For those who are interested in Zhu Yuanzhang and the Qing Dynasty, the History Encyclopedia editor brings detailed articles for your reference. If the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen, were replaced by Zhu Yuanzhang, could Zhu Yuanzhang resist the invasion of the Qing Dynasty?
If Emperor Chongzhen were Zhu Yuanzhang, there wouldn’t be anything happening in the Qing Dynasty
Zhu Yuanzhang was ruthless and always able to see through and use people thoroughly. Therefore, if Emperor Chongzhen were Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Dynasty would definitely not have fallen. Let’s first take a look at the situation during the Ming Dynasty.
In July of the 48th year of the Wanli reign (1620), Ming Shenzong Zhu Yijun, who had not seen court officials for more than 30 years, passed away. In August, Crown Prince Zhu Changluo succeeded to the throne, and this was Ming Guangzong. Emperor Guangzong wanted to confer the title of Imperial Noble Consort upon Li Xuan, which angered Empress Zheng at the time. He instructed the eunuchs to offer rhubarb (laxative) during his illness, causing Emperor Guangzong to pass away after just over a month in office. Zhu Youxiao, the eldest son of Emperor Mingguang, succeeded to the throne smoothly and changed his reign to Tianqi. Two emperors died in just over a month during the Ming Dynasty, with eunuchs causing chaos and constant party strife. The Later Jin Dynasty was also on the brink of invasion, with a watchful eye. The Ming Dynasty was in a period of turmoil.
When Emperor Tianqi ascended the throne, he was already 16 years old. In theory, he should work hard to govern and strive for progress. However, he was even more absurd than his grandfather Emperor Wanli. He not only favored his wet nurse Ke Shi and eunuch Wei Zhongxian, but also devoted himself wholeheartedly to woodworking skills, regardless of whether the government was good or bad. The ship of the Ming Dynasty was about to sink to the bottom.
At this time, the world was just a stone’s throw away from the change of dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty seemed somewhat powerless to turn the tide. Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian ascended to the throne six years later under such circumstances.
Zhu Youjian can be considered a person with aspirations. He is diligent in government affairs, frugal in style, and devoted to revitalizing the ancestral legacy and restoring the glory of the Ming Dynasty. However, he has a fatal flaw, which is that he cannot judge people accurately and uses people with suspicion. Give two examples.
The first one is Hong Chengchou.
This person can also be considered a person who has read extensively in poetry and literature. Despite his poor family background, he studied hard and eventually became a jinshi in high school. He was then favored by nobles, suppressed peasant uprisings, and made many military achievements. As a result, he gradually rose to the high position of governor of the Three Borders. Emperor Chongzhen highly valued him and later appointed him as the Governor General of Jiliao, specifically to deal with the Qing army. Hong Chengchou, who was invincible and did not want to be fierce internally, had no chance of winning against the Qing army and suffered consecutive defeats. After Song Jin’s defeat, he was captured. One of his family members escaped and reported to the court that Hong Chengchou had undergone severe torture but refused to surrender, and was eventually killed. So Emperor Chongzhen personally set up a sacrifice for him and wept bitterly. Unexpectedly, later news came that he had already surrendered! For a moment, there was an uproar in public opinion. Some people called him a “second minister”, some said he was “helpless”, and some pointed their fingers at Chongzhen, accusing him of being ignorant of people.
The second one is Yuan Chonghuan.
This person entered the officialdom at the age of 35, but did not enjoy literary affairs. He took a different path and specialized in military preparation, often chatting with retired soldiers about the border situation. Later, he successfully managed Liaodong and achieved great victories in Ningyuan and Ningjin, shaking the world for a time. After the death of Nurhaci, Huang Taiji succeeded to the throne. He highly recognized Yuan Chonghuan’s abilities and was also very wary of them. Therefore, he dared not confront him head-on and used divisive tactics to create a rift between Chongzhen and Yuan Chonghuan. Yuan Chonghuan had a straightforward personality and offended the remaining followers of Wei Zhongxian. As a result, these villains listed their crimes and whispered in Chongzhen’s ear, with the most vicious being “killing Mao Wenlong without authorization” and “negotiating peace with the Later Jin army without authorization”. Chongzhen was inherently suspicious in the Song of the Four Faced Chu, and coupled with the fact that the Later Jin Dynasty drove straight into and killed the capital, although he was repelled, it left him with lingering fear. Therefore, he firmly believed that Yuan Chonghuan was a treacherous minister and killed him.
These two individuals are actually capable talents and pillars of the country. However, Emperor Chongzhen did not have enough understanding of them, resulting in placing them in the wrong position at the wrong time, which had a huge impact on the country’s development. If Zhu Yuanzhang were the emperor at that time, with his decisive and tenacious personality and ability to control courtiers, not only could these two use their swords, but also important officials such as Xiong Tingbi and Sun Chengzong would not have died in vain. The Ming Dynasty had a high chance of revival, but once the Ming Dynasty was basically stable, the isolated Qing Dynasty would naturally not be able to turn the tide. How could a mere 200000 Eight Banners soldiers resist the million strong army of the Ming Dynasty.
