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

Chapter 56: Court Dispute
The next day, the news that Emperor Yongli was stationed at Biguni Pass spread.

Surprisingly, the Yao and Dong people nearby did not take the opportunity to cause chaos, but came to offer food. The then chieftain Che You even presented golden knives and soldiers to welcome him. Emperor Yongli was finally given a sedan chair here, which relieved his fatigue from the journey.

Under the protection of Cen Danchu, Emperor Yongli and his ministers left Luojiadian and moved to Tusi Mountain Village. The Yao and Dong people were proud of the emperor's arrival and vied with each other to offer tribute.

Danchu couldn't help but feel deeply moved. The Ming Dynasty's grace was endless, and the locals were simple and hospitable. Emperor Yongli should not have ended it.

In the afternoon, the emperor and his ministers entered the Tusi stronghold. Che You was just a small Tusi in Guniguan, and his stronghold was not large.

For the Yongli Emperor, who had been on the run for days, this place was undoubtedly a paradise. With fragrant wine and delicious meat, harmonious music, warm bed, and hot water for bathing, the Yongli Emperor was so intoxicated that he did not want to leave. As soon as he entered the mountain stronghold, he was busy bathing and resting, and did not summon his ministers.

At the hour of You, the eunuchs announced two imperial decrees: one, to appoint Tusi Che You as the garrison commander of Guni Pass, to guard Guni Pass for generations; two, to order the eunuch Pang Tianzhe, who was in charge of the imperial eunuch affairs, to urge the soldiers to build boats as soon as possible.

Guni Pass is located on the north bank of Xiaoxun River. Going down the Xiaoxun River, you can reach Liuzhou. Liuzhou is located in the heart of Guangxi. Could it be that Emperor Yongli wanted to escape to Liuzhou?

Danchu refused to follow the military order on the grounds that the soldiers were tired.

Guni Pass is located on a major transportation route, and news from all over the country came in one after another. Of course, most of it was bad news:

Chengbu fell, and Grand Secretary Wu Bing, Vice Minister Hou Weishi and others died for their country. Jingzhou fell, and Imperial Censor Lin Hongji, General Yao Youxing and others died for their country. Liping fell, and General Xiao Kuang and others died for their country. Yuanzhou fell, and Governor Mi Shoutu and others died for their country. Yueyang Earl Wang Yuncheng and Governor Fu Shangrui surrendered to the Qing. Pianqiao and Zhenyuan fell...

On the morning of September 3, Emperor Yongli summoned all his ministers to the Tusi Hall. After a rest, his face regained its radiance and his mood improved greatly. He said:

"The day before yesterday, I was in danger. Fortunately, thanks to the protection of my ancestors and the sincere assistance of the civil and military officials, I was able to turn danger into safety. Your merits must be rewarded. I will not hesitate to reward you with official titles. I hope that the monarch and his subjects will work together to overcome the difficulties."

It seems that Emperor Yongli wanted to bypass the factional struggles and directly reward his ministers in the form of an imperial edict.

In order to consolidate the imperial power, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, designed a complex and mutually restraining official system. The most prominent feature of this system is that each government office checks and balances each other, and no government office can have absolute authority.

The emperors of the Ming Dynasty were well aware of this and perfected it. In the central government, when it came to important matters, the normal procedure was that the cabinet would first draft the draft, present it to the emperor, and the emperor would approve it. If the emperor was lazy, he would hand it over to the eunuch in charge of the imperial eunuchs to approve it, and then return it to the cabinet for approval, and finally to the Ministry of Personnel for execution.

In this way, the Cabinet, the Imperial Household Department, the Six Ministries and the Nine Officials checked each other and could not pose a threat to the imperial power. Therefore, although the eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty were extremely powerful, once they fell out of favor, the emperor could kill them with a decree.

However, too much is as bad as too little. In the late Ming Dynasty, this system of mutual checks and balances provided a breeding ground for party disputes. No government office had authority, and no minister had authority. If the ministers had no authority, the major policies would be reversed. Over time, it would shake the foundation of the country.

The most typical phenomenon is the three cases during the Wanli and Tianqi years of the late Ming Dynasty. The officials fought desperately over whether to make a verdict or overturn it, which had a very bad impact.

At the beginning of Emperor Chongzhen's reign, he made a decision on the case of rebellion, which was one of the few wise and decisive actions in his life. At the beginning of Emperor Hongguang's reign, the treacherous minister Ma Shiying was in power. In order to fight against the Donglin Party, Ma Shiying overturned the case again and summoned Ruan Dacheng and other key criminals of the rebellion to the court, which intensified the party struggles in the Hongguang Dynasty.

The Yongli Dynasty was also plagued by constant factional strife, which troubled Zhu Youlang greatly. This time, he rewarded his ministers with an imperial decree, which was a wise move.

The so-called imperial edict was that the emperor bypassed the cabinet and the Imperial Household Department and directly issued an imperial edict to the officials for execution. This was an extraordinary move and could only be done occasionally under normal circumstances.

Cen Danchu also lined up behind the generals, pricked up his ears, and waited for the imperial edict.

According to the palace rules, the eunuch in charge of ceremonies usually read out the imperial edict. But Pang Tianshou was not very literate, so his henchman Ma Jixiang read out the imperial edict instead.

Ma Jixiang, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, held the imperial edict in his hand and read aloud in a clear voice: "By the will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..." A large number of people were rewarded.

The Prime Minister Yan Qiheng was given the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and Qu Shisi was given the title of Grand Protector to the Crown Prince…

Ma Jixiang was promoted from Wenan Earl to Wenan Marquis, and Hou Xing was promoted from Shangqiu Earl to Xiangfu Marquis…

Jiao Lian was promoted from Xinxing Earl to Xinxing Marquis, and his generals were promoted one level. Cen Danchu was appointed as the deputy general of Guangxi Defence and was designated as a third-rank military general...

Liu Xiangke, the censor of Shaanxi Province who always spoke out against the emperor, was also promoted to the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites...

Although official titles in the Yongli Dynasty were worthless, it was unfair that Ma Jixiang was promoted from earl to marquis simply for his meritorious service in protecting the emperor.

There was also Hou Xing, who also attracted Cen Danchu's attention. The Hou family was a large family in Shangqiu, Henan, and Hou Xing's brothers Hou Xun and Hou Ke were both among the Nine Ministers.

Hou Xun was particularly influential because he knew how to appoint the right people to the right posts and helped great generals such as Zuo Liangyu and You Shiwei to succeed in the late Ming Dynasty. His son, Hou Fangyu, was very famous and was one of the Four Young Masters of the late Ming Dynasty.

Hou Xing was very different from Hou Xun. He was arrogant and lawless. He gathered together scoundrels and robbed merchants in Hebei. Later, he bribed the eunuchs and was directly appointed as the "Lieutenant General Guarding Guangxi Ning" without any evidence.

When Emperor Yongli ascended the throne, Hou Xing actively supported him, made friends with powerful officials, and was awarded the title of Shangqiu Bo without any merit. What merit did he have this time to be promoted to Marquis?

Perhaps, Hou Xing was like Danchu, because he had made contributions in protecting the emperor? If Hou Xing led his army to Guni Pass, Cen Danchu's right to speak would be weakened.

Most of the court officials who had contributed to the emperor's protection were promoted. After the imperial edict was read, the officials expressed their gratitude and praised the Yongli Emperor for his wisdom.

Wang Weigong, the Marquis of Huating, stepped forward and made a report: "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

This man is the current uncle of the emperor and the elder brother of Queen Wang. He has made great contributions in protecting the emperor in Fengtian and has gained more and more trust from Emperor Yongli.

"My dear, please speak."

"Hou Xing, the Marquis of Xiangfu, sent a letter, claiming that he was lost in Fengtian before, and led his army to break into Liuzhou. The soldiers and civilians of Liuzhou are eagerly waiting for the royal army, hoping to see the emperor. Hou Xing himself has led his army to Guni, and has prepared sedan chairs, crowns and clothes, and invites the emperor to visit Liuzhou."

Emperor Yongli was overjoyed when he heard this. This trip was in such a hurry that the ceremonial sedan chairs were all lost, and the royal dignity was completely lost. Hou Xing sent clothes to the emperor and welcomed him to Liuzhou, no wonder he was promoted to marquis.

The officials reacted strongly, and most of them opposed the tour to Liuzhou. Yan Qiheng was highly respected and should have been the first to make a memorial, but Wang Weigong got there first. He was very unhappy and retorted:
"Liuzhou is a place where Yao and Dong people live together, and the miasma is rampant. The land is barren and the people are poor, so it is not possible to stay for long. Moreover, Your Majesty's actions are watched by all the people. If you go deep into the barbarian territory, where the land is barren and the people are isolated, how can you gather people's hearts and morale?"

Liu Xiangke was sparse in words, but he also echoed without hesitation: "Hou Xing was a scoundrel in his youth, a big thief, plundering in Hebei. He was protected by his father and brother, and the emperor's grace was so great that he entered our court as an official.

"When the two invaders enter Liuzhou, they will plunder and rob in order to obtain sedan chairs and robes. The Yao and Dong people are fickle and unruly. Since they have been insulted by Hou Xing, they will seek revenge in the future. Hou Xing invited the emperor to visit Liuzhou, which put the emperor in a dangerous and desperate situation. He deserves death."

Although this statement may have been made out of anger, it was very effective. Liu Xiangke knew that Emperor Yongli was timid and cowardly, so he deliberately made alarmist statements, which really made Emperor Yongli hesitate.

All the ministers spoke up, and most of them opposed moving to Liuzhou.

(End of this chapter)