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

Chapter 210 It's easy for me, but difficult for you

It was a hot summer day and he was sweating profusely. Before leaving, Danchu went to the governor's mansion to meet Qu Shisi.

When the father-in-law and son-in-law met, Qu Shisi sighed and said, "A few months ago, the towns were still full of vigor and vitality. They occupied Xing'an and recovered Quanzhou. After only three or four months, Quanzhou was hopeless to recover, and Xing'an was lost again. The towns were at odds, and the situation worsened."

As the commander-in-chief, Qu Shisi had no ability to command his troops and was unwilling to go deep into the front lines, so he should bear the main responsibility for this.

Danchu comforted him, saying, "The second battle of Quanzhou was not caused by our own fault. It was because the enemy was strong and we were weak. Jirgalang led the Eight Banners of Manchuria to fight, which was beyond our ability to defeat. However, our army killed Jueluo Guoke in battle and fought hard against the pseudo-kings such as Jirgalang and Lekedehun, which was enough to boost morale and inspire people."

"Yeah." Qu Shisi's dry and worried face showed a little smile, and he said, "You are good at training soldiers. You have led the army to defeat the Tartars several times, and you were not inferior to Jirgalang in the battle. I can rest in peace now that we have someone to help our country recover."

Talking about life and death is not a good omen. Cen Danchu vaguely felt that Qu Shisi had given up hope on the court and was very pessimistic about the current situation. His wife was dead, and his young daughter married Danchu. She had no ties in the world, and she might have begun to think about committing suicide.

Danchu quickly advised: "Lord, the court is full of corrupt officials, the Tartars have strong troops and sufficient food, and the overall situation has been corrupted. There is Yanguan Pass in the northeast of Guilin and Zhenxia Pass in the southeast, both of which are very close. There is no room for maneuver. Once the Tartars break through the pass, it will be dangerous.

"Why not go south to Nanning? Nanning has a lot of farmland and plenty of food. It has convenient shipping on the Yujiang River and has hundreds of thousands of Lu soldiers. This is our base. Even if the Tartars invade Guangxi, our army can still occupy Nanning and compete with the Tartars for supremacy."

The room was filled with dullness. Qu Shisi wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Zhuoru, let's go sit in the Tingfeng Pavilion."

Qu Shisi served as an official in Guilin for many years, successively serving as the Governor of Guangxi, the Governor of Guilin, and the Commander-in-Chief, but he did not own any property. The only thing in his mansion was the Tingfeng Pavilion, which was pleasing to the eye.

Danchu was also very generous. Two years ago, he was promoted from a boy soldier to a captain, and then to a guerrilla. He drank celebratory wine in the mansion, and silently wrote military songs in the Tingfeng Pavilion. When he first met Qu Xuanhui, he could still remember it clearly.

After this farewell, I don’t know when we will meet again, and I don’t know when I can visit Tingfeng Pavilion again.

The two of them sat down facing the pine forest and the stream, and the servants brought them tea.

Qu Shisi said: "Guilin is the capital of Guangxi Province and the gateway to Guangxi. It is a place that the world should not lose. Just like Liaodong, at the beginning of the dynasty, the Nurgandusi was set up to control the northeast. When the Jiannu rebelled, the Nurgandusi was abolished, and then Tieling, Liaoyang, Shenyang, Guangning and Jinzhou were abandoned.

"If I retreat one foot, the enemy will advance one step. If I retreat one step, the enemy will advance ten feet. I gave up again and again, retreated again and again, until the Tartars were forced to the foot of Shanhaiguan, until Wu Sangui let the wolf into the house.

"The Ming Dynasty only has two provinces left, Guangxi and Guangdong. To defend Guangdong, one must first defend Guangxi upstream. To defend Guangxi, one must defend Guilin, Quanzhou, and Hengzhou. Now that Quanzhou and Hengzhou have been lost, I am here to defend Guilin. How can I abandon Guilin so easily?"

The breeze blew, the bamboo leaves rustled, bringing a fragrance after the rain. The stream gurgled, and although it was daytime, frogs croaked and insects chirped everywhere.

It was quiet and pleasant, and such scenery was rare in the palace. Danchu leaned against the railing and felt a little cool in the breeze. He sighed, "The elder is loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and is brave in his work. I am very grateful to him. However, the enemy is strong and we are weak. For the long-term plan, we must avoid the strong and attack the weak, and seek development in the weak points of the Tartars.

"Guilin is a battleground for military strategists. Even if the Tartars don't come, the Yunnan Army, the Chu Army, and even the Western Army will come. The cabinet is busy dealing with the disputes among the towns, so how can it have the energy to manage Guilin?

"Right now, Jiang Ge has rebelled in Shanxi, and the two chieftains Tan Tai and Jierhalang have retreated to the north. We have a moment to breathe. But the Tartars have allowed Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi to expand their army, and promoted them to King Dingnan, King Jingnan, and King Pingnan. The intention is self-evident. "For now, we must step up our management, reorganize our army, and prepare for a strong enemy before the three feudal lords arrive. Guilin is a place of four battles, and it is difficult for you to do anything here. Why don't you return to Nanning with me?"

If Qu Shisi went to Nanning, Danchu would have to stand aside. But he was Danchu's father-in-law after all, so it was necessary for him to try his best to invite him. If he really went to Nanning, he would also bring rich political resources.

Qu Shisi frowned, worried, and silent for a long time, then said: "I am the garrison commander of Guilin, so I must live and die with Guilin. As the commander-in-chief, I must be at the front line and cannot retreat to Nanning.

"The various towns are fighting for Guilin, and the battles are endless. I must stay in Guilin and cannot leave easily. If I am defeated by the Tartars in the future, I will just die for my country and leave my name in history."

Danchu had a bad feeling in his heart. In history, Qu Shisi died in Guilin. He was arrogant to foreign soldiers and alienated his confidants, and finally suffered the consequences. What he was doing now was moving step by step towards the abyss of death.

"Lord, I also want to revive the Ming Dynasty and kill all the Tartars. But the enemy is strong and we are weak. We must pay attention to strategy, be down-to-earth, and proceed step by step. Only then will we have hope of victory in the future.

"To put it bluntly, defending a place and dying for the country is just a cowardly act. Staying in Guilin and refusing to give in is easy. Even if the Tartars come, it's just a matter of death. After death, you can still have a good reputation in history books. What does it have to do with you if the country changes and the people suffer?

"But if we talk about loyalty to the country, we must endure humiliation, be unyielding, and do things in a down-to-earth manner. Just like Gou Jian, the King of Yue, who slept on straw and tasted gall for ten years, gathered people, learned lessons for ten years, and then waited for an opportunity to march north, only then could we turn the tide.

"I want to manage Nanning, that is, to use Nanning as a base, to concentrate on training the Red Army, to educate the people earnestly, to comfort the people, raise the army, and manufacture weapons for five, ten, twenty, thirty, or fifty years, until the Northern Expedition to Beijing and the restoration of China."

When he got to the emotional part, Cen Danchu became excited and his voice rose several degrees.

After Danchu revealed his secrets, Qu Shisi was embarrassed and said, "Zhuo Ru's insightful remarks are thought-provoking and thought-provoking. I feel inferior to you. Please continue."

"Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi, the three rebel kings, went south, determined to take Guangdong and Guangxi. The emperor's temporary residence was in Zhaoqing. Since the death of the Ningxia king, Du Yonghe had no skills in commanding his generals, and the Guangdong army was in disarray. They were simply unable to stop the fierce army of the three feudatories.

"I will lead my troops to Nanning. First, I can contain Chen Bangfu. Second, I can monitor the Loyalty Camp. Third, I can go to Guangdong to defend the king. Fourth, I can stop the Western Army. I hope the commander-in-chief will understand my intentions."

These words were righteous and dignified, and they suited Qu Shisi's taste very well. He could not help but praise him: "Zhuo Ru is loyal to his country and has a far-sighted vision. As a teacher, I can't compare to him."

Danchu wanted to persuade him again, saying: "Guilin is a battleground for military strategists, and the Tartars will definitely fight for it with all their might. Therefore, Guilin is both a source of military support and a burden. In the future, if the Tartars come to fight for Guilin, you don't have to fight them to the death, just send someone to order me to reinforce. If I can't get there in time, you might as well avoid the real situation and take the troops to the mountainous area, and wait for me to lead troops to support, and then it won't be too late to counterattack Guilin."

Qu Shisi was deeply touched and said frankly:
"Zhuoru, as you said, it is not wise for me to stay in Guilin. The reason is that it is the duty of the border officials to defend the territory. The dynasty declined because of party struggles and fell because of concessions. I stayed in Guilin to raise a flag, to tell the world that the Ming Dynasty still has loyal ministers and the Han people's will to resist has never been extinguished.

"The second is that you have selfish motives and want to die for your loyalty and leave your name in history. It's easy for me, but difficult for you. We, the master and the disciple, and the father-in-law and the son-in-law, each pursue our own aspirations and hope to wait until the day when we can march north to the Central Plains. When the time comes, we will work together to drive out the Tartars and restore China."

(End of this chapter)