Immediately afterwards, Niu Chenghu and Chen Yongfu also came one after another, and their words were almost the same.
Niu Chenghu was the commander-in-chief of Lintao, and Chen Yongfu was the commander-in-chief of Henan. They were not affiliated with the Qin army system. Zhu Yixi felt a little embarrassed, but she still reluctantly accepted.
However, among these people, it was Chen Yongfu who Zhu Yixi valued so much that he didn't even ask for anything.
"This -" Chen Yongfu was quite surprised and said with an moved face: "Brother Zhu is so selfless even though he is penniless..."
"Mr. Chen, although you don't have any troops, you are worth a hundred thousand troops."
Zhu Yixi said seriously.
I don't covet your troops, I only covet you.
"Huh?" Chen Yongfu was shocked and said with a wry smile: "You praise me too much. I am just a defeated general who has been defeated repeatedly."
"No, you have failed repeatedly."
"Huh?" Chen Yongfu was surprised: "What's the difference?"
"The difference is huge." Zhu Yixi chuckled and said, "You are unyielding. Isn't this the style of a famous general?"
"So?" Chen Yongfu looked at the young man, puzzled.
"Anyway, you don't have any troops under your command anymore, so why not train them for me?"
Zhu Yixi said sincerely: "As long as you help me train soldiers for three months."
Hearing this, Chen Yongfu started to think about it.
Now, he has no soldiers and horses under his command. According to the personality of the imperial court, he must be the chicken who kills the chicken to scare the monkeys.
However, if his name is on the memorial, at least he can be punished and perform meritorious service, and he can even retain his position as commander-in-chief.
It took three months for the memorial to go back and forth to Beijing, and it was worth it.
"Okay!" Chen Yongfu nodded and sighed: "Others avoid me. Since Brother Zhu doesn't dislike me, let me give it a try!"
"Okay!" Zhu Yixi clapped her hands and laughed: "With Mr. Chen, it's really great!"
The next day, Zhu Yixi told Sun Chuanting about Fenrun's contribution.
Governor Sun smiled and said, "You are quite shrewd, and you are able to keep up with the rain and dew."
"If appropriate, just follow what he said and draft a memorial!"
"Yes!" Zhao Shu, the staff member on the side, couldn't help but nodded and smiled.
After a while, a memorandum of apology was drafted.
Sun Chuanting took special care of him and let him take a look.
Zhu Yixi took a careful look and saw that the beginning was Sun Chuanting's self-apology, stating the reasons for the defeat, and also wrote down several achievements. He ranked first from the bottom.
Zhu Yixi was very satisfied to be able to go to the court and be previewed by the emperor.
"Thank you, Supervisor." Zhu Yixi said with great emotion.
"Ahem, it's okay!"
Sun Chuanting coughed and his face became paler. Zhao Shu on the side also had a face full of concern.
"Jingming, among everyone, although you and I are the shortest, you are closer to me. Do you know why?"
"I'm assuming a humble position, I'm afraid it's because of my identity."
Zhu Yixi looked up, took a look at his face, and said cautiously.
"Yes, it's identity."
Sun Chuanting nodded and spoke loudly: "Whether he is Niu Chenghu, Gao Jie or Bai Guangen, or he is a bandit, or a frontier soldier, although he has no fear in fighting, he cannot be trusted in his bones."
"You are different. You are from a clan, with a clean family background, and you are loyal and honest. If there is any disagreement, I will be most at ease in entrusting my wife to you."
"Ashamed of my humble position..." Zhu Yixi lowered her head, feeling quite embarrassed.
This is the truth, and it feels comfortable to hear.
"The situation is so corrupted, what can be done?"
Sun Chuanting sighed, his expression becoming increasingly ugly.
With just 10,000 or 20,000 people, there is little hope of holding Tongguan, but we always have to try.
"Report, enemy troops outside the pass are attacking——"
Suddenly, soldiers came to report.
"Huh?" Sun Chuanting's expression changed. He was helped up and walked away slowly.
Zhu Yixi saw this and hurriedly helped the other side.
Immediately, when they arrived at the city head, the other generals had already arrived.
I saw that outside the pass, the flags blocked the sun, and the uneven ground was filled with hundreds of thousands of intruders. It was impossible to see the edge, black and dense, like ants, stacked up in rows and rows of huge waves.
Those at the front are still the skinny hungry people, or the people behind the broken city. They are at the forefront and become cannon fodder.
The innermost layer is the Laoyingkou of the Chuang Army. There are about 20,000 to 30,000 people, all of whom are guarding Li Zicheng and will not move easily.
"The intruders are coming with force."
Niu Chenghu's eyes widened and he said in a deep voice.
"It was expected."
Gao Jie glanced at Sun Chuanting, who was silent, and said, "The purpose is probably Shaanxi."
"No, there's me."
Sun Chuanting said coldly: "If I don't die, he won't give up."
Everyone's heart sank.
I don’t know if this ancient pass can withstand these hundreds of thousands of people.
Moreover, entering Guanzhong is not limited to Tongguan. It can also be reached by crossing the Yellow River and jumping from Shanxi.
With the many soldiers and horses of the intruders, once the troops are divided, the consequences are unpredictable.
"I have ordered all the boats at the ferry to be destroyed. It will take at least ten days and a half for the thieves to cross the Yellow River."
Sun Chuanting said in a deep voice: "Let's defend first to wear down their energy, and then retreat."
"Yes!" Several people hurriedly responded, and Zhu Yixi, who had just been promoted to guerrilla general, also hurriedly handed over.
"Yeah!" Sun Chuanting nodded, his expression not very good.
Outside the city, Li Zicheng was riding on a horse. Even if he became King Shun, he would not be a sedan chair.
Years of running have made him always remember mobility and dare not leave the horse for a moment.
He raised his head and looked at the world.
Tongguan is high in the north and south, but it is bounded by the Yellow River in the north and Linzhiyuan and Qinling Mountains in the south.
To the west are Jinggou and Ziwu Ridge, and then the endless Weihe Plain.
And to the east, where he was, was Yuanwanggou.
However, in the early Ming Dynasty, the section of the Tong River that entered the Yellow River was included in Guancheng, so that the Tong River flowing into the Yellow River from south to north passed through Tongguan City.
Therefore, there are more than 1,000 acres of land in Tongguan City.
In a sense, Tongguan is self-sufficient.
"There is no other way except hard work and taking too many lives."
Li Zicheng narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice.
Regarding Li Guo's death, he was very calm at this time, and all his resentment was placed on Sun Chuanting.
"Human life is the least valuable thing."
Song Xiance rode a horse and accompanied him by the side. He also looked up at Tongguan and chuckled:
"Just in time, the entire Henan province is running out of food. Grab more refugees and let us and Governor Sun consume them."
"Ten for one, a hundred for one, it's all worth it."
Everyone has become accustomed to such cold-blooded words, but Li Yan sighed and did not agree.
In the past few years, even if he tried hard in every possible way, he still could not change the tradition of bandits in the army. Although he pretended to be a shunwang, he was still the same as before.
And he raised his eyes to oppose him, but Niu Jinxing, who was born in Juren, also had a look of unbearability on his face at this time.
Over the years, Niu Jinxing repeatedly persuaded Li Zicheng to let go of scholars and common people, which made him change his mind a lot.
Obviously, if Tongguan is captured at any cost, at least tens of thousands of people will be killed or injured.
After all, it’s human life!
