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

Chapter 193 Dinglubo

On May 1, the Red Army returned to Quanzhou and set up camp in Tangjiapu again to prevent the Qing army from spying on Xing'an.

Jiao Lian led 30,000 troops to attack Quanzhou, but failed despite the efforts of many soldiers. The morale of the Red Army was greatly affected. However, good news soon came from Xing'an City, and the morale of the Red Army was restored.

It was a cloudy day, the sky was gloomy, and the cool breeze blew away the heat of early summer, making people feel relaxed and happy. Danchu was discussing matters of replenishment with his generals in the central army tent.

Since the Red Army went to fight the invaders, more than 1,200 people have died in battle, died of illness, or gone missing. Fortunately, thanks to Danchu's good leadership, the Red Army is united, and the Intelligence Bureau has intimidated the enemy, so no one in the Red Army has defected to the enemy.

The loss of troops must be replenished as soon as possible. The Ming army often recruited locals. As the Southern Ming system collapsed, many generals simply forced able-bodied men to join the army.

The quality of soldiers is related to the combat effectiveness of the army. Cen Danchu dared not act rashly and was extremely cautious about recruiting soldiers. The personal guards had the most battles and suffered the most casualties, so they had priority in recruiting soldiers. The soldiers they lost were selected from the auxiliary soldiers of the personal guards and the second infantry battalion, and they were replaced as soon as they were vacant. The second infantry battalion and the auxiliary soldiers were not urgent, so Danchu decided to write a letter to Yu Houji, the left military officer, and ask him to select a group of soldiers from the Zhaoping and Yong'an garrisons.

In addition, food, ammunition and weapons also needed to be repaired and replenished. The Red Army stipulated that before the battle, each gun and each cannon must be equipped with 300 rounds of bullets and shells. In this battle, the fast-shooting musketeers had consumed more than 100 rounds of bullets, and needed to be replenished as soon as possible.

Jiao Ke came to visit and said to Dan Chu happily: "Brother, there is news!"

Jiao Ke is a general under Jiao Lian, commanding Jiao Lian's personal troops and has known Dan Chu for a long time.

Jiao Lian sent him here to bring good news, so it must be a great joy. Dan Chu's heart moved, and he smiled and said, "Brother Jiao, please sit down. May I ask what good news you are talking about?"

"After the great victory at Tangjiapu last time, the emperor was overjoyed and sent an angel officer to the front line to comfort the troops. As soon as the angel arrived in Xing'an City, he announced the decree to the marshal, and you were conferred the title of earl!"

The earl that he had been dreaming about for a long time finally found a place. Danchu was overjoyed and asked, "What is the earl's name?"

Jiao Ke was Jiao Lian's cousin, who was also a rough man. He scratched the back of his head and said, "I don't remember that, but it's a good name anyway."

Traditionally, the conferment of nobility in the Ming Dynasty was divided into two modes: "one great merit" and "accumulated small merits". "One great merit", as the name suggests, means that a general has made outstanding achievements on the battlefield and was awarded a title for a remarkable feat. "Accumulated small merits" refers to generals who have been stationed on the frontier for a long time and have made repeated small merits, and can also be gradually promoted to a noble title.

During the Zhengde reign, Emperor Wuzong liked to win over relatives and eunuchs, and a large number of people without merit were granted titles, and the practice of conferring titles became rampant. Emperor Jiajing was very strict in controlling his subordinates and was very cautious in conferring titles. During the Chongzhen reign, the practice of conferring titles had completely changed its meaning and became a tool for the court to win over people's hearts and win over meritorious officials.

By the time of the Yongli reign of the Southern Ming Dynasty, the titles became more extreme, which can be roughly described as "it is difficult to confer titles on ministers who have made great contributions, while people who have no merit are rewarded at random."

It is difficult to confer titles on officials who have made great contributions. Because there are too many dukes in the Southern Ming Dynasty, if one wants to be promoted to a higher rank, he must be conferred a title of king. Since the Ming Dynasty, the court has never conferred a title of king on a person of a different surname during his lifetime, and Emperor Yongli did not dare to set such a precedent. When a meritorious official reaches the rank of duke, the official rank has reached the limit. If he is not conferred a title of king, it will be difficult to win over the officials who have made great contributions.

People who have made no contributions were randomly rewarded. When He Tengjiao was a military commander, he privately conferred titles to generals in order to win over them, and the court had no choice but to acquiesce. Most of the more powerful military commanders, such as Ma Jinzhong, Li Chixin, and Hao Yongzhong, have been promoted to Dukes, and all the generals under their command have been made marquises or earls.

Less than three years after Yongli came to power, the streets were already full of titles of nobility. A quick count showed that there were at least a hundred earls. Earls can be divided into two types: one named after a place, such as Lingui Earl Qu Shisi, and the other named after a good name, such as Danglu Earl Hong Guoyu.

Since the end of the Ming Dynasty, the good-sounding place names have almost been used up, and gradually people began to confer titles with good names. If they are both earls, they will be more favored by the nobles if they are conferred with good names. Danchu was happy, and Jiao Ke urged him, "When I left the city, the angel officer was preparing the carriage and horses. I'm afraid he has already left the city now. You should prepare the incense table and ceremonial guards, and go out of the camp to welcome him later."

"What are the rules for angels to enter and leave the military camp?"

After a quick calculation, this was the first time the court had sent an envoy to the Red Army camp. If Fang Yizhi and other think tanks were here, they might be familiar with the court etiquette, but Danchu didn't pay much attention to it.

Jiao Ke was also a rough man, and he knew nothing about anything. He simply said, "Rituals and music have been in disarray these days, and it's wartime now, so there's no need to be too particular. The angel officer came to the Duke's camp several times before, and I still remember..."

It was the first time that the imperial court sent an envoy to the Red Army. Danchu attached great importance to it and ordered his men to discipline the soldiers. He also followed Jiao Ke's instructions to prepare ceremonial guards and incense tables, clean the roads, and pour water to remove dust.

At noon, the angel sent his subordinates into the camp to formally inform Danchu that the angel was five miles away from the camp. Danchu wanted to give him a reward, but after asking around, he learned that the angel was Zhang Xiaoqi, a member of the Ministry of Personnel.

Zhang Xiaoqi, courtesy name Jiangzi, was from Wujiang, Jiangsu. He was a juren in the third year of Chongzhen and a jinshi in the thirteenth year. He was "upright and honest, and determined in the face of danger". He led an army to resist the Qing Dynasty in the late Ming Dynasty. In the second year of Longwu, he was defeated. His wives and concubines all jumped into the sea and died. Zhang Xiaoqi himself was captured by Li Chengdong. Li Chengdong took pity on his loyalty and protected him. After the rebellion in Guangdong, Li Chengdong recommended Zhang Xiaoqi to the court and appointed him as a clerk in the Ministry of Personnel. He dared to speak out and was not afraid of violence, so he was valued by the court.

Danchu led the generals out of the camp and lined up to welcome them. Soon, a group of people with clear flags appeared. They were the angel officers. In addition to Zhang Xiaoqi, there were also high-ranking officials such as Governor Zhang Tongchang, Commander Jiao Lian, and Supervisor Bai Guozhen.

A few gunshots were fired, which served as a salute. Danchu dismounted to greet him, saluted Zhang Xiaoqi, and said, "I, the deputy governor, the general of the expedition to the barbarians, and the general of Zhaoyong, Cen Danchu, respectfully welcome the angel officer."

Zhang Xiaoqi was so frightened that he immediately dismounted and said, "How polite, sir. This military camp is well-organized, and the soldiers are in bright armor and weapons. They are indeed a powerful force that defeated the Tartars."

Jiao Lian said, "Zhuo Ru, the Grand Censor has been very tired. He just arrived in Xing'an this morning, announced the imperial edict, and then came to Tangjiapu without stopping. Let's finish the business first, and then welcome the Grand Censor."

In the Ming Dynasty, the Six Departments of the Imperial Censorate was only a minor official of the seventh rank, but his responsibilities and powers were extremely important. Even if the emperor had approved a memorial, the Imperial Censorate had the right to reject it, which was called "sealing and refuting". In addition, the Imperial Censorate could also impeach officials, participate in politics, inspect local areas, assess officials, and serve as an examiner for provincial examinations, which were mostly important tasks.

During the Ming Dynasty, even a cabinet minister did not dare to easily offend the Six Censors, who were respectfully called "Grand Censor" in the officialdom.

"only."

Zhang Xiaoqi was in front, Jiao Lian was behind, and Danchu and others entered the camp one by one. There was already an incense table facing south, and Zhang Xiaoqi placed the imperial edict on the incense table and then stood on the west side of the incense table.

After Danchu and the others had performed the ceremony of receiving the imperial edict, Zhang Xiaoqi picked up the imperial edict, cleared his throat, and read:
"The Emperor, in accordance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: I have heard that the foundation of a country lies in military courage, and the foundation of a country lies in loyal ministers. Cen Danchu is loyal and brave, fearless of danger and hardship, and defeated the Tartars at Tangjiapu, Xing'an, beheading thousands of them, and beheading the Tartar chieftain Jueluo Guoke in battle, which is a rare victory since the migration to the south. I am very pleased, and I hereby confer the title of Dinglu Earl on Cen Danchu, give him the seal of the General of Conquering the Tartars, and reward him with a thousand taels of silver..."

Dinglubo, that's a good name. Cen Dan initially aspired to be appointed as the General of Conquering the Enemies, and the court also encouraged him by giving him the seal of the General of Conquering the Enemies, and the expectation was very obvious.

(End of this chapter)