Before Emperor Chongzhen was martyred, the Ming Dynasty still had a million troops, so why didn't he choose to move south for refuge
Surrender or Resistance? The million-strong Ming army marched south to reveal the end of Chongzhen's rule.
Some people can't help but ask, when Beijing fell in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, why didn't Chongzhen lead a million-strong army to flee south in order to make a comeback? At the time, it seemed like the wisest choice. However, when evaluating history, it is often difficult to think from the perspective of the people of the time. Chongzhen's predicament is much more complex than we think.
First, Chongzhen high wind and bright festival.
Some people can't help but ask, when Beijing fell in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, why didn't Chongzhen lead a million-strong army to flee south in order to make a comeback? At the time, it seemed like the wisest choice. However, when evaluating history, it is often difficult to think from the perspective of the people of the time. Chongzhen's predicament is much more complex than we think.
Chongzhen was an ambitious monarch who set the ambition to become a grandmaster of the Ming Dynasty at the beginning of his reign. He tried to straighten out the bureaucracy and get rid of the accumulated malpractices, but they often ended in failure and gradually aroused the discontent of the **. Chongzhen was once a young emperor full of ideals and ambitions, and from the beginning of his reign he wanted to restore the dynasty and revitalize the country.
He believed that corruption in the imperial court and lax military discipline were the main culprits in the country's decline, and that his first task after taking office was to eradicate traitors and strictly enforce military law. However, Chongqing's approach was too hasty, and his harsh purge of hundreds of officials and severe punishment of illegal officers caused great dissatisfaction among many people with vested interests. These men quarreled in the court, making the work of the new king more difficult, and they spread discontent against the emperor among the army, leading to discouragement in the army. Chongqing's reforms were thwarted by powerful forces of inaction, and he gradually realized that he was powerless. This uncontrollable sense of defeat corrupted the young ruler.
He also felt his own incompetence, and the growing number of white-clad figures dealing with political affairs became more and more brutal, non-standard and radical. Chongzhen tries to correct the government, but it always backfires, and he gradually falls into self-doubt and anger. The emperor became more and more ** and chaotic, often killing disloyal and industrious ministers, and gradually lost the wisdom of a good general. The once idealistic young ruler turned into a skeptical tyrant. His temper became more and more irritable, and the weather deteriorated rapidly, and they trembled and did not dare to contact him. In this overcrowded palace, it is difficult to make decisions on state affairs, and the situation of overwork and illness is getting worse and worse.
ii.Reluctance to move south.
Li Zicheng's peasant army's attack made Chongzhen tired for a long time. He sent troops to defend against the enemy, but he was defeated repeatedly, and the anger in his heart grew day by day. It seems that staying in Beijing to resist is inevitable in the end.
Li Zicheng's peasant rebel army came to the border, and Chongzhen sent troops to crusade, but was defeated repeatedly. Chongzhen was a high-minded emperor, and at this time he was on the edge of the border. The army he sent was either defeated on the battlefield or surrendered to the enemy halfway through. Every time the news of defeat came, Chongzhen had palpitations. He thought that all this was because the generals were cowardly and incompetent, so he killed the generals even more frantically to vent his hatred. However, the brutal killing did not turn the tide of the war, but caused the morale of the army to be weakened, and the combat effectiveness of the army gradually declined.
At that moment, Chongzhen was completely overwhelmed by anger and despair. He could no longer listen to any advice, and his mind was full of the idea that he would die with the enemy. Perhaps it was all providence - and he told himself that Heaven had abandoned this decaying dynasty and that he could only die with it.
At the beginning of March, Li Zicheng attacked Ningwu, and Ningwu was in danger. Li Mingrui, a scholar from Hanlin, repeatedly suggested that Chongzhen retreat south, and Chongzhen intended to retreat. He knew it was a wise choice, but it was hard to hang his head because he didn't want to take the burden of borrowing from the city.
1. Culpability for fleeing alone.
In early March, Li Zicheng's peasant army occupied the fortress of Ningwu, and the crisis of the Beijing division was imminent. Seeing that the situation was critical, Li Mingrui repeatedly urged Chongzhen to consider the policy of moving south. He repeatedly persuaded Emperor Chongzhen that it was a wise move to move south now, not only to preserve his strength, but also to avoid the embarrassment of being captured. Chongzhen realized that these words were not false, and he couldn't help but be furious. But his pride and self-esteem made it difficult for him to say anything agreeing to run away. Because to do so is not only a cowardly manifestation of escaping, but also will be ridiculed as a shameful unloading and killing of donkeys. What can he do after going south? Will he be able to revive the army? Nothing is known. But once Beiping falls, it will be a great shame, how can he be worthy of the emperor and ancestors?
iii.The openness of the courtiers.
Therefore, he deliberately mentioned the move of the capital in the court, hoping that the ministers would make a formal proposal on his behalf. But none of the ministers responded, and they all weighed their own interests. Chongzhen was annoyed and angry for a while, but he was helpless.
Therefore, Chongzhen hinted to the ministers at the court meeting that whoever is the most shrewd will take the initiative to move south. As long as someone does not formally make this suggestion, the agreement can be kept. But there is no one among the civil and military officials, they are all trembling, you look at me, I look at you, they all seem very embarrassed. Since no one was prepared to take on this heavy responsibility, trying to move south would mean that the emperor would have to be infamous for leaving Beijing. When the Ming Dynasty moved south, Chongzhen would inevitably be punished for suggesting that the people vent their hatred. The ministers no longer dare to show their plans for the future.
When Chongzhen saw a group of ministers, he could no longer suppress the anger in his heart. They know that the survival of the country is at stake, but they only want to be selfish and disregard the ruin of the country! Once the prime minister, commanding millions of troops, no one dared to persuade the monarch to go south to join the army, this kind of cowardly behavior is really hateful!
Four. The road to the south is broken, and the dawn is gone.
In mid-March, Li Zicheng conquered Zhending, and the road to the south was cut off. Chongzhen's heart was shocked, he knew that the general trend had gone. He climbed the coal mountain, far away from the view of the artillery fire in the capital, and was speechless for a long time.
Just when Chongzhen was upset, another bad news came: Li Zicheng's army had captured Zhending. The Ming army went south and needed this important city. Its fall will cut off Chongzhen's last hope in the south. Emperor Chongzhen climbed a coal mountain outside Beijing, looked at the artillery fire and gunsmoke in the capital, and was speechless for a long time. In the end, he realized that the Ming Dynasty had fallen, so what could he do with a million heroes? Their bones can only be buried in the city.
The Ming Dynasty abandoned it overnight. He realized that he might never be able to save his life. So, he came up with the idea of staying the course, and he just wanted to live and die with the empire he had built.
That night, Chongzhen led the harem concubines and eunuchs over the wall to Jingshan. It was under this crooked-necked tree that he ended his life with his own hands, and also ended the Ming Dynasty.
Chongzhen may never have considered moving south. His consistent style is to stay in Beijing and die with the country. The arrogance and paranoia in his character doomed him to make changes at the last moment when he decided to abandon the old and make a new one.
I'd rather die than leave behind the extravagant hopes in my heart. But his choice lost the Ming Dynasty and countless lives. Ultimately, history records the fall of a ruthless monarch, not the fall of a Ming ruler.
When judging history, we cannot judge the ancients through the eyes of modern people. However, we must examine whether a king should conform to his times, or should he bravely rebel against his times. I am afraid that there will never be a complete answer to the moral conundrum raised by this question. We can only keep thinking and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.