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

Chapter 121 Li Chengdong

Li Chengdong brought 10,000 cavalrymen and camped to the west of Wuzhou City. With flags covering the sky and bright saddles and armor, Lu Kezhao's 3,000 soldiers and Chen Zengyu's 5,000 soldiers were made to look dull.

Emperor Yongli and his ministers had never seen so many cavalrymen, and they felt mixed emotions, including excitement and uneasiness.

Li Chengdong was very respectful and led his troops to meet the emperor at the reception pavilion in the south of Wuzhou. He was dressed in military uniform, carrying a bow and arrows, and stood beside the dragon boat. When he saw Emperor Yongli, he first knelt down to salute, then held the imperial carriage with his hands and invited the emperor to get off the boat.

The imperial meal had already been prepared outside the pavilion, and a tribute of 10,000 taels of gold and 100,000 taels of platinum was paid. The Yongli Emperor was very pleased, stroking Li Chengdong's back and saying, "My revival is all thanks to your efforts."

Li Chengdong was trembling with fear and dared not say more. He said, "Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and he will surely revive the Ming Dynasty."

The emperor and his ministers entered the city and used the governor's residence as a temporary palace. Emperor Yongli summoned Li Chengdong to face him alone. With the emperor's face so close, Li Chengdong bowed his head and trembled, only to agree.

Soon, Li Chengdong came out. Ma Jixiang summoned all the generals, rewarded them according to the emperor's order, and comforted them with kind words.

"Marshal, you are alone today, and the emperor is in your favor. Why don't you have anything to say in response?" Ma Jixiang said to Li Chengdong, his face full of regret.

Li Chengdong looked calm and said, "This is the true emperor. I am a warrior with a loud voice. I dare not offend the emperor and violate the etiquette of a minister."

Danchu was also present with the other generals, ranked last, and laughed secretly. Li Chengdong had captured and killed Emperor Longwu and Emperor Shaowu, and repeatedly massacred cities in Jiangnan. He was obviously a demon who killed people without blinking an eye. Today, he said such words and was so timid and cautious in front of Emperor Yongli. Isn't it ridiculous?

Everyone complimented him:
"Marshal Jue personally received the emperor and presented him with hundreds of thousands of gold and silver, which shows his loyalty to the country."

"With over 200,000 infantry and cavalry in East Guangdong, there is hope for the Ming Dynasty's revival."

"Marshal, your troops are strong and powerful. I will follow your orders carefully. The order of the court can be restored and the atmosphere will be renewed!"

……

Eunuch Xia Guoxiang was ordered to distribute rewards to the generals, all of which were gold and silver. Li Chengdong received 100 taels of gold, and the rest of the generals received silver. Danchu, who was not of high rank, also received 100 taels of platinum.

The money is not much, but it is a gift from the emperor, which is a little comforting.

Ma Jixiang, the Marquis of Wen'an, had gained the full trust of the Yongli Emperor and was called "Emperor Ma" by his contemporaries. He used the power of the emperor to bully others and said to Li Chengdong in front of all the generals: "Your Ma has considered that the generals of your garrison have returned to the right path and their contributions are indelible, but they have not yet been awarded titles or rewards. Please write down your names so that I can report them to you."

Li Chengdong was a rough man who didn't know what to do, so he immediately borrowed pen, ink, paper and inkstone to make a list of meritorious officials. Under normal circumstances, when officials recommended subordinates, the court would reduce their ranks to show that official titles and prestigious positions should not be granted lightly. Li Chengdong had been in the officialdom for a long time and naturally understood the truth, so he asked for official titles for his generals.

Ma Jixiang intended to show off in front of Li Chengdong, so he wrote a memorial in front of him and sealed it inside.

The generals didn't take it seriously and continued to chat and laugh. It was the first time they met, and they were divided into three camps: Li Chengdong, Qu Shisi, and Chen Bangfu. Although they were fighting among themselves, they were still friendly on the surface.

Less than two quarters of an hour later, Ma Jixiang came back and said to Li Chengdong excitedly, "Marshal, there is an order."

Li Chengdong did not dare to be negligent. He immediately asked people to prepare the incense table, tidied his clothes, and acted very seriously.

Surprisingly, Emperor Yongli accepted Li Chengdong's recommendation without changing a word. General Du Yonghe of Dongxun was made Earl of Jiangning, Yan Keyi was made Earl of Wuzhi, Zhang Yue was made Earl of Boxing, Dong Fangce was made Earl of Xuanping, Luo Chengyao was made Earl of Baofeng, Hao Shangjiu was made Earl of Xintai, Huang Yingjie was made Earl of Fenghua, Yang Dafu was made Earl of Le'an, and Zhang Daoying was made Earl of Zhen'an. Li Chengdong's adopted son Li Yuanyin was made Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and given the title of Left Commander-in-Chief. Generals Fan Chengen, Yang Youguang, Ye Chengen, and Ma Bao were all made Associate Commanders-in-Chiefs.

Li Chengdong was promoted to the position of Grand Tutor, given the seal of General Yiming, and appointed as the governor of seven provinces to restore military affairs. Li Chengdong was not only not happy, but was shocked. He did not expect Ma Jixiang to have such power, and the emperor actually listened to him. The abuse of official positions in the court had reached this point.

Ma Jixiang was very proud of himself and thought he had a good plan.

Wenshuibo Chen Zengyu's face was uncertain, and his eyes were rolling around. Dongxun's generals had all been conferred titles, and the Chen family army should also cite Dongxun's example and strive to confer titles on their generals.

Li Chengdong had a gloomy face and looked towards the direction of the palace to express his gratitude.

The generals each had their own thoughts and soon dispersed.

In the evening, Lu Kezao, along with Ma Qijiao and Cen Danchu, went to visit Li Chengdong under the cover of night. Qu Shisi and Li Chengdong had a common interest in excluding Chen Bangfu.

Li Chengdong met him immediately, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then said to Lu Kezao: "Governor, I have read the letter from the elder. However, the world belongs to Taizu, and the east and west of Guangdong, regardless of whether they are old or new, are all the king's land.

"Your Majesty, if you want to revive the country, you must personally lead the royal army and command it from behind, so that all the generals will fight bravely and work hard. When everyone in the four directions knows that you have a king, they will naturally gather to respond. How can you live in peace in western Guangdong and enjoy your life? This is my best plan, not the achievement of inviting you to come."

Danchu didn't know the contents of the secret letter, but from what Li Chengdong said, he thought that Qu Shisi was unwilling to give up and persuaded Li Chengdong to support Emperor Yongli to stay in Guilin. This was a futile move, so why did Qu Shisi still make such an effort?
Lu Kezao was quite quick-witted. Following Li Chengdong's point, he said, "Marshal Jue is right. There are 200,000 elite troops in Guangdong. When the emperor returns to Guangdong, the soldiers will be excited and their morale will be high. Marshal Jue can lead the troops to the north to regain loyalty, save the Duke of Yu from danger, and ensure the peace of Guangdong."

Ma Qijiao understood and added: "The Duke of Yu has besieged Zhongcheng to no avail, and is still defending Nanchang, being attacked from both sides. Marshal, you can first send a strong force out of Meiguan to defeat Zhongcheng. The Duke of Yu can then divide his troops to attack Jiujiang and Hukou. As long as Jiujiang and Hukou are still in our hands, the Qing invaders will not be able to spy on Jiangxi."

Jin Shenghuan mobilized more than 100,000 troops to besiege Ganzhou, but to no avail. He then sent Wang Deren south to attack the city, but still failed. The Qing army followed him and sent troops to attack Jiujiang and Hukou.

Wang Deren advocated a desperate attempt to capture Ganzhou. Jin Shenghuan refused to listen and led his troops back to defend Nanchang. Wang Deren had no choice but to withdraw the siege and head north to counterattack Jiujiang.

Jin Shenghuan and Jiang Riguang urgently ordered Wang Deren to return to Nanchang, and issued several orders within one day. Wang Deren had no choice but to return to Nanchang.

This happened in May, and the news had spread throughout Guangdong and Guangxi. However, Emperor Yongli and his ministers were still blindly optimistic, believing that although Jin Shenghuan had failed in his siege of Ganzhou, his strength was still there, and Jiangxi was still as stable as a rock, so there was no need to worry too much.

Li Chengdong was outmaneuvered by Lu Kezao and Ma Qijiao, and could only say ambiguously: "The Duke of Yu has a strong army, no less than 200,000. Jiangxi has received frequent reports of victory. I will lead the Guangdong army into Jiangxi, and I still need to discuss it with him."

Although Jin Shenghuan was brave, he was a rough man with little knowledge. When he heard that the Qing army was approaching, he immediately returned to Nanchang, trying to save Nanchang first and wait for reinforcements from Huguang and Guangdong.

But the messengers he sent only reported good news and not good results, boasting about the battle achievements but not mentioning a word about the crisis in Nanchang.

After all, the main force of the Qing army had not yet entered Jiangxi, and the Ming army still had an absolute advantage in Jiangxi.

However, Jin Shenghuan could not foresee that the Ming armies were in serious internal strife and could not send reinforcements on time, while the Qing army could calmly mobilize troops and counterattack Jiangxi.

Right now, the situation is urgent, how can there be time for Li Chengdong? Danchu said resolutely:

"Marshal, I dare to speak frankly. Jiangxi is doomed to fail. As long as the Manchus arrive in Jiangxi, Duke Yu will be defeated. To break the situation, Marshal Jue has to lead his troops to the north.

"Zhongcheng has been under siege for a long time, the defenders have suffered casualties, and the city walls are incomplete. The elite Guangdong Army, after defeating the Gan troops, will surely be able to recapture Zhongcheng. With Zhongcheng in hand, the Duke can attack when advancing and defend when retreating, which is enough to make him invincible. Otherwise, the lips and teeth will be in danger, and I can't bear to say any more!"

(End of this chapter)