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

Chapter 2 Joining the Army
Entering the side room of the ancestral hall, the messenger took out a greasy bookcase from his chest, handed the letter inside to Jiao Lian with both hands, and said concisely:

"Marshal, the Qing invaders have captured Pingle. Wujingbo Li Mingzhong and General Li Chengzhi have surrendered. Sienhou Chen Bangbo has fled to Nanning. Guilin is in imminent danger. The garrison has sent an urgent letter, asking you to return to Guilin immediately to provide assistance."

Last month, Emperor Yongli was still in Guilin. Upon hearing that Wuzhou had fallen, Emperor Yongli and his ministers were like frightened birds, planning to flee Guangxi and seek refuge in Hunan.

Qu Shisi tried hard to persuade him, but he was determined not to give up the important city of Guilin, so he asked to stay in Guilin.

Emperor Yongli was deeply moved, and specially appointed Qu Shisi the post of "Guilin Governor", and added the titles of Minister of Personnel and Minister of War, and Grand Secretary of Wuying Palace, and gave him the Imperial Sword to act at his discretion, and all troops, horses, money and food were under his control.

The power of the governor of Guilin was extremely great, theoretically second only to the emperor and above ten thousand people. Officialdom was very particular about titles, and people often respectfully referred to Qu Shisi as "the governor".

But the Yongli court had no prestige, and the military commanders in various places were arrogant and did what they wanted, making the local areas like vassal states. If Qu Shisi wanted to transfer military commanders to defend Guilin, he had to speak well of them.

The messenger was also extremely respectful to Jiao Lian and did not dare to address him as "an edict", so he could only ask with the word "please".

As Jiao Lian tore open the letter, he asked anxiously, "When did Pingle fall?"

The messenger took a deep breath and replied, "Last month, Gengzi, which is February 29th."

"Ah?" Jiao Lian and Cen Danchu were both shocked.

It was the eighth day of the third lunar month, and ten days had passed since the twenty-ninth day of the second lunar month. Pingle was only two hundred miles away from Guilin, while Huangsha Town was more than three hundred miles away from Guilin.

If the Qing invaders continued to attack Guilin, wouldn't Guilin be in danger?

Jiao Lian hurriedly read the letter and said to himself, "I already knew that Xunzhou fell on February 29th, but how could I have expected that Pingle would also fall on the same day?"

Pingle is located in the Lijiang River Basin. Going up the Lijiang River, you can reach Guilin and connect to Hunan, and going downstream, you can reach Wuzhou and connect to Guangdong.

Xunzhou is located at the confluence of Qianjiang River and Yujiang River. Going downstream you can reach Wuzhou, going upstream along the Qianjiang River you can reach Liuzhou and connect to Guizhou; going upstream along the Yujiang River you can reach Nanning and Taiping and connect to Yunnan.

Therefore, Pingle and Xunzhou are both places of strategic importance and are located in two different strategic directions.

Cen Danchu's expression changed, and despite his humble status, he said, "General, the two Qing troops in Pingle and Xunzhou are Li Chengdong's troops. I heard that Li Chengdong is a general under Gao Jie, and Gao Jie is a member of the Chuang thieves.

"Li Chengdong had only 4,000 soldiers under his command. After surrendering to the Qing invaders in Jiangbei, he conquered Jiangnan, Fujian and Zhejiang, and Guangdong alone. He suffered heavy casualties and was already exhausted when he arrived in Guangxi.

"Now, he has divided his troops to attack Pingle and Xunzhou. The scattered forces are a recipe for death. As long as we work together and reach Guilin before the Qing invaders, we will be able to defeat them in one fell swoop."

When the Manchus entered the Central Plains, there were 24 banners including the Eight Banners Manchu, Mongolian and Han armies, with a total strength of less than 200,000. Together with the bondservants and their families, the total population was less than one million.

The sad thing is that it was this Eight Banners Army of less than 200,000 that defeated the Ming Dynasty's million-strong army and captured the vast inland area.

What is even more sad is that most of those who served as pawns for the Qing Dynasty were Ming troops who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty.

For example, Li Chengdong, who had only 4,100 troops, conquered Jiangnan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong, etc. for the Qing Dynasty. In particular, after arriving in Fujian, the Manchu soldiers were not used to the southern climate and no longer followed the expedition to Guangdong.

Li Chengdong, with his own strength and the help of the Ming army that surrendered during the Longwu period, had only about 10,000 soldiers, but he captured the entire Guangdong province and penetrated deep into Guangxi, successively occupying important cities such as Wuzhou, Pingle, and Xunzhou.

How sad! Gao Jie was only a second-rate general in Li Zicheng's army, and Li Chengdong was also a second-rate general in Gao Jie's army. However, after surrendering to the Qing Dynasty, they showed such amazing fighting power!

What exactly is the problem? !
Jiao Lian glanced at Cen Danchu with an incredible expression on his face: This kid's words were logical and his analysis was clear. He didn't look like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old kid at all. Instead, he looked like a well-educated strategist.

"Yes, that makes sense." Jiao Lian smiled and asked the messenger, "When did you leave Guilin?"

The messenger said, "Three days ago, it rained heavily along the way, the road was muddy, and in some places the flood was knee-deep. I walked for three days and three nights before I finally arrived at Huangsha Town."

The rain outside the window continued to fall, and seemed to be getting heavier.

Jiao Lian felt something was wrong and said to the messenger, "Take a rest and go to the camp to have a hot meal. I will send someone to send you a letter. When you return to Guilin, tell the garrison to rest assured. I will lead the army back to defend Guilin today and will arrive in Guilin in three days."

The messenger cried with tears in his eyes, "Your Majesty, I am sorry that I cannot obey your orders. I am waiting in Guilin anxiously, hoping that the troops can come to defend the city as soon as possible. I dare not let you down, and I dare not delay even a little bit. Please write a receipt immediately, and I will return home immediately."

He paused, hesitated for a moment, and continued, "I have previously been to Quanzhou to meet with Anguogong Liu Chengyin. He has a large number of troops under his command, and the governor has high hopes for him. However, Liu Chengyin refused to send troops to reinforce on the grounds that he would leave troops to protect the court.

"The Ming Dynasty had many soldiers and generals, and was often called a million-strong army, but the generals in various places were arrogant and had ulterior motives. When the time came, only the general was willing to send troops to help. A loyal minister is known in times of turmoil, and I dare to thank the general on behalf of the garrison!" When mentioning Anguogong Liu Chengyin, everyone shook their heads and sighed. This man was extremely strong and good at using an iron rod, so he was called "Liu Tiegun". However, although he had a large number of soldiers and horses, he had evil intentions and no respect for his subjects. He had been entrenched in the Wugang area of ​​Hunan for many years, like a local overlord.

The imperial court also accommodated him in every way. He Tengjiao led the army to Huguang, but was unable to control Liu Chengyin. In order to demand money from Tengjiao, Liu Chengyin even sent troops to He Tengjiao's hometown in Guizhou and arrested his son.

He Tengjiao had no choice but to try harder to win him over, even marrying him, and asking Emperor Longwu to confer him the title of Dingman Bo. When Emperor Yongli ascended the throne, Liu Chengyin actively supported him and promoted him to Dingman Hou.

At this moment, Liu Chengyin led his troops to station in Quanzhou and was promoted to Duke of Anguo. He said he was protecting the court, but in fact he was holding the emperor hostage, beating and kicking court officials at will, and insulting them at will. Expecting him to send troops to rescue Guilin was nothing but a pipe dream.

All the messenger's hopes rested on Jiao Lian. After saying this, his knees softened and he knelt down in front of Jiao Lian, paying great respects.

Jiao Lian quickly helped him up, and then he noticed that the messenger had sunken eye sockets, a dark and thin face, and bloodshot eyes. It was obvious that he was extremely tired and had no rest day or night.

A warm current surged in Jiao Lian's heart, and he was moved and said, "Your Excellency is so loyal and righteous, it is really a blessing for the Ming Dynasty. I know that there are people left behind, and the Heavenly Army will surely be able to defend Guilin and protect the Ming Dynasty."

After saying that, he turned to Cen Danchu and said, "Danchu, quickly go to next door and borrow some writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."

Cen Danchu nodded in agreement, and after a moment, writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone were ready.

Jiao Lian thought for a moment, then wrote: "Lian has received the order from the governor to send troops to Guilin immediately. They will arrive in Guilin in three days. If there is any delay, I will be subject to military law. Jiao Lian bows again. March 8th, 9:00."

He carried with him the seal of "General Aiding and Suppressing the Enemy", solemnly stamped the letter with the silver seal, and handed it to the messenger.

With tears in his eyes, the messenger was about to leave.

Jiao Lian instructed the accompanying general, "Arrange two standard-bearers to escort the envoy, give him a good horse, and prepare some dried meat as dry food. Make sure the envoy arrives safely in Guilin."

In the ancestral hall, Jiao Lian began to mobilize troops and generals, dictating orders while Cen Danchu recorded them.

The first order was sent to the standard camp, requiring it to prepare for departure immediately. One hour later, the camp was ready and headed towards Guilin.

The second handwritten order was sent to Bai Gui, deputy general of the governor's flag, and Zhao Xing, deputy general of the right assistant of the garrison flag, ordering them to lead their troops to break camp before the beginning of the next day and rush to Guilin for reinforcement, and arrive in Guilin within six days.

Bai Gui and Zhao Xing were both fierce generals under Jiao Lian, and both held the title of deputy generals in charge of Guangxi. The Southern Ming dynasty was too lax in the use of official titles, and both generals were deputy generals with only a thousand men under their command, mostly recruited infantry.

The third order was sent to Liu Qijiao, asking him to station troops to defend Huangsha Town, guard the old camp, and protect the imperial carriage from Quanzhou. Liu Qijiao had the title of general, and his qualifications and prestige were higher than those of Bai Gui and Zhao Guang, and he often served as Jiao Lian's substitute.

Liu Qijiao, Bai Gui, and Zhao Guang were all brave and courageous. They were the generals under Jiao Lian's command. They lived and died with him and made many military achievements. When Jiao Lian led his troops to fight, in addition to relying on the standard battalion, he also relied on these three generals.

Cen Danchu wrote quickly and finished the three orders, which made Jiao Lian very satisfied. Unfortunately, he was not yet eighteen years old and could not serve as a soldier for the time being.

Jiao Lian nodded and said to Cen Danchu: "Danchu, although you are young, you are smart and have great potential. It is a pity that you were unable to join the army this time. However, you should wait patiently, and there will be opportunities for you to make achievements in the future."

Cen Danchu didn't want to miss this rare opportunity. Since crossing over, he had been eagerly reading military books and practicing martial arts, in order to stand out as soon as possible and find a way to command an army.

In the chaotic times of the Southern Ming Dynasty, human life was as cheap as a dog's, and it was impossible to avoid it. Cen Danchu did not want to shave his head and become a slave of the Qing Dynasty. Since he had traveled through time, he should use the advantages of a time traveler to change history and revitalize China.

The most urgent task is to establish military merit as soon as possible and train a model soldier like Jiao Lian.

Cen Danchu had made up his mind. He bowed to Jiao Lian and said, "General, I want to follow you now and go to Guilin to kill the enemy and make merit. I beg you to help me."

Good boy, I have a plan, but I can't say it. Jiao Lian looked at Cen Danchu with a smile. Seeing that he was strong and determined, he was even happier in his heart, but he said, "Boy, you are not even eighteen years old yet, you shouldn't join the army so early."

Cen Danchu was very determined and said, "Marshal, the rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of every man. Killing the enemy to serve the country is a matter of course, regardless of age. Serving as a soldier, eating food, and risking one's life is a matter of course. I have been eating food in the Marshal's army for many years, and it is time for me to go into battle and kill the enemy!"

"Great! What a great saying, 'Every man has his share of responsibility for the fate of his country'!"

Jiao Lian was very happy, as if he had recruited a great general, and said, "Cen Danchu, I will make an exception and recruit you as my personal soldier. This time you will accompany me to defend Guilin and help me look after my bows, arrows and swords."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)