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

Chapter 341: Vertical and Horizontal
The Red Army seized Guangdong and Guangdong, and the whole country was excited. Various anti-Qing armed forces became active and sent envoys to join the Qing army from time to time.

In July, Jie Chongxi personally went to eastern Guangdong to meet Cen Danchu.

Jie Chongxi, a native of Linchuan, Jiangxi, was a Jinshi in the 10th year of Chongzhen. He was initially appointed as the magistrate of Funing. In the 17th year of Chongzhen, the capital fell. Jie Chongxi was at home in mourning, but he started a war while wearing mourning clothes. In the 2nd year of Yongli, the Qing army surrounded Nanchang, and Jin Shenghuan was isolated and helpless. Jie Chongxi went to Zhaoqing to ask for troops. Zhu Youlang appointed Jie Chongxi as the Minister of War and the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief, Governor of Jiangxi, and gave him the Shangfang Sword, but there was no money to be paid and no troops to be sent. Jie Chongxi returned to Jiangxi empty-handed and persisted in resisting the Qing until now.

He united the three Jiangxi volunteer armies of Cao Dahao, Zhang Zisheng and Hong Guoyu, collectively known as the "Four Camps", which was the largest anti-Qing force in Jiangxi.

"Your Highness, the Jiangxi Tartars have suffered repeated defeats and their defenses are weak. The righteous armies have risen up, and the four camps are united in purpose. The people are eagerly awaiting the royal army. If we send a strong brigade of the Red Army to Jiangxi at this time, we will surely be able to conquer Jiangxi."

When he met Cen Danchu, Jie Chongxi bowed deeply and bluntly suggested a northern expedition to Jiangxi.

In the Ming Dynasty, people generally called princes and dukes "Your Highness", or added the title, "Your Highness". At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the princes valued their fiefs, and the titles of "Lord of the Feudal Domain" and "Lord of the State" became popular.

The title of King is too important, not everyone dares to accept it. Zhu Yihai, the regent of Lu, proclaimed himself the orthodox of the Ming Dynasty and regarded himself as the King of Lu. Sun Kewang was ambitious and also called himself the King of Qin.

As for Wangye, it was originally a custom of the Manchus. The Manchus were used to calling people "Ye", and they were used to calling the vassal kings "Wangye".

The Ming people also called the princes "Wangye", but they were usually eunuchs, attendants, confidants and other close people. Gentlemen valued their reputation and paid attention to titles, and would not rashly call someone "Ye" to avoid lowering their status.

Jie Chongxi called Danchu "Your Highness" with a hint of alienation in his tone. Danchu was slightly displeased and said, "The Northern Expedition to Jiangxi is inevitable. However, our clan is used to making plans before taking action, so we must be well prepared before we can swear to march north."

"I really cannot agree with what your Highness said." Jie Chongxi was very stubborn and said, "The Tartars have just been defeated, and people's minds have changed. Now is the right time to march north."

Jie Chongxi was a weak scholar, but he managed to run Jiangxi with difficulty by connecting the four camps. He persisted in resisting the Qing Dynasty after Jin Shenghuan's death, which was not easy. In history, he was loyal to the Ming Dynasty, refused to surrender when captured, and preserved his reputation, which was respected by later generations. Qianlong judged the figures of the late Ming Dynasty and listed countless famous officials of the early Qing Dynasty as traitors, giving them bad posthumous titles, but gave Jie Chongxi the posthumous title of "Zhonglie".

Danchu patiently advised: "Our vassal has been engaged in military operations for many years, and the soldiers are exhausted and sick. Moreover, Ganzhou lies to the north of Dageng Ridge. Without a long-term siege, it will be impossible to break this strong city. If we don't break this strong city, the Northern Expedition to Jiangxi will be an empty talk."

"This..." Jie Chongxi was quite disappointed and sighed, "Although the Jiangxi Volunteer Army is powerful, it has never fought a major battle. Most of them are gentry and common people. They rose up in rebellion out of national indignation and are unable to fight the Tartars to the death.

"At the end of last year, the Fujian Tartar invaded Jiangxi. Hong Guoyu led his troops to resist, but was defeated and killed. The four major camps lost their momentum and retreated into the mountainous areas. I heard from spies that the Tartar ordered Zhumala to organize a joint suppression of the three provinces, and he was determined to wipe out the four major camps as soon as possible."

Jiangxi is a barrier to the southeast and a battleground for military strategists. The Qing government suffered defeats in Lingnan and Huguang, and the importance of Jiangxi became more prominent, prompting the Qing army to intensify its efforts to encircle and suppress the rebels.

The four camps retreated into the mountainous areas, mainly distributed in the border areas of Jiangxi and Fujian. The Qing court ordered Fujian, Jiangxi, and southern Jiangxi to dispatch elite troops, commanded by Zhumala, to completely wipe out the four camps.

Zhumala, a member of the Bilu clan, lived in Yehe for generations. When Nurhaci started his rebellion, Zhumala led the Huerha people to surrender, and the flag was established, under the Manchu Bordered White Banner, and was granted the title of Niulu Ezhen.

This veteran Manchu general had been through many battles. Before leaving Beijing, he served as Gushan Ezhen of the Plain White Banner Mongolian Army and Minister of Personnel. His hereditary title was promoted to the third-class Ashaniha Fan. Due to the urgent situation in Guangdong and Guangdong, the Qing court appointed Zhumala as the General of Pingnan to guard Ganzhou and prevent the Red Army from going north.

The Red Army had no intention of marching north for the time being, so Zhumala could free up his hands to encircle and suppress the volunteer army. The Jiangxi volunteer army had the largest momentum with four battalions, but it was definitely no match for the Qing Dynasty regular army, which was really worrying.

The Red Army was able to advance straight into the country, first attacking Zhaoqing and then Guangzhou. In the future northern expedition to Jiangxi, if there are righteous troops to respond, either as guides or as servants, it will be of great benefit to the war. "It is indeed inconvenient for this vassal to send troops to rescue. However, I can send Wang Xing to Jiangxi to help the Jiangxi righteous troops resist the Tartars."

"But Embroidery Needle Wang Xing?"

"That's right. Wang Xing is good at guerrilla warfare. He can defeat the enemy with a small force and make the Tartar army tired and exhausted, so they have to return empty-handed. If the four major camps are willing to be under Wang Xing's control, this vassal can let Wang Xing lead a strong force of about a thousand people to conduct guerrilla warfare in Jiangxi and wait until the Red Army's Northern Expedition."

After the initial consolidation of East Guangdong, the Red Army expanded its army and formally recruited Wang Xing, appointing him as the deputy commander of the Guangdong Garrison. Now that Jiangxi was in trouble, Wang Xing was good at guerrilla warfare against the enemy, so sending him there was a good use of his talents.

Jie Chongxi had the additional title of Minister of War, and also had a silver seal with the five characters "Wisdom, Benevolence, Courage, Trustworthiness and Strictness" given by Emperor Yongli, so he was able to control the four major camps.

Danchu allowed Wang Xing to enter Gan on the condition that Jie Chongxi would accept Wang Xing's control. Jie Chongxi understood the truth and accepted Danchu's proposal.

He could not help but sigh: "In the second year of the Yongli reign, the Tartars surrounded Nanchang more and more urgently. I went to the imperial court to ask for troops, but was hated by the King of Ningxia. The King of Ningxia regarded the recovery of Jiangxi as a forbidden fruit and regarded me as an enemy, so he sent Dongxun to intercept and kill me.

"If Yan Zhen (General Yan Luo) hadn't sent troops to rescue me, I would have almost died at the hands of Dong Xun. The feudal lord is wise and courageous, and has made great military achievements, which is very different from the King of Ningxia. I know that there are people who can revive the Ming Dynasty, and there is hope for the recovery of Jiangxi."

In August, Sun Kewang sent Zhang Sheng to seek an audience with Cen Danchu. Zhang Sheng was a brave general of the Dashi Army and a close confidant of Sun Kewang.

He was very straightforward when he spoke. Seeing Danchu speak his mind, he said, "Reporting to the King of Nanyue, Sheng was sent to Nanyue by the order of the King of Qin. I beg the King to withdraw his order and not to form an alliance with Kangguo."

Li Dingguo, Duke of Kangguo, and Sun Kewang were brothers, but they were actually enemies. Li Dingguo set up an ambush in Hunan and killed the famous Manchu general Kakamu, which greatly increased his prestige and made his relationship with Sun Kewang even more tense. Danchu took the initiative to send an envoy to propose marriage, and Li Dingguo was happy to accept the marriage.

"No, this vassal has already made a marriage contract with Kangguo and sent an envoy to deliver the betrothal gifts. In a few days, we will send troops to Yanguan to marry my son to the daughter of Kangguo."

Danchu paused for a moment and said, "My action this time is also to make friends with the Dashi Army, not to make enemies with the King of Ping Liao. Ping Liao's qualifications, merits, and titles are all higher than ours. Our clan is unable to reach him, so we have to settle for the next best thing and become relatives with Kangguo."

Yongli appointed Sun Kewang as the King of Ping Liao, but Sun Kewang refused to accept it and still treated himself as the fake King of Qin. Danchu was unwilling to recognize him as the King of Qin, otherwise, Sun Kewang would become a one-word king, and he would be inferior to him.

"Uh..." Zhang Sheng was a warrior, and he was speechless. After a long while, he said, "Sheng, I dare to ask the king, do you have other children?"

"Haha." It was enough to marry Li Dingguo alone. Danchu was unwilling to become a relative of Sun Kewang. He smiled and said, "The other children are still young. The oldest is only three years old. It's too early to talk about marriage.

"To be honest, the man who married the daughter of Kangguo is named Wang Hua, and he is the adopted son of our vassal. He asked Kangguo for a daughter because he was older, and he had no intention of seeking support. Please tell Pingliao when you go back, and don't think it's strange or have any other ideas."

Zhang Sheng still wanted to fight for it, but Danchu had already served tea and sent him away. Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo had always been suspicious of each other, and now the rift widened, and there was no possibility of reconciliation. If the Red Army could get a powerful general like Li Dingguo in the future, it would be possible for the Red Army to integrate the Dashi Army and take over Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan in the southwest.

(End of this chapter)