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

Chapter 54: Guangxi Defender Deputy General
On the 30th, Cen Danchu led his army to the Xunjiang River. There are two Xunjiang Rivers in Guangxi, the Big Xunjiang River is the Xunzhou section of the Xijiang River, from Xunzhou to Wuzhou; the Small Xunjiang River is a tributary of the Qianjiang River, flowing through Guni Pass and merging into the Rongjiang River in Huaiyuan.

The Datongxia Basin of the Xijiang River and the Qianjiang Basin have been inhabited by the Yao and Dong peoples since ancient times, and were not valued by the Central Plains dynasties, and the Han people rarely set foot in them. During the Ming Dynasty, Lingnan was further developed, the Xijiang River ran through Guangdong and Guangxi, and the Qianjiang River was connected to Guizhou, and its status became increasingly important.

Han people continued to migrate to the Da Tengxia and Qianjiang River basins, and frequently clashed with the local Yao and Dong people. For this reason, the Ming Dynasty deployed troops on a large scale in Guangxi, set up officials in the Da Tengxia and Qianjiang River basins, and finally completely incorporated Guangxi into the territory of the Central Plains Dynasty.

At Xiaoxun River, Danchu encountered a group of defeated soldiers and learned that Fengtian had fallen. When asked about the whereabouts of Emperor Yongji, the defeated soldiers were at a loss and only said that they saw the court officials retreating westward.

Yu Houji suggested: "The defeated troops have already reached Xunjiang River and are fleeing westward blindly. There must be an army ahead of them. Our army should advance quickly on horseback and find Emperor Yongli before other armies, and win the credit for his support."

Danchu agreed with this and divided the left army into two groups. The first and second groups were in the front, led by Danchu, and marched lightly. The central army and the musketeers were in the back, led by Yu Houji, and agreed to meet at Guni Pass.

The closer they got to Guni Pass, the more defeated soldiers they encountered on the way, and occasionally they encountered a few minor officials who looked like civil officials. They were either cautious and unwilling to say more, or were at a loss and could not tell where Emperor Yongli had gone.

Intuition told Cen Danchu that Emperor Yongli must be at Guni Pass. The trip was quite smooth and the morale of the soldiers was very high.

On the afternoon of September 1, Danchu led his troops to approach Guni Pass. A team of Ming troops was on guard by the road, using simple fortifications to block the road.

Along the way, the chaotic soldiers were like headless flies, and did not stop Danchu and others. There was a warning here, it seemed that Emperor Yongli must be in Guni Pass.

Danchu rode forward and said, "I am Cen Danchu, the commander of the Left Auxiliary Command under the command of the Earl of Xinxing. I have come to greet you on the orders of Lord Qu."

A Ming army general came over and asked, "Is it the young general who captured the flag and killed the general outside Guilin City?"

"Exactly."

"I have admired you for a long time."

Danchu stepped forward and handed Qu Shisi's order to the general. He looked thin and dark, with bloodshot eyes, torn armor and wounded arms, as if he had just been through a fierce battle.

He glanced at the warrant, and then saw that Danchu and the others had long hair, not short hair, and knew that his identity was true. The soldiers and horses behind Danchu were strong, with bright saddles and armor, and they showed no signs of hunger, which made the sentry envious.

Danchu asked, "May I ask Your Excellency, is the Emperor in Gunni?"

Although the deputy general was alert, he was extremely tired. His eyes showed disappointment, numbness and indifference. He asked, "Brother, do you have any wine or food?"

"There are dry food, but not much wine." Danchu waved his hand, called over the captain of the first team, Wei Guosong, and said, "Prepare some wine and food for this old man."

The general was delighted and said, "Brother, I have thirty brothers under my command. If possible, please give us thirty portions of dry food."

Judging from his robe, he was at least a deputy general, but he looked pitiful. Danchu waved his hand and ordered Wei Guosong: "Prepare fifty portions of dry food and send a pot of sake to my brother."

The deputy general was overjoyed and told him everything he knew: "The emperor is fat. He walked thirty miles in the past two days and lost all his carriages. He only found the mules and horses this morning. He arrived at Guni Pass at noon and is staying at Biluojia Inn. I can take you there to meet the emperor first."

Dan Chu was deeply saddened to see the emperor in such an embarrassing state.

Guni Pass was once the county seat, but it has long been abandoned and turned into a market town. Not long ago, the rebels looted Guni Pass and then set it on fire, leaving only rubble. It rained all night, and Guni Pass had just rained, so the ground was muddy. When we arrived at Luojia Store, there were only a few listless Jinyiwei Tiqi at the door. Although someone had warned them in advance, the Tiqi still looked terrified when they saw Dan Chu and his men in bright armor and sophisticated weapons.

An official wearing a Qilin suit came out upon hearing the news. The Ming Dynasty had a complicated clothing system, and the Qilin suit was the best among official uniforms. Only nobles such as the nobles and the imperial concubines were qualified to wear it. In addition, the commander of the Jinyiwei and the inner court guards also had the right to wear the Qilin suit.

Danchu couldn't help looking down on him when he saw his mean face. A Ming army general beside him whispered to Danchu: The plain-looking middle-aged man in front of him was the commander of the Jinyiwei, Wen'anbo Ma Jixiang.

It turned out to be this guy! This guy was a famous traitor in the Southern Ming Dynasty. He was from Daxing, Shuntian Prefecture, and was a military scholar. He was good at flattery and gained the trust of Emperor Yongli by supporting him. He made friends with eunuchs and made friends with local commanders, and was quite skillful.

The Southern Ming abolished the East and West Factories, but still had the Imperial Guard. The commander of the Imperial Guard was always a military officer trusted by the emperor. Although his rank was not high, he had a close relationship with the emperor and held a very important position.

Ma Jixiang had no military achievements, but he was also awarded the title of Wen'anbo. This shows how much the Southern Ming used official titles.

Unexpectedly, Ma Jixiang was very kind and spoke politely: "The young general's arrival in the imperial court is like a long drought before a rain, which is enough to boost morale. When the emperor heard about it, he was overjoyed and sent me out to greet him. You should go in and see him quickly, pay attention to etiquette, and say more nice things."

Everyone said that Ma Jixiang was a treacherous villain in the current dynasty, but when they met for the first time today, he was surprisingly polite, which made Cen Danchu quite alert: this kind of person is often more insidious and needs to be carefully guarded against.

"Thank you, General Ti, for your reminder." Danchu saluted Ma Jixiang, turned around and said to the captain Wei Guosong, "Give a piece of dried meat to General Ti."

The dried meat was used as rations for the march, and the soldiers were reluctant to eat it. Ma Jixiang, a nobleman, usually lived a life of luxury and looked down upon the dried meat. But at this moment, the dried meat became a delicacy and the best gift in Danchu's hands.

Ma Jixiang took the dried meat and handed it to the eunuch who was accompanying him. He nodded solemnly to Danchu and said, "Young General, follow me."

Luojiadian is a residential area with an inn in the center. The owner is Luo, hence the name. At this moment, Emperor Yongli and his ministers are discussing matters among the ruins of Luojiadian. Emperor Yongli sits on a worn-out chair, and his ministers are divided into two groups, civil and military, standing in the mud.

According to historical records, "When the emperor left Fengtian, he was accompanied by several yellow cloth bundles and the emperor's gold treasures."

Danchu was a little nervous when he first met Emperor Yongli, but seeing how shabby the scene was, he gained a lot of courage. His military boots stepped on the muddy water, his armor creaked, and the ministers turned their heads.

Following Ma Jixiang's instructions, Danchu stood behind the ministers, saluted, and then said loudly: "I am Cen Danchu, the left guerrilla commander of the Guangxi Admiralty, and I have been ordered to stay in Guilin. I am late in coming to rescue you, and I deserve to be put to death."

Emperor Yongli was only 25 years old, with a pale face and an obese body. Although he was cowardly and incompetent, he exuded the noble temperament unique to an emperor.

He pretended to be calm, deliberately maintaining the dignity of an emperor, and said: "Cen Danchu, I have heard of you. You once captured the flag and killed the general outside Guilin City, making a sensation. How many soldiers and horses are you bringing with you this time?"

Danchu didn't dare to say more, so he said: "Your Majesty, there are 500 elite soldiers in total, experienced in battles, and each of them can fight ten enemies at once."

Standing at the front of the court was the Prime Minister Yan Qiheng, who said, "Your Majesty, the Earl of Xinxing has many brave generals under his command. In the Battle of Guilin in March, the Earl of Xinxing defeated the Qing invaders with 300 elite soldiers, which shows how elite his troops are. When Cen Danchu led his troops to guard the city, he was also loyal and brave."

Emperor Yongli understood and said, "Good. Xinxing Earl Jiao Lian has made great contributions and deserves to be rewarded. He is promoted to Xinxing Marquis. Cen Danchu has led the battles and has made great contributions in protecting the emperor. He is promoted to Guangxi Assistant Defense Deputy General."

(End of this chapter)