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

Chapter 90: Imperial Gift of Wine and Food
Hao Yongzhong was so angry that he allowed his soldiers to loot. At this time, the defense of Guilin was weak, and the troops of Jiao Lian and Zhao Yinxuan had not yet arrived in Guilin. Hao's army entered Guilin, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of atrocities.
During the Yongli Emperor's stay in Guilin, he used the school as his temporary palace. When Huang Taixuan, the Minister of Rites, entered the palace for the morning court session, he saw the rioters looting the palace, and then he realized that the Yongli Emperor had left without saying goodbye. He dispersed the rioters, dressed neatly, and sat at the entrance of the palace, trying to maintain the dignity of the court.

Hao Yongzhong's soldiers entered the city, thinking that there were many treasures in the palace, and went straight to the palace, but were blocked by Huang Taixuan. The soldiers were furious and wanted to break into the palace with weapons. Huang Taixuan was in tears and cursed. The soldiers were angry and killed Huang Taixuan with a hammer. They entered the palace, but found nothing.

Hao's army had been stationed in Guilin many times, but Qu Shisi refused to accept them. This time, Hao's army took advantage of the chaos to enter the city, like a hungry dog ​​pouncing on its food, and first attacked various government offices, wealthy households, and government vaults.

Qu Shisi had been the governor of Guilin for more than two years, so he must have a rich collection in his mansion. A group of soldiers rushed to the governor's mansion, but saw that the soldiers guarding the gate were wearing armor and holding weapons, and they left in anger.

The situation was urgent, soldiers were running around in the city, and fires were everywhere. Qu Gongmei led his troops to see He Tengjiao without asking for permission, and asked for He Tengjiao's order.

He Tengjiao was the commander of Huguang, Guangxi, Guizhou and Sichuan, and was the de facto commander of the Southern Ming front, holding the highest power. He was known for his ability to pacify Hao Yongzhong, but at this time he was unable to control the chaos of Hao's army, and hid in the yamen, unable to do anything.

After receiving the order, Qu Gongmei immediately returned to the garrison and said to Qu Shisi: "Lord, the situation is urgent. The rebels have already rushed to the gate of the garrison, but were stopped by the standard soldiers. The standard soldiers are few in number, while the rebels are many in number. They will surely break into the garrison soon. I have received the order from the commander-in-chief. Please leave the city immediately."

Qu Shisi was at a loss, muttering: "I... I am here to stay, and I cannot leave Guilin without permission. Otherwise, people will lose their hearts..."

Qu Gongmei said anxiously: "Lord, the rebels have entered the city and order has been greatly disrupted. We can no longer do anything. Please leave the city immediately and go south to Pingle, rely on Jiao Lian's army, and make a plan for war and defense."

As the governor of Guilin, Qu Shisi would never leave Guilin and would stay in Pingle.

Qu Gongmei said again: "Madam is not in good health and cannot stay in the city. Please send her out of the city first."

All the city gates were lost and occupied by the Hao army. The discipline of the rebels collapsed. When they entered Guilin for the first time, they were dazzled and excited, and rushed to rob. They even dared to rob the emperor's palace, let alone the garrison?
Therefore, Qu Shisi sent Qu Gongmei to lead the standard-bearing troops to escort his family out of the palace. He sat alone in the garrison, helpless, with a pale face and a dead heart. He was pessimistic, disappointed, self-blaming, helpless, and even had the idea of ​​committing suicide for his country.

Outside the city of Guilin, the imperial carriage moved slowly and only reached Limuling at noon, twenty miles south of Guilin city.

The family members and officials of the camp had walked a lot and were already tired. Emperor Yongli had gotten up early in the morning and was also very hungry and thirsty, so he ordered the emperor to stop and rest.

The troops in the standard camp also stopped, and the officers and soldiers dismounted to eat dry food. The scouts were as if they were facing a great enemy, passing information back and forth, as if it was already wartime.

Danchu learned from the scouts that the Hao army had occupied Guilin and was guarding the city gates, prohibiting people from entering or leaving. There was no news from the city, the bell tower was on fire, and thick smoke was everywhere.

The Qing army was still far away in Lingchuan and could not come to Guilin for a while. Hao Yongzhong could command tens of thousands of troops and was a smart man. He would not dare to risk the world's disapproval and take Qu Shisi's life.

The key to the situation is not the imperial carriage, but Guilin. The best plan now is to return to Guilin as soon as possible. Of course, before leaving, he should be promoted for his contribution in protecting the emperor today.

Official titles mean fame, and fame means power. In China, the hierarchy is determined by official titles. The higher the official title, the more powerful one is. In wartime, military generals led their troops to fight side by side. Whoever had a higher official title had a higher voice and had the opportunity to control other military generals. It was not impossible to be granted the title of Earl. Hou Xing and Chen Dengyu had no military achievements, but they were granted the titles of Marquis and Earl because they were good at protecting the emperor and bribing.

Danchu had little experience, but he had made many military achievements and had established relationships with Empress Ma, Qu Shisi, and Jiao Lian. However, there were three hard requirements for being conferred a title, which Danchu could not meet:
First, they must have great military achievements. Without a title, it would not be possible to show that the court was fair in employing people, such as Jiao Lian and Zhao Yinxuan. Second, they must have great strength. Without a title, it would not be enough to win them over, such as Li Chixin and Gao Yigong. Third, they must have a huge bribe, such as Hou Xing, who is said to have spent 20,000 taels of silver to bribe the inner court.

As a second choice, you can get a general. Generals in the Ming Dynasty were not valuable. For example, there were 1,507 Han generals in the Jinyiwei.

Generals are naturally divided into noble and humble ones, and the most honorable one is the General of Conquering the Enemies. With Cen Danchu's qualifications, it is impossible for him to get this title, but it is still possible to become the General of Conquering the Enemies, the General of Suppressing the Enemies, the General of Calming the Enemies, the General of Destroying the Enemies, and so on.

At this time, Wen'an Marquis and Jinyiwei Commander Ma Jixiang came to visit and was ordered by the emperor to give Danchu wine and food. According to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, if the emperor gave wine and food to ministers, the ministers had to eat them in front of the envoys.

In this day and age, rituals and music have collapsed, and there is no need to be particular about anything. Danchu invited Ma Jixiang to have a drink together. Ma Jixiang wanted to make friends with military commanders, so he declined a little and started drinking with Danchu.

The powerful eunuch Wang Kun was expelled and Pang Tianshou took over as the eunuch in charge of ceremonies. Pang Tianshou was illiterate and rude, and even had difficulty in criticizing Zhu. The power of the inner court gradually fell into the hands of Ma Jixiang.

Years ago, when Emperor Yongli was exiled thousands of miles away, Ma Jixiang went into the water to pull the imperial boat despite the wind and rain, and gained the trust of Emperor Yongli. He "entered the cabinet, was in charge of the affairs of the imperial court, and was in charge of the drafting of bills", and his power surpassed that of the chief minister Yan Qiheng. Emperor Yongli listened to him and people at that time called him "Emperor Ma".

"Zhuoru's loyalty and bravery are commendable," Ma Jixiang took a sip of wine and continued: "Last September, you led the army to rescue the emperor at Guni Pass and protected the emperor to Guilin. This time, you led the troops to rescue the emperor again, maintaining the dignity of the royal family and preventing Hao Yongzhong's evil plan from succeeding.

"The emperor intends to visit Nanning. You should continue to protect him as usual. When the imperial carriage arrives safely in Nanning, the emperor will reward you handsomely. It won't be a problem to confer a title or appoint you as a general."

Ma Jixiang was the commander of the Jinyiwei, and Cen Danchu was the commander, nominally his subordinate. For this reason, Ma Jixiang simply called Danchu by his courtesy name to show his closeness.

He had a close relationship with Emperor Yongli, and this visit might have been at the behest of Emperor Yongli.

Danchu hesitated for a moment and decided to confess to Ma Jixiang, saying: "Marshal, you are my superior, I might as well tell you straight. Guilin has issued an alarm, the situation is critical. The Ming Dynasty only has a small corner of Guangxi left.

"As long as Guilin is there, Nanning is there. As long as Nanning is there, the imperial carriage is safe. Otherwise, if Guilin is lost, Guangxi will not be safe. If Guangxi is not safe, the overall situation will be ruined and everything will be lost.

"This time, I'm sorry that I can't protect your majesty in Nanning. I will lead my army to defend Guilin to the death, obey the order to stay behind, and live and die with Guilin. I hope that General Ti will understand this painstaking effort, and I also ask General Jue to tell the emperor."

(End of this chapter)