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

Chapter 124 Heroes' Oath of Brotherhood
The news that Li Chengdong humiliated Chen Zengyu at the archery ceremony spread quickly and caused a great uproar. Ma Jixiang, who was a self-proclaimed prime minister, hurriedly sought to see Li Chengdong and Chen Zengyu after hearing about it, and tried to reconcile the situation, which made Chen Zengyu feel a little relieved.

Soon after, Li Chengdong secretly wrote a memorial to Emperor Yongli, impeaching Ma Jixiang for controlling the government and deceiving the emperor, and advising Emperor Yongli to "be close to gentlemen, stay away from villains, extend authority, and make decisive demotions."

Ma Jixiang soon got the news and was terrified. He did not expect that he would be secretly impeached by Li Chengdong for his intention to make friends with him. Dongxun's troops were strong, so Ma Jixiang did not dare to act rashly and restrained himself a little.

Li Chengdong served the emperor devoutly, and the emperor trusted Ma Jixiang without a doubt. Ma Jixiang then deceived the emperor and spread rumors that Li Chengdong would seize the emperor's eyes and ears, dismiss all the ministers, and replace them with officials from the Eastern Xun.

Zhu Shengnong, a member of the imperial clan, formed a clique with Ma Jixiang and used a self-torture tactic to impeach Pang Tianshou, saying, "It has been a bad policy since ancient times for eunuchs to be in charge of the military. Pang Tianshou has 3,000 brave soldiers under his command, and I am afraid that the disaster of Ganlu will happen at any time."

The eunuch Pang Tianshou was in charge of the palace ban, with only a hundred soldiers. Zhu Shengnong made alarmist remarks, ostensibly attacking Pang Tianshou, but in fact he was targeting Li Chengdong's adopted son Li Yuanyin.

Emperor Yongli appointed Li Yuanyin as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Li Chengdong and his son were very happy and allocated elite soldiers to him to serve as the Embroidered Uniform Guard's cavalry to provide Li Yuanyin with guard duty at the imperial court.

Zhu Shengnong was a man of extraordinary status, and his impeachment of the eunuch in charge of ceremonies was a hot topic, which soon caused an uproar in Wuzhou. Everyone knew that he was talking nonsense, but they suspected that this memorial was written at the instruction of Li Chengdong, intending to drive away Pang Tianshou and replace him with Li Yuanyin to preside over the palace ban.

For a time, rumors spread and the ministers were in an uproar. Considering the strength of Dongxun's troops and Li Chengdong's domineering attitude in archery, many people compared Li Chengdong to Dong Zhuo and Zhu Wen.

The Yongli Emperor did not stay in Wuzhou for long, but chaos arose. Li Chengdong was also very disappointed with the Yongli Emperor and his ministers and was unhappy.

Fortunately, Emperor Yongli understood for once, and summoned Li Chengdong to talk to him alone, comforting him with kind words. He also ordered the emperor to move to Zhaoqing, set up an altar to worship the generals, and urged Li Chengdong to march north.

In mid-August, Emperor Yongli and his ministers set out for Zhaoqing in the east. Ma Qijiao, Cen Danchu and others went to the riverside to see them off.

"After today's farewell, I don't know when we will meet again?" Li Yuanyin was the last one to leave and said goodbye to Danchu, with a hint of melancholy and regret in his words.

The two didn't spend much time together, but they were of similar age and got along very well.

"Yuan Bo, do you plan to stay at the imperial court forever?"

"Well," Li Yuanyin said with a firm expression, "The emperor has no strong troops around him, and he has been repeatedly strangled by Liu Chengyin, Hao Yongzhong, Chen Bangfu and others, and his prestige has been destroyed. If the court wants to strengthen its discipline, it must first enforce its authority. I am willing to guard the court and give the emperor something to rely on."

Perhaps, Li Yuanyin had been protected by Li Chengdong for a long time and lacked a clear understanding of the Yongli court.

Danchu smiled and said, "Yuanbo has great ambitions, but I am not as ambitious as him. In the future, if the emperor leads the army in person, we, the generals, will certainly follow him. Then we can talk about our old friendship again."

"Haha," Li Yuanyin laughed dryly, obviously not believing that Emperor Yongli would personally lead the army. He showed a hint of sadness on his face and said, "In the future, if there is an emergency in the court, please lead the troops to the king, or kill the powerful, or send cavalry to rescue the king, so that I will not be left alone."

"What are you talking about, Yuan Bo? Why are you so pessimistic?"

Danchu was quite shocked, and felt that Li Yuanyin's tone was sad, as if he was saying goodbye to life and death. He realized that he had underestimated Li Yuanyin. He stayed to guard the palace, not out of naivety, but out of sincerity, and was ready to die.

"Duke Huiguo is loyal but suspected, the emperor is deceived by the traitors, the inside and outside are isolated, the civil and military are at odds... The Ming Dynasty's revival is a long way off!" Danchu had realized this a long time ago. However, he did not want to appear too pessimistic in front of Li Yuanyin. Pessimism is contagious and can easily leave people with the impression of cowardice and incompetence.

"This dynasty has been blessed with great grace and has lasted for more than 270 years. Although it may decline, it will surely be revived. Our generation is determined to mend the sky. If we succeed, we will be made a marquis and a prime minister, gaining both fame and fortune. If we fail, we will still be loyal and righteous, and our reputation will be passed down through the ages.

"Yuan Bo, there is no need to feel sorry for yourself. One should live a glorious life. Even if there are thousands of people against him, I will go. Duke Huiguo abandoned his family and rebelled. His integrity will be remembered for thousands of years. We will follow Duke Huiguo to whip the Tartars. Even if we die nine times, we will have no regrets."

Li Yuanyin was greatly inspired, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and he said, "Brother Zhuoru, I knew you had great ambitions and were not an ordinary person. Your words today really enlightened me and made me think deeply."

Danchu also wanted to make friends with Li Yuanyin. Looking at the current situation, Li Chengdong has been criticized by the emperor and it is difficult for him to stay in the court. He will definitely lead his troops to the north to attack Ganzhou. According to historical inferences, Li Chengdong is likely to be defeated at the gate of Ganzhou. At that time, Li Yuanyin, as Li Chengdong's adopted son, will legitimately inherit the throne of Dongxun.

The more he thought about it, the more he laughed. He lived in a remote corner of Guangxi, but he missed Guangdong.

However, people should always have some ideals. Even in troubled times, there should always be some hope.

You see, Danchu and Hu Yiqing became brothers, and thus established a connection with the Yunnan soldiers. In the future, this relationship may be used to unite the Yunnan soldiers.

Thinking of this, Danchu happily proposed, "Yuanbo, I was originally an orphan in the Xinxing Marquis's Biaoying. Fortunately, I made some military achievements and became quite famous. I heard that you are also an orphan. We have a mutual understanding. If you don't abandon me, how about we become brothers with different surnames?"

If it were an ordinary person, Li Yuanyin would not be willing to swear brotherhood with him. Cen Danchu had a certain reputation and was the son-in-law of Qu Shisi. His adoptive father Li Chengdong was making friends with Qu Shisi to fight against political enemies such as Chen Bangfu. The two sworn brothers could strengthen this alliance.

Li Yuanyin was very happy and said, "Brother Zhuoru, I couldn't ask for more."

At this time, the dragon boat had already weighed anchor and headed east. His subordinates came to urge them to hurry up, and Li Yuanyin sighed: "Living in troubled times, it is a great pleasure to be able to form a brotherhood with a hero like you. It's just that we parted in a hurry and couldn't prepare the sacrifices to offer to heaven and earth."

Danchu smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. We are sworn brothers sincerely, and heaven and earth can bear witness to it. Why should we be so rigid about the formalities? A few months ago, I was fighting against the Tartars in Guilin, and I had the honor of meeting Xingning Earl Hu Yiqing.

"The Earl of Xingning did not regard me as a humble man and became my brother. At that time, we were both injured. We gathered all the troops and only had two pots of muddy wine. We ate horse meat and swore by the Li River. It was really refreshing to think about it."

Li Yuanyin was full of longing and asked, "But is it Hu Yiqing, the famous general of the Imperial Yunnan Camp and the bull-riding barbarian?"

"That's right. If there is a chance in the future, I will introduce him to Yuan Bo."

"Brother Zhuoru has been in battle for many years and has killed many Tartars. He is truly a role model for our generation."

So, the personal soldiers set up an incense table, and the two men burned incense and bowed again, swearing: "Thinking of Cen Danchu and Li Yuanyin, although we have different surnames, since we have become brothers, we will work together to help the poor and the needy; serve the country and protect the people. Heaven and earth are our witnesses, and the mountains and rivers are our alliance. Although we will not live together, we will die together. If we betray our loyalty and forget our gratitude, heaven and man will kill us together!"

Cen Danchu was the elder brother, while Li Yuanyin was the younger brother. They drank three cups of wine, then one boarded the boat and the other mounted the horse, and then they went their separate ways.

(End of this chapter)