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

Chapter 87 Southern Tour
Facing the crisis, Qu Shisi remained calm and said, "For now, we should call on all the generals and urge them to defend Guilin as soon as possible. Zhao Yinxuan, Jiao Lian, Jin Tang and others are all brave generals with hundreds of battles. If they can work together, they will be able to resist the Qing invaders."

Lu Kezao sighed, "If we want to work together, we need someone to control the generals. It is his duty as commander-in-chief, and he has no choice but to do so. But after the loss of Quanzhou, his prestige has been greatly reduced. If the emperor is willing to stay in Guilin, the generals will not dare to shirk their efforts. Even if Hao Yongzhong comes, they will fight with all their heart and blood."

Danchu didn't agree with his words. Hao Yongzhong was unruly and difficult to control, and his subordinates were even more unruly. If the situation became chaotic, he might not be able to control his troops.

The breakdown of military discipline also depends on the circumstances.

In the late Qing Dynasty, the discipline of the Ji and Ting battalions of the Hunan Army was bad, but the commanders Zeng Guoquan and Bao Chao had high prestige and were well supported by the soldiers, so the military orders were carried out smoothly. During the war, the Ji and Ting battalions dared to go deep into the enemy's rear and fight the Taiping Army to the death, making them the elite troops of the Hunan Army.

Hao Yongzhong's situation was different. He was rude and disrespectful, and he was ostracized wherever he went. When he was a general under Li Zicheng, Liu Zongmin and others disliked him. After he surrendered to the Ming army, few people were friendly with him, and he was embarrassed everywhere.

This directly affected his prestige in the army. When Hao Yongzhong was in Huguang, he passed through the city several times, but was turned away by the garrison. Hao Yongzhong was so angry that he repeatedly broke through the city and massacred the people.

If military discipline breaks down, military orders will not be able to be carried out smoothly. Many times, Hao Yongzhong cannot have the final say and has to accommodate his subordinates.

Danchu asked, "I heard that Hao Yongzhong listens to Commander He very much. Where is the Commander now? Is he in Lingchuan?"

"Yes, he is still in Lingchuan." Qu Shisi replied.

"Hao Yongzhong did not fight well in Lingchuan. To put it bluntly, he failed to control his troops. I am afraid that once the main force of the Qing army arrives in Lingchuan, Hao Yongzhong will repeat his old tricks and retreat without a fight."

Qu Shisi was suddenly startled and said, "That makes sense. It seems that we must speed up the mobilization of the army to protect Guilin. Danchu, there will be a court meeting tomorrow morning. You will attend and persuade the emperor to stay in Guilin."

Danchu no longer had any hope for the "escape emperor" Zhu Youlang, but he still followed Qu Shisi's advice and wrote a letter to the court, stating the strategies of war and defense, and suggesting that the emperor stay in Guilin to reassure the people.

The situation changed so quickly that no one expected it.

The next morning, fleeing soldiers appeared outside Guilin. They were Hao Yongzhong's men. They had fought with the Qing army in Lingchuan, were defeated, and fled back to Guilin. The fleeing soldiers had no discipline at all and shouted for the defenders to open the city gates.

Last year, Hao Yongzhong led his troops to station outside Guilin twice. The soldiers and civilians in the city were terrified and refused to open the gates to welcome them. Because there were ministers stationed in Guilin, Hao Yongzhong did not dare to act rashly, so he had to massacre the 18 villages in Shuidong to vent his anger.

This time, the defenders also did not respond. The defeated soldiers left shouting and cursing, and looted outside the city.

Emperor Yongli was frightened and summoned his ministers early in the morning and decided to visit Nanning.

Qu Shisi tried to dissuade him, saying, "No, the commander-in-chief has not yet given the alarm. The rioters outside the city are just soldiers who are frightened in the night camp. It's not a big deal. Once the commander-in-chief arrives, the majesty of heaven will be within reach, and he will inspire the soldiers to fight with their backs to the city, and we will surely defeat the enemy."

Liu Yuansheng, the Minister of Military Affairs, also tried his best to dissuade him, saying: "If fleeing is the best strategy, Guilin is in danger, so is Liuzhou? Are Nanning and Taiping not in danger? If the enemy can reach Guilin today, won't they be able to reach Liuzhou, Nanning, and Taiping tomorrow?"

Emperor Yongli looked unhappy and stammered in silence.

Danchu was also in the imperial class, and he reported to the emperor, "I, the general of Yong'an, Cen Danchu, have a report. I received the warning last time and rushed to help from Yong'an overnight. On the way, I encountered several righteous armies to support the king, with tens of thousands of strong men and horses.

"All the soldiers said that they had no choice but to go to Guilin to defend the emperor. If they could see the emperor's face, they would have no regrets in their lives. Your Majesty, the army's morale can be used. If the emperor leaves Guilin without permission, the whole world will be disappointed and morale will be greatly reduced!" Emperor Yongli's eyes lit up and he asked, "Cen Danchu, how many soldiers and horses did you bring this time?"

Perhaps the emperor has changed his mind? Danchu was delighted and told a big lie: "I have 5,000 soldiers, all of whom are elite troops with high morale, enough to defend Guilin."

Emperor Yongli was overjoyed and said without thinking: "Very good, very good. If I go on a tour to the south, I will order you to protect me."

Danchu was speechless, not knowing how to answer, so he could only say ambiguously: "I am a loyal subject, and I swear to fight the Tartars till my death."

Fortunately, Liu Xiangke, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, took over the topic and said passionately:

"Your Majesty, you are so noble, you must not leave Guilin lightly. Last year, Your Majesty visited Guni Pass, Liuzhou, and Xiangzhou. On the way, you were short of food and clothing, and all your ceremonial carriages and horses were lost. It is hard to describe the hardships you went through.

"From Guilin to Nanning, the distance is seven or eight hundred miles, covered in dust and plagued by malaria. The Yao and Dong people are rebellious. The dangers are even greater than those in Liuzhou and Xiangzhou. If something goes wrong, how can we explain to our ancestors and the country?"

……

The ministers made impassioned speeches, but Emperor Yongli remained unmoved. The Prime Minister Yan Qiheng had no choice but to continue to be a peacemaker and said, "We'll discuss this matter tomorrow morning."

That night, the eunuch came to the garrison to pass on the order, appointing Qu Shisi as the Grand Tutor and giving him the title of lecturer to the crown prince.

In the Ming Dynasty, Taibao was a first-rank official position, and together with Taishi and Taifu, they were collectively called "Three Dukes". Emperor Yongli appointed Qu Shisi as Taibao and asked him to give lectures to the crown prince, intending to force Qu Shisi to leave Guilin and accompany the court.

Qu Shisi was filled with mixed feelings. He bowed in the direction of the temporary palace and said, "Thank you for your grace. I have been ordered to stay in Guilin. As long as the prince is still in Guilin, I will come to the palace often and teach him to the best of my knowledge."

The eunuch was eager to get away, so he said clearly: "Sir, please stand up. The emperor is going to visit Nanning, please accompany him so that you can give him advice."

Qu Shixi felt a pain in his heart and said, "I am the garrison commander of Guilin. I am looked up to by the soldiers and civilians of the city. I should live and die with Guilin. I will never abandon the city lightly."

The eunuch hurried back to pack his luggage, took out a new imperial edict, turned around and said to Cen Danchu: "Cen Danchu has received the imperial edict, and the emperor has issued an edict stating that the current situation is dangerous and chaotic, and Cen Danchu is brave and courageous, so he is specially appointed as the commander of the Jinyiwei and is to take up the post immediately. I decree this."

The highest official of the Jinyiwei was the Duzhishi, who was of the second rank. The Zhishishi was of the third rank, and there could be multiple Zhishishi. The Yongli Emperor specially appointed Danchu as the Jinyiwei Zhishishi in the form of an imperial decree, intending to have him escort the emperor.

Danchu was unwilling to accept the position, but Qu Shisi urged him to accept it, saying, "Zhuoru, the emperor's life is related to the safety of the country, you should thank him."

Qu Shisi was very disappointed with Emperor Yongli, but Zhu Youlang was the emperor after all, and if he failed, it would be a greater blow to the morale of the people. In addition, if the son-in-law sent troops to protect the emperor, he could avoid the rebellion in Guilin and get promoted to a higher position, which was a three-birds-with-one-stone thing.

Danchu pondered for a moment and thought that he might as well accept the job. He could first send Emperor Yongli and his ministers out of the city, and then return to Guilin to help Qu Shisi defend the city. This way he could achieve the best of both worlds.

(End of this chapter)