At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the world was in turmoil, internal and external troubles, and there was constant party strife in the court. As an emperor, Emperor Chongzhen's situation can be described as a dilemma. Some people say that he is a faint king, and some people say that he is actually very hard-working, but in his life, Chongzhen always seems to be hovering between "wanting to do a good job" and "giving up halfway".
In the early days of Chongzhen's reign, he was determined to eradicate Wei Zhongxian, the eunuch of power. However, it was not enough to get rid of Wei Zhongxian, and the Wei family's huge assets were not nationalized. What's even more fatal is that Chongzhen did not set up a new auxiliary minister to contain the court, but made the party struggle more intense. As the historian Huang Renyu said, Chongzhen "killed the eunuch party but did not remove the root of the eunuch party".
In terms of employing people, Chongzhen is also suspicious of people, and he is not suspicious of employing people. For example, the famous general Yuan Chonghuan, Chongzhen used him several times, but he always put shackles on him. Yuan Chonghuan repeatedly stated that Beijing's defenses were empty and suggested uniting with Mongolia to defend against the Houjin, but Chongzhen ignored them. In the end, not only was the city of Beijing broken, but even Yuan Chonghuan became the object of Chongzhen's suspicion, and was finally executed by Chongzhen on trumped-up charges. As the so-called "killing will mislead the country", Chongzhen can be said to be personally interpreted.
Look at Sun Chuanting again, he once turned the tide in the Battle of Songjin, but just because of a few gossips from others, Chongzhen asked him to be imprisoned. As everyone knows, with the loss of Sun Chuanting, the Ming Dynasty lost the last glimmer of hope to compete with Li Zicheng. At that time, defecting to Li Zicheng was undoubtedly an attractive choice for ministers and generals. After all, instead of being loyal to a fickle and suspicious emperor, it is better to defect to a new master who can keep him prosperous and rich.
It is true that in the era in which Chongzhen lived, there was the Donglin Party inside, and the Houjin and the peasant army outside, which can be described as internal and external troubles, and they came from the sandwich. However, if he could let go of his suspicions and make good use of good generals, the outcome might be very different. Taking Yuan Chonghuan as an example, if Chongzhen could give him enough military power and trust, perhaps he would be able to defend the city of Beijing and win a respite for the Ming Dynasty. Even if the general trend has gone, if Chongzhen can flee south in time and cultivate in the south, he may not be able to make a comeback.
It's a pity that Chongzhen couldn't jump out of the circle of "suspicious" after all. When he finally realizes that the mountains are exhausted, it is too late. Those generals who could win battles, such as Sun Chengzong, Lu Xiangsheng, Zhao Shujiao, etc., were either killed on the battlefield or killed by Chongzhen himself. And Hong Chengchou, Zu Dashou, Wu Sangui, etc., surrendered to the Qing soldiers one after another and became sinners of the Ming Dynasty. At this point, Chongzhen has become a veritable "commander of the light pole", and he is no longer able to return to the sky.
Of course, the fall of the Ming Dynasty was not the fault of Chongzhen alone, and the end of the feudal dynasty had its own inevitability. More than 200 years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the issue of land annexation was irreconcilable, and the foundation of its rule had been shaken. Even if Chongzhen escaped from Nanjing, those deep-rooted southern landlords might not buy his account. In their view, as long as they hold the land, they have peasants and independent forces, and they do not need to rely on imperial power at all. A stormy court is just a bubble in their eyes.
In general, Chongzhen is a tragic emperor who works hard but does not know the essentials. He had the ambition to rule the country and the world, but he lacked the wisdom and courage. He wants to do a good job, but he always gives up halfway, and he wants to use people but can't do it. He was born in troubled times, although he had the heart of reform, after all, it was difficult to resist the trend of the times. As Liang Qichao commented: "Chongzhen is sincere and has the ambition to rule the world, but he can't do it." "
Chongzhen's life is not only a personal tragedy, but also the sorrow of the times. Every age needs a leader commensurate with it. However, not every ruler can become a hero who leads the times. History gave Chongzhen a difficult problem, he tried his best, but it ended in failure. This may be the epitome of the eternal proposition of "the individual and the era".
Do you think Chongzhen is a competent king? In the turbulent time of the Ming Dynasty, if you were born in that era, how would you respond? Welcome to leave your views in the comment area.