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

Chapter 240: Conquering the Poets
On March 10, the Red Army's vanguard approached Wuzhou. There were 12,000 troops, advancing by land and sea, with most of them being cavalry, and the marching speed was very fast.

The situation was chaotic and the court was in a mess. The Chu Party seemed to see a ray of hope, and the "Five Tigers" were even more excited as they had found their savior. The Wu Party felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy and immediately stopped "fighting tigers". Chen Bangfu was even more at a loss, wanting to march eastward one moment, and then wanting to stay in the imperial palace to protect the emperor's carriage the next, and he was in a state of panic all day long.

Emperor Yongli originally stayed in the "Water Palace", eating and sleeping on the boat, so he could escape at any time. The Red Army came to help, and the court was not in danger for the time being. If the court stayed in the Water Palace again, it would be unbecoming and unsightly. So Emperor Yongli entered Wuzhou City and sent envoys to comfort the Red Army.

The Chu Party sent envoys to contact the Zhu family, intending to rectify the government and regain power. Empress Ma sent eunuchs to express her condolences and ask about Mrs. Zhu's recent situation. It was obvious that she relied on her. Chen Bangfu sent envoys to ask for peace, and his words were very humble. Li Yuanyin also sent envoys to communicate about aiding Guangdong.

For a while, envoys came one after another. The Red Army was strong and famous. Cen Danchu's status increased sharply, and he became the target of all factions. Before he arrived in Wuzhou, he received frequent letters from all parties, full of praise, which made him feel a little flattered.

On this day, the soldiers of the Tang army sent another letter, signed by Qian Bingdeng, which caught Danchu's attention. This man was an editor of the Hanlin Academy, and although his position was not high, he was quite knowledgeable. Danchu had read his articles in the official newspaper and was deeply impressed. In particular, Qian Bingdeng's unique insights on the incidents of sending troops to rescue Jin Shenghuan and Sun Kewang's request to be crowned the King of Qin were refreshing.

Danchu opened the letter and was deeply moved after reading it. The letter said that the current chaotic situation was an opportunity and a challenge, a candied fruit and a poison for Danchu. Therefore, Qian Bingdeng asked Danchu to take Dong Zhuo as a warning, to use Yu Qian as an inspiration, to support the crisis and to expel the treacherous. At the end, Qian Bingdeng begged Danchu to meet him and discuss important matters in person.

The letter is brilliantly written, earnestly worded, eloquent and thought-provoking, showing the author's immense talent.

"Grand Sima, what is the origin of this Qian Bingdeng?"

Liu Yuansheng answered without hesitation: "This man is from Tongcheng, Nanzhili, and is quite talented. He was a scholar during the Chongzhen period. He was friendly with Fang Wen and Fang Yizhi from the same town. He once organized a poetry club in Tongcheng and sang in harmony with the Fushe Society, satirizing the eunuchs. Qian Bingdeng and Ruan Dacheng had a family friendship, but because Ruan Dacheng attached himself to the eunuchs, they became enemies.

"During the Hongguang reign, Ruan Dacheng created the Locust Records, launched a massive revenge campaign, and hunted down Donglin. Qian Bingdeng took refuge in Jiaxing. When the order to shave the hair was issued, Jiaxing Uprising broke out. Qian Bingdeng raised an army, but was defeated, and his wife and children drowned in the river.

"Qian Bingdeng fled to Fuzhou and surrendered to Emperor Longwu. After the Tingzhou Incident, Qian Bingdeng surrendered to Emperor Yongli again and was appointed as a scholar-official and later promoted to editor. His literary talent was outstanding and all the important imperial edicts were drafted by Bingdeng."

Danchu fell into deep thought. This Qian Bingdeng was definitely not an ordinary person. How come there seemed to be no such person in history? He racked his brains to think about it, and finally, the hidden memory in his brain was triggered.

Isn't this Qian Bingdeng Qian Chengzhi? In the autumn of the fourth year of the Yongli reign, Kong Youde invaded Guangxi, and the Yongli court fell apart. Qian Bingdeng secretly returned to his hometown, changed his name to Qian Chengzhi, and became a monk, known as Xiwan.

In history, Qian Bingdeng, Gu Yanwu and Wu Jiaji were called "the three great Jiangnan loyalists". They were true Ming loyalists and true loyalists who never lost their loyalty until their death. Most Ming loyalists, such as Huang Zongxi, were fiercely anti-Qing in their early years and lost their loyalty to the Qing in their later years. In comparison, Qian Bingdeng's loyalty until his death is even more precious.

Danchu was just lacking a scholar with good character and brilliant literary talent, so he could recruit Qian Bingdeng to serve him.

When approaching Wuzhou, Danchu sent someone to invite Qian Bingdeng before getting off the boat.

Qian Bingdeng was also very straightforward and came as soon as he was called. He was nearly forty years old, with sharp eyes and full of energy. When he saw Danchu, he bowed and said, "I am the criminal Qian Bingdeng, honored to meet you, Marshal." "Mr. Qian, what crime have you committed?" The Ming Dynasty had very complicated etiquette in the officialdom. Danchu bowed in return and simply called Qian Bingdeng "Mr." because he was a Hanlin poet.

"I was trying to save Jinbao, but the cabinet minister Huacheng was jealous of me, so I asked for leave, and I was treated like a criminal."

Jinbao was the "tiger tooth" among the "Five Tigers". In today's terms, he was probably an angry young man who scolded whoever he caught. He used the power of the Chu Party to bully the court, but he repeatedly attacked the Chu Party. He Tengjiao, Du Yinxi, Qu Shisi, Li Chengdong and other important officials were impeached by him, and Danchu was no exception.

Huacheng is Wang Huacheng, a Jinshi in the seventh year of Chongzhen. During the Longwu period, he inspected Guangdong and was corrupt. When Emperor Yongli ascended the throne, Wang Huacheng supported him and made contributions, and his career flourished from then on. He was very good at scheming, and he had a close relationship with Wang Weigong, the emperor's uncle, and they were brothers. Now he has served as a minister of the Dongge and has entered the cabinet to assist in government affairs.

There are four assistant ministers in the current cabinet. In terms of character and morality, Wang Huacheng is not as good as the other three, but he is more knowledgeable and capable than the other three, and he is still a capable minister. For example, Wang Huacheng advocated recruiting the Dashi Army and joining forces with Sun Kewang to fight against the Qing Dynasty.

However, the factional struggles in the Southern Ming Dynasty were already in a state of crisis. As a cabinet minister, Wang Huacheng was always blamed for everything, and no matter how strong his skills were, he still suffered from the factional struggles.

Danchu avoided talking about Jinbao and said with a smile: "Last night, I had a strange dream. An old man appeared in my dream and said that I could meet a scholar named Qian Chengzhi today. I waited and waited, but I didn't see Qian Chengzhi, but I saw Mr. Qian. Mr. Qian is definitely not a sinner. In fact, his articles are elegant and he is really the best in the field of poetry."

Qian Bingdeng's expression changed drastically, his eyes widened, and he was both respectful and fearful of Danchu. He had already given up hope on the court, and had hoped that the court would retain him after asking for leave. Unexpectedly, neither the court officials nor the emperor responded.

Perhaps the official did not want to go against the imperial court's "anti-corruption" campaign, nor did he want to offend Wang Huacheng. Perhaps, in the current chaos, Emperor Yongli did not receive his petition for leave.

It was a great humiliation for an official to threaten to ask for leave but not be persuaded to stay. Moreover, he was a noble Hanlin. According to the custom, he had to leave immediately and not linger, so as not to be ridiculed.

Therefore, Qian Bingdeng had already decided to leave the court, and even chose a pseudonym for himself - Qian Chengzhi, so that if he wanted to return to his hometown, he would hide his real name. How could Cen Danchu know what he was thinking when they met for the first time? Could it be that he really knew everything?

Qian Bingdeng had seen many storms and soon regained his composure, saying, "You are too kind, Marshal."

Danchu said earnestly, "Mr. Qian, although you have escaped from the right and wrong, the country is in a difficult situation. A wise man should not be decadent and forget his ambition, let alone be old and idle. Why don't you condescend to join our army? Mr. Fang is the left assistant general. We are old friends from the same town and have repeatedly praised your talent. I am determined to destroy the enemy. The Red Army is heading east to aid Guangdong, and we need to rely on your talent."

Qian Bingdeng had nowhere to go and was asking Danchu for something, so he accepted Danchu's invitation: "Marshal Jue is so kind to me that I dare not refuse. However, there is something that concerns the fate of the world, so I hope that Marshal Jue can help me."

It must be to rescue the "Five Tigers". Danchu remained calm and asked, "Mr. Qian, please feel free to tell me. As long as I can help and as long as it is beneficial to national affairs, I will do my best."

(End of this chapter)