Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 111 Confidentiality
Qu Shisi said: "Duke Yu once conquered Ganzhou. Many of the defenders of Ganzhou have old ties with Duke Yu and Marquis Jianwu, and many have surrendered. Duke Yu should have no problem attacking Ganzhou again."

Wang Deren, the Marquis of Jianwu, was from Mizhi, Shaanxi. His hair turned white at an early age and he was nicknamed "Wang Zamao". He was a brave general under Li Zicheng. When Li Zicheng was defeated and crossed the Yangtze River, Wang Deren led the way.

Soon, Li Zicheng was killed in Jiugong Mountain. Wang Deren was isolated and helpless, so he surrendered to Jin Shenghuan. Most of the Dashun troops who fled to Jiangxi joined Wang Deren. Therefore, Wang Deren had 60,000 soldiers and 10,000 war horses, which was quite elite.

Deren was loyal and righteous, secretly befriended the righteous army, and often encouraged Jin Shenghuan to rebel. When Jin Shenghuan rebelled, Wang Deren led his army to recapture Jiujiang, Hukou, Nankang, and Raozhou, and all prefectures in Jiangxi except Ganzhou responded.

Danchu disagreed with Qu Shisi's optimism and said, "When Emperor Taizu was fighting for the world, he fought with Chen Youliang in Jiangxi for many years. Chang Yuchun was the most powerful general under Emperor Taizu. He besieged Ganzhou for half a year and forced the defenders to surrender after their food ran out.

"Duke Yu besieged Ganzhou two years ago, also for half a year, forcing the city to run out of food and internal strife among the defenders, and then he took Ganzhou with the help of both inside and outside forces. Now Duke Yu is using a sledgehammer to overwhelm a nut, besieging Ganzhou with an army of 100,000, and it has been more than three months.

"We also dispatched Jianwuhou to the south to besiege the city, leaving Jiujiang and Hukou empty. Under normal circumstances, the defenders can hold out in Ganzhou for six months. The Qing invaders are cruel and often kill people for food, so they can only hold out longer.

"Jiangxi is the barrier of the six southeastern provinces, Jiujiang is the throat of Wu and Chu, and the key point of Jiangyou. Dorje Yan is also a powerful leader, and he will definitely dispatch troops to counterattack Jiangxi. Jiujiang is empty, and once the Qing invaders take advantage of the opportunity to enter, Jiujiang will be lost.

"If Jiujiang is not protected, Nanchang will be in danger, and Jiangxi will be in danger. The overall situation of the rejuvenation of the country will be in vain!"

"Ah?" Qu Shisi had never been to the front lines of Quanzhou and Yongzhou, and did not have a thorough understanding of the internal problems of the Ming army. After hearing Danchu's analysis, he was shocked and said, "In your opinion, how can we break the deadlock?"

Danchu was a lowly person with little influence. If he wanted to turn the situation around, he could only rely on Qu Shisi. He said, "Duke Yu has Ji'an in his hands, and Duke Hui has rebelled in Guangdong. Ganzhou is no longer important. For now, we should ask General He and Duke Hui to reinforce Ganzhou and take over the task of attacking the city.

"Duke Yu should immediately return to Jiujiang and Hukou to protect the gates of Jiangxi, prevent the Qing army from sending reinforcements to Jiangxi, and contact the righteous armies in Nanzhili and Huguang to strengthen their momentum. Also, ask Du Gebu to lead Ma Jinzhong, Li Chixin and other brave generals to attack Changsha and recapture Hunan. In this way, Hunan, Guangdong and Jiangxi will be united, and there will be hope for revival."

Qu Shisi thought for a moment and felt that what Danchu said made sense. He also looked at him with new eyes and no longer regarded him as a teenager. He said, "Zhuoru is right. I will write to the court tonight, and then write to the commander-in-chief and Duke Huiguo to explain the pros and cons and urge them to send troops."

As for whether it would work, he could only leave it to fate. Danchu had given up hope, but he just wanted to try his best to delay time so that he could accumulate strength.

The topic returned to the court, and Qu Shisi said: "As soon as the situation improved, the court's party struggles became fierce again. Before the Hongguang period, the struggle between the Donglin Party and the Eunuch Party was still divided by gentlemen and villains. Today's party struggles are purely for the struggle for power...

"Duke Huiguo, relying on the rebellion of Guangdong, considered himself the 'Eastern Meritorious' because of the wealth and strength of Guangdong's army, and petitioned the Emperor to return to Guangzhou. The ministers in the imperial court and Duke Qingguo (Chen Bangfu) called themselves 'loyalists' and called 'Eastern Meritorious' 'rebellion'...

"The factional struggle is getting more intense, and even I can't stay out of it. Duke Qing is not willing to be outdone, and he petitions the Emperor to govern Guangxi. I have no choice but to contact Duke Hui and Commander He to stop Duke Qing from separatist Guangxi..."

The infamous struggle between the Wu and Chu factions during the Yongli reign of the Southern Ming Dynasty began.

As Qu Shisi said, the court was full of factional struggles, and it was difficult for everyone to stay out of it. Take him personally, from the time he was the governor of Guangxi to the time he stayed in Guilin, the conflict between Qu Shisi and the Guangxi warlord Chen Bangfu had always been very sharp.

Qu Shisi and He Tengjiao share similar views and advocate using the power of traditional scholars to fight against the Qing invaders. He used He Tengjiao as a supporter and was able to wrestle with Chen Bangfu. At present, He Tengjiao has more defeats than victories, and his prestige has greatly decreased. In order to check and balance Chen Bangfu, Qu Shisi had to unite with Li Chengdong.

Chen Bangfu naturally did not want to be outdone, and cast his sights on the distant Zhongzheng Camp and Dashi Army...

Danchu personally experienced the internal fighting of the Ming army and hated the factional struggles in the court: the Southern Ming had many opportunities to turn the tables, but it slid into the abyss in the increasingly fierce factional struggles. He said bluntly: "All factional struggles are struggles for power. Before Hongguang, the factional struggles were mainly power struggles within the court. At present, the real power of the Qing army is in the hands of Dorgon, and there are also factional struggles within the court. After all, Dorgon is not the emperor. Even if he holds great power, there are still undercurrents.

"The emperor of our dynasty has no prestige, and the factional struggle is already incurable. It is not just a power struggle within the court, but mainly a struggle between local nobles. Instead of dividing the court officials into two camps, the Duke of Huiguo in Guangdong and the Duke of Qingguo in Guangxi."

"Ah?" Qu Shisi suddenly became alert, and the corners of his mouth kept twitching. At present, all places have become vassal states, and the court has no prestige. This is a sign of the country's demise! Look at the current Emperor Yongli, a king who has lost his country. How can he have the slightest sign of revival?
The situation was so good, but Danchu described it so badly. The key point was that Qu Shisi was speechless.

Suddenly, he thought of a terrible question: Danchu was so pessimistic and looked down on the court. Wouldn't he betray the court in the future? Wouldn't he become the second Chen Bangfu?
Thinking of the rumors about the Holy Prophet, Qu Shisi became confused again: What kind of person is he? What does he want to do?
He had to ask clearly, so Qu Shisi moved around, closed the doors and windows, returned to his seat, and stared at his son-in-law.

Cen Danchu didn't understand what was going on, but thinking that there might be something secret to discuss, he sat up straight involuntarily.

"Danchu, I have a few questions, and you must answer them truthfully."

"Please ask, sir. I will never deceive you in the slightest."

"I heard that the Marquis of Xinxing once asked you about your life's ambitions. You said you wanted to be appointed as the Great General of Conquering the Enemies, and after your death, you would have a name on your tomb saying 'The Former Great General of Conquering the Enemies, Lord Danchu Cen'. Is this true?"

Why would you ask this question? Danchu was full of suspicion, and then he realized that his father-in-law was beginning to doubt him. A gentleman is open and honest, so there is no need to hide anything from him.

Danchu answered frankly: "Yes."

"Did you know that this is what Cao Mengde said during the Three Kingdoms period?"

"know."

"What do you think of Cao Mengde?"

"The Records of the Three Kingdoms has already concluded that he was an extraordinary man, a genius beyond the world."

"What do you think about Cao Wei replacing the Han Dynasty?"

"It was Cao Zihuan who replaced the Han Dynasty, not Cao Mengde."

"Oh," Qu Shisi hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Everyone says that the Ming dynasty is in decline and the Qing dynasty will replace it. If the situation deteriorates, how will you respond?"

"My ambition is to mend the sky. If the Ming Dynasty can be extended, I will do my utmost to support it. If the Ming Dynasty is about to end, people with virtue can drive it out. If the Qing Dynasty wants to replace the Ming Dynasty, I will fight hard and die of exhaustion, following the footsteps of Wen Tianxiang and Shi Zhongjing."

"Good." Qu Shisi was quite satisfied with Danchu's answer and said, "I feel at ease now."

(End of this chapter)