Chapter 233: Deliberations in Xi'an

The sudden transfer of tens of thousands—nearly a hundred thousand—troops could not be concealed no matter how tightly news was sealed or banners furled and drums silenced. The noise was simply too great to hide. The Dashun forces in Xi'an had long been monitoring every move on this side and quickly obtained word of what was happening.

The constant shuffling of official troops in the Northwest Grand Camp clearly signaled that something major was afoot, but within Dashun, they only knew that the court's forces had been moving frequently of late—the specifics of what was happening remained unknown.

In the haste of the moment, Li Zicheng feared the official army might be about to march out through the passes to encircle and destroy them, so he immediately summoned all his generals to the royal hall for deliberation.

After several clangs of the gong, the Dashun generals filed into the great hall, including Marquis Ru Liu Zongmin, Marquis Ze Tian Jianxiu, Marquis Qi Gu Ying, Marquis Bo Li Jin, Marquis Yi Zhang Nai, Marquis Mian Yuan Zongdi, and Marquis Huai Liu Guochang—though of course, one among them was missing: Marquis Ci, Liu Fangliang.

And the so-called Yongchang Emperor, Li Zicheng, much like the Chongzhen Emperor during his morning court sessions, was already seated early upon his crude and rough-hewn dragon throne, waiting.

"What does Big Brother want us for, in such a blasted hurry!?" Liu Zongmin's loud, boisterous voice arrived before the man himself did, and from the look of him, he was clearly still sore about having his good time interrupted.

Tian Jianxiu said with some displeasure, "Marquis Ru! What's all this 'Big Brother' and 'Second Brother' talk? In this place, we must all address him as Your Majesty."

"Bullshit!" Liu Zongmin was hot-tempered. He strode over in a few quick steps and raised his arm as if to strike Tian Jianxiu—though fortunately, he pulled back at the very last moment, sparing everyone an awkward scene.

"Your wings have grown stiff, boy—you've gotten bold, daring to talk back to this marquis!"

"Now, now, Marquis Ru, please calm your wrath. Marquis Ze here was merely speaking hastily from the heart. After all, His Majesty the Emperor is quite concerned about taking the capital. Let us first hear what His Majesty has to say." At this point, Niu Jinxing stepped forward once again to play peacemaker.

Liu Zongmin narrowed his eyes and shot Niu Jinxing a glare, but just then Li Zicheng gave a light cough from up above, and only then did he let out a cold snort and lead the cluster of military officers behind him back into position.

"Damn it, can't we have some decorum? Still think we're back in the countryside tilling fields?" Tian Jianxiu was normally steady and composed, commanding considerable prestige among the generals—at this moment, he was truly speaking up on Li Zicheng's behalf.

"Exactly. That Marquis Ru has no sense of being a subordinate at all—he wants to sit on equal footing with His Majesty!" Gao Yigong said with a cold laugh as he watched Liu Zongmin and the men behind him.

Liu Guochang glanced at Liu Zongmin and said in a low voice, "Keep it down. If Marquis Ru hears you, with his temper, a beating would be the least of your worries—I fear even the Dashing King couldn't rein him in!"

"That Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance are in league together, deceiving His Majesty with their crooked, heterodox arts." Tian Jianxiu nodded and sighed, "If only Mr. Li were here. That villain Bai Guangen deserves death—of all the people he could have seized, he had to take Mr. Li!"

The men below were still buzzing with discussion when Li Zicheng coughed heavily twice. Only after all sound died away did he speak with a solemn face: "During this period, the court's Northwest Grand Camp has transferred at least nearly a hundred thousand troops in total. What is Chen Qiyu up to—or rather, what is that fatuous sovereign up to? Do any of you have a clear picture?"

"Hmph!" Naturally, Liu Zongmin was the first to speak, not even bothering to move from where he stood, craning his neck to shout: "Big Brother, what else could it be? That old bastard Chen Qiyu is up to some sneaky scheme again, isn't he?"

"Big Brother handed the old camp cavalry over to that whelp Li Guo to command, and it's been useless ever since. In my view, you'd best give the old camp cavalry to me instead—let me lead two hundred thousand troops north, smash through Ningwu, and pound that so-called Northwest Grand Camp to pieces, burn it clean to the ground, and then there won't be any problem at all!"

"Nonsense!" Song Xiance stepped forward and said, "Marquis Ru, you're being foolish. Ningwu Pass is easy to defend and hard to attack. Last year, our million-strong army couldn't break it in an entire year—you think twenty thousand men will do the job?"

"Then we go east!" Liu Zongmin showed no mercy whatsoever, shouting with reddened eyes: "We'll go east just as Mr. Li's plan said! Guguan was only just taken by the court, so they surely haven't prepared for anything. I'll lead two hundred thousand troops east through Guguan, and that little emperor boy will be so scared he'll piss his pants—he might even dismiss Chen Qiyu on the spot!"

"The way of a brute." Tian Jianxiu chuckled lightly, stepped forward a few paces, made a formal bow, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I received a secret report from Datong the day before yesterday. This mobilization of court troops is not aimed at us—it is directed toward the Doyan tribes beyond the frontier!"

"Oh? Is the source of this information reliable?" Li Zicheng's interest was piqued, and he asked hurriedly.

"It is certainly confirmed. The one who sent me the secret report is a former subordinate of Jiang Xiang, who has long wished to defect to our great Dashun—only Bai Guangen's suppression kept him from acting until now." Tian Jianxiu smiled lightly and said with absolute certainty:

"Your Majesty, word of the campaign against the Doyan has already spread within the passes. It is said that Huang Degong won a great victory over the Qing barbarians beyond the frontier, and that fatuous sovereign believes he can win a war, so he has been gathering troops in preparation to recover the Three Doyan Guard Posts."

"Hahaha! This fatuous sovereign is tearing down his own Great Wall—heaven truly favors our great Dashun!" Li Zicheng leaped down from the dragon throne, speaking to himself with exuberance: "So that's how it is—Chen Qiyu's recent troop movements are merely acts of self-preservation. The Northwest Grand Camp lacks sufficient strength and poses no threat. The time has come!"

As he spoke, Li Zicheng suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to ask, "My two chancellors, what do you think of gathering our forces now for another northern campaign?"

Niu Jinxing smiled obsequiously, "Your Majesty speaks truly. Chen Qiyu has no troops and no generals under his command; the court's forces are insufficient. Naturally, this is the perfect opportunity to break through the passes in one stroke."

"No." Just as everyone was brimming with excitement, eager to launch a northern expedition to destroy the corrupt Ming, Song Xiance instead threw himself to his knees with an urgent expression and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, I find this matter fraught with doubts."

"Last year, even Bai Guangen could rebel again. After that insider has been waiting within the passes for so long, will he still be utterly devoted to our cause? That is doubt number one. Doubt number two: up to this very moment, all the information everyone has received is mere hearsay—there is not a single piece of hard evidence seen with one's own eyes. If we act rashly and fall into a trap, it will be like the Battle of military pay and provisions—too late for regrets."

Having cold water thrown on everyone at such a critical moment would irritate anyone, and Li Zicheng's expression gradually darkened as well.

"Your Majesty, please calm your wrath. The Right Chancellor was casting divinations late into the night, so his mind is surely still somewhat muddled this morning—his words should not be taken seriously." Niu Jinxing, who only ever flattered Li Zicheng, naturally stepped in with a smile to smooth things over.

"Hmph." Li Zicheng let out a cold snort and, in the spirit of magnanimity, said, "Then I shall let you off this once. Such words must not be spoken again in the future—otherwise, I will punish you severely."

"Your Majesty, we truly must not go! The only course now is to wait and watch how events unfold!" Song Xiance's face was stricken with shock, and he spoke almost in a wail.

He could not understand how Li Zicheng—who had once been so good at recognizing talent and so willing to accept remonstrance—could have become like this. What difference was there between him and that obstinate, self-willed Ming emperor?

Liu Zongmin let the words go in one ear and out the other. Even when he caught Song Xiance's pleading gaze, he pretended not to see it. In his heart, he only wanted to fight—he couldn't be bothered with schemes and plots. To be honest, Liu Zongmin simply didn't have the mental circuitry for it.

Tian Jianxiu pitied Song Xiance, so he wore a look of wanting to speak but holding back. Seeing Tian Jianxiu's expression, Song Xiance mistakenly took it as a sign of hope and kept shooting him meaningful glances—but in the end, Tian Jianxiu never said a single word more.