At the time of the Ming Dynasty, although the emperor sometimes didn't care about things for several years, the country was still able to turn. However, this system is not without its problems, and there are a bunch of problems in the economy. Zhang Juzheng, although they want to change, they are just making a small fuss. In the end, the Ming Dynasty still failed to hold on and was replaced by the Qing Dynasty.
Speaking of the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, there were many famous generals who resisted the Qing Dynasty at that time, such as Li Dingguo and Zheng Chenggong. But what we're going to talk about today is a very controversial figure - Zhang Xianzhong.
Zhang Xianzhong, he was the leader of the peasant army in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, and he was born very hard, but he was very smart. He has been a catcher and a soldier. This guy has a very strong personality, and he likes to stand up for others, and sometimes he almost loses his life because of it. Fortunately, someone helped him intercede, and he was able to save his life.
At that time, there was a serious famine in Shaanxi, and many people died of starvation, and the Ming Dynasty had no money for disaster relief. The peasants began to revolt, and Li Zicheng also joined the rebel army. Zhang Xianzhong saw the situation and also pulled up a team.
Zhang Xianzhong fought with the Ming Dynasty for more than ten years, and also established a Daxi regime. Later, when the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, he fought with the Qing Dynasty again, and finally died of an arrow. Although he did not succeed in resisting the Qing Dynasty, there are some places that are really admirable.
Zhang Xianzhong's uprising was not for himself, he was more unaccustomed to those ** filthy officials, and wanted to stand up for the people. After he conquered Fengyang City, he killed the prefect, distributed grain and booty to the poor, and killed the rich. Xiangyang is an important military town, there are a lot of military salaries, after Zhang Xianzhong was defeated, he distributed 100,000 taels of silver to the victims. Looking at this style of acting, he still has the chivalrous spirit of robbing the rich and helping the poor in his bones.
In terms of leading troops and formulating policies, Zhang Xianzhong also has a set. After he captured Changsha, he exempted the peasants from taxes for three years, and he was particularly strict in governing the army. There are records that he did not kill a single person in Hengzhou. After the establishment of the Onishi regime, he also appointed important ministers such as prime ministers and Shangshu, and minted money to open the imperial examination. He also put in place some good policies, such as exempting the people of the southwest from renting for three years, and also having a "no-permit policy", that is, they cannot recruit soldiers without authorization, accept people's words, and marry local women, otherwise they will have to rectify the law. These policies can not only prevent local troops**, but also prevent those in power from bullying the people, which is quite thoughtful.
However, Zhang Xianzhong also has a controversial point, that is, he loves to kill. In the "History of the Ming Dynasty" of the Qing Dynasty, it was said that he killed people like hemp, and also set up a monument to seven killings. But you see that he governs the army and makes policies so well, and his thirst for killing doesn't match his image. Actually, historians are also skeptical about this. There was a minister in the Ming Dynasty named Yang Sichang, when he was crusading against the peasant army, he made an announcement that he would reward Zhang Xianzhong with 10,000 gold and make him a marquis. As a result, the peasant army issued a-for-tat announcement the next day, which made Yang Sichang particularly frustrated, and suspected that someone had fornicated with the peasant army. If Zhang Xianzhong was really so murderous, he would not have been able to get the support of so many people. So the thing about killing is really not accurate. However, it is an ironclad fact that he administers the army strictly and has a rational policy.
The reason why Zhang Xianzhong is called a hero is also because of his character that is not moved by fame and fortune. After the fall of the Southern Ming regime, the Qing Dynasty began to deal with the peasant army. As for Zhang Xianzhong, the Qing Dynasty was both soft and hard, sending troops to fight him and luring him down. The Qing Dynasty said, you are against the Ming Dynasty, we are not guilty of the past, if you surrender, we will definitely treat you preferentially, so that your children and grandchildren can live a good life. But Zhang Xianzhong, whether it was coercion or inducement, he was unmoved. Among the anti-Qing generals in the Ming Dynasty, there were those who surrendered, like Hong Chengchou; There are those who died in battle, like Zhang Huangyan. But if you want to say that the determination to resist the Qing Dynasty is the greatest, it has to be Zhang Xianzhong. In order to resist the Qing Dynasty wholeheartedly, he even killed his wife and concubines, and did not even let go of his young son. This is indeed cruel, but for him, resisting the Qing Dynasty is with the determination to die, and once he dies, his family can't protect him. Rather than let them fall into the hands of the enemy, it is better to break it sooner. If you look at it this way, Zhang Xianzhong is really admirable.
After Zhang Xianzhong's death, the peasant army under his command continued to resist the Qing Dynasty and fought in the southwestern provinces for 20 years. This is also influenced by Zhang Xianzhong.
When it comes to the fame and reputation of the generals of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Xianzhong may not be the biggest, nor the best, and he has a reputation for murder. But his injustice-prone personality, his strict management of the army, and his character of not being moved by fame and fortune, calling him a hero are also well-deserved.