At the beginning of the 16th year of Chongzhen's reign, Jingnan Bo Cao Bianjiao and Ningnan Bo Wang Tingchen were transferred to Liaodong. At that time, they only had 3,500 cavalry in the main barracks and 500 new troops, totaling 4,000 horses and infantry. At this time, the two of them were stationed in Yizhou, but they were on the front line against the Tartars. Of course, they were very concerned about the Qing Dynasty's movements. On the 17th, when the Qing Dynasty mobilized the whole country, the two of them noticed it and immediately sent out sentries to investigate at all hours of the night. On the 19th, the two men believed that the Tartars might invade the border on a large scale again. They made a prompt decision and immediately sent Tang Ma to warn the governor of Liaodong, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, the governor of Jiliao and others. On the 20th, the Qing Dynasty came out in force. Of course, such a big news could not be concealed from them. They once again sent out an emergency report and predicted their judgment in the Tongbao. They believe that the number of soldiers and horses dispatched by the slave thieves this time will not be less than the number during the Battle of Jinzhou. After Tangma left, the two earls ordered the city to be under martial law. They patrolled the city carefully. When they returned to the mansion they shared, a sudden visitor came to the lobby. "Two generals, our intelligence department has definite information. This time the Tartars are out in force, and Yizhou is far behind. If we are trapped here, we may be in trouble. A man should be useful. When the situation changes, Don¡¯t worry about the gains and losses of a city or a place. The general even said that if the two generals are willing to go to Monan, he will definitely welcome them. "The person who spoke was an agent from the Intelligence Department of the Protectorate. His appearance is unattractive, and he is easily ignored among the crowd, but his expression is resolute and his tone is firm, as if he does not change his expression even if the mountain collapses in front of him. These people who go out to do espionage operations in the Intelligence Department all have a will of steel. After listening to what the detective said, Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen both had smiles on their faces. Cao Bianjiao smiled at Wang Tingchen and said, "Brother Wang, what do you think?" Wang Tingchen smiled heartily and said, "General Cao, I still say the same thing. As long as a man dies in a proper way, what if he is wrapped in horse leather?" Cao Bianjiao smiled and said, "I think so too. " He said to the detective: "This brave man, please tell Lord Yongning that Cao and others have failed his expectations by vowing to live and die with Yizhou City. " At this point, he looked a little guilty. , said softly: "I hope there will be a day when I can meet Brother Wang again" The agent sighed secretly. This result was within his expectation. Respect surged in his heart, and he solemnly said: "In that case, I'll take my leave, two generals!" He bowed deeply and turned away. He came to the street. Many soldiers were patrolling in the cold, rainy and snowy weather, and they all looked resolute. There was a surge of thought in his heart. Not knowing what it was like, he bowed his head to them and got on his horse. As an elite agent of the Intelligence Department, he owned three war horses. He got on the horse and hurried out of the city. He looked at the weather. The clouds were as thick as lead. It looked like it would snow for a while. He went up to the west mountain, and suddenly he saw dozens of riders roaring from the south of the city, and there were bursts of wild beast howling in the distance. Looking at their superb riding skills and shining armor, the agent murmured: "Baya La." He looked at the long horse hoof marks in the snow, and did not dare to stop any longer. He took one last look at the wind and snow. Yizhou City in the middle of the city quickly disappeared in the wind and snow. Soon, more and more fine cavalry from the Qing army arrived, all of them were horse-armored soldiers and bagaras. They searched the surrounding countryside and especially killed the scouts. The Ming army's refusal to gather troops at night was their key target. After this report on the 20th, Uiju City was cut off from other places. ¡ News of the large-scale invasion of the Qing army continued to come. Especially after Yizhou City sent out Tongbao on the 20th, cities in western Liaoning were under martial law one after another. Jinzhou, Ningyuan, Shanhaiguan and other places closed their city gates and strictly guarded their borders. Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, and Fan Zhiwan, the governor of Jiliao, reported several times a day and urgently reported to the capital. On the 23rd, the Ming army stationed at the Great Wall at Jialingkou stayed up all night and noticed that there seemed to be some strange movement in the Karaqin tribe outside the pass. Soon, they even discovered that elite sentry cavalry from Tatars with blue flags appeared on the border of Yuanying Prefecture. On the 24th, the Ming army stationed at the Lengkou Great Wall discovered that Bagala of the Tatar Zhenglan Banner was outside at night. On the same day, their sentry cavalry horses also appeared outside the Xifengkou Great Wall. On the 25th, Jinzhou, Ningyuan and other places reported that the overwhelming Tatar army was approaching, but the strange thing was that they only set up camps outside each city, but did not attack the city. They mostly monitored the defenders inside. military. However, they rode out in all directions and kept killing the Tang horses who went out at night, making it difficult to convey news from various cities. On the same day, Yang Guozhu, the commander-in-chief of Jizhen and Marquis of Jibei, received a whistleblower report that a Tatar army numbering no less than 100,000 people was marching westward from Jinzhou, Yizhou and other places. They came from outside the Great Wall, and their target was the Jizhen defense line they defended. On the 26th, the whistle did not collect calls at night.His disciples Abatai, Ji'erhalang and others were stationed at the border of Zhongtunwei in the Yingzhou outside the Yuanguan Pass. They densely set up sentries and cavalry, from the west to Xinchengwei and to the northwest to Hongyazi Mountain, their sentry and cavalry men and horses were found. In particular, they also have fine cavalry stationed along the Yixun River, which seems to be specifically monitoring Huzhai, the most advanced fortress town of the Jingbian Army outside the Great Wall, more than 200 miles away from Hongyazi Mountain. The slave thieves were approaching in large numbers, and Yang Guozhu did not dare to neglect. He personally led the army to the border wall, especially the Lengkou Great Wall where he judged the main breach was. He must not let these beast-like things enter the pass. Qing soldiers have entered the fortress many times, in the second year of Chongzhen, the ninth year of Chongzhen, and the eleventh year of Chongzhen. Each time, blood flowed everywhere and the people were miserable. And in addition to these large-scale fortress invasions, which reached the capital city, there were actually two more attacks in the seventh year of Chongzhen's reign and the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign. They invaded Xuanfu, Datong, Xinzhou, Dingxiang and other places and looted wantonly. Especially this time in the seventh year of Chongzhen, because Cao Wenzhao was transferred to Datong, Gao Yingxiang, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and other bandits took the opportunity to break out, which eventually led to the subsequent disaster. At this time, Yang Guozhu had 15,000 soldiers and horses, 5,000 cavalry in Neizheng Barracks, and 10,000 new troops. They had all gone through the bloody battle of Songjin, and their combat effectiveness had been tested. He was confident that he could block the Tatar invasion. As the commander-in-chief of Jizhen, he also believed that he had this responsibility to protect the people in Guan from the evil. It¡¯s justthat my main force has been held back like this. Of course he knew that when the bandits established their country in Jinan and became king, they would soon go north depending on the situation. At that time, the capital was in danger, but he was afraid that he would not be able to send reinforcements. Yang Guozhu got the news that the princes in the court intended to spread the news that he would defend the capital, but now The national situation was so critical, which made Yang Guozhu worried. He didn't understand what the princes in the court were thinking. The strength of the Jingbian army was famous all over the world. They were also nearby, and when the bandits gathered under the city, they took advantage of the situation. After all, there was no danger of bandits gathering, only bandits scattering. The scariest thing about rogue thieves is that they are so good at running away. This is a good opportunity. If the rogue thieves go north, they will be caught in one fell swoop and the most serious problem of the Ming Dynasty will be completely solved. Yang Guozhu thought that there will always be smart people in the court, and the capital is strong, so they should be able to hold on for a few months. When the situation becomes urgent, they should summon Yongning Hou to join the guard. ¡°Forget it, these major national affairs are not something he can consider. What he can do is to guard the border for the country. One thing he is sure of is that unless he is killed in battle, he will never let a Tatar enter the border. The people of Xuanfu, Shanxi, and Anbei Protectorate are very concerned about the movements of the rebels. Compared with the turmoil in Shandong and Beizhi, the people are rushing to dedicate the city and open the door, and everyone is looking forward to the arrival of the rebels. Here The response from the public was lukewarm. After all, their lives were generally going well. Even if you can¡¯t survive, you can still immigrate to the Duhufu. Immigrants are very welcome there, not to mention the people of Xuanfu Town who live a prosperous life. In February, after the rebels established their country in Shandong, Cai Maode, the governor of Shanxi, stepped up the defense of various passes in the east of Shanxi and dispatched General Zhou Yuji, Deputy General Li Yunshu and others to defend Guguan, Huangyu Pass, Hongti Pass, etc. places, strengthening the defensive power of these places. So when the bandits attacked and conquered cities and lands in Zhangde Prefecture and Shunde Prefecture, and planned to take advantage of the situation to invade Shanxi, they were beaten to death in front of these strong passes. Of course, it is not that the masses of the people are not interested in the rebel army. For example, in Yuanshi County, which is close to Shanxi and controlled by Xu Yue'e, the Imperial Counselor, there is a blacksmith named Sun. He secretly made hundreds of arrowheads and wrote down one of them, which he called The bandit is called "Master Tianbing" and plans to sneak out of the city to join the army. "Unfortunately, when he left the city, his hands were searched and broken by the soldiers guarding the gate. As a result, Xu Yue'e ordered him to kill him as a warning to others. He brutally nailed his limbs to the city gate with long nails and died a heroic death. But at least from now on, in several cities within her sphere of influence, no one dared to talk about surrendering thieves. At the end of February, some soldiers and civilians in Huangyuguan wanted to surrender, but they were brutally suppressed by the guard Li Yunshu. Everyone involved, regardless of gender, age or child, was killed. After several incidents, there was peace everywhere in Shanxi. thing. Because of the peace in Shanxi, more and more vassal kings fled into the country. In addition to the original Fu Wang Zhu Yousong, Lu Wang Zhu Changzi and others also fled in one after another. On the first day of March, bandits marched northward. When the news reached Shanxi, Ji Shiwei, the governor of Xuan Dynasty, sent an urgent message to the governor of Xuanfu, Zhu Zhifeng, the governor of Datong, Wei Jingyuan, and the governor of Shanxi, Cai Maode. After some urgent discussions, Shanxi Xuanfu announced The entire territory is under martial law. Those who want to enter Xuanfu Town, especially those who want to enter Xuanfu Town, will be admitted to the shelter first and will be subject to strict review. Wang Pu, the commander-in-chief of Datong, also responded to the request of Cai Maode, the governor of Shanxi, and ordered his general Wang Zheng to lead the barracks to assist Zhou Yuji, the commander-in-chief who was defending Guguan. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?When the thieves went north, the reaction of the people in Xuanfu, Shanxi, and Anbei Protectorate was actually very indifferent, because in the hearts of these people, they had the pillars of the sky, the generals who conquered prisoners, and the Marquis of Yongning and Wang Dou were there. How was the matter? Just follow his orders then. Anyway, with the powerful Jingbian Army here, it is impossible for them to be harmed. They only debate how long the capital can be defended. This is a hot topic in teahouses and restaurants in every city and town. Some people say that due to the plague, the capital camp has suffered heavy losses, and the capital may only be able to defend itself for three months at most. Most people think that this statement is conservative. The capital is strong, the city walls are high and thick, and the city is sixty or seventy miles in circumference. It is hard to say whether it can be defended for a year, but it is still possible to defend for half a year. Moreover, they believe that as long as the father -in -law's eyes are not blind, the thief is not a problem at all. The Xuanfu Times is also advocating that as long as the imperial court recruits General Wang Dou to take action, the thieves will be quelled with one blow, and they will be killed in one fell swoop under the walls of Beijing, and the Ming Dynasty will be restored to peace. Regardless of the discussion of newspapers, for some gentry officials, they will be much more complicated in the future. Looking at the momentum of thief, it is known that millions of people are close to the Beijing division. Can Beijing be held at that time? If the capital falls and the Ming Dynasty is destroyed, where will they go? Some people are privately discussing whether the Ming Dynasty has run out of strength and whether they should follow the trend and welcome the new master. However, there are some humane thieves who cannot be trusted. For example, they refuse to pay for food. As a result, after the founding of Shandong, they ordered each county to send 300 mules and collect thousands of stones of millet. They also fought hard and were suspected of going back on their word. Moreover, wherever they go, they plunder wealthy families to support them, which may be detrimental to the gentry in the future. But some people retorted that after Shun Guo captured the capital and established a new dynasty, things would definitely be different. The new dynasty would have a new atmosphere. Generally speaking, they are mixed and wait-and-see. (To be continued.)