More than 200 years ago, Zhu Yuanzhang finally overthrew the brutal rule of the Yuan Dynasty and established the Ming Dynasty. As time passed, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty were worse than those of the previous generation, and had collapsed since the end of the Ming Dynasty.
All the burden was on the throne of Emperor Chongzhen at the age of 16. It has been seventeen years since Chongzhen
When Chongzhen was still an eleven-year-old child, he was named King of Xin. Emperor Chongzhen was always afraid of being persecuted and wanted to leave the capital and live a life of fear and fear.
Emperor Chongzhen, who was growing older, gritted his teeth and hated him for the corruption of the court and the eunuchs' power, even though Emperor Chongzhen was still a child at that time.
After the fifth year of King Xin Zhu Youjian, Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty died in the seventh year of Tianqi. After many competitions, Chongzhen, who was sixteen years old, ascended the throne and changed his reign to Chongzhen.
In a blink of an eye, Emperor Chongzhen has ascended the throne for seventeen years, and is already thirty-four years old.
Emperor Chongzhen recalled his life. He was the emperor when he was a teenager. At that time, he was very naive and immature. He did many wrong things and killed many ministers in vain.
Whenever late at night, Emperor Chongzhen regrets the past and feels heartbroken and does not sleep all night
Although Chongzhen was not a mature emperor as an emperor, the result would be almost the same as a teenager to be an emperor.
To be familiar, jade cannot be made into a tool without carving, and carving takes time
For example, if Emperor Xizong of Ming Dynasty hid in the harem as a carpenter, he did not leave any son, and the government was left to Wei Zhongxian to control it. In the end, the Ming Dynasty, which was already declining, turned into a bigger mess and passed it to Emperor Chongzhen.
Although he has been ascending the throne for seventeen years, Emperor Chongzhen felt like there were countless braziers barbecuing himself at his feet every moment.
It is difficult to have a stable situation to give yourself time to live and work calmly
First of all, the corruption of the court made Emperor Chongzhen dizzy every day when he was still a child. Later, it was natural disasters and man-made disasters, and rebels came one after another. Qing soldiers outside the pass repeatedly invaded
Emperor Chongzhen kept trying to remedy the Ming Dynasty, but it leaked on the other side of the place. He wanted to remedy it at the same time but couldn't do anything.
As a result, natural disasters and man-made disasters became increasingly powerful, and the rebels became more and more powerful. Now the incident is at the gate of the city.
Shanhaiguan is not better than that. The last elite troops of the Ming Dynasty were delayed by the Qing soldiers in Liaodong and Shanhaiguan and could not move.
Did my Ming Dynasty be ruined by me like this?
Is the national fortune of the Ming Dynasty really going to disappear for more than two hundred years?
Is I really an incompetent last emperor?
Emperor Chongzhen is now no longer thinking about these things at all times, because the capital is surrounded by Li Zicheng.
Emperor Chongzhen regretted himself. When it was late at night, Emperor Chongzhen looked at himself in the mirror. He had gray hair, his face was thin, and he had severe insomnia.
The eyes that were already darkened with tears left behind. Although the tears were hot, Emperor Chongzhen could no longer feel such warmth.
In the 17th year of Chongzhen, it was still early in the year. If I had moved the capital to Nanjing with all my might, why would the capital be surrounded by people now?
Although I regretted it, it was too late to think about it now. Emperor Chongzhen thought so
Emperor Chongzhen and his ministers underestimated Li Zicheng, looked at Sun Chuanting, and saw that there were so many levels of territory in the Ming Dynasty at that time.
If I hadn't urged Sun Chuanting to fight, maybe it wouldn't be the consequence of today
When no one was around, I thought of this place Emperor Chongzhen beat his chest and stamped his feet, and cried bitterly
But if we didn't urge Sun Chuanting to fight, Shanhaiguan was already in danger. We could only give up our own mistakes.
Urgeing Sun Chuanting to fight, just hope that Sun Chuanting will eliminate Li Zicheng or defeat Li Zicheng. At that time, Sun Chuanting's Qin army could be brought to Shanhaiguan and Guanning army to work together to annihilate the Qing army.
If Sun Chuanting had not been urged to fight at that time, if Shanhaiguan was first captured, the Qing army would go south
It seems that although the Qin army is still there, he may have already died. What's the use of asking the Qin army to come?
This is how Emperor Chongzhen thought
The Qing army and the Dashun army are like two huge clips of crabs, pressing step by step is getting tighter and tighter, making it difficult for the Ming Dynasty to take care of one thing and lose another. In the end, the corrupt Ming Dynasty could not stand it.
It is still okay for the emperor to guard the national gate when he is peaceful and helpless. If the emperor still guards the national gate during the war, then no matter how huge the entire country is, the enemy first cut off his head, and his huge body will be without a head and will not be able to command it.
Zhu Di, the Ming Dynasty Emperor Chengzu, who was still the king of Yàn, was in the vassal state of Beiping (now Beijing), and had no choice because it was granted by Zhu Yuanzhang.
However, after Zhu Di ascended the throne and became Emperor Yongle, he still regarded Beijing as the capital, so there was a little old story in it.
Zhu Di could not have thought that more than two hundred years later, under the Emperor's guarding the national gate, he had half of his body, but his head was shaking.
It turns out that the Jurchens have risen again in the place where the Ming Dynasty was Liaodong.
Although the Qing Dynasty, the Jurchen tribe was not the Jurchen tribe of the Jin Dynasty in the Song Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty was the Aisin Jurchio tribe, and the Jin Dynasty was the Wanyan tribe.
However, the Qing Jurchens also used this as their ancestors' glory to inspire themselves. Nurhaci later established the Later Jin Dynasty. However, his son Huang Taiji became emperor in Shengjing (now Chenyang) in the first year of Chongde (1636). The country name was changed to Qing Dynasty. Huang Taiji's abacus was naturally further than Nurhaci's.
Is it really right and safe to guard the country's gates?
Is the risk great?
If the Mongolian, Jurchens and Japanese pirates still coexist with the Ming Dynasty hundreds of years later, would the defeat of the Ming Dynasty be the fastest and shortest military means to defeat the Ming Dynasty?
Emperor Chongzhen sometimes thought about such things
But now Li Zicheng has surrounded the capital, and other things are no longer important, because the Ming Dynasty may have perished like this. Emperor Chongzhen thought about it because he seemed that he could not see any hope.
Emperor Chongzhen said: Once I sacrifice my life for the country, the southern part of the Ming Dynasty will inevitably have no leader, and it will be difficult to unite. Perhaps it is Dashun and the Qing Dynasty to compete for the world!
In March of the 17th year of Chongzhen (1644), when Li Zicheng had not yet surrounded the capital, Emperor Chongzhen urgently issued an edict to grant Zuo Liangyu the title of Ning Nanbo, and to his son Zuo Menggeng the general of pacifying the thief, and promised that after the rebellion, they would let their father and son guard Wuchang for generations.
At that time, Zuo Liangyu confronted and fought against Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong on the Wuchang front. Although he had hundreds of thousands of troops, he was dragged by Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong or defeated him and was seriously injured. He was unable to move for the moment.
After receiving the urgent imperial edict from Emperor Chongzhen, Zuo Liangyu knew that the capital was in danger, so he immediately formulated a plan to send troops according to the year and month. If necessary, even if Wuchang is left behind, he would break through the siege and go north to rescue the emperor. If he is not rescued, he would become a traitor and the Ming Dynasty would be destroyed. The progress of the war in the capital had exceeded Zuo Liangyu's expectations.
At this time, Li Zicheng deployed heavy troops in Jingzhou, De'an and Chengtian in western Hubei, and Zhang Xianzhong was restrained in the west. Although there were also Huguang Governor He Tengjiao and Governor Yuan Jixian's troops to fight against Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, in fact, it was difficult for Zuo Liangyu to mobilize troops to break through Li Zicheng's encirclement and to get rid of Zhang Xianzhong's restraint and attack, not to mention that Wuchang is thousands of kilometers away from the capital.
Zuo Liangyu looked at the imperial edict sent by Emperor Chongzhen with trembling hands and thought, even if he broke through Li Zicheng's heavy army siege, he would still abandon the Wuchang area and go to Beijing to rescue the emperor with all his might. Can the capital stand up?
Is Shanhaiguan still up to date?
Zuo Liangyu recalled again that after Zhu Xianzhen failed in the battle, all the elite troops were lost, and there were very few left. Later, the soldiers who surrendered were no longer as powerful as before.
Although Junying looked around at the sight of the mountains and rivers, she could no longer control these people as well as before.
In ancient times, the news was blocked and the war was even more difficult. The contents of the imperial edict must not be fully informed. Now only Zuo Liangyu knows the news that the capital is already in danger.
Zuo Liangyu recalled his life in battle. Fortunately, he knew how to protect himself and preserve some strength. If he had followed the imperial court like the governor Sun Chuanting and looked at him, I'm afraid that Zuo Liangyu would not be there in Wuchang now.
Now the Ming Dynasty is in the midst of life and death, and personal interests are no longer considered. We must break through Li Zicheng's encirclement at all costs, go to Beijing to rescue the enemy, and kill the rebels and barbarians. After thinking for a long time, Zuo Liangyu finally made up his mind.
Zuo Liangyu thought, Li Zicheng surrounded me in Jingzhou, De'an and Chengtian in western Hubei, and there was Zhang Xianzhong's mantra in the west, so I would divide my troops to Nanjing and even take the sea to save the Ming Dynasty.
Zuo Liangyu said: The country of Ming Dynasty for more than 200 years must be preserved, and it must be preserved!
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March 18, 17th year of Chongzhen
The sky began to light up in the gray sky. The capital was surrounded by Li Zicheng and the birds were not invaded. It was estimated that Dashun soldiers would attack the city at dawn.
Wang Chengen bent over and flew back and forth outside the Chenggan Palace Gate. He was wearing a dark court robes, with Buddha dust slanted around his waist, and his gray hair was a little messy.
The two sides of the Chenggan Palace Gate made an exception and stood full of large inner guards, guarding Emperor Chongzhen.
As usual, the great inner guards were not allowed to enter the harem, and they could only guard the Ganqing Palace at most, but today is different. The emperor's safety has reached the most important and special time.
Yesterday, Li Zicheng began to surround the capital. Emperor Chongzhen was already in a state of sanity and had no masters and had no sleep all night. While deploying the city defense of the capital, he tried hard to urge Wang Chengen and Wu Sangui and Zuo Liangyu to come to rescue him. After a while, he asked Wang Chengen and Wu Sangui and Zuo Liangyu where the soldiers were?
Did Shandong General Liu Zeqing send troops?
Has Li Zicheng's troops already broken through the outer city?
He was busy until late at night. The heartbroken Emperor Chongzhen missed Concubine Tian. Emperor Chongzhen, who could not stand it, lived in Chenggan Palace with Wang Chengen and others.
Emperor Chongzhen lay on Concubine Tian's jade couch and tossed and turned, tears streaming down. Looking at Concubine Tian's jade hanging on the wall, she was sobbing like a cry. It took a long time for Wang Chengen to hear the sound from the warm pavilion. Emperor Chongzhen was already tired and asleep.
Wang Chengen appointed three times as many as the old guards. After carefully checking the palace walls, doors, windows and windows, he walked out of Chenggan Palace and served outside the palace gate. Because Chenggan Palace is the bedroom of the imperial concubine Tian Xiuying, how can an eunuch fall asleep?
Wang Chengen squatted against the palace wall outside Chenggan Palace. The guards of the inner guards brought the quilt. Wang Chengen was unwilling to leave Emperor Chongzhen at this time, because Wang Chengen knew that Emperor Chongzhen would always need him, so Wang Chengen squatted against the palace outside Chenggan Palace and took a nap.
However, at this time, the weather was already gray and bright. Although it was already half past March, the weather was really much colder than in previous years.
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Chongzhen lies in his clothes on Concubine Tian’s jade couch, covering the quilt covered in front of Concubine Tian’s body, with a slightly sick look on his pale face and tears on his face.
Because I was so tired last night that I lay down and fell asleep, I didn’t allow the palace maids to help me with clothes. Maybe I was afraid that Li Zicheng would attack into the Forbidden City at any time.
Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty, fewer and fewer emperors went to court, and some even met with young officials.
After Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne, he tried his best to correct such mistakes and abundance of mistakes. He dressed up every night and ate at dawn. He burned incense and worshiped the sky, and then went to court.
There are few emperors like Emperor Chongzhen who basically attend court every day.
Emperor Chongzhen's sleeping face was filled with sadness and loneliness. Even the palace maids who were standing by the bed were tearful to see. From the words he heard, it seemed that it was already a bad thing outside the Forbidden City.
If the thief enters the palace, these palace maids will not be able to escape the miserable end. Many palace maids have already made plans to commit suicide or jump into the river.
Everything in Chenggan Palace was set up in front of Concubine Tian. The palace maids and eunuchs in Chenggan Palace were not disbanded and kept intact. Because Emperor Chongzhen looked at the bricks and tiles in Chenggan Palace, and every cup and bottle, he would think of Concubine Tian’s appearance, as well as the beautiful memories of the love between the two in front of her, so everything in Chenggan Palace was exactly the same as before.
At this time, it was already dawn, and Wang Chengen had already been preparing to wait for Xuanzhao outside Chenggan Palace. Although no one had a good sleep, let alone an old man in his sixties.
Emperor Chongzhen suddenly sat up on the jade couch and said: Wang Chengen...
The palace maids were shivering and outside the warm pavilion and cheering up. Wang Chengen also heard the screams of Emperor Chongzhen. The guards of the inner guards quickly opened the palace gate of Chenggan Palace. Wang Chengen quickly lowered his head and took care of his clothes. He cheered up and walked towards the warm pavilion of Chenggan Palace.
The palace maids quickly brought the washed silver basin and the face-washing scarf. The hot water in the basin was tried by the palace maid and confirmed the temperature was just right and immediately sent to Emperor Chongzhen.
Two more palace maids helped Emperor Chongzhen put on his imperial shoes and stood on the ground, and then stood up to help Emperor Chongzhen take care of the palace clothes and the somewhat scattered hair on his head. Although Emperor Chongzhen was only 34 years old, his hair was much grayer.
At this time, Wang Chengen's sharp voice came from outside the main hall of Chenggan Palace: Emperor, I am the servant, the order of the servant,
The palace maids on both sides of the door then opened the door of the warm pavilion of the Chenggan Palace. A cool breeze immediately blew in. The palace maids shivered with coldness.
Wang Chengen bent down and stood at the distance of Emperor Chongzhen three steps waiting for Emperor Chongzhen to speak. As usual, Wang Chengen's words and deeds were meticulous.
Including the tone and strength of speaking, posture of walking, and even the look of looking down on your head
Emperor Chongzhen stood upright, and the two palace maids used their hot jade hands to apply hot scarves to gently wipe the face of Emperor Chongzhen. After taking care of Emperor Chongzhen's outfit, several palace maids quietly retreated.
Emperor Chongzhen said with great worries: Move to the Qing Palace
After taking a nap, Emperor Chongzhen's spirit recovered a little, and it seemed that he had figured out and thought about some things last night.
Wang Chengen bent down and said: The emperor... moves to the Qing Palace...
Emperor Chongzhen then walked out of Chenggan Palace and sat on the prepared dragon chariot. Just as the palace maids in Chenggan Palace slowly closed the gate of Chenggan Palace, Emperor Chongzhen turned around and looked at the scenery in Chenggan Palace with deep emotion and sadness, then took a breath.
Emperor Chongzhen didn't know if he would come to Chenggan Palace to visit again, maybe he wouldn't have a chance anymore
The dragon chariot was lifted up by eight people, and disappeared on the palace road outside Chenggan Palace in the gradually brightening gray sky.
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Ganqing Palace, main hall
The hall is sparsely populated, and few ministers are willing to come, and the atmosphere is extremely sad.
In the past, the ministers asked Emperor Chongzhen to summon him. Now that Li Zicheng surrounded the capital, no one came to ask for the summons?
When the few loyal ministers saw Emperor Chongzhen coming, they immediately cheered up from listlessness and discouragement, and stood up to face Emperor Chongzhen.
The ministers said: Long live the emperor, long live
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this sentence today, he was different from his past feelings. Emperor Chongzhen turned his head slightly, his teeth nippled, and his mouth twitched. A stream of sadness surged into his heart, his eyes were already wet.
Emperor Chongzhen suppressed his emotions and walked forward through the imperial road and sat on the dragon throne.
Emperor Chongzhen looked at it and found that all the old ministers came. The officials who were usually like a river were not here today. They suddenly became angry.
Emperor Chongzhen said: In the past, documents were sent from all over the country and many memorials were sent every day, but there was no letter in the past few days. Where did they go?
The dozen or so ministers who came from the hall were all old ministers who were often extorted by their advice, and some were senior officials of the three dynasties.
Although the capital is now martial law, even old officials can come. Why don’t other officials come?
Emperor Chongzhen turned to ask Wang Chengen not far away, and his words began to despair.
Emperor Chongzhen said: What is going on in the city now? Have the thieves started to attack the city?
Wang Chengen said: Now there are very few soldiers in the capital and people are in panic. Some of the three battalions who retreated from Shahe guarded Xizhimen and Fuchengmen. Outside the gate, the soldiers who were preparing to attack the city were the soldiers who surrendered to the thieves, and the real bandits were behind the surrendered soldiers of the three battalions.
Emperor Chongzhen said: Li Guozhen was ruining the country. I ordered him to guard Shahe to the death and buy time for Wu Sangui or Zuo Liangyu's reinforcements. I don't expect Li Guozhen to be so capable.
Wang Chengen said: Those surrendered soldiers went to the city and said that if they opened the city gate and surrendered early, the morale of the army had been disintegrated.
Wang Jiayan, Minister of War and Minister of Rongzheng, came out and said: I am guarding Andingmen, but from the 16th to today, I cannot reach the city, for fear that the generals on the city have already swayed... Before Wang Jiayan finished speaking, he cried in tears.
Emperor Chongzhen said: Since the martial law in the capital, in the past few months, you have been working hard and responsible. You are my loyal ministers, but you don’t want to break into the thief to come to the city soon. It’s all my sins. I am ashamed of my ancestors.
Secretary of War Zhang Jinyan: Emperor, there must be loyal soldiers on the city. When the ministers wait for their subordinates to inspect and encourage the soldiers. At this moment, I can only repay the emperor's kindness for his death!
The ministers and workers said together: I can only repay the emperor's kindness for his death... Woo...
Li Banghua and other old ministers in the palace heard these words and saw Emperor Chongzhen's sad and desperate look. They all knelt on the ground in pain, and their voices were heartbroken.
Is this what a dynasty is about to perish?
Are they all so helpless?
Half an hour later, the court was dispersed. Emperor Chongzhen said a lot to his ministers and workers and admitted many mistakes in the past, but it was too late to regret it now.
Emperor Chongzhen instructed his ministers to go to various gates in the capital to inspect and try their best to defend, waiting for Wu Sangui's Guanning soldiers to rescue him!
The emperor guards the national gate. It is said correctly, but the first one to break is the national gate, because the enemy is not stupid. Once the national gate is broken, the country has no master, and the country often becomes a mess of sand, waiting to be slaughtered
The ancients built the capital in the middle of the country, which was to facilitate the rule of the country, and to stay away from the front line battlefield.
Chang'an is the entire Guanzhong Basin. The Wei River crosses the entire basin and is well-used, which is mixed between the Qinling Mountains and the Loess Plateau.
If the capital of the Ming Dynasty was in Chang'an, it would be easy to defend but difficult to attack. There would be natural danger to the Yellow River in the east, and the Qinling Mountains on the south side of the Loess Plateau in the north and it would have a large river, which would be a natural fortress.
The Chang'an Small Plain is located in the center of the basin, with Zhongnan Mountain in the south and Mount Li in the east. The Wei River and Ba River are natural moats.
There is only one route from Chang'an to Luoyang, and there are levels all the way, which is really easy to defend and difficult to attack.
But Li Zicheng's hometown is this place, which is also an important factor that Li Zicheng can quickly advance to the capital after occupying Shaanxi after he conquered Tongguan.
Nanjing is located on the seashore. If a powerful enemy country attacks from the seashore, it will be the end of the emperor defending the national gates. It is not as safe as Chang'an or Luoyang. Although it is not so convenient to transport national supplies to Chang'an due to geographical factors, safety should always be put first.
This is also the first important reason why Emperor Chongzhen urged Sun Chuanting to fight against Li Zicheng if he did not move the capital to Nanjing. Once Sun Chuanting defeated Li Zicheng, moving the capital to Chang'an is much safer than moving the capital to Nanjing.
If the enemy troops move the capital south, they will not be able to defend it. It is just a delay. At that time, the enemy troops will continue to move the capital at the city. It is not as easy as Chang'an to defend but difficult to attack and can be self-sufficient.
Li Zicheng is more difficult to deal with than the Qing soldiers, which was unexpected and unexpected by the Ming court, but the development of things was too fast and it had evolved to an uncontrollable point in a blink of an eye. Emperor Chongzhen knew that the situation was irreversible, and he was sandwiched between Dorgon and Li Zicheng.
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The person Emperor Chongzhen trusted the most now is Wang Chengen. Among the internal officials, Wang Chengen has a higher status and is the eunuch of the Silijian. He was appointed as the imperial eunuch to be responsible for the important task of admiring the capital of the Beijing camp.
But even Wang Chengen could not command anyone. The remaining soldiers of the three camps and some internal officials seemed to be waiting for the treacherous soldiers to surrender at any time when they attacked the city.
The Yongwei camp reorganized by Emperor Chongzhen only had more than 10,000 people, named the Emperor's Imperial Guard. He was led by outstanding generals such as Lu Jiude, Liu Yuanbin, and brave generals Huang Degong, Zhou Yuji, Zhou Yingyuan and other outstanding generals, and then he was ordered to attack Zhang Xianzhong's Daxi Army.
In 1641, Sun Yingyuan was killed by Li Zicheng because he was alone in the battle with Li Zicheng.
Zhou Yuji was renamed the General Officer of Shanxi in 1642, and died in Ningwu Pass two years later.
After Li Zicheng occupied Shaanxi, only Yongwei Camp did not surrender. At this time, thousands of soldiers of Yongwei Camp also lost contact with the court and fell into a mud vortex of suppressing rebellions and protecting themselves.
Emperor Chongzhen knew that the people in the city had changed and the situation was extremely critical. He thought that if he wanted to inspire the soldiers and officials in the city, he would have to use silver to reward him immediately. However, the treasury was empty in order to suppress the thieves, and his private money had been taken out. It can be said that he was at the end of his life now, and the princes and nobles refused to pay the money earlier, let alone now.
If I had known that these ministers were like this, I would have regretted killing them.
Emperor Chongzhen was waiting alone to walk to the palace wall of the Ganqing Palace courtyard. Two palace maids from the Ganqing Palace followed him and sobbed silently. Emperor Chongzhen opened his arms and shook in the air, his clothes were not in order, and his gray hair on his head was not allowed to be taken care of by the palace maids. He just cried to Kongwu to himself.
Emperor Chongzhen cried: I am not the king of the country that was destroyed... I am not the king of the country that was destroyed... Why... Why...
The palace maid cried: Emperor... Emperor...
Emperor Chongzhen cried: I have no shame to see my ancestors... I have no shame to throw the Ming Dynasty into my hands...
The palace maid cried: Emperor... Emperor... Wuwuwu... Wuwuwu... Wuwu...
The three halls of the previous dynasty and the three halls of the harem of the Forbidden City did not plant trees. At this time, Emperor Chongzhen was like looking for a tree to beat it, so as to relieve the indignation and humiliation in his heart. This has become a habit of Emperor Chongzhen. At this time, there was no tree in the Ganqing Palace. This was to highlight the majesty of the royal family, so Emperor Chongzhen could only beat the courtyard wall of the Ganqing Palace at this time.
Emperor Chongzhen turned his back to the palace maid and choked: Since I ascended the throne at the age of sixteen, these princes and ministers have looked down on me... made things difficult for me everywhere... so that my will cannot be effectively implemented... Today, these people have left me... leaving me...
The two palace maids knelt down and felt in pain. They entered the palace since they were eight or nine years old. The harem was their home. Now the emperor is desperate and sad, and the country is about to perish. When they think of what happened next, they feel cold in their hearts.
At this time, two sounds of cannons came from a distant place, bang...bang...
Emperor Chongzhen turned around to face the two palace maids, and kept calm in panic: What sound is the sound of cannons... The thieves attacked the city... The thieves attacked the city... The thieves attacked the city...
Emperor Chongzhen ran to the Ganqing Palace warm pavilion in panic and said hurriedly: Hurry up... Wang Chengen... Wang Chengen...
A palace maid still sat on the ground and couldn't get up after hearing the sound of cannons. Another brave palace maid took the order and opened the gate of the Ganqing Palace. He passed the emperor's oral order to ask the guards to summon Wang Chengen to see him quickly.
After receiving the order, a large guard hurriedly ran out to the three halls to convey the imperial edict.
The palace maid said to more than 20 big eunuchs guarding the gate of the Ganqing Palace: You must be loyal to the emperor and patriotism, and do your duty. After that, he turned into the Ganqing Palace and asked someone to close the Ganqing Palace.
The guards immediately cheered up, holding weapons in their hands, and did not dare to let go for a moment.
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Dry clearance door
The eunuch in charge of the Sili Supervisor Wang Dehua reported that the eunuch who surrendered to the thief Du Xun asked for a meeting. Emperor Chongzhen was so cruel that he knew that it must be sent by the thief. He scolded Du Xun in front of Wang Dehua. After thinking for a while, he decided to interrogate Du Xun outside the Ganqing Gate and asked someone to set up the imperial case and the imperial throne to see what Du Xun said.
Wang Dehua led Du Xun, who was trembling all over to the Ganqing Gate, and saw dozens of eunuchs and the big guards were already on the verge of battle.
Wang Dehua was also trembling inside, for fear that Emperor Chongzhen would get angry and kill Du Xun and sit down. The two of them waited for a long time in the Ganqing Gate. Wang Dehua stepped back and served on the side. Du Xun was already scared to death when he saw such a formation and atmosphere. He trembled and weak. He knelt down, lying on the ground with his head, and did not dare to look up.
Du Xun knew that he would die forever today, but if Li Zicheng didn't come, he would have to execute himself, so he would have to put him to death before he could live.
Although Li Zicheng is already at the city and it is not difficult to attack the Forbidden City, Du Xun is a leading eunuch trained by Emperor Chongzhen since childhood. When he saw the emperor, he began to breathe.
The voice of a eunuch came from the Ganqing Palace: The Holy Lord has arrived!
Du Xun's breathing paused for a while, then exhaled as he trembled all over. His eyes were staring at the ground without blinking. Du Xun knew that every word he said might make him lose his life.
The hands stretched out from the cuffs and placed them flat on the ground to show that there was no weapon, but the palms were trembling constantly
Clustered by more than a dozen eunuchs, Emperor Chongzhen walked out of the Ganqing Gate and sat on the imperial throne behind the imperial case. Emperor Chongzhen looked at Du Xun kneeling on the ground, and his face was filled with anger.
Emperor Chongzhen sat upright on the imperial throne, knowing in his heart that he wanted to be the emperor's majesty and let Du Xun say the meaning of breaking the thief.
Maybe you have a glimmer of hope. As long as you save your life, you can discuss other things again.
Du Xun was a leader of the army trained by Emperor Chongzhen. He sent him to Xuanfu to supervise the army to resist the treacherous invasion. However, he did not expect that he would open the gate of Juyongguan and surrender to Li Zicheng, and he would be attacked from both sides and had to surrender.
Du Xun's actions were a great deal of betrayal and harm to Emperor Chongzhen and the Ming Dynasty, which was a crime to kill the nine clans.
If Du Xun swears to guard the pass at Juyong Pass, Li Zicheng would not have arrived at the capital so soon. Wu Sangui or Zuo Liangyu would have time to lead troops to rescue him.
Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to Du Xun be one of the biggest rebels in the Ming Dynasty. Even if Du Xun and Tang Tong only withstand a few days, if Zuo Liangyu is not in a hurry, Wu Sangui's Guanning Army will definitely reach the capital.
So Emperor Chongzhen hated Du Xun, the eunuch whom he trained himself, so he should listen to him to tell the purpose of his visit and see what the thief actually means
Emperor Chongzhen looked silently at Du Xun who was kneeling on the ground for a while. Seeing that he was trembling all over, he wanted to kill him immediately, but Emperor Chongzhen had to hold back this idea at this moment, for himself and the Ming Dynasty.
Emperor Chongzhen said angrily: Why did I order you to go to Xuanfu? But what are you?
When Du Xun heard Emperor Chongzhen settle the old accounts, he broke out in cold sweat and said tremblingly: I deserve to die for thousands of deaths... I deserve to die for thousands of deaths...
Emperor Chongzhen said angrily: Since you have surrendered to the thief, why dare you come to see me again? Do you think I dare not kill you?
Du Xun hurriedly said, following the joke he had already made up: At that time, the officers and soldiers opened the door to greet the enemy. I was useless to stop drinking, and I was also held hostage by the soldiers and was very rewarded. I wanted to die, but I was half a step slower...
Du Xun originally wanted to continue saying that he was interrupted by Emperor Chongzhen's violent slap in the imperial case and he no longer believed Du Xun's words.
I saw Du Xun kneeling under his body soaked in his own sweat
Emperor Chongzhen said angrily: Why did the thief send you here? Report immediately
All the burden was on the throne of Emperor Chongzhen at the age of 16. It has been seventeen years since Chongzhen
When Chongzhen was still an eleven-year-old child, he was named King of Xin. Emperor Chongzhen was always afraid of being persecuted and wanted to leave the capital and live a life of fear and fear.
Emperor Chongzhen, who was growing older, gritted his teeth and hated him for the corruption of the court and the eunuchs' power, even though Emperor Chongzhen was still a child at that time.
After the fifth year of King Xin Zhu Youjian, Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty died in the seventh year of Tianqi. After many competitions, Chongzhen, who was sixteen years old, ascended the throne and changed his reign to Chongzhen.
In a blink of an eye, Emperor Chongzhen has ascended the throne for seventeen years, and is already thirty-four years old.
Emperor Chongzhen recalled his life. He was the emperor when he was a teenager. At that time, he was very naive and immature. He did many wrong things and killed many ministers in vain.
Whenever late at night, Emperor Chongzhen regrets the past and feels heartbroken and does not sleep all night
Although Chongzhen was not a mature emperor as an emperor, the result would be almost the same as a teenager to be an emperor.
To be familiar, jade cannot be made into a tool without carving, and carving takes time
For example, if Emperor Xizong of Ming Dynasty hid in the harem as a carpenter, he did not leave any son, and the government was left to Wei Zhongxian to control it. In the end, the Ming Dynasty, which was already declining, turned into a bigger mess and passed it to Emperor Chongzhen.
Although he has been ascending the throne for seventeen years, Emperor Chongzhen felt like there were countless braziers barbecuing himself at his feet every moment.
It is difficult to have a stable situation to give yourself time to live and work calmly
First of all, the corruption of the court made Emperor Chongzhen dizzy every day when he was still a child. Later, it was natural disasters and man-made disasters, and rebels came one after another. Qing soldiers outside the pass repeatedly invaded
Emperor Chongzhen kept trying to remedy the Ming Dynasty, but it leaked on the other side of the place. He wanted to remedy it at the same time but couldn't do anything.
As a result, natural disasters and man-made disasters became increasingly powerful, and the rebels became more and more powerful. Now the incident is at the gate of the city.
Shanhaiguan is not better than that. The last elite troops of the Ming Dynasty were delayed by the Qing soldiers in Liaodong and Shanhaiguan and could not move.
Did my Ming Dynasty be ruined by me like this?
Is the national fortune of the Ming Dynasty really going to disappear for more than two hundred years?
Is I really an incompetent last emperor?
Emperor Chongzhen is now no longer thinking about these things at all times, because the capital is surrounded by Li Zicheng.
Emperor Chongzhen regretted himself. When it was late at night, Emperor Chongzhen looked at himself in the mirror. He had gray hair, his face was thin, and he had severe insomnia.
The eyes that were already darkened with tears left behind. Although the tears were hot, Emperor Chongzhen could no longer feel such warmth.
In the 17th year of Chongzhen, it was still early in the year. If I had moved the capital to Nanjing with all my might, why would the capital be surrounded by people now?
Although I regretted it, it was too late to think about it now. Emperor Chongzhen thought so
Emperor Chongzhen and his ministers underestimated Li Zicheng, looked at Sun Chuanting, and saw that there were so many levels of territory in the Ming Dynasty at that time.
If I hadn't urged Sun Chuanting to fight, maybe it wouldn't be the consequence of today
When no one was around, I thought of this place Emperor Chongzhen beat his chest and stamped his feet, and cried bitterly
But if we didn't urge Sun Chuanting to fight, Shanhaiguan was already in danger. We could only give up our own mistakes.
Urgeing Sun Chuanting to fight, just hope that Sun Chuanting will eliminate Li Zicheng or defeat Li Zicheng. At that time, Sun Chuanting's Qin army could be brought to Shanhaiguan and Guanning army to work together to annihilate the Qing army.
If Sun Chuanting had not been urged to fight at that time, if Shanhaiguan was first captured, the Qing army would go south
It seems that although the Qin army is still there, he may have already died. What's the use of asking the Qin army to come?
This is how Emperor Chongzhen thought
The Qing army and the Dashun army are like two huge clips of crabs, pressing step by step is getting tighter and tighter, making it difficult for the Ming Dynasty to take care of one thing and lose another. In the end, the corrupt Ming Dynasty could not stand it.
It is still okay for the emperor to guard the national gate when he is peaceful and helpless. If the emperor still guards the national gate during the war, then no matter how huge the entire country is, the enemy first cut off his head, and his huge body will be without a head and will not be able to command it.
Zhu Di, the Ming Dynasty Emperor Chengzu, who was still the king of Yàn, was in the vassal state of Beiping (now Beijing), and had no choice because it was granted by Zhu Yuanzhang.
However, after Zhu Di ascended the throne and became Emperor Yongle, he still regarded Beijing as the capital, so there was a little old story in it.
Zhu Di could not have thought that more than two hundred years later, under the Emperor's guarding the national gate, he had half of his body, but his head was shaking.
It turns out that the Jurchens have risen again in the place where the Ming Dynasty was Liaodong.
Although the Qing Dynasty, the Jurchen tribe was not the Jurchen tribe of the Jin Dynasty in the Song Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty was the Aisin Jurchio tribe, and the Jin Dynasty was the Wanyan tribe.
However, the Qing Jurchens also used this as their ancestors' glory to inspire themselves. Nurhaci later established the Later Jin Dynasty. However, his son Huang Taiji became emperor in Shengjing (now Chenyang) in the first year of Chongde (1636). The country name was changed to Qing Dynasty. Huang Taiji's abacus was naturally further than Nurhaci's.
Is it really right and safe to guard the country's gates?
Is the risk great?
If the Mongolian, Jurchens and Japanese pirates still coexist with the Ming Dynasty hundreds of years later, would the defeat of the Ming Dynasty be the fastest and shortest military means to defeat the Ming Dynasty?
Emperor Chongzhen sometimes thought about such things
But now Li Zicheng has surrounded the capital, and other things are no longer important, because the Ming Dynasty may have perished like this. Emperor Chongzhen thought about it because he seemed that he could not see any hope.
Emperor Chongzhen said: Once I sacrifice my life for the country, the southern part of the Ming Dynasty will inevitably have no leader, and it will be difficult to unite. Perhaps it is Dashun and the Qing Dynasty to compete for the world!
In March of the 17th year of Chongzhen (1644), when Li Zicheng had not yet surrounded the capital, Emperor Chongzhen urgently issued an edict to grant Zuo Liangyu the title of Ning Nanbo, and to his son Zuo Menggeng the general of pacifying the thief, and promised that after the rebellion, they would let their father and son guard Wuchang for generations.
At that time, Zuo Liangyu confronted and fought against Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong on the Wuchang front. Although he had hundreds of thousands of troops, he was dragged by Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong or defeated him and was seriously injured. He was unable to move for the moment.
After receiving the urgent imperial edict from Emperor Chongzhen, Zuo Liangyu knew that the capital was in danger, so he immediately formulated a plan to send troops according to the year and month. If necessary, even if Wuchang is left behind, he would break through the siege and go north to rescue the emperor. If he is not rescued, he would become a traitor and the Ming Dynasty would be destroyed. The progress of the war in the capital had exceeded Zuo Liangyu's expectations.
At this time, Li Zicheng deployed heavy troops in Jingzhou, De'an and Chengtian in western Hubei, and Zhang Xianzhong was restrained in the west. Although there were also Huguang Governor He Tengjiao and Governor Yuan Jixian's troops to fight against Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, in fact, it was difficult for Zuo Liangyu to mobilize troops to break through Li Zicheng's encirclement and to get rid of Zhang Xianzhong's restraint and attack, not to mention that Wuchang is thousands of kilometers away from the capital.
Zuo Liangyu looked at the imperial edict sent by Emperor Chongzhen with trembling hands and thought, even if he broke through Li Zicheng's heavy army siege, he would still abandon the Wuchang area and go to Beijing to rescue the emperor with all his might. Can the capital stand up?
Is Shanhaiguan still up to date?
Zuo Liangyu recalled again that after Zhu Xianzhen failed in the battle, all the elite troops were lost, and there were very few left. Later, the soldiers who surrendered were no longer as powerful as before.
Although Junying looked around at the sight of the mountains and rivers, she could no longer control these people as well as before.
In ancient times, the news was blocked and the war was even more difficult. The contents of the imperial edict must not be fully informed. Now only Zuo Liangyu knows the news that the capital is already in danger.
Zuo Liangyu recalled his life in battle. Fortunately, he knew how to protect himself and preserve some strength. If he had followed the imperial court like the governor Sun Chuanting and looked at him, I'm afraid that Zuo Liangyu would not be there in Wuchang now.
Now the Ming Dynasty is in the midst of life and death, and personal interests are no longer considered. We must break through Li Zicheng's encirclement at all costs, go to Beijing to rescue the enemy, and kill the rebels and barbarians. After thinking for a long time, Zuo Liangyu finally made up his mind.
Zuo Liangyu thought, Li Zicheng surrounded me in Jingzhou, De'an and Chengtian in western Hubei, and there was Zhang Xianzhong's mantra in the west, so I would divide my troops to Nanjing and even take the sea to save the Ming Dynasty.
Zuo Liangyu said: The country of Ming Dynasty for more than 200 years must be preserved, and it must be preserved!
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March 18, 17th year of Chongzhen
The sky began to light up in the gray sky. The capital was surrounded by Li Zicheng and the birds were not invaded. It was estimated that Dashun soldiers would attack the city at dawn.
Wang Chengen bent over and flew back and forth outside the Chenggan Palace Gate. He was wearing a dark court robes, with Buddha dust slanted around his waist, and his gray hair was a little messy.
The two sides of the Chenggan Palace Gate made an exception and stood full of large inner guards, guarding Emperor Chongzhen.
As usual, the great inner guards were not allowed to enter the harem, and they could only guard the Ganqing Palace at most, but today is different. The emperor's safety has reached the most important and special time.
Yesterday, Li Zicheng began to surround the capital. Emperor Chongzhen was already in a state of sanity and had no masters and had no sleep all night. While deploying the city defense of the capital, he tried hard to urge Wang Chengen and Wu Sangui and Zuo Liangyu to come to rescue him. After a while, he asked Wang Chengen and Wu Sangui and Zuo Liangyu where the soldiers were?
Did Shandong General Liu Zeqing send troops?
Has Li Zicheng's troops already broken through the outer city?
He was busy until late at night. The heartbroken Emperor Chongzhen missed Concubine Tian. Emperor Chongzhen, who could not stand it, lived in Chenggan Palace with Wang Chengen and others.
Emperor Chongzhen lay on Concubine Tian's jade couch and tossed and turned, tears streaming down. Looking at Concubine Tian's jade hanging on the wall, she was sobbing like a cry. It took a long time for Wang Chengen to hear the sound from the warm pavilion. Emperor Chongzhen was already tired and asleep.
Wang Chengen appointed three times as many as the old guards. After carefully checking the palace walls, doors, windows and windows, he walked out of Chenggan Palace and served outside the palace gate. Because Chenggan Palace is the bedroom of the imperial concubine Tian Xiuying, how can an eunuch fall asleep?
Wang Chengen squatted against the palace wall outside Chenggan Palace. The guards of the inner guards brought the quilt. Wang Chengen was unwilling to leave Emperor Chongzhen at this time, because Wang Chengen knew that Emperor Chongzhen would always need him, so Wang Chengen squatted against the palace outside Chenggan Palace and took a nap.
However, at this time, the weather was already gray and bright. Although it was already half past March, the weather was really much colder than in previous years.
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Chongzhen lies in his clothes on Concubine Tian’s jade couch, covering the quilt covered in front of Concubine Tian’s body, with a slightly sick look on his pale face and tears on his face.
Because I was so tired last night that I lay down and fell asleep, I didn’t allow the palace maids to help me with clothes. Maybe I was afraid that Li Zicheng would attack into the Forbidden City at any time.
Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty, fewer and fewer emperors went to court, and some even met with young officials.
After Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne, he tried his best to correct such mistakes and abundance of mistakes. He dressed up every night and ate at dawn. He burned incense and worshiped the sky, and then went to court.
There are few emperors like Emperor Chongzhen who basically attend court every day.
Emperor Chongzhen's sleeping face was filled with sadness and loneliness. Even the palace maids who were standing by the bed were tearful to see. From the words he heard, it seemed that it was already a bad thing outside the Forbidden City.
If the thief enters the palace, these palace maids will not be able to escape the miserable end. Many palace maids have already made plans to commit suicide or jump into the river.
Everything in Chenggan Palace was set up in front of Concubine Tian. The palace maids and eunuchs in Chenggan Palace were not disbanded and kept intact. Because Emperor Chongzhen looked at the bricks and tiles in Chenggan Palace, and every cup and bottle, he would think of Concubine Tian’s appearance, as well as the beautiful memories of the love between the two in front of her, so everything in Chenggan Palace was exactly the same as before.
At this time, it was already dawn, and Wang Chengen had already been preparing to wait for Xuanzhao outside Chenggan Palace. Although no one had a good sleep, let alone an old man in his sixties.
Emperor Chongzhen suddenly sat up on the jade couch and said: Wang Chengen...
The palace maids were shivering and outside the warm pavilion and cheering up. Wang Chengen also heard the screams of Emperor Chongzhen. The guards of the inner guards quickly opened the palace gate of Chenggan Palace. Wang Chengen quickly lowered his head and took care of his clothes. He cheered up and walked towards the warm pavilion of Chenggan Palace.
The palace maids quickly brought the washed silver basin and the face-washing scarf. The hot water in the basin was tried by the palace maid and confirmed the temperature was just right and immediately sent to Emperor Chongzhen.
Two more palace maids helped Emperor Chongzhen put on his imperial shoes and stood on the ground, and then stood up to help Emperor Chongzhen take care of the palace clothes and the somewhat scattered hair on his head. Although Emperor Chongzhen was only 34 years old, his hair was much grayer.
At this time, Wang Chengen's sharp voice came from outside the main hall of Chenggan Palace: Emperor, I am the servant, the order of the servant,
The palace maids on both sides of the door then opened the door of the warm pavilion of the Chenggan Palace. A cool breeze immediately blew in. The palace maids shivered with coldness.
Wang Chengen bent down and stood at the distance of Emperor Chongzhen three steps waiting for Emperor Chongzhen to speak. As usual, Wang Chengen's words and deeds were meticulous.
Including the tone and strength of speaking, posture of walking, and even the look of looking down on your head
Emperor Chongzhen stood upright, and the two palace maids used their hot jade hands to apply hot scarves to gently wipe the face of Emperor Chongzhen. After taking care of Emperor Chongzhen's outfit, several palace maids quietly retreated.
Emperor Chongzhen said with great worries: Move to the Qing Palace
After taking a nap, Emperor Chongzhen's spirit recovered a little, and it seemed that he had figured out and thought about some things last night.
Wang Chengen bent down and said: The emperor... moves to the Qing Palace...
Emperor Chongzhen then walked out of Chenggan Palace and sat on the prepared dragon chariot. Just as the palace maids in Chenggan Palace slowly closed the gate of Chenggan Palace, Emperor Chongzhen turned around and looked at the scenery in Chenggan Palace with deep emotion and sadness, then took a breath.
Emperor Chongzhen didn't know if he would come to Chenggan Palace to visit again, maybe he wouldn't have a chance anymore
The dragon chariot was lifted up by eight people, and disappeared on the palace road outside Chenggan Palace in the gradually brightening gray sky.
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Ganqing Palace, main hall
The hall is sparsely populated, and few ministers are willing to come, and the atmosphere is extremely sad.
In the past, the ministers asked Emperor Chongzhen to summon him. Now that Li Zicheng surrounded the capital, no one came to ask for the summons?
When the few loyal ministers saw Emperor Chongzhen coming, they immediately cheered up from listlessness and discouragement, and stood up to face Emperor Chongzhen.
The ministers said: Long live the emperor, long live
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this sentence today, he was different from his past feelings. Emperor Chongzhen turned his head slightly, his teeth nippled, and his mouth twitched. A stream of sadness surged into his heart, his eyes were already wet.
Emperor Chongzhen suppressed his emotions and walked forward through the imperial road and sat on the dragon throne.
Emperor Chongzhen looked at it and found that all the old ministers came. The officials who were usually like a river were not here today. They suddenly became angry.
Emperor Chongzhen said: In the past, documents were sent from all over the country and many memorials were sent every day, but there was no letter in the past few days. Where did they go?
The dozen or so ministers who came from the hall were all old ministers who were often extorted by their advice, and some were senior officials of the three dynasties.
Although the capital is now martial law, even old officials can come. Why don’t other officials come?
Emperor Chongzhen turned to ask Wang Chengen not far away, and his words began to despair.
Emperor Chongzhen said: What is going on in the city now? Have the thieves started to attack the city?
Wang Chengen said: Now there are very few soldiers in the capital and people are in panic. Some of the three battalions who retreated from Shahe guarded Xizhimen and Fuchengmen. Outside the gate, the soldiers who were preparing to attack the city were the soldiers who surrendered to the thieves, and the real bandits were behind the surrendered soldiers of the three battalions.
Emperor Chongzhen said: Li Guozhen was ruining the country. I ordered him to guard Shahe to the death and buy time for Wu Sangui or Zuo Liangyu's reinforcements. I don't expect Li Guozhen to be so capable.
Wang Chengen said: Those surrendered soldiers went to the city and said that if they opened the city gate and surrendered early, the morale of the army had been disintegrated.
Wang Jiayan, Minister of War and Minister of Rongzheng, came out and said: I am guarding Andingmen, but from the 16th to today, I cannot reach the city, for fear that the generals on the city have already swayed... Before Wang Jiayan finished speaking, he cried in tears.
Emperor Chongzhen said: Since the martial law in the capital, in the past few months, you have been working hard and responsible. You are my loyal ministers, but you don’t want to break into the thief to come to the city soon. It’s all my sins. I am ashamed of my ancestors.
Secretary of War Zhang Jinyan: Emperor, there must be loyal soldiers on the city. When the ministers wait for their subordinates to inspect and encourage the soldiers. At this moment, I can only repay the emperor's kindness for his death!
The ministers and workers said together: I can only repay the emperor's kindness for his death... Woo...
Li Banghua and other old ministers in the palace heard these words and saw Emperor Chongzhen's sad and desperate look. They all knelt on the ground in pain, and their voices were heartbroken.
Is this what a dynasty is about to perish?
Are they all so helpless?
Half an hour later, the court was dispersed. Emperor Chongzhen said a lot to his ministers and workers and admitted many mistakes in the past, but it was too late to regret it now.
Emperor Chongzhen instructed his ministers to go to various gates in the capital to inspect and try their best to defend, waiting for Wu Sangui's Guanning soldiers to rescue him!
The emperor guards the national gate. It is said correctly, but the first one to break is the national gate, because the enemy is not stupid. Once the national gate is broken, the country has no master, and the country often becomes a mess of sand, waiting to be slaughtered
The ancients built the capital in the middle of the country, which was to facilitate the rule of the country, and to stay away from the front line battlefield.
Chang'an is the entire Guanzhong Basin. The Wei River crosses the entire basin and is well-used, which is mixed between the Qinling Mountains and the Loess Plateau.
If the capital of the Ming Dynasty was in Chang'an, it would be easy to defend but difficult to attack. There would be natural danger to the Yellow River in the east, and the Qinling Mountains on the south side of the Loess Plateau in the north and it would have a large river, which would be a natural fortress.
The Chang'an Small Plain is located in the center of the basin, with Zhongnan Mountain in the south and Mount Li in the east. The Wei River and Ba River are natural moats.
There is only one route from Chang'an to Luoyang, and there are levels all the way, which is really easy to defend and difficult to attack.
But Li Zicheng's hometown is this place, which is also an important factor that Li Zicheng can quickly advance to the capital after occupying Shaanxi after he conquered Tongguan.
Nanjing is located on the seashore. If a powerful enemy country attacks from the seashore, it will be the end of the emperor defending the national gates. It is not as safe as Chang'an or Luoyang. Although it is not so convenient to transport national supplies to Chang'an due to geographical factors, safety should always be put first.
This is also the first important reason why Emperor Chongzhen urged Sun Chuanting to fight against Li Zicheng if he did not move the capital to Nanjing. Once Sun Chuanting defeated Li Zicheng, moving the capital to Chang'an is much safer than moving the capital to Nanjing.
If the enemy troops move the capital south, they will not be able to defend it. It is just a delay. At that time, the enemy troops will continue to move the capital at the city. It is not as easy as Chang'an to defend but difficult to attack and can be self-sufficient.
Li Zicheng is more difficult to deal with than the Qing soldiers, which was unexpected and unexpected by the Ming court, but the development of things was too fast and it had evolved to an uncontrollable point in a blink of an eye. Emperor Chongzhen knew that the situation was irreversible, and he was sandwiched between Dorgon and Li Zicheng.
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The person Emperor Chongzhen trusted the most now is Wang Chengen. Among the internal officials, Wang Chengen has a higher status and is the eunuch of the Silijian. He was appointed as the imperial eunuch to be responsible for the important task of admiring the capital of the Beijing camp.
But even Wang Chengen could not command anyone. The remaining soldiers of the three camps and some internal officials seemed to be waiting for the treacherous soldiers to surrender at any time when they attacked the city.
The Yongwei camp reorganized by Emperor Chongzhen only had more than 10,000 people, named the Emperor's Imperial Guard. He was led by outstanding generals such as Lu Jiude, Liu Yuanbin, and brave generals Huang Degong, Zhou Yuji, Zhou Yingyuan and other outstanding generals, and then he was ordered to attack Zhang Xianzhong's Daxi Army.
In 1641, Sun Yingyuan was killed by Li Zicheng because he was alone in the battle with Li Zicheng.
Zhou Yuji was renamed the General Officer of Shanxi in 1642, and died in Ningwu Pass two years later.
After Li Zicheng occupied Shaanxi, only Yongwei Camp did not surrender. At this time, thousands of soldiers of Yongwei Camp also lost contact with the court and fell into a mud vortex of suppressing rebellions and protecting themselves.
Emperor Chongzhen knew that the people in the city had changed and the situation was extremely critical. He thought that if he wanted to inspire the soldiers and officials in the city, he would have to use silver to reward him immediately. However, the treasury was empty in order to suppress the thieves, and his private money had been taken out. It can be said that he was at the end of his life now, and the princes and nobles refused to pay the money earlier, let alone now.
If I had known that these ministers were like this, I would have regretted killing them.
Emperor Chongzhen was waiting alone to walk to the palace wall of the Ganqing Palace courtyard. Two palace maids from the Ganqing Palace followed him and sobbed silently. Emperor Chongzhen opened his arms and shook in the air, his clothes were not in order, and his gray hair on his head was not allowed to be taken care of by the palace maids. He just cried to Kongwu to himself.
Emperor Chongzhen cried: I am not the king of the country that was destroyed... I am not the king of the country that was destroyed... Why... Why...
The palace maid cried: Emperor... Emperor...
Emperor Chongzhen cried: I have no shame to see my ancestors... I have no shame to throw the Ming Dynasty into my hands...
The palace maid cried: Emperor... Emperor... Wuwuwu... Wuwuwu... Wuwu...
The three halls of the previous dynasty and the three halls of the harem of the Forbidden City did not plant trees. At this time, Emperor Chongzhen was like looking for a tree to beat it, so as to relieve the indignation and humiliation in his heart. This has become a habit of Emperor Chongzhen. At this time, there was no tree in the Ganqing Palace. This was to highlight the majesty of the royal family, so Emperor Chongzhen could only beat the courtyard wall of the Ganqing Palace at this time.
Emperor Chongzhen turned his back to the palace maid and choked: Since I ascended the throne at the age of sixteen, these princes and ministers have looked down on me... made things difficult for me everywhere... so that my will cannot be effectively implemented... Today, these people have left me... leaving me...
The two palace maids knelt down and felt in pain. They entered the palace since they were eight or nine years old. The harem was their home. Now the emperor is desperate and sad, and the country is about to perish. When they think of what happened next, they feel cold in their hearts.
At this time, two sounds of cannons came from a distant place, bang...bang...
Emperor Chongzhen turned around to face the two palace maids, and kept calm in panic: What sound is the sound of cannons... The thieves attacked the city... The thieves attacked the city... The thieves attacked the city...
Emperor Chongzhen ran to the Ganqing Palace warm pavilion in panic and said hurriedly: Hurry up... Wang Chengen... Wang Chengen...
A palace maid still sat on the ground and couldn't get up after hearing the sound of cannons. Another brave palace maid took the order and opened the gate of the Ganqing Palace. He passed the emperor's oral order to ask the guards to summon Wang Chengen to see him quickly.
After receiving the order, a large guard hurriedly ran out to the three halls to convey the imperial edict.
The palace maid said to more than 20 big eunuchs guarding the gate of the Ganqing Palace: You must be loyal to the emperor and patriotism, and do your duty. After that, he turned into the Ganqing Palace and asked someone to close the Ganqing Palace.
The guards immediately cheered up, holding weapons in their hands, and did not dare to let go for a moment.
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Dry clearance door
The eunuch in charge of the Sili Supervisor Wang Dehua reported that the eunuch who surrendered to the thief Du Xun asked for a meeting. Emperor Chongzhen was so cruel that he knew that it must be sent by the thief. He scolded Du Xun in front of Wang Dehua. After thinking for a while, he decided to interrogate Du Xun outside the Ganqing Gate and asked someone to set up the imperial case and the imperial throne to see what Du Xun said.
Wang Dehua led Du Xun, who was trembling all over to the Ganqing Gate, and saw dozens of eunuchs and the big guards were already on the verge of battle.
Wang Dehua was also trembling inside, for fear that Emperor Chongzhen would get angry and kill Du Xun and sit down. The two of them waited for a long time in the Ganqing Gate. Wang Dehua stepped back and served on the side. Du Xun was already scared to death when he saw such a formation and atmosphere. He trembled and weak. He knelt down, lying on the ground with his head, and did not dare to look up.
Du Xun knew that he would die forever today, but if Li Zicheng didn't come, he would have to execute himself, so he would have to put him to death before he could live.
Although Li Zicheng is already at the city and it is not difficult to attack the Forbidden City, Du Xun is a leading eunuch trained by Emperor Chongzhen since childhood. When he saw the emperor, he began to breathe.
The voice of a eunuch came from the Ganqing Palace: The Holy Lord has arrived!
Du Xun's breathing paused for a while, then exhaled as he trembled all over. His eyes were staring at the ground without blinking. Du Xun knew that every word he said might make him lose his life.
The hands stretched out from the cuffs and placed them flat on the ground to show that there was no weapon, but the palms were trembling constantly
Clustered by more than a dozen eunuchs, Emperor Chongzhen walked out of the Ganqing Gate and sat on the imperial throne behind the imperial case. Emperor Chongzhen looked at Du Xun kneeling on the ground, and his face was filled with anger.
Emperor Chongzhen sat upright on the imperial throne, knowing in his heart that he wanted to be the emperor's majesty and let Du Xun say the meaning of breaking the thief.
Maybe you have a glimmer of hope. As long as you save your life, you can discuss other things again.
Du Xun was a leader of the army trained by Emperor Chongzhen. He sent him to Xuanfu to supervise the army to resist the treacherous invasion. However, he did not expect that he would open the gate of Juyongguan and surrender to Li Zicheng, and he would be attacked from both sides and had to surrender.
Du Xun's actions were a great deal of betrayal and harm to Emperor Chongzhen and the Ming Dynasty, which was a crime to kill the nine clans.
If Du Xun swears to guard the pass at Juyong Pass, Li Zicheng would not have arrived at the capital so soon. Wu Sangui or Zuo Liangyu would have time to lead troops to rescue him.
Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to Du Xun be one of the biggest rebels in the Ming Dynasty. Even if Du Xun and Tang Tong only withstand a few days, if Zuo Liangyu is not in a hurry, Wu Sangui's Guanning Army will definitely reach the capital.
So Emperor Chongzhen hated Du Xun, the eunuch whom he trained himself, so he should listen to him to tell the purpose of his visit and see what the thief actually means
Emperor Chongzhen looked silently at Du Xun who was kneeling on the ground for a while. Seeing that he was trembling all over, he wanted to kill him immediately, but Emperor Chongzhen had to hold back this idea at this moment, for himself and the Ming Dynasty.
Emperor Chongzhen said angrily: Why did I order you to go to Xuanfu? But what are you?
When Du Xun heard Emperor Chongzhen settle the old accounts, he broke out in cold sweat and said tremblingly: I deserve to die for thousands of deaths... I deserve to die for thousands of deaths...
Emperor Chongzhen said angrily: Since you have surrendered to the thief, why dare you come to see me again? Do you think I dare not kill you?
Du Xun hurriedly said, following the joke he had already made up: At that time, the officers and soldiers opened the door to greet the enemy. I was useless to stop drinking, and I was also held hostage by the soldiers and was very rewarded. I wanted to die, but I was half a step slower...
Du Xun originally wanted to continue saying that he was interrupted by Emperor Chongzhen's violent slap in the imperial case and he no longer believed Du Xun's words.
I saw Du Xun kneeling under his body soaked in his own sweat
Emperor Chongzhen said angrily: Why did the thief send you here? Report immediately
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