Hello everyone, this is the editor of History Encyclopedia. Today, I will tell you the story of Chongzhen. Welcome to follow us.
On March 19th, 1644, in the 17th year of the Chongzhen reign, Li Zicheng captured the capital city. Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian hanged himself on Coal Mountain, and the Ming Dynasty was thus destroyed. From the subsequent development of the situation, it can be seen that Chongzhen’s southward migration and the Ming Dynasty were not without the power to fight in World War I.
The court was once unable to settle the dispute over the southward relocation, and Chongzhen hesitated about it
On the first day of the first lunar month in the 17th year of Chongzhen (the first year of Yongchang in Dashun, 1644), Li Zicheng declared himself emperor in Xi’an and established the country with the name “Dashun”, changing its name to “Yongchang”. The situation at this time was extremely unfavorable for the Ming court, as the peasant army had become a raging fire. In addition, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei and other places were suffering from a plague that lasted for ten years, and the capital was in danger of being besieged at any time.
So, on the third day of the first lunar month in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen (1644), Minister Li Mingrui suggested that Chongzhen abandon the capital and move south as soon as possible. Li Mingrui’s suggestion clearly influenced Chongzhen, but Chongzhen still found it difficult to make up his mind. Therefore, he said to Li Mingrui, “If you agree with me, but the ministers outside do not comply, what can we do?” This means that although I also have the intention of moving south, the ministers in the court do not agree. Li Mingrui continued to persuade, ‘The mandate of heaven is subtle, so it is necessary to break the holy heart internally and not cause the worry of eating the navel.’. The meaning is to cut off when necessary, and never hesitate again.
In Chongzhen’s hesitation, the southward migration was postponed until March, by which time Li Zicheng had already driven straight to the capital with unstoppable momentum. However, even in this critical moment, Chongzhen still refused to bear the blame of giving up the capital. Although he formally proposed the idea of relocating to the south, it was still proposed in the name of Li Mingrui. He said to his ministers, “Li Mingrui has a memorial urging me to relocate to the south. If the monarch dies in the country, where will I go? What do you think of my teaching the crown prince to go to Nanjing first
As a result, this intention was unanimously opposed by the courtiers in the court. Under the guidance of Chen Yan, the military department asked Li Shiheng, “What are the intentions of the officials to serve the Crown Prince to the south? Do you want to tell the story of Tang Suzong’s spiritual and martial arts?” (During the An Lushan Rebellion, Crown Prince Li Heng proclaimed himself emperor in spiritual and martial arts, and honored Li Longji as the Grand Emperor.)
Chen Yan even threatened, ‘If we don’t kill Li Mingrui, it won’t be enough to appease the people. If we don’t kill Li Mingrui, how can we govern the world!’ As a result, the situation escalated to this point, and no one dared to bring up the issue of southward migration again. Chongzhen also gave up on southward migration due to unanimous opposition from the courtiers.
Judging from the situation at that time, southward migration was indeed very dangerous
So, if Chongzhen resolutely moves south, is it possible to succeed? In fact, even if Chongzhen really made up his mind to move south, this matter would still be extremely difficult to succeed for the following reasons:
1. The north and south are separated by the rebel army, and moving south is too dangerous. By the 17th year of the Chongzhen reign (1644), the peasant army had become a raging fire in the north, and a large area from Beijing to Nanjing was the activity area of the rebel army. In this situation, rashly moving south with too few guards would become extremely dangerous; If there are too many guards, the speed of movement will be seriously affected, and if the target is too large, it is inevitable to fall into the heavy attack of the rebel army.
2. The courtiers were unable to reach a consensus due to disagreements. For such a major event as the southward migration, it has always been difficult to make a decision due to the inability of the ministers to argue. In fact, there are three reasons why ministers oppose it. Firstly, the southward migration is dangerous and their own lives are important; Secondly, the foundation and accumulated wealth of the ministers over the years are all in Beijing, making it difficult for them to give up these southward migrations; Thirdly, after the fall of Taiyuan, Li Jiantai suggested escorting the Crown Prince southward to be prepared. However, once the focus shifted to the south, how should the northern ministers handle themselves? Although the Ming court was already facing numerous crises, the ministers fought fiercely for their own interests, completely disregarding the survival of the country. As Chongzhen later said, “I am not a ruler of a fallen country, all ministers are ministers of a fallen country.
3. The frontline was defeated too quickly, and the court did not react in time. The above are just the reasons why the court cannot argue, and what really led to the loss of hope for the southward migration was the rapid deterioration of the front-line war. From January of the 17th year of Chongzhen (1644), when Li Zicheng launched an attack on the capital city, the situation was unstoppable. By February, the situation had already taken a sharp turn for the worse. By March, when Chongzhen issued the edict “Commanding All Soldiers to Serve the King”, Li Zicheng had already invaded Shanxi and rapidly advanced towards the capital city, which was already facing numerous crises. As a result, just as Wu Sangui led his troops to reach Shanhaiguan, the city of Beijing had already been breached.
In summary, whether it was Chongzhen’s southward migration or the Crown Prince’s southward migration, on the one hand, due to Chongzhen’s own hesitation, and on the other hand, due to the inability of the court to argue, the best response time had already been missed. In addition, the speed of the front line defeat was too fast. By the time the proposal to relocate south on March 4th failed, it would be too late to call on all soldiers and horses to serve the king, or to choose to relocate the capital again.
