The Ming Dynasty: A bookstore sells the history of the Ming Dynasty, leaving Emperor Chongzhen bewil

"Since Yuan Chonghuan chose the wrong place, we certainly cannot choose these three places again this time."

"Moreover, from Yuan Chonghuan's failure, we can also learn that we can let Huang Taiji enter the pass, but we cannot let him pass through Jizhou, because if he passes through Jizhou, the capital of the Ming Dynasty will be threatened."

"So, this time we'll choose..."

As Zhu Ziming spoke, he pointed to the map, and Chongzhen quickly looked at it.

"This time we chose these three places: Zunhua, Jizhou, and Santunying. In the original timeline, Zunhua was easily captured by the Jin army without encountering any decent resistance, Santunying was practically handed over, and Jizhou was bypassed by the Jin army."

"But in reality, Zunhua was a major military stronghold of the Ming Dynasty. Its city walls were 35 feet high and even stronger than those of Ningyuan. After Huang Taiji captured Zunhua, he issued an order: 'For several years, the Eight Banners army has not been good at attacking Yuan Chonghuan's Ningyuan. However, this time they have captured Zunhua. Moreover, the walls of Zunhua are even stronger than those of Ningyuan. The brave warriors who attacked the city should be rewarded.'"

"Santunying is the garrison of the Jizhou General, which is in charge of the defense along the Great Wall. It can be called the core hub of the Jizhou defense line. This Great Wall pass is the throat connecting the Mongolian Plateau and the North China Plain. If Santunying is secure, it can prevent the enemy from breaking through the Great Wall and advancing deeper into the interior."

"As for Jizhou, after Yuan Chonghuan set up defenses, Huang Taiji did not dare to touch it at all, and chose to bypass Jizhou despite the huge risk of cutting off his own retreat."

"Therefore, these three places, if properly defended, will not be easy to take."

At this point, Emperor Chongzhen was like a chick pecking at rice, only nodding in agreement.

Indeed, as Zhu Ziming said, these three places were the Jizhou defense line, the lifeline protecting the capital. Moreover, in the early years, the threat from the Northern Yuan was even greater, so the defense of these three places was definitely not bad.

However, in the original historical timeline, the imperial court focused most of its energy on the Guan-Ning-Jin defense line, thus neglecting this line. In addition, the Jizhou defense line had been peaceful for a long time, the military farms were in disrepair, soldiers were short of food and pay, officers were embezzling salaries, and the combat effectiveness was seriously declining, which allowed Huang Taiji to take advantage of the situation.

Zhu Ziming continued, "This Jizhou defense line not only has a solid defensive foundation and can be easily reorganized, but more importantly, it forms a continuous line with the Great Wall."

"Huang Taiji led 100,000 Jin troops into the pass. As long as we block the passes of the Great Wall and hold the Jizhou-Zunhua-Santunying defense line, the Jin army will be trapped in a jar with no way out. What we need to do is catch them like turtles in a jar."

Upon hearing this, Chongzhen's previously bewildered eyes immediately lit up.

Catching a turtle in a jar is a piece of cake, isn't it?

However, Zhu Ziming's next words left Chongzhen dumbfounded.

"Having discussed Yuan Chonghuan's mistakes, let's now talk about the second mistake: Chongzhen's mistake."

"As we mentioned earlier, Yuan Chonghuan's strategy of 'closing the door to beat the dog' was not wrong in general, but he was too idealistic and there were problems with its execution. But it wasn't just his problem; Emperor Chongzhen's problem was also very big."

"What was wrong with Emperor Chongzhen? It was his haste and his panic."

When Huang Taiji's army approached the city, Chongzhen was extremely panicked. According to the "Veritable Records of Chongzhen", Chongzhen did not sleep for several days. He wept bitterly in the palace and knelt down to pray for the ancestors' protection. When he urgently summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures, he was "stern and stern" but could not come up with any practical solutions. He repeatedly questioned his ministers, "Why has it come to this?"

"As for the problem of impatience, it was even more serious. He was impatient and reckless, short-sighted in strategy, and eager to win. He completely disregarded the weakness of the Ming army in field battles and repeatedly issued edicts to force generals to leave the city to fight the Later Jin. The most typical example was General Man Gui. He requested to wait for reinforcements to gather before fighting again, but Chongzhen reprimanded him for 'fear of battle' and forced him to lead his exhausted troops to meet the enemy at Desheng Gate, which led to Man Gui's death and the loss of elite troops."

"Therefore, Chongzhen's problems were even greater than Yuan Chonghuan's."

"During the Jisi Incident, Emperor Chongzhen was like a frightened bird, lacking both strategic resolve and tolerance. Moreover, because he was the backbone of the entire country, this sentiment quickly infected the entire bureaucratic system. Officials shirked responsibility to avoid trouble, and frontline generals were hesitant and timid for fear of being held accountable. The court fell into a vicious cycle of 'the more panicked they were, the more mistakes they made, and the more mistakes they made, the more they killed.'"

Upon hearing this, Chongzhen's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

Zhu Ziming's words left him with absolutely no face. If this were during the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chongzhen would have been furious if anyone dared to say such a thing.

But Zhu Ziming is different.

And just as Zhu Ziming said, this is a bookstore, and he, Zhu Ziming, calls the shots here.

Here, Chongzhen was finally able to suppress his temper, set aside his imperial dignity, and ask, "Then, sir, how do you think I should correct this?"

Zhu Ziming replied, "One is patience, and the other is confidence."

"We must have enough patience regarding the situation on the battlefield, and we must have enough confidence in the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty."

Emperor Chongzhen seemed to be deep in thought.

Zhu Ziming said, "According to the original historical timeline, although the Ming Dynasty perished during the reign of Chongzhen, the military generals of Chongzhen's reign were by no means weak. On the contrary, they were all famous, including strategists, brave warriors, and loyal and righteous men."

"In times of chaos, there is no shortage of military generals on the battlefield. This was true at the end of the Song Dynasty, and it was also true at the end of the Ming Dynasty. What is lacking are civil officials who can govern the world."

"Now, let's talk about the last mistake, the mistake that the entire Ming Dynasty court made."

Emperor Chongzhen quickly put aside his self-reflection and continued to listen attentively.

Zhu Ziming said, "Let's take a look at Huang Taiji's side first. In order to invade the Ming Dynasty, Huang Taiji led an army of 100,000 across half the map. Do you think he never felt lost or doubted along the way? But he still persevered!"

"Furthermore, do you think Huang Taiji never despaired or considered retreating when faced with Jizhou City, which Yuan Chonghuan had captured first? Yet he still chose to cut off his own retreat, a taboo in military strategy, and risked a great deal by advancing deep into enemy territory alone!"

"Why did he do this? Because Huang Taiji wasn't cutting off his own retreat; he simply had no way out. If he retreated, the Jin Dynasty would be trapped. He could only offer the Jin Dynasty a way out by advancing. Therefore, he was fighting to the death!"

"He gave it his all, he disregarded everything, he was ready to die for success!"

"And what about the Ming Dynasty?"

"The Jin army crossed the Great Wall without anyone knowing. When Zunhua fell, they thought it was just a 'small group of enemy cavalry harassing the city.' Yuan Chonghuan was still in a meeting. The Jin army bypassed Jizhou before Yuan Chonghuan hurriedly made strategic arrangements. Even when the Jin army was at the gates, the Ming emperor and his ministers were still blaming each other and trying to negotiate peace. Their response was inadequate, and they were destroying themselves step by step."

"Therefore, in the original history, the Ming Dynasty's defeat was not unjust, but now that it has already suffered one defeat, how can it avoid repeating the same mistake?"

"I think the most important thing is attitude, the attitude of the court, the attitude of Emperor Chongzhen, and the attitude of all the soldiers."

"Since you, Huang Taiji, are here to fight to the death, then let's fight! We should fight with the attitude of 'it's either you or me!'"

"When facing an enemy, always draw your sword; in a narrow encounter, the brave will prevail!"