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

Chapter 62 Meeting the Saint
On September 20, the eunuch came to the army to announce that Emperor Yongli had summoned Cen Danchu and Empress Dowager Ma had summoned Zhu Shulu. There was no sedan chair for Danchu in the army, so the Empress Dowager was thoughtful and sent a small sedan chair.

I think it was because of Tan Mingke's grievances. Tan Mingke led 500 Tusi soldiers to Guni Pass and stationed 10 miles south of the pass. He went to the imperial court twice to appeal, but the Yongli Emperor refused to meet him and sent the Ministry of Rites to pretend to be accommodating.

When he met Emperor Yongli, Danchu calmly saluted.

Emperor Yongli asked him to sit down and asked, "Cen Danchu, do you always wear armor?"

"Your Majesty, the situation is chaotic and the people at Guni Pass are mixed. I dare not let my guard down and have to stay alert at all times. Soldiers are wearing armor and can go out of the camp to fight the enemy at any time."

This is not true. Cen Danchu stipulated that the army would implement a duty system, with the three main battle teams taking turns on duty every five days. The duty team would keep their armor on, while the other two teams could take off their armor.

Emperor Yongli was very pleased and said: "You are young and promising, diligent and alert, and you are a real talent for the country."

Danchu just smiled and said, "I am only serving my country loyally."

The emperor was within reach, and the Yongli Emperor was sitting high on the throne. Although he had been in decline for a long time, Danchu still felt a sense of oppression. This was a unique temperament that was born with him, mixed with majesty, luxury, solemnity, and calmness.

This is probably the advantage of being born into an imperial family. One has his own halo and is admired by thousands of soldiers and civilians.

However, considering the various bad deeds of Emperor Yongli in the past, Danchu secretly despised him. People are often deceived by appearances. From now on, no matter where you are, you must keep a clear mind and see the essence of things.

The emperor usually did not summon a minor official for long. Emperor Yongli had something important to ask of him, but he was not in a hurry to speak. Instead, he said in a roundabout way: "Mr. Qu said that your father was a soldier of Jiao Lian and died in the battle of Daozhou in the 16th year of Chongzhen?"

"Back to Your Majesty, yes."

"Have you ever received any praise?"

"No, I only received thirty taels of pension."

"Only thirty taels of pension silver, nothing else?" Emperor Yongli couldn't believe it and asked again.

"Yes."

Emperor Yongli couldn't help but feel ashamed. The battle of Daozhou was really dangerous. The Dashi Army had already entered the city, and he was so scared that he couldn't walk. Fortunately, Jiao Lian risked his life to enter the city and carried him down the city wall. He finally saved his life and was able to be the emperor today.

Looking back on the past, Emperor Yongli sighed and said, "The court is to blame for not providing relief to soldiers after their death. I will issue an edict today to posthumously confer the title of garrison commander on your father, and to set his rank as the fifth rank."

"Thank you Lord for your grace."

There was a silence in the hall, and Danchu was not in a position to speak. Emperor Yongli broke the silence and said, "The day before yesterday, a group of defeated soldiers returned from Wugang, bringing with them a group of armor and ceremonial weapons, among which there was a pair of golden armor. You are brave and good at fighting, and you have made great contributions in protecting the emperor, so I will give you the golden armor."

After that, two cotton-padded guards walked into the hall carrying a pair of bright and shiny golden armor.

The golden armor was not made of pure gold, but was mostly gilded, or decorated with gold and copper studs on the cloth armor. Those who could wear the golden armor were of extraordinary status, and were usually granted by the emperor.

Danchu thanked him again: "Thank you for your grace, my lord. I will repay your kindness with my life." Emperor Yongli was very happy and finally said: "Qin Mingke led his troops to station south of Gunni Pass, ostensibly to appeal for justice, but in fact to demonstrate. Many ministers think he is domineering and lawless. What do you think?"

As expected, Danchu was confident about this matter and asked, "Your Majesty, I heard that the succession of Tusi requires the approval of the court. Tan Yuchun is dead, and Tan Mingke is the eldest son. He should inherit the position of Tusi. I wonder if he has already submitted a letter to the court for approval?"

Although Tusi was hereditary, the successor had to obtain an imperial edict from the court to be legal in terms of procedure. The court generally did not interfere in Tusi's internal affairs, and usually recognized the new successor and declared the court's sovereignty over the Tusi's fiefdom in the form of an imperial edict. When Tusi from different tribes encountered conflicts, they would often ask the court for a ruling. In this way, the court maintained a fragile rule over Tusi in various places.

Emperor Yongli answered without hesitation: "Tan Mingke has submitted a petition requesting to be succeeded as chieftain. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel believe that Tan Mingke led his troops to attack the emperor and that he is worthy of death. Mr. Yan suggested that Tan Mingke be ordered to withdraw his troops first, and then the imperial edict will be issued after he withdraws his troops."

"Your Majesty," Danchu said in a deep voice, "Tan Mingke has his troops stationed ten miles away, and he has also submitted a petition to be granted the title of Tusi, which shows that he still has the court in his heart. Now is a time of trouble, and people are in panic. It is not appropriate to raise troops to kill people.

"I think that instead of engaging in war, it is better to send an envoy to appease him with kind words. At the same time, we should station troops in the south of the city to demonstrate our military might, and use both soft and hard tactics to make him retreat. Finally, we can grant him the position of chieftain and let him return to his fiefdom."

Seeing Danchu's confident look, Emperor Yongli was suspicious and asked, "Qin Mingke's trip was not to seek an official position, but to appeal for justice. What you said is very good, but you didn't mention appealing for justice. If Qin Mingke fails to get what he wants, will he easily withdraw his troops?"

Danchu had a plan in mind and said with certainty: "Asking for an official position and appealing for justice are two different things. Your Majesty should rule them separately. Commander He has the power to deal with it at his convenience and has the power to kill his generals. Tan Mingke appealed for justice, but how do we know that Tan Yuchun did not commit a serious crime?

"The court is not clear about the whole story, and it is not convenient to make a ruling. The only way to get to the bottom of it is to send an imperial envoy to conduct an in-depth investigation, or to summon the parties involved to the court. Tan Yuchun led troops to appeal for justice, which is like raising an army to punish the criminals, and is a great act of treason.

"If we allow him to do whatever he wants, where will the prestige of the court be? Your Majesty sent officials from the Ministry of Rites to comfort him, but it is just like a scholar meeting a soldier, and it is difficult to explain the reason. I overestimate my ability and ask to be an angel officer to explain the pros and cons to Tan Mingke in person and persuade him to withdraw his troops and return to his fiefdom. If the matter fails, I am willing to be subject to military law."

Emperor Yongli was delighted and said, "You are brave enough to take on the task. If you don't let me down, I won't let you down either!"

After bidding farewell to Emperor Yongli, Danchu, led by the eunuch, went to see Empress Dowager Ma. It was not appropriate for the inner court to communicate with outsiders, so Empress Dowager Ma summoned her adopted daughter and son-in-law in the name of meeting to avoid gossip.

Empress Dowager Ma was quite virtuous. After Emperor Longwu died, the ministers supported Zhu Youlang to succeed the throne. However, Empress Dowager Ma clearly opposed it, believing that Zhu Youlang was timid and fearful, and was not a leader who could restore the country.

During these two years, the imperial court was in turmoil. Empress Ma endured humiliation and did her best to reconcile the harem. When in Fengtian, she even condescended to make friends with Liu Chengyin's mother and created conditions for Emperor Yongli to escape from Fengtian.

Cen Danchu bowed, and Queen Mother Ma asked Zhu Shulu to help Danchu up, gave him a seat, and said with a smile:

"Danchu, you and Lu'er are happily married, and we are now a family. The Ming Dynasty is in decline, and it needs capable and brave officials like you. Just do your job well, and I will tell the emperor to treat you well."

"Yes." Danchu was neither humble nor arrogant, and he was calm and steady, not like an 18-year-old boy. He said, "The Queen Mother's grace, I am grateful. Just now, I have asked the Emperor for permission to go and persuade Tan Mingke to withdraw his troops tomorrow to repay the Emperor and the Queen Mother for their kindness."

Empress Ma was very happy. She looked at Cen Danchu and Zhu Shulu and became more and more satisfied. She said:

"Well, I know you are loyal. This time I came to Guni Pass to protect the emperor, and I also delayed your wedding with the Qu family. From now on, you and Lu'er must live a good life. You are both orphans, without a father or a mother. If you have any grievances in the future, ask someone to pass the message to me, and I will help you as much as I can..."

Zhu Shulu blushed, looked at Danchu, and said, "Queen Mother, I have no grievances."

(End of this chapter)