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

Chapter 93 Jin Shenghuan's Return

As daybreak approached, the camp was camped at Zhangmu Port. The soldiers were tired and sleepy, so they ate some dry food and fell into a deep sleep.

Danchu had no time to rest, and was still discussing matters with Qu Shisi. Liu Yuansheng, Liu Xiangke, Ding Shikui, Wan Liuji and other court officials were also in Zhangmu Port. Seeing the crowds of people on Qu Shisi's side, they all came to meet him.

Through the torches, Dan Chu saw that everyone looked haggard, like ashes.

Liu Xiangke's temper remained unchanged, and he spoke fiercely, saying, "Hao Yongzhong's army has rebelled, and the soldiers are turbulent and dangerous. Please go east to Yangshuo, rely on the Xinxinghou Army, and take charge of the war and defense."

Liu Xiangke was a man of great wisdom and intelligence, and he was also from the same hometown as Danchu in Shaanxi. However, Danchu did not dare to agree with his opinion and immediately refuted it:
"No. The Lord is staying in Guilin, and the army and the people are watching. We cannot leave Guilin lightly. My standard camp arrived in Guilin the day before yesterday, and the infantry camp will arrive in Guilin tomorrow, no, this morning. The army led by Xinxing Hou will also arrive in Guilin, and the army will be able to recover."

Qu Shisi was surprisingly calm and asked Danchu, "Where is the imperial carriage?"

"It is twenty miles from Limuling, and forty miles from Guilin."

"I have already made it clear that as the governor of Guilin, I must live and die with Guilin and will never go east to Yangshuo or Pingle. Moreover, the imperial carriage is not far away. If I leave Guilin, people will be uneasy and I am afraid that it will disturb the imperial carriage."

Wan Liuji, the younger brother of the late Jiangxi Governor Wan Yuanji, was a man of great insight. He said, "Now that the Yunnan troops have entered the city, Hao Yongzhong cannot rule on his own. He is also hated by the officials and gentry in Guilin, so it is difficult for him to occupy Guilin."

Danchu had a grudge against Hao Yongzhong, but he was not afraid of him. He said, "Hao's army has been full of looting for a day, and the soldiers are satisfied and have no fighting spirit. Once Xinxing Hou arrives in Guilin this morning, it will be no problem to drive Hao Yongzhong away."

Liu Yuansheng was also hostile to the peasant army and said viciously: "Hao Yongzhong's military discipline is corrupt. He looted a lot yesterday and dared to intercept the imperial carriage. He has no courtesy of a subject. When Xinxing Hou arrives, we should contact the Yunnan soldiers and eliminate this scourge in one fell swoop."

This, this is obviously not a wise move. Danchu was about to refute him, but heard Qu Shisi say: "Hao Yongzhong has a strong army, has made great contributions in Quanzhou, and has actively sent troops to assist Xing'an. He still has the way of a military commander. With a powerful enemy at hand, it is not appropriate to fight internally."

"However, Hao Yongzhong is fickle and has destroyed the famous city. If he is not eliminated, he will eventually become a disaster." The person who spoke was Liu Xiangke, so naturally he had to support his brother.

"No," Danchu said, "I confronted Hao Yongzhong yesterday. He looks rough but is smart inside. He is not an ordinary person. Once Xinxinghou's troops arrive, he will definitely retreat and leave Guilin on his own accord."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Danchu was sure of this.

Jinyiwei assistant Gu Cheng said: "When I left the city yesterday afternoon, the gentry in the city were already panicking, and many of them shaved their heads. The silver vault has been robbed by the rebels, but the granary and arsenal are still intact. We should enter the city as soon as possible to protect the treasury."

Another assistant official, Zhou Wen, said: "The fireworks in the city are endless, and people's hearts are uneasy. I will go into the city at dawn to put out the fireworks and calm people's hearts."

Jinyiwei was the emperor's personal army, and there were many loyal and righteous people among them. Qu Shisi was quite pleased, his face regained vitality, and his fatigue was swept away. He carried the seal of the garrison with him, and immediately splashed ink and wrote several orders with Liu Yuansheng and others:

First, he ordered Jiao Lian to lead the troops to guard the city immediately.

Second, he ordered Zhao Yinxuan to restrain the Yunnan soldiers and maintain order in the city.

Third, he wrote a letter to He Tengjiao, asking him to order Hao Yongzhong to restrain the soldiers, enforce military discipline, and move to Liuzhou as soon as possible.

Fourth, he ordered Cai Zhijun, Shao Zhihua, Lan Ting, Gu Cheng, Zhou Wen and other civil and military officials to enter the city to comfort the people, extinguish fireworks, collect warehouses, and stop the riots.

Fifth, the emperor’s southern tour was announced, and an order was issued to the military and civilians near and far not to panic, and for gentlemen not to shave their heads out of fear.

……

At daybreak, the draft orders had been distributed everywhere. Danchu was exhausted, so he and his personal soldiers found an open space, put on their armor and slept.

At 9:00 pm, the sun was shining brightly, and Danchu was still sleeping soundly. Qu Shisi ordered the guards to wake him up. Fortunately, Danchu was young, and he had slept for less than two hours and was full of energy. He simply washed up, had breakfast, and was ordered to lead the battalion into the city.

Jiao Lian led the vanguard troops and arrived in Guilin in the morning. He had been stationed in Guilin for a long time, and his strict military discipline made him very popular among the people of Guilin. When Jiao Lian's vanguard troops entered Guilin, the people of Guilin began to feel at ease.

After a day of looting, Hao Yongzhong's soldiers lost their fighting spirit. Seeing that Jiao Lian was coming with ill intentions, he had no choice but to withdraw from Guilin and move to Liuzhou.

At noon, Danchu led the battalion into Wenchang Gate. The garrison was near Wenchang Gate and had been looted, but fortunately the soldiers did not set fire to it, so the buildings were still there.

I happened to meet a few masked rogues who had just come out of the garrison, carrying large and small bags on their shoulders. Whenever there is war, there are always some masked rogues in the city who rob people.

Danchu was furious and ordered the capture of the masked scoundrels. If they resisted, they would be killed. Soon, two scoundrels were killed and another four knelt down and begged for mercy.

These six people deserved what they got. Two of the scoundrels were beheaded, and the other four were shackled and paraded through the streets.

In times of chaos, severe punishments were used. By the afternoon, order had gradually been restored in various parts of the city. The heads of various neighborhoods and wing chiefs also came forward to organize people to put out the fires, and the chaos gradually subsided.

In the evening, Jiao Lian summoned Danchu and told him a very shocking news: Jin Shenghuan, the Qing general of Jiangxi, rebelled and returned to the Ming Dynasty.

"Jin Shenghuan, courtesy name Huchen, is from Yulin, a fellow villager from Shaanxi. He is a hereditary member of the Liaoyang Guard, and his experience is very legendary..."

Jin Shenghuan's experience was very legendary. Kong Youde rebelled in Dengzhou and forced Jin Shenghuan to join the rebellion. After that, Shenghuan escaped and returned to serve under General Huang Long. Together with Shang Kexi, he pacified the islands and defeated the bandit Gao Chenglong in Lushun. When the Qing invaders arrived, Jin Shenghuan was defeated and fled, and was transferred to serve Zuo Liangyu.

Zuo Liangyu died of illness, and Jin Shenghuan surrendered to the Qing Dynasty from Zuo Menggeng and guarded Jiujiang. Shenghuan led the Manchu Ying Prince Ajige into Jiangxi and seized Nanchang. The Manchu soldiers could not stand the heat, and they would return to the capital to escape the heat in summer.

When Ajige's troops returned, Jin Shenghuan asked to stay in Jiangxi to bluff and use his weak troops to deal with the Ming army in Jiangxi. He either pacified them or defeated them, and he actually occupied the entire Jiangxi in just a few months.

Jin Shenghuan thought that he had made great contributions and deserved to be granted a title. However, the Qing court was very suspicious of him and only granted him the title of "General Commander of Jiangxi". Sun Zhixie and Zhang Yutian were successively sent to Jiangxi as governors to suppress Jin Shenghuan.

Jin Shenghuan was not to be outdone, so he impeached Sun Zhixie and sent him away. He also had a falling out with the new governor Zhang Yutian. Zhang Yutian believed that Jin Shenghuan had been a tyrant in Jiangxi and had robbed no less than one million yuan, so he demanded a bribe of 300,000 yuan from him. The two were at loggerheads.

Some survivors of the Southern Ming Dynasty's Longwu Dynasty took the opportunity to lobby, and Jin Shenghuan then rebelled with Wang Deren, with Longwu Dynasty Grand Secretary Jiang Yueguang as their leader.

……

Jiangxi is a barrier to the six southeastern provinces, and its military and geographical location are quite important. Jin Shenghuan's rebellion against the Ming Dynasty directly threatened the rule of the Qing Dynasty in Jiangnan, Fujian and Zhejiang.

Danchu remembered that the Yongli Dynasty of the Southern Ming Dynasty had a great opportunity to turn the tables, and it should be this time.

He remained calm and asked, "Marshal, is the news about Jin Shenghuan's rebellion confirmed?"

"Hey, that's the problem!" Jiao Lian sighed and said, "There are many different opinions and rumors flying around. I don't know whether they are true or false."

During the turbulent times, transportation was cut off. The border between Ming and Qing dynasties was strictly guarded, and it was impossible for pedestrians to pass without a pass.

Therefore, the day when Jin Shenghuan started the uprising was the 26th day of the first month of the second year of the Yongli reign. They did not know that the Yongli Emperor had already ascended the throne and was still using the Longwu era name.

Danchu pondered for a moment and said, "Although it is just gossip, it must have a basis. Now that Jin Shenghuan has returned to the right path, Guilin should be safe."

(End of this chapter)