Li Zicheng, the leader of the peasant uprising at the end of the Ming Dynasty, is a well-known historical figure, but the final whereabouts of Li Zicheng, the king of Chuang, are a historical mystery with different opinions.
After Wu Sangui surrendered to the Qing army, Li Zicheng finally ascended the throne of the Dashun Emperor. However, only a year later, Li Zicheng had to evacuate from Beijing, and the Dashun army fled all the way west, from Shanxi to Shaanxi. In February 1645, Li Zicheng abandoned the natural barrier of Tongguan and disbanded most of the Dashun army, leaving his men to find their own way out. Li Zicheng himself led an elite army to lead the Qing army away, but in the face of the powerful Qing army, Li Zicheng retreated one after another, and was finally forced to lead his men and horses into Jiugong Mountain in Tong County, Hubei.
There are many different theories in history as to why Li Zicheng chose Jiugong Mountain as his final refuge. One of the most convincing statements is that Li Zicheng's visit to Jiugong Mountain originated from the words of the military advisor Song Xiance. At that time, Song Xiance suggested that if Li Zicheng was defeated, he could go to Jiugong Mountain and return to the wilderness, so that he could escape the world and live in peace, and cultivate the Tao to recuperate in his old age.
At Jiugong Mountain, Li Zicheng continued to lead his remnants in a fight against the Qing army, although he tried to break through several times, but was unsuccessful.
So, what is the final ending of Li Zicheng?
Li Zicheng's ending, various theories circulated among the people, some said that Li Zicheng died of old age, some said that he committed suicide, and some said that he became a monk and practiced, but there is no conclusive evidence for these statements.
One of the most widespread and accepted accounts is that Li Zicheng was killed by local mountain people in Jiugong Mountain.
According to the local county records, after killing a person, the mountain people found a wash seal on his body, and the word "Li Yan" was written on this wash seal. However, there are many doubts about this claim. First of all, after killing Li Zicheng, the mountain people did not immediately go to the local government to receive the Qing Dynasty's bounty, which is not logical. Second, there is no conclusive evidence that the person killed by the mountain people can be identified as Li Zicheng.
Another theory is that in the process of chasing and killing Li Zicheng, the Qing army found Li Zicheng's body after suicide in Jiugong Mountain. At that time, the Qing army erected a tombstone for Li Zicheng, and a month later, when people opened the tomb, it was impossible to confirm whether the body was really Li Zicheng. However, the climate of Jiugong Mountain is relatively shady, and the speed of corpse decay will not be so fast, so this statement is also questionable.
There is also a theory that Li Zicheng did not commit suicide after the defeat, but followed others to become a monk. Although there is no record of this in the official history, there are some clues to prove this claim. It is said that after Li Zicheng became a monk, he came to practice in Jiashan Temple in Shimen, Hunan Province under the name of Fengtianyu. He spent the rest of his life there and died during the Shunzhi period.
In later generations, in the place where Li Zicheng became a monk, many important objects were found, such as the token of King Chuang, Yongchang Tongbao, the bronze horse bell of the king of Xi'an, and the stone turtle-shaped red seal. The existence of these objects supports to a certain extent the statement that Li Zicheng became a monk. However, some experts are skeptical. They believed that the age of the great monk Fengtianyu did not match Li Zicheng.
Regarding the issue of Li Zicheng's ordination, there is another theory circulating. It is said that the ** who practiced with the great monk Fengtian Yu was Li Zicheng. This great monk's ** is called Li Jin, he is tall, extraordinary, and his writing is also very good, and he often writes poems. In Jiashan Temple, his poems still remain. The fragment of the "Yongmei Poem" found in Jiashan Temple may have been made by Li Zicheng.
Legend has it that after the death of the great monk Fengtianyu, Li Zicheng left his original place of practice and went to Mao'an Village, Zhangjiajie Township, where he continued to teach Buddhism. For Li Zicheng, this ending is undoubtedly the most beautiful one among many statements.
History is always confusing, and we have passed hundreds of years since that history. We have no roots in the past, and we can only look back at the back of history by relying on the little imprints left in history.