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

Chapter 241 The Ming Dynasty’s Greatest Enemy is Itself

The "Five Tigers" roared in the court, and the court officials hated them with gnashing teeth. Except for the "Tiger Skin" Liu Xiangke, Danchu did not have a good impression of them.

Yuan Pengnian, also known as the "Tiger Head", was a native of Gong'an, Hubei Province, and the son of Yuan Zhongdao, one of the "Three Yuans". In the second year of Longwu, Li Chengdong and Tong Yangjia led the Qing army to invade Guangdong. Yuan Pengnian was the Guangdong Provincial Education Commissioner and the Acting Provincial Governor. He surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and drafted a notice for Tong Yangjia, which said, "Golden money and rat tails are the elegant policies of the new dynasty; tall hats and wide belts are the vulgar rules of a fallen country."

Yuan Pengnian was the leader of the "Five Tigers". He had always wanted to join the cabinet to assist in government affairs and to experience the addiction of being a Grand Secretary. He was the most arrogant among the Five Tigers and repeatedly spoke rudely in front of Emperor Yongli. Emperor Yongli even said angrily, "From now on, all officials will be promoted or removed by Yuan Pengnian", blaming Yuan Pengnian for interfering in the court's power to appoint people.

Liu Xiangke, also known as "Tiger Skin", was an old acquaintance of Danchu and a fellow Shaanxi native. He often spoke for the Red Army and had a good character. Historically, Liu Xiangke lived in seclusion in the mountains and died of depression. He was the only one of the "Five Tigers" who remained loyal and refused to surrender.

Ding Shikui, the "Tiger Tail", was from Jiangxia, Huguang, and was the most unbridled person. Grand Secretary Zhu Tianlin drafted an imperial edict to ridicule the "Five Tigers", and Ding Shikui was furious. He took his anger out on the Prime Minister Yan Qiheng, and gathered 16 censors to the cabinet, intending to beat Yan Qiheng. Yan Qiheng received the letter and avoided it, but Grand Secretary Zhu Tianlin accepted it and could not bear the humiliation, so he asked for leave, but the emperor repeatedly tried to keep him.

The Cabinet is the core of the imperial court, and the Chief Minister is entitled to be the Prime Minister. How dare Ding Shikui be so bold? Where does he put the imperial court's order?

"Tiger Teeth" Jin Bao, a native of Renhe, Zhejiang, was a Jinshi in the 13th year of Chongzhen. He was a powerful voice in the government and could criticize anyone he saw. For example, Chen Bangfu, Jin Bao wrote in a memorial that he "ought to be beheaded". In history, Jin Bao became a monk in order not to have a braid, but like Huang Zongxi, he lost his chastity in his later years and even wrote "The Example of Pingnan Wang Yuan Gong" for Shang Kexi.

"Tiger Claw" Meng Zhengfa, a native of Chongyang, Huguang, was a tribute student with the worst character. However, he wrote "Sanxiang Shigong Lu" and Wang Fuzhi wrote an epitaph for him, which made him more valuable in history books. In fact, he was a good-for-nothing man who was used to scheming.

The imperial court moved to Wuzhou, away from Dongxun's territory, and the Five Tigers lost their support and immediately lost power. From Emperor Yongli to ministers, they hated the Five Tigers and immediately put them in prison and beat them with a stick. Jinbao was the most feared and was beaten the hardest, with both legs broken.

Qian Bingdeng has a close relationship with Liu Xiangke, Jin Bao and others. The reason he asked for a meeting today was to rescue the Five Tigers.

He was quite knowledgeable and had a different opinion about the "Five Tigers". He said: "Marshal Jue, Jinbao, Ding Shikui and others came to the court, relying on the power of the old man Qu. They first used the old man to support the court and suppress Dongxun. Then they joined forces with Dongxun to threaten the emperor and drive out the small people.

"When Qu stayed behind in Guilin, his voice was cut off, and he was restrained by Jinbao and others, who served him with all their heart and resources. When Jinbao entered the court, Qu sent a letter to all the defense offices to show his trust. Therefore, some people with insight said, 'staying behind is also a sign of honor.'"

What does this mean? Danchu is a little confused. Is Qian Bingdeng trying to use Qu Shisi to pressure him? Or is he hinting that the "Five Tigers" must rescue Dongxun for his own good?
To be honest, among the "Five Tigers", only Liu Xiangke and Jin Bao are worth rescuing. Danchu is eager to add insult to injury to the other three tigers. Jin Bao has impeached Danchu many times, and Danchu has no intention of saving him.

Qian Bingdeng continued, "The fiercest party struggles in our dynasty are the most intense in history. Now the Tartars have invaded eastern Guangdong, and the disaster is in the heart of the country. The court has no intention of restoring the country, and has not made any plans. Instead, it has launched a major prison. The people are in a panic and there is confusion in their speech.

"Moreover, the Five Tigers relied on Dongxun and Liushou. The court relied on Dongxun and Liushou to defend itself against invaders. When beating a dog, one must look at the owner. The court beat the tiger without any scruples. This is really not the way to deal with a crisis.

"The first thing to do now is to resist the invaders. The court should stop hunting tigers, release the five tigers, and keep the peace. All factions should work together and the military governors should work together. This is the way to revive the country. The marshals have elite troops and are close to the imperial court. They should speak out and correct the chaos and eliminate the abuses."

Times make heroes. Has my position enabled me to "correct chaos and eliminate corruption"? Danchu felt a little proud and said thoughtfully:
"The Five Tigers' bad words disturbed the government, angered the people, and infuriated the emperor and his ministers. They deserved to be thrown into prison this time. However, this matter concerns the dispute between Wu and Chu, and the unity of the military governors. I will speak frankly in the memorial and will not let anyone die, so that the emperor will not be branded as a censor."

Qian Bingdeng felt relieved and said, "Marshal, you are very righteous and it is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty. However, I hope you will be strict. Except for the leader Yuan Pengnian, the other four of the Five Tigers have been thrown into the imperial prison and beaten with sticks. Jin Bao was the most seriously injured, his legs were crippled, and he was lying on the boat unable to move."

Hearing the word "court caning", Danchu frowned. The Ming Dynasty valued civil officials over military officials, but there were fierce party struggles. In order to get rid of the control of civil officials, the emperor used eunuchs and abused civil officials, and court caning often occurred.

The "Five Tigers" held high positions in the court, such as Yuan Pengnian, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Liu Xiangke, the Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Ding Shikui, the Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Ministry of Personnel, and Jin Bao, the Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Ministry of Rites. The court was as timid as a tiger, but brave enough to beat the enemy in court, which was really unconvincing. "Sir, you are right. I would like to rely on your great talent. Please draft a memorial first, then stamp it with my seal, and submit it to the court tomorrow."

Qian Bingdeng was overjoyed and his eyes turned red.

Danchu noticed that he had lost his composure and asked, "Sir, you have joined our army and are now one of us. If you have any difficulties, please feel free to tell me."

"I dare not hide the truth from you, Commander. I have a close relationship with Jin Bao. Jin Bao was tortured severely and was dying. He was lying in the boat of Meng Zhengfa, the Tiger Claw. I asked for leave and said goodbye to Jin Bao. I heard the sound of money behind the boat. I knew that Meng Zhengfa had bribed the Jinyiwei and was going to sell the boat in preparation for escape.

"The deal was done, and I said hurriedly, 'We have to wait until Mr. Jin's wound heals before we can take the boat. Otherwise, where can we move to?' He realized it and broke the agreement. Meng Zhengfa was very dissatisfied, saying that I was using his boat to fulfill my obligations. I searched my bag and found a hundred gold coins, but it was still not enough. Wu Decao, the governor of Guangxi, happened to come and collected the money to make up the amount, and Jinbao was finally able to rest in peace."

It turned out that the Yongli Emperor was staying in the Water Palace, and the court had lost all its dignity. Many of the ministers bought boats and followed him on the river. The Jinyiwei also lacked boats. Although they had been ordered to arrest the Five Tigers, in fact, the Five Tigers were still on their own boats, and the Jinyiwei sent people to imprison them. As for whether the imprisonment was strict or lenient, it all depended on the amount of bribes.

When disaster strikes, everyone flees, revealing their ugly side. Jinbao has nowhere to stay, Meng Zhengfa disregards his loyalty to his colleagues, and the former Five Tigers have all become sick cats.

"Marshal, the Golden Castle is a sharp sword. If used well, it can slay demons and monsters. After this great disaster, I believe he has repented. If you can forgive the past and use him as a subordinate, it will show your broad mind and win the hearts of scholars."

For Qian Bingdeng's sake, Danchu agreed to try out Jinbao.

Qian Bingdeng was overjoyed and said a lot: "I dare to ask you, Marshal, who is the biggest enemy of the Ming Dynasty today?"

Is there any need to ask this? Danchu blurted out, "Of course it's the Tartars."

"No," Qian Bingdeng said solemnly, "I believe that the biggest enemy of the Ming Dynasty is itself. Yuan Chonghuan and Mao Wenlong quarreled, and Dongjiang Town was lost, and three kings and one duke surrendered to the enemy. Commander He quarreled with Du Gelao, which delayed the war, and Hunan was corrupted and Jiangxi was lost. Even in today's court, the quarrel between Wu and Chu often leads to mistakes. Therefore, in order to resist foreign aggression, we must first stabilize the country. Without authority and unified policies, the restoration of the country is all empty talk."

The Ming Dynasty’s biggest enemy is itself.

Before fighting the outside world, you must first make peace with the inside.

This was a wake-up call for Danchu. He established Ningguo Mansion, the Military Government, the Military Advisory Office, the Executive Censorate, and the Executive Dali Temple in Nanning, and the small regime began to take shape. But was the small regime internally stable? Would the local chieftains, gentry, landowners, and powerful people be dissatisfied and wait for an opportunity to rebel?
Qian Bingdeng continued, "When Taizu first started his army, he was confined to the city of Haozhou, and the five armies fought each other. Taizu once said that the enemy of the righteous army was not the Yuan thieves, but the Yuan army itself. What is the difference between today and then?"

This is quite interesting. Taizu started his army to start a business. Taking this as an example, is Taizu analogous to Danchu?

The Intelligence Bureau said that the people were in a state of panic. Judging from Qian Bingdeng's expression, he seemed to have given up hope on Emperor Yongli and his ministers.

Danchu just smiled knowingly and said nothing.

(End of this chapter)