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

Chapter 168: Marriage
After the Spring Festival, Cen Danchu hurriedly married Wei Minghui, the daughter of Wei Sishu. The Wei family was rich, so Wei Sishu naturally had to give a generous dowry. So far, Danchu already had five wives and concubines, and the other four were in Yong'an and would soon move to Nanning.

Every time he married or took a concubine, it was mostly out of political considerations, rarely with love. On the contrary, it was the middle-aged Liu Shu that Danchu missed the most.

Perhaps it was because he was an orphan and had a strong Oedipus complex deep in his heart. It could also be because Liu Shu was already a married woman, so she knew when to advance and when to retreat, understood the ways of the world, and had a certain charm, unlike those teenage girls who were so reserved.

What is even more valuable is that their union was not mixed with political calculations. They would rather be enemies with the warlord Zhang Xianbi than be together. This is the taste of love.

As the leader of the Red Army, Danchu had to be ready to take concubines at any time to unite more supporters. This was probably a helpless move.

On the day after Danchu married Wei Minghui, the right military officer Fang Yizhi came to persuade him to marry the chieftain of Si'en.

"Have you ever heard of Si'en Toast, Marshal?"

"Well, let me hear a little bit." Danchu replied nonchalantly, "I heard that Si'en Prefecture produces horses, and the chieftain of Si'en has the same surname as me, both of them are Cen. Soon, I will send someone to Si'en to buy horses."

"No, the commander-in-chief should go to Si'en in person and make friends with the chieftain of the Cen clan."

Is there anything special about the chieftain of Si'en? Danchu has been active in Guangxi and has made friends with many chieftains, such as the Tan family in Liuzhou, the Jinxiutian family in Yong'an, and the Pingfu and Dongrong chieftains near Wutunso.

These chieftains gave him the impression that they were brave in internal fighting but cowardly in public war. In terms of unarmed duels, the chieftain soldiers were very powerful, having climbed mountains and crossed streams since childhood, and could easily defeat the Ming army soldiers. In terms of fighting, the chieftain soldiers had poor discipline, and their battle formations and weapons were inferior to those of the Ming army, so they were definitely no match for the Ming army.

Therefore, Danchu looked down on the chieftains of Guangxi. It seemed that Fang Yizhi valued Si'en Cen very much. Could it be that there was some extraordinary person among them?
I remembered that in the late Qing Dynasty, the Cen family in Guangxi had three governors from one family, including Cen Yuying, Cen Chunxuan, Cen Yubao, etc. However, the Cen family in the late Qing Dynasty was from Shanglin, so what does it have to do with Sien's Cen family? Or, do they have the same ancestor?
"Mr. Fang, please give me some advice."

Danchu always politely called him Mr. Fang, unlike the left assistant general Yu Houji, whom Danchu was used to calling Old Yu.

"There are many chieftains in Guangxi, with names and surnames, and they are well-known and have received imperial decrees, no less than 200 of them. Among them, the four most powerful are the Mo family, the Cen family, the Tan family, and the Wei family.

"The Cen clan has many branches, most of which are distributed on both sides of the Hongshui River and Youjiang River, such as Si'en Prefecture, Sicheng Prefecture, Tian Prefecture, Shanglin Prefecture, etc. There are two strongest ones, the first is Tianzhou Cen clan, and the second is Si'en Cen clan.

"The Tusi soldiers of Tianzhou were very strong, known as the 'Wolf Soldiers'. They had been sent to the north to fight against Mongolia many times and had made many military achievements. They were given the name 'Lu Soldiers' by the imperial court. Since then, the Tusi soldiers of Guangxi began to be called Lu Soldiers, which was actually a name borrowed from the Tusi soldiers of Tianzhou.

"The Cen family of Tianzhou became arrogant because of this. During the Jiajing period, the Cen family of Tianzhou was in internal turmoil, and the imperial court sent troops to suppress it. Cen Meng took the opportunity to rebel, but was later suppressed by Xinjian Earl Wang Yangming. The imperial court changed the native system in Tianzhou, and the Cen family of Tianzhou never recovered from it."

"Oh," Danchu listened with great interest and interrupted, "No wonder Wang Yangming was granted a title as a civil servant. It's not like now, where titles are everywhere. The Tianzhou Cen family declined, but the Sien Cen family rose to prominence?"

Fang Yizhi was well-read and knew everything about the family. He smiled and said, "Yes, the Cen family of Si'en has become the leader of the Cen family. The most important thing is that the Cen family of Si'en has always respected the imperial court and has never had the intention of being disloyal.

"Si'en Prefecture was originally Si'en Prefecture, which was under the jurisdiction of Tianzhou Prefecture. It was established in the Tang Dynasty and lasted until the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. In the 18th year of Yongle, Cen Ying took over as the local governor of Si'en Prefecture. He was extremely loyal, with both literary and military skills, and was praised by history books as a 'hero among local officials'.

"Cen Ying first won the favor of the court by paying tribute to the army and horses. Later, he was recognized and promoted by the superiors for his ability to comfort the people and manage his family strictly. His eldest son was tyrannical, so he killed his own relatives for the sake of justice. When Zhao Xian, a native official of Chongshan (now Chongzuo), rebelled, Cen Ying led troops to suppress it, killed his followers, pardoned his soldiers and civilians, and the local people of Chongshan were grateful for his virtue.

"His achievements were roughly like this. In the end, Cen Ying accumulated merits and was promoted to the commander-in-chief of Guangxi, a second-rank official, and concurrently served as the councilor of Guangxi, the highest position among the native officials in Guangxi. Sisi Prefecture was also upgraded to Si'en Prefecture, and its jurisdiction was expanded, and then upgraded to Si'en Military and Civil Prefecture.

"The Cen family of Si'en has respected the imperial court as their ancestral motto and has been loyal from generation to generation, making them a model for the native officials of Guangxi. Although the current emperor is weak, the Cen family of Si'en has never been negligent, and they have always been very active whether it is sending troops or paying tribute." In this way, the Cen family of Si'en has great value in united front work, and Danchu should visit them in person.

He thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Fang is right. Although Si'en Prefecture produces a small number of horses, it can make up for the shortage of war horses for the Red Army. In addition, Si'en borders Qingyuan in the north, Liuzhou in the east, Tianzhou in the west, and Nanning in the south, so it can serve as a barrier for Nanning. I will go to Si'en in person and make friends with the Cen family."

"If possible, you may as well propose marriage to the Cen family of Si'en. I have already inquired about it. The head of the current Si'en chieftain is called Cen Xun. He is a loyal and upright person, and he has several daughters who are still unmarried."

Fang Yizhi had a long-term vision and was very accurate in his predictions. He had already done his homework in advance and continued, "Cen Si'en is one of the most powerful chieftains in Guangxi today. If the Marshal can marry him, it will not only add a barrier to Nanning, but also win the hearts of the chieftains in Guangxi. Add the seal of the General of Conquering the Barbarians, and all the 200 chieftains in Guangxi will obey your orders."

"Good." Danchu praised: "Please prepare it for me, sir, and accompany me to Sien to propose marriage."

"promise."

On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, Danchu and Fang Yizhi went to Si'en Mansion with 1,000 taels of white gold to propose marriage and buy horses.

Tusi customs were open-minded. Cen Xun had three daughters who were about to get married, and they were not restrained when they came out to meet Dan Chu.

There was one daughter who was the oldest, sixteen years old, named Cen Yan, who was handsome and graceful, a bit like the third wife, Mo Yufen, but prettier, more generous, and more polite than Mo.

Danchu fell in love with her at first sight and made her his wife. Together with the five wives and concubines before him, Cen Yan was his sixth concubine.

"I am from the Nanyang Cen family. My ancestor Cen Jiazhou (Cen Shen) served in the frontier army and left a branch of his bloodline in Shaanxi. May I ask if you, the governor, are also from the Nanyang Cen family?"

After Cen Danchu became famous, he also began to associate himself with celebrities. This was the trend at the time and there was nothing wrong with it.

There are three sources of the surname Cen: 1. It comes from the surname Ji, and is the descendant of Ji Qu, the cousin of King Wu of Zhou in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. It is a surname named after the country; 2. It comes from Baiyue, and is the Li people of the ancient Baiyue ethnic group during the Qin and Han dynasties. It is a surname that was changed to a Han surname; 3. It comes from the Zhuang people in Guangxi, and is from the ancient Zhuang people in the Song Dynasty. It is a surname that was changed to a Han surname.
During the Han and Tang Dynasties, the Nanyang Cen family was a prominent family with many generals and prime ministers. They were arguably the most prominent of the Cen clans and were often revered as their ancestors by the Cen clans in various places.

Cen Xun, the local governor of Si'en Prefecture, replied, "General, I am also from the Nanyang Cen family. My ancestor is the fifth-generation grandson of Cen Jiazhou, whose name was Zhongshu."

Cen Zhongshu was a Jinshi in the Northern Song Dynasty. He followed the fierce general Di Qing to quell the Nong Zhigao Rebellion. Later, he stayed in Guangxi and served as the governor of Guilin. He founded the Yongning Army and served as the hereditary pacification envoy along the border. He is revered as the ancestor of the Guangxi Cen family.

"Then we are even closer relatives." Dan Chu said with a smile.

"I am deeply grateful for the Marshal's kindness, and will repay you with all my heart in the future." Cen Xun didn't say much, and he looked kind, like a loyal and honest person.

However, he was also very decisive in fighting. Last year, when the Qing army attacked Nanning, the Cen family of Tianzhou was ready to respond. Cen Xun acted decisively and led his troops into Tianzhou, defeated the Cen family of Tianzhou, and forced them to continue to be loyal to the Ming court.

"Very good, very good."

(End of this chapter)