They were battle reports from the front lines, two in total.
The first one stated that after Liu Zhaoji and Shi Kefa had their supply lines cut off, they originally intended to press forward, but unexpectedly Dorgon personally led an expedition, forcing them to retreat and defend Xiaoxian.
The second one stated that Zhang Huangyan and Zheng Chenggong had set out from Jinmen's Luolowan, but encountered a storm upon arriving at Penghu, forcing them to stay for several days.
Zhu Ci looked at these two battle reports, for a moment, he really wanted to call Song Xiance over to calculate whether the feng shui in the Imperial Palace was poor, why everything had been so unlucky this year.
But it was just a passing thought; losing a war was only natural.
Unless one side possesses overwhelming strength, it is impossible for a situation to unfold with such unstoppable momentum.
Moreover, even with overwhelming strength, it is still possible for a smaller force to defeat a larger one; sometimes, warfare also involves a certain amount of luck.
It was just that when he led troops before, everything had always gone smoothly without ever facing setbacks; now, seeing consecutive defeats, his mindset was somewhat unbalanced.
No matter what he was thinking, he could still maintain his composure before the court officials, showing no signs of agitation on his face.
He had originally thought that no one had noticed the urgency in his heart, but unexpectedly, Fu Qingsheng comforted him, saying, "Your Majesty, victory and defeat are common occurrences for any commander, besides, General Zhang and General Zheng only encountered some rough waters; it cannot be considered a defeat."
Zhu Ci was slightly stunned and asked somewhat strangely, "Why do you suddenly say this, my dear minister?"
Fu Qingsheng said, "I was worried that Your Majesty might be anxious."
Zhu Ci looked surprised. "Why would you think I am in a hurry?"
Fu fell silent for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "Your Majesty has become increasingly taciturn these past two days."
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: No, you even know whether I talk too much or too little? The kitty immediately meows a few more times. jpg
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 189
He spoke little in court, even in private audiences, there was little conversation; the court officials simply assumed that as the Emperor grew older, his majesty became more profound and the heavenly mandate increasingly inscrutable.
Only Fu felt that Zhu Ci must have something on his mind that he couldn't voice, that he was acting this way only to avoid revealing his emotions.
Zhu Ci subconsciously glanced around and felt a sense of relief when he saw that the recorder had been driven out.
If the recorder were to record this, he might be labeled a treacherous official in the historical records in the future.
It was just that he felt a strange sensation in his heart, as if no one had ever paid such close attention to his emotions, even noticing when he had something on his mind.
Zhu Ci cleared his throat and said, "My dear subject is truly as meticulous as dust."
Fu rose and bowed, saying, "This official is guilty."
Speculating about the Emperor's intentions was naturally a crime, but although he said he was guilty, he didn't actually think so in his heart; furthermore, his tone lacked much sense of apology.
Zhu Ci did not care and waved his hand, saying, "What kind of crime is that? Sit down quickly."
After a pause, he finally sighed and said, "I know what you mean, but sometimes I wonder if it would have been better if I had led the personal expedition myself."
Although he did not feel that he was particularly special, he had to admit that his luck was indeed good.
If he can turn every danger into safety, how can that not be considered good luck?
If he led the troops personally, perhaps the opposition would have been struck by a meteorite.
Fu asked, "Does His Majesty intend to fight wars for the rest of his life? If His Majesty continues to lead personal expeditions, the generals below will not receive proper training. What will happen in the future?"
Zhu Ci said with a chuckle, "There is nothing wrong with fighting wars for a lifetime. Taizu founded the dynasty, Chengzu personally led five expeditions to the northern steppes; as a descendant, I must naturally follow in the footsteps of my ancestors."
Of course, the main thing was that fighting wars was much easier than handling state affairs.
If he hadn't known it was impossible, he would have dearly wanted to abdicate the throne to Fu; anyone could be this wretched Emperor if they wanted to.
Fu said, "But.. warlike monarchs are never long-lived."
Zhu Ci said in surprise, "Taizu passed away at seventy and Chengzu passed away at sixty-four; is that not considered long-lived?"
It's just that.. regardless of whether it was Taizu or Chengzu, they both carried hidden injuries, in their later years, they were plagued by illnesses that greatly wore them down.
Fu also felt that commenting on these two emperors in such a manner was somewhat treasonous, so he kept his voice very low.
He paused and said, "This official only wishes His Majesty a long life, free from illness and disaster."
Zhu Ci felt somewhat helpless; since Fu had already spoken to such an extent, he had no way to say anything else.
After all, they were sincere; if Fu were to say anything about wishing him ten thousand years of life, it would certainly be perfunctory, but wishing him a long life of a hundred years would mean he truly meant it.
Zhu Ci sighed and said, "It's not that I blame them for losing battles, it's just that Xuzhou is quite important; if other places are lost, it wouldn't matter as much."
“Your Majesty need not worry. Chuangwang has already established a foothold in Xi'an; next, he should head straight for Beijing. As long as General Liu and General Shi can hold their ground, the first to retreat will certainly be the Tartars.”
Zhu Ci's brow relaxed, he couldn't help but say, "Just how much capability does Chuangwang actually possess?"
It must be said that among the generals under his command, the most capable one was Li Zicheng, the other was Zheng Chenggong.
As for the others.. in any case, they lost more often than they won when facing the Qing Army.
Although Li Zicheng also suffered defeats, his failures were not due to strategy or tactics, but rather because there was no reliable governing program from top to bottom; everything was decided on a whim.
If Li Zicheng were not allowed to govern a country and was treated only as a brave general, the results he delivered would have been very impressive.
In fact, Zhu Ci had also once considered whether or not to let Li Zicheng go to the Xuzhou line.
However, such a mobilization was too massive; the troops led by Liu Zhaoji and Shi Kefa might not obey him, Li Zicheng's army might not necessarily follow the orders of Liu Zhaoji and Shi Kefa.
As for that army in the North, Zhu Ci had not actually paid much attention to them; he simply provided grain, money, military supplies, left the rest to Li Chuangwang to manage as he saw fit.
He never expected the results to be so good. Li Zicheng was actually deeply grateful to him; even though Zhu Ci had transferred most of his subordinates away, Li Zicheng had no complaints.
Zhu Ci picked up Li Zicheng's memorial and read it once more, soothing the anxiety in his heart.
After reading it, he said, "Bring the sand table here."
Zhu Ci turned to Fu and said, "Li Zicheng has requested imperial permission to ask how he should proceed. Originally, I wanted him to make the decision himself, but since you put it that way, I do think we can indeed apply some pressure to the Qing Army in the North."
As he spoke, he stood up and walked to the sand table, saying, "Given the current situation, the main route should be Lintong, Weinan, Huazhou, Tongguan.. Wuning Pass, Datong.. Juyong Pass, then heading straight for Beijing."
He thrust the small red flag in his hand forward and continued, "However, this is a very ideal scenario, relying on this single main force is somewhat precarious. In your opinion, where should reinforcements be added?"
After Zhu Ci finished speaking, he handed the small red flag in his hand to Fu. Beside them, Wu Xia looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, "Your Majesty, there are so many red flags right here."
Fu took the red flag from Zhu Ci's hand, his fingers inadvertently brushing against the back of Zhu Ci's hand.
It was a bit cold, Zhu Ci thought. Fu had been recuperating all these years; why did it seem as though there were no significant results?
However, his attention was soon diverted to the sand table, where he saw Zhu Ci plant red flags in Huaiqing, Lu'an, Zhangde, Guangping, Shunde, Baoding, other locations.
Fu withdrew his hand and said, "If we can occupy Baoding Prefecture, it would be much more secure to have Baoding and Juyong Pass supporting each other."
Zhu Ci looked at Baoding and said, "But the southern route is somewhat dangerous."
After all, the Qing Army was still in the South, it was highly likely that this route would also face a pincer attack when the time came.
Fu thought for a moment and said, "Then we shall divide the forces into three routes. After the main force captures Taiyuan Prefecture, they will split off a contingent to march through Gushuan and Zhengding to reinforce Baoding."
Zhu Ci looked at those red flags, thought for a moment, said, "Fine, let it be so. Let the Chuangwang decide the rest himself."
In reality, given the current situation, when actual discussions take place, the military generals should be the ones to attend so that everyone can contribute their wisdom, rather than those two discussing it here.
Unfortunately, the military is still just an empty shell at the moment, which is also why the Scholar-official group has not yet committed to targeting this policy.
Zhu Ci directly ordered the Secretariat Drafter to draft the decree and affix the Square Jade Seal and the Grand Secretariat's seals, finally sending it to the Censorate.
Of course, the Censorate would not undermine the Emperor; they merely took a careful look and praised him, saying, "Your Majesty is truly thorough in every aspect; you truly possess divine and martial strategic vision."
After speaking, he directly applied the seal of the Censorate and immediately ordered someone to rush the message to Xi'an on a fast horse.
Watching his smooth and effortless movements, Yan Yingyuan couldn't help but reach out his hand: "We haven't even seen it yet!"
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: There's no hope for Liu and Shi, I hope Chuangwang can crush the Qing Army. Cat driving a truck. jpg
Next update tomorrow morning at six o'clock~
Chapter 190
Yan Yingyuan suspected that Zhu Yujian was intentionally not showing it to them, he had evidence.
Although the Left Censor is the head of the Censorate, the seals of the Censorate should only be applied after all discussions have concluded and everyone has reached an agreement; Emperor Zhu Yujian was being far too arbitrary.
As a result, before Yan Yingyuan could even protest, Zhu Yujian rose and said, "I am going to the Dali Temple. The rest of you may do as you please."
Seeing Yan Yingyuan's expression, Zhu Yujian knew what he wanted to say. He had no other thoughts, feeling only that people like Yan Yingyuan had been struck several times and still did not understand.
In military matters, the Little Emperor merely treated the Censorate as a stamping agency, showing them temporary respect.
In other words, most of the generals were currently out in the field leading troops in battle; otherwise, the Censorate wouldn't even have the chance to stamp anything. If one failed to understand this, then the position of Left Censor held by the Censorate could just as well be vacated for someone more capable.
When Li Zicheng received the imperial decree, he had already decided to proceed according to his own plan.
If it comes to governing a country, he might not be very capable, but when it comes to leading armies and fighting battles, the Little Emperor might not be as formidable as him.
Of course, he had also heard the legends of Zhu Ci's hundred victories in a hundred battles, after summing it all up, he had only one thought: his luck was truly incredible.
Of course, he also knew that luck was a part of one's strength, so he had no reason to disagree; he simply felt that the Little Emperor's experience was certainly not as rich as his own.
After taking a glance at the Imperial Decree, he couldn't help but slap his thigh and say, "His Majesty thinks exactly the same as I do."
Li Gu, Li Zicheng's nephew, asked curiously, "What did His Majesty say?"
Li Zicheng rubbed his hands and said, "His Majesty has instructed us to divide our forces into three routes, exactly as we discussed before."
A smile of relief appeared on his face. Although he had already made up his mind, defying an Imperial Decree could be treated as a minor or major offense, especially since his status was sensitive, defying an Imperial Decree could easily be construed as harboring rebellious intentions.
It was just that since Li Zicheng had taken Xi'an, he had already begun looking forward to attacking Beijing.
Whatever way the Tartars had driven him out of Beijing, he would repay them in kind.
Before, he had been worried that Liu Zhaoji, Shi Kefa, others would beat him to it, but unexpectedly, they had actually suffered a defeat on the southern front.
Li Zicheng knew that Xuzhou was very important, but he still couldn't help but feel a sense of contempt for these two men in his heart.
Such a great situation could actually be ruined, but that was fine too; if they hadn't suffered this defeat, how could his ability be highlighted?