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

Chapter 268 Yashan Sacrifice
On July 20, the Red Army broke camp and retreated to western Guangdong.

More than 2,000 people from the First Brigade of the Navy returned up the West River.

The Imperial Guards, the Second Marine Division, and the Third Infantry Division, totaling about 30,000 people, advanced by land and water, first down the Xijiang River, then turning west. The baggage, auxiliary soldiers, and families boarded the ship and followed the navy by sea. The land army took the post road, heading west, toward Gao, Lei, Qiong, and Lian.

This aid to Guangdong was very fruitful. When he first set out, Cen Danchu brought only 12,000 troops. More than four months later, Cen Danchu returned to western Guangdong and brought back 32,000 troops.

Of the extra 20,000 troops, more than 5,000 were naval divisions that the Red Army urgently needed. The remaining 15,000 were land divisions, most of which were elite soldiers who had experienced many battles and could become a powerful force with a little training.

More importantly, Cen Danchu established a higher prestige in the Ming army by assisting Guangdong. He killed Luo Chengyao and Chen Bangfu, expelled Ma Jixiang, and effectively deterred the various towns. He also got to know Wang Xing, Zhang Yue, Wu Wenxian, Du Yonghe and other brave generals, who would be of great use in the future.

On the morning of the 22nd, the navy arrived at Yamen. Yamen is located 100 miles south of Xinhui City. There are Yashan Mountain in the east and Tangping Mountain in the west. The two mountains are sandwiched between the sea, like a gate, hence the name. The water of Yinzhou Lake flows out to the sea from here, and the tides flow in and out from here. Yamen is strategically located, easy to defend but difficult to attack, and can be regarded as the throat of the sea in western Guangdong.

In the second year of Xiangxing in the Southern Song Dynasty, the remnant army of the Southern Song Dynasty fought a decisive battle with the Yuan army at Yashan. The Southern Song Dynasty was defeated and the country was destroyed. Nearly 200,000 soldiers and civilians of the Southern Song Dynasty died in the battle or jumped into the sea. The last emperor Zhao Bing, Prime Minister Lu Xiufu, General Zhang Shijie, the Queen Mother and others committed suicide by jumping into the sea.

The Battle of Yashan had far-reaching influence. From then on, the Mongols consolidated their rule in the Central Plains and established a unified regime of non-Han people for the first time in the Central Plains. It was not until Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, raised an army to fight against the Mongols that he finally drove out the Tartars and restored China.

Cen Danchu led his generals to land at Yashan and visited the Dazhong Temple. There are many temples in Yashan, including the Dazhong Temple, Quanjie Temple, Ciyuan Temple, and Yishi Temple. The Dazhong Temple was built the earliest and is the largest.

The Red Army set up an incense table and arranged sacrificial fruits to offer sacrifices to the last emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhao Bing, Prime Minister Lu Xiufu, General Zhang Shijie and others. More than 500 soldiers went ashore to participate in the sacrificial ceremony.

Danchu was wearing a four-clawed python costume, with a solemn look on his face, as he read the sacrificial text:
"Sacrificial Essay at Yashan, dated July 22, the fourth year of the Yongli reign, I, the Duke of Ningguo of the Ming Dynasty, came to Yashan to help suppress the great general Cen Danchu. The roaring waves seem to tell of the pain of the past, and the wind blows the broken monument, and I can still hear the tears of the loyal souls.

"The young emperor of Song ascended the throne at a young age. Although he was not blessed by heaven, he still had integrity. The prime minister, Lu Zhonglie, was loyal and unwavering. He carried the emperor to the sea. His integrity was unprecedented in history. The imperial tutor, Zhang Gong, turned the tide and fought alone. He lived up to his reputation as a national hero. These three people are the backbone of our Chinese nation and the soul of the nation.

"How sad! The fall of the Song Dynasty was not due to war, but to the misrule of the country by treacherous officials and unfavorable weather. Our Taizu, with his natural talent, rose from the fields and fought against the evil influence of the barbarians and wiped out the hatred and shame of China. Only then did the world regain its balance and the people regain peace.

"How sad! Today, the barbarians are rampant, our country is broken, and our country is in disgrace. The barbarians trample our land with their iron hooves, and the barbarians' horses neigh and tear our people's hearts apart. When can this hatred be avenged? Emperor Weizong hanged himself, and Emperor Shaozong suffered. When can this hatred be avenged?

"We were born in troubled times, and we witnessed the sinking of China and the suffering of the people. How could we not be angry? I swear that I will not fear any hardship and will resist the invaders. The sunken land will be restored to its glory, and the broken mountains will be restored to their original state.

"We, the generals, should follow the example of the young emperor's perseverance, Lord Lu's loyalty, and Lord Zhang's bravery, and march forward bravely. Our will to resist the invaders is as firm as a rock; our desire to restore our country is as blazing as a raging fire. This heart and this will can be witnessed by the heavens and the earth, and can be expressed by the sun and the moon. Like the stone of Yashan, it will never waver.

"Alas! The heroic spirits of the Song Dynasty rest here. We, the descendants, should carry on the legacy, restore China, and continue its glory.

"Enjoy your meal!"

After the sacrifice, everyone visited the Dazhong Temple, where Danchu personally whisked the statues of Emperor Shao of Song, Prime Minister Lu, and Grand Tutor Zhang.

The abbot of the Great Loyalty Temple, Xian Feng Dao Gu, came forward and said, "Last night, there were gusts of wind near Yashan, as if countless loyal souls were shouting with all their might. Today, I saw thousands of warships of the Heavenly Army, and I realized that last night it must have been the appearance of the young emperor, Prime Minister Lu, and General Zhang. The general is wise and brave, and the Heavenly Army is powerful. There is hope for the restoration of the Ming Dynasty."

The generals were overjoyed when they heard this. Yang Yuqi said, "With the blessing of the loyal souls, the Red Army will surely defeat the Tartars."

Danchu also sighed, "Everyone says that the Song Dynasty was weak, but in the Battle of Yashan, the Song army was at the end of its rope, but they fought desperately and refused to surrender. From the emperor, empress, civil and military ministers to eunuchs and soldiers, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians committed suicide by jumping into the sea.

"The one who destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty was Zhang Hongfan, a Han Chinese. The one who besieged Guangzhou today was Shang Kexi and Geng Jimao, Han Chinese. The Manchu Qing Dynasty originated in the northeast and was similar to the Mongols. Although they were powerful, they were all tyrannical and arrogant.

"When the Song army reached Yashan, it seemed to be at the end of its rope. When the Red army reached Yashan, it was full of vigor. You are all people of great benevolence, righteousness, wisdom and courage. Fight side by side with me and seek the precious things together. If you win, you will be famous for thousands of years, and if you lose, you will also be remembered for generations."

The generals were greatly encouraged and shared the sacrificial offerings.

Before leaving, all the townsmen came to say goodbye. Although these people did not join the Red Army, they had established a deep friendship with Cen Danchu and would be of great use in the future. Danchu met with them one by one and gave them instructions.

The first person he wanted to see was, of course, his sworn brother, Li Yuanyin, who had a close relationship with Dongxun and was worried about Guangzhou, so it was inconvenient for him to follow the Red Army.

"Brother, we are parting today and I don't know when we will meet again." Li Yuanyin was filled with sorrow and was quite dissatisfied with the Red Army's retreat to the west.

"Kong Youde is eyeing western Guangdong and sharpening his sword. I have no choice but to lead my troops to retreat westward. After I leave, the burden of aiding Guangdong will fall on you."

Zhang Yue, the General of Dongxun and Marquis of Boxing, was standing nearby. He was on good terms with Du Yonghe, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, and was originally in charge of guarding Zhaoqing. After the Red Army withdrew westward, Zhang Yue would lead his troops to defend Guangzhou, and Li Yuanyin would take over to guard Zhaoqing, with troops divided to guard Sanshui, Sihui and other places.

Zhang Yue said: "With the departure of the general, the defense of eastern Guangdong is empty. The Tartars are stepping up to dispatch reinforcements. From now on, they have nothing to fear. Guangzhou is in danger."

Li and Zhang were pessimistic, with hints of complaint. Danchu was unmoved and retorted, "Guangzhou is the base of Dongxun. We should fight hard when threatened by the Tartars. I have sent foreign troops to aid Guangzhou, and we have won four battles in a row. You two are both great generals of Dongxun. If you raise your arms and call on all the towns of Dongxun to join forces to fight the Tartars, how can we not win?"

The sun was scorching, and Danchu was sweating profusely. Wearing a python suit, Danchu was unbearably hot, and said, "Western Guangdong is my base, and Kong Youde is eyeing it covetously. I must first fight a decisive battle with Kong Youde to stabilize Western Guangdong, and then I can free up my hands to clean up Eastern Guangdong."

Clean up East Guangdong? Li Yuanyin and Zhang Yue were stunned. Clean up East Guangdong can be understood in many ways. It can be understood as cleaning up the war situation in East Guangdong, or it can be understood as eliminating the heroes and conquering East Guangdong.

Cen Danchu is ambitious, the Red Army is strong and powerful, and the people are loyal to him. Even Dongxun's brave general Ma Bao has been taken in as his confidant. If the Red Army intends to attack Guangdong, can Dongxun stop it? Can the Qing army stop it?
The Red Army has reached a tacit agreement with Du Yonghe on the westward march this time, and they are bound to capture Gao, Lei, Qiong and Lian. If they can capture Gao, Lei, Qiong and Lian, they will also have a chance to capture Zhaoqing and Guangzhou. Given time, how difficult will it be to clean up eastern Guangdong?

Li Yuanyin felt a chill on his back, and he was even more in awe of Cen Danchu. He said, "General, you are right. I will defend Zhaoqing and Sanshui until the end, and wait for you to return to clean up eastern Guangdong."

Zhang Yue was also touched and said, "I will lead the army into Guangzhou to help Duke Rui defend Guangzhou. If the war is critical in the future, I hope the general will return to Guangzhou as soon as possible." "Defend it? That's not necessary." Danchu said meaningfully, "As long as the green mountains are there, there will be no shortage of firewood. In this regard, you should learn from the Tartars. Our army fought a fierce battle with the Tartars outside Guangzhou. Seeing that the situation was not good, the Tartars immediately led their troops back to defend Conghua and Zengcheng. My brother led the army to attack Zengcheng, and the Tartars retreated to Conghua. The purpose is to preserve strength and wait for reinforcements. The two of you can do the same. If you are defeated in the future, you can retreat to the mountainous area of ​​western Guangdong."

This was a hint to Li Yuanyin and Zhang Yue that if the situation deteriorated in the future, they might as well go to western Guangdong and join the Red Army.

Li and Zhang agreed. Although they still had a lot to say, there were many people queuing up to meet Cen Danchu, so they had to say goodbye.

The next person to be received was "Embroidery Needle" Wang Xing. Wang Xing governed four counties in Zhaoqing and was quite powerful. He personally led troops to fight in Guang this time, regardless of his personal gains and losses, and was considered a leader in the righteous army.

"Dian Ye, in the next few days, the Red Army will need to use the route to advance westward, so we will need your help."

"General, why are you being so polite? The Red Army is passing through here to fight the invaders. It means that you think highly of me. I will prepare food, fodder, wine and water, and make sure that we have supplies along the way."

The coastal areas of eastern Guangdong are mostly plains, which can be used for salt production and access to the sea. They have been rich since ancient times and have a wide post road. The eastern end of this post road starts from the Raoping Fenshui Pass, passes through Chaozhou, Jieyang, Jinning, Haifeng, Huizhou, Boluo, Zengcheng and directly reaches Guangzhou. The western end can reach Nanning, passing through Qinzhou, Lianzhou, Yong'an, Wuchuan, Dianbai, Yangjiang, Enping, Kaiping, Gaohe, and reaches the mouth of the Xijiang River, and then turns to the waterway to Foshan and Guangzhou.

After passing Yamen, the navy would enter the sea and advance westward along the coastline. The land army would take the post road in advance, passing Kaiping, Enping, Yangjiang, and first passing through Wang Xing's territory before entering Gaozhou and making contact with Li Mingzhong, the Marquis of Haikang.

It was a sensitive and dangerous matter to march through the Red Army. With the strength of the Red Army, it was entirely possible to capture Wang Xing's territory. Wang Xing had no such concerns. He had proposed to Danchu that he was willing to surrender the city and transform his troops into the Red Army, but Danchu did not accept it.

At this moment, Wang Xing brought up the old matter again. His volunteer army was good at guerrilla warfare and defending the city, but it was really not good at field warfare.

Wang Xing was so enthusiastic that Danchu didn't want to offend him, so he said, "Your talent is not in field battles, but in defense. So, I will appoint you as the commander of the garrison. You should make a plan to hold on for a long time. When I return to Guangdong, you can respond."

"Then I will hold on to Enping and wait for the general to return." Wang Xing settled in Enping and made Enping his home base.

"No, Enping is located in a plain and is not easy to defend. It is better to defend Wencun. Have you heard of Wencun?"

"But is it Wen Village near Taishan in Xinhui County?"

"Exactly."

Wang Xing was inevitably disappointed. Wencun was located in a remote area, only the size of a village, and could not be compared with Enping County. In the last years of Chongzhen, local gentry built a wooden city in Wencun to prevent bandits, but it has been abandoned now.

Danchu saw through his thoughts and said, "Wen Village is surrounded by mountains and the sea, with dense forests and only a narrow path connecting it to the outside world. The location is strategic. The coastal area can be used for farming, salt making, and trade, and is a good base.

"After I leave, Dongxun may not be able to hold Guangzhou. If Guangzhou is not held, Enping will not be safe. Dianye, you must prepare early and send people to manage Wencun first. In the future, if Guangdong collapses, you must move your camp to Wencun immediately.

"Wencun is close to Guangzhou. Even if the Tartars occupy Guangzhou, you are in Wencun, which is enough to contain the Tartar army. Then, I can return calmly and fight the Tartars to the death."

Wang Xing suddenly realized that Cen Danchu had a far-sighted vision and had other plans. He was good at defense, so he gladly accepted the order and said, "General, rest assured, I will not fail in my mission."

Zhou Yu and Liu Bao were the leaders of the Tanka people and the Shebing soldiers respectively, and they came to the court together. There were many Tanka people and Shebing soldiers around Guangzhou, and there were many factions. Zhou Yu and Liu Bao had the highest prestige, the strongest strength, and the strongest will to resist the Qing Dynasty.

Tanka people and community soldiers have lived in one place for generations and will not migrate easily. After the Red Army left, Zhou Yu and Liu Bao will lead their troops back to their hometowns.

Zhou Yu knew a little about writing, and said, "The general abolished the slave class and liberated the Tanka households to become civilians. We Tanka people are all looking forward to it, hoping that the general will be appointed as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi as soon as possible to display his great talents."

Since the end of the Chongzhen reign, the governors of Guangdong and Guangxi have been unqualified. The three governors-general Ding Kuichu, Tong Yangjia and Du Yonghe were not talented in suppressing the rebellion and had no skills in comforting the people. Cen Danchu liberated the Tanka people in western Guangdong and recruited them as naval officers, which also brought hope to the Tanka people in eastern Guangdong.

Liu Baoze said: "The Red Army in western Guangdong requires tenants to pay taxes, and the tenants live in peace and contentment, no longer suffering from hunger and starvation. We have organized community soldiers to defend ourselves, but the tenants are still in poverty. I hope the general will return soon so that we tenants can have hope."

The power of war is deeply rooted in the people. Danchu was deeply moved. Both King Zhou and Liu Bao were from the lower classes and suffered discrimination. Tenants, military households, boatmen, craftsmen, and kitchen workers... these people are the main body of society, but they have long been in an oppressed position and are not valued by those in power. Once they awaken, they will be able to unleash the power of the world.

"That's fine," Danchu said in a deep voice, "There's always a sequence of things to do, and there's a priority in war. After I've dealt with western Guangdong, I'll lead my troops eastward and calmly deal with eastern Guangdong. By then, it will be a natural process to make the tenants pay taxes and liberate the Tanka people."

The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Du Yonghe, also sent people to participate in the sacrifice, but the envoy was still Wu Wenxian, who was ignored. After Zhou Yu and Liu Bao left, Danchu met Wu Wenxian.

The Red Army had already decided to retreat westwards, and the main force had already moved out of camp, with no intention of spying on Guangzhou. However, Du Yonghe was still worried, and stayed in Guangzhou, not daring to leave the city to meet Danchu.

"General, the Governor's Office has sent a note, asking the four prefectures of Gao, Lei, Lian, and Qiong to follow the General's control." Wu Wenxian said carefully: "Haikang Hou was conferred by the court to supervise Gao, Lei, Qiong, and Lian. He has always been aware of current affairs, and I believe he will wholeheartedly respect the General."

In order to urge the Red Army to aid Guangzhou, Du Yonghe promised to divide the flooding area. The Red Army expanded its army in Guangzhou, and the land and navy divisions were expanded by one brigade each, which was bound to increase the territory and expand the source of funds.

What Cen Danchu wanted was the four prefectures of Gao, Lei, Lian, and Qiong. The political affairs of the Southern Ming Dynasty were in chaos, and Du Yonghe's orders could not leave Guangzhou. All he could do was to notify the local authorities and remind them to turn to General Cen as their leader.

Although a note could not divide the garrison area, it could give Danchu a sufficient reason to start a war if he fell out with Li Mingzhong.

"I appreciate Duke Rui's kindness." Danchu reminded him, "Guangzhou has high walls and a population of one million, which is enough to be a foundation for a hundred generations. Duke Rui must unite the generals to defend Guangzhou and work together to overcome the difficulties. If it doesn't work, you may as well retreat to Qiongzhou, but you must not surrender to the Tartars and lose the morale of the people."

(End of this chapter)