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

Chapter 118 Zhaoyong General
Guangxi Governor Lu Kezao suddenly visited Yong'an Prefecture. Danchu was very surprised, but he still went ten miles out of the city to personally greet him at Mo's hometown.

Lu Kezhao was born into a family of scholars. In the first year of the Hongguang reign, he was appointed magistrate of Xinning County, Hunan Province for his meritorious service. Less than three years later, he has been promoted to governor.

Half of the officials in Guangxi were from the schools of Qu Shisi and He Tengjiao. Lu Kezao was generous, resourceful, and hardworking, which won him great appreciation from Qu Shisi. During the first and second battles of Guilin, Lu Kezao assisted Qu Shisi in defending the city, and was also familiar with Jiao Lian, Cen Danchu and others.

Last November, Qu Shisi overcame all opposition and promoted Lu Kezao, then the provincial governor of Guangxi, to the position of governor of Guangxi. Soon after, Lu Kezao was in mourning, and He Tengjiao forced him to take his place.

Lu Kezao lived up to everyone's expectations. After the second victory in Guilin, he led troops to recapture Hexian and Fuchuan as the governor of Guangxi. After the third victory in Guilin, he led troops to recapture Wuzhou as the governor of Guangxi.

Wuzhou is the eastern gate of Guangxi. It is located in the center of Guangdong and Guangxi and has a vital position. It was originally the garrison of Chen Bangfu.

Chen Bangfu thought he had a strong army and many generals, so he was the first to abandon the city and flee before Li Chengdong's troops arrived. Lu Kezao, a civil official, led a small army of Fu Biao and was able to recapture Wuzhou, which was considered amazing by the world.

"The Governor has visited our humble home in Yong'an Prefecture and it brings honor to us." Upon seeing Lu Kezao, Danchu bowed calmly.

Lu Kezao smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "Thank you, Governor."

Although he was the governor, Lu Kezao was not very polite. He did not ride in a sedan chair, but rode on horseback with the standard-bearer. His face was covered with dust, and his clothes were soaked with sweat and dust, and it was obvious that he had walked a long way.

"The headquarters in the city is ready. Would you like to go down to the city first?"

"No," Lu Kezao waved his hand and said, "I'm in a hurry to go back to Wuzhou. I have to leave tomorrow at noon at the latest. I won't go into the city today. Let's find a place to rest here. Send someone to prepare the incense table first, and I'll do the business."

It was already the afternoon, and the sun was not as scorching as it was at noon. Without a second thought, Danchu took Lu Kezao to the township government office in Mojia Township and asked someone to prepare fruits, wine and food.

Mojia Township is located in the suburbs of Yong'an. It was established on the basis of the 18 villages of Mojia. The land is the most fertile and the population is the most dense. The Mo family has been operating for a long time. Danchu specially appointed Wang Yichang as the township head because of the importance of Mojia Township.

Wang Yichang, a native of Changshu, originally served in Qu Shisi's court, and was later ordered to assist Cen Danchu. He was smart and capable, and quickly prepared the incense table.

Lu Kezao bowed to the south from afar and announced the imperial edict:

"The Emperor, in accordance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: I have inherited the will of my ancestors, succeeded the throne in times of crisis, pacified the four directions, and planned to restore the country. Now there is a loyal and brave general, Cen Danchu, who has protected the emperor twice since he joined the army, fought three battles in Guilin, repeatedly made extraordinary achievements, and risked his life. I am deeply pleased to hear of his achievements, and I am specially promoted to the rank of deputy governor, and added the title of the commander-in-chief of Zhaoping, and the commander-in-chief of Zhaoping and Yong'an, and still holds the seal of the general who conquers the barbarians, to show the court's reliance on him..."

With this imperial edict, Danchu could occupy Zhaoping openly. The third victory in Guilin should have been rewarded by the imperial court as usual. However, Danchu was only promoted to deputy governor, which made him feel aggrieved.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Five Military Commandery had great power and the right to mobilize troops. Later, the power of the Ministry of War gradually grew, and the power of the Commandery gradually diminished. In the late Ming Dynasty, the Five Military Commandery had become a place to train generals, and the titles of Commander-in-Chief, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, and Assistant Commander-in-Chief became honorary titles for military generals bestowed by the imperial court.

However, the deputy governor was a second-rank official. If one moved up the rank, passing the vice governor and the left and right governors, he could only be conferred the title of earl. Although the title of earl in the Yongli Dynasty was not valuable, if one had the title of earl, he could be called a marshal, which was much better than the marshals on the street.

After the ceremony, Wang Yichang had people deliver watermelons. The watermelons soaked in well water were refreshing, sweet and delicious, and the best way to relieve the heat. Everyone shared a watermelon and felt very comfortable and satisfied.

Lu Kezao often went in and out of the garrison and was familiar with Wang Yichang. He couldn't help but sigh: "Brother, you are so talented, but you are a township head. It's really unfair."

Wang Yichang disagreed and said with a smile: "Emperor Gaozu of Han Dynasty was willing to be a village head, so how can I despise the village head?"

Lu Kezao was very surprised. Wang Yichang was also a scholar, with some style of a famous scholar. Now he could condescend to assist Danchu and enjoy his job as the village chief. It seemed that Cen Danchu was indeed very capable and should not be underestimated.

Looking at the township government office, it is very simple. It borrowed a community granary from the Mo family, but the six rooms, namely, the Li, Hu, Bing, Li, Xing, and Gong rooms, are displayed at the door of each room. There is even a Chengfa room and a Jiage warehouse. It can be said that although it is small, it has all the necessary facilities.

"Zhuoru, do the people in your Mojia Township Yamen receive salaries?" Privately setting up official positions would have been a capital crime during the Hongwu era. Now, Lu Kezao was no longer surprised and only cared about where the funds came from. "They all receive salaries. Otherwise, they would have embezzled and accepted bribes, making the Yamen a mess."

"It must be very expensive to set up so many township offices in one state, right?"

“It’s a lot, but it’s necessary.”

Xiangyayin Hotel only has two rooms, one for reception and one for bedroom. A table of wine and food has been set up in the reception room, with four dishes and a soup. Cen Danchu, Lu Kezao, and Fang Yizhi are seated.

Lu Kezao was hungry. While eating, he said, "To be honest, I rode 80 miles today, all the way from Zhaoping to Yong'an. I'm really hungry."

Danchu smiled and said, "Why does the governor have to run back and forth? Just send someone to announce the decree, or send someone to deliver a letter. I will go to Zhaoping to ask for an audience."

"Otherwise," Lu Kezao said solemnly, "There are a few things that must be made clear in person."

Danchu's heart moved, and he said, "I wonder what the governor is referring to?"

In this day and age, there were many noble officials, such as dukes, marquises, and earls, and if they also had military power and led troops to garrison a place, they would be called a noble governor. The governor was just a title, with only a few thousand standard soldiers, and was despised by the noble governors.

Lu Kezao was different from ordinary people. He also had his own territory, which was Wuzhou. Wuzhou was once the residence of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi in the Ming Dynasty, and its importance is self-evident.

"Zhuoru, you set up a township government in Yong'an, which is of great benefit, needless to say. However, the tax collection is too controversial. There are rumors everywhere in Nanning and Guilin that you are unconventional and have changed the family rules of our ancestors. Some people say that you are a cruel official. Your reputation is very bad."

Less than a month after the order to require tenants to pay taxes was issued, it had already spread to Guilin and Nanning? Needless to say, some gentry and landlords must have written secret letters to Guilin and Nanning, leaking the news, hoping that the higher-ups would intervene to stop it.

The gentry lived in the countryside and had extraordinary power. They had served as officials, or their relatives and ancestors had served as officials, and they had inextricable ties with the officialdom.

Yong'an Prefecture was remote and poor, with few gentry in the area, but the news was still able to reach Nanning and Guilin in a short period of time. From this, we can imagine how powerful the gentry in other large cities would be.

No wonder many maxims on being an official were published in the Ming Dynasty. They often stated that when an official first arrived in a place, he must establish good relations with the local gentry, otherwise he would be humiliated at best and lose his job at worst.

When Li Zicheng was conquering the world, every time he captured a city, he would often torture the local officials and gentry and extort money and food. He actually fed an army of hundreds of thousands and eventually invaded the capital.

It was a chaotic time, with rituals and music in disarray. Danchu was not afraid of the impeachment of the censors, and said with a smile, "As the governor passed by, the people rushed to plant late rice and reclaim wasteland. Did anyone say anything bad about me?"

Lu Kezao also smiled and said, "I did not expect that the people would compete to reclaim wasteland."

He then said in a deep voice: "Since ancient times, the imperial power in our country has not extended to the countryside, and the villages are governed by the gentry. You have set up a township government and required tenants to pay taxes, so where does that leave the gentry? These people are very capable, you must pay special attention to them!"

No matter how powerful they are, can they still rebel? Danchu has soldiers at his disposal, so he is not afraid that they will not obey. Anyway, the court is too lazy to deal with such matters, and the governor and the governor are all his own people, so he said: "Thank you for your kindness, Governor. I know my limits."

Fang Yizhi had already wholeheartedly agreed with the policy of tenants paying taxes, saying: "Now the world is in chaos. If we want to turn the tide, we must take extraordinary measures. The Minister of Yanmen (Sun Chuanting) cleared the military settlements and supervised the troops in Huguang to punish the treacherous officials. Although these were extraordinary measures, they were not a long-term solution and ultimately failed.

"The governor has implemented a policy of tenants paying taxes in Yong'an. The people are grateful and are actively reclaiming wasteland. The government will also increase the land tax. With food and wages, we will be more relaxed in dealing with the enemy. Since the governor has come to Yong'an, you might as well visit the people in person and get to know them firsthand. If the court asks about it later, you can also say a few words for us."

Lu Kezao naturally knew Fang Yizhi's name, so he said without hesitation: "Good. Zhuoru cares about the people, is brave in taking on responsibilities, and does not avoid criticism. He really has the style of an ancient minister. I will investigate and help Zhuoru clear up the rumors."

(End of this chapter)