Crazy at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Li Zicheng looked at the Xi'an City Tower, which was faintly visible to the north, and remained silent.Although his face was weather-beaten after many years of fighting in the battlefield, he had always been full of energy, even when there were only eighteen horsemen left by his side, he was also full of confidence.But today's him has shown a bit of old age, his face is dignified, and the wrinkles of the years have also appeared.

How did that happen?

More than half a year ago, when Li Zicheng led a million lions across the entire northern part of the Ming Dynasty, and sent Li Zicheng to the Golden Palace, Li Zicheng reached the pinnacle of his life.

Think about how high-spirited he was at that time when he bent his bow and shot the plaque when he rode a horse into Chengtian Gate?But today, half a year later, not only did he not sit in the hot dragon chair in Beijing, but now he even lost Xi'an.It was like a dream!

Li Zicheng looked at the troops following him again.This time Li Zicheng voluntarily withdrew from Xi'an, and only more than 13 people retreated with him.But in this team, there are only nearly [-] real troops, and none of the old battalion troops that I rely on most are gone.

It would be fine if there were fewer people, but look at the spirit of these people?Like a wandering spirit, morale is completely gone.But it's not surprising, anyone who falls into the dust from the peak state of life, probably looks like this.

But it's not that the Dashun Army is the only remaining troops.Because the decision to evacuate Xi'an was made hastily, Li Zicheng was also afraid that after Tongguan fell, Xue Yong's Daping Army would soon attack Xi'an.Therefore, he didn't care about the troops scattered elsewhere.

At this time, Li Guo and Gao Yigong of the Dashun Army were still guarding Yulin and Yan'an; Ningxia, Gansu, and Xining also had garrisons.However, Li Zicheng considered that Xue Yong and Quan Dashan were under heavy pressure.Shaanxi couldn't support it at all. If it retreated westward, it would be cut off by the Daping Army from the Dashun Army in the south.And the remote and desolate corner of the northwest does not have much future; and the southwest is Sichuan under the control of Zhang Xianzhong, but because of the head-on conflict between the Dashun Army and the Daxi Army in the autumn and winter of the 16th year of Chongzhen, it is inconvenient for Li Zicheng to develop to the southwest.

Therefore, the Dashun Army moved to the southeast to seize the south under the control of the Hongguang court, and continued to fight with its strong manpower and material resources.It became the only way out at that time.

At this moment, Li Yan rode over. He clasped his fists at Li Zicheng and said, "King Chuang! Shaanxi is the foundation. Keep an army to contain one or two, so that you can have time to breathe for King Chuang. If you are not talented, I would like to recommend myself. Lead the army to resist the Wu thief."

At this time.Only Li Yan has not lost his confidence.But Li Zicheng looked at Li Yan's energetic expression.But no matter how you look at it, you don't feel pleasing to the eye.In particular, Li Yan's title of "Chuang Wang" seems to be mocking Li Zicheng who just fell from the clouds.

"I got it. Sir, you're bothering me." Li Zicheng replied lukewarmly.

Seeing that Li Zicheng didn't want to make a decision right away, Li Yan could only salute again resentfully, and then retreated to the team.

Seeing that Li Yan had already left, Song Xiance immediately went to Li Zicheng's side, provocatively said: "Your Majesty! It means that it is temporarily unfavorable, and someone will be able to live their minds. The generals in the army are veteran generals. Don't worry. But Mr. Li now wants a literati to lead the army, I'm afraid he has a different heart. You have to support your troops!"

There was a murderous intent in Li Zicheng's eyes.However, he immediately recovered his normal expression, and said to Song Xiance: "Mr. is a man, I know very well. But there are some words and some people, so I don't need to say more." After finishing speaking, Li Zicheng looked at Li Yan in the team again. The figure couldn't help squinting his eyes.

"Fang Liang!" Li Zicheng shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty!" Liu Fangliang immediately galloped up to Li Zicheng, clasped his fists and saluted.

"Go to the city of Xi'an again, and see if the people I left there have destroyed all the food, grass and supplies left in the city." Li Zicheng ordered.

"Yes!"

Because of the haste to abandon Xi'an, the Dashun army only brought valuables such as gold, silver, cloth and silk, as well as a small amount of grain and grass, and left all the other heavy goods in the city.Especially grain and grass. Because of the dilapidated state of Shaanxi and the importance of Xi'an to the Dashun Army, the Dashun Army moved almost all the grain, grass, and property they looted into Xi'an City during Li Zicheng's retreat from Beijing.

For this reason, the current Li Zicheng ordered Liu Fangliang, the general of power, to burn all the food and other stocks and official buildings that he could not take away, so as not to be used by the enemy.

"Military masters! Don't burn it! Give us a way to survive!"

"There is no food near this city. Without food, we will definitely not be able to survive. The military lord is kind! The military lord is kind!"

……

As soon as he returned to the south gate of Xi'an, Liu Fangliang saw that the soldiers of the Dashun Army who were about to set fire to it were crowded with black people kneeling.And those common people kowtowed like pounding garlic, and the pleadings rang out.

As for the soldiers of the Dashun Army who carried out the order to burn the grain and grass, their faces were ugly.Most of these soldiers are Li Zicheng's diehards, so they are all from Shaanxi.No matter how hard-hearted a person is, he can't bear the heart to forcibly execute orders when encountering the weeping blood of the elders in his hometown.

So as soon as they saw Liu Fangliang coming, several leaders ran over to ask for instructions.However, in the words of those leaders, there is still some meaning of pleading for the common people.

Looking at the common people swarming their knees, the old and weak women and children kowtowing all over the ground.Liu Fangliang sighed in his heart: "Forget it! In the past few decades, there are almost no people in the Qin land who have survived the disaster. I should do less evil!"

So Liu Fangliang sighed again, and ordered: "Burn the East Gate Tower and the South Gate Tower! Leave all the food. After finishing the work, follow me to chase the emperor!" Liu Fangliang's words immediately caused a deafening explosion. Cheers.

Amidst the cheers, Liu Fangliang pulled his horse back.Almost no one noticed that he was talking to himself in an inaudible voice: "The people of Qin are hungry, let this rice live for the common people!"

In fact, Liu Fangliang did not dare to admit it at all. His behavior at this time was already similar to that of a person who is about to die, his words must be kind.At this time, all the people in the Dashun army, like Li Zicheng, did not believe that they would make a comeback again.

……

Li Zicheng watched the smoke rising towards the sky in the direction of Xi'an from a distance, thinking that Liu Fangliang had obeyed the order.He also turned his horse's head and headed south with the team.The winter sunset shone on her body, casting a long shadow on the snow.In the lonely shadow of the setting sun and snowy land, there is only a piece of desolation like the curtain ending.

"How could it be Butcher Wu?" Li Zicheng still couldn't believe it at this time, he shook his head and murmured.What an ambition! (To be continued..)