In June of the fourteenth year of Chongzhen (1641), the Ming general Zuo Liangyu captured Zhang Xianzhong's wife and concubine, and together with Zhang Xianzhong's confidants Xu Yixian and Pan Duao, was escorted to Xiangyang Prison. Wang Cheng, the prefect of Xiangyang, was very happy when he saw Zhang Xianzhong's wife and concubine escorted by him, and he felt that the world was almost at peace, so not only did he not strengthen his precautions because of the arrival of Zhang Xianzhong's wife and concubine, but he was even more neglectful of Xiangyang's defenses.
Zhang Xianzhong
A few months later, Zhang Xianzhong fled with Luo Rucai to Yunyang, where Yuan Jixian, the governor of Yunyang, concentrated his forces to block the peasant army, and finally won a victory, forcing Zhang Xianzhong and other peasant armies to defeat Yicheng. On the way to escape with Zhang Xianzhong's army, he reconnoitred and learned that Xiangyang City was weakly guarded, so he prepared to send troops to attack Xiangyang City. Zhang Xianzhong sent twelve cavalry disguised as servants to intercept and kill the Ming army's messengers halfway. In the middle of the fifth night of the first half of February, the peasant army disguised itself as a Ming army messenger and came to Xiangyang City to knock on the door. The officials of the Ming Army hastily read the edict issued by the peasant army and let it enter the city.
As a result, as soon as this peasant army entered the city, it wielded a sword and killed the gatekeepers, and at the same time, hundreds of peasant troops who had infiltrated the city in advance also caused trouble, and for a time there was chaos at the gate of Xiangyang City. In addition, there were also some young Confucians in Xiangyang City who were thrown into prison for being slandered, and they also responded with it. These Confucians had rich but miserly families, and Xiangyang County Ling coveted the wealth of their families, so he sent people to falsify evidence, slander them for not abiding by the law, and put them in prison. As a result, these Confucians were very indignant in their hearts, so they surrendered to the peasant army and searched and donated all the confidential materials in the official office. At that time, the peasant army in the city set fire to the city, the fire was full of light, and a large group of peasant troops behind them rushed to arrive, and for a time there was chaos in the city, and the city gates were opened everywhere.
Xiangyang City
On the morning of the sixth day of the first month, the peasant army had all broken into the city. Inspector Wang Cheng once broke through and fled, and the general Li Tianjuecheng stationed in Xiangyang prostrated himself to the north when the city was broken, and at the same time committed suicide after putting the official seal on the court. The peasant army burned the Xiang king's mansion in the city and captured zhu Yiming, the king of Xiang, who was a cousin of the same generation as the Wanli Emperor and the uncle of the current emperor and the Chongzhen Emperor. Zhang Xianzhongduan sat on the hall and asked king Xiang to kneel under the hall. He said to King Xiang, "I want Yang Sichang's head, but Yang Sichang is far away in Sichuan, and now he has to borrow your head from King Xiang." Because Xiangyang belonged to Yang Sichang's defense zone, and in the Ming Dynasty, the "fallen king" was to be killed, and as long as Zhang Xianzhong killed the king of Xiang, Yang Sichang would die.
A sentence frightened the King of Xiang into sitting paralyzed on the ground, and then the King of Xiang was killed and his body was burned. Zhu Changcheng, the king of Fuqing, who had better luck, took advantage of the chaos to escape, and then sent someone to quietly come to collect the bones of King Xiang, only a few inches of skull were picked up. The peasant army also killed Zhu Changfa, the king of Guiyang, plundered the palace women, and stole 250,000 silver to relieve the starving people. Xiangyang City was the military palace of Yang Sichang's encirclement and suppression of the peasant army, so the military equipment in the city was piled up, and as a result, the city was plundered by the peasant army after the city was destroyed, which was all of Yang Sichang's belongings.
Yang Sichang
In fact, the loss of Xiangyang City is not only the duty of the guards of Xiangyang City, just imagine, Zhang Xianzhong's wife, daughter and confidant are all imprisoned in Xiangyang's prison, how can Zhang Xianzhong forget? Inspector Wang Cheng, who had coveted pleasure and neglected defense, and Zhang Kejian opened the city gate in the middle of the night to let the peasant army enter the city, all of which made unforgivable mistakes. Of course, Yang Sichang, as a "superintendent and assistant minister", should have the most important leadership responsibilities, and as a major member of the military and government of the commanding side, he should always pay attention to and guard against the defense of Xiangyang City, the base camp, and if he could do it, he would not cause such a big mistake. After the city of Xiangyang was destroyed and king Xiang was killed, Yang Sichang also died in fear.