Preface
In the turbulent historical period at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the failure of Li Zicheng's return to aid heralded a more thrilling moment was coming. In this chaotic era, Liu Zongmin and Wu Sangui, two heroic generals, will stage a peak duel, the intensity of which is comparable to the beacon fire battlefield.
The decline of the Ming Dynasty was like a nightmare, and the defeat of Li Zicheng's return became a footnote to this era. In this cloudy historical picture, Liu Zongmin and Wu Sangui emerged, standing at the top of the peak, and the duel between them was like a thunderbolt intersecting, destined to make the pages of history surge with turbulent waves.
It is a contest of fate, a contest of loyalty and ambition, the curtain call of one dynasty and the rise of another. From the end of Li Zicheng's return to the peak duel between Liu Zongmin and Wu Sangui, this history contains endless passion and determination, as if it is a historical drama given by God, waiting for us to unveil its mystery.
1. After the catastrophe in Jiujiang, Li Zicheng retreated south
In the first month of 1644, Li Zicheng's Dashun army occupied Jingshi and established Dashun. However, the good times did not last long, and only two months later, Wu Sangui and Azig, the generals of the Lianming Army, led an army to the north, pursuing the remnants of the Dashun Army all the way. Li Zicheng had no choice but to abandon the capital, lead more than 100,000 troops, cross the Yangtze River eastward, and retreat to Jiujiang.
When he came to Jiujiang, Li Zicheng was anxious. He stood on the city tower, looking at the menacing pursuers in the distance, and then looked at the devastated Dashun army, and couldn't help but sigh. Two months ago, he was still arrogant, but where did he think that he would fall to this point today. At this moment, Li Zicheng knew that there was little time left for the chasing army, and he had to make a decision as soon as possible - whether to stay in Jiujiang and burn the enemy's jade;
Or retreat south again, temporarily avoiding its edge. What is even worse is that the Dashun army was also divided into two factions and argued: Liu Zongmin and other main battle factions insisted on holding Jiujiang and fighting to the end, while Li Zicheng and others advocated retreating to the south.
Perhaps it is precisely because of this complex background and pressure that Li Zicheng always hesitates for a moment when making a decision. However, when he stroked the sword at his waist and recalled the pride and ambition of the founding of the country, his heart suddenly brightened. So the question arises - what decision do you have to make with the little time left in the pursuit?
Li Zicheng took a deep breath and resolutely decided: Retreat to the south! He understood that although Jiujiang was easy to defend and difficult to attack, the Dashun army had just gone through the Northern Expedition, was exhausted, outnumbered, and could hardly hold on for a long time; retreating without fighting was the best policy to gain more time for the great cause and reorganize the army. Immediately, he decisively ordered Liu Zongmin and Li Laiheng to lead the left and right roads, and after his deputy general Feng Yingshi broke off, he led the main force of 200,000 to retreat in the direction of Jinling.
However, this seemingly safe decision has hidden dangers. Li Zicheng, who commanded Ruoding, did not expect that this retreat to the south would be the prelude to the fall of Dashun.
Second, Liu Zongmin's troops were besieged, and Li Zicheng was too late to come back to help
While marching to Fuliang, Li Zicheng suddenly received a report from Liu Zongmin -- He was besieged by Wu Sangui's army in the vicinity of Fuliang County, and he had asked reinforcements to come and relieve the siege! Li Zicheng was greatly shocked, and Liu Zongmin had divided 10,000 troops and was ambushed here! If Liu Zongmin's 10,000-strong army was annihilated, the rear would certainly be in chaos, and he and the others would also fall into an extremely dangerous situation.
On the spot, Li Zicheng immediately ordered the urgent mobilization of light cavalry, and personally led 50,000 elite troops to Fuliang to rescue day and night. He knew very well that Liu Zongmin was not only his confidant in distress, but also an indispensable and important pillar of the Dashun Army, and he must go all out to rescue him. At this moment, Li Zicheng only prayed that it was still too late - there was still time to completely annihilate Wu Sangui's army, and there was still time to rescue Liu Zongmin from danger!
However, it is impossible to overcome the accidents that have been delayed on the road. The march was extremely difficult, with light rain and muddy roads, which greatly slowed down the march of the army. What's even worse is that less than twenty miles away from Fuliang, Li Zicheng's army of 50,000 actually encountered an ambush set by Shang Kexi and Azig. The two armies were on the verge of breaking out and fell into a bitter battle, with the sounds of killing and neighing of horses one after another.
Li Zicheng took the lead and personally led the assault team to charge. He was agile and unfazed, and he took the enemy by surprise and caught the Azigh army off guard. However, the enemy was outnumbered, and gradually fell into disadvantage. After fighting until dark, Li Zicheng finally broke out of the encirclement, but the army had already suffered more than half of the casualties and was unable to fight again. At this time, the opportunity to return to Liu Zongmin's aid had been lost, and Liu Zongmin's troops could only hope to save themselves and survive the difficulties.
3. Liu Zongmin was captured and refused to surrender
In Fuliang City, Liu Zongmin led more than 10,000 remnants to defend for three days, and finally failed because he was outnumbered. Wu Sangui's morale was like a rainbow, and he soon captured Fuliang City and captured Liu Zongmin. Proud, he originally wanted to execute Liu Zongmin Ling Chi to vent his anger. And at this moment, Li Zicheng, the moment he learned the bad news that his henchman Liu Zongmin was captured, he only felt that the world was spinning and he couldn't believe it. He couldn't wait to rush to Fuliang immediately to save Liu Zongmin, or live and die with him. However, at this moment, the army was badly damaged, and he was no longer able to return to the sky.
Just before Liu Zongmin was about to be Ling Chi, Azig rushed to the scene and decided to torture him personally. During the interrogation, he gradually saw this cunning enemy general, and he couldn't help but have other ideas. If this person is recruited, it will definitely help my great cause, and if he is put back, he will only suppress my dragon vein.
As a result, Azig decided to persuade Liu Zongmin to surrender in person, hoping that he would betray Li Zicheng and return to the Qing Dynasty. The group came to the foot of the mountain, and stood under a tall cypress tree, and Azig solemnly read the letter of surrender. He first complimented Liu Zongmin's talents, and then described the benefits of surrendering. Liu Zongmin watched coldly and didn't say a word.
In the end, Azig threw out an astronomical official title and a bounty, hoping to buy it in one fell swoop. However, to the surprise of everyone present, Liu Zongmin remained silent in the face of the lengthy letter of persuasion. When Azig finally stopped, Liu Zongmin spat contemptuously, which was regarded as a response. He knew very well that he was Li Zicheng's henchman, and that surrendering would only bear the name of a traitor and make him fail; he also knew that even if he surrendered, Azig would not really let go of his confidant.
Fourth, Li Zicheng was grief-stricken and powerless
A month later, the bad news of Liu Zongmin's capture finally reached Li Zicheng's ears. When he learned that Liu Zongmin, a confidant, had suffered misfortune, he was even more in pain and grief! This buddy who had died lost his life because of this, but he could not do anything about it, he could only do it in a hurry, and he was extremely remorseful!
Seeing that the great cause he had created suddenly collapsed, he could only come to the lonely city alone, watching the sunset gradually sink in the west, and his heart was like a knife. This time, he was still powerless to return to heaven after all, and he couldn't save Liu Zongmin's life. Perhaps, this is the wheel of history playing a joke with him! Li Zicheng wept in despair and let the tears run down his cheeks. He understands that these tears have turned into Jiujiang River, and he can't wash away the helplessness and remorse in his heart.
epilogue
Liu Zongmin's death made a bleak history, and Li Zicheng's tears opened the demise of Dashun. We can't help but ask, is Li Zicheng powerless against Liu Zongmin? The answer seems to be obvious--he still has no skills to recover after all.