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

Chapter 112 Regaining Zhaoping
Talking about the political situation, Qu Shisi sighed: "Duke Huiguo is fickle. He massacred Jiading three times, Songjiang, Jinshanwei, the three loyal Lingnan people, Shaozong, and Tang Fan. His crimes are extremely serious. Although he has turned against the government, his intentions are hard to guess.

"However, Guangdong is rich, and the emperor has already intended to move to Guangdong. If this really happens, and the court moves to Guangdong, Duke Huiguo can use the emperor to control himself and imitate Liu Tiegun to control the court. If this continues, the disaster of Fengtian may not be far away."

During the chaotic period of the Southern Ming Dynasty, many civil officials and military generals wavered between the Ming and Qing dynasties. Among them, the most two-faced and complex one was Li Chengdong, the Duke of Huiguo of the Southern Ming Dynasty.

Li Chengdong, a native of Ningxia, served as a guerrilla in Henan Town in the last years of Chongzhen. He made great contributions in defending Kaifeng and was promoted to deputy general. Later, he joined Gao Jie's army.

Gao Jie was a general under Li Zicheng, nicknamed "Fanshan Yao". He surrendered to the Ming Dynasty because of an affair with Li Zicheng's concubine. Li Chengdong's nickname was "Li Hezi", which means female underwear.

From the nickname of Li Hezi, it can be seen that Li Chengdong's army was not strong and was despised by his contemporaries. After Gao Jie's death, Li Chengdong surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. Due to fate, he followed Duoduo to conquer Jiangnan and Fujian, becoming the vanguard of the Qing Dynasty's strategy in the southeast.

He once conquered Guangdong alone and captured and killed Emperor Longwu and Emperor Shaowu. He was very famous at the time and made the Qing court take notice of him.

However, although Li Chengdong was famous, he was actually not worthy of his reputation. In terms of bravery and the number of troops, Li Chengdong was far inferior to Jin Shenghuan.

Danchu replied, "When the current emperor proclaimed himself emperor, he made Zhaoqing, Guangdong his temporary residence. In terms of economic prosperity, Guangzhou is the pearl of Lingnan, and in terms of military importance, Wuzhou is the center of Lingnan. If the emperor wants to move his throne, he will most likely go to Zhaoqing, not Wuzhou or Guangzhou."

Emperor Yongli had no prestige. If he moved to Guangdong, Li Chengdong would gain power, and if he stayed in Guangxi, Qu Shisi and Chen Bangfu would gain power. Therefore, Li Chengdong advocated moving to Guangzhou, Qu Shisi advocated moving to Guilin, and Chen Bangfu also tried his best to prevent Emperor Yongli from going to Guangdong. At the very least, he should move to Wuzhou.

Danchu continued, "Duke Huiguo's family of more than 100 people were in Songjiang, but he resolutely rebelled, which shows that he was righteous and sincere. I heard that Duke Huiguo's rebellion was not only inspired by Duke Yuguo, but also by the death of a concubine named Zhao?"

"Yes," Qu Shisi stroked his beard and sighed, "Duke Huiguo secretly kept the golden seal of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, and often played with it privately. Zhao Ji persuaded him to start a rebellion, saying, 'Please die before you first to fulfill your wish.'

"Duke Huiguo thought she was joking, but unexpectedly, the next day, Zhao Ji committed suicide and Duke Huiguo wept over her body. He Wuzuo, a university scholar in Guangzhou, wrote a preface for Zhao Ji and asked his students to write a song called 'Lady Zhao's Song', which became widely circulated in Guangdong."

There were many reasons for Li Chengdong's rebellion: the Qing Dynasty's suspicion, his dissatisfaction with his official rank, the support of his subordinates, Jin Shenghuan's instigation... The death of Zhao Ji undoubtedly helped him make up his mind.

"Wu Sangui was so angry that he risked his life for his beloved. In order to repay the death of his beloved, Duke Huiguo even disregarded the safety of his family and resolutely rebelled. It can be seen that he is a man of blood, much stronger than Duke Qingguo.

"I heard that Duke Qing had sent people to negotiate surrender with Tong Yangjia, but it didn't work out, and Duke Hui had already rebelled. Duke Qing shamelessly claimed it as his own achievement, boasting to the court about his great contributions, and even submitted a petition requesting to be the hereditary governor of Guangxi. May I ask, is this true?"

Qu Shisi sighed and said, "There is no solid evidence for the surrender. But Duke Hui despised Duke Xingguo very much, and his words were insulting, and he was ashamed to have the same official title as him.

"It is true that the petition for the hereditary governorship of Guangxi has been submitted, and it has caused a great uproar. The Ming Dynasty only has a small corner of Lingnan left, and Duke Qing wants to hereditary governorship of Guangxi. Where does that leave the court? I have submitted a petition to the court, firmly opposing it."

Danchu sneered and said, "After the three battles of Guilin, the imperial court was in danger, but Duke Qing did not send a single soldier, and now he wants to guard Guangxi forever. How can we expect such a shameless person to be loyal to the imperial court?
"I believe that Duke Qing is just like Liu Chengyin, who is afraid of fighting but brave enough to surrender. The court's troubles are not Duke Hui, but Duke Qing. The elders should pay special attention to him."

At this time, the Southern Ming Dynasty has become a feudal state, with warlords everywhere. This is the characteristic of the end of the dynasty, and it is difficult to reverse the situation. If Danchu wants to compete with the Qing Dynasty for the world, he must annihilate the warlords. Chen Bangfu, the Duke of Qing, is the largest warlord in Guangxi and has become Danchu's number one imaginary enemy.

As the ancients said, make friends with those far away and attack those near. When Danchu was in Guangxi, he was bound to have a conflict with Chen Bangfu. In this regard, he and Qu Shisi had common interests.

"Well," Qu Shisi pondered for a moment and said, "Zhuoru is right. Now that you have returned to Guangxi, what are your plans? Xinxing Hou always listens to me. If you have any ideas, just tell me."

Danchu had already made up his mind and said, "Bai Zhen died in Yongzhou, and Feng Zhiji was also executed, leaving two cities vacant. I want to add Zhaoping as a garrison and unite it with Yong'an."

Zhaoping County is located at the confluence of the Guijiang River and the Siqin River. It is a large city located in the southeast corner of Pingle Prefecture, about 80 miles away from Yong'an Prefecture. Starting from Zhaoping, you can go down the Guijiang River to Wuzhou.

Increasing the flood control area means increasing the territory. Danchu's request was not excessive. Qu Shisi replied: "You have not been in Yong'an Prefecture for a long time, but you have trained the Yong'an Army and have done a remarkable job in governing the people and managing finances. It shows that you are capable of taking on great responsibilities. There is no problem in increasing Zhaoping as a flood control area.

"However, Zhaoping borders Wuzhou Prefecture, and Wuzhou Prefecture is the territory of Duke Qing. You are young and energetic, and a rising star, so you need to be careful and not ruin the overall situation because of personal resentment."

"Don't worry, sir. I know the seriousness of this matter."

Qu Shisi was still a little worried, but he finally decided to let go and said, "Xinxing Hou is fighting on the front line and won't be back for a while. When Ma Qijiao returns, I plan to have him garrison Guilin to ensure the safety of the provincial capital.

"Zhu Minru is transferred to Pingle and stationed in Pingle Prefecture. Zhaoping and Yong'an are the gateways to Pingle and also the shield of Guilin. I'm handing it over to you. You must fulfill the mission and don't let anyone gossip about me."

"Don't worry, sir. I will definitely protect Zhaoping. Is there anything else I can ask for your help?"

"Whatever it is, you can tell me."

"Last time, Hao Yongzhong attacked the emperor. I saved him and was awarded the title of 'General of Conquering the Barbarians'. But I was eager to return to Guilin, and the emperor was eager to visit Nanning. I only had the imperial edict, but no golden seal. I wonder if the golden seal has been confiscated by the court, or is it still in the hands of the Duke of Xingguo?"

Qu Shisi said decisively: "It is still in the hands of Duke Xingguo. I will help you find a solution."

The seal of the general who conquered the barbarians was very important. Once Danchu got it, he could command the chieftains legitimately. Qu Shisi also knew the pros and cons of this.

Seeing that Danchu was still a little worried, he said, "Since the court has issued an imperial decree, you will be granted the golden seal. Moreover, the court promoted Chen Bangfu to the rank of Duke, and Duke Huiguo has a strong army and is looking to pick a fight with him. I will help him from the side, so this matter should be safe."

With Qu Shisi's promise, Danchu felt relieved and said, "Thank you, Lord, for your help."

(End of this chapter)