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

Chapter 226 Fang Wei's Small Matters Affect Great Causes

The three great traitors of the Qing Dynasty, Dingnan Wang Kong Youde, Jingnan Wang Geng Zhongming, and Pingnan Wang Shang Kexi, had already gone south. Kong Youde was the most active and made the fastest progress, crossing the Yangtze River in July and reaching Hengzhou in August, where he met Jirgalang.

Jirgalang was ordered to return to defend the capital. He had a quick meeting with Kong Youde and then led the Eight Banners across the river to the north.

Kong Youde was so ambitious that he even brought seals and imperial edicts from various government offices in Guangxi, determined to take Guangxi. In order to drive the three kings to work hard, the Qing court promised them that they would rule Lingnan for generations, just like the Mu family in the Ming Dynasty, and allowed them to bring their families with them.

The same was true for Geng Zhongming and Shang Kexi, but their forces were weaker, with only 10,000 soldiers each, and their progress was not as fast as Kong Youde.

As soon as Jirgalang left, the Ming army became active again. Starting from September, the Ming army launched a counterattack and the news of victory spread quickly.

Governor General Zhang Tongchang led the Duke of Xuan, Duke Zhao Yinxuan, Duke Hu Yiqing, Duke of Wei, Marquis Yang Guodong, and Earl Wang Yongzuo to recapture Quanzhou. Jiao Lian, Yang Guodong and others led their troops to approach Yongzhou, Hunan. Zhao Yinxuan, Hu Yiqing and Wang Yongzuo of the Yunnan Division approached Wugang.

Cao Zhijian, Duke of Yongguo, led his troops northward from Zhenxia Pass and captured Yongxing and Leiyang.

The troops of Ma Jinzhong, Duke of E, and Wang Jincai, Duke of Xiang, who were stationed in Dongkou and Hongjiang areas, joined forces with Zhao Yinxuan and Hu Yiqing of the Yunnan Division to capture Wugang (Fengtian) in late October, captured the Qing general Yang Yingyuan alive, and subsequently recovered Xinning, Chengbu and other counties.

Afterwards, Hu Yiqing of the Yunnan Division led his troops through Xing'an and Lengshuitan, and cooperated with Jiao Lian to attack Yongzhou. Wang Jincai led his troops to capture Jingzhou, and the Qing general Yan Fangyu and others fled and drowned on the way. Ma Jinzhong led his troops to approach Baoqing. Cao Zhijian approached Hengyang.

Kong Youde had no choice but to station in Hengzhou and "advance to suppress Guangxi when the opportunity arises."

The situation seemed to have improved significantly, and many people became blindly optimistic again, believing that recovery was possible.

Danchu, however, always kept a clear head and did not send troops north under the pretext of guarding against the Loyal Camp.

The Ming army conquered cities in Huguang not because Kong Youde was weak, but because he did not want to fight. Dorgon granted him Guangxi as his fief, and he would never waste his own troops on the battlefield of Huguang to serve others.

Therefore, Kong Youde stationed in Hengzhou, trying to avoid fighting as much as possible, and appealed to the Qing court for help, requesting that troops be sent to garrison in Hunan so that he could focus on Guangxi.

Hunan has always been the main battlefield of the Yongli Dynasty against the Qing Dynasty. Last year, He Tengjiao and Du Yinxi launched a counterattack in Hunan with a much greater momentum, but they still failed in the end.

Meanwhile, another battlefield, Jiangxi, was completely silent. Du Yonghe succeeded Dongxun, but he was unable to control the other generals, let alone launch a counterattack in Jiangxi. Yan Keyi, the only general who was willing to launch a counterattack, died of illness in Meiguan.

Meiguan is the gateway to Guangdong, and like Yanguan and Zhenxiaguan in Guangxi, its geographical location is extremely important.

Du Yonghe sent General Luo Chengyao to replace Yan Keyi to guard Meiguan, but Luo Chengyao was afraid of the enemy and was unwilling to take up the post. Du Yonghe gave Luo Chengyao money and gifts and promised him official titles to coax him to the front line. However, Luo Chengyao did not stay in Meiguan at all, and did not even go to Nanxiong. He hid in Shaozhou and sent the central army Jiang Qilong to stay in Nanxiong.

The two kings, Geng Zhongming and Shang Kexi, have already arrived in Nanchang, but Dongxun is still in such a mess. There is not even a general to command the natural barrier of Meiguan. It would be strange if he is not defeated.

Before the three kings entered Lingnan, Danchu had to take Xunzhou. But he was patient and did not attack Chen Bangfu for a long time. Instead, he returned to Nanning to take care of other matters.

Since the March expedition, Danchu had been away fighting for more than half a year, and many of his work had been delayed. As soon as he came back, he got busy and first found Fang Yizhi to list the important matters that needed to be handled.

Fang Yizhi stayed in Nanning and was familiar with the government affairs. If he simply listed them, there would be as many as thirty or forty items.

In terms of the military, there are more than a dozen things that must be done as soon as possible: soldiers must be paid, their families must be treated well, the navy must be reorganized, the land force must be expanded, the matchlock guns must be modified, the military equipment must be repaired, preparations must be made to attack Chen Bangfu, and the defenses of Kunlun Pass and Zhennan Pass must be strengthened...

On the government side, there were even more things to do: setting up a special industrial and commercial department, conducting a land inventory, collecting autumn grain, developing water conservancy, abolishing slavery, organizing reclamation, and expanding schools...

There are many other things to do: we need to send tribute, stabilize the loyal camp...

Danchu looked at it and shook his head. There were so many things to write, and I couldn't even finish writing five pages. I really didn't know where to start.

Fang Yizhi smiled, put down his brush, and said, "Marshal is diligent in government affairs, working day and night, and is truly a role model for us. However, I believe that we need to have a handle to get things done. There is one thing that is not convenient to put on paper, but it is more important than all the above." "Oh?" Danchu was puzzled and asked, "Excuse me, sir, what is it?"

"The marshal has many wives and concubines, so we should treat them equally, reconcile the family dynamics, and also care for the children and raise them carefully."

"Haha," Danchu laughed dumbly and blurted out: "What's so important about Fang Wei's matter?"

"No," Fang Yizhi said solemnly, "Marshal Jue has Madam Qu, who can win the favor of the elders; he has Madam Zhu, who can get along well with the royal family; he has Madam Mo, who has established a firm foothold in Yong'an; he has Madam Liu, who has won the hearts of heroes all over the world; he has Madam Wei, who has won the support of merchants; he has Madam Cen, who has the support of the chieftains.

"Marshal Jue started from scratch and created so many achievements. But if it weren't for his six wives, I'm afraid it wouldn't be so smooth. Although his children are young, they are all Marshal Jue's blood, and they are also looked up to by the military and civilians. They will definitely inherit the great cause in the future.

"The sage said, 'Governing the country and bringing peace to the world.' Governing the family and bringing peace to the world are originally the same thing. The three major cases at the end of the Ming Dynasty were all minor matters in the inner court, but they ruined the country's fortune and have an impact to this day.

"So, the small matter of Fang Wei is related to the great cause, and it must be carefully observed. But this matter, outsiders can't help, only the Lord Marshal can do it. For example, when resting at night, the Lord Marshal should treat everyone equally and go to sleep in turn in each room, and should not be willful and partial."

Danchu listened to it, but was somewhat skeptical, thinking that Fang Yizhi was exaggerating.

Seeing this, Fang Yizhi told him the story of Li Zicheng, which made him quite alert.

Li Zicheng's first wife was Han. Because Li Zicheng was not interested in women and was unemployed at the post station, Han had an affair with someone. Li Zicheng was furious and killed Han, and was arrested and sent to the government. The officials demanded bribes, and Li Zicheng was forced to kill the officials and fled to Ganzhou with Li Guo (Li Chixin), and later joined the peasant army.

His second wife, Xing, was a lady from a prominent family. She was captured by Li Zicheng and was put in charge of the finances of the army. The two also had bad feelings, and Xing had an affair with Gao Jie, a general under Li Zicheng. Gao Jie surrendered to the Ming army with Xing, and later joined the four towns in Jiangbei during the Hongguang Dynasty.

Xing was "beautiful and charming, but stern and resolute, which made the soldiers tremble with fear", "she gave strict orders and was quite reassuring", and was quite intelligent and a good wife for Gao Jie. Li Zicheng could not use Xing, and they became enemies, which shows that he could not control his wife.

The third wife, Gao, is now Madam Gao of the Loyalty Camp. She is called Empress Dowager Gao in the army. Madam Gao has good morals, strong abilities and high prestige. She was named Empress when the Dashun Dynasty was founded.

However, the relationship between Li and Gao was still not harmonious, which can be seen from the title of Gao Yigong (Gao Bizheng). Gao Yigong was in charge of Li Zicheng's baggage for a long time, was the general of grain and grass of the Dashun Army, and was the younger brother of Mrs. Gao, but he was only given the title of earl.

After the Battle of Shanhaiguan, Li Zicheng abandoned the capital and retreated to Xi'an. At that time, he should have calmed people's hearts and prepared for another battle. Surprisingly, Li Zicheng hastily made Liu the queen in Xi'an and made her brother Liu Shijun the Marquis of Yue. This Liu did not even leave his birth and death years and his native place, which shows that he was a new favorite.

He is so reckless and ignorant, he doesn't look like the Emperor of Dashun at all. He is not even as good as the commander of an army.

This move aroused the suspicion of the Dashun Army, and many generals were dissatisfied. Mrs. Gao went north in anger and lived in Gao Yigong's military camp in Yulin. She never returned to Li Zicheng's side.

In addition to his four wives, Li Zicheng also had many concubines, who were of little help to his career.

In addition, Li Zicheng had no son, only an adopted son, Li Shuangxi, namely Yihou Zhang Nai, also known as Zhang Shuangxi.

After the failure of the Zhongzheng Camp's counterattack on Jingzhou, the generals Tian Jianxiu and Zhang Nai were desperate and surrendered with more than 5,000 troops. Dorgon ordered them to be buried alive, and Li Zicheng did not even leave an heir.

After hearing this story, Danchu was instantly alert and said, "Mr. Wei's words almost made me wrong."

Fang Yizhi smiled and said, "Although Li Zicheng has no son, he has a daughter named Li Cuiwei, who is very talented and wrote a poem called "Zheng Gong·Shan Yu Lantern·Lantern Festival Night Song", which is widely circulated. I heard that she is now married to Madam Gao. Why don't you ask Madam Gao to take Li Cuiwei as your concubine?"

The Loyal Camp has entered Liuzhou, captured Xiangzhou and Jiangkou, and is preparing to attack Liuzhou City.

Although Danchu released Liu Fangliang and became sworn brothers with Gao Bizheng, he still felt uneasy and did not trust the Loyalty Camp. He decided to accept Fang Yizhi's suggestion and asked someone to prepare a generous gift to ask for marriage from Mrs. Gao.

The Loyalty Camp had just arrived and was unfamiliar with the place and the people, so they were anxious to find support and were naturally happy to do so.

(End of this chapter)