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Text/Editor/Dayu said Begonia
Emperor Chongzhen, the last monarch of the Ming Dynasty, had a tragic end and ending in his reign. He adhered to the sense of responsibility of the ancient emperors: "The death of the monarch will be on the day the country is broken." In the face of internal and external troubles, he failed to save the declining Ming Dynasty and the stormy Beijing. In the end, at the turning point of history, he ended his life with a tragic posture and hung himself on the coal mountain.
Although the outside world often blames the death of Emperor Chongzhen on the impact of external forces such as Wu Sangui and Li Zicheng, in fact, his end was also deeply affected by internal betrayal. What is embarrassing is that this "backstab" did not come from an ordinary traitor, but from the cabinet chief assistant whom he believed in and personally promoted to a very high position in the DPRK. This Shoufu was once a counselor that Chongzhen relied on so much, but at a critical juncture of national crisis, his betrayal was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Chongzhen's rule.
Emperor Chongzhen's career was full of dramatic turns. During his reign, he faced numerous challenges: popular unrest, foreign enemies, corruption and power struggles within the imperial court. He tried to find a solution and tried to revitalize the Ming Dynasty, but he always seemed to be unable to do so. Especially in his later years, when he needed loyalty and support the most, the courtiers he had trusted turned their backs. This internal betrayal undoubtedly exacerbated the collapse of the Ming Dynasty.
Emperor Chongzhen, as the terminator of the Ming Dynasty, has sparked extensive discussions on the Internet in recent years. Some believe that he was a monarch who tried to turn the tide, and his reign coincided with a national crisis, and his efforts seemed to be swallowed up by the adverse currents of fate in the face of complex situations. Others, on the other hand, hold the opposite view, arguing that Chongzhen was an ambitious emperor with limited talent and hesitant decision-making, and that his mediocrity led to the eventual demise of the Ming Dynasty.
Despite mixed reviews of Chongzhen, most people still believe that he was not the typical incompetent or indulgent last emperor. He still had the determination to save his country deep down, but unfortunately, his abilities and judgment were not strong enough to cope with that chaotic time.
One of Chongzhen's biggest failures in his reign was his mistakes in personnel appointments. Not only did he misjudge many loyal ministers, causing them to be wrongfully killed or ostracized, but he also wrongly trusted many traitors and incompetents. These mistakes in decision-making exacerbated the internal contradictions and external crises of the Ming Dynasty.
A major realization of Chongzhen in his later years is that it was not Li Zicheng, who led the peasant uprising, or Wu Sangui, who hesitated at the critical moment, who really pushed him to the end, but Chen Yan, the last first assistant he once trusted so much. Chen Yan was an important minister personally promoted by Chongzhen, but in the end, his actions became one of the key factors in accelerating the fall of the Ming Dynasty.
In the long history of the Ming Dynasty, many famous cabinet chiefs and assistants have emerged, and their influences and actions are different. Among them, figures like Yan Song and Wan An were notorious for their slanderous and treacherous behavior, while Zhang Juzheng and Zhang Xuan won praise from later generations for their ability to govern the country and their actions for the benefit of the people.
Compared with these famous Shoufu, Chen Yan's historical status is much bleaker. In the historical records, there are few descriptions of him, and it seems that he has not left any significant political achievements. Historians have also found it difficult to find any outstanding contributions of Chen Yan after looking through a large number of ancient books, which to some extent indicates that his influence and ability in the political arena are relatively limited.
As the first assistant to the cabinet, Chen Yan's high position is obviously disproportionate to his political achievements. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, there was no shortage of officials in the bureaucracy, but even in this context, Chen Yan's performance was mediocre. This was unusual in the political environment of the time, as even a notorious traitor like Yan Song showed a certain amount of ability and talent in his early career.
The reason why Chen Yan was able to hold such a high position may not be entirely based on his ability and political achievements, but more related to the political environment and power structure of the imperial court at that time. His ascension to the throne may have depended more on the emperor's preferences or the balance of power within the court than on his personal talents and contributions. This situation was not uncommon in the political ecology of the late Ming Dynasty, reflecting the complex and changeable power relations and political struggles within the imperial court at that time.
Historical data and scholars' research show that Emperor Chongzhen was not a passive and slacking ruler. On the contrary, he has shown a deep concern for the country's affairs and diligent efforts. Chongzhen implemented a strict economy policy in his daily life, trying to create an image of an ideal emperor. Through his actions and decisions, it can be seen that he has a strong desire to govern the dynasty well.
Effective governance depended not only on the emperor's personal efforts, but also on the assistance of virtuous ministers. One of the ideal standards for a king in ancient China was to "use virtuous people", and Emperor Chongzhen also hoped to achieve something in this regard. He then adopted a unique approach to the selection of officials: random spot checks.
Chongzhen's selection method is quite innovative, he is not satisfied with the traditional selection mechanism, but tries to find and select real talents through random spot checks. The purpose of this approach is to break down the inherent order and prejudice of officialdom, and hopefully unearth those talents who may otherwise be overlooked.
Through random spot checks, Chongzhen hopes to be able to screen out truly capable and talented officials from the vast bureaucracy. He believes that this approach can more fairly and effectively identify and select talented people, thereby providing more solid talent support for his governance.
This innovative selection method also faces certain challenges and difficulties. It requires breaking down established official Xi and power structures, which may provoke opposition from vested interests. The method of random sampling also has its limitations, and it may not be able to fully ensure the overall quality and competence of the selected person.
In the Ming Dynasty, the emperor often consulted the first ministers of the cabinet when encountering major events, and then listened to the advice of other ministers. This tradition was also continued during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen. During the turbulent period when Chen Yan served as the first assistant, the imperial court faced serious challenges.
The peasant rebel army led by Li Zicheng had grown into a major threat to the Ming Dynasty. The continuous intrusion of the Qing army in the northeastern frontier made Wu Sangui and other border generals miserable. Faced with such a situation, the imperial court often received various urgent military intelligence. As the first assistant, Chen Yan often has difficulty predicting or effectively responding to these emergencies in advance, and his talent and ability to handle affairs are gradually revealed.
The ability to make quick and accurate judgments in an emergency situation is crucial for a Shousuke, but Chen Yan has been mediocre in this regard. Some of the strategies and measures he proposed were full of loopholes, and instead of solving the problem, they led to more serious consequences. Perhaps the most serious of these missteps was the transfer of Wu Sangui.
When Chen Yan dealt with Wu Sangui's deployment, his decision-making not only lacked foresight, but also ignored the importance of border security. This mistake not only affected the stability of border defenses, but also indirectly exacerbated the instability in the country. At such a critical moment, Chen's mistake shows his obvious shortcomings in military strategy and political judgment.
In 1644, the situation in the Ming Dynasty was already precarious. Emperor Chongzhen was anxious in the face of the national crisis, but he could not find an effective solution. In this restlessness, he remembered a legend that had been passed down for a long time. Legend shows that when Chengzu Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing, he brought a mysterious box left by Liu Bowen into the palace, and bequeathed to future generations that it could only be opened when the country faced great changes, hoping that there was a good way to save the country.
With a glimmer of hope, Emperor Chongzhen ignored the courtiers' dissuasion and ordered this mysterious box to be opened. When the box was opened, he couldn't wait to check the contents, only to find that there were actually three scrolls inside.
The first scroll depicts a chaotic scene of the court: thousands of civil and military officials, holding court wat in their hands, their hair scattered, as if they were running blindly. Emperor Chongzhen was confused by the meaning of this painting, so he hurriedly unfolded the second painting scroll. This time, he was even more shocked: the Ming soldiers depicted in the painting were attacking each other, while the people were crying and fleeing.
The scenes of these two paintings made Emperor Chongzhen's heart tighten, and he nervously unfolded the third painting axis. The image of an emperor appears in the painting, poorly dressed, with one foot on the ground and the other in socks, his hair disheveled, and his body hanging in the air. The meaning of this painting is obvious, and it makes Emperor Chongzhen's heart like a knife.
Soon after, the tragic scenes depicted in these three scrolls came true, and Emperor Chongzhen finally chose to commit suicide in despair and died on the coal mountain. Although this story comes from the "Little History of the Ming Dynasty" and does not belong to the official historical record, its authenticity is open to debate, but it undoubtedly adds to the legend of the end of Chongzhen. Although "A Little History of the Ming Dynasty" belongs to the wild history, this story reflects people's imagination and association with Chongzhen's fate, and it is also a cultural memory of that turbulent era.
Chen Yan once sighed deeply in private, expressing the difficulties in communicating with Emperor Chongzhen. He confessed that every conversation with the emperor required extreme caution, and every word and sentence had to be turned in his mind countless times to ensure that he did not anger the king. Even the slightest mistake in speech could have frightened him and made him sweat like a rain.
In the feudal era, the saying "a companion is like a tiger" was widely circulated, implying the danger of having an emperor as a companion. But at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the relationship between the monarch and the minister became particularly distorted and strained. Emperor Chongzhen's words at the last moment of his life: "All the ministers are the ministers of the country", not only reflects his despair and disappointment with his ministers, but also reflects his belief that these courtiers led to the collapse of the country.
This attitude and mentality of Emperor Chongzhen profoundly revealed the chaos and disorder of government in the late Ming Dynasty. The mutual trust between the emperor and the ministers was long gone, and mutual suspicion and distrust became the norm. This deformed relationship between monarchs and ministers not only exacerbated the tension within the imperial court, but also indirectly accelerated the decline of the Ming Dynasty.
Chen Yan's experience and voice are a microcosm of the officials in the last years of the Ming Dynasty. When the emperor and the country faced a great crisis, they had to strike a difficult balance between maintaining personal security and being faithful to their duties. This complex psychological state and difficult situation not only reflect the helplessness of the individual, but also reflect the tragedy of that era. The desperation of Emperor Chongzhen and the suffering of his ministers formed part of the turbulent history of the last years of the Ming Dynasty.