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

Chapter 34: Discussion at the Tingfeng Pavilion

Shao left, and only the master and his disciple were left in the Tingfeng Pavilion. The old servant added some tea and then left.

The sun's rays float and the bamboo branches rustle.

Qu Shisi was in a good mood, his face flushed, and he said, "Zhuoru, I just had a great conversation with Xinxing Bo, and I learned that you are a talented general. The surprise attack on Limuling and the burning of the Qing invaders were truly a stroke of genius, and they made everyone happy!"

Since it seemed that this was not a test on homework, Cen Danchu felt relieved and said, "Teacher, you are overpraising me. I am just being loyal to my country."

Although the sun is scorching today, people sitting in the pavilion, with the wind blowing through the bamboo leaves and the water flowing over the bridge, are refreshing.

Qu Shisi had a thin face, a resolute expression, and his eyes revealed an unshakable determination. He said:

"The Ming Dynasty has been blessed for more than 270 years, but its fortune is gradually declining. Zhuoru is young but has both civil and military skills, and has made great military achievements. His future is limitless. I know that the Ming Dynasty has a chance to revive. Even if he dies now, he can rest in peace."

Danchu was ashamed when he saw this. As for resisting the Qing invaders, his determination was unshakable. But as for reviving the Ming Dynasty, Danchu had some doubts.

Before his souls merged, he was a boy soldier in Jiao Lian's army, and his ancestors were military households in northern Shaanxi. The military households lived a miserable life, like slaves, and their ancestors were imprisoned in the guard post for generations. After traveling through time, he witnessed the darkness of the Southern Ming officialdom with his own eyes.

The 270-year-old Ming Dynasty is now riddled with holes and is terminally ill, like a century-old giant tree whose roots have rotted, the trunk has collapsed, and only a few branches and leaves are left to survive, and it is on the verge of extinction.

If you want to save this century-old giant tree, you should tear it down, cut off the remaining branches and leaves, and carefully protect them as tree seeds. Burn the rotten roots, trunks, and branches, and use the remaining ashes as fertilizer. Then give the open space, soil, and water to the remaining tree seeds, and maybe you can revive this giant tree.

This theory about giant trees is Cen Danchu's experience over this period of time, and he has never told anyone about it.

Although Qu Shisi was baptized and converted to Christianity, he only wanted to learn from Xifan how to enrich the country and strengthen the army. In essence, he was still a devout Confucian scholar. Jumu Lun was extremely treasonous, and Danchu didn't dare to say a word in front of him.

Danchu still has his own understanding of the current situation. With his current identity and status, he can not only not influence the current situation, but also has no chance to express his opinion. The teacher is highly respected and cares about the country, so it is better to persuade him to let go.

Danchu had already made up his mind and said, "Teacher, I have some crazy words, but I don't know whether I should say them or not."

Qu Shisi had just been conferred the title of Lingui Earl, and as usual, he was unassuming and said, "Zhuoru, please feel free to speak. Your teacher is all ears."

Cen Danchu paused, organized his words, and said:

"In the former case, the rebel king Kong Youde underestimated the enemy and advanced recklessly deep into Guangxi. General He and Governor Du were in Hunan and should have taken the opportunity to counterattack, but they missed the opportunity after repeated defeats. Liu Chengyin trapped the emperor in Fengtian and used the emperor to gain respect for himself. He claimed to have a strong army, but he did not send a single soldier, neither rescued Guilin nor counterattacked Huguang.

"Today, the rebel king Kong Youde was defeated by our army and fled back to Huguang. If I were Dorgon, I would definitely send troops to rescue him. By then, the Tartars will cross the river and go to Huguang. How can the governor and governor resist? Liu Chengyin has evil intentions, so how can he defend Fengtian to the death and serve the king loyally?
"Teacher, the ancients said 'In times of peace, be prepared for danger'. Although our army won in Guilin, disaster is not far away, so we should prepare for it!"

These words were thought-provoking. Qu Shisi's expression became solemn, and he slowly said: "If the Ming Dynasty wants to revive, the ruler must take power, clearly reward and punish, exercise authority and wealth by himself, be close to gentlemen and stay away from villains, listen to honest words, and communicate with each other, so that the government's orders can be implemented throughout the world.

"But now, the emperor is trapped in Fengtian, power is lost, there is a gap between the upper and lower levels, no communication, and no government orders. This is a sign of the country's demise. I was planning to write a letter to impeach Liu Chengyin, but I was hesitant about it. After listening to your words, I have made up my mind."

Liu Chengyin controlled the government, isolated the inner and outer worlds, and colluded with his close attendant Ma Jixiang. Perhaps Qu Shisi's memorial could not even be delivered to Emperor Yongli.

Cen Danchu was young and full of vigor. He said, "I think that impeachment can boost momentum, but it will not bring real results. If we want to improve the current situation, we have to welcome the emperor back to Guilin. If we want to welcome the emperor back, we have to send troops to Fengtian to invite him." Emperor Yongli was mediocre and cowardly, and was definitely not a leader of the revival. But he had the most legitimate bloodline, being the grandson of Emperor Shenzong and the cousin of Emperor Xizong, Emperor Weizong, and Emperor Anzong. For all the anti-Qing forces, this was undoubtedly a golden signboard.

But the Yongli Emperor was not ambitious and only wanted to live in disgrace, without any ambition to revive the country. Liu Chengyin took him to Fengtian and abused his power, and he had no way to stop him. If the emperor had any backbone, he should have resolutely left the city and escaped the control of the powerful ministers.

After all, the Fengtian court still had courtiers and guards. Liu Chengyin was just a military man with low prestige, so how could he dare to learn from Sima Zhao?
Qu Shisi sighed and said, "Liu Chengyin has no intention of rebelling yet, so we should not start a war without authorization. Our army has to divide its troops to occupy Pingle, so it is not convenient to send troops to Fengtian. We should use courtesy first and then force. I will send people to Fengtian to ask the emperor to return to Guilin."

The reply was expected, and Cen Danchu was not surprised. He said, "Liu Chengyin is holding the emperor hostage, and it is difficult to control him. Chen Bangbo is like a vassal, and we must guard against him. Teacher is the governor of Guilin, in charge of the army, money and food of the world, and he has the right to control Chen Bangbo.

"But he is confident that he has the seal of the General of Suppressing the Barbarians and regards Guangxi as his forbidden territory. The teacher's orders are not limited to Lingui and Lingchuan counties. Since Liu Chengyin cannot be controlled, Chen Bangbo should be eliminated, so that the whole province of Guangxi can be controlled. If the power of the whole province is gathered, there will be hope for the revival of the country."

With Liu Chengyin above him and Chen Bangbo below him, Qu Shisi was sandwiched in the middle. Even though he had the expectations of the world on his shoulders, he was powerless.

Chen Bangbo has soldiers under his command and has made friends with treacherous people. If one wants to bring him down, one can only use extraordinary means.

Qu Shisi followed the rules and naturally would not easily go to war with Liu and Chen. He could only sigh and said, "I will write a letter to impeach Chen Bangbo. Later, when Xinxing Earl seizes Pingle Prefecture, he will take it for himself and not let Chen Bangbo covet it."

When Cen Dan first saw his teacher's condition, he knew that he was too old and had neither the courage nor the ability to turn the situation around.

The topic was too heavy. After a brief silence, Qu Shisi changed the subject and said:

"Although you have accepted me as your teacher, I have never had the time to teach you. Today I have a rare moment of free time, so I would like to ask you, what do you want to study? Neo-Confucianism? Psychology? Western learning? Or the art of governing the world and applying it to society?"

The teacher was an open-minded person, and actually gave students the right to choose their own studies. Cen Danchu was delighted and said, "The student wants to learn psychology."

Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, rose from humble origins but attached great importance to school education. During the Ming Dynasty, the state established many schools. Provinces, prefectures, and counties all had official schools, military garrisons had guard schools, townships had township schools, and villages had community schools. Private lectures also became popular, and the number of academies exceeded the total number of previous dynasties.

The Ming Dynasty was the most prosperous in history. Book publishing was extremely developed, and the number of military books produced by the Ming people exceeded the total of all other feudal dynasties. The literacy rate was also far higher than that of previous dynasties. Cen Danchu, an orphan of a military household, was also fortunate enough to learn to read and write.

The Ming people were open-minded and had many academic schools. Cen Danchu had a little knowledge of the School of Mind and had a special liking for it. It was because the School of Mind was the most suitable for the national conditions and could best correct the current problems.

"Yes," Qu Shisi nodded and said, "The culture of this dynasty is splendid, and the School of Mind has made great contributions. The School of Mind has its roots in Confucianism, which was initiated by Chen Wengong (Chen Xianzhang), continued by Zhan Wenjian (Zhan Ruoshui), and culminated by Wang Xinjian (Wang Yangming). It has been completely transformed.

"There are many schools of thought. If we count them one by one, there are at least seven schools, including the Jiangyou School, the Southern School, the Fujian-Guangdong School, the Northern School, the Chu School, the Zhejiang School, and the Taizhou School.

"Mr. Yangming said, 'There is no good or evil in the heart, but there are good and evil intentions. Knowing good and evil is conscience, and doing good and eliminating evil is the study of things.' Zhuoru, which school do you want to learn from?"

Cen Danchu answered without hesitation: "I want to learn from the Taizhou School."

"Oh?" Qu Shisi was quite surprised and asked, "Why?"

(End of this chapter)