Text | Glorious historical figures
Edit | Glorious historical figures
What are you waiting for? The chance for good luck is fleeting! Hurry up and follow me and start a lucky journey together! I wish you good fortune and all your wishes come true!
The last 36 hours of Emperor Chongzhen: a "surrender" and an empty city
The picture comes from the Internet
History is always full of drama and contingency, just like the screenwriter's carefully arranged script, in the climactic plot, hidden fate foreshadowing, in 1644 AD, the ancient palace of the Ming Dynasty, ushered in its last 36 hours in the storm, and in this final countdown, Emperor Chongzhen, the last monarch who was diligent but powerless to return to the sky, experienced unimaginable despair and struggle for ordinary people
Imagine how you would feel when the rebels were approaching the city and dying for life, and the enemy, who was supposed to resist desperately, suddenly handed over a "letter of peace", which was not a begging to surrender, but offered to "share the world equally" with you? Surprise? Smell a rat? Or fear?
Emperor Chongzhen, the emperor who reigned for 17 years and witnessed the Ming Dynasty from prosperity to decline, faced with Li Zicheng's sudden "goodwill", his heart must have mixed feelings
The picture comes from the Internet
1. The stormy end of the dynasty: Emperor Chongzhen's "mess"
To understand Emperor Chongzhen's situation at that time, we might as well turn back the time to 1627, when the 17-year-old Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne and inherited a mess full of holes
At this time, the Ming Dynasty was like an old machine, with aging parts, frequent failures, internal and eunuch dictatorship, fierce party strife, rampant corruption, and inefficient operation of the entire state machine; Externally, the rise of the Later Jin Dynasty, the constant encroachment on the territory of the Ming Dynasty, coupled with the continuous natural disasters for many years, the people are not able to make a living, and the peasant uprisings in various places have come and gone, and the rule of the Ming Dynasty has been in jeopardy
The picture comes from the Internet
Emperor Chongzhen is not a mediocre and incompetent person, he is diligent and thrifty, hard work, trying to turn the tide, reviving the Ming Dynasty, he eradicated Wei Zhongxian, rectified the rule of officials, tried to restore the dynasty, but unfortunately it is difficult to return, his efforts are like struggling in quicksand, with little success
Second, Li Zicheng's "yang conspiracy": retreat as advance, and go straight to Huanglong
In 1644, the peasant rebel army led by Li Zicheng captured Xi'an, established the Dashun regime, and marched eastward to the city of Beijing
The picture comes from the Internet
At this time, the city of Beijing, the people were panicked, the defenders in the city were insufficient, and the army of King Qin had not arrived for a long time, and Emperor Chongzhen was like a lonely hero who guarded the empty city alone, waiting for the judgment of fate
At this critical moment, Li Zicheng made an unexpected move - he sent someone to propose "peace" to Emperor Chongzhen
Li Zicheng's conditions seemed generous: he was willing to cede the northwest to the Ming Dynasty and promised to help the Ming Dynasty resist the invasion of the Later Jin, with the only condition that Emperor Chongzhen recognize his "legal status" and give him a sufficient "reward"
The picture comes from the Internet
This seems to be a "win-win" deal, but in fact it is a "conspiracy" carefully planned by Li Zicheng
3. Emperor Chongzhen's choice: is it a compromise or a desperate gamble?
Faced with Li Zicheng's "olive branch", Emperor Chongzhen fell into a dilemma
The picture comes from the Internet
He knew that Li Zicheng was powerful, and the city of Beijing was in danger, and if he refused to negotiate peace, it was likely that the city would be ruined, and he would become the king of the country; He was unwilling to bow to the "rebellious ministers and thieves", and he was even more unwilling to give up the Ming Dynasty to others
Emperor Chongzhen convened the ministers to discuss countermeasures, but above the court, there was silence, some of the ministers advocated peace, some advocated resistance, but no one could come up with a feasible plan
In the end, Emperor Chongzhen chose to reject Li Zicheng's "good intentions", and he decided to make a desperate bet and live and die with the city of Beijing
The picture comes from the Internet
Fourth, the empty city plan: Emperor Chongzhen's last struggle
Emperor Chongzhen's refusal completely angered Li Zicheng, and he ordered a general attack on the city of Beijing
On April 25, 1644, Li Zicheng's army broke through the city of Beijing, and Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself in a coal mountain in despair, ending his tragic life and drawing an end to the Ming Dynasty
The picture comes from the Internet
What is puzzling is that before Li Zicheng broke through the city of Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen was not without a chance to escape
He had repeatedly ordered the troops from all over the country to rush into King Jingqin, but in the end only one army arrived, and this army left angrily after learning that Emperor Chongzhen was suspicious of them
Why did Emperor Chongzhen end up so betrayed and left his relatives?
The picture comes from the Internet
5. The price of suspicion: Emperor Chongzhen's Achilles' heel
Emperor Chongzhen's life was more than diligent, but he lacked a sense of security, he was suspicious and suspicious, and lacked trust in his ministers and generals, which led to his inability to unite his courtiers and gain the sincere support of the army
He had changed cabinet ministers many times, killed meritorious heroes, and even the only army that rushed to King Qin left angrily because of his suspicions
The picture comes from the Internet
At the last moment, he was like a loner, facing the judgment of fate alone
6. Reflection on History: The tragedy of Emperor Chongzhen, whose fault is it?
The tragedy of Emperor Chongzhen is a personal tragedy and a tragedy of the times
The picture comes from the Internet
He was diligent in government and loved the people, and worked hard to govern the country, but he was unable to return to heaven, and finally became the king of the dead country, which was not only his personal character flaws, but also the social contradictions that accumulated in the last years of the Ming Dynasty
His tragedy also sounded the alarm for future generations:
Those who are in power should learn from history, be prepared for danger in times of peace, guard against minor problems, and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past
We must trust our subordinates and unite all the forces that can be united, so that we can overcome the difficulties together
Only by putting the people first and caring for the people's weal and woe can we win the hearts and minds of the people and consolidate our rule
The last 36 hours of Emperor Chongzhen is an embarrassing history, which allows us to see the helplessness and struggle of the last emperor, and also allows us to think more deeply about history
This article is only for the purpose of spreading positive energy and does not contain any vulgar or illegal content. If there is any infringement, please contact us and we will remove it immediately.