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

Chapter 176: The Discussion of Conferring a Noble Title
Danchu had no intention of opening these letters impeaching him, and said: "The national strength of the Ming Dynasty is a hundred times greater than that of the Qing Dynasty, but it has been defeated by the Qing Dynasty many times. It is really due to party struggles and the impeachment of ministers. I am determined to mend the sky, do extraordinary things, and achieve extraordinary achievements. It is inevitable that I will be suspected by others. It is better not to read these rumors and nonsense."

In the past, Qu Shisi would have definitely called him arrogant. But the Red Army had grown into a full-fledged force, and Cen Danchu was no longer the same person as before, so he could no longer be taken lightly.

"These memorials impeaching you are not without reason. You are an official appointed by the court, and the troops you train are the Ming army. How can you be called the Red Army? Ma Jinzhong, Li Chixin, and Zhao Yinxuan have been in battle for a long time, and their Zhongkai Camp, Zhongzheng Camp, and Yudian Camp are just called camps, and they are all granted by the emperor. How can you, a junior, be called an army?

"You enforced the tax system and abused the rich and powerful, and you were attacked the most. You attacked and killed Xu Biao, and you constantly attacked the Duke of Qing. The governor of Sicheng, Hu Zhigong, was conferred the title of Earl, and you sent troops to expel him. How would people feel about that..."

Qu Shisi's tone was not harsh. Danchu listened to him patiently and felt relieved.

The court had no prestige, so even if someone impeached him, they could not do anything to him. Qu Shisi was his father-in-law and teacher, and they had to rely on him to fight against the Qing army, so they were biased towards him.

"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are needed. Our army is in disarray, and each town is in disarray. For example, the Loyalty Battalion has two to three thousand soldiers, which is enough for dozens of battalions. If we call the Loyalty Battalion "dozens of battalions", it will be difficult to distinguish and difficult to command, which will cause many inconveniences. If we call dozens of battalions "some army", we can call them "some battalion of some army", and the flags will be clear and the command will be more convenient.

"As for the claim that the tax collection by tenants is oppressing the gentry and wealthy families, I really cannot agree with it. When the King of Zhongxiang was alive, in order to raise food and military funds, he implemented the law of accusation and interrogation. If the wealthy families were unwilling to pay taxes, they would be accused of colluding with the enemy, their property would be destroyed, and they would be paid as food and military funds. The tax collection by tenants is considerate of the gentry and wealthy families, and it eliminates the malpractice of tax accumulation. It is indeed a good way to raise military funds and a good strategy to save the time.

"Xu Biao is called the general, but he is actually a bandit. He betrayed his benefactor and has been fighting with Chen Bangfu for a long time. He occupies Nanning and Taiping, but he does not think about serving the country, but only seeks to enrich himself. Hu Zhigong occupies Sicheng, which is an important place, but he abuses the people and provokes the chieftain to revolt."

Danchu paused for a moment, and seeing that Qu Shisi had no intention of blaming him, he said, "I attacked and killed Xu Biao and expelled Hu Zhigong, just to act in the name of justice. Otherwise, if they continued to occupy Nanning and Sicheng, and the commander-in-chief ordered them to reinforce Quanzhou, would they send out a single soldier?"

"No," Qu Shisi retorted, "Xu Biao and Hu Zhigong have committed many evil deeds, but if they are to be punished, it must be by order of the court. How can you act without consulting the court? Where is the face of the court?

"You do things your own way, and others will follow suit. Right now, even Lu Kezao has signed his name as the 'Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi' without permission. He is my disciple, but I cannot protect him. I have already written a letter to impeach him. But you are my son-in-law, and you have made great achievements. If I impeach you, I will not be able to bear it. If I don't impeach you, others will say that I am biased."

Lu Kezao was promoted from the Inspector General of Guangxi to the Governor General of Guangxi on the recommendation of Qu Shisi. When he saw Du Yonghe proclaimed himself the "Governor General of Guangdong and Guangxi", he was unwilling to be outdone and signed himself as the Governor General of Guangdong and Guangxi. However, Du Yonghe was a general of Dongxun and had troops under his command. Why would Lu Kezao, a mere civil official, join in the fun? It would be purely self-humiliating.

Danchu argued: "'If the emperor loses his way, all the treacherous people in the world will become his enemies.' The court has no prestige, and it is content with its own corner, and it is accommodating to the military governors in every way. Xu Biao and Hu Zhigong have been causing harm to the local area, and the court has known about this for a long time, but it has no intention of punishing them.

"Let's not talk about Xu Biao and Hu Zhigong. Duke Qing is 'guarding Guangxi'. The safety of Quanzhou is most related to him, and he is the one who should send troops to Quanzhou. But there has been no movement in Xunzhou so far. Needless to say, Duke Qing will not be willing to send troops to fight. If the Qing army enters Guangxi, Duke Qing will be the first to surrender."

Qu Shisi smiled bitterly, impressed by Danchu's eloquence. He had mixed feelings about this son-in-law. He was happy because he was a man of both military and literary talents, and his Red Army was growing stronger and stronger, enough to fight the Qing army. He was worried because he was unconventional, unrestrained, and regarded the ancestral system as dirt, which would definitely make him enemies in the court.

"You are right. Duke Qing has ulterior motives, which is really worrying. Xunzhou and Liuzhou are both owned by Duke Qing. Your garrisons are separated and cannot communicate with each other. What are your plans for the future?"

Qu Shisi's biggest political enemy was Chen Bangfu, and the two had been fighting for a long time. Cen Danchu attacked Chen Bangfu, and Qu Shisi was happy to add insult to injury.

However, Qu Shisi did not approve of "armed struggle" and hoped to force Chen Bangfu to accept the control of the commander-in-chief through the imperial decree and "legal" procedures.

This is obviously a pipe dream. Emperor Yongli did not have such authority, and Chen Bangfu would not easily submit.

In front of Qu Shisi, Danchu had no need to lie, and said frankly: "Chen Bangfu is just a name, and his troops are too weak to fight. Before the Ningxia King rebelled, he intended to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, so we must be on guard. "I have already made enemies with him, so we must be on high alert. If he has self-awareness, restrains his behavior, and is loyal to the king, we will naturally live in peace. If he dares to do anything illegal, I will definitely raise an army to attack him and reserve the land for the Ming Dynasty to revive."

What is an illegal situation? This is a completely subjective judgment. For the Red Army, Xunzhou must be captured at all costs so that the two bases of Nanning and Yong'an can be connected into one. This must be done as soon as possible before the Qing army captures Guangxi.

"Well," Qu Shisi pondered for a moment and said, "Chen Bangfu has made friends with eunuchs such as Ma Jixiang, Pang Tianshou, and Xia Guoxiang, and has been operating in Xunzhou for a long time. To deal with him, we must have a legitimate reason."

Qu Shisi had changed his attitude, as if he had forgotten the unpleasantness just now, and began to give advice to his son-in-law.

When people are in high positions, they often become stubborn and moody. Before Dan came to Guilin, he had great hopes and wanted to persuade Qu Shisi to move to Yanguan, make use of the Loyal Camp, and coordinate the wars between Quanzhou and Yongzhou.

Now it seems that this was completely in vain. When he was the governor of Guilin, he was still struggling to cope with it. Now that he has been promoted to the commander-in-chief, he remains in Guilin and does not move forward. It seems that he is even worse than He Tengjiao.

Danchu felt worried and asked, "May I ask, Commander-in-Chief, Quanzhou is the gateway to Guangxi. What is the purpose of our army's battle this time?"

Qu Shisi said without hesitation: "I have already told Xinxing Marquis to do his utmost to defend the whole state and hold the city firmly, and not let any Qing invaders spy from the south. As for food, fodder and ammunition, I will do my best to supply them."

What kind of purpose is this? Jiao Lian led the army to defend the whole state this time, with at least 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers under his command. How many routes should be deployed? Should river defense be set up? Should dangerous passes such as Huangshayi outside the city be guarded? There are still tens of thousands of troops in the Zhongzheng Camp in Yongzhou. How to respond to them?
Qu Shisi had no plans at all, and only asked Jiao Lian to defend Quanzhou. Jiao Lian had no talent for commanding, and could not control Zhao Yinxuan, Ma Jinzhong and other brave generals, so how could he defend Quanzhou?

Danchu was disappointed, and thought that Qu Shisi was not as talented as him, so he gave up the idea of ​​persuading him. Thinking that the enemy was the Manchu prince Jirgalang, Danchu became even more pessimistic about the future.

Qu Shisi, however, changed the subject and tried to boost Danchu's fighting spirit: "In order to boost morale, the court is planning to confer titles on meritorious officials. Zhuoru, you have outstanding talents and are worthy of being conferred a title. In this battle, you must do your best, use all your abilities, and make military achievements, so that we can recommend you for a title."

The benefits of being conferred a title are self-evident. With a title, Danchu's reputation will be raised, and he can control other generals. In the future, when the Red Army grows stronger, it will inevitably incorporate other Ming armies in an organized manner. At that time, the title will be of great use.

"Thank you for your cultivation, Master."

"It's not about cultivation. As long as you are loyal to the court and brave enough to kill the enemy, the court will naturally give you an official title."

"The Marquis of Xinxing has devoted himself to the cause, has the ability to command the army, and is brave in battle. He should be promoted to a duke."

"Well, I know what's going on."

After leaving the Governor's Mansion, Dan Chu was full of worries.

The Ming army on the front line has been defeated, and Qu Shisi can only pin his hopes on Jiao Lian. Can Jiao Lian hold on to Quanzhou? Is the Red Army ready for its first battle against the Manchu Eight Banners and the Mongolian Eight Banners? The Qing army is making great progress in Hunan, will it take advantage of the victory to invade Guangxi this time?

Danchu had many questions in his mind, but he could not find the answers. Looking into the distance, the green mountains were silent and the Li River was flowing. When could he end the conquest and stop to appreciate this beautiful land? When could he annihilate the Tartars and return peace and prosperity to the people?
(End of this chapter)