Chongzhen Chat Group

"However, our Ming Dynasty's food and grass supplies are extremely limited at the moment, so the first estimate for the expedition to the north is only about a thousand troops." Hong Chengchou explained the mission in detail, "The biggest enemy, I have already said, is the severe cold and the lack of human habitation for thousands of miles. The situation. In addition, the emperor has told us that the Tsarist Empire far to the west has also sent troops to operate. They are not large in number, but they are mostly composed of extremely vicious people. In this mission, in addition to conquering small tribes, we will also gain access to northern tribe activities. In addition to the details, it is to destroy the Tsarist Russian army..."

After listening to Hong Chengchou's detailed explanation, many generals who were originally eager to try suddenly calmed down. Especially those Han generals, for them, the Hetao area is already cold enough. If we go further north, it is still farther north than the legendary Haohai. How can there be any living people? What's more, there is no Tsarist Russia's army. It is a temptation to worship the generals and ennoble them, but whether they will come back alive is still a question!

Looking at the expressions of the generals below, Hong Chengchou understood clearly. It seemed that he had guessed well. Those who could voluntarily accept this order would probably have to be selected among the Mongolian generals who had come to seek refuge.

After he finished talking about the difficulties of the Northern Expedition, when he was about to talk about the other benefits that Emperor Chongzhen had explained, he suddenly saw a man striding out of the hall, with his hands clasped in his fists, his head raised and his chest raised, and he said loudly: "The final general is willing to go!"

He speaks well, with a northern Shaanxi accent, but he is a Han Chinese.

Taking a closer look, Hong Chengchou recognized the general who was a bandit, the guerrilla general Li Zicheng! He couldn't help but be surprised. He didn't even mention the extra benefits that the emperor told him, but he was already moved by the offer of a knighthood?

Not only Hong Chengchou was surprised, but other generals present were also surprised. Especially one tiger, Li Guo, the original king of Chuang, Gao Yingxiang, surprised them more than others. In their opinion, Li Zicheng is a smart man, he is prudent in his work, he usually does not suffer any losses, and he is a rational man.

But now this job is actually a very difficult job. Not only do you have to fight against small tribes, but you also have to fight against the vicious Tsarist Russian army. It is also a long-term and painful job. He has high demands on himself and his subordinates. Life now is much better than before. Not only do you not have to worry about life, but you are also a guerrilla general. All in all, you have glory and wealth. In such a comparison, no one is willing to accept the decree. How come you, a smart person like you, can't figure out the good and bad in it?

Hong Chengchou looked at Li Zicheng with a serious expression and confirmed again: "I have said that we will not give too many troops, and the food and grass supplies are limited. It is even more necessary for you to travel all over the north to the horizon to open up territory for the emperor. During this period, you will not only need to fight. , you also need to be flexible, how to survive with the army in the severe cold environment, and how to deal with the affairs of the tribes you encounter. If the army of Tsarist Russia is annihilated, the pressure will be very high, are you still willing to go there with the order? "

"The final general is willing to go!" Although Hong Chengchou said so much, Li Zicheng did not hesitate and responded immediately with fists clasped in a resolute attitude.

No one else came out to compete with Li Zicheng for this job. They looked at Li Zicheng with admiration, surprise, disdain, and ridicule in their eyes.

Hong Chengchou quickly glanced at the generals from his seat, nodded immediately and said: "That's very good. That's it for today's discussion. Li Zicheng stays!"

After listening to the order, the generals immediately bid farewell to the Governor, exited the lobby together, and walked outside the Governor's Mansion.

Before they even reached the door, some people couldn't help but start talking.

"He's a Han Chinese. Does he know how cold it is in the north? He won't freeze to death!"

"Yes, even being uninhabited for thousands of miles can make people despair!"

"It's further than the vast sea. Haha, he must not know that the area in the north is probably bigger than the entire Ming Dynasty. He will probably stay in the north for the rest of his life!"

"I'm really crazy about wanting to be knighted. I'm just a short-term pie. Maybe when I finally come back alive, the emperor will forget that there is such a thing, haha!"

"..."

Listening to what others were discussing, Li Guo and Gao Yingxiang were both a little worried. If Li Zicheng left now, they didn't know when they would see each other again in the future, or whether they would be able to come back.

"How about I go and talk to the governor, I'll go too, and I'll accompany Uncle Li!" Li Guo finally stopped and said to Gao Yingxiang.

After hearing this, Gao Yingxiang glanced at the lobby of the Governor's Mansion, and finally shook his head and said, "Forget it, your future is limitless, so don't delay it by accompanying him."

Because Li Guo could communicate directly with the emperor, he was highly valued by the governor and Zhongcheng. If nothing else happens, among all the generals, except Man Gui, Li Guo will be the one who is most likely to get ahead.

Gao Yingxiang paused, then shook his head and said: "I don't know what he was thinking about accepting such a job. When he comes out, I will talk to him! But...since he has accepted it, there is no need Fa has gone back on his word, and it’s all in vain!”

Having said this, he sighed heavily and said: "Not even those Mongolian generals are willing to go. I really don't know what he thinks!"

Li Guo frowned and said nothing after hearing this, apparently also confused as to what was going on with Li Zicheng.

After nightfall, many familiar generals gathered in Gao Yingxiang's house, talking, and would leave Guihua City and return to their respective stations early tomorrow morning. The topic they discussed was nothing more than what happened this time. No one can figure out Li Zicheng. The conclusion that can be drawn is that Li Zicheng is too ambitious! Of course, this is one of our own, otherwise they would probably say that he is too ambitious, unwilling to accept everything in front of him, and wants to climb up.

While they were talking, suddenly Li Zicheng came over.

As soon as they saw Li Zicheng walking in with a smile on his face, everyone couldn't help but talk about him.

"What's going on with you? Now here in Guihua City, we are all generals, and life is not as difficult as before. Why do you still stand up?" Gao Yingxiang first said with a bit of blame.

Li Guo was also worried, and then said: "If the governor ordered a general, there would be nothing you can do, but uncle, you just went and robbed it. Why is that?"

"Brother Li, do you really want to be knighted by a general? How many military generals in the country can be knighted?" Shen Yikui also shook his head and sighed, "What's the point of just giving you about a thousand troops this time? Use your toes. If you think about it, you know that the people above just want to give it a try and don't pay much attention to it!"

Shen Yiyuan looked at Li Zicheng, pointed at him and said: "You are always smart, why are you so stupid this time? This is in the Hetao. Can we Han people go to those desolate places in the north? Such desolate places, the imperial court How much attention will it take, how much attention can the emperor take? To expand the territory, there must be someone who can pay taxes! I tell you, nine times out of ten, when you come back, you won’t even know what the year of the monkey is and the month of the horse. , whether the emperor can remember this is a question!"

"..."

Listening to their various conversations, Li Zicheng was not annoyed. He still had a smile. He stepped forward to grab the freshly heated wine bottle, tested the temperature, and found it was OK. He raised his neck and drank "Gurgling". Had a great time. He drank all the wine in the jug before dropping the jug, laughing loudly and saying: "Happy, happy!"

All the people present couldn't help but look at each other in shock when they saw it. They didn't know why Li Zicheng was so happy!

The atmosphere at the scene couldn't help but feel a little strange after Li Zicheng had disrupted it like this. As the person involved, Li Zicheng looked happy, while the bystanders looked worried, confused, puzzled, etc.

Gao Yingxiang was a little depressed. When he was about to say something else, Li Zicheng spoke first: "The Governor has an order. This time, I will not take my original subordinates with me when I go north. Instead, I will choose suitable subordinates from various armies..."

He had just finished speaking, and Gao Yingxiang finally said it, with a bit of annoyance: "That's it, has it made you happy?"

Although it is indeed helpful for Li Zicheng to go north to complete his errands by selecting his subordinates from various armies, is he so happy with this little benefit?

After hearing this, Li Zicheng looked at his uncle with a smile and said: "In addition, the Governor-General said that the Emperor's decree requires me to bring my mid-level officers to the capital to meet the Holy Spirit. We, as a group of people, will have to attend classes at the Capital Junior Military Academy, and the Emperor himself will teach us." , explain all the matters regarding the Northern Expedition. This winter will probably be spent in the capital. Wait until the weather gets warmer next year before setting out on the expedition. "

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly looked surprised, their mouths opened as wide as if they could stuff an egg. Then, immediately, they all started asking questions excitedly.

"What? Going to Beijing to meet the saint, or the emperor giving lessons in person?"

"It's impossible. How could the emperor teach in person? Such a thing has never happened before!"

"Yes, what is this? This is the emperor's disciple!"

"I didn't expect that the emperor would take this matter so seriously! Needless to say, brother Li, if you can come back, the emperor will definitely give you a knighthood!"

"..."

Li Zicheng smiled even more happily when he heard that they had such a great attitude towards him. He didn't interrupt them, just listened to them with a smile, and looked at their surprised and envious expressions with enjoyment.

After a while, when the excitement of the people present finally calmed down a little, Li Zicheng said to Li Guo: "The Governor also said that the emperor will give me your ability this time. In this way, I Although I went to the far north, I was able to directly report military information to the emperor as soon as possible."

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then looked at Li Guo, and immediately understood what was going on. At this moment, everyone suddenly became uneasy again.

To be honest, they didn't know how much they envied Li Guo's miraculous communication skills and his ability to reach the emperor directly. Li Guo is the best among them, not because he has the strongest ability, but because he has this ability! But they couldn't envy this kind of ability, so they could only lament Li Guo's good life.

But at this moment, they heard that Li Zicheng would also be given this kind of ability by the emperor. To people who didn't know about it, this kind of ability was simply like a fairy. At this moment, they suddenly felt that no matter how high the price was, it would be too much. worth it. As a result, the eyes they looked at Li Zicheng were full of envy, and even a hint of jealousy.

Many people present were suddenly enlightened at this time. Among them, Gao Yingxiang said: "You are so proactive in the lobby. You must have known these benefits for a long time, right?"

Upon hearing this, others thought that Li Zicheng was smart and steady, but he did such a thing. No wonder there was such an abnormal thing. He must have known about it and there were many benefits!

Unexpectedly, after Li Zicheng heard this, he smiled and shook his head and said: "I am not the governor's confidant, and I don't have any backing in the court. How could I know these things in advance!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yikui was unconvinced and immediately asked: "Then why did you stand up so actively? After all, everyone knows that what the Governor said before is really not something that ordinary people can do. ah!"

The others nodded, that was indeed the truth. If the Governor hadn't emphasized the difficulties before, and some of them would be less worried, maybe some of them would be able to stand up!

After hearing this, Li Zicheng still smiled and replied: "Although I don't know, in fact, it's not difficult to guess..."

Upon hearing this, some people were unconvinced, but they did not say anything and just listened attentively to Li Zicheng's continued explanation.

"...I wonder if you have paid attention to the current emperor?" Li Zicheng said with admiration, "Our emperor is the master of ZTE. What he has done since he ascended the throne has far exceeded that of previous emperors. If nothing else, just say This Hetao, even if it was occupied in the past, it would not last long. But now, look at the emperor's method of governing the Hetao. Mongolian and Chinese learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses, and are treated equally. Based on this basis, who can take the Hetao away from the Ming Dynasty again? ?"

"Also, the various ethnic groups in the eastern Mongolia have also been subdued by the emperor. They have changed their previous alliance with the Jianlu and have been integrated by my Ming Dynasty. The entire grassland will be owned by my Ming Dynasty!"

After hearing what Li Zicheng said, Li Guo and others couldn't help but calm down and think carefully about what they knew. He was personally involved in the affairs of Western Mongolia. Under Li Zicheng's explanation, he had a vague understanding of the emperor's ambition.

"You don't know if you are paying attention to the war in Liaodong. The emperor has decreed that in the future, Liaodong will no longer be autonomously governed by the capital, but will be governed by a provincial system, the same as within the customs. What does this mean? The emperor attaches great importance to Liaodong. Land!" Li Zicheng ignored them and continued, "Also, do you know the situation in Korea? In my opinion, there will no longer be a vassal state of Korea in the future, but will only be a province of my Ming Dynasty!"

"..."

Listening to Li Zicheng talking about so many things, Shen Yiyuan and others couldn't help but feel a little emotional. While they only focused on the one-third of an acre of land in front of them, Li Zicheng was paying attention to things other than the Loop. Probably, this was the gap!

Li Zicheng gave many examples and finally concluded: "Therefore, I felt at that time that the emperor's view of the wild lands in the north was definitely not just a whim!"

Thanks to Yiye Zhiqiu111, hzwangdd, and anniexie for the reward!