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

Chapter 213 Du Yinxi Executes First and Reports Later

Two days later, Du Yinxi came to Zhaoping. Cen Danchu had long admired him and went ten miles out of the city to meet him.

Green mountains are in the distance, and green waters are flowing. Cen Danchu is dressed in a military uniform, looking heroic, with his eyes full of expectation.

"Why are you so polite, Marshal? You even went out of the city ten miles to greet me. It really embarrasses me." Du Yinxi was nearly fifty years old, like a candle in the wind, but his eyes still showed a firm light.

He looked at Danchu with surprise in his eyes, and after looking him up and down, he sighed, "Marshal Jue has a unique character and far-sighted vision. He is truly a rare talent."

"Haha, you are too kind." Danchu smiled and said, "I have heard of your great name for a long time. I should have visited you in person. But because of the emergency, I had to write to you. You are loyal to the king and took the trouble to come to Zhaoping so quickly. I admire you deeply."

As early as in Guilin, Danchu wrote to Du Yinxi, inviting him to come for a chat. Sun Kewang was forced to be crowned King of Qin, which was a matter of great importance. After receiving the letter, Du Yinxi did not hesitate at all, fearing the hardships of the journey and avoiding the ridicule of others, and immediately rushed over at full speed.

He is really bold in speaking out. How can one say "the best among men" casually? It is said that he has a straightforward personality and dares to speak and act. Seeing him today, it is indeed true to his reputation.

Looking at his thin appearance, he seemed to have gone through countless hardships and suffered a lot of indescribable sufferings, which made people feel pity. However, when he saw Danchu, Du Yinxi was still energetic and full of fighting spirit, which made people respect him.

You know, Du Yinxi is a core member of the Wu Party, and he has always been at odds with Qu Shisi and Li Yuanyin. He dared to go to the Chu Party's territory to meet the newcomer Cen Danchu, which really required great courage and a broad mind.

Danchu sighed, "The elder has suffered many misfortunes and has been humiliated for no reason, but he has never changed his original intention and has devoted himself to the country. He is truly a role model for our generation."

Living in a turbulent time, Du Yinxi held important posts such as Grand Secretary, Governor-General, and Minister of War, but he was repeatedly humiliated, which made Danchu deeply unfair.

A few months ago, Du Yinxi retreated from the front line and passed by Zhenxia Pass, where he was imprisoned by the warlord Cao Zhijian and his life was almost in danger.

After finally escaping from Zhenxia Pass, Emperor Yongli sent Cheng Xun, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, to appease the rebels. Du Yinxi asked Cheng Xun to escort his family and the families of some generals of the Loyalty Camp to Wuzhou. In order to prevent the Loyalty Camp from entering Guangdong, Li Yuanyin ordered Zhang Xiang, the garrison commander of Fengchuan, to fire cannons, destroying the boat carrying Cheng Xun and his family members in the river. The incident was brought to the court, and Emperor Yongli was afraid of offending Dong Xun, so he finally let it go.

When he arrived at Zhaoqing, Emperor Yongli attached great importance to Du Yinxi and ordered him to join the cabinet to assist in government affairs. However, the Chu Party attacked him, saying that he had "lost troops and territory" in Hunan, which made him look disgraced and almost unable to gain a foothold.

“Hahahaha,” Du Yinxi raised his head and laughed, his voice like a bell, and said, “I am determined to drive out the Tartars and restore China, why would I care about these small setbacks? Besides, after receiving the letter from Marshal Jue, I know that there are still friends in the world. Even if I die now, there will be people who will uphold justice for me in the future, which is enough!”

This? Cen Danchu's expression was stern, he stood in awe, clasped his fists and bowed again, saying: "Your Excellency is so righteous, I am ashamed to be inferior to you."

Danchu couldn't help feeling ashamed. If he were Du Yinxi, he would have slammed the table long ago. What's the point of being loyal to the court?

He waved his hand, pointed at Yang Weizhi, and said, "Sir, this is Mr. Yang Weizhi, the envoy sent by Sun Kewang."

"I've heard a lot about you." Du Yinxi bowed and said sincerely, "I've heard that Mr. Yang is loyal, brave and upright. I wish I could meet him soon."

Yang Wei knew that his qualifications and prestige were not as good as Du Yinxi's, so he quickly returned the greeting and said, "The elder is brave enough to take on responsibilities and is selfless. He is the role model for our generation."

After the greetings, the three mounted their horses and headed for Zhaoping City. For the sake of etiquette, they gave way to each other again. Finally, Du Yinxi sat in the middle, Danchu sat on the left, and Yang Weizhi sat in the back. The three rode side by side and soon talked about Sun Kewang's title of king. Cen Danchu and Yang Weizhi sang the same tune and revealed the conspiracy to dethrone Sun Kewang as the King of Ping Liao.

Hearing this, Du Yinxi smiled knowingly, as if a dead tree had come back to life. He said with a relieved smile, "Great minds think alike. I have the same idea. Sun Kewang has a strong army and horses, and it is not enough to satisfy his desire without making him a king. If he cannot be made the King of Qin, he must at least be made the King of Ping Liao. I have a lot of blank imperial edicts that I can use to deal with this matter, thanks to the trust of the emperor."

It was obvious that Du Yinxi wanted to bypass Emperor Yongli and secretly confer the title of King of Pingliao on Sun Kewang.

Yang Weizhi was stunned and said, "Lord, should we consult the Emperor first before making any decision?"

"It's too late," Du Yinxi said decisively, "Zhaoqing is hundreds of miles away from Zhaoping, and we have to ask for permission to move there. The emperor has no opinion, and there are many treacherous people around him. All the ministers are against this.

"We can only execute first and report later. When I was in Zhaoqing, the emperor summoned him and asked him about this matter in person. I suggested that the emperor confer the title of Prince of a county on Kewang. The emperor did not object, but sighed repeatedly and said that all the ministers were against it, which shows that he was also moved."

The political efficiency of the Ming Dynasty was so low that it was outrageous. The processing of a memorial was quite complicated, and the typical process was as follows:
The cabinet first votes on the draft. If the emperor has any objections, he will revise it or keep it. If there is no objection, it will be sent to the Imperial Household Department for approval. After that, the Imperial Household Department will return it to the cabinet for review. If the cabinet disagrees with the emperor's revision, it will be sealed and returned. If it passes the review, it will be drafted and sent to the six departments. The six departments will also review it. If the review does not pass, it will be rejected and sent back for revision. After passing, it will be handed over to the six ministries for execution.

This is a normal situation. If it is abnormal, all officials in the capital, regardless of the censors, can submit memorials to express their opinions on state affairs.

This system of checks and balances provided an excellent breeding ground for party struggles. It was impossible for the emperor to make arbitrary decisions. The Ming emperors' negligence in government affairs was related to this. In the end, no one was willing to take overall responsibility, and no one dared to make the final decision. Emperor Chongzhen wanted to negotiate peace with the Qing Dynasty and move the capital to Nanjing, but he did not even have the courage to propose it. This was the reason.

"That's right," Yang Weizhi echoed, "Sun Kewang has also sent two deputy envoys, both veterans of the Western Army, who have been stationed in Guilin. If I don't go back, they will definitely suspect me. Over time, the news that the emperor has conferred the title of Duke of Jing on Sun Kewang will easily leak out. If we then confer the title of King of Ping Liao on him, the truth will surely be revealed."

"Well," Du Yinxi groaned, "This is for public affairs, not for personal gain. Even if the matter is leaked in the future and the court blames me, I will bear the responsibility alone."

"Haha," Dan Chu said resolutely, "Although I don't have much experience, I have quite a few soldiers and horses, and I am willing to share the responsibility for you, Lord."

Yang Weizhi said: "Your Majesty is wise and knows that the elder is loyal, so he will not blame me in the future. Moreover, I heard that Ma Jixiang and Wang Huacheng both conferred titles privately, and the court never blamed them."

Ma Jixiang once used the imperial seal to privately confer the title of earl on a chieftain in Guangxi. This was also done by Grand Secretary Wang Huacheng. Later, the matter was exposed, and the ministers impeached him. Emperor Yongli ordered a strict investigation. It was found that the cabinet did not have a draft of the imperial edict to confer the title, and both Ma Jixiang and Wang Huacheng had conferred the title privately. This was a capital crime punishable by death for the entire clan, and everyone thought that Emperor Yongli wanted to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, but in the end, it was left unresolved. Treacherous people like Ma Jixiang and Wang Huacheng became even more unscrupulous.

"Well, let's not talk about this." Du Yinxi didn't want to make the family scandal public, so he changed the subject and said to Danchu: "Congratulations to Marshal Jue. In order to boost morale, the court has decided to confer a great honor on meritorious officials. Marshal Jue has trained the troops well and has made great military achievements. He is proposed to be conferred the title of Dinglu Marquis. An angel will come to announce the decree soon."

Danchu was naturally happy to be promoted to a marquis. However, the overall situation was in ruins, and the court was doing nothing, so they could only use these empty titles to encourage the soldiers.

Emperor Yongli conferred the title of Guanghua Earl on Du Yinxi in recognition of his hard work and contributions. Other meritorious officials and generals were rewarded according to their contributions and qualifications.

Du Yinxi looked at Danchu meaningfully and said, "The Marquis of Xinxing was also promoted to Duke, and is called Xuanguogong. However, some knowledgeable people say that the merits of the Marquis of Xinxing are not enough to be promoted to Duke. It is only because the marquis of Xinxing was under the command of the Marquis of Xinxing that the court favored him and promoted him to Duke of Xuanguo."

(End of this chapter)