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

Chapter 51 Base
Mojia Village is located on the bank of Mengshui River, eight miles south of the city. In the north of the village stands a fortress, about one and a half miles in radius, where the Mo family's direct lineage lives.

In times of turmoil, landlords and tyrants often built forts to defend themselves. In the late Ming Dynasty, with the popularization of firearms, the defensive capabilities of forts were greatly weakened. The Mo family had been operating in Yong'an for a long time. Their forts were unique. They were built of bricks and stones, with a wall ten feet high, which was enough to resist ordinary artillery.

Although the Moshiwu Fortress is small, it has everything. There is a trench outside the fortress, and the Mengshui River is used as a moat. There are four gates, towers, and watchtowers. The top of the city wall is wide enough for riding horses, and the battlements are equipped with cannons. Inside the fortress, there are wells, granaries, horse pens, and hay storage facilities. The stage, ancestral hall, and training ground are all available, just like a small city.

Danchu's eyes were opened and he had a deeper understanding of local tyrants. Tyrants like the Mo family were rich, powerful and big enough to compete with the government. There were also a large number of chieftains in Guangxi who were even more powerful than the Mo family.

During the Ming Dynasty, local governments were generally able to suppress the powerful. But by the end of the Ming Dynasty, the country was in disarray and the power of the powerful seemed to be on the rise again.

In the future, if I want to manage Guangxi, I have to handle the relationship with local tyrants well. The best situation is to win over the tyrants to serve me, and it would be best if they take the initiative to come and serve me like the Mo family. At the very least, I have to use force to intimidate the tyrants so that they dare not have the intention of rebellion.

The fort was busy but not chaotic. The Mo family entertained them generously, directing the servants to slaughter pigs and sheep, arrange banquets, and set up the stage. Danchu had no interest in listening to the opera, so he explained his purpose and discussed the current situation with Mo Xunshi.

On Danchu's side, He Yun and Kuang Shi were sitting with him. On the Mo family's side, in addition to Mo Xunshi and Mo Guangshu, there was another new face who was nearly 40 years old.

Mo Xunshi introduced, "Young General, this is Mr. Yu, whose name is Houji and whose courtesy name is Chengyi. He is from Teng County, Wuzhou Prefecture. He has the talent of Zhuge Kongming and the ambition to help the world. He is currently serving as a guest here."

Yu Houji could sit with the Mo family father and son, so he must be the Mo family's strategist. Danchu couldn't help but look at him more, and saw that he had a resolute expression, clear eyes, and extraordinary bearing, like a man with a wealth of knowledge and strategies.

The two men bowed to each other.

Mo Xunshi continued, "In May, Mr. Yu raised an army in Teng County to resist the Qing Dynasty, but unfortunately he was defeated and retreated to Yong'an. I was friends with Mr. Yu's father, so I took him in and took him into the fort for refuge.

"However, Mr. Yu has great talent and should be put to good use. He should not waste his time in Mojia Village. To accomplish great things, it is most important to have talented people. If the young general does not give up, please take Mr. Yu in on my behalf and help him fulfill his life's ambition."

Danchu was overjoyed, but he could not help but feel suspicious. Moxunshi was too enthusiastic. He first donated money and recommended his descendants, and now he recommended a counselor to him, which made him suspicious.

However, on second thought, he is already around seventy years old and has always refused to shave his head, so he must not have any bad intentions. It is also a good thing for me to get a counselor for nothing. If I want to do big things in the future, I have to constantly recruit talents, especially reliable counselors. He Yun has too much bookish air. He is good at writing articles, but he doesn't have any imperial skills.

Mr. Mo is right. To accomplish great things, we must first have talented people. Talents are everywhere. The key is to be good at discovering and using them.

Emperor Gaozu of Han relied on many petty officials from Pei County to gain the throne. Most of the twenty-four generals of Huaixi in the early Ming Dynasty came from humble backgrounds.

Military generals are made in battle, and prime ministers are made through experience. When it comes to governing a country and pacifying the world, the talents of a county are enough. Just like setting up a stage to perform a play, it would be best to have a pile of gold and jade, but if these conditions are not available, gathering the talents of a county is enough to form a makeshift team.

As long as Yu Houji, who is not well-known, is given the opportunity and allowed to gain experience, he may become a talented person in the future.

Thinking of this, Danchu stood up, bowed to Yu Houji and said:

"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Mo. I am not talented, but I was lucky enough to have made some military achievements and was stationed in Yong'an. When it comes to dismounting and comforting the people, I don't have many tricks. I need a man like Mr. Yu to help the world. If Mr. Yu doesn't mind, please condescend to join my army and help me with confidential matters."

Being a staff advisor is much better than hiding in Mojia Village. Yu Houji did not refuse and said, "The general's achievements are obvious to all. I am willing to serve you. But I am afraid that my virtue is not worthy of the position and I will fail to meet the general's expectations."

"Sir, you are too polite," Danchu said, "Killing the Tartars is like gathering rivers. When rivers gather, they become a vast ocean. With the number of Han people and the vast territory of Han, if we can unite as one, we can trap the Tartars in the vast ocean. Why worry about not being able to drive out the Tartars and revive the Ming Dynasty?"

Everyone was delighted. Mo Xunshi asked his servants to bring wine and food, and everyone drank and talked, and the mood became better. Danchu talked about the current situation, and he couldn't help but worry: "The current emperor was kidnapped by Liu Chengyin in Fengtian, and there is no communication between the inside and the outside. Although the Qing invaders were defeated in Guilin, they have repeatedly succeeded in Huguang. Commander He is not responsible for the area, and he was almost killed by Liu Chengyin not long ago.

"The situation in Huguang is gradually deteriorating, endangering Fengtian. I am afraid that the Qing invaders will send troops to Fengtian soon. A big change is imminent, and I am young and alone, unable to do anything, and I feel deeply guilty."

This statement was a bit hypocritical, but everyone present was moved. If we talk about being powerless, He Yun, Mo Xunshi, and Yu Houji are powerless. Although Kuang Shi has the talent of a general, he has been staying in the standard camp for a long time and cannot display his talents. He is still just a team leader. Mo Guangshu is good at political schemes, but he is only the leader of the Mojia Village militia, not even the clan leader.

Yu Houji said in a solemn voice: "General, don't be discouraged. The emperor has been in desperate situations many times, but he has survived many times. It can be seen that God blesses the Ming Dynasty. Although a great change is imminent, the emperor will definitely be able to turn danger into safety."

The so-called "escaping from a desperate situation" is just a euphemism. The Yongli Emperor was ridiculed as the "Emperor of the Fleeing World". He would flee at the slightest sign of trouble, and he was able to escape from every desperate situation.

Therefore, he became the longest-reigning emperor in the history of the Southern Ming Dynasty, much luckier than Hongguang and Longwu. For this reason, the Southern Ming Dynasty always lacked a core to resist the Qing Dynasty and missed the opportunity to revive.

Yu Houji continued, "When Taizu started his business, he followed the motto of 'build high walls, delay claiming the throne, and store up grain'. Now the emperor is in an uncertain place and has no basis, and his subordinates have lost their perspective. Therefore, the people are not attached to him and the army is not following him.

"If you want to drive out the Tartars, you must first have enough soldiers and food. If you want to have enough soldiers and food, you must first have a base. Yong'an Prefecture is small and the people are poor, it is not a base. If the general is ambitious for the future, you must first seek a place, settle the old camp, manage production, and train elite troops."

Isn’t this building a base?

It’s interesting to talk about building a base first without talking about welcoming the emperor.

Danchu was very fond of him and asked, "According to your opinion, where can you base it?"

Yu Houji said without hesitation: "Other provinces are not worth mentioning. There are five major cities in Guangxi, namely Wuzhou, Guilin, Xunzhou, Nanning, and Liuzhou. Wuzhou and Liuzhou are places that must be fought for by military strategists; Liuzhou is a place where Yao and Dong people live together and gradually borders the Western Army; Xunzhou is a place with many connections and is not easy to defend.

"Nanning is the only place where the Left and Right Rivers meet. Going up the Right River, you can reach Yunnan and Guizhou, and going up the Left River, you can reach Annan. There is a post road to Qinzhou and Lianzhou in Guangdong in the south, which can lead to the sea. The land is fertile and the grain production is abundant. It can be used as a base.

"Nanning is currently occupied by Marquis Si'en. Judging from his character, he may have other intentions. If there is an opportunity in the future, would you be interested, General?"

Taking Nanning as the base is indeed the best choice for the future. But this? Isn't this too bold?
Danchu was a general under Jiao Lian at the time, and Jiao Lian had no ambitions, but Danchu wanted to leave Jiao Lian and fly away, but the time was far from ripe. He wanted to persuade Jiao Lian to seize Nanning, but he was not able to persuade him at all.

Besides, Danchu was Qu Shisi's son-in-law, so he had to consider his father-in-law when doing things.

Difficult! Living in this chaotic world, it is difficult for everyone.

Emperor Yongli was controlled by Liu Chengyin and had no dignity as an emperor. Qu Shisi only had the title of governor, and his military and political orders were not issued outside the two counties of Lingui and Lingchuan. Although Jiao Lian, as a general, won a series of great victories, he did not reverse the passive situation in strategy.

As a time traveler, Danchu has wonderful ideas and great ambitions, but he cannot realize them. Since he traveled through time, he has achieved a lot of achievements, but he has not changed history. He still has to be careful and accumulate slowly.

"The proposal for Nanning is very good," Danchu replied, "but I am a general under General Jiao, and my primary mission is to defend Guilin and Fengtian. I cannot move to Nanning for the time being. Everyone, please don't say too much about the proposal for Nanning. I already know it and I have my own plan."

(End of this chapter)