In September of the 17th year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, Datong Fucheng.

This famous city in northern Shanxi is not only one of the nine important towns in the Ming Dynasty, but also a trade channel connecting northern Saibei and the inland. During the Hongzhi period in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Ye Qi changed the Kaizhong method of the salt policy to the Zese method.

Xiao Ran, Datong Mansion also lost its former prosperity and began to gradually decline. However, the one who brought the greatest harm to this important border town was the Qing Dynasty that was about to establish its power in Yanjing.

The second entrance battle of the Hou Jin Dynasty in the seventh year of Chongzhen (1634) took place in Xuanfu and Datong. In July of that year, the Hou Jin army divided its forces into four groups to attack Xuan and Datong. Although they did not break through the city of Datong, they did

They ravaged the area around Datong for more than fifty days, besieging more than fifty forts in large and small towns, plundering and slaughtering them to no avail, and finally fled, causing serious damage to the Xuanda area. Outside the Xuanda city, there was a desolate and desolate place.

Incomparable.

Although ten years have passed, the vitality of Datong Prefecture has still not been restored. A little further away from Datong Prefecture, there are sparsely populated areas and barren land.

Walking along the official road from Shuozhou, a subordinate state under Datong Prefecture, to the north to Datong Prefecture City, you can still see the ruins of villages from time to time, with broken walls and ruins, without the slightest life. Shi Luo Xiu Shen, the acting head of the palace, took him with him at this time

There were thirty or forty men on horseback, walking on their way back to Datong Fucheng from Hunyuan Prefecture.

He and his men and horses were all dressed up as well-traveled wealthy merchants, wearing thick sheepskin jackets, fur hats on their heads, swords on their waists, quivers and riding bows on their shoulders.

There was quite a lot of dust on him, and he looked like a hero who walked a long way and seldom washed his face, and no longer cared about the wind and rain.

They were dressed like this because Luo Xiushen and the others had just come down from Kelan Mountain. Kelan Mountain is located in Taiyuan Prefecture and is part of the Luliang Mountains. This area has high mountains and dense forests, and the terrain is remote. Since ancient times, it has been under the control of the king.

When the Ming Dynasty was prosperous, there were many bandits and local tyrants entrenched in it. Not to mention now, the Kelan Mountain area, including Kelanzhou City, is not under the control of Li Zicheng, who occupies Taiyuan.

.

There are more than a dozen powerful local bandits, large and small, who now control the area around Kelan Mountain. The most powerful among them is Zhang Xixian, the leader of the White Lotus Sect in the north of Shanxi Province. The city of Kelan Prefecture is now in the hands of Zhang Xixian.

The purpose of Luo Xiu's visit to Ke Lanshan was to go to the main altar of the White Lotus Sect in the north of Shanxi Province to meet with Leader Zhang to discuss recruitment.

The purpose of recruiting leader Zhang was to replace King Zhu Cijiong and establish a "Mountain Palace" in the Luliang Mountains. The idea of ​​establishing a base in the Luliang Mountains was proposed by Zhu Cixiang through a secret edict.

Now Datong Mansion is isolated in the north, separated from the southeastern area controlled by the Ming Dynasty by the territories of the Qing Dynasty and Dashun, so communication can only be done through secret envoys.

And Luo Xiushen was an important chess piece placed by Zhu Cihong in Datong Mansion. Naturally, there was a secret communication line to contact Prince Zhu. Therefore, long before Zhu Cihong went south from Dengzhou, the secret decree of "Going to Luliang" was sent to Datong Mansion.

The secret edict was written by Zhu Cixiang himself. It mainly said two things. The first was to avoid conflicts with the Datong Army and the Qing Army. Although the Datong Ming Army claimed to have 80,000 troops, it could only fight with 10,000 or 20,000 people.

, can’t help but consume it.

And their existence itself is the greatest support for the Ming Dynasty in the southeast!

The second is to establish a stronghold in the Luliang Mountains, recruit Luliang bandits, and establish a "mountain palace" as a retreat.

Once Datong Fucheng is likely to be besieged by the Qing army, the acting king Zhu Cijiong should immediately move to Luliang Mountain!

Zhu Cijiong was the third son of Chongzhen. In theory, he was the genuine "Third Prince Zhu"! Historically, the name of the Third Prince Zhu was like a ghost, haunting the three emperors of the Qing Dynasty, Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. Until the Qianlong period, there were still rebellions

The martyrs of the Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty revolted under the banner of Prince Zhu San.

Now that there is a genuine third prince Zhu, how could Zhu Cixi not make good use of it? And to make good use of the subject of the third prince Zhu, he must not be arrested by the Qing Dynasty first.

However, the city of Datong Prefecture where "Prince Zhu III" is currently located is really not very safe. Although the city is strong, the food and grass in the city is really lacking. Just look at the desolate scene in Datong Prefecture!

Even though Wang Yongji and Jiang Quan tried every means to raise funds, they could not find enough food and grass to last the Datong Mansion for too long.

Going to Luliang is the only way

Therefore, in August and September of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, Luo Xiu Shen traveled back and forth between Ke Lan Mountain and Datong City, holding the recruitment order issued in the name of King Zhu Cijiong to meet with the various mountain kings on Ke Lan Mountain.

negotiation.

In order to facilitate walking and maintain confidentiality, Luo Xiushen, the chief minister of the palace, had to disguise himself and pretend to be a martial arts hero when he went out to Datong to go to Taihang.

However, his hard work for more than a month was not in vain. He successfully won over Zhang Xixian, the leader of the White Lotus Sect on Kelan Mountain, on the condition that Zhang Xixian be granted the title of Marquis of Kelan and Zhang Jiayong be allowed to control Kelan Prefecture!

As long as the acting king Zhu Cijiong agrees, Zhang Xixian will help the acting prince's palace build the royal palace on the Luliang Mountains with difficult terrain.

The conditions have been negotiated, but now I wonder if Wang Yongji and Jiang Gan can agree? Thinking of Wang Yongji and Jiang Gan, Luo Xiushen couldn't help but frown.

These two people were afraid of Qiu Shun and war with the Qing army. At the same time, they could not resist the temptation of Shanxi gentry and wealthy merchants who kept coming from Taiyuan Prefecture. They wanted to go south to seize Taiyuan Prefecture and had little interest in establishing a stronghold on Kelan Mountain.

So while Luo Xiushen was walking to Kelan Mountain, Wang Yongji and Jiang Quan were in secret contact with Beijing!

"Chang Shi, there are many people outside Ying'en Gate of Dongguan! They are not here to greet us, are they?"

One of Luo Xiushen's brothers suddenly shouted at this time, interrupting Luo Xiushen's thoughts as he was thinking about something and riding on horseback. He looked up and looked forward, and the tall and solid Dongguan City of Datong was approaching. Dongguan

Outside the Ying'en Gate of the east gate, a group of neatly dressed officials and soldiers wearing mandarin duck jackets gathered. They were obviously welcoming someone? But it couldn't be to greet Luo Xiushen and others, because Luo Xiushen did not notify Datong Mansion at all.

When will I come back?

"They are not here to welcome us." Luo Xiushen frowned, already having an ominous premonition, "Go and have a look!"

When he and his men rode close to the Ying'en Gate, several cavalrymen came up from the Ying'en Gate. The first one was a junior officer. He recognized Luo Xiushen and quickly got off his horse to salute.

"What's going on? Who is coming?" Luo Xiushen asked.

"It's Changshi's brother who is coming!"

It's Luo Yangxing here!

Luo Xiushen frowned. Luo Yangxing was a high-ranking official in the Qing Dynasty. What was he doing here?

"Do you know what he's here for?"

"I've heard that the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty will arrive in the capital on the first day of October!"

"That's so fast." Luo Xiushen frowned deeply.

If Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty arrives in Beijing, it means that the Qing Dynasty has completed the move of the capital! In other words, there is not much time left for King Dai and Li Zicheng!

If the two sides cannot form an alliance, or even become hostile to each other, the situation in Shanxi will be dire.

"Sir, the city of Datong is ahead!"

Luo Yangxing, who was sitting in a bumpy carriage with his eyes closed and concentrating, was also disturbed by one of his followers. The curtain of the carriage was raised, and the sun shone in. Luo Yangxing squinted his eyes and looked against the setting sun.

Yuhui looked forward and saw a tall golden city suddenly appearing in the distance, majestic and majestic, standing on the desolate land of northern Shanxi.

Luo Yangxing sighed: "How long can we defend such a majestic city?"

His emotion is not without reason. Although Dorgon has not yet decided to attack Datong Mansion, anyone with a brain knows that it will only be a matter of time!

Compared with Datong, Taiyuan, where Li Zicheng is entrenched, poses a greater threat. Therefore, Dorgon will inevitably choose to deal with Taiyuan first and then attack Datong. In order to stabilize Datong, Dorgon also came up with extremely tempting conditions this time.

Ethereum Yi Datong!

According to Dorgon, the Qing Dynasty was second to the Liao Dynasty. They did not dare to think about the whole world. They only wanted to capture the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun. And Datong Prefecture was the territory of the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun, so it had to be handed over to the Qing Dynasty.
Chapter completed!