After the contents of the three military dispatches were read aloud, a profound silence descended upon the Palace of Heavenly Purity. More than a hundred students and officials were struck by shock, their faces quickly clouding over with anxiety.
Three reports, three pieces of bad news, each worse than the last. The Jiannu had divided their forces to raid inside Shanhai Pass—one contingent at the Xuanfu Garrison and another at Miyun. The available troops near the Capital were limited; the military was stretched thin, unable to cover both fronts at once. It was a dire situation.
What made it even more difficult was that Li Zicheng had once again launched an offensive in the Central Plains, attempting to split the Great Ming into north and south. And these were merely the troubles in the north; in the south, Zhang Xianzhong was assembling hundreds of thousands of troops, marching directly toward Chengdu.
Chapter 188