Luoyang, government office.

Li Zicheng rubbed his temples with both hands and frowned. Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance at the head were also thinking. Only Liu Zongmin, whose injuries were gradually recovering, had a comfortable smile on his face.

Many news about the Battle of Wuqiao was conveyed to Luoyang at the first time, and there were also many discussions. Among them, the most widely circulated was that Zhang Xianzhong specially sent the main army to unite with the Ming army to jointly wipe out the invading Eight Banners Army.

The news of the Jin Dynasty's defeat after the Battle of Wuqiao is definitely true, but whether Zhang Xianzhong is involved is worth discussing. Zhang Xianzhong's main force has always been in Sichuan, and the journey is quite far from Wuqiao. If Zhang Xianzhong dispatched the main army to Wuqiao, he had to pass through Huguang, or pass through Henan, go to Wuqiao, or go from Huguang to Nanzhili, and go to Wuqiao. Such a long-distance march would definitely be conveyed.

Among them, Li Zicheng, Niu Jinxing and others doubt whether Zhang Xianzhong participated in the Battle of Wuqiao, but rumors from the outside world were clear that Zhang Xianzhong was involved, and Zhang Xianzhong sent a large army to participate in the Battle of Wuqiao to protect himself. After all, the Dashun Army was defeated by the Eight Banners Army. If Zhang Xianzhong continued to watch the wall, it might be his turn next.

Besides, if the Ming Dynasty court wanted to unite with Zhang Xianzhong to fight, it would come up with many ways to meet the many conditions proposed by Zhang Xianzhong, including the division of Sichuan as Zhang Xianzhong's territory, the court did not interfere in any matters in Sichuan, etc. Such a huge temptation, Zhang Xianzhong would agree to the request for joint combat.

What's more important is that the Ming army had weak combat power and could not defeat and wipe out the Eight Banners Army that was attacking Shandong. It was a total of 20,000 Eight Banners soldiers, including 10,000 of the most elite soldiers of the Eight Banners, whose combat power was not weaker than that of the Eight Banners.

Li Zicheng admitted this analysis, Niu Jinxing and others also accepted it.

The 20,000 Eight Banners Army was completely wiped out in Wuqiao. This news was enough to shock Li Zicheng. While he believed that Zhang Xianzhong participated in the Battle of Wuqiao, he was also trying to figure out the combat effectiveness of the Daxi Army under Zhang Xianzhong and what conditions did the Ming court meet? Could it be that the Daxi Army was stronger than the Dashun Army? Could it be that the Ming court not only agreed to Zhang Xianzhong to rule the territory, but also agreed to join forces with Zhang Xianzhong to deal with the Manchu Eight Banners and the Dashun Army? If this is the case, it would be enough to give Li Zicheng a headache.

During the renovation in Luoyang, Li Zicheng had made up his mind and when the Dashun Army recovered its vitality, he immediately went to Shaanxi. After all, it was Li Zicheng's hometown and had sufficient connections. Li Zicheng was familiar with the terrain of various parts of Shaanxi. If the Eight Banners Army entered Shaanxi to fight, don't think about winning easily.

The news of the Battle of Wuqiao made Li Zicheng hesitate.

Li Guo and Gu Ying were stationed in Taiyuan Prefecture City in Shanxi, and Li Yan, who left without saying goodbye, were in Kaifeng Prefecture City. Although he was full of doubts about Li Yan, Li Zicheng believed that Li Yan would not attack him. After all, the Hongniang was still in the army. In other words, if Li Yan could gather strength in Kaifeng Prefecture City, the power that Li Zicheng could rely on would still be quite strong.

The Eight Banners Army was defeated and was wiped out to more than 20,000 people. Dorgon and others must be furious. The main force of the Eight Banners Army is likely to turn around and head towards Shandong to encircle and suppress the Ming army and the Daxi Army under Zhang Xianzhong. This is definitely great news for Li Zicheng and Dashun Army. The Eight Banners Army and the Daxi Army and the Ming army fought desperately, and Li Zicheng and the Dashun Army were watching the wall. When the Eight Banners Army, the strength of the Daxi Army and the Ming army was greatly reduced, and the opportunity for Li Zicheng and the Dashun Army came.

But under such circumstances, will the Dashun Army continue to evacuate to Shaanxi? Do you have to give up such a good opportunity? You must know that in the already chaotic north, there are not so many excellent opportunities.

Li Zicheng, who had ascended the throne and became emperor, had a different idea from the original one. During these days of rest in Luoyang, he recalled everything that happened after the Dashun Army occupied the capital. His regret was beyond words. If he had won over Wu Sangui at that time and asked Wu Sangui to surrender to the Dashun court, the Eight Banners Army would not have the chance to enter the pass. If Wu Sangui was unwilling to surrender to the Dashun court, if the Dashun Army attacked Shanhaiguan as fast as possible, defeated Wu Sangui at the fastest speed, and captured Shanhaiguan, the situation would not have happened later. At this moment, Li Zicheng might still enjoy many worships in the Forbidden City.

However, the combat effectiveness of the Eight Banners Army made Li Zicheng hesitate, especially the most elite heavy-armed cavalry of the Eight Banners Army, which was simply invincible. Li Zicheng thought to himself that he had not thought of a way to defeat the heavy-armed cavalry.

"Prime Minister, Military Advisor, what do you think, you might as well say it."

Li Zicheng finally spoke, and Niu Jinxing immediately stood up and clasped his fists and spoke.

"Your Majesty, I think the army should not withdraw to Shaanxi for the time being. We can continue to rest in Luoyang and take the opportunity to observe the situation in Shandong and northern Zhili. I suggest that you send scouts to Sichuan for investigation and be sure to find out the true situation of Zhang Xianzhong."

Song Xiance nodded and did not speak.

Li Zicheng looked at Liu Zongmin and pondered for a moment.

"Prime Minister, what you mean is that Zhang Xianzhong may not have participated in the Battle of Wuqiao, but this makes sense. I know the combat effectiveness of the Ming army. If they do their best to deal with local bandits, they may win. But they are facing 20,000 soldiers from the Eight Banners Army, and wiped out these 20,000 people. How many troops do they need to dispatch? 100,000, or 200,000, or 500,000."

"I also know some of the Ming army in the south. Zuo Liangyu from Huguang is known as a million troops, but they are all mobs. When we see our Dashun army, we will run away quickly. Facing the Eight Banners Army, they are lambs to be slaughtered, and Qin Liangyu from Sichuan. The combat effectiveness of the Baigang soldiers under our command is quite good, but the number of people is only 20,000 to 30,000. And I have heard that Qin Liangyu fought with Zhang Xianzhong, and the Baigang soldiers under his command were defeated and almost wiped out."

"What I mean is that there is no Ming army in the south that can defeat the Eight Banners Army. In this way, Zhang Xianzhong has a great possibility of participating in the Battle of Wuqiao. Zhang Xianzhong has hundreds of thousands of troops under his command. If he dispatches the main force to Wuqiao, he will win the fewer and wait for his leisure to work. He will be able to wipe out 20,000 Eight Banners Army."

Niu Jinxing was silent, Song Xiance was silent, and they could not answer Li Zicheng's questions.

Liu Zongmin looked at Li Zicheng and spoke up.

"Your Majesty, I think that the current situation is beneficial to our Dashun Army. As for other things, there is no need to consider so much. Our Dashun Army can seize the opportunity to occupy the entire territory of Henan and observe the situation in Northern Zhili and Southern Zhili. If all the main forces of the Eight Banners Army are dispatched to Shandong to fight, we can take advantage of the opportunity to fight to Northern Zhili and conquer the capital."

After Liu Zongmin finished speaking, Niu Jinxing frowned slightly.

Li Zicheng saw Niu Jinxing's expression very clearly.

"Prime Minister, what do you think of the general's advice?"

Niu Jinxing coughed and turned to Liu Zongmin.

"General, your suggestions are indeed good, but I think that before I fully understand the cause of the Battle of Wuqiao, my Dashun Army should not be mobilized easily. Looking at the situation in the north, the Eight Banner Army is still the most powerful combat power..."

Before Niu Jinxing finished speaking, Liu Zongmin snorted. He could no longer stand Niu Jinxing's behavior.

Li Yan was forced to leave, mainly because Niu Jinxing was sowed. Over the past few days, Liu Zongmin had figured out everything. He originally thought that Li Yan had some problems with his personality, but Niu Jinxing was going to instigate the emperor to kill Li Yan. Is Li Yan still waiting to lose his head? I am afraid there is no such stupid person in the world.

"Prime Minister, do you not believe in the news of the Battle of Wuqiao, or are you afraid of the Eight Banners Army?"

Niu Jinxing blushed. Although he received high trust and respect from Li Zicheng, he was still quite cautious in front of Liu Zongmin, who was in charge of the army. The scholar was indecisive to meet soldiers. If Liu Zongmin gets angry and others get revenge, they will not care about any consequences.

"General, I don't mean that. I just think that to figure out the situation of the Battle of Wuqiao, and to know more about what actions will happen to the Later Jin Dynasty suffer from the defeat of the Battle of Wuqiao, and whether it will dispatch the army to Shandong to fight."

Seeing that there might be a dispute between Niu Jinxing and Liu Zongmin, Li Zicheng spoke.

"General, don't worry. I think the Prime Minister said something. We don't know whether the main force of the Eight Banners Army will go to Shandong to fight. At this time, we will be unable to deal with it if the main force of the Eight Banners Army suddenly attacks Henan."

Liu Zongmin was anxious. The emperor Li Zicheng in his impression was not afraid of failure, dared to fight and rush, and hesitated, but this time he faced a great opportunity.

"Master, are we giving up such a good opportunity?"

Li Zicheng coughed a few times, his expression slightly awkward.

"General, I don't mean this. Do I think I should figure out the movements of the Eight Banners Army, the situation in Shandong, and even more so that Zhang Xianzhong's movements can be ensured to win the battle only by attacking the army."

After Li Zicheng finished speaking, Song Xiance, who had never spoken, spoke up.

"General, I think the emperor's decision is very good. Our Dashun Army will not fight an unprepared battle. Another point is that when the Eight Banners Army suffered a crushing defeat, it is possible to do all its strength to launch an attack on Shandong, allowing the Eight Banners Army to fight desperately with Zhang Xianzhong and Ming army. When both of them are both injured, our Dashun Army will take advantage of the situation to attack. Not only can we conquer the capital, but also completely defeat the Eight Banners Army and Zhang Xianzhong. Wouldn't that be better?"

Li Zicheng nodded, and Song Xiance's words came to his heart.

"Okay, the military advisor's advice is very good. I think it's all. The army continues to rest in Luoyang, raise enough food and grass to let the soldiers maintain their spirits..."

Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance left, and Liu Zongmin stayed in the lobby.

Li Zicheng looked at Liu Zongmin and spoke with a serious expression.

"The general, immediately send the most elite scouts to Northern Zhili, Shandong, Sichuan and Kaifeng Prefectures to investigate the situation. Report it immediately..."
Chapter completed!