He was the last "savior" of the Ming Dynasty, a hero who resisted gold and served the country, but was sentenced to death by Emperor Chongzhen. Why did this once famous and miraculous general finally embark on such an ill-fated path? What ups and downs did he go through in his life, and what decisive choices did he make that led to him falling into such an inextricable situation?
1. Abandon the pen and fight hard
Yuan Chonghuan is a talented and intelligent person, who has loved reading since he was a child and has a strong interest in literature and ink. At a young age, he was familiar with military books, which laid the foundation for his future military career. and Chang, he was a high school jinshi, all the way up, his official fortune was prosperous, and he was entrusted with the post of Shaowuzhi County, Fujian. Who expected that after the Jin invasion, the battle of Liaodong suffered a major defeat, and the Ming family was shocked.
Yuan Chonghuan witnessed the current national disaster, although he was in a peaceful place, he had no heart for leisure. He knew very well that if this protracted war disaster was not extinguished as soon as possible, it would inevitably affect the Central Plains and endanger the community. So, this hot-blooded man made a major decision: to abandon his pen and join the army, turn the tide, and serve the country.
In the court, Yuan Chonghuan put down his arrogance: "Give me soldiers, horses, grain and grass, and I can guard the Shanhaiguan alone!" As soon as these words came out, it was like a sharp sword poking straight at the government and the opposition, making everyone look sideways. At that time, the Ming family was worried that no one would go on the expedition, and when he heard this bold statement, Zhu Youxiao was overjoyed, and immediately appointed Yuan Chonghuan as the head of the military department, and soon he was promoted to the post of chief inspector of Shandong and the superintendent of the Shanhaiguan army. The imperial court allocated a large amount of money for military expenditure to expand the armament.
Yuan Chonghuan was ordered to be in danger and did not care about himself. He understood that the current situation was difficult, and the eunuchs of the past would be comparable. In order to enrich his military knowledge, he specially visited Xiong Tingbi, the battle-hardened envoy of Liaodong, and humbly sought advice on the way of military service. The two talked about soldiers and thieves, from military books to actual combat strategies. Xiong Tingbi saw that this recruit was brutal and intelligent, and he couldn't help but be impressed and respected.
After visiting Xiong Tingbi, Yuan Chonghuan immediately implemented the strategy of "defending the main and then fighting" to retreat from the enemy, and personally led his troops to Shanhaiguan to defend it. It was in this area of defense that he started his glorious career in the anti-gold army.
Second, the power is empty, and there are internal and external troubles
With his outstanding military talent and the proud record of Jin after consecutive defeats, Yuan Chonghuan quickly rose to prominence and gained prestige. Both the government and the opposition have high hopes and trust in this upstart general. However, the blessings of power often come with the shadow of jealousy. Just when Yuan Chonghuan was exalting his prestige on the frontier, there was an undercurrent surging in the DPRK and China, and dangers were everywhere.
The first is the suspicion and slander of the eunuchs. Wei Zhongxian saw that Yuan Chonghuan was becoming more and more favored and his prestige was increasing, so he cherished a sense of kinship. He wrote to impeach Yuan Chonghuan for dereliction of duty and failure to save Jinzhou, with the intention of ruining his reputation. Zhu Youxiao was convinced of the eunuch's slander, but he only slightly promoted Yuan Chonghuan's first-order title, and the rest did not have any heavy rewards.
In the face of such debasement, Yuan Chonghuan was greatly upset and immediately resigned and returned to his hometown. Unexpectedly, Zhu Youxiao died and Emperor Chongzhen succeeded him. At the beginning, Emperor Chongzhen was a pro-virtuous and distant servant, and wanted to support Yuan Chonghuan to reappoint. But he didn't want the eunuchs and henchmen to not give up, and continued to make waves in the court, and after that, the Jin Jurchens were even more vicious, deliberately separating the government and the opposition.
After the new emperor Taiji of the Later Jin Dynasty ascended the throne, he secretly sent envoys to the Ming Dynasty to spread rumors and slander Yuan Chonghuan for "Yang Fengming Room, Yin Attached to My Liao". These nonsense were actually echoed by some villains, and they went around in the government and the opposition. What's more, he directly slandered Yuan Chonghuan as "rat ruling the dragon plate", intending to seize the Ming Dynasty.
In the face of such many obstacles, coupled with continuous internal and external troubles, Emperor Chongzhen began to shake his trust in Yuan Chonghuan. He had to give repeated orders to prevent Xiaoxiao. And Yuan Chonghuan is in the army, and he only knows how to fight a strong enemy, but he doesn't know the right and wrong of the DPRK and the conspiracy of the party.
3. Heroes suffered disasters and conspiracy framed
Yuan Chonghuan has repeatedly made military exploits and shocked strong enemies, and should have been highly respected by the government and the opposition, and was rewarded by Changrong. Unexpectedly, the good times would not last long, and the spring of power would flow, and he would fall into the abyss of suspicion, slander and conspiracy.
It all started with his outspokenness. Yuan Chonghuan saw that corruption was rising in the court and the law was not in order, so he directly asked for it, hoping that the emperor would cheer up and reform the malpractice. It's a pity that this sincere exhortation is tantamount to poking a hornet's nest. The government and the opposition all scolded Yuan Chonghuan for being rude and unconcealed, and some even slandered him for "direct advice is a coy attitude".
The whole court, from eunuchs to magnates, all eyed Yuan Chonghuan. After that, the discord between the Jin Jurchens made it even worse. Huang Taiji secretly sent his cronies to the government and the opposition, fabricated rumors, and framed Yuan Chonghuan for "Yang Fengming Room, Yin Attached to My Liao". These nonsense were forced by some traitors in the DPRK and China, and finally made Emperor Chongzhen suspicious of Yuan Chonghuan.
At that time, the government and the opposition were full of intrigues and tricks. The struggle between the party and the other is intensifying, and the stench is stinking. Even some small people took the opportunity to fish in troubled waters and fish in muddy waters. They mixed in one after another, fabricated rumors, tried to slander the imperial court, and slandered Yuan Chonghuan.
The most hateful thing is that Yuan Chonghuan, who was in the army, was completely ignorant of the dark side of the power struggle between the DPRK and China, and became a victim of the conspiracy. At one time, he also received a military intelligence document from a different surname Wang, asking him to cheat his death and escape, which was inexplicable. In the face of such a treacherous and changeable situation, the hero seems to have nothing to do.
Fourth, it is incumbent on duty to defend the homeland and country
However, despite the many obstructions and slanders from the DPRK and China, Yuan Chonghuan was still unswerving and defended his family and country without hesitation. In his eyes, defending the people of China and defending against foreign invasions is the first priority, and everything else is a floating cloud.
Just when the power struggle between the party and the different parties reached a fever pitch, the Houjin army pressed forward step by step, advancing straight to the hinterland of the Central Plains. At the critical juncture, Yuan Chonghuan was not afraid of danger and went to the front line to turn the tide. He led tens of thousands of warriors to fight with the Houjin army in the Ningyuan area, and the sound shook the army array.
In that fight again and again, Yuan Chonghuan regarded death as home, and repeatedly made miracles. He personally charged into battle, won every battle, and won several fortresses. Later, he outwitted Ning Yuan and frustrated Houjin's sharpness.
After this battle, the Houjin army was in chaos and retreated. It can be said to be the most famous anti-gold feat at that time. Yuan Chonghuan's brave spirit and extraordinary military exploits all made the government and the opposition awe-inspired. Even Wei Zhongxian, who threatened to get rid of the Yuan family, had to make a commendation.
Since then, Yuan Chonghuan has moved forward bravely and turned the tide. He stepped forward, regarded death as home, and went to the battlefield many times. Whether it is holding the pass or going out to raid, there are heroic and outstanding records. Especially when he was ordered to quell the peasant rebel army, he was even more unexpected, taking advantage of the night raid and capturing the leader of the rebel army, which led to a great chaos in the entire peasant army, and finally quickly quelled the turmoil.
In the face of the danger of his family and country, Yuan Chonghuan never flinched, and he was not confused by the rights and wrongs and slander of the government and the opposition. He just wants to be brave and brave with all his salary, protect the country and the people, and fight to the death with a strong enemy. He is really a heroic figure of national righteousness.
Fifth, in prison, the hero is gloomy
Although Yuan Chonghuan has repeatedly performed miraculous feats and can be described as a heroic soldier who resisted gold and defended the country, the clouds of power struggle and slander still shrouded him after all. With the capriciousness of the situation, the former majestic general was imprisoned, ill-fated, and finally suffered a suffocating end.
At the time when Yuan Chonghuan had made outstanding achievements, the power struggle between the DPRK and China had reached a white-hot level. The eunuchs, henchmen and dignitaries fought each other, and the struggle became more and more acute. Under their sowing discord, Emperor Chongzhen had to give repeated orders to be vigilant against Yuan Chonghuan's movements.
Seeing that the center of power is gradually moving away from him, Yuan Chonghuan also knows that it will be difficult to survive in the future. In order to save his life, he had to write a letter and ask to be transferred from the army. It's just that I didn't expect that this unwillful move fell into the trap of the eunuchs' henchmen. They took the opportunity to slander Emperor Chongzhen and framed Yuan Chonghuan for a conspiracy and intended to rebel.
In this way, this former anti-gold hero was treated as a prisoner and imprisoned. The eunuchs, who had once seen him as a threat, were arrogant and punched and kicked him. The sound of insults and whipping was endless, which made this battle-hardened warrior feel ashamed.
In prison, Yuan Chonghuan had to endure both physical and mental torture. When the imperial court issued a document asking him to commit suicide, he was still determined and refused to obey his orders. In the end, this national hero could only be punished by capital punishment and his body was in a different place. In this way, a generation of heroes was so unrewarded for their ambitions, and finally fell into prison, which makes people sigh.
Although Yuan Chonghuan is already dead, his heroic feat of resisting gold and his noble spirit of serving the country and protecting the people will eventually be immortal. As the last "savior" of the Ming Dynasty, his life has experienced countless ups and downs, but he finally became a victim of being spurned by the government and the opposition, which is really regrettable.