As for the words such as being unable to get out of bed, it was just a cover-up."
Seeing what Lu Jiude said, Zuo Liangyu believed it a little more, but still insisted: "Even if Zhu Cihong is defeated, His Majesty is still here."
"Think about how powerful Li Zicheng was before, but he was defeated and fled in just a few days. Although the rebels are strong now, they are at the end of their game."
"Once His Majesty leads his army to return for reinforcements, let alone the rebels, I'm afraid the Jurchens will be defeated. What can you do, Supervisor Lu?"
Seeing Zuo Liangyu's fear, Lu Jiude comforted him and said, "Although your Majesty is a great talent, he is also incompetent."
"If our guess is correct, your wife's delay in moving in Wuchang must be due to your Majesty's control."
"And Wuchang is more than two thousand miles away from the capital. Even if your Majesty wants to, there is nothing you can do."
"What's more, although His Majesty has recovered Shandong, Henan and other places, the troops he can use are only the tens of thousands of remaining troops in the hands of Gong Yonggu, Liu Wenbing and others."
"Once the capital falls, His Majesty will not be able to protect himself, so what ability will he have to save the situation?"
As Lu Jiude spoke, he glanced at Zuo Liangyu again, and when he saw his expression flickering, he continued: "Uncle Ning Nan, if you hadn't considered this, how could you have withdrawn Jin Shenghuan?"
When Zuo Liangyu heard this, his expression immediately changed, but he returned to normal in an instant.
It turned out that after Gong Yonggu's defeat, Zuo Liangyu had secretly ordered Jin Shenghuan to lead five thousand elites to the capital in a roundabout way, preparing to take advantage of the chaos to create favorable conditions and prepare for his capture of the capital.
Later, he learned that Wang Dehua had sneaked back to the capital. Fearing that Jin Shenghuan would be left alone, he secretly mobilized three thousand elites to assist.
But as the situation developed, especially after he felt that the Ming Dynasty might not be exhausted, he suspended his previous plan.
Therefore, the matter was extremely secretive, and even Zuo Xianmei didn't know about it. He was surprised when Lu Jiude revealed it unexpectedly.
However, Zuo Liangyu is a man who has the city in mind after all. After he was surprised, he forced himself to be calm and said: "The Jurchens are coming fiercely. I am afraid that the capital will be damaged, and I am unable to request an order. I am worried that sending troops rashly will cause misunderstandings, so I let Jin Shenghuan I went secretly to prepare for emergencies, but I didn’t expect that Supervisor Lu would misunderstand me.”
Lu Jiude smiled noncommittally and said, "Uncle Ning Nan is indeed loyal, but I don't know if Wang Dehua is also so loyal."
"My family heard that after Wang Dehua helped Li Zushu capture Yunnan, he rushed back to the capital without stopping. I wonder if he also went to assist Zhu Cixiang in defending the city!"
Zuo Liangyu saw that Lu Jiude also knew about Wang Dehua, and knew that if he continued to deal with it, he would most likely anger him.
Although he wanted to get rid of Lu Jiude, he thought that the other party had a deep mind. Since he dared to say this, he must have a back-up plan.
If he cannot get rid of the weeds and root causes, it is very easy for him to get into trouble.
So he sighed softly and said helplessly: "Lu Jianjun, since you have such insight into the situation, don't you know that His Majesty is not in Wuchang?"
"Furthermore, although your Majesty's troops are few, they are no longer alone as before. Now your Majesty has Jiang Dejing, Li Jing, Shen Zhanran and others to organize the court, and the military has generals Liu Wenbing, Li Ruolian, Du Yinxi, and Zhang Huangyan to lead the army. "
"If God has his way, I am afraid that in a few years, Your Majesty will be able to clean up the world and revive the Ming Dynasty. If we continue to ignore the current affairs, we will die without a burial place!"
Seeing that Zuo Liangyu's tone had relaxed, Lu Jiude said in a deep voice: "If Ning Nanbo really wanted to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty, how could your wife secretly order her confidants to sneak into Sichuan, Sichuan and other places."
"What's more, although His Majesty has gone north, he is not in the capital. If our expectations are correct, Your Majesty should be in the Shanhaiguan area now. However, Dorgon came with tens of thousands of lions this time and defeated Wu Sangui and what he thought was the case in one fell swoop. The proud Guan Ning cavalry is unstoppable."
"In addition, Gaudi led his troops out of seclusion rashly, and defeat is just a matter of time. Do you think His Majesty can still recover?"
Zuo Liangyu shook his head and said: "Even if Shanhaiguan is lost, Your Majesty can retreat to the south. Although the Jurchens are strong, they are not good at boating. In addition, the northerners hate the Jurchens, so they will not be able to succeed at all."
Lu Jiude sneered: "Retreat to the south? What is the situation in the south? I believe Ning Nanbo knows better than ours!"
"Furthermore, His Majesty's reputation for evil is widespread. If he really retreats to the south, the situation will probably be even less optimistic."
Hearing this, Zuo Liangyu opened his mouth, but did not make a sound, only a soft sigh.
Seeing Zuo Liangyu's silence, Lu Jiude knew that Zuo Liangyu was already moved, but he refused to express his position because of his scruples about Chongzhen.
Then he said calmly: "My family knows that Ning Nanbo has always been loyal to the Ming Dynasty. However, when the capital was besieged previously, our family and Ning Nanbo both misbelieved people's words, which resulted in a rift with His Majesty."
"Although His Majesty is wise and mighty, his methods are far more ruthless than Taizu's. I think Uncle Ning Nan has also heard about the affairs in Yunnan. The Duke of Guizhou has guarded Yunnan for the Ming Dynasty for more than two hundred years."
"Now that Sha Dingzhou was captured, His Majesty not only did not send troops to quell the rebellion, but there are rumors that Mu Tianbo intends to rebel, and His Majesty has sent people to express condolences to Sha Dingzhou, with the vague intention of rewarding him."
"I think Mu Tianbo is not at fault. Just because the chieftain rebelled and lost power, His Majesty wanted to kill him in order to stabilize the situation. Do you think that given our current situation, even if you try your best to help us, Your Majesty can spare us?"
This matter was something that was on Zuo Liangyu's mind. When he heard this, a fierce look flashed across his face.
Seeing this, Lu Jiude hurriedly said: "If Ning Nanbo can betroth your daughter to Prince Fu, Prince Fu is willing to offer five million taels of gold as a betrothal to help Ning Nanbo achieve his great things!"
When Zuo Liangyu heard this, he couldn't help but look surprised.
Some people died, but not completely...
