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

Chapter 91: The Barbarian General
Although the Jinyiwei and the imperial camp had many soldiers, they were poorly organized and had not seen actual combat for a long time, so they had no combat effectiveness. On the way to Nanning, they had to pass through Chen Bangfu's territory. Chen Bangfu was not a good person either. With Cen Danchu protecting the emperor, the safety of the imperial carriage was more guaranteed.

Ma Jixiang still wanted to persuade him, saying: "Zhuoru, Guilin is in danger, and you have few troops. What's the point of going back to Guilin? Why don't you follow the emperor, who is so close to you, without any danger, and you can also make meritorious deeds. Isn't it better than fighting on the battlefield?
The people who urged Emperor Yongli to visit Nanning were his attendants. They were greedy for life and afraid of death, ignoring the overall situation, and were the most hateful. As for Ma Jixiang, he was favored and regarded serving Emperor Yongli as his greatest achievement, and he even had the power to vote.

The power to draft bills was originally reserved for the cabinet's chief minister. Ma Jixiang, who was originally a commander of the Imperial Guard, unexpectedly obtained the power to draft bills. How could the government be revived when it was in ruins?
Danchu shook his head and said righteously: "Marshal Jue is wrong. The emperor is visiting Nanning this time, and everything along the way is peaceful. It doesn't matter if I am there or not.

"But Guilin is related to the overall situation. Without Guilin, Nanning will also be lost. If the skin is gone, where will the hair be attached? If I stay in Guilin, the garrison will have more strength, and we will be more confident in resisting the Qing invaders."

The sun was shining brightly in the sky, making people feel warm. Ma Jixiang squinted his eyes and sighed: "Zhuo Ru is loyal to his country, I am not as good as him."

This was a rare opportunity, so Danchu leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "General Ti, I heard that when Xiangfu Hou was promoted to marquis, he presented 20,000 taels of silver to the court. Is this true?"

The court was selling official positions and titles, and Ma Jixiang, Pang Tianshou and other attendants often played the role of middlemen. Seeing that the deal was done, Ma Jixiang smiled and said:
"Marquis Xiangfu was sincere and offered money and food to the emperor when he was in danger, as well as numerous ceremonial robes and carriages, which greatly comforted the emperor. Zhuoru, you were also there at the time. If you were the emperor, would you have rewarded him generously for his timely help?"

It seems to make sense. Danchu smiled without saying anything.

Ma Jixiang wanted to make friends with this young general, so he said, "Zhuoru, you have done a great job in saving the emperor and forcing Hao Yongzhong to retreat. The emperor will surely reward you. Do you have any ideas? Perhaps I can help you convey them to the emperor."

Danchu had heard of Ma Jixiang's power for a long time, but he smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Marshal. A warrior saving the emperor is just fulfilling his duty, and I dare not ask for a reward."

Ma Jixiang's eyes darted around, not knowing what Danchu was up to. Before he could answer, he heard Danchu continue, "However, most of my soldiers are country bumpkins. They were frightened when confronted by Hao Yongzhong today, so they deserve some reward."

This posed a difficult problem for Ma Jixiang. How could the small imperial court have any extra money to reward its soldiers when it was displaced? From Guilin to Nanning, the journey was nearly a thousand miles, and it had to pass through the territory of Chen Bangfu, Marquis of Si'en. This guy was domineering and disloyal, and the imperial court had to guard against him hijacking the imperial carriage, let alone relying on him to supply money and food.

It was not uncommon for military officers to demand salaries. Ma Jixiang was not surprised and said with a smile: "The current situation is difficult, the imperial treasury is empty, and we are really unable to reward the soldiers. Please bear with me."

A sergeant named Cen Yong, who was Cen Danchu's cousin, immediately became angry and stabbed the ground with his spear, saying, "Humph! We risked our lives to confront Hao Yongzhong, but we didn't get any reward afterwards. Marshal, please lead the troops back to Guilin immediately. We would rather die in Guilin than...

"Shut up!" Danchu interrupted him, speaking in a dignified manner, "What do you know? How dare you talk nonsense here? Go away!"

Cen Yong left in a huff, but Ma Jixiang was frightened and said, "Zhuoru, the court has no money to reward soldiers for the time being, but it can still reward officials and titles. Whatever you wish for, I will definitely help you."

Danchu was waiting for this sentence, and said with a smile: "Maybe he can be made an earl?"

The titles of nobility in the Ming Dynasty were divided into three levels: duke, marquis, and earl. They were of high value, and their descendants were not demoted, and their salaries were generous. However, the Southern Ming Dynasty no longer had the financial resources to support meritorious officials, so it used empty titles to gain real results and only used titles as a means to win over civil officials and military generals.

The Manchus also understood this well, and went even further, being more generous in the issue of conferring titles. The Southern Ming refused to confer the title of king on foreign ministers, but the Manchus dared to confer the title of king on Han people. Before entering the Shanhai Pass, the Manchus conferred the title of king on four Han people, namely Wu Sangui, Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming and Shang Kexi. This was undoubtedly incredible to Emperor Yongli and his ministers. Ma Jixiang was just thinking of taking the opportunity to get some money as expenses for the southern tour, so he smiled and said: "If Zhuoru wants to be conferred the title of earl, it is not impossible. As long as you protect the emperor wholeheartedly and offer some money and food to the inner court, the title of earl should be no problem."

Danchu looked serious and asked, "Marshal, give me a number."

Ma Jixiang said nothing and held up two fingers.

"Twenty thousand taels?" Dan Chu showed an incredible expression on his face.

"Ah."

"Too much. Too much."

Ma Jixiang wanted to facilitate this deal, so he quickly said, "Zhuoru, you don't know that 20,000 taels of silver is not a lot. Mr. Yangming made great contributions back then, so he was named Xinjian Earl. The Ministry of Rites delayed for a long time, and only officially conferred the title after his death.

"Nowadays, it is a chaotic time. The court wants to boost morale and confer more titles. In other times, 20,000 taels of silver cannot even buy a garrison. Last time, when Xiangfu Marquis was promoted from earl to marquis, it cost more than 20,000 taels of silver. Dragon boats, civilians, and boatmen, God knows how much money was spent."

Seeing Danchu remained silent, Ma Jiji guessed that he did not have much money, so he read and said: "Zhuoru, you are the son-in-law of Empress Ma, married to the daughter of Lord Qu, and have made many military achievements. You have long been in the emperor's heart. If you are conferred the title of Earl, Madam Qu and Madam Zhu will be first-class ladies, and Empress Ma and Lord Qu will also benefit from it.

"You have done a great job in saving the emperor this time, and the emperor needs you to protect him again. This is a great opportunity. It would be a waste if you don't do it. If you are short of money, I will think of a way to help you get two thousand taels first. What do you think?"

Danchu had no money and didn't want to be cheated. After listening to Ma Jixiang's words, he was also inspired: "The earl asked for 18,000 taels, which is too low in cost performance. If he really makes great contributions in the future, the court will have to confer him a title. It's better to get a general or admiral first to increase his real power and prestige. The relationship with Queen Mother Ma needs to be managed well."

He had made up his mind and said, "Marshal, to be honest, I can't even come up with 1,800 taels, let alone 18,000 taels."

Ma Jixiang looked at Danchu in disbelief, and then said, "Zhuoru is joking. Today's generals can easily save money from the soldiers and seize a city, and tens of thousands of silver coins will come out."

Danchu chuckled and said, "Marshal Jue, hearsay is not credible. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but my Yong'an Town is too poor to pay the soldiers. The Yong'an Prefecture where we are stationed is remote and poor, and some Yao and Dong tribes still live a life of eating raw meat and drinking blood."

"Ah?" Ma Jixiang was disappointed. After a long while, he asked, "What do you think, General?"

Danchu finally revealed his true thoughts: "To be honest, Marshal, I want to be appointed General of the Barbarian Expedition. What do you think?"

(End of this chapter)