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

Chapter 238 Du Yinxi posthumously named Wenzhong

"The Loyalty Camp has just lost its commander, so it is inconvenient to send troops. However, General Liu Guochang is willing to help Guangdong, and Gao Bizheng has already agreed. Liu Guochang and I have an appointment to meet in Wuzhou and meet the emperor together."

Liu Yuansheng's eyes flashed with hope, but he was also confused. He had heard that the "white felt bandit" Liu Fangliang had surrendered to Cen Danchu and was appointed as a general of the Red Army. Could this Liu Guochang also surrender to the Red Army?
Danchu seemed to understand his thoughts and continued, "Liu Guochang and Gao Bizheng were not on good terms. When Li Zicheng usurped the throne, he probably had a disagreement with Madam Gao and made Gao Bizheng a male of Linqu, a very low title.

"Li Chixin is the nephew of Li Zicheng. He relied on Madam Gao and Gao Bizheng, but he was still unable to suppress Liu Xiyao, Liu Fangliang and others. Now that Chixin is dead, Gao Bizheng has taken over the leadership of the Loyalty Camp.

"Gao Bizheng was a Linju man in the pseudo dynasty and a Duke of Yun in the heavenly dynasty. Liu Guochang was the Marquis of Huai in the pseudo dynasty and was not a veteran of the Shun army. He was only a general in the heavenly dynasty. Now he is inferior to Gao Bizheng and is a minor general in the Loyalty Camp. You can imagine how embarrassed he is."

"Oh." Liu Yuansheng suddenly realized and said, "Thank you, Marshal, for clearing up my doubts." According to this statement, Liu Guochang would probably leave the Loyalty Camp forever. God has opened his eyes, and these white-haired felt bandits will die or disperse, and it will be difficult for them to become powerful from now on.

"Lord Du was brave in his duties, never afraid of criticism, and devoted his life to his work, but he died in a malaria-infected village. The ceremony after his death must be grand and solemn, so as to show the court's intentions. Grand Marshal, this is the old man's will, which I copied from his adopted son. Please take a look."

As Danchu spoke, he instructed his secretary to take a manuscript and give it to Liu Yuansheng to read.

Du Yinxi had three sons. The eldest son Du Shiming has died. The second son Du Zhengming died in the battle of Yongxing last year and was posthumously awarded the titles of Prince Taibao and Right Commander. The youngest son is named Du Wuding and is currently guarding his coffin in Nanning.

The ancients believed that fallen leaves return to their roots, and even if the Ming and Qing dynasties were enemies, they would not stop the dead from returning to their hometowns for burial. Du Yinxi was from Yixing, Jiangsu. Nanning is thousands of miles away from Yixing, and there were wars along the way. It was really difficult to send his body back to his hometown for burial.

Danchu persuaded Du Zhengding to temporarily bury his father's coffin in Nanning, to complete the posthumous ceremony first, and then think about the funeral.

Liu Yuansheng read Du Yinxi's will and couldn't help but whispered softly: "I only regret that with my immortal body, I cannot die for the emperor on the battlefield, but die on his bed. This is my regret. After I die, I am willing to become a ghost to kill the enemy. I beg the emperor to appoint experienced people to help restore the country. When it comes to national affairs, Li Yuanyin, Liu Xiangke, Yuan Pengnian, Jinbao, Ding Shikui, and Meng Zhengfa are the emperor's confidants and arms. The success or failure is precarious. The spirits of our ancestors will witness it. I am dead, and I am overwhelmed with regrets..."

The imperial court always attached great importance to the memorials of ministers. If there were any requests, as long as they were not excessive, the imperial court would generally approve them. Therefore, ministers would often ask for protection in their memorials, and even ask for relief.

Du Yinxi's will did not consider his affairs after his death at all. Instead, it was full of grief and indignation, and he was particularly dissatisfied with Li Yuanyin and the "Five Tigers" for their usurpation of power.

Liu Yuansheng put away his glasses and said, "Lord Du had a strong will like a fortress, and he could not sleep peacefully at night, but he died suddenly. He was selfless and did not care about his gains and losses during his lifetime. This is admirable and lamentable. His legacy after his death must be precious and important, so as to inspire people with lofty ideals."

Danchu was just thinking of using Liu Yuansheng's influence to increase the weight of his words, so he said, "I plan to submit a memorial to the court, asking for the same treatment as the King of Zhongxiang. The Grand Marshal can take the lead, so as to increase the weight of the memorial."

Isn't this too extravagant? He Tengjiao was a military commander during his lifetime, holding a high position and power, and had good relations with important officials such as Qu Shisi and Yan Qiheng. After his death, he was posthumously named King of Zhongxiang, Grand Secretary of Zhongji Hall, and given the posthumous title of Wenlie.

Du Yinxi was a member of the Wu Party. He was competitive and courageous throughout his life. He made many enemies in the court and disagreed with Qu Shisi and Yan Qiheng in terms of politics. Can we posthumously confer him the title of the Two-Character King?

It was hard to say. The Red Army and the Loyalty Battalion were strong and willing to speak for Du Yinxi. The Wu Party in the court was in power and was relying on the Red Army and the Loyalty Battalion to rescue eastern Guangdong, so their opinions must be taken seriously.

In this matter, it might be a good idea to do Cen Danchu a favor. Liu Yuansheng had already made up his mind and said, "Zhuo Ru, what do you think should be the posthumous title for Du Ge Lao?" Although the posthumous title is only two words, it is the final judgment of the minister's life's merits and demerits, and it is the most important posthumous honor for the minister. Du Yinxi is a civil official, so according to convention, he should be given a posthumous title with a word at the beginning.

"Wen Zhong." Dan Chu said without hesitation: "The elder is loyal and hardworking. After his death, he still wants to turn into a ghost to kill thieves. The posthumous title of Wen Zhong is the most appropriate."

According to the posthumous name law, those who risk their lives to serve their superiors, those who are loyal and steadfast in prosperity and decline, those who never forget their country in times of crisis, those who promote the virtuous and are sincere, those who are honest and just, and those who sacrifice their lives for their country are called loyal.

Wen Zhong is the most beautiful posthumous title among all beautiful posthumous titles. Although it is not as good as Wen Zheng, it is only slightly inferior.

From the beginning of the Ming Dynasty to the present, only ten ministers were posthumously named Wen Zhong, three of whom were conferred by the Southern Ming Dynasty. Even Zhang Cong, Yang Tinghe, Zhang Juzheng, and Sun Chengzong were only posthumously named Wen Zhong. He Tengjiao was only named Wen Lie after his death. Does Du Yinxi qualify for the posthumous title of Wen Zhong?

Danchu insisted on posthumously naming him Wenzhong. He had not known Du Yinxi for long and had only met him twice, but they hit it off right away and he had a good impression of him and highly respected him.

In terms of far-sightedness and courage in handling affairs, there are few people in the Southern Ming Dynasty who can compare with Du Yinxi. Danchu was just thinking of relying on his great talent to make long-term plans for the future. Unexpectedly, he passed away suddenly. It is true that when the Great Xia is about to fall, the big tree will fall first.

Due to the fierce party struggles, Du Yinxi was repeatedly slandered and his reputation was not prominent during the Yongli period of the Southern Ming Dynasty. After the death of He Tengjiao, Qu Shisi and others, the Zhejiang East School of History made them famous. Du Yinxi was buried for a long time and his reputation was not prominent in history. The posthumous title of "Wen Zhong" for Du Yinxi can be regarded as a vindication of his reputation.

Danchu also wanted to take this opportunity to test the court. The closer he was to the Red Army's territory, the more important Danchu would be in the court. He was a rising star who had no interest in court politics, but now the Red Army had grown strong enough to influence the court.

This time, they just happened to make some fuss about Du Yinxi's posthumous title and took the opportunity to criticize the officials of the court. These people were short-sighted, partisan, and occupied high positions, but did nothing.

Historically, after Kong Youde invaded Guangxi, the court moved west to Nanning. The Yongli Emperor only knew how to escape, not to recover, and his ministers were desperate. The Yongli court was on the verge of collapse, with a tendency to scatter like monkeys when the tree fell: the commander-in-chief Qu Shisi, the governor-general Zhang Tongchang, and the minister Wang Hao died; the university scholar Tang Zhen, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue Zhang Shang, the Dali Temple Secretary Wu Decao, the governor of Guangxi Yu Xindu, the grain supervisor Wei Yuanji and others surrendered to the Qing Dynasty one after another; the military minister Liu Yuansheng, the chief censor Liu Xiangke and others took refuge in the mountains; Lu Kezao, Qian Bingdeng, Wang Fuzhi and others left the Yongli court and returned to their hometowns to regard themselves as Ming Dynasty survivors; the "prime minister in the mountains" Fang Yizhi, the rites official Jinbao and others became monks...

Once the court moves to Nanning, Danchu will become the focus of the court, and the Red Army will take up the banner of fighting against the Qing invaders. If they cannot establish prestige in front of the court officials, how can they deter the treacherous and rectify the government?
There are so many ministers, both big and small, who have given up hope on Emperor Yongli and are perhaps waiting for a good price to be recruited for their own use. If Danchu's words do not carry enough weight and his insistence on justice is not firm enough, will they still come to surrender?

Liu Yuansheng thought it over and decided to accept Danchu's suggestion. He said, "What the Lord said is absolutely right. The Lord Du posthumously honoring Wen Zhong is the final word and it is enough to show the court's intention to favor loyal officials. However, the Lord should still take the lead in the memorial, and I can just list the title."

He immediately thought of his younger brother Liu Xiangke and said, "My younger brother Xiangke has been attacked by Wu's party and is in the Jinyiwei prison..."

Danchu was also familiar with Liu Xiangke, so he took over the conversation and said, "Xiangke often speaks up for the Red Army. I will definitely help him. Don't worry about this matter, Grand Marshal."

Liu Yuansheng was the Minister of War in the imperial court, and Danchu was the Right Vice Minister of War. However, the Red Army was strong, and Liu Yuansheng was no longer as important as Danchu. If Danchu was willing to help, Liu Xiangke would be safe.

(End of this chapter)