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

Chapter 92 Return to Guilin
According to the Ming system, all generals and deputy generals were appointed from the ranks of dukes, marquises, earls, and governors. The generals who wore seals and were called generals were called "General of the Southern Expedition" in Yunnan, "General of the Western Expedition" in Datong, "General of the Barbarian Suppression" in Huguang, "General of the Barbarian Suppression" in Guangdong and Guangxi, "General of the Barbarian Suppression" in Liaodong, "General of the Southern Expedition" in Xuanfu, "General of the Qiang Suppression" in Gansu, "General of the Western Expedition" in Ningxia, "General of the Western Expedition" in Jiaozhi, and "General of the Western Suppression" in Yansui.

By the end of the Ming Dynasty, there were already numerous generals and commanders. As for the seal of the General of Conquering the Barbarians, it fell into the hands of Yang Guowei, Jiao Lian's superior, in the last years of the Chongzhen reign.

When Zhu Hengjia, the Prince of Jingjiang, rebelled, Yang Guowei assisted him. Jiao Lian was Yang Guowei's lieutenant general at the time, and stabbed Yang Guowei in the back and captured Zhu Hengjia. After the rebellion was quelled, Chen Bangfu made friends with Ding Kuichu, the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi, and was awarded the title of General of Conquering the Barbarians for his first meritorious service.

The General of Conquering the Barbarians was powerful and had the right to summon the chieftains. Chen Bangfu wore the seal of the General of Conquering the Barbarians and was able to occupy southern Guangxi and eastern Guangxi openly, becoming the largest military leader in Guangxi. However, he had no skills in controlling his generals and was very flattering, which made him despised by the chieftains in Guangxi.

Danchu said: "The emperor will visit Nanning this time and will pass through the garrison of Marquis Si'en. I heard that Marquis Si'en has long wished to be conferred the title of Duke, and this time he will probably get his wish.

"Marquis Si'en wore the seal of the General of Conquering the Barbarians, but most of the chieftains in Guangxi did not listen to his call, which lost the prestige of the court. This time, if he is promoted to Duke, he should no longer wear the seal of the General of Conquering the Barbarians.

"Cen, I know my own limitations, but I have a passion for loyalty and serving the country, so I dare to ask to be the general who conquers the barbarians. If I can get what I want, I will definitely cheer up, improve the military, fight against the illegal chieftains, and restore the prestige of the court. I beg the commander to help me!"

After saying that, Danchu stood up and bowed to Ma Jixiang solemnly.

Ma Jixiang stood up and returned the greeting. After thinking it over, he said, "Zhuoru is right. This is a good thing for both the public and private sectors. I will help Zhuoru with this."

Dan Chu clapped his hands and ordered his personal soldiers to bring a box of treasures. When it was opened, it shone with silver light, which was dazzling.

"There is 1,300 taels of silver here, which are given to the emperor for his own use. Three hundred taels were given by Lord Qu, and one thousand taels were given by me. I also gave something to the empress dowager. I would like to ask Marshal Jue to help me get the position of the general who conquers the barbarians."

Ma Jixiang was very disappointed because of the small amount of money. When he heard the word "empress dowager", his expression became stern again. He said, "Don't worry, Zhuoru, you and I are both officials in the Jinyiwei, so we should help each other. However, Hao Yongzhong's rebellious troops are not far away. Please escort the emperor across Limuling and return to Guilin before it's too late."

"Thank you, General Ti. I will escort Your Majesty across Limuling, then walk another 20 miles south, and then return to Guilin." Danchu was secretly delighted, and ordered his personal soldiers to carry a small box over, saying, "It contains 300 taels of silver, specially given to General Ti. It's not a large amount, but it's also a token of friendship from Mr. Cen."

In troubled times, a true man is one who can bend and stretch. In order to obtain the seal of the general of conquering the barbarians, Danchu had to bribe Ma Jixiang. This was something he could not help, so Danchu took it calmly.

In the evening, the imperial carriage arrived at a commercial port. The emperor, his ministers and guards were exhausted, so they stopped here to rest.

After counting on his fingers, he actually walked more than 40 miles today, crossing Limuling in the middle, almost catching up with the marching speed of the infantry. Even Danchu had to sigh that the title of the Son of Heaven was not exaggerated, and Emperor Yongli was indeed talented in escaping.

The Yongli Dynasty lasted longer than the Hongguang Dynasty and the Longwu Dynasty. The reason for this was that, apart from being located in the southwest and out of reach of the Qing army, the Yongli Emperor had a keen sense of smell and was good at escaping, which was beyond the reach of the Hongguang Emperor and the Longwu Emperor.

After Danchu bid farewell to the emperor and empress, Emperor Yongli immediately summoned him to see her. Empress Dowager Ma also straightened her clothes and joined the audience.

"Your Majesty, Queen Mother, Guilin is in danger. I must lead the army back to Guilin immediately. I came here to say goodbye."

It was already dark, and the emperor and empress were staying at the home of a gentleman named Zhang. The candlelight flickered, and the Yongli Emperor looked pale and haggard, and said weakly, "Are you going to return to Guilin overnight?"

"Yes, the scouts reported that Hao Yongzhong allowed his troops to plunder. The rebels occupied Guilin and killed Huang Taixuan, the Minister of the Imperial Household. The commander was unable to control them, and the whereabouts of the remaining troops were unknown. If the Qing invaders took advantage of the situation and attacked Guilin, the consequences would be disastrous. I have to go back overnight to find the remaining troops and stabilize people's hearts."

Emperor Yongli sighed and said, "You are loyal to the country and work hard. You are really a model of military generals." Empress Ma cleared her throat, and Emperor Yongli got the hint and said, "I am passing through Xunzhou this time and I am going to promote Chen Bangfu to the rank of Duke. The seal of the General of Conquering the Barbarians that Chen Bangfu holds will be passed on to you as a reward for your hard work."

The Queen Mother interrupted and said, "Danchu will leave soon. The Emperor may as well ask the cabinet to accept the order, use the treasure, and prepare the imperial edict so that Danchu can return to Guangxi with peace of mind."

Emperor Yongli listened to his mother's words and immediately followed her instructions. Not long after, the chief minister Yan Qiheng came to draft the decree, and the eunuch in charge of the seal stamped it, and the imperial edict was completed.

Danchu was secretly delighted, thinking that he had made the right decision by going through Ma Jixiang and Empress Dowager Ma, as the matter of appointing the general to conquer the barbarians had finally been settled.

The Queen Mother was very attentive and said, "Danchu, please keep the imperial edict first. The general's golden seal is still with Chen Bangfu, and the eunuch will deliver it to you soon."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, and Thank you, Your Majesty."

Emperor Yongli really didn't want Danchu to leave, and Empress Ma also wanted to keep him to talk about Zhu Shulu's recent situation. But Danchu was no longer interested in protecting the emperor, so after dinner, he put away the imperial edict and led the battalion back to Guilin.

It was a waning moon that night, and although the sky was clear and cloudless, the night was not bright. Danchu was immediately filled with confidence when he received the imperial edict from the general who was conquering the barbarians.

Back then, Zuo Liangyu was able to rise to power, and the "General Suppressing Bandits" seal played a big role. The traitor Liu Chengyin was able to dominate Wugang, which was not unrelated to the fact that he wore the "General Suppressing Barbarians" seal.

Danchu was appointed as the General of Conquering the Barbarians, and from then on he could legitimately command the chieftains of Guangxi. He left in a hurry, leaving only an imperial edict. In the future, he had to find a way to get the seal of the General of Conquering the Barbarians as soon as possible, and he should also set up an altar to worship the general and hold a grand ceremony.

When they returned to Wenchang Gate in the south of Guilin, it was already Yinshi, and the soldiers were tired and sleepy. Fortunately, Danchu found the scout Feng Jiali and learned that Qu Shisi was at Zhangmu Port, three miles south of the city.

He ignored his fatigue and led his battalion to Zhangmu Port again to meet Qu Shisi.

When the father-in-law and son-in-law met, although they did not cry bitterly, they still shed tears.

From Qu Shisi, Danchu learned that the military discipline of Hao Yongzhong's troops had completely collapsed and they were looting in the city.

The rebels looted the palace and rushed into the residence of the governor, where "all the clothes, hats and books were destroyed". Qu Shisi sat in the main hall, helpless and watching the rebels looting.

Qu Gongmei, holding He Tengjiao's order, led the standard-bearing soldiers of Yong'an Town, first escorted Qu's family out of the city, and then returned to the city to appeal to Hao Yongzhong.

Hao Yongzhong did not want to make the situation worse, so he sent his personal soldiers to suppress the rebels, but it was of no avail. The rebels continued to loot, and the "smoke and fire in the city were higher than the towers."

At noon, the Imperial Yunnan Camp returned to Guilin from Lingchuan. The Yunnan soldiers had been owed wages for a long time and joined the looting, causing even more chaos in the city.

In the evening, Qu Shisi took advantage of the chaos to leave the city and took refuge in Zhangmu Port. Most of the court officials left the city. Some went south to chase after Emperor Yongli and continue to follow the court; some came to Zhangmu Port and hoped that Qu Shisi would make decisions; others were already pessimistic about the current situation and retreated into the mountains to live in seclusion...

(End of this chapter)