He is Li Zicheng, formerly known as Hongji, small character Huang Lai'er, also known as Zao'er, the leader of the peasant uprising in the late Ming Dynasty
When Li Zicheng is mentioned, perhaps many people will feel sorry for him. It took him more than a decade to go from a commoner to the leader of a peasant rebel army that overthrew the Daming dynasty, but after just over a year, he was discredited.
What is less known is that after Li Zicheng's death, his descendants chose to join the Ming Dynasty against the Qing Dynasty. In the end, his nephew Li Laiheng set himself on fire when his family surrounded by Qing troops, and ended badly.
1. The years of suffering
In 1606, Li Zicheng was born into a poor family. When he was young, both of his parents died, he was forced to become a monk, and he herded sheep for the landowner.
As an adult, Li Zicheng got an iron rice bowl with his own efforts and became a small jailer. But these good and stable days did not last long.
In Li Zicheng's era, the Daming Dynasty was troubled internally and externally. Outside, strong enemies attacked, cities were raided, and the economy collapsed inside, disasters continued for years, and corrupt officials were rampant. The Chongzhen Emperor was forced by the financial pressure of the imperial court to cut expenses and lay off a large number of employees at the post station, and Li Zicheng lost his job. Disappointment with the long-accumulated disappointment of the Ming regime finally broke out, and Li Zicheng, who was full of heroism at heart, embarked on the road of uprising.
2. Conquer the four sides
Li Zicheng initially defected to several rebel forces, but the leaders of those forces were successively surrendered by the Ming army. In desperation, he could only defect to his uncle Gao Yingxiang, where Li Zicheng became famous in a battle.
During a battle, Cao Wenzhao, a bandit general sent by the Ming Dynasty, defeated Gao Yingxiang's rebel army and surrounded the rebel army. At this critical moment, the resourceful Li Zicheng was in danger and thought of a strategy to break through. He first bribed several Ming officials, and then pretended to surrender, and those bribed Ming officials took advantage of their short manpower and decided to send Li Zicheng and others home. Li Zicheng killed the pacifier halfway along the way, and then made a comeback. In 1635, Li Zicheng immediately formulated the correct strategy, and the rebel army quickly captured Fengyang.
Later, the rebels suffered setbacks, and after a phased victory, there were divisions within the rebels over how to distribute the spoils. Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng parted ways because of the competition for the spoils, which also greatly reduced the combat effectiveness of the rebel army. After a wave of unrest, another wave of uneven, Gao Yingxiang's rebel army encountered a fierce enemy Sun Chuanting, Sun Chuanting was a fierce general, and soon Gao Yingxiang's army was defeated and killed.
Li Zicheng immediately inherited the title of "King of Chuang" and wanted to continue his uncle's unfinished business. However, the situation on the battlefield was still not optimistic, Zhang Xianzhong surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, and Li Zicheng was defeated by Sun Chuanting.
After the defeat, Li Zicheng fled in embarrassment. At his most embarrassing time, there were only 17 people left around him. Li Zicheng was not discouraged by this, but recuperated, secretly plotted, and prepared a plan to make a comeback. The god of fate finally favored this young man from a poor background, and as the war between the Ming and Qing forces in Liaodong became urgent, many Ming troops were sent to the Liaodong battlefield, and Li Zicheng took the opportunity to develop the army. During this period, Li Zicheng took in many hungry people, and the number of Li Jiajun grew to tens of thousands.
3. Establish Dashun
Immediately afterwards, Li Zicheng's troops were in full swing and attacked the city. In 1643, he personally defeated Sun Chuanting's troops and took revenge. Soon Sun Chuanting's troops were defeated and killed, and the Daming dynasty was no longer able to return to heaven.
In January 1644, Li Zicheng became emperor and the state name was "Dashun". The Dashun army was in full swing and reached Beijing three months later. Hearing this news, Emperor Chongzhen felt that his great qi was exhausted, dragged his tired body up the coal mountain, and hanged himself. The Daming Dynasty, which was once a vast territory, collapsed, and a new social order was urgently needed.
At this time, the peasant army finally achieved its goal of overthrowing the Ming dynasty, but the situation soon changed. At this moment, Dolgon, who was far away outside the customs, was paying attention to the situation in Beijing at this time, and was preparing to take the opportunity to enter the Central Plains.
Due to strategic mistakes and lack of political means, the rebel army was defeated by the Qing army in the Battle of Shanhaiguan and had to withdraw from Beijing. In the process, many Ming officials who had previously surrendered to Dashun surrendered to the Qing Dynasty or to the Southern Ming, and Li Zicheng fell into the point of betrayal and departure. Compared with the well-trained Qing army, the rebels had no advantage and were defeated in the engagement, and had to travel to many places.
For Li Zicheng, a powerful figure in his heart, only death can truly defeat him. In Tongcheng, Hubei, Li Zicheng was killed by local forces, ending a legendary life.
4. The Lee family
As early as when Li Zicheng rebelled, Li Zicheng's nephew Li Guo followed his uncle to the south and the northern war. Li Zicheng also attached great importance to the cultivation of Li Guo, and turned him into a heroic and good general through the grinding of the battlefield. At Tongguan, Li Guo defeated Sun Chuanting, a famous general. When Li Zicheng's army was defeated, he led 30,000 men to charge and successfully blocked the Qing army's southward march.
As the saying goes, "the enemy of an enemy is a friend", after Li Zicheng's death, the Li family and the remnants vowed to be at odds with the Qing court, and their political views coincided with those of the Ming dynasty, and the two forces decided to put aside their prejudices and conspire against the Qing cause.
In 1645, Li Guo defeated the Qing army at Jingzhou Xincheng. In 1946, he recaptured Fang County and Wudang Mountain. In 1648, he regained many counties of the Two Lakes. Li Guo's achievements in battle were recognized by the Southern Ming court and he was made the Duke of Xingguo. But God was jealous of talent, and in 1650, Li Guo died of illness due to disobedience and was buried in an unfinished business.
After Li Guo's death, his righteous son Li Laiheng inherited his legacy. However, at this time, the Southern Ming was politically corrupt and factional struggles were serious. Li Laiheng had to lead his troops to Maolu Mountain, where he relied on the geographical environment of high mountains and dense forests to establish a base. The environment in Maolu Mountain was harsh and sparsely populated, and Li Laiheng's troops lived in extremely difficult conditions, but their belief in resisting the Qing army never wavered.
However, the general trend of the world must be united for a long time, and the pace of the Qing Dynasty's domination of the world has become unstoppable, and the resistance forces in various parts of the south have gradually collapsed. In 1662, the Yongli Emperor was killed, and Li Laiheng did not notice the change in the situation, and still rebelled against the Qing Dynasty under the banner of the Ming Dynasty.
During this period, the Qing army sent people to recruit An more than once, but Li Laiheng vowed not to share the sky with the Qing dynasty. In 1664, after repeated attempts to surrender, the Qing army finally made up its mind and sent a large army to encircle Li Laiheng and his tribe. Although Li Laiheng led his troops to kill the enemy heroically, he still could not withstand the fierce offensive of the Qing army. The cottage will be broken, and when the rebels leave, the cornered Li Laiheng set himself on fire and ended dismally.
Although the Li Zicheng family's struggle failed, from today's point of view, they can be regarded as good men who have firm faith and struggled hard. Their stories will forever be engraved in the long scrolls of history for the world to comment.