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

Chapter 12: Harm removal
"Brothers, are you afraid?"

Cen Danchu was wearing armor, holding a lance in his right hand and a whip in his left hand. He was equipped with a long sword, bow and arrows, and ropes, as if he was about to rush to the battlefield.

"Don't be afraid!" The soldiers of the third team of the standard camp, who were also wearing heavy armor and holding sharp blades, responded in unison.

After just a few days of getting along, Cen Danchu had already established his prestige. Qu Shisi's acceptance of him as a student undoubtedly raised his status.

"Okay!" Cen Danchu continued with great enthusiasm, "Today is the day of the big drill. Marshal Jue, Bai Zhen, and Zhao Zhen will lead their troops out of the city to drill and help me gain momentum. Everyone follow me, be careful and cautious, and don't slack off in the slightest."

Bai Zhen and Zhao Zhen refer to Bai Gui and Zhao Xing, both of whom were fierce generals under Jiao Lian and served as deputy generals in the defense of Guangxi. They led their troops from Huangsha Town to Guilin and did not catch up with the fierce battle in the previous few days.

"promise!"

The sun is shining and the sky is clear.

Three teams of more than 40 soldiers, wearing bright armor and in high spirits, rode out of the city through the north gate on horseback.

The Qing army had retreated, and the martial law was lifted in Guilin. The city gates were opened on time. The soldiers guarding the gates were replaced by Jiao Lian's troops, and the city gates were in better order.

Guilin is located at the confluence of the Yangjiang River and the Lijiang River. To the east is the Lijiang River, which is wide, to the west and south is the Yangjiang River, which is shallow, and to the north is land, making it vulnerable to enemy attacks. The 3,000 soldiers led by Guan Weifan were stationed at Baishitan, ten miles away from the north gate.

Outside the city, green rice has sprouted in the fields. The war and heavy rains have left the land barren, but farmers are still rushing to plant early rice, hoping for a good harvest this year.

No matter how chaotic the world is, we still have to farm, otherwise how can we feed ourselves?
As they approached Baishitan, Cen Danchu looked back and saw the dust flying behind him and a large flag with the word "Jiao" faintly visible, which made him feel relieved.

He resolutely ordered: "Prepare the weapons!"

Baishitan is a commercial port located at the confluence of Gantang River and Dujiang River. It has been a prosperous place since ancient times. During the turbulent times in the late Ming Dynasty, Baishitan naturally declined, but it was still much more prosperous than ordinary villages.

Guan Weifan set up a camp outside Baishitan, but the army's discipline was poor, and many officers and soldiers ran to the town to seek pleasure and rob merchants and civilians.

Near an inn, there were several military horses tied in the yard, and the faint sound of women crying and men laughing could be heard.

Let's do it here.

Cen Danchu had made up his mind and surrounded the inn. He then led the first and second squads of ten soldiers into the courtyard.

There were dozens of Ming soldiers in the inn, who were Guan Weifan's subordinates. They were shocked to see dozens of heavily armored cavalrymen suddenly coming outside. They thought the newcomers were not friendly, so they quickly took up their weapons and trembled in fear, not daring to come out.

Cen Danchu rode to the door and shouted, "Everyone inside, come out!"

The inn was completely silent, and the woman's cries became muted.

No one came out.

Danchu impatiently dismounted and rushed into the house with ten officers and soldiers from the first and second squads.

There were thirty or forty Ming soldiers inside. They were disheveled, looked panicked, and had wandering eyes. They didn't dare to look directly at Dan Chu. Most of them were rogues from the street.

Cen Danchu said coldly, "I am Cen Danchu, the guerrilla commander of the Guangxi Admiralty. I am under the order of the governor and the earl of Xinxing to go out of the city to enforce military discipline. What was the reason for the miserable crying in the store just now?"

This official title was out of place and would not scare anyone. However, when the three words "Cen Danchu" came out, the soldiers and civilians in the room were all shocked.

A young man, on his first battlefield, captured the flag and killed the general among thousands of soldiers. This story spread far and wide, and everyone in the vicinity of Guilin knew about it.

The Ming soldiers looked at each other, not daring to answer. However, the innkeeper mustered up his courage and cried:

"To answer the general's question, just now these military officers were drinking and eating meat in my shop, and they insisted that I come over to pour wine. I dared not disobey them, but they were tempted by their beauty and wanted to commit violence in broad daylight. General, please help me!"

"Bastard!" Dan Chu was furious and cursed, "You are worse than a beast! Come here, tie them up first and whip them twenty times with the whip!" "Yes!" The standard-bearer was like a wolf and a tiger, he took out a rope and was about to tie them up.

"Who dares?" A man who looked like an officer on the other side, with a face full of flesh, shouted: "I am a military commander, an official appointed by the court. How can you, a mere guerrilla, arrest me?"

The boss huddled aside, trembling and pointing at the commander, crying, "General, this is the man who did something worse than an animal!"

"Why?" Danchu snorted coldly and said to the deputy team leader Feng Lin: "Bring out the warrant to stay behind."

Feng Lin took out the warrant from his bosom, and the officer's eyes flashed with panic, and he stretched out his hand to grab it. Cen Danchu's eyes were stern, and his palm was as hard as iron, and he pushed the officer's hand away.

The commander was under pressure and his body swayed, and he almost fell down, but fortunately his subordinates supported him.

Having lost face in public, Dusi's face flushed red, and he was furious. He drew the sword from his waist with one hand and shouted, "Do you think I don't know martial arts, and that my sword is not sharp?"

"Swish!" Cen Danchu moved, and the long sword was unsheathed. A cold light flashed, and the sword cut off the throat.

"Ah!" The commander screamed and died on the spot, blood splattering all over the room. His eyes were wide open, as if he couldn't believe that he would die here.

What a ruthless move! Everyone was shocked when they saw this.

The incident happened suddenly, and the Ming army was at a loss as to how to respond. The innkeeper was so frightened that his hands were shaking like sieves.

"So much nonsense," Danchu cursed inwardly, wiping the bloodstains of the long sword off Dusi's body.

He raised his head, his eyes were like torches, and he said loudly: "This fellow has committed a capital crime, and he dared to offend his superiors. He deserves death! Considering that you are accomplices, I will give you a lighter sentence. Each of you will be given twenty horse whips and tied up and handed over to Guanweifan for punishment."

The Ming army reacted, dropped their weapons, kowtowed and begged for mercy: "Thank you, General, for not killing us! Thank you, General, for not killing us!"

Danchu turned around to appease the innkeeper and said, "Boss, the commander has been executed. Please forgive me if I have offended you just now. The governor hates evil and the Xinxing Earl is very strict in managing the army. If any soldiers commit illegal acts in the future, they can go to the governor's office to complain."

The innkeeper thanked him profusely. The standard bearer then tied up the illegal Ming soldiers, beat them with horse whips twenty times, and then marched them out of the inn and paraded them through the streets.

The news spread quickly, and the people talked about it and praised Cen Danchu's heroic act.

At this time, Jiao Lian also led his army to Baishitan. In name, they were conducting drills outside the city, but in reality, they were cheering for Cen Danchu. The army was mighty, with flags covering the sun and the momentum shaking the sky.

Guan Weifan was shocked when the army was dispatched, and he suspected that Jiao Lian wanted to annex him. In this day and age, such things are not surprising.

Then, when news of the Baishitan incident came, Guan Weifan became furious and ordered his troops to prepare for battle.

Unexpectedly, Cen Danchu led only more than 40 heavily armored cavalrymen and headed straight for the camp. He also deliberately released a criminal sergeant to pass a message to Guan Weifan.

The soldier came to Guan Weifan tremblingly and stammered, "Marshal... Cen Danchu said... he has a military order to stay behind... and he wants to hand it to you in person... He also said... the matter of Baishitan was a last resort... He wants to explain it to you in person... to avoid misunderstandings."

Guan Weifan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot. He grabbed the soldier by the collar and shouted, "What? Say it again! What did he say?"

The soldier was so frightened that he repeated it tremblingly. After Guan Weifan heard it, his face changed from gloomy to bright.

"Jiao Lian? Is the news confirmed?"

The officer of the central army camp said, "I have asked, and they said they are organizing a large-scale drill outside the city, and have stopped four miles away from our army."

"Damn it!" Guan Weifan cursed fiercely, "If it's a blessing, it's not a disaster. If it's a disaster, it can't be avoided. Let the brothers put on armor and take up weapons. I want to meet this kid named Cen!"

(End of this chapter)