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

Chapter 264 Murder of Chen Bangfu

It was the rainy season, and the weather was damp and rainy, which was not conducive to fighting. On the afternoon of June 12, He Guochang, the deputy governor, led his troops to Sanshui and met with Cen Danchu. His face was bloody and his whole body smelled bad. He bowed to Danchu and said, "General, please do justice for Guochang."

"Please stand up," Danchu said, "I have heard about Qingyuan's affairs. Please tell me the details."

"Yes." Liu Guochang drank the tea in one gulp and said, "Mr. He will lead the Northern Army..."

Grand Secretary He Wuzuo led the northern army, which included the troops of four garrisons: Marquis Wen'an and Minister of War Ma Jixiang, Duke Qing Chen Bangfu, Vice Governor Guo Dengdi, and Vice Governor Liu Guochang. They set out from Zhaoqing and Sihui respectively and headed north to counterattack Qingyuan.

The Ming army had a large number of troops, and if they could work together, they would have had a chance of capturing Qingyuan.

However, Ma Jixiang and Chen Bangfu were the highest-ranking officers with the most troops under their command, but they were afraid to move forward. Guo Dengdi and Liu Guochang were both military governors and generals, with the fewest troops under their command, and were driven by Ma and Chen to attack Qingyuan City as vanguards.

Liu Guochang was born in the Dashun Army. When the Dashun was founded, he was given the title of "Marquis of Huai" and was excluded by the other towns. He Guozuo also had a sectarian view and colluded with Ma Jixiang, Chen Bangfu and others to make things difficult for the supply of food and wages.

The Qing army's commander of Qingyuan was Xu Erxian, the commander-in-chief of the left wing of Pingnan, who was born in Dongjiang Town and was the most powerful general under Shang Kexi. Xu Erxian took advantage of the arrival of the Ming army and took the initiative to lead his troops to attack and defeated the two Ming armies of Liu Guochang and Guo Dengdi.

After Liu Guochang was defeated, he led his troops back to Sihui, where he was suddenly declared a "rebellion" by Chen Bangfu and others, and was attacked by Ma Jixiang, Chen Bangfu, Guo Dengdi and others. Liu Guochang was caught off guard and lost more than a thousand men. He then hurriedly led his troops south to Sanshui to seek refuge with Cen Danchu.

……

The confusing case of Liu Guochang's rebellion in the history of the Southern Ming Dynasty still broke out as expected. This case is very strange. The parties involved deliberately concealed the facts, and the only written records left were evasive and contradictory.

Having personally experienced the chaos of the late Ming Dynasty and participated in the Eastern Expedition to Guangdong, Danchu had a clear judgment on the case. The so-called Liu Guochang treason case was just a distortion and fabrication by Ma Jixiang, Chen Bangfu and others. In order to prevent the Zhongzheng Camp from going east to Guangdong to aid Guangdong, they deliberately created a conspiracy and took the opportunity to demonstrate to Cen Danchu and Gao Bizheng.

It turned out that Gao Bizheng, the commander of the Loyalty Camp, was quite knowledgeable about the righteousness. After Cen Danchu led his troops to aid Guangdong, Gao Bizheng also went to Wuzhou in person to meet Emperor Yongli, expressing his willingness to lead troops to aid Guangdong. He also submitted a petition to the court, "requesting that the troops be returned to the Ministry of War, the money and grain be returned to the Ministry of Revenue, and the selection be returned to the Ministry of Personnel; all decisions should be made by the court, and the commanders should not act arbitrarily, and he should personally lead the army to fight."

In the east of Guangdong, there was already Cen Danchu, who had Li Yuanyin as his support and was superior to other townsmen. Gao Bizheng, like Li Yuanyin, was also a sworn brother of Cen Danchu. With his arrival, Cen Danchu's momentum became stronger, and Ma Jixiang, Chen Bangfu and other townsmen became even more frustrated.

"Humph," Danchu said to Liu Guochang, "Brother, you are my fellow Shaanxi native, and you are nominally under my control. You were wronged the other day, so I will naturally seek justice for you. Ma Jixiang, Chen Bangfu, and Guo Dengdi have accused you of treason, and they are also slapping me in the face and destroying my prestige. I will definitely avenge you, so don't worry, brother."

Liu Guochang was born in the countryside and would never give up his grudges. He knew that Danchu had a grudge against Chen Bangfu, so he tried his best to instigate Cen Danchu to punish Chen Bangfu, saying, "Ma Jixiang, Chen Bangfu, and Guo Deng are the third commanders. Chen Bangfu bullied me the most and is the most despicable. I beg the general to punish Chen Bangfu first to deter the villains."

"Punish, how do you punish me?" Danchu laughed. After a moment of silence, he stopped smiling, dismissed the guards on his left and right, and asked, "I plan to execute Chen Bangfu, do you dare to join me?"

Punishment is one thing? Execution is another. Liu Guochang's eyes widened and rolled around. He was ostracized by the various towns and not tolerated by the Loyalty Camp. He seemed to have nowhere to go. If he could take this opportunity to pledge his allegiance to Cen Danchu and join the Red Army, his family members in the army would have no worries about food and clothing. It would indeed be a good thing.

I was afraid that Cen Danchu would use him to kill Chen Bangfu, first killing someone with a borrowed knife, then destroying the bridge after crossing the river, and then clearing all responsibilities afterwards. By then, not only would Liu Guochang himself be the victim, but he would also implicate more than 10,000 subordinates and their families.

The opportunity cannot be missed. After all, Liu Guochang is a veteran of the Dashun Army. What storms and waves has he not seen? He quickly made up his mind and said, "The general has treated the Loyalty Camp with courtesy and is willing to uphold justice for me. How can I not know what is good for me? As long as the general says a word, I am willing to serve the general even if I have to go through fire and water."

"Good! I like straightforward people!" Danchu clapped his hands in praise, as if he could see through his thoughts, and said, "You don't have to worry about this. Chen Bangfu surrendered to Dongxun before, and I have already asked Du Yonghe for evidence of his crime. This time, he was afraid to move forward and turned against his comrades, which is enough to punish him with death. When we launch the movement in the future, I will issue a document in the name of the general's headquarters, and you can act according to the order after receiving it. After the matter is accomplished, if you have nowhere to go, you can come and join the Red Army."

Liu Guochang had been through many battles and was named "Marquis of Huai" by Li Zicheng. His troops were elite and much stronger than the Southern Ming army. Since Danchu wanted to use him to kill Chen Bangfu, he naturally wanted to win him over. It would also be a good thing for the Red Army to recruit his subordinates.

Liu Guochang was relieved. It seemed that Danchu had wanted to kill Chen Bangfu for a long time and had been preparing in secret. With the document from the general's headquarters, he could execute the military order without worrying about Danchu plotting against him. The threshold of the Red Army was high, and taking Chen Bangfu's head as a token of his loyalty would surely make his fellow Red Army members look at him with new eyes.

Cen Danchu wanted to kill Chen Bangfu as soon as possible. He had committed many evil deeds and was shameless. Keeping him alive would only bring disaster. In history, Jiao Lian died at the hands of Chen Bangfu. At that time, the Qing army invaded Guangxi and Jiao Lian was defeated. Because he and Chen Bangfu were in-laws, he went to Chen Bangfu for help. Chen Bangfu forced Jiao Lian to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, but Jiao Lian refused. Chen Bangfu killed Jiao Lian and surrendered to the Qing army as a gift.

At present, the Qing army has invaded Guangdong and will soon invade Guangxi. If Cen Danchu keeps Chen Bangfu, he is murdering Jiao Lian. Before, he was not in a high position and had no close relationship with the court officials, so he could not do anything to Chen Bangfu. Now, he is a general who supports and suppresses the rebellion. With the remaining power of victory, it is not difficult for him to kill Chen Bangfu.

Danchu drank a sip of tea, pondered for a moment, and asked, "I heard that the Duke of Yun wanted to withdraw his troops back to Liuzhou. Have you heard any rumors?"

The Loyalty Camp seized Liuzhou as its garrison, and the families of the soldiers were settled, no longer suffering from hunger and homelessness, and they were already satisfied. Gao Bizheng really wanted to help Guangdong, and he specially rushed to the imperial court to meet with Emperor Yongli.

However, there were many diehards in the court who were madly hostile to the peasant army and kept shouting that they would rather die in captivity than in war. Dongxun did not want the Loyalty Camp to get involved in eastern Guangdong, and Emperor Yongli did not want to offend the Loyalty Camp.

Therefore, Gao Bizheng gained nothing from the trip and was frustrated. Hearing that Liu Guochang had been killed, the Loyalty Camp would not send troops to aid Guangdong.

"I heard that Lord He also submitted a petition to oppose it. Duke Xun Guo had no choice but to return to Liuzhou."

It doesn't matter if they don't come. With the Zhongzheng Camp in Liuzhou, Nanning will have an extra barrier. Whether it's the Dashi Army or the Qing Army, they can't easily spy on Nanning.

On June 18, the Qing general Xu Erxian took advantage of the victory and marched south to attack Sanshui. Danchu led his troops to repel the Qing army and recaptured Sihui on the 22nd. Xu Erxian retreated and marched north to defend Qingyuan.

Danchu did not counterattack Qingyuan. Instead, he took advantage of his victory and marched westward into Zhaoqing. He convened a meeting of various towns in the name of military deployment.

The present time was different from the past. Danchu led the Red Army to victory after victory and helped the Northern Army to recapture Sihui, which greatly increased his prestige. All the towns gathered, and even Du Yonghe in Guangzhou City sent Wu Wenxian to attend the meeting to show his respect.

At si-shi on the 29th, flags were flying on the north bank of the Xijiang River east of Zhaoqing City, and the Ming army camps stretched for more than ten miles. The Red Army's personal guards, cavalry, and the first navy battalion, totaling 6,000 troops, arrived in Zhaoqing and stationed in the area of ​​Qixingyan.

Near the camp, the Red Army requisitioned a temple as a meeting place for the towns.

The weather was so hot that I sweated profusely after a little movement. In the Heavenly King Hall, all the towns arrived on time. Although it was a chaotic time, the Heavenly King Hall was still magnificent. Maitreya, the Four Heavenly Kings, and Skanda were enshrined in the hall. All of them were colorful and dust-free, which showed that this temple was very popular.

Cen Danchu and He Wuzuo were dressed in casual clothes and sat under the Maitreya Buddha, chatting about the current situation. The various townsmen were either dressed in casual clothes or in armor, and seeing the relaxed expressions of the Grand Secretary and the General, their uneasy hearts relaxed a little.

However, the four kings looked at him angrily, and their guards were in bright armor and armed with guns, which was awe-inspiring. Liu Guochang was also in armor and had an expressionless face, which aroused everyone's suspicion.

A Red Army general looked around at all the generals, flashed into the hall, and shouted loudly: "Report to the Grand Tutor and the General, except for Duke Qing, all the towns have arrived."

This was expected, and He Wuzuo didn't think anything of it. However, Danchu looked displeased and said, "The matter discussed today is extremely important. Why didn't Duke Qing attend again?"

A middle-aged man stood up and said with a wry smile, "My father is ill and cannot attend. I beg the general to forgive me."

The person who spoke was Chen Bangfu's eldest son - Wenshui Bo Chen Zengyu.

"Today's meeting is extremely confidential. I have repeatedly ordered Xun Zhen to come in person. How can Duke Qing be so ungrateful? Does he still have a great general like me in his eyes?"

Danchu's sudden anger caught all the townspeople by surprise. The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and the hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

He Wuzuo was also kept in the dark, and hurriedly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Duke Qing is an old and prudent man, and he certainly wouldn't dare to look down on the general. He can't come, so he must be ill. Wenshui Bo will attend on his behalf, and since father and son are in good terms, there shouldn't be any problem."

"Yes, that's right, old man." Danchu took the opportunity to back off and said to Chen Zengyu, "Sit down."

The general looked unhappy, and all the towns held their breath for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

He Wuzuo was the highest-ranking official, but he had no skills in commanding his generals. He was defeated in the Battle of Qingyuan, and then the towns under his control fought each other, which made him look disgraced and his prestige was gone. At this meeting, he had no choice but to let Danchu perform.

Cen Danchu looked heavy-hearted as he began to summarize the war: "I led the southern army, and fortunately, thanks to the unity of all the towns and the dedication of the soldiers, we were able to win battle after battle. We won great victories in naval and land battles, and the Tartars fled far away to Conghua and Zengcheng...

"However, the various towns in the north were timid and reluctant to move forward. They were afraid to fight the enemy and brave to fight among themselves. First, they were defeated in Qingyuan, and then they fought among themselves and lost Sihui. I fought hard to repel the enemy and recovered Sihui. I deeply regret the defeat of the northern army. I specially summoned all the towns to review the reasons and try to correct them...

"Liu Guochang, you were the vanguard of the Northern Army. You were first defeated by the Tartars, and then accused of treason by the various townsmen. How do you explain this?"

All the generals turned their eyes to Liu Guochang, but they saw Liu Guochang stand up, saluted Danchu respectfully, and said, "I am wronged, please seek justice from the general. I was the vanguard of the northern army, and was harassed by Duke Qing. I was deprived of food and money. When I arrived in Qingyuan, I fought with the Tartars. Duke Qing accused me of treason and attacked my army. My defeat was not due to the war, but because Duke Qing had ulterior motives and made me vulnerable to attack from all sides."

The Red Army and the Loyalty Camp were on good terms, so Cen Danchu would have to protect Liu Guochang. Chen Zengyu quickly stood up and said, "General! I have something to say."

However, a scholar flashed into the hall and said in a stern voice: "General, I have a memorial to accuse Duke Qing of being beheaded on the 15th."

Everyone looked closely and was shocked. Wasn't this the famous troublemaker in the Yongli Dynasty - Jin Bao, the former Li Ke Jieshi Zhong?
This old angry young man was wanted to be killed by Zheng Zhilong and other military governors during the Longwu Dynasty. Fortunately, Fang Guoan protected him and Jinbao was spared.

During the Yongli reign, he was listed among the Five Tigers, and he scolded whoever he caught. Apart from other things, he had impeached almost all the officials in the palace. He Wuzuo was relatively upright, but Jinbao impeached him for being the chief minister of the Longwu reign and refusing to die for the Emperor. Cen Danchu was wise and brave, but Jinbao also impeached him for being domineering and disloyal.

As for Chen Bangfu, Jinbao was even more rude. He had just entered the Yongli Dynasty and had impeached Chen Bangfu, threatening him with death. But today, he went even further and wanted to impeach Chen Bangfu, threatening him with death at the age of fifteen.

The imperial court was fighting corruption, and Jinbao's legs were broken, so he was sent to serve in the Red Army. It was thought that Cen Danchu would take the opportunity to kill Jinbao to vent his anger. Unexpectedly, Cen Danchu treated him with great courtesy, and Jinbao also restrained himself greatly, and he became a Red Army staff officer.

"Jinbao, you speak first." Danchu presided over the meeting and wanted to lead public opinion.

"promise."

Jinbao took out a thick stack of manuscript paper from his bosom and read aloud: "... Chen Bangfu fought against the rebellion and took hunting as his own achievement, and was promoted to Duke Shang, but was laughed at by the world. This man should be beheaded.

"...Is it permissible to issue an imperial edict to the emperor while he is in residence? Having such an edict is a prohibition against interfering with government affairs; without such an edict, forging an imperial edict is a crime punishable by law... The frontiers can be divided, and the emperor can become a parasite. What is intolerable? These two should be executed.

"..."

Qian Bingdeng said that the Golden Fortress was a sharp sword, which could be used to slay demons and monsters. Today, I read his article, which was really sharp and hearty, and he scolded Chen Bangfu. The listeners were also infected and wanted to cut Chen Bangfu into pieces.

Danchu was very satisfied and listened to Jinbao patiently until he finished reading. He then asked, "Do you have any evidence for what you said?"

"To the general, there are too many evidences to count. For example, he had colluded with the Tartars and sent envoys to Tong Yangjia and the King of Ningxia to surrender. There are two pieces of evidence. One is a secret letter of surrender, which is stamped with the seal of Marquis Si'en. The other is that Duke Rui Du Yonghe, who was the military commander of the King of Ningxia at the time, had heard of this matter and can serve as a witness. The general can read the rest of the evidence one by one."

The Red Army brought in a basket of evidence of Chen Bangfu's crimes, and everyone realized that Danchu was trying to embarrass Chen Bangfu. Many people secretly felt that it was good, and Ma Jixiang, Guo Dengdi and others finally put their minds at ease when they saw that it had nothing to do with them, and quickly drew a clear line with Chen Bangfu.

Only Chen Zengyu begged and pleaded.

"Let alone the fact that the fifteenth person can be executed, Chen Bangfu slandered Liu Guochang for treason and brazenly engaged in a fight despite the presence of the Tartars. This is enough to be sentenced to death. As the general of the support and suppression, I have the power to control the various towns and the imperial sword to act at my discretion.

"Chen Zengyu, you will take the punishment for your father. I will be lenient to you, considering that you are a count and following your father's orders. Come, give you a reward of 300 military sticks, and execute immediately!"

(End of this chapter)