When Ming Dynasty did things, he always put his head first and not his back.
Originally, all the efforts were used to deal with the rogue bandits, so the Xia Kingdom could only be allowed to grow and develop.
Later, he prepared to use all his strength to deal with the Xia Kingdom, but in the end, he neglected to take precautions against the Manchus.
So much so that the Qing army broke through the barrier and entered, looking around and letting it gallop.
After Haug, Dorgon led the left-wing army and successfully broke through.
The two groups of troops cooperated closely and swept away the surrounding areas, even reaching the gate of Shanhaiguan.
Each time the Qing army entered the invaders, their purpose was very clear. Each time they invaded, the scale was larger and each time more in-depth.
The Qing army appeared behind Shanhaiguan, frightening everyone in Guan Ning's army. They could only close the city gate tightly and defend carefully, completely ignoring the rescue of the capital.
Especially at this time, Huang Taiji personally led his troops to press from the north. He had the intention of attacking from two sides and conquering the Western Liaoning Corridor.
But obviously, this was just a false move by the Qing army.
After frightening the Ming army in Shanhaiguan, the Qing army turned south and fought all the way to Tongzhou, where they completed their rendezvous.
As long as we take one step further west, we can reach the capital city.
There was already a tremor in the capital, the earth was shaking, and everyone was extremely panicked. They even began to pack up their belongings and prepare to flee.
Chongzhen was so anxious that his internal organs were burning, but there was nothing he could do.
The old, weak, sick and disabled in the city could not stop the Qing army no matter what.
Fortunately, Lu Xiangsheng arrived at this moment.
He led a total of 19,000 troops from Xuanfu, Datong, and Shanxi to rush to the capital city to reinforce him.
The arrival of this new force finally gave Chongzhen a sigh of relief.
After arranging the troops and horses, Lu Xiangsheng went to see Chongzhen alone, wearing sackcloth and mourning.
"Lu Aiqing, do you have any strategies to defend yourself against the enemy?"
Like a drowning man, Chongzhen regarded Lu Xiangsheng as a life-saving straw.
After all, this is the only fighting force currently, on which all his hopes are pinned.
Lu Xiangsheng's face looked ugly.
"My subordinates have come from afar and are exhausted and have insufficient food and fodder. In addition, their troops are limited and it is really difficult to fight against the elite Eastern invaders independently. For the current plan, we can only hold on to the capital. Waiting for an encirclement from all sides, there is still a chance of victory."
Hearing Lu Xiangsheng's caution, Chongzhen's face turned so black that ink dripped from his face.
Yang Sichang stamped his feet and lamented.
"Liaodong came to report that Huang Taiji's troops were approaching the city. Guan Ning's army was unable to set off for a moment. What should be done?"
Now, except for Lu Xiangsheng, all the three military groups in the hands of the Ming Dynasty are involved.
Chongzhen felt very depressed and tried to ask: "Lu Aiqing, I wonder if it is possible to recapture Tongzhou and open up water transportation?"
Lu Xiangsheng vomited blood on the spot.
"Your Majesty, although the current situation is difficult and dangerous, we must not mess up our position. My troops and horses are the last barrier. If there is another accident, the situation will be over."
Lu Xiangsheng and Chongzhen didn't get along for a long time, and it's only now that he has a clear understanding of the emperor's character.
Simply a model of whimsy.
What time has it been, and it is not yet known whether the capital can be saved, but they still want to counterattack Tongzhou.
Knowing neither oneself nor the enemy, with such an emperor, it is no wonder that the situation in the Ming Dynasty is getting worse and worse.
After being nudged by Lu Xiangsheng, Chongzhen's face was burning and he simply announced his resignation.
Today's civil and military forces of the Ming Dynasty can't come up with anything if they come together to discuss it. As soon as they heard about the withdrawal of the dynasty, it really seemed like the tide was ebbing.
Yang Sichang and Lu Xiangsheng were the only ones left inside and outside the hall, walking out side by side.
Seeing no one around, Yang Sichang revealed a shocking news to Lu Xiangsheng.
"Your Majesty has sent people to Liaodong to negotiate peace with Huang Taiji."
Lu Xiangsheng was shocked.
"Now a powerful enemy is approaching the city, and the situation is precarious. Negotiating peace at this time is definitely not a good idea."
Yang Sichang closed his eyes in pain.
"The Holy Will has been decided, what can be done? Your Majesty is forcing us to come up with a solution on the battlefield!"
After gaining Chongzhen's trust and taking charge of the government, Yang Sichang suddenly discovered how painful it was to serve this emperor.
The situation was obviously so difficult, and he was already trying hard to maintain it. But the emperor always felt that it was not enough, and always forced him to take desperate risks.
It's the same this time.
Before Lu Xiangsheng arrived at the capital, Chongzhen had asked him many times about strategies to retreat from the enemy.
Yang Sichang tried every means to persuade him and requested that Hong Chengchou's troops be mobilized to go north. However, in Chongzhen's mind, he already regarded the Xia Kingdom as a life-and-death enemy, so he firmly disagreed.
Yang Sichang frankly said that if Hong Chengchou had not participated in the war, the Ming Dynasty would never have been able to defeat the Qing army with all the troops it had at hand.
He made everything so clear, but Chongzhen didn't listen at all.
Just yesterday, Chen Xinjia paid an urgent visit to him.
He was informed that Chongzhen had secretly ordered Chen Xinjia to inform Fang Yizao, the governor of Liaodong, to find a way to negotiate peace with Huang Taiji.
Upon learning of this, Yang Sichang was stunned on the spot, leaving only a bitter feeling in his heart.
He knew very well that the emperor was putting him on the stove to roast him.
Forced into a desperate situation, Yang Sichang could only find Lu Xiangsheng to see if the frontline commander could do anything.
Just when the two returned to the cabinet, various situations had come together.
On the Liaodong side, Gao Qiqian saw that Huang Taiji was bluffing. Worried about the safety of the capital, he did not dare to delay. He immediately led Guan Ning's army southward at night and stationed in Tianjin Wei. At the same time, he notified the capital to inquire about the next move.
Knowing that Guan Ning's army was coming to help, both Yang Sichang and Lu Xiangsheng breathed a sigh of relief.
Immediately, the movements of the Qing army in Tongzhou were also conveyed.
The Qing army had divided into two groups, heading south from Tongzhou and heading straight to Baoding.
The other Qing army bypassed the capital from the south and went straight to Yizhou, Laishui and Dingxing.
Lu Xiangsheng quickly marked the movements of the two Qing armies on the map and made up his mind at the same time.
"Mr. Ge, the Donglu are spreading. Wherever they go, not a blade of grass is left. If they are allowed to sweep away, the vitality of the capital will be completely lost. I plan to lead the army to the west and defeat this road no matter what.
As for the enemies on the east route, please ask Mr. Ge to send an order to Eunuch Gao to stop them a little. Once I have made some progress on the western front, I will quickly return to the army and join forces with Eunuch Gao. We will definitely be able to defeat the Eastern captives."
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In response to the Qing army's movements, Lu Xiangsheng proposed a resolution to divide the troops.
Yes.
You read that right.
The historically controversial decision to divide the troops and the blame put on Yang Sichang were all fake.
The person who really proposed dividing the troops was actually Lu Xiangsheng.
After hearing Lu Xiangsheng's thoughts, Yang Sichang instinctively felt that it was unreliable.
"The two places are running in different directions. We cannot take care of both. We should be cautious."
He did not think that Lu Xiangsheng alone could defeat the Qing army on the west route. Maybe because of such a division of troops, both the east and west routes would fail.
How could Lu Xiangsheng not know about his worries?
"Now that things have come to this, I can only do my best to repay the king. Even if my body is wrapped in horse leather, I will have no regrets."
Lu Xiangsheng had already felt the pessimism of the future and was determined to fight to the death.
