Why was Zhu Yousong able to establish the Southern Ming regime Why was he killed less than a year after ascending the throne

Zhu Yousong, the grandson of Ming Shenzong Zhu Yijun, ascended the throne in Nanjing and established the Southern Ming dynasty after Emperor Chongzhen committed suicide and died for his country. But he was captured by the Qing Dynasty within less than a year of his reign, and was killed shortly thereafter. So what exactly is going on? Below, the history encyclopedia editor will bring you a detailed introduction. Let’s take a look together.
After Chongzhen’s death, his son did not succeed as he had hoped, and the Ming Dynasty was declared extinct.
However, we all know that the Ming Dynasty adopted a two capital system. In addition to Beijing, there was another team in Nanjing. I’m afraid the people of the Old Zhu family did not expect that Nanjing would one day become the capital of the Ming Dynasty again.
In addition, after Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, he adopted a system of enfeoffment, with dozens of feudal lords of various sizes distributed throughout the country. After Chongzhen’s death, these feudal lords began to be restless, and they couldn’t just watch the Ming Dynasty fall like this.
Zhu Yousong is one of them, he himself is the King of Fortune. After Li Zicheng captured Luoyang, Lao Fu Wang Zhu Changxun fled the city in a miserable manner, but was ultimately killed. After Zhu Yousong fled to Huai’an, he inherited the title of Prince Fu and fled with a group of feudal lords to Huai’an.
At this moment, the news of Chongzhen’s suicide came through. A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. In the midst of grief, choosing the right successor is of utmost importance.
But there was no consensus on who to choose at that time. After all, there are many feudal lords, and everyone has the opportunity. In terms of bloodline, Chongzhen and the previous Tianqi Emperor Zhu Youxiao had only these two brothers. Zhu Youxiao had no son, and Chongzhen’s son had already disappeared.
That is to say, the lineage of Ming Guangzong Zhu Changluo was cut off. But Zhu Changluo still had many brothers, so theoretically he should choose from the younger brothers of Ming Guangzong, which was also the closest in bloodline at that time.
Ming Guangzong Zhu Changluo had seven brothers, among whom the second, fourth, and eighth brothers died young. The third brother was Zhu Changxun, the Prince of Wealth, who was also favored by Wanli, but could not resist the courtiers and chose the eldest brother.
So, from a bloodline perspective, his son Zhu Yousong’s succession is indisputable.
Nevertheless, with the help of former Governor General Lu Jiude, Zhu Yousong was able to gain the support of the Three Towns Commander in Chief stationed in the north of the river and ascend to the rank of Grand Treasure.
However, he is not a candidate with great talent and strategy. During his reign, Zhu Yousong indulged in alcohol and sex. He has no ability to reverse such a passive situation. If he had the ability, he could have relied on the support of his three towns to achieve a balance between left and right and use it for himself.
At that time, everyone who relied on the Southern Ming had their own careful thoughts, and no one really thought about it for the sake of the Ming Dynasty.
The various problems of the Chongzhen period continued, party struggles continued, and many generals and emperors who held military power also had incompatible appearances and hearts.
Ma Shiying, Ruan Dacheng, and others who supported Zhu Yousong and gained real power were also drunk and openly bribed.
So we can see that such a regime has no hope at all.
As the Qing army marched south and threatened Nanjing, the Southern Ming regime had no choice but to resist, and Zhu Yousong could only be defeated and captured.
Of course, the Southern Ming Dynasty did not lack emperors. There were many descendants of Zhu Yuanzhang, and many feudal lords were left behind. After the news of Zhu Yousong’s murder spread southward, Tang King Zhu Yujian had already proclaimed himself emperor in Fuzhou, known as Emperor Longwu. Later on, King Zhu Yihai of Lu was appointed as the regent, and two regimes emerged in the Southern Ming Dynasty. In this way, both sides were in conflict with each other, and neither was willing to accept the other. The result can be imagined.