The thirteenth year of Chongzhen (1640 AD) was a desperate year for King Li Zicheng. Originally dormant in the Shangluo Mountains, Li Zicheng took advantage of the main force of the Ming army to pursue Zhang Xianzhong in Sichuan, and led more than 1,000 troops into Henan. It coincided with the severe drought in Henan, and there were victims everywhere. At this time, the magistrates did not care whether the people lived or died. So when Li Zicheng led his troops into Henan, he played the banner of breaking into the king. All of a sudden, "hungry people from near and far are hoeing, and those who respond are like flowing water, day and night, calling for millions, and its momentum is unstoppable." Overnight, Li Zicheng's army grew to tens of thousands, and at Li Yan's suggestion, Li Zicheng put forward the slogan of "Juntian is exempt from taxation", and as a result, Li Zicheng's momentum became even greater. Not only did the victims from near and far help the old and the young to go to King Chuang. A very small number of petty intellectuals who were disillusioned with the Ming Dynasty also joined Li Zicheng's peasant army. Their arrival strengthened the peasant army and represented the collapse of the Ming Dynasty's local power, and Li Zicheng and the peasant army also began an attempt to establish local power with the help of these intellectuals. It is worth mentioning that Niu Jinxing, the first civil official of the Dashun regime in the future, also came to the peasant army at this time.
Niu Jinxing, the word Juming, is a native of Baofeng County, Henan Province. His father's name is Niu Yao, and he is Ji Shan of Lu Wangfu. History records that his ancestors "had several ancestors from the years of tribute to the county doctors and royal officials". Therefore, Niu Jinxing studied the Four Books and Five Classics since he was a child, and when he was in his twenties, he was selected as a showman, and in the seventh year of the Great Tomorrow Apocalypse (1627 AD), he was promoted again. It is rumored that he is a simple person, likes to read, and is familiar with Tianguan, Fengjiao and the art of war of Sun and Wu. Niu Jinxing makes a living by setting up a museum and teaching apprentices on weekdays, and his family also has a lot of fertile land in the local area. Therefore, the living conditions of Bull Venus at this stage are very solid.
However, there are unforeseen circumstances, around the tenth year of Chongzhen (1637 AD), Niu Jinxing was falsely accused of resisting taxes and forcibly occupying 18 women because of a provocation with a relative surnamed Wang (Yiyun "a giant gentry who is angry with the same city"), and was "wronged", and was dismissed to raise his reputation and serve as an errand in the Lu family. This blow to Bull Venus is not insignificant. The confiscation of his family property, his imprisonment, and the loss of his fame made him hate not only the local officials who shielded the gentry of the same towns, but also the corrupt Ming court. So Niu Jinxing resolutely joined the peasant rebel army in the thirteenth year of Chongzhen (1640 AD) when Li Zicheng, the king of Chuang, led his troops into Henan (one said that Li Yan recommended it, but whether Li Yan was his own person has always been controversial).
After Niu Jinxing served as Li Zicheng's staff, he quickly showed his extraordinary talent. For example, he suggested that Li Zicheng "reduce the number of tortures and killings, help the hungry, and win the hearts of the people," which made a major contribution to Li Zicheng's political power building and winning the hearts and minds of the people. For example, Li Zicheng regarded Song Xiance, a military advisor who was like his right and left hand, was recommended by Niu Jinxing to King Chuang. Since then, Niu Jinxing has played a great role in formulating rules and regulations, recruiting talents, and establishing political power.
In the sixteenth year of Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty (1643 AD), when Li Zicheng was established in Xiangyang, he was appointed as the prime minister and the head of the civil officials of the Fengtian Advocate Camp regime. In the seventeenth year of Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty (1644 AD), when Li Zicheng, the king of Chuang, was proclaimed emperor in Xi'an, he changed the cabinet to the Tianyou Palace, and set up a scholar as the military and state affairs of Pingzhang, and still took Niu Jinxing as the head of the civil officials.
In the first year of Dashun Yongchang (the seventeenth year of Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, 1644 AD), when Li Zicheng led the army to cross the river to the east, Niu Jinxing also acted with the army. After the Dashun army invaded Beijing, Niu Jinxing and Liu Zongmin were responsible for selecting Ming Dynasty officials for the Dashun regime and collecting talents. It is said that during this period, Niu Jinxing used his power to accept bribes from Ming Dynasty officials. While in Beijing, Niu Jinxing was also responsible for leading hundreds of civil and military officials to persuade Li Zicheng to ascend the throne and preparing for Li Zicheng's enthronement ceremony. He was also responsible for formulating the "Yongchang Yi Note", which was engraved into one volume. "The pre-loading of the false order, the ban is lengthy. The official system, supplementary clothing, court rituals, and official exchange of etiquette are all in place. ”
When Li Zicheng went east to conquer Shanhaiguan, Niu Jinxing wrote a letter to Wu Xiang for Wu Sangui to do the recovery work, and was also ordered to lead more than 10,000 old and weak to garrison Beijing.
On April 26, the first year of Yongchang in Dashun (the first year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty, 1644 AD), Li Zicheng returned to Beijing from the defeat of Shanhaiguan, and ascended the throne in Wuyingdian in Beijing on the 29th, and sent Niu Jinxing to perform the suburban heavenly ceremony.
After the Dashun army withdrew to Xi'an, because of a series of failures, Niu Jinxing felt pessimistic about the future, and secretly prepared a back road with his son Yin Niuquan of Xiangyang Mansion. In the second year of Yongchang (the second year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty, 1645 AD), before and after Li Zicheng retreated to Fuchikou, Niu Jinxing and his son suddenly said goodbye. Then it is cleared elsewhere. His son Niu Quan served as the prefect of Huangzhou in the Qing Dynasty after he surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, and was later promoted to Huguang Grain Storage; Niu Jinxing because of his extremely high status in the Dashun regime and his reputation among the Ming Dynasty gentry, the Qing court was inconvenient to arrange his position, and he died in the Niu Yan official office and was buried in the Yang of Xiangshan after his death. It is worth mentioning that according to some historical records, Li Yan, the general of the Dashun Army, was killed by Li Zicheng because of Niu Jinxing's slander.
Song Xiance, also known as Song Kangnian, nicknamed "Song Shorty" or "Song Child", is a native of Yongcheng, Henan. It is rumored that he studied hard, was knowledgeable, familiar with the geography of mountains and rivers, customs and customs, and was especially proficient in "magic numbers", and made a living as a "warlock".
Around the thirteenth year of Chongzhen (1640 AD), Song Xiance was recommended by Niu Jinxing to join Li Zicheng's camp. It is rumored that when Song Xiance and Li Zicheng first met, they presented Li Zicheng with the proverb of "Eighteen Sons Master Artifact", using the ** of the Li family spread by the White Lotus Sect among the people, saying that Li Zicheng was on the mandate of heaven. Li Zicheng was very happy and respected him as a military advisor.
Open the city gate to meet the king, and the king will not pay for food when he comes", this nursery rhyme was also compiled by Song Xiance. This nursery rhyme has had a great impact among the people.
Song Xiance also pointed out that the Ming Dynasty was politically corrupt and pointed out that "the national fortune will end". Therefore, Li Zicheng has always trusted him very much, and often takes him with him for advice. In the first year of Dashun Yongchang (1644 AD), when Li Zicheng was the emperor of Xi'an, he was named the "founding army division" of the Song Dynasty. After that, Song Xiance followed Li Zicheng to participate in a series of major battles such as the Eastern Expedition to Beijing, the Battle of Shanhaiguan, the retreat of North China, and the Battle of Tongguan. After the fall of Xi'an, Song Xiance retreated with Li Zicheng to Huguang and Henan. In late April of the second year of Yongchang in Dashun (the second year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty, 1645 AD), the Qing army was attacked into the old camp by the Qing army at forty miles of Jiujiang, Jiangxi, and the families of the two uncles of the Dashun army Ruhou Liu Zongmin, the military advisor Song Xiance and Li Zicheng, and the families of a large number of generals were captured by the Qing army. Liu Zongmin and Li Zicheng's two uncles were killed at that time, but Song Xiance was able to save his life by using his divination deception to please the Qing court**. Tan Qian's "Song Xiance" article under "Northern Journey Record" and "Chronicles" records that after he arrived in Beijing in the tenth year of Shunzhi, he learned that "the Manchurians value their skills, subordinate to their subordinates, and go in and out of the cavalry to follow the crowd".
Gu Junen, a Gu Yan, a native of Zhongxiang, Hubei, is a student member of Ming Dynasty County. History records his many strategies, which Li Zicheng relied on.
There are historical records that as early as the seventh year of Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty (1634 AD), when Li Zicheng, Gao Yingxiang and other rebel armies were besieged in the carriage gorge, Li Zicheng used Gu Junen's strategy to bribe Chen Qiyu's people and surrender to the officers and soldiers, so that he escaped. According to my analysis, this historical material should be recorded wrongly, first of all, if Gu Junen appeared in the camp in the seventh year of Chongzhen, then it is impossible to fight again in the historical materials until the fifteenth year of Chongzhen eight years later (1642 AD), and it is not recorded in the historical books at all during the period. Because the peasant army of Chongzhen for seven years still belongs to the rogues who have been fighting in various places, most of the members are deserters and low-level people, if there are scholars who join it, it is impossible to be so obscure, and it is not preserved in the classics at all. There is also the fact that Gu Junen is from Zhongxiang, Hubei, so he should be the scholar recruited by Li Zicheng when he went south to Jingxiang after the fifteenth year of Chongzhen (1642 AD), which also echoes his frequent appearance in historical books during this time period.
In May of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty (1643 AD), after Li Zicheng slightly fixed Huguang, he discussed the strategy of advancing with Niu Jinxing, Yang Yongyu, Gu Junen, etc., and Niu Jinxing advocated taking Hebei directly and capturing Beijing. Yang Yongyu suggested going east to Nanjing, plugging the southeast half of the wall. Gu Junen thought that Niu Jinxing's strategy was too anxious, and Yang Yongyu's strategy was too slow. He advocated taking Shaanxi first, collecting trilateral troops, and then taking Shanxi and Hebei in the east. Li Zicheng was very happy to hear Gu Junen's plan, and decided to adopt his plan, and later after seizing Xi'an, he also gave Gu Junen a special female music as a reward.
After Li Zicheng became the emperor, Gu Junen was successively appointed as the official ** squire, the president of the Wenyu Academy, and the Marquis of Qi.
After that, Gu Junen also followed Li Zicheng to participate in a series of major battles such as the Eastern Expedition to Beijing, the Battle of Shanhaiguan, the retreat of North China, and the Battle of Tongguan. When Li Zicheng withdrew from Xi'an and retreated to Henan and Huguang, he had the intention of going straight to Nanjing and occupying the southeastern wealth area before the Qing army, but due to Gu Junen's efforts to dissuade him, he decided to go south to Xiangyang and Chengtian. After Li Zicheng died in Jiugong Mountain, Gu Junen was never seen in the classics again. It is said that after Li Zicheng was martyred in Tongcheng, he followed Li Guo into Pingjiang County, Hunan, and later became a monk incognito in Tulong Temple in Longmen, Pingjiang County. It is also said that Gu Junen died on the way to the retreat of the Dashun army.
Legend has it that Li Zicheng's adviser also had a Li Yan, who belonged to both civil and military figures in the Dashun military regime. He made great contributions to the establishment of power by the Dashun Army and the capture of Beijing. But because he was jealous and hated by Prime Minister Niu Jinxing, he slandered Li Zicheng, so Li Yan was killed by Li Zicheng. However, there has always been controversy about whether there is a person named Li Yan, and later after Mr. Gu Cheng, a master who studied the history of the Southern Ming Dynasty, Li Yan belonged to a fictional character.