The death of Cao Wenzhao severely damaged the morale of the Ming army and made Hong Chengchou's troops increasingly stretched.
Facing the overwhelming peasant army in Shaanxi, Hong Chengchou felt powerless.
He could only hold on to a few big cities such as Xi'an and Hannan, but could do nothing to deal with the peasant army in the field.
Ironically, it was a natural disaster that came to his aid at this time.
In the summer of the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, there was a severe drought in Shaanxi. Thousands of miles of bare ground, no harvest.
Wherever the peasant army went, they could not find a grain of food.
Rebellion is about having enough to eat.
How can you rebel now that your stomach is not full?
"What did General Chuang say?"
After finally resting for a while, Gao Yingxiang, who had just recovered from the losses, faced the problem of food and grass and decided to ask Li Zicheng for help.
"General Chuang said that his food and fodder will be exhausted, and he doesn't know where to go."
The messenger came back with bad news.
Gao Yingxiang frowned, staring at the yellow and bald sky and earth, and couldn't help but whisper to himself.
"The world has changed, and so have people's hearts."
He didn't think Li Zicheng was out of food.
After all, compared with him, Li Zicheng has been living a stable life recently, and his fighting ability has been visibly enhanced.
It's unclear how many things Li Zicheng robbed, but he may have hid them all.
This nephew of his own had now met him.
But Gao Yingxiang has no choice, because his current strength is not much stronger than Li Zicheng.
Especially after Li Zicheng killed Cao Wenzhao, Gao Yingxiang judged that Li Zicheng's troops might be the most powerful among the rebels.
If they cannot get food, the morale of the army will be weakened and they will fall into death.
After much thought, Gao Yingxiang wrote to other leaders to discuss returning to Henan.
His proposal received responses from Zhang Xianzhong, Lao Huihui, Yiziwang, Chuangtianwang and others.
All the ministries had a good discussion and without further delay, they set out eastward from Tongguan and fought back to Henan.
Hong Chengchou saw the actions of various rebel units but was unable to do anything. He could only write an urgent memorial and submit it to the court.
Knowing that the situation ahead was like this, Chongzhen was extremely helpless and didn't know what to do.
He was anxious, and Wang Chengen became anxious.
Sitting dryly in the ceremonial prison, holding Hong Chengchou's memorial in his hand, Wang Chengen had a splitting headache.
"Ancestor, in my opinion, why not set up another capable general to take charge of the suppression of bandits in the Central Plains? In this way, Hong Bingxian will be in charge of Shaanxi, and the new chief official will be in charge of the Central Plains. Each can perform his own duties and cooperate with each other to ensure that nothing goes wrong. .”
Huang Ping is already very tall, and his features are becoming more and more delicate and lovable.
Who among the inner court today does not know the name of Eunuch Huang?
He is Wang Chengen's adopted son and is deeply loved. Although he did not hold any official position, even if the big bosses met him, they would still treat him politely.
Huang Ping followed Wang Chengen all day long, helping to sort out the documents of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and he naturally saw Hong Chengchou's memorial.
On weekdays, he just works quietly without saying a word to avoid overstepping his bounds.
Today I saw Wang Chengen frowning and showing his filial piety, so I couldn't help but talk a little more.
Although his words were soft, they all entered Wang Chengen's ears.
The great eunuch's eyes lit up, and the spring breeze blew on his face. Looking at Huang Pingping again, he liked it even more.
After thinking about it, he casually took off the jade pendant from his belt and threw it towards Huang Ping.
"You little brat, if I ask you any questions on weekdays, you will act like a dull gourd. I didn't expect that as soon as you open your mouth, you will act like this. From now on, if you dare to pretend to be deaf and dumb again, will our family accept you?"
Huang Ping hurriedly took the jade pendant and showed a silly smile.
"My ancestors are wise and wise, and no one can disapprove of them. How can a child show off his strength? There are times when children feel sorry for their ancestors and don't think about food and drink, for fear of ruining their health."
Wang Chengen had already stood up and got off the kang, letting Huang Ping help him put on his shoes while sighing.
"As slaves, we can share the Emperor's worries, even if we die. Does it matter whether we eat or drink tea?"
Wang Chengen did not dare to delay. Hurry to find Chongzhen. Chongzhen was also very happy when he mentioned this method.
"I really didn't expect that the little eunuch next to Daban would be so knowledgeable. It's a pity that no one in the civil and military circles in the court can share my worries."
Seeing Chongzhen praising Huang Ping, Wang Chengen was also happy for him.
"That child has always been smart and insightful, and he does not rely on the power of the slave to bully the good. If the emperor is destined, the slave will let him serve in front of the emperor?"
Chongzhen was very moved.
"Let him come to see me."
Huang Ping stood outside the hall. After being summoned, he quickly walked inside and knelt down obediently.
"My eldest companion has recommended you to me, are you willing?"
"Your Majesty, I don't want to do this."
Huang Ping's unexpected answer surprised Chongzhen, and Wang Chengen's expression even changed.
"Asshole, we are slaves just to serve the emperor. If you dare to be rebellious, I will kill you first."
While scolding, Wang Chengen felt heartbroken.
He also didn't understand why Huang Ping was so smart in the past, why was he so stupid today?
After getting a good idea, Chongzhen was in a good mood.
"Tell me, why don't you want to?"
It was obvious that Huang Ping was trembling with fear, and he obviously knew that what he said was asking for his own death.
But then a look of determination flashed across his face, and he explained the reason in a whisper.
"All over the world, when it comes to serving the emperor, our ancestors... our ancestors say we are second, and no one dares to say we are first. But our ancestors are old and not in good health. This slave was just... I saw you last night He kept coughing. I just thought... I just wanted to serve my ancestor well and make sure that my ancestor is healthy so that I can better serve the emperor."
Wang Chengen stood stunned on the spot, his old eyes full of tears.
Chongzhen was also agitated.
"In the past, other slaves tried their best to get close to me, for fear that I would not look down on him. It is rare that this baby has a pure heart, and he is a blessing for his great companion!"
Wang Chengen quickly wiped away his tears and bent down deeply.
"It's all thanks to His Majesty's great kindness, old slave...old slave..."
Wang Chengen, who had remained calm even before the collapse of Mount Tai, was a little embarrassed in front of the emperor for the first time.
The imperial edict was issued quickly, and Lu Xiangsheng, governor of Huguang, became the second celebrity in Chongzhen after Chen Qiyu.
The prime minister is responsible for military affairs in Zhili, Henan, Shandong, Sichuan, and Huguang. Although Shandong is in name only, the title of prime minister of the five provinces is still very scary.
In order to allow Lu Xiangsheng to quell the northwest rebels as soon as possible, Chongzhen also dispatched Zu Dabi, Zu Dale, and Li Chongzhen to lead the Guan Ning Army to rush thousands of miles to help.
This made Lu Xiangsheng's military strength extremely strong.
He finally had the confidence to destroy the northwest rebels who had returned to Henan.
Not only that, he also got a secret letter from Hong Chengchou.
[If you want to strengthen your army, you must first use heavy weapons; if you want heavy weapons, you should ask Shandong. 】
After listening to Hong Chengchou's detailed explanation, Lu Xiangsheng's heart surged, and he realized his bitterness.
"I didn't expect that the imperial court would be reduced to such a state, and the bandits in the northwest were suppressed, but they asked the rebels in Shandong. When the gourd is pressed and the gourd is lifted, when will it stop?"
Despite this, Lu Xiangsheng was not stubborn.
He took out the one hundred thousand taels of silver that he had finally accumulated, gave it to his staff, and quietly went to Huai'an.
