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

Chapter 50 Yong'an Mo Family
The next day, with the cool autumn breeze, Cen Danchu arrived at Mojia Village as promised.

In addition to the prefect Wei Shizhong and his aide He Yun, the entourage also included the captain of the central army's musketeers, Ferreira, who led a sentry of thirty musketeers, and the leader of the third team, Kuang Shi, who led a sentry of thirty heavy cavalry.

When the Portuguese mercenaries were disbanded, they left behind more than 200 muskets. Together with the 80 muskets presented by the Governor of Macau, Qu Shisi received nearly 300 muskets in total. Because Jiao Lian had made great contributions in defending Guilin, Qu Shisi presented these 300 muskets to Jiao's army.

Danchu fought hard and got Jiao Lian's consent to recruit more than 300 musketeers, divided them into three teams, and trained them intensively for a month under Ferreira. Before the Eastern Expedition to Pingle, the three musketeer teams officially set out and were divided into three divisions of the Dubiao.

Unexpectedly, Ferreira did not serve in the central army, but followed Danchu. The mercenary captain had already determined that Cen Danchu was the saint sent by God to the East.

Mojia Village is not far from the prefecture. During the Chenghua period, the Ming court decided to establish Yong'an Prefecture on the original site of Lishan County. The Mo family donated land to build the city, and the current prefecture was the farm of the Mo family back then.

With Mojia Village as the center, the Mo family owned a large amount of land in the surrounding 18 villages. The Mo family also maintained close ties with the Ming Dynasty government.

The current clan leader, Mo Xunshi, passed the imperial examination in the 22nd year of the Wanli reign, and later served as the Tongpan of Fuzhou, and was promoted to the prefect of Zizai Prefecture under the Liaodong Military Commission. Mo Xunshi's cousin, Mo Xunzuo, was a tribute in the 10th year of the Chongzhen reign, and first served as the prefect of Jingzhou in Hejian Prefecture, North Zhili, and then as the magistrate of Cigu County in Zhejiang; Mo Xunqiao was a tribute in the 2nd year of the Tianqi reign, and once served as a prefecture judge...

Early in the morning of that day, Mo Xunshi led the clan leaders and went out of Mojia Village one mile to welcome Danchu and his party.

The autumn weather is clear and refreshing, and the breeze is refreshing. The late rice is gradually ripening, and the air is filled with the fragrance of rice. It is another harvest season, and farmers are full of joy and rushing to harvest the late rice in the fields.

Yesterday, the Ming army entered the city without harming anyone. A notice was posted in the city, saying that the autumn grain tax would be reduced and outdated regulations would be abolished. The news spread quickly, and the gentry and the people were delighted.

At 9:00 in the morning, Danchu saw Mo Xunshi, dismounted and bowed, saying, "Hello, old sir. I am Cen Danchu, the left guerrilla commander of the Guangxi governor's flag. I have been ordered to garrison Yong'an. I heard that you are very loyal and righteous, so I came to visit you."

Mo Xunshi was already old, probably about seventy years old, but he was in good spirits, wearing a blue official robe with a white pheasant embroidered on the chest, a three-beam crown, a silver belt with inlaid flowers, and a jade pendant. This was the official uniform of a fifth-rank civil servant.

When Dan first saw that he really had long hair tied up without any signs of shaving, and that he came out of the village to greet him despite his old age, he was quite touched.

Looking at the Mo family's sons behind him, most of them were smart and experienced, with solemn expressions. Behind them stood a team of servants, who were in good shape and had obviously undergone some hard training.

Mo had long heard of Cen Danchu's great name, and today he met him in person, and he was indeed worthy of his reputation. Behind Danchu stood a squadron of heavily armored cavalrymen and a squadron of musketeers, all with bright saddles and armor, and strong men and horses, with the aura of a king's army.

What was even more surprising was that there were several foreign soldiers among the musketeers. A small guerrilla fighter could actually win over foreign soldiers and use them for his own purposes. This was obviously not to be underestimated.

Mo Xunshi bowed calmly and said, "I have long admired you. The young general captured the flag and killed the general, and was the bravest among the three armies. Such a young and promising man with extraordinary spirit is truly a blessing for our Ming Dynasty."

Next, both sides introduced themselves. On the Mo family side, the clan leader Mo Xunshi, followed by his cousins ​​Mo Xunzuo and Mo Xunqiao, all three of whom had served as officials in the Ming Dynasty, wearing Ming Dynasty official uniforms, and had the highest status in the clan.

There were two other people who were the best in the Mo family. They stood with the elders and were introduced by Mo Xunshi. One of the sons was named Mo Guangshu, who was a tribute in the 12th year of Chongzhen. He was well-read and resourceful. He led the militia of Mojia Village and became the pillar of the Mo family. One of the grandchildren was named Mo Erzhen, who was fond of military books, liked to wield spears and sticks, and led the servants of the Mo family.

Mo Xunshi said to Danchu: "The young general is famous and renowned in Guangxi. As soon as he entered the city yesterday, he announced the reduction of taxes and the abolition of outdated rules. The army is strictly disciplined and has never violated anyone. It is truly a king's army. As the head of the Mo family, I welcome the general to settle in Yong'an. "To be honest, I am an official of the Ming Dynasty. I have also served as the governor of Zizai Prefecture in Liaodong, but I was the last governor of Zizai Prefecture. In the first year of Tianqi, Zizai Prefecture was captured by the Jiannu.

"The Tartars entered the city, angry that the army and civilians refused to surrender, and burned, killed, and looted. They slaughtered the strong, the old, and the weak, and took the women and children as slaves. In this battle, only a few Ming troops broke through the siege. I was lucky enough to survive and returned home after losing my official position.

"The Ming Dynasty has been very kind to our Mo family. As a state official, I have the responsibility to defend the land, but I lost the city and the land. I feel guilty for the rest of my life. I am old and can no longer fight in the battlefield. I can only swear not to shave my hair and be a loyal soul to the Ming Dynasty after my death.

"There are many loyal and brave men in our clan. Mo Guangshu is a man of wisdom and Mo Erzhen is a skilled warrior. They may be able to serve the young general and fulfill my wish."

Mo Xunshi's words were sincere, and between the lines, he revealed his deep affection for the Ming Dynasty and his bitter hatred for the Tartars.

Mo Guangshu and Mo Erzhen both stepped forward and bowed to Danchu.

Danchu returned the gift and was delighted to see that Mo Guangshu was smart and capable and Mo Erzhen was strong and muscular.

Unexpectedly, Mo Xunshi still had such a worry. Mo Xunshi witnessed the brutality of the Tartars with his own eyes, and managed to escape from them by chance. He narrowly escaped death during the process, which was unknown to outsiders. In this life, he would probably never surrender to the Tartars.

Danchu said without hesitation: "Liaodong is close to Jianzhou, and the Jiannu may be able to do something violent. Guangxi is located in the south, separated by the Five Ridges. The Jiannu dare not cross the south of the Yangtze River easily, and sent the three rebel kings to cross the river. When they arrived in Guangxi, they were already exhausted.

"Our army has the ambition to revive the Ming Dynasty, the Mo family has the heart to defend their hometown, and the old gentleman has the hatred of losing the city. As long as we work together and unite as one, we can defend Yong'an nearby and drive out the Tartar invaders in the distance."

Mo Xunshi's face was covered with wrinkles, but at this moment he showed a relieved smile and praised:

"Well said! The young general has great ambitions and is outstanding. It is a blessing for Yong'an that he leads his troops to stay here. I have prepared a thousand dan of rice and a thousand taels of silver. Please accept them."

According to the customary rules, when the army arrived at a place, the local gentry and merchants would collect money to reward the army to prevent the army from robbing. The old patriarch was generous and without waiting for any urging, he immediately gave a thousand taels of silver and a thousand shi of rice.

I have heard that the Mo family is rich, and today I see that it is indeed as it is said to be. Danchu was not polite and said, "Mr. Old Master, this is a good idea, and I would be disrespectful to refuse it."

The prefect Wei Shizhong said, "During the Chenghua period, the Mo family donated land to the court to build a city, spending a fortune. They also spent a fortune to settle the Yao and Dong people. This time they donated money and grain again, which shows that Mr. Mo is sincere."

Behind the Mo family's team followed more than a dozen large carts, which came forward one by one. The grain bags were full and the silver boxes were heavy. When they opened them, the grain bags were filled with the fragrance of rice and the silver boxes were shining with silver, which was dazzling.

Danchu was very happy. The Mo family was loyal to the Ming Dynasty and had strong strength. With the support of the Mo family, he would be able to gain a firm foothold in Yongan.

Mo had arranged a banquet in the village, and Danchu followed him into the village to talk. Mo Xunshi sat in a sedan chair, and Danchu rode a horse, heading towards Mojia Village.

(End of this chapter)