In the first month of the year of Jia Shen (1644), the brigade led by Li Zicheng was attacking Shanxi with all its strength, and in two months it could directly take Beijing, and the situation reached the point of extreme urgency. As the Chongzhen Emperor who ruled the Ming Dynasty for 17 years, although he did not relax for a day, under the continuous strategic mistakes, the atmosphere of the Ming Dynasty became weaker and weaker, as if it was about to die.
Chongzhen could no longer sit still, and he hurried to the chancellor Li Mingrui to discuss the solution. Li Mingrui persuaded Chongzhen to abandon Beijing and move south as soon as possible, and the emperor told him: "Ruyi and Yuanhehe, but the foreign ministers do not obey, why not?" ”。
Li Mingrui replied, "The Mandate of Heaven is slightly dense, and when the Sacred Heart is broken within, do not cause the worry of eating the umbilicus." And asked Chongzhen not to hesitate at this critical moment, to be coerced by public opinion, and finally to destroy the country and harm himself. This method was Chongzhen's only way to survive at that time, but he was worried that the minister would not agree. According to the rules, the emperor needed to obtain the support of officials of various ministries before making major decisions, and Chongzhen feared that if he proposed to abandon the capital and the ancestral tombs, he would definitely bear the infamy behind him. This matter can only be raised by various departments, pretending not to agree, if the group of ministers "tearful persuasion", this matter is the best, this is the typical "according to the routine" rule.
Chongzhen Emperor, Zhu Youjian (6 February 1611 – 25 April 1644)
So at the meeting, Chongzhen said tearfully: "The national crisis is like this, I want to personally go to the front line and fight to the death, you all don't pull me." The ministers of the ministries listened to the blood boiling and clamored to fight for Chongzhen, but no one proposed to move south.
Chongzhen had no choice but to explicitly teach Li Mingrui to draft a report and study the southward migration, forcing the ministers of various ministries. At the meeting, Chongzhen said to the courtiers: "Li Mingrui has neglected to persuade him to move south. When the monarch dies in sheji, where will he go? The Prince of Shuojiao went to Nanjing first, what did Zhu Qing think? "The implication is that I have now decided to go outside and let the prince go to Nanjing first, and the words are already very clear, but somehow, a strong Chongzhen wants both face at this time, and wants To be inside, mother-in-law, and wants to say that he will take a break."
Chen Yan, a cabinet official, explicitly opposed the "southward migration" and signaled to the Military Branch to give him a stern condemnation of Li Mingrui, threatening: "Not killing Li Mingrui is not enough to calm the people's minds." If you don't kill Li Mingrui, how can you rule the world! This indignant and harshly worded objection was very popular at the time, as if he were the greatest loyal servant of the Ming Dynasty. In fact, only the colleagues who supported the proposal are clear, and the success of the southward migration is fine, and in case of failure, those who come up with ideas and those who agree with the proposal must pay joint and several liability. Above all, what about the ties of power, interest groups, and huge family properties that have been operating hard in Beijing for decades?
Regional partisan struggles in the ming dynasty officialdom
A problem that cannot be ignored is that after Chongzhen ascended the throne, he vigorously rectified the officialdom and proposed that "civilian officials do not love money." Huke said to Han Yiliang Shangshu: "The emperor's platform is right, there are words that the courtiers do not love money, but where in this world is not a place to use money, and what official is not a person who loves money?" To enter with money (to buy officials), Anderson does not pay with money? (Corruption) and concluded: "The county order is the first to pay bribes, and the giving of things is the number one to advise and bribe." "The Tale of the Three Dynasties"
The Chongzhen Emperor increased the punishment of his subordinates, suspected many people, and handled them more harshly. During his seventeen-year reign, fifty cabinet ministers were replaced before and after, and seventeen people were replaced by Shangshu of the Punishment Department, all of which were rare moves in history. Because of this kind of specialty and rigidity, many subordinates only sought self-preservation, played official taiji with him, and the entire bureaucratic machine was close to paralysis. In this case, it is not difficult to understand why we are prevaricating on major issues.
During the duel between the two sides, Chongzhen's anxious throat smoked, and he had to say to the first assistant Chen Yanzhi: "This matter is arranged like this, you must listen to me." But the scheming Chen Yan just laughed and didn't take a stance. Qi Chongzhen stomped his feet but had no choice, this kind of "not playing cards according to the routine" made Chongzhen miss the first opportunity to move south. The two sides have been tug-of-war for a month, but they still have not been able to reach an agreement, which shows the strong opposition of interest groups.
Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 17 May 1645)
By the end of February, when Li Zicheng's army had captured Juyongguan and Changping, Beijing was in danger. At this time, Chongzhen finally resolutely rooted Li Mingrui and said: "Whether they listen or not, I have decided on this matter, and now I will move south!" Li Mingrui replied with a sad face: "It is too late, our army has been scattered along the way, and Beijing is now fully encircled." At this moment of despair, I did not expect that there was another way of life that history gave to Chongzhen. On March 17, Li Zicheng's men and horses had already reached the Fuxing Gate, and he actually wrote a letter to the Chongzhen Emperor the next day, asking for peace talks, and there was no lion to open his mouth, as long as the northwest area was given to him, the autonomous management was implemented, and the Chongzhen government allocated 1 million taels, as a condolence money, he would also fight the enemy forces everywhere on behalf of Chongzhen, including Manchuria outside Guanwai. Anyone who is not mentally retarded, with a little brain on the final judgment of the Ming Dynasty, knows that this agreement is at least not a loss. However, no one will take a stand, because for these bureaucrats, it will be a big hat for the reparations of land and the loss of power, and it will become the object of historical scorn, and knowing Chongzhen's personality, it is also possible that in the future, Chongzhen will beheaded and killed unjustly after the autumn.
Then the ministers made generous statements, filled with righteous indignation, mobilized all the majestic and magnificent words, expressed a strong position, and finally expressed their desire to coexist and die with Daming. As for Li Zicheng's final "request", it was not considered at this meeting at all. Chongzhen was in such a situation, all his thoughts were gray, and with the "support" of the ministers, he chose coal mountain to commit suicide and was martyred for the Ming Dynasty.
Chongzhen Emperor Coal Mountain suicide _ figure
A few hours later, Li Zicheng entered the Golden Ruan Palace, and the ministers of the various factions who had sworn to defend Daming to the death and fought to the end were busy the next day to find Li Zicheng and ask for political treatment.
Rather than saying that Li Zicheng forced Chongzhen to die, it is better to say that those who would only stand on the moral high ground and privately consider their own interests eventually sent Chongzhen to the short neck tree of the coal mountain, and also sent those hypocritical widows themselves to the road of death.
Text: Zhao Libo
Reference: "Myo history"