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

Chapter 270 Governor Lei Qionglian

With Li Mingzhong's surrender and the notification from the Guangdong-Guangxi Governor's Office, the Red Army's takeover of Qiongzhou, Leizhou and Lianzhou was much smoother.

On the 28th, Cen Danchu led his troops into Lianzhou Prefecture, set up a military government there, and appointed Yang Yuqi as governor of Lianzhou, Gaozhou and Qiongzhou prefectures, attempting to establish a military government regime in the three prefectures.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, rituals and music collapsed, social order was unprecedentedly chaotic, and the government's control over the countryside was greatly weakened. Lianzhou, Gaozhou, and Qiongzhou were located in remote areas, far from Guangzhou, with numerous villages and villages, and the situation was quite complicated.

"Yuqi, you have been ordered to inspect Gao Qionglian. Do you know where to start?"

Yang Yuqi served as the deputy governor of the Military Advisory Office, the commander of the Second Brigade of the Navy, and the governor of Gao Qionglian. He held a high position and great power, like a local lord.

He thought for a moment and said, "We must manage both the military and the government. First, we should send troops to occupy the prefectures, counties and garrisons, and then appoint officials to establish military governments at all levels. Only in this way can we make smooth political decisions and exert our power."

In those days, any noble officer with a little power had a lot of blank imperial edicts and letters in hand, and could directly appoint officials at prefectures and counties without notifying the court. Some arrogant noble officers did not even need letters from the Ministry of Personnel, and appointed officials on their own.

The Red Army took over the three prefectures of Leizhou, Lianzhou, and Qiongzhou, and naturally established military governments at all levels. Officials with a good reputation could continue to serve, but those who were tyrannical and cruel to the people should be dismissed and expelled.

"Tenant rebellions have broken out again in various places. How are you going to deal with them?" Danchu looked at Yang Yuqi and asked.

This was a difficult problem. The tenants were burdened with too much and were desperate to improve their lives.

In the second year of Longwu, the Qing army invaded Guangdong. Tenant rebellions broke out in various parts of Guangdong, demanding a reduction in rent and taxes and exemption from corvée labor. The Qing army used both suppression and appeasement, and the rebellions in various places were gradually put to rest. The powerful tenant soldiers held the landowners hostage, formed associations to protect themselves, and became community soldiers. The weak tenant soldiers were demobilized and returned to the fields to work and pay rent for the landowners again.

The Red Army demanded that the tenants pay taxes, and their reputation spread far and wide. The tenants in Leizhou, Qiongzhou, and Lianzhou rose up upon hearing the protests, and social order became even more chaotic. In some counties and prefectures, the tenants occupied cities, burned land deeds, and even divided up the landowners' property and oxen.

Yang Yuqi had no good idea about this and was about to ask Danchu for advice, but Danchu took the initiative to ask. He thought for a moment and said, "The Red Army has just arrived, so we must restore order and calm people's hearts. For the tenant rebellions in various places, we should use both suppression and appeasement, disband the tenant soldiers, and appease ordinary tenants. As for the policy of requiring tenants to pay grain, it should be postponed. It takes time to establish military governments at all levels, and it is expected that township governments will be established by the end of the year. It is better to wait until next summer and autumn, and then switch to requiring tenants to pay grain."

This? Clearly too conservative.

Danchu shook his head and said, "Time waits for no one. The autumn harvest is coming soon. We might as well take this opportunity to announce that the tenants must pay taxes to win the hearts of the people."

"General," Yang Yuqi said hesitantly, "I am afraid that we are not yet firmly established. If we rashly implement the tax payment system, we will be opposed by local tyrants."

A cool breeze blew, carrying the moisture of the sea and the fragrance of late rice. Midsummer had passed, and autumn was about to come. The long-anticipated war had quietly begun.

Danchu's intuition told him that time was running out and he had to speed up the integration of the three prefectures of Leizhou, Qiongzhou and Lianzhou.

"Without destruction, there is no construction. We should collect taxes from tenants as soon as possible, starting from this autumn harvest. Otherwise, we will not have enough financial resources to support the additional troops, nor can we cope with the upcoming war."

Danchu paused and said, "Forcing tenants to pay taxes is also a good solution to tenant rebellion. Tenants can barely make ends meet if they get 50% of the harvest, so they will naturally not form associations to resist the government.

"Using both suppression and appeasement is the Tartars' method. It is a policy formulated by the Tartars to protect the landlords. We advocate equality. Instead of protecting the landlords, we should protect the tenants. Once the tenants are required to pay taxes, the tenant rebellion will naturally disappear." Yang Yuqi was quite inspired and said, "The general's words are a revelation to me. It makes me suddenly enlightened."

Danchu was still relieved about Yang Yuqi. After all, he was his old follower, and he had served as the director of the Red Army's operations bureau and a military assistant. He had been with Danchu day and night and learned a lot from him.

Talking about the local soldiers, Danchu said: "There are many local soldiers in Lei, Qiong and Lian Prefectures, so we have to pay more attention to them. In war, it is important to capture the leader first, and the same applies to the local soldiers. As long as we can control the leading few local soldiers, the rest will naturally surrender, either disbanded as civilians or incorporated as garrison soldiers."

Yang Yuqi nodded and replied, "The Red Army has a navy and an infantry stationed in Lei, Qiong and Lian. It will be no problem for them to command the local soldiers. I have one more thing to ask the general. Zhu Tongjian of Lingshan, Xiong Zhaozuo of Shicheng and Li Mingzhong of Gaozhou have special identities. How should we deal with them?"

Zhu Tongjian was a descendant of the Ning Wang, and was extremely intelligent and brave, nicknamed "Zhu Qiansui". In the second year of Longwu, the Qing army invaded Guangdong and occupied the entire Guangdong. Zhu Tongjian led the volunteer army to recapture Lianzhou, and his reputation rose rapidly.

The Ming court had always been wary of royal family members and never allowed them to lead troops. Zhu Tongjian recovered Lianzhou with military merit, and was only appointed as the magistrate of Lingchuan County afterwards, which was a special favor.

Xiong Zhaozuo was a general of the Chu army. He had served as the central army of He Tengjiao. He was a refined and polite person who was loyal to his subjects. He was known as a Confucian general. In the battle of Quanzhou last year, Danchu had fought side by side with him, and they had a comrade-in-arms friendship.

Danchu said without hesitation: "Zhu Tongjian has a good reputation and is well-known for his virtue. He is also quite brave in battle and is a promising talent. You can go and find out what he is willing to do. If he is willing to lead troops to fight, invite him to serve in the Red Army and give him a battalion officer position first.

"Xiong Zhaozuo and I have the benefit of being comrades in arms. The Chu army is staying in Shicheng, and the soldiers have no intention of fighting. You may try to win him over, and when the time is right, you will naturally recruit him for your own use. As for Li Mingzhong of Gaozhou, he has great ambitions but little talent, and is not a man of his own. You and he should guard their respective garrisons, and keep out of each other's way."

With an idea for dealing with the tenant rebellion and the local militia, Yang Yuqi's governor Lei Qionglian also gained confidence. Finally, he asked: "I heard that the court promoted Zhang Xiaoqi to the position of Right Censor-in-Chief and governor of Gao, Lei, Lian, Qiong and four prefectures. I would like to ask the general, how should we treat Zhang Xiaoqi?"

"Ah!" The current situation was chaotic, and the court did not try to restore it, but instead hindered it, which made Danchu quite dissatisfied.

The two military governors Cen and Li fought for the four prefectures in western Guangdong, and the imperial court also "came up with an original idea" and sent Zhang Xiaoqi to be the governor of the four prefectures of Gao, Lei, Lian, and Qiong. The military governors were arrogant and had long disregarded the imperial orders. Wouldn't the imperial court bring disgrace upon itself by doing this?

In fact, there was a hidden story behind this. Zhang Xiaoqi was quite active in the court's "tiger hunting". After the "Five Tigers" were dismissed, the factional struggles continued unabated. Zhang Xiaoqi was the official in the Ministry of Personnel, and he seemed to be in charge of the channels of speech and interfered in the major policies of the selection of officials. Therefore, the court officials conspired to exclude Zhang Xiaoqi and expel him from the court, and only then was he appointed as the governor of the four prefectures.

When Dan was first conferred the title of Dinglu Bo, Zhang Xiaoqi was an official of the Heavenly Court, and they knew each other. Zhang Xiaoqi was honest and upright, and was not afraid of the strong, so he was the material for being an imperial censor. As a governor of a place? He had no soldiers, no roots, and no foundation, so it was impossible. The court did not know how to use people, and it was just a joke for the military governors.

"There are two ways to deal with this. First, drive Zhang Xiaoqi to Gaozhou and turn a blind eye to him. Second, start a new organization and sideline Zhang Xiaoqi. Which one do you choose?"

Danchu asked, and at the same time examined Yang Yuqi's talents.

Yang Yuqi thought for a moment and said, "I choose the second one."

"Well," Danchu praised, "You should choose the second option. You can take on the responsibility."

(End of this chapter)