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

Chapter 55 Party Struggle
During the Hongwu period, the title of general commander had already appeared in the Ming Dynasty, and most of them were the commanders of an army. After that, the number of general commanders increased day by day. By the time of the Southern Ming Dynasty, general commanders were as numerous as cattle hair.

Despite this, Danchu was promoted to deputy general, which was a great promotion. Among the generals under Jiao Lian, only Ma Qijiao was the general, and most of the others were deputy generals. Zhu Minru and Feng Zhiji had less experience and were only deputy generals.

Danchu was promoted to deputy general of Guangxi for his meritorious service in protecting the emperor, and he was naturally happy.

Unexpectedly, a few coughs were heard beside the Yongli Emperor. It was Pang Tianshou, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department. During the Battle of Guilin, Pang Tianshou was the eunuch supervising the army, and later went to Fengtian to protect the emperor. Pang Tianshou made great contributions to the escape of the Yongli Emperor and his ministers from Fengtian, so he was trusted by the Yongli Emperor.

Emperor Yongli understood and said, "Jiao Lian defeated the Qing invaders, Pang Tianshou was a powerful military supervisor and made great contributions to the manufacture of cannons. He is to be awarded the first-class crown and clothes and be appointed as the supervisor of Han and local officers and soldiers."

The eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty abused their power, and those who were knowledgeable were deeply distressed. Among the civil officials, an imperial censor immediately stepped out of the ranks and said:

"According to the ancestral system of our dynasty, the highest rank of eunuchs was the fourth rank. Since Emperor Yingzong, eunuchs of our dynasty have often risen to the first or second rank. They held the pens of the imperial court, supervised the Western Factory, abused their power and interfered in government affairs, causing great harm.

"Those in high positions, such as Wang Zhen, Liu Jin, Wei Zhongxian, and Wang Zhi, were prominent for a time, and even had ancestral temples built for them and were called "Nine Thousand Years Old". They brought disaster to the country and the people, and the gods and humans were indignant, and even their entire clans were punished.

"I ask the emperor to abide by the ancestral system and restrain the eunuchs. This will carry on the will of the great ancestor and preserve the happiness and longevity of eunuch Pang. Isn't that good?"

The person who spoke was Liu Xiangke, the censor of Shaanxi Province in the Censorate. He was from Fuping, Shaanxi Province. He was upright and outspoken. He once impeached Anguo Duke Liu Chengyin in Fengtian for holding the court hostage.

Liu Xiangke's elder brother Liu Yuansheng was the Minister of Military Affairs, nominally in charge of the Beijing Camp. Liu Chengyin was afraid to kill Liu Xiangke and wanted to punish him with a stick, but his ministers opposed it. Liu Xiangke became famous and was highly regarded by people at that time.

As soon as Liu Xiangke finished speaking, the audience began to discuss, some opposed, some agreed, and the more they spoke, the more outrageous and excited they became. Emperor Yongli had no opinion to begin with, and now he was even more annoyed.

Ma Jixiang stood outside the door, between Emperor Yongli and the ministers, and said: "Your Majesty, I dare to say a few words. During the Fengtian period, the court was controlled by Liu Chengyin. Eunuch Pang risked his life to meet Liu Chengyin's mother alone, and inspired her with loyalty and righteousness, so that the emperor and his ministers were able to escape.

"Extraordinary achievements deserve extraordinary rewards. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I think that your Majesty is wise and that eunuch Pang has made outstanding contributions. Although he cannot be granted a title, he can be awarded the first-class uniform and be promoted to the position of Han officers and soldiers."

Even at this time, the ministers were still arguing, which showed that the factional struggle in the Ming Dynasty was already terminally ill. Cen Danchu was very disappointed. Through the sunset, he saw that Emperor Yongli was full of worry and hesitant.

To be an emperor, one must be able to control his power and authority in order to have prestige. Taizu and Chengzu in the early Ming Dynasty were both powerful rulers, so they could naturally control their power and authority and make arbitrary decisions. In the later period, there was Emperor Jiajing, who lived in seclusion in the deep palace but was very strict with his subordinates. How could an emperor like Emperor Yongli, who had neither his own opinions nor prestige, revive the Ming Dynasty?
At this time, it was the Prime Minister's turn to speak. Yan Qiheng, however, acted as a peacemaker and said, "Your Majesty, it is getting late. We will discuss the reward and punishment tomorrow. Cen Danchu offers wine and food, please prepare the meal."

It was getting dark, and the Yongli emperor and his ministers had been on the run for several days without much food or drink. Many of them were starving, and when they heard that Danchu had sent them dry rations, their eyes lit up.

Emperor Yongli was sensible and ordered the dry food to be divided equally. Danchu was also generous and asked the soldiers to light a fire outside Luo's store to cook porridge. At this time, a bowl of steaming white rice porridge is absolutely the best taste in the world.

There was a house that was fairly decent, with about three rooms. The Empress Dowager, concubines, princes, and princesses were all crowded inside. Emperor Yongli sat in the middle of the main room, with two eunuchs serving on his left and right.

The ground outside the house was muddy, and the ministers just found something to sit on. Some were so tired that they just sat on the mud.

After drinking the rice porridge, Emperor Yongli was very satisfied. Looking at the starry sky, he was filled with emotion, poured the wine on the ground, and said to his ministers: "When there is peace in the future, please do not Don't forget this evening between you and me."

Prime Minister Yan Qiheng replied: "Your Majesty is wise and wise, and your subjects are loyal and righteous. Peace is just around the corner."

Although he knew that he was lying, Emperor Yongli still smiled and said, "Sir, you are right. When the ruler and his subjects are in harmony, there will be peace."

At three o'clock in the morning, Emperor Yongli went to bed with the door closed.

Dan Chu breathed a sigh of relief and was about to go back to rest, but was stopped by Yan Qiheng.

Yan Qiheng was from Shanyin, Zhejiang. He was a Jinshi in the Chongzhen period. He was honest in his official duties and loyal to his master. When Emperor Yongli was trapped in Fengtian, Yan Qiheng never left him and had a high reputation in the court and the country. Commentators often mentioned him and Qu Shisi together, believing that the two of them were both capable of serving as role models. However, both of them lacked the talent to save the situation. When the empire was about to collapse, they could not come up with a practical plan to save the situation. Especially Yan Qiheng, as the chief minister, had a more important responsibility.

He pulled Cen Danchu aside and said, "I have read the memorial of Lord Qu. Please return to Guilin, Your Majesty. I will do my best to make this happen. I have a question for you, and you must answer it truthfully."

Danchu didn't understand what was going on, so he said solemnly, "Just ask, sir."

"How many soldiers did you bring? What is their fighting capacity?"

That was the matter. Danchu answered without hesitation, "There are 500 soldiers in total, all of whom are veterans of the battlefield. There are about 100 heavy cavalry and 100 musketeers. All of them have at least one horse. Their fighting capacity should not be underestimated. They once fought a bloody battle with the Qing invaders under the city of Guilin and have never been defeated."

Yan Qiheng was skeptical. If the Ming army was really that powerful, would they keep losing cities and territories, and would they still be held hostage by Liu Chengyin in Fengtian?
At this point, he had no other options left and could only place his hopes on Cen Danchu. He said:
"In the next few days, more defeated soldiers will arrive at Guni Pass, and the Yao and Dong people nearby may also be ready to make a move. If the defeated soldiers or the Yao and Dong people rebel, are you sure you can protect the emperor with your 500 soldiers?"

How can we be sure of such a thing? It's just a desperate fight. However, Cen Danchu didn't want the Prime Minister to be suspicious, so he said, "We are sure. Although our army is small, it is a well-trained army that can fight ten enemies at once. We will have no problem dealing with the defeated soldiers and the Yao and Dong."

Seeing Danchu so sure, Yan Qiheng felt relieved.

Danchu could not help but say, "Lord, Guni Pass is a small place, and it has been plundered by rebels. It is not a place for Your Majesty to stay. For now, we should ask Your Majesty to return to Guilin as soon as possible and preside over the great cause of national rejuvenation."

Yan Qiheng smiled bitterly, not wanting to say much, and just said, "The power of heaven is hard to predict, and we, as ministers, should not speculate rashly."

Danchu understood: Emperor Yongli did not want to return to Guilin! Guilin was close to the Qing invaders and was a battleground for military strategists. Emperor Yongli did not dare to return to Guilin, lest he be threatened by the Qing invaders.

He is the leader of a country, the center of attention of the whole nation, yet he is so cowardly!

Before he could finish his words, a Tiqi came to look for him. Danchu had no choice but to say goodbye to Yan Qiheng and followed the Tiqi to a corner.

It turned out to be Ma Jixiang who came to see him. He asked Danchu in a low voice: "I don't know why the general has a grudge against eunuch Pang?"

Danchu had soldiers at his disposal, so he was not afraid of Pang Tianshou. He said, "A few months ago, there was a fierce battle in Guilin, and Eunuch Pang stayed at the Guangxi Dusi Yamen. I led my soldiers to the Dusi Yamen to request weapons, and I think I offended him."

Ma Jixiang said: "Eunuch Pang has the power to approve documents and he is also in charge of mobilizing Han and native officers and soldiers. This is a very important position. This is the imperial court. Eunuch Pang is deeply trusted by the emperor. You must be careful."

"Xie Tishuai reminded me."

"Danchu, are you engaged?"

In this chaotic era, the status of warriors has been raised, and they have become the object of competition among all parties. Cen Danchu was very proud. Who was trying to win him over this time? Emperor Yongli? The Empress Dowager?

"She is engaged to the daughter of Lord Qu."

"Oh!" Ma Jixiang suddenly realized, and after a moment of silence, he said, "The Queen Mother has an adopted daughter, who is eighteen years old this year. She was a descendant of a feudal clan and had no one to rely on since she was young. She was raised by the Queen Mother. Today, the Queen Mother saw that you are extraordinary, so she asked me to ask you something. If you are willing to cancel the engagement..."

If he could marry a daughter of the royal family, it would be beneficial to his career. However, Danchu was already engaged, so he resolutely rejected Ma Jixiang's proposal: "I am already engaged and the wedding was originally scheduled to be completed this month. The Queen Mother's kindness is not something I can accept."

Ma Jixiang smiled and said, "The general is a kind person."

(End of this chapter)