The Ming Dynasty lasted for hundreds of years and finally came to an end during the Chongzhen period. However, during the Chongzhen period, the Ming Dynasty faced a situation of internal and external difficulties, and there were many crises. On the one hand, domestic contradictions are acute and people's livelihood is difficult; On the other hand, foreign enemies invade and the national strength is weak.
After Emperor Chongzhen killed Yuan Chonghuan, the morale of the Ming army plummeted and could not resist the offensive of the Houjin and the rebel army, and his generals rebelled one after another, and the ministers of the court and the central government also began to be anxious.
Some people began to accuse Emperor Chongzhen of being a faint monarch, if it weren't for his indulgence, constant party strife, the people's life in unrest, frequent peasant uprisings, and listening to slander, then looking back on his life, is he really a faint monarch?
Emperor Chongzhen as the king of the Ming Dynasty
On March 19, the 17th year of Chongzhen, Zhu Youzhen personally convened the ministers to meet him, but at this time, the Daming Palace had already been dilapidated, the prince had been sent out of the palace, and no one went to the court.
Zhu Youzhen knew that the fate of the Ming Dynasty had come to an end. He and the eunuch Wang Chengen climbed the Coal Mountain, which is now Jingshan in Beijing, and from the top of the mountain you can overlook the entire Forbidden City.
And it was there that he made his final decision.
Emperor Chongzhen committed suicide and was not discovered until two days later. He left an edict of self-reproach and asked Li Zicheng not to harm his body, but also not to harm innocent people.
Despite this, in the end, at the request of the eunuch, his body was **. In this disaster, more than 20 of Emperor Chongzhen's courtiers were martyred, and many of the courtiers who surrendered were executed by Li Zicheng on unjust charges.
Even today, we still regard Emperor Chongzhen as the king who destroyed the Ming Dynasty, especially the three years of Chongzhen.
Although Yuan Chonghuan was executed by Chongzhen's Ling Chi, it was not Chongzhen's brainlessness. Yuan Chonghuan was reused by Chongzhen during the Apocalypse, he once guarded the Liaodong region, fought against the Later Jin many times, and was a brave general.
In the Battle of Ningyuan, Yuan Chonghuan led the Ming army to successfully defeat Nurhachi, bringing a glimmer of hope to the Ming Dynasty. The victory in this battle led to his promotion to the rank of Imperial Historian of the Right Capital.
However, as his status increased, Wei Zhongxian, a favored eunuch of the Ming Xi Sect, began to put pressure on him. Yuan Chonghuan was a person with a strong personality, so he chose to resign and return to his hometown.
After Chongzhen ascended the throne, he was reused by Chongzhen, returned to Liaodong to defend the town, and vowed to pacify Liaodong within five years.
Emperor Chongzhen had very high expectations for Yuan Chonghuan, and even rewarded him with the sword of Shang Fang, hoping that he would complete his mission and kill the courtiers within five years. Both of them had grand plans, but the civil officials sent by the imperial court caused Mao Wenlong's dissatisfaction and made Yuan Chonghuan complain about him.
Later, the conflict between Yuan Chonghuan and Mao Wenlong escalated, and he decided to kill Mao Wenlong with Shang Fang's sword, and listed Mao Wenlong's guilt at an event.
Yuan Chonghuan asked the imperial court for additional military salaries in response to a possible rebellion by his subordinates. Although Chongzhen had some doubts about Yuan's request, he still approved it.
Emperor Chongzhen re-examined Yuan Chonghuan and considered his crime of killing Mao Wenlong and being unable to defend himself against foreign enemies as unforgivable, so he imprisoned him. Although some people in later generations accused Chongzhen of indiscriminately killing loyal ministers, and some even thought that he would regret it, I firmly believe that Chongzhen made this decision for a good reason, and there will never be any regrets.
During the Chongzhen period, Yuan Chonghuan failed because of his Pingliao plan, which led to the Houjin cavalry to invade the Beijing Division, and failed Chongzhen's trust and became one of the crimes. After that, regardless of the truth, Yuan Chonghuan was considered guilty and examined.
To make matters worse, the eunuch claimed to have heard of a secret deal between Yuan Chonghuan and Houjin, which, while lacking conclusive evidence, was enough to justify Chongzhen's killing of him.
Emperor Chongzhen insisted on the main battle, but you, the general he sent, wanted to make peace, isn't this blatantly against the emperor? Not to mention that he executed Mao Wenlong at will, and failed to complete Chongzhen's order, this year was only the third year of Chongzhen's ascension to the throne, but he reigned for a total of seventeen years.
Even if Yuan Chonghuan can live until then, he may not be able to stop Li Zicheng.
Although some people think that Yuan Chonghuan was a little indulgent after he took power, it is difficult to judge his actions too much. However, it is indeed a bit biased that later generations blame Chongzhen for killing Yuan Chonghuan.
Chongzhen, this name, means that he is the most diligent king of the dead country. He was the object of the eunuchs, but he was also an aspiring monarch. He loved reading when he was young, and he was even more diligent after the eradication of Wei Zhongxian.
Some people even praised him, saying that he handled government affairs skillfully, like a god. He was a monarch who was respected by his courtiers, working day and night, even in the middle of the night to review the recitals.
This kind of Chongzhen may be different from the king of the dead country in your heart, right? Zhu Youzhen is by no means a faint king, he is the hardest, but in the face of the imminent collapse of the Ming Dynasty, he is irreparable.
Later he re-elected cabinet ministers and restored the reputation of the Donglin party, but.
In the last years of the Ming Dynasty, internal and external troubles were compounded, the imperial court party disputes were serious, peasant uprisings arose again, and the Houjin wars were frequent, and the fierce attack of Huang Taiji made the war situation more uncertain.
Cabinet minister Chongzhen tried his best to salvage the defeat, but in the end he could not change the situation, and the rebel army led by Li Zicheng broke through the gates of the city of Beijing. Faced with the fate of the country's demise, Chongzhen chose to hang himself, and he had many martyred ministers, showing his deep love for the country and the people and his adherence to justice.
Although Emperor Chongzhen tried to change the fate of the country, he was unable to return to heaven after all, and he once wrote six edicts of self-sins, sincerely reflecting on his mistakes. However, later generations still evaluated him mainly as the king of the fallen country, which is really unfair.
From a historical point of view, Emperor Chongzhen faced many difficulties and challenges during his reign, and he was a historical figure worthy of respect and understanding.