Crazy at the end of the Ming Dynasty

The tragic situation of the Ningwu bloody battle also made the Dashun army tremble.Therefore, the generals of the Dashun Army agreed with Li Zicheng's statement, and prepared to return to Shaanxi and fight again in the future.

Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night of the same day, Li Zicheng suddenly received the surrender form sent by Jiang Xiang, the commander-in-chief of Datong Town, and Wang Chengyin, the commander-in-chief of Xuanfu Town.

It's a pity that the good opportunity that Zhou Yuji bought with his life was wasted by the pig teammates.But now, in front of the Dashun Army, it was completely flat.

Zhou Yuji, as a battle-tested veteran, with no food inside and no reinforcements outside, to stop hundreds of thousands of Dashun troops with only thousands of lone brigades in his hands, is undoubtedly hitting an egg on a rock. Could he not even be clear about this?The reason why he dared to risk the world's displeasure and chose to fight to the death with Li Zicheng's Dashun army was definitely not just because of the "foolish loyalty" of a general guarding the border to the Ming Dynasty, which was gone. He was practicing Confucianism with his life. Integrity, defending the responsibility that has long been lost in this era.He has really achieved the admonishment of Wen and the death of Wu.It's a pity that in such an end of the world, in the Ming Dynasty, such generals are too rare.

The news of the fall of Ningwu and the annihilation of Zhou Yuji's army also dealt a heavier blow to Emperor Chongzhen.At this time, he finally figured out Li Zicheng's military intentions, knowing that the main force of the Dashun Army must pass through Datong and Xuanfu, and attack the capital from the northwest.Calculated according to this route and the advancing speed of the Dashun Army, it will only take a few months for the troops to reach the city.

Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen, who had no idea at all, repeatedly convened ministers who also had no idea at all to discuss countermeasures.But the ministers either said a few meaningless empty words, or simply kept silent, but none of them came up with a specific opinion.

Such vague discussions come and go.Finally, the topic of moving south was brought up again.Li Mingrui, who had always advocated moving south, had exchanged views with some important ministers in private, and probably secretly revealed some information that the emperor was interested in fleeing south.However, Li Banghua, the more responsible censor of Zuodu, thought that the emperor was the symbol of the country, so naturally he could not flee in fear of death, but to be on the safe side, he should let the prince go to Nanjing to hide for a while, in case Beijing does not exist, Nanjing still has a ruler.

During the court discussion, Li Banghua made this suggestion; Li Mingrui also reiterated his opinion of asking Emperor Chongzhen to "conquer the south".However, there are still many people who oppose Emperor Chongzhen's southward relocation. They are nothing more than fearing that Beijing will not be able to hold on after the southward relocation, and the emperor will inevitably punish those who advocate the southward relocation.Many people were also afraid that the emperor would escape and they would be left to guard the city. That would be a narrow escape.As for letting the prince go to Nanjing to supervise the country, most people think it makes sense, so all the cabinet ministers and ministers agreed with Li Banghua's opinion.

But this opinion was the last thing Emperor Chongzhen wanted to hear.Because the prince moved south.It is tantamount to admitting that the capital is in danger, but he has no choice but to die for the country.

So Li Banghua said clearly: "The only thing in the emperor is to insist on serving death and not going away."

But in the eyes of Emperor Chongzhen.This statement by Li Banghua and other ministers is really hateful.Since ancient times, only loyal ministers have devoted themselves to the country and the Lord. How can there be any reason to force the emperor to die for the country?I searched through the history books and couldn't find a similar example.

In addition, he has another worry, even if Beijing can be defended in the end, if the powerful ministers support the crown prince in Nanjing, like Tang Suzong respected Xuanzong as the Supreme Emperor in Wulingyao, wouldn't it be the same as losing the world?

Actually at this time.There was a minister in the hall, Guang Shiheng, who said loudly: "What do you want to do when the prince is sent to the south of the Yangtze River? Do you want to follow the story of Tang Suzong's martial arts?"

However, Emperor Chongzhen could not directly refute the high-sounding arguments of the ministers.His vanity prevented him from expressing his true intentions to his courtiers.I am even more embarrassed to ignore the objections of the ministers and decide to flee south. I can only say embarrassingly: "I have been running the world for more than ten years and it has not helped me. What are you doing? The gentlemen have already talked about the strategy of fighting and defending, and there is no need to do anything else." Words." The so-called dying to save face, Emperor Chongzhen really practiced it thoroughly to the death!

Still can't escape, so Emperor Chongzhen had to order all the soldiers and horses in the world to come to King Qin again.But at this time, Li Zicheng's troops were about to arrive in Datong, and many troops around the capital had already turned into the banner of Dashun.

The main force of the Dashun Army arrived in Datong on the first day of July, and Jiang Guan, the commander-in-chief of Datong, and Du Xun, the governor-general and eunuch, surrendered from the city.At this time, almost all the people in Yanbei area and Xuanfu area were in the Dashun army, and the officers and soldiers from all walks of life had already made up their minds to surrender.Xuanda Governor Wang Jimo, who was stationed in Yanghe (now Yanggao, Shanxi), saw that his subordinates were secretly planning to surrender, and planned to take more than a hundred relatives to flee back to the capital, but when they reached Tianchengwei (now Tianzhen, Shanxi), they were arrested again by their relatives. The paid horses were snatched away and surrendered.So he lamented in his report to the court: "Look at this time, there is no soldier, general, or people who will not turn against the thief."

Not long after, Wang Jimo, who had nowhere to go, had no choice but to "face the bandits" and surrendered to the Dashun army.When the Dashun army arrived at Yanghe, the Ming Dynasty Yanghe soldiers prepared the road at Chonghua and went to the suburbs ten miles away to meet them, and the people ate pots and pulp on the road.Wang Chengyin, the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu, also sent people to Datong to contact and surrender early, and he sneaked into the Xuanfu with the vanguard of the peasant army.

By this time, Beijing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, had become an isolated island.The communication system in the northwest was completely paralyzed at this time, and the communication in the south was also completely paralyzed because of the approach of the Qing army.The imperial court couldn't figure out what was going on in the Datong and Xuanfu areas, which were important gateways to the capital.

And the court got all kinds of rumors. Some said that Datong was still under siege, and some said that even the Xuanfu had been breached. There was even particularly optimistic news that Li Zicheng led his army back south after sweeping the whole Jin Dynasty. !Emperor Chongzhen was dizzy from all kinds of news. The general feeling was that the sword of death was already hanging above his head, but he didn't know when it would fall.

On the seventh day of July, Emperor Chongzhen summoned his ministers on the platform and once again raised the matter of moving south.Because I just received a memorial from Li Jiantai, who was still wandering in the southern part of the capital, I also asked the court to move south.

But since the ministers have made up their minds, they still say it in the same old way.Emperor Chongzhen probably also felt that it might be too late even if he decided to flee south at this time, so he said angrily: "Where can I go if the king dies in Sheji?" and the prince's southward migration. (To be continued..)