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

Chapter 216: Unparalleled Talent and Extraordinary Talent
The setting sun was setting in the west, and the dusk was getting thicker. It was almost evening when Cen Danchu and his companions returned to Yin Hotel. After a quick wash, the servant brought a plate of watermelon, which had red flesh, black seeds and green skin, and looked very tempting.

Yu Houji, the left assistant general, said: "This watermelon is a famous crystal watermelon in Zhaoping. It has been soaked in the well for a day. It is cool and sweet when it is just taken out. It quenches thirst very well."

Everyone was tired and thirsty, and their appetites were whetted. When they tasted the watermelon, they found it to be sweet and juicy, which quenched their thirst and relieved most of their fatigue.

Soon, the servants brought wine and food. Cen Danchu, Du Yinxi, Yang Weizhi, and Yu Houji dismissed their attendants and discussed the current situation in secret.

Du Yinxi had just arrived, but he hit it off with Cen Danchu and Yang Weizhi right away, and spoke quite frankly, saying: "The world is in turmoil now, and righteous armies have risen up, some are determined to resist the Qing, and some have strong soldiers and horses.

"Sun Kewang controls Yunnan and Guizhou, and Li Chixin has many elite troops, but unfortunately they are all remnants of bandits and are hostile to the court officials. Ma Jinzhong and Jiao Lian are brave and resolute, but unfortunately they have no long-term strategy. Xiong Zhaozuo and Yang Guodong are elegant and refined, but they are not talented in war."

With so much experience, Danchu also became more sophisticated and rarely commented on others. However, Du Yinxi was straightforward and talked freely, which touched Danchu.

He offered Du Yinxi a glass of wine and said, "Jiang Ge has been in charge of Shanxi for generations, and his prestige is well-known. His students and former officials are all over the northwest. This time, the Tartars came out in full force, and Dorgon went to suppress them personally. What do you think of this, as a minister?"

Du Yinxi drank the wine in his glass in one gulp and said, "Jiang Ge has courage but no strategy. Although he has many subordinates, they are all disorganized. The court cannot send a single soldier, and even the imperial seal cannot be delivered. I am afraid that Jiang Ge will follow in the footsteps of Yulin Prince (Jin Shenghuan) again."

Jin Shenghuan defended Nanchang alone, but was later attacked by the Qing army because his generals surrendered. Jiang Ge was more active in defending Datong, and he sent troops out of the city to fight from time to time to support the righteous armies in various places.

However, Shanxi was close to the capital, and Dorgon attached great importance to it. He not only personally led the expedition to Datong, but also ordered Tan Tai and Jirgalang to return to stabilize the situation in the north. Tan Tai had already led his troops to withdraw, and Jirgalang had also ended the war in Huguang and was preparing to withdraw to the north.

It is foreseeable that under the strong military pressure of the Qing army, Datong will soon become an isolated city. Once the external aid is cut off and the food is exhausted, the defenders will surrender. Jiang Ge's uprising will fail again.

Shanxi is thousands of miles away, and everyone is powerless and can only sigh.

Yang Weizhi was very interested in the Dongxun Group and asked, "After the death of the King of Ningxia, Du Yonghe became the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Li Yuanyin was in charge of the government. May I ask you, how strong is the Guangdong Army? Can Du and Li still maintain Dongxun?"

Du Yinxi was ostracized by Dongxun and had a bad impression of the two. He said, "Du Yonghe was originally the Central Army of the King of Ningxia. His qualifications are comparable to those of Dongxun's generals Yan Keyi, She Shangjiu, Luo Chengyao, Zhang Yue, etc. His military and political orders are not smooth. Although Li Yuanyin is the adopted son of the King of Ningxia, he is just a figurehead and has no close relationship with the Dongxun generals. He is also young and energetic, frivolous and impetuous, and is not a pillar of talent. The Dongxun Group cannot be relied on."

Danchu asked, "Weiyuan Marquis Zhu Chenggong came to submit not long ago. Can he be considered a hero?"

"Zhu Chenggong and Emperor Longwu were nominally monarch and minister, and their relationship was like that of father and son. They were determined to resist the Qing dynasty, and their naval forces were strong. However, Zhu Chenggong's navy had never fought a major battle, was unaccustomed to land warfare, and only occupied tiny areas such as Kinmen and Xiamen. They had many soldiers but little food, and this was not a long-term solution. Whether Chenggong was a hero remained to be seen."

After Du Yinxi finished speaking, he looked at Danchu for a moment and said, "I think that Marshal Jue is the most outstanding hero in the world today."

The Red Army is still young and needs to be cautious. Danchu waved his hand and said with a smile: "You are joking, Mr. Cen. I am a small soldier with little experience in the world. How dare I regard myself as a hero?"

Du Yinxi put down his wine glass and said seriously, "The country is in a difficult situation. People with lofty ideals should work hard and forge ahead. There is no need to hide your head and show your tail, and you must not belittle yourself. Marshal Jue is the descendant of a loyal hero. Although he is young, he has the talent of heaven and earth. He is truly a rare talent and a hero beyond the world."

Cen Danchu was very happy and excited to be recognized by Du Yinxi. He picked up the wine glass and stood up to look at the night sky. He saw the moon as big as a round disk, the stars shining brightly, and the silver light shining down, illuminating the Yin Hotel with a bright white light.

"Your Excellency is wrong to praise me. I joined the army at the age of seventeen and served as a soldier under the Duke of Xuan. After several battles, I became the Marquis of Dinglu in less than four years. The court has been very kind to me and I want to repay it day and night. "Now the overall situation has collapsed. It is more difficult for the Ming Dynasty to resist the overwhelming enemy in a remote corner. For now, the military governors must put aside their prejudices, strengthen contacts, and support each other, so that we can keep the base in the southwest and make further progress. "

Naturally, Danchu brought the topic to the United Heroes. Yang Weizhi had close ties with the Dashi Army, while Du Yinxi had a favor with the Zhongzheng Camp. If the two could be won over, it would be of great benefit to the Red Army.

Everyone stood up and raised their glasses to drink.

Danchu continued, "Lao Ge, Mr. Yang, think about this. In the southwest is Sun Kewang's Western Army, and in the southeast is Zhu Chenggong's navy. The two seem to have nothing to do with each other, but in fact they can echo each other and attack Nanjing.

"The Western Army occupies Yunnan and Guizhou, and has strong soldiers and horses. They can be divided into two routes, one to Sichuan and the other to Huguang, and then go down the river and attack Nanjing directly. Zhu Chenggong can call on the Southeast Navy to go up the river through Wusongkou and cooperate with the Western Army to attack Nanjing.

"At the same time, the Guangdong Division entered Fujian, and the Zhongzheng Camp, Yunnan Division, Chu Division, and Guangxi Division entered Hunan and Jiangxi to contain the Tartars in various provinces. When the Western Army and the Navy captured Nanjing, the situation in the south would change, and the Ming Dynasty could divide the border with the Tartars and rule them separately."

This strategy may seem fantastic, but it is actually feasible. The Eight Banners had too few troops, and most of them were deployed in the north. Looking south of the Yangtze River, the Qing army only had Green Camp troops, and only a small number of Eight Banners were stationed in Nanjing, with a total number of less than 1,000. As long as the Ming army concentrated its forces to capture Nanjing, the entire south would quickly change its flag.

"Alas!" Du Yinxi sighed, "This is a brilliant plan, but unfortunately, the court officials do not understand the general situation and are still unwilling to recognize the Western Army. The emperor has no prestige and is unable to control Sun Kewang and Zhu Chenggong."

Yang Weizhi also sighed, "Sun Kewang can't have the final say in the Western Army. Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu both regard themselves as the Western Army and the Southern Army, and they are not in harmony with him. We need to think carefully about the attack on Nanjing."

Danchu stopped talking about it and turned to a more realistic issue: whether the Loyalty Camp should stay or go.

"Lord, I heard that Chen Bangfu invited Li Chixin to attack Nanning. Don't accuse me of bragging. With the strength of the Loyalty Battalion, it is still unable to defeat the Red Army. If that happens, Li Chixin will end up losing more than he gains, which will be embarrassing."

Since the failure of the Zhongzheng Battalion's attack on Jingzhou, Li Chixin's prestige has been declining, and the Dashun Army's brave generals have been leaving. At present, even Liu Xiyao and Liu Fangliang are ready to leave and work alone, and Li Chixin can no longer control them. If he loses in Nanning, the Zhongzheng Battalion will be even more fragmented.

"To be honest, Marshal, it is true." Du Yinxi said, "Li Chixin is still hesitant, Gao Bizheng is adamant, and I also advised him not to cause trouble. However, the Zhongzheng Camp has a large number of troops and horses, and the camps are dozens of miles long. If there is no place to put them, it will not be a good idea."

The Loyalty Camp was stationed in Fengchuan and Kaijian, close to Wuzhou. If they wanted to seize territory, Wuzhou was the closest and most prosperous.

Danchu said calmly: "Although Wuzhou is good, it is located in the center of Guangdong and Guangxi and is occupied by Guangxi Governor Lu Kezao. Even Chen Bangfu dare not easily get involved in Wuzhou, let alone Zhongzhengying?
"Although I am a junior, I also understand the overall situation and am willing to help the Loyal Camp to gain a base. How about asking Li Chixin to go west to take Liuzhou? If he is interested, the Red Army is willing to lend a hand."

Liuzhou is a place where Yao and Dong people live together, and it is a wild place that is not valued by warlords. Only in this way can the Loyal Camp take Liuzhou. However, Liuzhou is Chen Bangfu's territory. If this is true, Li Chixin will join hands with Cen Danchu to become an enemy of Chen Bangfu.

Danchu has sent someone to contact Li Chixin, willing to form an alliance with the Zhongzheng Camp and help the Zhongzheng Camp seize Liuzhou. With Du Yinxi's help, this matter will be more certain.

Du Yinxi's worth and situation have a lot to do with the Zhongzheng Camp. After careful consideration, he decided to accept Danchu's proposal and said, "Marshal Jue is very righteous and is truly a role model for the military. I will contact the Zhongzheng Camp and tell them of Marshal Jue's good intentions."

(End of this chapter)