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

Chapter 52 Welcoming the Emperor
Danchu had just arrived in Yong'an and was eager to start his plan. Unexpectedly, on August 22, not long after the Mid-Autumn Festival, an urgent letter came from Pingle, announcing another major change in the situation.

It turned out that the Qing army could not stand the heat. After July, the weather turned cooler and the Qing army began to attack Hunan again. The Ming army was defeated and He Tengjiao retreated to Quanzhou. Liu Chengyin conspired to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, sent troops to imprison Emperor Yongli, and sent his confidant to negotiate with the Manchu Gongshun King Kong Youde.

Qu Shisi sent an urgent letter from Guilin, ordering Jiao Lian to send troops to reinforce Quanzhou. At this time, the prefectures and counties of Pingle Prefecture were gradually pacified. Jiao Lian was stationed in Pingle and sent Ma Qijiao, Zhao Xing, and Bi Zhuangyou to lead 7,000 troops to rush to Quanzhou overnight. He also ordered the Du Biao personal army to assemble and enter Guilin to defend it.

Military orders must not be disobeyed. Danchu had no choice but to obey the order after receiving the letter. However, Yongan Prefecture could not be abandoned lightly, so he left the third team and the boy team in Yongan, and led the central army, the musket team, the first team, and the second team back to Guilin to provide assistance.

The Dubiao had no Boy Troop. Zuo Xie was stationed alone in Yong'an, far away from the central army and not constrained. For the convenience of management, Danchu ordered the boy soldiers to be organized into a separate team, which was called the Boy Troop in the army.

Yu Houji had become the de facto military strategist, shrewd and capable, resourceful and decisive, and was highly trusted by Danchu. He had been in the group for too short a time, so Danchu did not dare to let him go suddenly, so he ordered He Yun to stay in Yong'an and take charge of the military and political power.

The safety of Yong'an depends on the army left behind. In addition to the three teams and the boy team, there is another militia team with 120 people, led by Mo Erzhen. Mo is willing to surrender, so Danchu plans to test Jiao Lian's attitude first and then expand the army.

Before leaving, Danchu created the "Central Army Staff" to lead the three teams, the boy team, and the militia to assist He Yun in defending the city. Kuangshi was originally the leader of the three teams, but he was promoted to the Central Army Staff and was very grateful to Danchu.

On the 24th, Dan Chu led the central army, the musketeers, the first team and the second team, and after a forced march, arrived at Pingle and joined forces with Jiao Lian.

The Du Biao troops assembled in Pingle, totaling 1,400 men and horses, the elite of the entire army. Jiao Lian did not stop and immediately led his troops to Guilin.

On the 27th, the governor's troops entered Guilin, and Jiao Lian and Dan Chu entered the garrison to meet Qu Shisi.

Seeing the two generals, Qu Shisi finally smiled from his worried face. Of these two, Jiao Lian was a general he could rely on, and Cen Danchu was his son-in-law. With them, Qu Shisi seemed to be much more relaxed.

He sighed and said, "Last time, Fengtian and Quanzhou were in urgent need, and this department sent the Du Biao personal battalion to help. Who knew that the court would support these people with high positions and generous salaries, but when the battle came, they retreated and did not move forward. This department was deeply resentful. The marshal summoned them and came. His loyalty and bravery are commendable. It is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty."

Qu Shisi held the titles of Minister of both the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War. Referring to himself by a lower position was a common way of modesty in official circles.

Jiao Lian replied, "It is my duty to be loyal to my master. Lian led the troops to help, just to fulfill my duty."

As the governor of Guilin, he could not do without his own troops. Qu Shisi tried to establish a personal army, but the situation was too chaotic and he had no time to train his troops, so he had to recruit volunteers. The result is predictable. Although there were many volunteers, they were in a mess. In just one month, Guilin was in a state of chaos.

Quanzhou was in danger, and Qu Shisi sent the general of the Du Biao, Tan Yuchun, to lead the troops to rescue. Tan Yuchun was afraid of the enemy and did not dare to move forward. He stopped his troops at Baishitan in the north of the city. Qu Shisi was furious and planned to kill Tan Yuchun, which caused a mutiny in the Du Biao.

Danchu had heard about this incident on the road, and was even more moved when he heard Qu Shisi's account of it.

The Ming Dynasty had long been using civil officials to control military officers. By the time of the Southern Ming, civil officials were no longer able to control military officers. He Tengjiao, Du Yinxi, and Qu Shisi were all known as capable officials with high positions and power, but they could not truly control military officers, and thus could not accomplish great things. In troubled times, military officers are in power, and no matter how far they go in the future, they must firmly grasp the military power.

Talking about the current situation, Qu Shisi was slightly relieved and said: "The Qing army has conquered Yongzhou and is heading towards Quanzhou. There is news from Fengtian that Liu Chengyin led his troops to surrender. But the situation is improving. The emperor took advantage of the chaos to escape and is probably in Liuzhou now.

"In Quanzhou, Commander He has assembled a large army, including the Yunnan troops led by Zhao Yinxuan, Hu Yiqing, Hao Yongzhong's Shun troops, and the troops led by Ma Qijiao and Zhao Xing under the command of General Jue, with a total of no less than 50,000 soldiers and horses. "Zhao Yinxuan, Hao Yongzhong, and Ma Qijiao are all brave generals, and the three rebel kings are the generals of our defeated army. There should be no problem in the battle of Quanzhou."

The Yunnan troops under Zhao Yinxuan were quite powerful and were named "Yu Dian Camp" by Emperor Yongli. They were divided into three generals: Zhao Yinxuan, Hu Yiqing and Wang Yongzuo. Because Zhao Yinxuan was older, the three generals jointly recommended him as the commander of the Yu Dian Camp.

Hao Yongzhong is Hao Yaoqi, who was initially the flag bearer of the central army. He always waved the flag in the army to boost morale, hence the name Hao Yaoqi. Later he became a general under Li Zicheng.

He was a brave and skilled warrior, and was tough and difficult to control. He was at odds with other generals, and Li Zicheng was unable to subdue him when he was still alive. After Li Zicheng's death, the Dashun Army fell apart. He Tengjiao was hostile to the Dashun Army, and took the opportunity to recruit Hao Yaoqi and exclude other Dashun Army generals such as Li Guo and Gao Yigong.

Hao Yaoqi, Wang Jincai and others were recruited by He Tengjiao, and Hao Yaoqi changed his name to Hao Yongzhong. Li Guo, Gao Yigong and others were recruited by Du Yinxi and called "Zhongzhengying". Li Guo changed his name to Li Chixin and Gao Yigong changed his name to Gao Bizheng.

The situation eased, and Jiao Lian and Cen Danchu both breathed a sigh of relief. Jiao Lian said, "I brought a total of 1,400 elite soldiers with me this time. If the elder has any arrangements, just tell me directly."

Qu Shisi was very pleased and said, "You are truly a loyal minister. Quanzhou is the gateway to Yanguan and also the gateway to Guangxi. We cannot afford to lose the battle of Quanzhou. Although Zhao Yinxuan and Hao Yongzhong are good at fighting, they are unruly and have powerful troops and horses. They all have titles.

"Ma Qijiao is still a junior officer, and he is only a general. He may be overshadowed by the two generals. Marshal Jue defeated the three rebel kings not long ago, and Quanzhou still needs the help of Marshal Jue's reputation. The emperor is hunting in the south, and there is no news, so we need to send troops to escort him as soon as possible. If Zhuo is resourceful, why not lead his troops to welcome the emperor and ask the emperor to return to Guilin."

Welcoming the emperor was a good job, and it was easy to get the emperor's favor. But Emperor Yongli was too timid and might not dare to return to Guilin. It would be difficult to welcome him back to Guilin without extraordinary means. Considering that there were still a large number of court officials, harems, eunuchs and others in the small court, this job was not an easy task.

Jiao Lian said without hesitation, "I will follow the Lord's arrangement. I will lead the Central Army and the Right Brigade of the Governor's Brigade and move to Quanzhou tomorrow. Zhuoru will lead the Left Brigade of the Governor's Brigade and go west to Liuzhou to welcome the emperor. Please ask the Lord whether we should send troops to defend Guilin? Generals Bai Gui, Zhu Minru and others under my command can come at any time."

Qu Shisi was very moved. After a little thought, he rejected Qu Shisi's proposal and said, "Pingle has just been pacified. We need a large army to garrison and comfort the people."

Jiao Lian took his leave, leaving the father-in-law and son-in-law to talk.

Seeing Danchu full of vigor and vitality, Qu Shisi was very satisfied. He was over sixty years old, and he was at the highest position among the officials. His reputation surpassed that of He Tengjiao and Du Yinxi. Now he had a good son-in-law, and his daughter was taken care of. He could have no regrets.

After explaining the matter of welcoming the emperor, Qu Shisi hesitated for a long time and finally asked: "Zhuoru, I have always wanted to establish a personal army for the governor, but I have never been able to do so. You have the talent to train soldiers, are you willing to serve in my governor's army?"

Cen Danchu was shocked and felt that Qu Shisi's move was really abrupt. The virtue of a warrior lies in loyalty. If he left Jiao Lian, Jiao Lian would not disallow it, but he might not be able to take the troops of Zuo Xie with him. The officialdom in Guilin was mixed, and he was too inexperienced to do things. Even if he was appointed as a general, it would be difficult for him to do things freely.

Therefore, Danchu rejected his father-in-law's proposal and said tactfully: "Sir, I am still young and incompetent, and it is difficult for me to take on such an important task. Moreover, if I become your son-in-law and lead your personal army, I am afraid that I will cause gossip from the censors."

The censors of the Ming Dynasty loved to stir up trouble out of nothing. Qu Shisi valued his reputation, so he gave up on the idea of ​​personally supervising the army.

(End of this chapter)