Han ride

Chapter 397 Returning to the Army
The dispatch of Li Xin's army can hide the truth from Emperor Chongzhen, but it cannot hide it from Hong Chengchou and others.But Hong Chengchou had no choice. 10,000+ troops gathered under the capital city, doing nothing, which made Hong Chengchou very depressed.Lu Xiangsheng, Gao Qiqian and others who were called up overnight also frowned, not knowing what to do.

"Don't wait any longer. Immediately lead the army in pursuit. Even if you don't pursue, you must follow him." Gao Qiqian's shrill voice recalled that he had a look of resentment. Unfortunately, the best time in the Central Plains was ruined by the few people in front of him, and he was constantly interrupted. In the end, he was the one who was unlucky.

"It's a pity, it would be great if I could enter Beijing at this time." Lu Xiangsheng sighed slightly.Beijing City is different from other city gates. After nightfall, no one can open Beijing City without imperial decree. Of course, there are exceptions to this, but such exceptions have nothing to do with Hong Chengchou's army.

"Even if you enter the city of Beijing, the gates of the palace are locked at this time." Gao Qiqian said coldly.In his opinion, it is still easy to enter the city of Beijing. He is an eunuch of the Forbidden City, and he belongs to the kind of high-ranking and powerful person. It does not mean that the palace can enter.

"Li Xin came to the city of Beijing without an imperial decree. Even if there was no imperial decree, he would leave whenever he wanted. The Beibei Army has never been in the ranks of my imperial army. Even I have no way to stop it, unless it is an imperial decree." Hong Chengchou took the main seat, his voice was extremely flat.The palace is not so easy to open in the middle of the night, unless something big happened. Before Chongzhen ascended the throne, Emperor Tianqi was seriously ill and Wei Zhongxian took control of the palace. And Hong Chengchou also experienced this.But this made him do it a second time, and I'm afraid he didn't have the guts to do it.

"Hmph, it's because of this that I feel some problems." Gao Qiqian said with a cold snort: "Since the Zhengbei Army can move freely, it is not good when to withdraw the army, but it is necessary to withdraw at this time. Isn't there a reason? Is there a problem? Ladies and gentlemen, our family thinks that there is a big problem with Li Xin's withdrawal this time, and there is a conspiracy. We can't wait for the emperor's imperial decree to come down, and pursue it at this time. Otherwise, let his conspiracy succeed. I won't be able to pay the job." Gao Qiqian shouted, but everyone looked sad.

"Eunuch Gao, we are King Qin's army. Without the emperor's imperial decree, how can we act easily? Moreover, Li Xin approached the court's Zhengbeihou, not Jiannu. We chased casually, and Li Xin found out, and he was furious. , and reported to the emperor, will the emperor punish us? Or plead guilty to Li Xin?" Lu Xiangsheng said dissatisfied.

"It's better than letting them run away." After Gao Qiqian heard this, he suddenly jumped into a rage, pointed at Lu Xiangsheng and said loudly: "Lord Lu doesn't pursue Li Xin because he is worried that he will be ambushed by Li Xin and even die. Throw it away! Could it be that Lord Lu, who is in a trial fight, doesn't even have a little confidence, and wants to run far away just looking at Li Xin's flag?"

"Don't quarrel, both of you." At this time, Hong Chengchou spoke, glanced at everyone, and said: "No matter what, we don't have the emperor's imperial decree, so we can't pursue. Whoever makes Zheng Beihou is still the imperial court's Zheng Beihou?" What? If it is an enemy, we can naturally pursue it, but not now, but Eunuch Gao’s words are also reasonable. There must be something strange about Li Xin’s withdrawal late at night, and we have to be on guard. We can monitor Li Xin overnight Let’s see Li Xin’s every move. Tomorrow the city gate will open, and we will go to see the emperor immediately, and ask the emperor to make a decision.” Hong Chengchou thought for a while, but this matter still cannot be easily decided. There was an excuse, and Hong Chengchou didn't dare to do this. Who doesn't know that Li Xin is a man who uses troops like a god. Since he is going to withdraw overnight, it is difficult to guarantee that he will have no means to guard against the pursuing army. Xin made an ambush, and the unlucky one was himself.Hong Chengchou is extremely treacherous, how could he let such a thing happen?
"I'm afraid Ye Zhien can do this." Gao Qiqian and others saw that Hong Chengchou had already given the order, although they were dissatisfied, they had to obey the order.

"This Li Xin? He's actually going north? Could it be that he wants to go back through Xifengkou?" Gao Qiqian's face suddenly changed. Slap in the face, everyone just forced Li Xin from Xifengkou to the capital, and now let Li Xin go back, this is a blatant slap in the face.

"Probably not." Hong Chengchou's expression also changed, but he shook his head after thinking for a moment and said, "If he passed by Xifeng Pass, Zhang Shangshu's troops would have already guarded Xifeng Pass, and then our army would press up again. Li Xin has just become the second Jian slave. He will not be so stupid. The father and son of the Xuanfu Hou family have a very good relationship with Li Xin. His soldiers and horses enter and leave Zhangjiakou as if there is no one in the land. I think this Li Xin is afraid. He is trying to confuse us, he will return to the grassland from Zhangjiakou in the end."

"I hope so." Gao Qiqian was still a little uneasy, but he had no choice but to sit there coldly, rolling his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking.

However, Hong Chengchou took a deep breath. The state of the government made him feel powerless. For some reason, he always felt that there must be something wrong with the court, otherwise, Li Xin would not have been able to withdraw his troops overnight.

"Idiots, a group of incompetent people." Inside the Xinuan Pavilion, Emperor Chongzhen's face was gloomy, his eyes were full of anger, and he was staring at Hong Chengchou and others kneeling on the ground. They were Wen Tiren and Wang Yingxiong's cabinet members standing aside. Both Yang Sichang and Yang Sichang looked ugly.

For no other reason, Li Xin's [-] troops stationed at Xizhimen disappeared without a trace overnight, and Hong Chengchou knew that Li Xin had left, but he didn't know that the army was following him. behind.In the morning of the next day, Hong Chengchou rushed into the palace as soon as the city gate was opened, and kept Emperor Chongzhen who was about to go to court, and carefully reported the matter.Only after Emperor Chongzhen heard this did he react now.

"Your Majesty, Li Xin is still an army of the imperial court. Although Lord Hong found out, there is no imperial edict, and it is not easy to use the army to attack the northern army. In addition, the gates of the city are closed and the palace gates are locked. Lord Hong is helpless!" Hou Xun explained on the side.

After Hong Chengchou heard this, he looked at Hou Xun with grateful eyes, thanking him for his righteous words.The civil and military affairs of the current Manchu Dynasty are not like this. There are few people who speak out of righteousness and more people who make trouble.It was rare for Hou Xun to help himself so much.

"Is there any news about Yebushou?" After hearing Hou Xun's explanation, Emperor Chongzhen's expression improved a bit, but he still asked coldly.Now that Li Xin is gone, this ruined his own good deeds. It seems that he can only act as soon as possible, and he can only slow down the actions of Li Xin's army if he is blind.

"Until now, I haven't received any news." Hong Chengchou's face changed after hearing this, and he suddenly remembered that since he sent Ye Bu to receive it, he really hasn't received any news from Ye Bu.I was only concerned about today's performance, and actually forgot about it. At this time, Chongzhen asked, only to find that something was wrong.He is a battle-tested man who has commanded thousands of troops. I don’t know how many rebels have perished in his hands. Yebushuai is his eyes. Now that Yebukuai hasn’t returned yet, things are not good. up.

"I'm afraid it was discovered by the Northern Army." Yang Sichang interjected.

After Hong Chengchou heard this, he raised his head and cast a cold glance at Yang Sichang. According to his inference, the reason why Li Xin withdrew his troops suddenly and left quietly had a lot to do with Yang Sichang.It can be said that Hong Chengchou suffered a big loss today and was tricked by someone. In the final analysis, it has a lot to do with this Yang Sichang.

Yang Sichang seemed to have sensed Hong Chengchou's unkindness, and he felt a little awkward in his heart, but it quickly disappeared without a trace. He cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I want to rush to Xuanfu immediately, otherwise, as soon as the Zhengbei Army arrives in Xuanfu If it is not handled properly, it may cause some misunderstandings, after all, thirty thousand troops is not a small number."

"Well, you should declare the mansion as soon as possible." Emperor Chongzhen thought for a while, and took down a sword from the sword stand on one side. The whole body of the sword was golden, with a golden dragon carved on it, and bright yellow tassels rippling around.I saw Emperor Chongzhen holding the sword, handing it to Yang Sichang, and said: "This sword is given to you, so you can do things cheaply. If there is any dissatisfaction, you can cut it first and play later."

After Wen Tiren and the others around heard this, they immediately gasped. This kind of sword is extraordinary. It was bestowed by Chongzhen himself. It is cut first and played later. I am afraid that the Xuanfu will lose many heads if it goes there.

"I'm afraid there are other stories in it!" Wen Tiren thought for a while, although he was afraid of Yang Sichang's treatment, he still rarely said anything.In this era, the period of Xiaozong has passed. In that era, the scholar-bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty were extremely powerful, almost like the Song Dynasty. The courtiers were proud of violating the imperial edict, and proud of being able to spank their buttocks at the Meridian Gate Once someone is beaten, the reputation of this person will spread among scholars afterwards, and he will be regarded as a hero. Officials in the field.

But it was different during the reign of Chongzhen. Emperor Chongzhen was extremely resolute, and almost all the appointment and dismissal of court officials were decided by himself.Otherwise, during the Chongzhen Dynasty, there would not be so many chief assistants and cabinet scholars. These people, as long as Chongzhen is unwilling, they will be dismissed, etc. It can be seen that once the Emperor Chongzhen has made a decision, the court will No one dares to object.

The Shangfang sword of Emperor Chongzhen was rarely used. In the past, Yuan Chonghuan used the Shangfang sword to kill Mao Wenlong in one fell swoop, which led to the tense situation in Liaodong.Now he actually gave Yang Sichang the sword of Shangfang again, which shows that Emperor Chongzhen is going to let Yang Sichang do a big thing.Thinking of this, Wen Tiren seemed to feel that he had found the truth, and became even more silent for a while.Whether it is Emperor Chongzhen or Li Xin, neither Wen Tiren can deal with it.

"My lord, thank you, Your Majesty." Yang Sichang took Shang Fang's sword with both hands, and from his trembling hands, he could see the emotion in his heart at the moment.This is not just a sword, but it bears the trust of Emperor Chongzhen in him.This kind of trust is enough to make him, a courtier, die for Emperor Chongzhen.

"Everyone, I think you still remember what Yang Aiqing said yesterday! Everyone, just do what Yang Aiqing said! The cabinet will immediately draw up an order to invite Chen Xinjia to return to Beijing." Emperor Chongzhen nodded and addressed Wen Tiren and the others. Said.

"The minister waits to obey the order." Wen Tiren and the others said quickly without daring to neglect.

Emperor Chongzhen waved his hands in high spirits, and said to Hong Chengchou: "Recently Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong and other traitors have choleraed the Hubei area, and Hong Aiqing can lead the army to set off."

"Minister Zunzhi." Hong Chengchou didn't dare to be negligent, and hurriedly responded, but opened his mouth. He wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he calmed down.

"Yanyan, you seem to have something to say just now!" Wen Tiren stopped Hong Chengchou and said with a smile after everyone left the Xinuang Pavilion.

"In the case of returning to the old man, I just guessed where Li Xin went?" Hong Chengchou said in a hurry after hearing Wen Tiren's words after countless years had passed in his mind.

"Didn't they go to Zhangjiakou? Li Xin went in and out of Zhangjiakou, but it was like no one's land." Wen Tiren said nonchalantly.

"I think the matter is not that simple. Li Xin is treacherous, not to mention, there is such a long distance from the capital to Zhangjiakou. If Li Xin goes to Zhangjiakou, isn't he afraid of long nights and dreams?" Hong Chengchou thought for a while and said.

"Then where do you think he will go? Xifengkou? At that place, the Minister of the Ministry of War has strengthened the defense. I heard that the slaves outside the Guanwai are still guarding outside? Li Xin will go from Zhangjiakou. Maybe he can get some food and grass. Xifengkou, but we won’t get much food and grass." Wen Tiren was taken aback when he heard this, waved his hands with a smile, and said, "Li Xin will not put himself in danger. You, worry too much. "

"Li Xin can do what ordinary people can't. No one knows whether he will follow the line of Zunhua!" Hong Chengchou was still a little worried.He didn't have much dealings with Li Xin, but no matter what, Li Xin's achievement today is probably extraordinary!If it doesn't work out, it will really break through from the first line of Zunhua!

"Lord Hong, don't worry, Li Xin is now the Marquis of Zhengbei. He is young, and he will not know how much glory and wealth he will have in the future! How can he easily take risks? You! You are still too careful." Wen Tiren laughed loudly. Laughing, he said, "Zunhua is an important town. Not only is there Zunhua Guard, but also Dongsheng Zuo Tunwei, Zhongyi Zuo Tunwei, and Kuanhe Shouyu Thousand Households. There are more than 3 troops. In addition to the soldiers and horses of Zhang Fengyi, Minister of the Ministry of War, there are [-] to [-] horses, and if Li Xin defends against the city, no matter how powerful Li Xin is, it is impossible to break through the defense."

After Hong Chengchou heard this, he could only sigh slightly.It can be said that the guards of the dynasty were still very healthy during the Ming Taizu period.The number of guards in the country reached more than 260 million, and it exceeded 1 million in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.But up to now, the soldiers in the guards have almost run away. In Zunhua, although there are four Davids guarding them, there are not more than 1 people at all. In addition, Jiannu came from Zunhua twice. When Zhao led the defense of Zunhua in the past, he had dispatched the four guards of Zunhua. Zunhua fought many times, and the soldiers in the guards had already lost countless lives. Even if they were recruited later, they could be compared with the former soldiers The quality is also much worse.As for Zhang Fengyi's soldiers and horses, Hong Chengchou knew that there were only more than [-] people at most, and the defense was okay, but it was almost impossible to attack. Of course, it was even more impossible to defend an elite army like Li Xin.If Li Xin really returned to the grassland from Zunhua, I'm afraid it can only be relied on that Li Xin's cavalry is not good at attacking the city.

At this time, Hong Chengchou is now very confident that Li Xin returned to the grassland from Zunhua. If he really returned from Zhangjiakou, there is no need to deal with Yebushou behind him.

"My lord, there is someone outside the palace who claims to be Zuo Liangyu's general and said he has something urgent to see you." Hong Chengchou was about to speak when suddenly a young eunuch hurried over.The voice was urgent, I am afraid that Zuo Liangyu put in a lot of effort to see Hong Chengchou in a hurry.

"My lord, I'm afraid something bad is coming." Hong Chengchou's heart skipped a beat, and he secretly shouted in his heart that it was not good. Zuo Liangyu came here at this time, maybe something has changed, or there is news from Yeburei.

"It's about Li Xin?" Wen Tiren's face tightened, he waved his hand, and said, "Let's go and have a look together. This Li Xin has really upset the entire city of Beijing."

"Isn't that the case?" Hong Chengchou also had a wry smile on his face. If it wasn't for Li Xin's reason, his soldiers and horses would have gone to suppress the bandits long ago, so why would they stay in the capital!You must know that Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong are making a lot of trouble now. Even in Shandong, Wenxiangjiao is also making trouble. Wang Haoxian is not an ordinary person. He formed an army based on the trackers and Liba on the canal. They are constantly attacking cities and pulling out villages. Although the results achieved are not good, they have also held back a lot of people.Now that there is one more Li Xin, everyone has to be careful.

"No, it's a fight, it's a fight." However, when Wen Tiren and Hong Chengchou were walking towards the Meridian Gate, they heard screams from the little eunuchs outside.Wen Tiren and Hong Chengchou looked at each other, their expressions changed drastically.In the capital, such things as fights are often encountered. After all, there are countless princes and nobles at the feet of the emperor.So the unlucky ones were Shuntian Fuyin and Jiumen Admiral and others.But no matter what, no one dared to fight outside the Meridian Gate.The two dared not neglect, and hurried towards the Meridian Gate.

(End of this chapter)