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

Chapter 307 King of Nanyue

Grand Secretary Wen'an passed through Guilin on his way.

Wen Anzhi, whose courtesy name was Ruzhi and pseudonym was Tie'an, was a native of Yiling, Hubei. He became a Jinshi in the second year of the Tianqi reign. Last year, he went to Wuzhou, where he first served as the second assistant and later as the first assistant.

After assisting the government for less than a year, Wen Anzhi saw through the true colors of the Yongli emperor and his ministers, felt that he could not do anything, and asked to go to Sichuan to supervise the army. The Yongli emperor could not keep him, so he appointed Wen Anzhi as the Prince's Guardian, the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of War, the Governor-General of Sichuan and Hubei military affairs, and gave him the Imperial Sword to do what he wanted.

Historically, after Wen Anzhi left the Yongli court, he was first detained by Sun Kewang. He escaped after several months and came to Kuidong, where he united with the Thirteen Families of Kuidong to fight against the Qing Dynasty. In the thirteenth year of the Yongli reign, Wen Anzhi led sixteen battalions of the Thirteen Families, including Liu Tichun, Yuan Zongdi, and Li Laiheng, to attack Chongqing, which was the last large-scale counterattack by the Southern Ming army.

It was obvious that Wen Anzhi was a man worth making friends with. Danchu hosted a banquet for him at the headquarters, with Qu Shisi, Jiao Lian, Fang Yizhi and others in attendance.

On Duxiu Peak, many plants have sprouted new buds, showing a little bit of new green in the forest. Spring has returned to the earth, all things have revived, and the world is full of infinite vitality and vigor.

Before sitting down, everyone was again humble. In terms of official position, Wen Anzhi was the chief minister, and Qu Shisi was the one who recommended Wen Anzhi. In terms of power, Danchu controlled the Red Army and ruled western Guangdong, with a great reputation. In terms of seniority, Qu Shisi was above everyone else, but he had already returned the imperial seal and regarded himself as a commoner.

In the end, Cen Danchu took the top spot. After the battle in western Guangdong, he had established absolute authority, which was enough to make him feel comfortable in front of senior officials such as Qu Shisi and Jiao Lian.

"I traveled all the way north from Nanning to Guilin. Along the way, merchants and civilians were stable and the army was in good order. It shows that Zhuo Ru is able to command the army on horseback and comfort the people on foot. He is truly a man of great talent for reviving the country." Wen Anzhi sighed, which was both a compliment and an admiration.

"Mr. Wen accepted the order in a time of crisis and entered the cabinet to assist in government administration. Within a year, western Guangdong was saved from danger. Mr. Wen did not talk about his achievements, but gladly requested to go to Sichuan. He truly has the style of an ancient minister." Danchu responded.

The turnaround of western Guangdong from crisis to safety was not Wen Anzhi's work. Wen Anzhi smiled bitterly and said frankly, "I passed the imperial examination in the second year of the Tianqi reign. Seeing that the national affairs were getting worse, I also actively wrote letters to express my opinions. As a result, Xue Ge Lao was jealous of me and dismissed me from office and stayed at home. Xue Ge Lao was good at scheming and was ranked as the prime minister, but his cleverness backfired and he was killed by Emperor Weizong.

"The court officials were arguing endlessly, and the major policies were changing from day to day. This was a sign of the country's demise. I was disheartened and hibernated in the countryside for many years, and did not respond to the summons of Anzong and Shaozong. When the King of Zhongxiang, the King of Yulin, and the King of Ningxia were defeated one after another, I knew that the court was in a difficult situation, so I rushed to the imperial court and joined the cabinet to assist in the administration. I wasted a year and achieved nothing.

"If Songpo had not saved the day, western Guangdong would have been occupied by the Tartars. Your Majesty is living in a corner, and your ministers are short-sighted. I am in the imperial court, so I am restricted in everything. It would be better for me to ask for permission to go to Sichuan and contact the various towns in Sichuan to speak up for your Majesty."

Xue Ge Lao is Ge Guoguan, a native of Hancheng County, Xi'an Prefecture, Shaanxi Province. He was a powerful official during the Chongzhen period and was ranked as the first assistant. He was later executed by Emperor Chongzhen. During the Ming Dynasty, Xue Guoguan and Xia Yan during the Jiajing period were the only two first assistants who were executed for crimes.

Everyone sighed. Danchu asked, "After Mr. Wen left, did Mr. Qiu take over as the Prime Minister?"

Qiu Weng is Yan Qiheng, a native of Shanyin, Zhejiang Province. His courtesy name is Zhensheng, and his pseudonyms are Qiuye, Qiuye and Qiuhe.

Before Wen Anzhi became the chief minister, Yan Qiheng was the chief minister. Later, when the Qing army invaded Guangdong, Yan Qiheng resigned and handed over the position to Wen Anzhi. According to the official practice of the Ming Dynasty, after Wen Anzhi resigned, Yan Qiheng should have succeeded him as the chief minister.

"Qiu Weng succeeded as the Prime Minister. He is strict and upright, and very self-disciplined. However, he is not talented in making changes. The emperor appointed Qiu Weng as the Prime Minister because..." Wen Anzhi couldn't continue, so he changed the subject and said, "Talents are dwindling. The court appointed several university scholars, but most of them did not take the position. When I left, the court recommended the Minister of Revenue Wu Zhenyu as the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion to assist in the administration."

The Red Army completely wiped out the Dingnan Clan and recovered the entire western Guangdong, which was the first major victory since the Red Army moved south. The Yongli court was located in Long'an County and did nothing in this battle, which put it in an extremely embarrassing situation.

Emperor Yongli sent someone to Qu Shisi to return the seal of the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Guard and invite him to join the cabinet as the chief minister. Qu Shisi lost Guilin and his prestige was greatly damaged. He did not want to embarrass Cen Danchu, so he simply regarded himself as a commoner and refused to accept the seal.

Similarly, Emperor Yongli promoted Fang Yizhi to the rank of Grand Secretary of Wuying Palace and Jiao Lian to the rank of Left Commander-in-Chief, but both of them refused to attend.

On the contrary, the Red Army was full of talented people. After defeating the Dingnan soldiers, the Chinese people regarded Cen Danchu as their savior and gladly surrendered to him. The Red Army had the most talented people in the South.

Fang Yizhi spoke bluntly, saying, "Wu Zhenyu was a Jinshi in the 16th year of Chongzhen, but his qualifications and reputation are too shallow. It is rumored that Wu Zhenyu is good at managing finances, but in fact, he is just good at living a hard life and distributing salaries fairly."

The Yongli court was becoming more and more like a makeshift team. But after all, it represented orthodoxy and had the power to confer official titles, so it should not be underestimated.

Just like Dorgon, the regent of the Qing emperor, although he was a high-ranking official, he was not the emperor after all and could not do whatever he wanted. Jirgalang and other political enemies had been patient for a long time, waiting for him to die, and then they would take the opportunity to attack him, pull him out of the coffin and whip his corpse.

"The imperial court has already made a decision on the issue of conferring the title of King." Wen Anzhi came from Long'an County and knew the inner workings of the imperial court. He said, "Sun Kewang has occupied Guizhou and sent troops to Hunan. He is very arrogant and is getting more and more eager to be conferred the title of King of Qin. The imperial court has the Red Army to rely on, so it is decided to still confer the title of King of Ping Liao on Sun Kewang, not the One-Character King, and certainly not the King of Qin. Songpo is going to be conferred the title of King of Nanyue, and Zhao Weng is the one who is most supportive of this matter."

Zhao Weng is Wang Huacheng, a native of Jinxi, Jiangxi Province. His courtesy name is Dengshui and his pseudonym is Zhaoyang. He is good at making changes and has great skills. He is a senior official who assists the government. After Wen Anzhi left, Yan Qiheng succeeded him as the first assistant and Wang Huacheng was appointed as the second assistant.

Wang Huacheng saw that Cen Danchu had the potential to be a leader, so he readily submitted to him and even helped Cen Danchu to be crowned the Great General of Conquering the Enemy. During this crowning, Wang Huacheng also actively contributed and tried his best to make suggestions to Emperor Yongli.

In the Southern Ming Dynasty, there were too many titles, and it was difficult to reward meritorious officials. Once a meritorious official reached the rank of Duke, he could no longer be given a higher title unless he was promoted to the rank of King. Sun Kewang was forced to be crowned King of Qin, but he was humiliated by Chen Bangfu's fake title incident, and he refused to give in on the issue of crowning a king.

Cen Dan initially recovered western Guangdong and forced the Qing Dynasty's Dingnan King Kong Youde to death, which made him eligible for the title of king. The court originally planned to make him the King of Nanning to contain Sun Kewang. After Wang Huacheng's mediation, it was planned to change his title to the King of Nanyue.

The geographical scope of Nanyue is much larger than that of Nanning, covering western Guangdong, Jiaozhi, and even southwestern Fujian. Dan was first named the King of Nanyue, and from then on he could legitimately establish a government in Nanyue and set up ministries and courts.

Even Qu Shisi, Jiao Lian and others can benefit from it. At present, Qu Shisi is a counselor of the military government, and Jiao Lian is a senior staff officer of the Military Advisory Office. They each receive a generous salary. Although they can support their families, they have lost their power. When Danchu becomes the King of Nanyue, he can appoint Qu Shisi, Jiao Lian and others as senior advisors, so that they can take charge of the situation in an emergency.

"Zhao Weng is not well received in the capital. If it weren't for Mr. Wen's words, how could I dare to hope to be crowned king?" Danchu was overjoyed to have the hope of becoming king. He said, "Mr. Wen, you are going thousands of miles away. I don't know how I can repay you."

Danchu has prepared a hundred taels of gold to give to Wen Anzhi. At their level, a hundred or a thousand taels of gold is no longer important. "Songpo has made outstanding military achievements and defeated a famous king. He deserves to be named the King of Nanyue. I just said a few fair words."

Wen Anzhi revealed a piece of gossip: "Ma Jixiang went on a diplomatic mission to the Duke of Zhang last year and has returned by sea. The Duke of Zhang sent an envoy to the emperor and presented him with a thousand taels of gold and ten thousand taels of silver. The emperor was very pleased and planned to confer the title of Prince of Yanping on the Duke of Zhang."

Last year, the Red Army sent troops to aid Guangdong. The commander-in-chief, Grand Secretary He Wuzuo, led Chen Bangfu, Ma Jixiang and others to counterattack. Chen Bangfu, Ma Jixiang and others were afraid to move forward, and instead fought with Liu Guochang. Cen Danchu took the opportunity to kill Chen Bangfu and his son, but it was inconvenient to deal with Ma Jixiang. Because Ma Jixiang was the Minister of War of Wen'an Hou, he had always been trusted by Emperor Yongli, so he removed Ma Jixiang's military power and sent him to Kinmen in the name of contacting Zhu Chenggong.

Unexpectedly, Ma Jixiang was skilled in flattery and flattered Zhu Chenggong in every way after arriving in Kinmen. Zhu Chenggong was stubborn and self-willed. Under the instigation of Ma Jixiang, he sent his generals to escort Ma Jixiang back to the imperial court and gave gold and silver to the court in an attempt to confer the title of king.

Zhu Chenggong and Zhu Yihai, the regent of Lu, were both rich and wealthy. The brutal anti-Qing struggle made them strong-willed commanders. However, they lacked great talent and strategy, and it was difficult for them to shoulder the great cause of anti-Qing in the southeast coast.

Regent Lu still refuses to submit to Emperor Yongli, which is unique, but there are frequent internal conflicts and morale is low.

In the third year of the Yongli reign, while Kong Youde, Shang Kexi and Geng Zhongming were invading the south, the Qing government stepped up efforts to recruit surrenders in the Siming Mountain Stronghold in Zhejiang and Zhoushan Islands. The traitor Yan Wogong and others were active everywhere, recruiting the surrenders of Wu Kai, Marquis of Kaiyuan, Shi Zhongfang, Marquis of Dingyuan, Gu Qixun, Earl of Yi'an, Jiang Junxian, General of Kaiping, Wang Yongsheng, General of Anyuan, Tian Dekun, General of Zhaowu, Shen Chenglong, General of Zhongyong, Hu Maofang, General of Huben, and Lu Mingshi, General of Dingyi, who were conferred titles by the Lu Regent.

The appeal of Lu Jianguo was not as strong as that of Emperor Yongli, and the official title he was granted was even less valuable. Although Wu Kai and Shi Zhongfang were marquises, they actually had no troops. After they surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, the Qing authorities were deeply troubled and found it difficult to place them. Despite this, the Qing court's surrender still brought a lot of trouble to Lu Jianguo's regime.

What was really terrible was that the Lu Regent regime was in constant internal strife, and most of the troops were naval forces, drifting without support. Zhou Rui and Zhou Hezhi had a conflict in Sanpan, and the two generals were incompatible. Zhou Rui led his troops south to Fujian to join Zheng, while Zhou Heyi led his troops north to join Ruan Jin.

The conflict between Zhang Mingzhen and Wang Chaoxian severely damaged the power of the Lu Regent. Wang Chaoxian was suppressed by Huang Binqing, the Marquis of Sulu, and conspired with Zhang Mingzhen and Ruan Jin to murder Huang Binqing. Zhang Mingzhen was highly trusted by the Lu Regent, and Wang Chaoxian secretly envied him and was dissatisfied, intending to expose the inside story of Huang Binqing's murder.

Zhoushan was the headquarters of Lu Jianguo, and many of Huang Binqing's former subordinates lived on the island. Zhang Mingzhen and Ruan Jin conspired to kill Wang Chaoxian again. Wang Chaoxian's generals Zhang Jiming and Lu Tingji were indignant and seized a ship to Ningbo to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, and leaked Zhoushan's defense to the Qing court.

Lu Jinguo persisted in resisting the Qing Dynasty along the coast of Zhejiang, using Zhoushan and Ningbo Siming Mountain Stronghold as strongholds. He posed a threat to the Qing Dynasty's rule in the south of the Yangtze River and objectively protected Zhu Chenggong's expansion in Fujian.

The Manchus felt like they had a thorn in their side, and in September of the fourth year of the Yongli reign, they launched a massive siege on Siming Mountain Stronghold. Feng Jingdi, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War appointed by Lu Jianguo, was captured and killed. Wang Yi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and the Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Ministry of War, went to Zhoushan for help, but encountered a fight between Zhang Mingzhen and Wang Chaoxian. Siming Mountain Stronghold was lost, and the Manchus were about to launch a general attack on Zhoushan.

"Shaozong and Lu Jinguo fought for the throne and sent troops to attack each other. Zhu Chenggong was appreciated by Shaozong and had always been at odds with Lu Jinguo. He would rather serve Emperor Yongli from afar than form an alliance with Lu Jinguo. If he could be granted the title of Prince of Yanping, he could compete with Lu Jinguo from then on." Qu Shisi said.

Jiao Lian sighed, "Once Siming Mountain Stronghold is destroyed, Lu Jianguo will be isolated in Zhoushan and hanging on the sea. With many soldiers and little food, the situation will become even more difficult. Lu Jianguo and Zhu Chenggong are in a desperate situation, and Zhu Chenggong will not sit idly by."

"Haha," Danchu sneered, "Zhu Chenggong's rapid rise in Fujian is actually due to the fact that Lu Jianguo insisted on resisting the Qing Dynasty on the coast of Zhejiang. The Tartars were restrained and the army could not enter Fujian. Zhu Chenggong fought against Zheng Cai and also took advantage of Dongxun's misfortune. It is clear that he would never save Lu Jianguo."

"Alas!" Jiao Lian sighed and said, "The Ming Dynasty has declined to this point, all because of the discord between the emperor and his subjects, and the disharmony between the military governors. If Zhoushan is lost again, our army will no longer be able to threaten Jiangnan, and the southeast will be ruined."

The Yongli Emperor conferred the title of Prince of Yanping on Zhu Chenggong, which was obviously intended to contain Cen Danchu. Everyone avoided talking about this and turned to the situation in Sichuan and Lake.

Sichuan is a land of abundance with fertile land. If it can be well managed, it can be the foundation of the revival of the country. However, the Yongli court had no long-term strategy and appointed several governors and provincial governors to Sichuan, which plunged Sichuan into unprecedented chaos.

During the Hongguang period, the appointment of officials was still well-organized. There were three senior officials in Sichuan: Wang Yingxiong, the Minister of War and the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion, who was in charge of the military affairs of Sichuan, Hubei, Yunnan, and Guizhou, and was responsible for dealing with the Sichuan bandits; Fan Yiheng, the Governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi; and Ma Qian, the Governor of Sichuan. Although the three had different positions, the military and political affairs were still unified.

During the Yongli reign, everything was in chaos. Wang Yingxiong died of illness in the first year of the Yongli reign, and Ma Qian died in battle while resisting Wu Sangui's invasion of Sichuan. The Yongli reign started a series of operations in Sichuan, appointing Fan Yiheng to remain as the governor-general of Sichuan and Shaanxi, transferring Li Qiande, the governor of Pianyuan, to be the governor of northeastern Sichuan, and soon promoted to governor-general. Zhu Rongfan, a member of the imperial family, was appointed governor of military affairs in eastern Sichuan, and Yang Qiaoran and Jiang Erwen were appointed governors. Yang Qiaoran was soon promoted to governor-general, Zhan Tianyan was appointed governor of northern Sichuan, and Fan Wenguang was appointed governor of southern Sichuan.

Sichuan had already been severely devastated by Zhang Xianzhong, and its population was only one million. The imperial court actually appointed four governors in Sichuan, not including the governor-general. It would have been a mess. On the contrary, the Qing court only controlled Baoning Prefecture in Sichuan, but only appointed Li Guoying as the governor-general. The response was very effective, and it was able to use Baoning Prefecture to fight against the Ming army.

Sichuan warlords were already independent and powerful, and the imperial court appointed governors and provincial governors. The governors and provincial governors colluded with the military governors, fought for power and profit, and ignored the great cause of resisting the Qing Dynasty. From the second year to the third year of the Yongli reign, Sichuan was plagued by civil wars, four of which were relatively large in scale, and there was also a farce in which Zhu Rongfan called himself "Chu Regent".

Everyone hated this. Wen Anzhi volunteered to go to Sichuan to contact the towns to prevent Sun Kewang from occupying Sichuan. However, he had no soldiers or generals, so how could it be easy to end the chaos in Sichuan? If he could not take power, issue orders, and lead troops, who would care about him?
"Sichuan has been ravaged by the Western Camp and has been in ruins for a long time. Mr. Wen has requested to go to Sichuan to supervise the troops. Where should he start?" Danchu asked.

"When Wang Wenke (Wang Yingxiong) was in Sichuan, the various towns obeyed his orders, defended the northern Tartars, and attacked the Xianzhong bandits in the east, and he managed to do it with great difficulty. I am not as talented as Wang Wenke, and Sun Kewang is not as talented as Zhang Xianzhong. I only hope to follow Wang Wenke's example, dedicate myself to the cause, and die for it."

"No," Danchu refuted, "When Lord Wang Wenke was in charge of Sichuan, he still had generals such as Zeng Ying, Yang Zhan, and Wang Xiang to use, so he was able to manage the situation with difficulty. Today, the towns in Sichuan are not as brave as Zeng Ying, and are not as good at governing the people as Yang Zhan, but they are tyrannical and fight for power, and do not obey the court.

"Sun Kewang's prestige is not as good as Zhang Xianzhong's, his ability to control his generals is not as good as Zhang Xianzhong's, and his tyranny and suspicion are far greater. He sent Liu Wenxiu to Sichuan, ostensibly to resist the Qing, but also to avenge the defeat of the previous year. Sir, you are going to Sichuan with no money, no soldiers, no generals, and only a bunch of blank imperial seals. Not to mention that it will be difficult for you to achieve anything, I'm afraid it will be more dangerous than good."

When these words were spoken, everyone became extremely worried, and Wen Anzhi's face was also filled with sorrow.

"It is better to go to Kuidong and contact Liu Tiren, Yuan Zongdi, Hao Yongzhong, and the towns of Santan. Liu Tiren, Yuan Zongdi, and Hao Yongzhong are the remnants of the Shun army. They are brave and good at fighting, and have always been at odds with Sun Kewang. They are isolated and helpless. Mr. Wen can grant them official titles and contact the towns of Kuidong so that they don't have to be held hostage by Sun Kewang."

Kuidong is located in the eastern Sichuan and western Hubei, surrounded by mountains, and is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The Red Army has already incorporated the Loyalty Camp. If Wen Anzhi can contact the towns in Kuidong, he can respond to the Red Army from a distance and will not have to endure Sun Kewang's humiliation.

He was ordered to be the governor of the military affairs of Sichuan and Hubei, and he had a legitimate reason to go to Kuidong. He said, "Songpo is right. I will go to Kuidong."

(End of this chapter)