Very few people knew about Chang Yu's quiet departure from the capital, and even fewer knew what he was going to do. His departure did not cause much trouble in the capital. The people were still busy with their own livelihoods, and the officials also performed their duties. In order for the court to solve problems for the emperor, the cabinet bosses were still sighing while drinking tea with Emperor Chongzhen in the Wenyuan Pavilion. There were all kinds of maddening problems that needed to be solved in civil and military affairs every day, but they all agreed that the most important thing for the court at the moment was The most important thing is to negotiate peace with Li Zicheng.
The Yongding River outside the city is the camp of the rebel negotiation team. As the weather gets warmer and the ice and snow melt, the river water is clear and fast. Several rebel soldiers are fetching water from the bank to wash their belongings, and some are herding horses in the nearby grassland to bask in the sun.
The camp is still under the strict supervision of Jin Yiwei. To be precise, it is under house arrest. They are still very short of food. The food they brought has been eaten up long ago. They have money but cannot buy food. They are not allowed to leave the camp and are not allowed to enter the city. The court's The purpose is very clear. Without peace talks, they will become mortal enemies. They will not show any mercy to them and even want to starve them to death.
However, what is ironic is that Liu Xiyao and his men did not starve to death due to lack of food, but instead all gained weight!
Yes, a living person cannot be suffocated to death.
If there is no rice or food, you can't starve to death, so kill the war horse!
Fortunately, there were not many people, but there were nearly a hundred war horses. Three meals of meat soup a day allowed these thieves to live like living gods. They were even grateful to the court for deliberately making things difficult for them, otherwise they would not have had the chance to eat meat and drink soup. ah.
The idea of being a soldier is that simple, no matter if you are an officer or a soldier.
But the thoughts of a general are very complicated. For example, Liu Xiyao has been tortured as if he was being roasted on a stove for more than a month. At one moment he was worried about Li Zicheng's safety, and at another moment he was worried about whether he would be safe and sound.
If he really shook hands with the court and made peace, he would survive, but if the talks collapsed, he knew that the entire negotiating team, except Song Xiance, would die!
But since Li Zicheng escaped, the entire negotiation has been put on hold. Song Xiance is in the city, and he is under house arrest outside the city. The officers and soldiers can rush into the camp at any time and massacre them! This kind of day where he doesn't know whether he will be able to see the sun tomorrow morning is really torturous for him!
But he was finally over it. When it got dark yesterday, Song Xiance hurried out of the city to the camp and showed him Li Yan's secret letter. The content naturally surprised him. He didn't expect that during his period of house arrest, the situation on the other side of the Yellow River would change. After such a big change, Li Yan actually recovered the four cities on the west bank of the Yellow River in less than a month, and attacked Dali, the middle gate, and Tongguan, the southern gate!
"If the situation is really like this, let's..." Liu Xiyao frowned, but couldn't help but feel relieved. He knew that although the situation was unfavorable, he had finally returned to the negotiation table.
"If that's true, we won't be able to raise the price!" Song Xiance sighed: "The eunuch and Li Yan are both powerful people. One seems to have done nothing in the capital, and the other wants to do something for him on the other side of the Yellow River. Everything was done, it was really unexpected.”
"Then... Great Military Advisor, if the other party lowers the price, we will... After all, at this time..." Liu Xiyao was pacing back and forth worried. Song Xiance waved his hand to signal him to calm down: "The imperial court will naturally set the price. The pressure is very low, but it will not push people too hard. The reason why Li Yan was able to conquer the four cities in a short period of time was not due to his true ability and hard power. It was a coincidence. To put it bluntly, he cooperated with the eunuch. It’s just a dirty trick.”
"What the Great Military Advisor said is...they borrowed King Chuang..."
Song Xiance nodded: "They spread rumors and captured the king... They took advantage of the chaos in our army to make a surprise attack... Well, victory can only be won without force, but then again, in war, soldiers never tire of deceit..."
"Great Military Advisor, King Chuang is really..." Liu Xiyao's heart suddenly tightened. He was almost blind and deaf in the camp under house arrest, unlike Song Xiance who could still contact the outside world through secret channels in the city.
"Don't worry, King Chuang has escaped. The court's rumors will soon be broken. With King Chuang sitting in the Yellow River, it will be difficult for Li Yan to take a step forward, and the court also knows it, so if they If I really want to talk about peace, I won’t push people too hard.”
Song Xiance's words made Liu Xiyao so happy that he almost jumped up: "It's lucky that King Chuang escaped and escaped. That's great, that's great, great military advisor. In this way, the peace talks are almost certain to be successful." .
"We're not sure yet. We first need to confirm whether the content of Li Yan's secret letter is true, and we also need to listen to King Chuang's opinion. Maybe..."
Liu Xiyao frowned: "Perhaps King Chuang has changed his mind?"
"That's not the case, but after running thousands of miles, I was worried that I would not be good at the court. During the last Eastern Expedition, I was chased by the court all the way. However, at that time, I had tens of thousands of soldiers and horses around me, and this time it was almost It can be said that he is riding alone for thousands of miles, and the dangers involved are self-evident. He must be angry in his heart and wants to vent his anger."
On the contrary, Liu Xiyao nodded, with a worried look on his face. Song Xiance knew what was on his mind: "If the peace talks fail, I will protect your life!"
Liu Xiyao smiled bitterly and cupped his hands: "Liu has remembered this kindness, but he is afraid that the court will not be kind to him when the time comes."
"Take one step and see the next." Song Xiance looked up at the night sky.
That night, they sent their horses to Tongguan overnight to verify the truth.
A group of big guys in the capital are doing homework for the upcoming negotiations, but the atmosphere on the Yellow River side is still tense. Although both sides have temporarily suspended their troops, they are both ready to make a move.
No one proposed a truce, but the two sides reached a tacit agreement. Li Yan did not take the opportunity to attack Hejin from a flanking attack, and Tian Jianxiu and Liu Fangliang did not send troops to recover the three cities on the northern line. Even Chaoyi, which was close at hand, resisted. Take action.
Because both parties knew that a single move could affect the entire situation, and an accident would cause a stir in the iron pot, leading to a chaotic situation, and the peace talks would immediately come to nothing.
What's more important is that the troops on both sides are powerless!
During this period, Li Yan devoted all his troops to attack the imperial court, besieged Dali, and then moved to the three cities on the northern front. The soldiers were extremely exhausted, and military supplies and equipment were also consumed greatly. Subsequent supplies were insufficient. On the northern and central lines, Li Yan It is no longer able to launch large-scale battles or critical battles.
Similarly, on the side of the rebels, the northern front fell completely, the central outpost Chaoyi was lost, and Dali was almost defeated several times. To this end, troops from hundreds of miles around were mobilized, and the soldiers did not sleep well for days and nights. The morale of the army was unstable and chaotic, food and grass supplies were also insufficient, and the defense was unable to do what it wanted, let alone take the initiative to attack.
Therefore, the most sensitive and unstable part of the entire front is South Road Tongguan!
Tongguan has been said to be the gate of Xi'an since ancient times. It is a battleground for military strategists. After Li Zicheng conquered Xi'an and established the country, Tongguan became his border gate. It is self-evident that its defense is important. After the Eastern Expedition, it was even more heavily armed. Garrison, especially after the imperial court prepared to attack Chen Bing on the other side, he even sent his nephew and godson Li Guo to take charge.
Li Guo was very angry during this period. When he first heard that his father was captured in the capital, he was almost thrown into chaos. Li Yan took the opportunity to spread rumors and disrupt the morale of the army. He suddenly took action to seize the imperial capital and besiege Dali. I can only watch helplessly and cannot call for reinforcements, because Wu Sangui's tens of thousands of troops have gathered at the door of his house.
Li Zicheng's whereabouts are unknown, and the morale of the army is unstable. The northern city has completely fallen, and Dali is in danger. These days are a torture for Li Lai, and even caused him to see some white hair on his head. After all, the psychological pressure is too great.
Intelligence continued to come in. Although the Northern Front had completely fallen, Dali was saved due to Liu Fangliang's timely rescue. This made Li Guo relax a little. Then he saw that Li Yan made no other moves, and did not even take the opportunity to regain Hejin. He knew , the situation on the central and northern fronts remains like this for the time being. Neither side dares to do anything without permission and has no ability to do so!
But here on the southern line...
Wu Sangui is sharpening his sword and can start a war at any time!
Just ask if you are afraid!
