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

Chapter 32 Celebration
In early June, the battle was decided and the Ming army won a great victory. Since March, Guilin City has been threatened by the Qing army. At this moment, the Qing army has retreated and the ancient city of Guilin has regained its tranquility.

On the eighth day, Qu Shisi held a banquet in the Flower Hall of the Liushou Mansion to celebrate the great victory of the Ming army. Qu Shisi, Jiao Lian and Pang Tianshou sat at the head of the table, and the civil and military officials were divided into two rows, filling the room.

The military officers were headed by the general Ma Qijiao, and the civil officials were headed by the Guangxi Provincial Governor Lu Kezao. The Imperial Astronomical Observatory Qu Shawei, the Western Army Captain Ferreira, and the priest Bi Fangji also attended the banquet.

Cen Danchu sat at the very end of the generals, next to him was Jiao Ke, and the one next to him was the deputy general Feng Zhiji.

The order of seats was determined by official rank and status, not military merit. Cen Danchu was a little disappointed. With his merits, it was not too much to sit in front of Feng Zhiji, even if he could not sit at the top.

There is always too much injustice in this world. This chaotic world is also a good opportunity to break the injustice and rebuild order.

Take your time.

The last time the garrison held a banquet and forced the merchants to donate silver, not only was I not eligible to be seated, I also had to do the dirty work.

Today, I am at least sitting at the table, and I am considered a well-known person. With my performance on the battlefield, who dares to look down on me? With the left-behind as a teacher and the general as a backer, one is a loyal minister and the other is a fierce general. How can I be afraid of not being prosperous in the future?
Don’t worry, you are still young, and youth is the greatest asset.

Qu Shisi raised his glass and stood up to make a speech: "On February 15, the Emperor moved to Quanzhou, and it has been 115 days since then. During these 115 days, two of them were captured and one of them was killed in a mutiny. They were all in extreme danger and had no hope of survival.

"May God bless the Ming Dynasty. Fortunately, thanks to your concerted efforts and the dedication of the officers and soldiers, we were able to defeat the Qing invaders and expel the rebel king, thus avenging the shame of our ancestors and comforting the hopes of the people. This is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty and the people, and also a blessing for hundreds of millions of people.

"Today, I have prepared a small amount of wine to celebrate. I wish to drink with you all. From now on, we will stick to our beliefs, work hard to become stronger, repay the emperor's kindness, protect the people, drive out the Tartars, and revive the Ming Dynasty! Gentlemen, please!"

The sun was shining brightly, shining on Qu Shisi's face, like a dead tree coming back to life in spring, exuding a different charm.

Civil officials and military officers all stood up, raised their glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

At this time, the secretary Liu Zhaochang stood up and said, "Everyone, last time the emperor conferred the title of Lingui Earl on you, you refused to accept it. This time, the emperor sent me to Guilin and did not allow me to stay and resign. You, the emperor's order cannot be disobeyed. You are the one who is expected by everyone, so don't refuse it anymore."

Senior officials such as Jiao Lian, Pang Tianshou, and Lu Kezao all congratulated him.

Cen Danchu was also happy for Qu Shisi and hoped that he would accept the title. But thinking of himself, he felt unwilling. Jiao Lian led his army in a hard battle outside Guilin City and repelled the Manchu Gongshun Prince Kong Youde, which could be regarded as the first military achievement since the migration to the south.

Qu Shisi actively wrote to the emperor to ask for merit for Jiao Lian and others. However, Emperor Yongli was in Fengtian, and the government was controlled by Anguo Gong Liu Chengyin. Last month, a mutiny occurred in Guilin, and Liu Chengyin's army was driven out of Guilin.

Liu Chengyin held a grudge and refused to promote Jiao Lian to a higher rank. As a result, Cen Danchu's original plan to promote him to the position of deputy commander of the Du Biao was also not implemented.

Emperor Yongli finally took a tough stance and secured the title of Earl of Lingui for Qu Shisi, demanding that he not refuse it.

Qu Shisi was still trying to decline the offer, saying, "The title of nobility is a prestigious position of the imperial court. Among the civil officials of this dynasty who have been granted the title, Wang Weining and Wang Xinjian are both talented in both literature and martial arts, and they truly deserve it. The emperor sympathizes with me for defending the isolated city, and has made an exception to grant me the title as an encouragement. In fact, how can I be compared with Wang Weining and Wang Xinjian? If I accept it with the audacity, wouldn't it be a joke?"

Everyone gave their advice, and the military supervisor, eunuch Pang Tianshou, also said:
"The Emperor is very concerned about the old man. When I was in the imperial court, the old man declined the title. The Emperor was quite upset when he heard about it. He felt that there was a gap between the emperor and his subjects, and he felt guilty towards the old man. Now, the Emperor has clearly ordered that the old man refuse again. Isn't this putting the Emperor in an unjust position?"

Qu Shisi was loyal to the emperor, so it was difficult for him to refute what he heard.

The angel official Liu Zhaochang said: "The elder stayed in Guilin and maintained the peace of Lingui County. He was named the Earl of Lingui, which is well deserved. I heard that the people of the county are also very proud of it. The elder's title has a great impact on the morale of the people."

In ancient times, titles were often named after places. The same was true in the Ming Dynasty. For example, Wang Yangming was awarded the title of Xinjian Earl for his military achievements. Lingui County is a suburb of Guilin Prefecture and the first county in Guangxi. Qu Shisi made great contributions to Guilin, so he deserved the title of Lingui Earl. Qu Shisi had no choice but to accept it, saying, "I am ashamed to accept it, I am ashamed to accept it."

Everyone was happy and toasted to Qu Shisi.

Cen Danchu couldn't help but feel a little unfair. Liu Chengyin was already given the title of Duke of Anguo. And Chen Bangbo was already given the title of Marquis of Si'en, while the old man was just given the title of Earl.

After a few drinks, the general officer Ma Qijiao mustered up his courage and proposed:

"Lord, Marshal, I heard that Marquis Si'en has sent troops eastward and has just recovered Xunzhou, and is heading towards Pingnan and Tengxian. Our army has just won a great victory and morale is high. We should send troops south as soon as possible to seize Pingle Prefecture first and consolidate the gateway to Guilin."

It was only a matter of time before they would counterattack Pingle. Jiao Lian had won a great victory, with nearly 10,000 men and horses. With too many soldiers and too little money, he had to go to Pingle Prefecture to find a source of money.

At this moment, the Guangdong righteous army, led by the three loyalists of Lingnan, swarmed up and even besieged Guangzhou. The Qing army was defeated outside Guilin, and the main force withdrew from Guilin.

It would not be difficult for the Ming army to counterattack Pingle. If they went too late, Chen Bangbo would have gotten there first, which would not be a good thing.

This kind of thing is not convenient to discuss in depth in public, but it is worth talking about it to urge the two earls to express their opinions. Ma Qijiao has a long history and his troops are strong, the best among all the towns, so it is most appropriate for him to make the proposal.

Jiao Lian said calmly: "Yes, we should counterattack Pingle as soon as possible. The troops have almost rested now. We need to prepare for a few more days, gather food and weapons, and then we can officially set out."

Qu Shisi naturally agreed and said, "I heard that the enemy general in Pingle is still Tu Lie'ao, the general of our defeated army. After our recent victory, our army's morale is high, and we can defeat him with one blow."

Guangxi Provincial Governor Lu Kezao interjected, "Pingle was occupied not long ago, and the Qing invaders have been shaving their heads in Pingle, causing public resentment. It would be better to use both suppression and appeasement, and defeat Tu Lie'ao with elite troops, and the rest of the counties will surely surrender."

After hearing this, Cen Danchu looked at Lu Kezao with a new respect. This man was from Hezhou, South Zhili, and was a scholar. During the Hongguang period, he was appointed as the magistrate of Xinning County. He made a name for himself and was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Revenue.

When Liu Chengyin was in power, young officials came one after another to ask for his apprenticeship. Lu Kezao was unwilling to flatter Liu Chengyin, so he was expelled from the court and sent to Guangxi as an inspector. He went to Guilin Weicheng to assist Qu Shisi and praised his paintings.

Lu Kezao is a talented person with great integrity. We need to make good friends with him in the future.

The governor of Guangxi at that time was named Yu Yuanye, who had been accompanying Emperor Yongli and was currently in Fengtian, now Wugang Prefecture.

Guangxi had a governor, a governor-general, and an inspector, but the real power was in the hands of Chen Bangbo, Marquis of Si'en, because he held the seal of General Pingman, a military title of the Ming Dynasty, and had the power to control the troops in Guangxi.

Chen Bangbo used the seal of the General of Pingman to issue orders within the province, and actively made friends with powerful officials such as Liu Chengyin and Ma Jixiang, and his orders were passed throughout Guangxi. Regardless of whether it was an order from the court or an order to stay behind, Chen Bangbo ignored them all, and he had become a vassal.

Qu Shisi has submitted a memorial to the court, impeaching Chen Bangbo for abandoning Wuzhou, Pingle, and Xunzhou without a fight. Only by overthrowing Chen Bangbo and allowing the court's decrees to be implemented in Guangxi, will it be possible to "restore the Central Plains to western Guangdong"!

After all, Guangxi was the only province left intact in the Ming Dynasty.

But Chen Bangbo has his own army and is in cahoots with corrupt officials in the court. How easy is it to bring him down?

Unless, unless his seal of the General who Conquers the Barbarians is taken away.

(End of this chapter)