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The life of Emperor Chongzhen is a tragic story, in the final moments of the Ming Dynasty, the predicament he faced and the choices he made were full of tragedy and helplessness.
In these 24 hours, he saw that his country was about to collapse, and made a series of incomprehensible actions, such as killing his own daughter with his own hands. His despair and helplessness jumped on the page, and people couldn't help but sigh.
What kind of emperor was Emperor Chongzhen? During his reign, he faced great pressure from internal and external troubles, and although he was diligent in government and loved the people, he could not escape the fate of the king of the country in the end.
In the last moments of the empire, were all the decisions he made really helpless?
Or could he have made a different choice?
Let's walk into history together and explore the mental journey of this tragic emperor at the last moment of his life.
On March 28, 1644, when he learned that Li Zicheng's army was about to invade the city of Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen completely collapsed.
Over the years, he tried his best to save the Ming Dynasty, but in the end he saw it fall apart in his own hands.
In desperation, he even said to the ministers: "Why don't we collectively commit suicide and die for the country!" However, none of the ministers responded, only a few people secretly wiped tears in the corner.
On this rainy day, Chongzhen's mood fell to the bottom.
He couldn't help but feel sad as he watched Li Zicheng's army calmly dispatch troops outside the city, preparing to launch a general attack. When he learned that the soldiers of the three battalions defending the city had fled, he once again felt a deep sense of powerlessness and despair.
The country was in danger, but the soldiers were greedy for life and afraid of death, and abandoned the emperor.
At this moment, Chongzhen's three sons came to him.
Looking at the princes in gorgeous costumes, Chongzhen scolded angrily: "When is it, you are still dressed so brightly, hurry up and change it for me!"
He personally helped his sons change into cloth clothes, and told them to escape from the palace with the eunuchs, and to live humbly and politely and strongly in the future.
When he saw his sons leave, Chongzhen shed tears of sadness, wondering if they would be able to see each other in the future.
Next, Chongzhen made an incredible decision - to kill his own daughter.
He came to Princess Changping's bedroom, holding a sword, but he couldn't do it. Looking at his daughter's frightened eyes, Chongzhen was almost heartbroken, but in the end, he still waved his sword ruthlessly.
Blood splattered, and Princess Changping fainted to the ground, her left arm dripping with blood.
Chongzhen came to the bedroom of his youngest daughter, Princess Zhaoren, again, and this time, he ended his daughter's life without hesitation.
"Why should I be born in the emperor's family, and even my own flesh and blood have to be swords!" Cries of pain echoed through the palace.
At that moment, Chongzhen felt deep remorse and helplessness.
Why didn't he want his daughters to live in peace and joy?
But in that turbulent era, as a royal lady, if she fell into the hands of the enemy, I am afraid that she would suffer even greater humiliation.
After solving the whereabouts of the harem concubines and children, Chongzhen called his confidant Wang Chengen to his side. The two sat down and drank freely, talking about state affairs, and were full of emotion.
The splendid rivers and mountains are about to fall into the hands of others, and people can't help but sigh. While the wine was hot, the two began to discuss a plan to escape.
Although the city gate has been guarded by enemy troops layer by layer, if you can find a way to break through, there may be a glimmer of life. After escaping, Chongzhen planned to go south to Nanjing and regain his position as emperor.
After all, it was the birthplace of the Ming Dynasty and the last hope.
In fact, at the beginning of the crisis, some ministers had already proposed to move south, and even the queen had knocked on the side and advised Chongzhen to evacuate as soon as possible.
But Chongzhen always adheres to the belief that "the king dies and the society is dead" and refuses to give up lightly.
The situation forced me to change my mind, but it was too late.
In the middle of the night, Chongzhen changed into the clothes of a eunuch and went to the city gate accompanied by Wang Chengen, preparing to go out of the city.
However, what he never expected was that the guards refused to open the door for various reasons, and some soldiers even made insulting remarks and asked them to wait until dawn.
It turned out that Zhu Chunchen, the general of Chengguo, who defended the city, didn't know where to go, so he went to a banquet and enjoyed himself at this juncture! The country is in danger, but he still has leisure to drink and feast, which is really outrageous.
Seeing that there was no hope of escaping, Chongzhen had no choice but to return to the Forbidden City and change back into the emperor's dragon robe.
Before dawn, he came to Jingshan and prepared to die. There, he saw the devastated imperial city, remembered the deeds of his ancestors, and couldn't help but burst into tears.
"Why is it that I have no virtue so far, I have failed my ancestors and ancestors, and I am ashamed of the people in the world!"
At this moment, Wang Chengen rushed over and advised Chongzhen to think twice.
"Your Majesty, the matter has come to this, why make any more senseless sacrifices? Why don't we take advantage of the chaos to go out of the city, gather soldiers and horses from all over the country, make a comeback, and revitalize the Ming Dynasty! "
Chongzhen smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Cheng'en, you and I both know that the general trend has gone, and it will be difficult to return to the sky." During my reign, although I tried my best, I was unable to return to heaven after all, and I could not escape the responsibility of fleeing the country. Instead of stealing a life, it is better to be an emperor-like ending, and it can be regarded as worthy of the ancestors and ancestors. "
Seeing that persuasion was hopeless, Wang Chengen stopped saying more, and silently accompanied Chongzhen. In this way, at the last moment, the two monarchs and ministers sang to the moon and drank drunk.
It wasn't until dawn that Chongzhen made up his mind to hang himself on an old tree. Wang Chengen was grief-stricken when he saw this, and immediately martyred the country, using his life to interpret the eternal loyalty of "courtiers to serve the country to death".
In this way, Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, ended his bumpy life in despair and helplessness.
Although he was not a perfect monarch, he was still diligent in his administration and loved the people and devoted himself to his efforts in the difficult times of declining national fortunes and internal and external troubles.
In that stormy era, he was destined to be a tragic emperor. However, his various actions before his death made future generations puzzled.
Especially the decision to kill the two princesses with his own hands made him bear the infamy of "the king of killing children".
Emperor Chongzhen's act of killing his daughter with his own hands caused huge controversy at the time and in later generations.
Some people think that this is a father's helpless move in a desperate situation, in order to save his daughter from the tragic sacrifice of the enemy; Some people also accused Chongzhen of being cruel and unkind, and he actually poisoned his own flesh and blood.
However, no matter what the outside world judges, this scene has become the last footnote to Chongzhen's tragic life, which is unforgettable and embarrassing.
In fact, in the history of the rise and fall of the Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen was by no means useless. Although he is often criticized by later generations for being indecisive and improperly employing people, he also has a diligent and loving side and caring for the world.
At the beginning of his accession to the throne, Chongzhen made great efforts to govern the country, expelled traitors, rectified the rule of officials, and once had a trend of reform and innovation. He personally deployed military drills and soldiers, although he was unable to return to heaven in the end, but this diligence and responsibility was real.
Chongzhen's tragedy is, to some extent, the tragedy of the times. During the seventeen years of his reign, the Ming Dynasty's accumulated crises broke out in full swing.
Officialdom is corrupt, armaments are in ruins, the people are struggling to make a living, and in addition to the rampant bandits and foreign enemies eyeing each other, no matter who is in power, I am afraid that it will be difficult to turn the tide.
As the king of the fallen country, Chongzhen is hard to blame; But it would be unfair to put all the blame on him alone.
Chongzhen's life is destined to be a tragedy. Since he was a child, he struggled to survive in the palace struggle, and when he finally held power, he faced the crisis of declining national fortunes and precariousness.
The seventeen years of his reign were the last remnants of the Ming Dynasty and the collapse of Chongzhen's personal spiritual world.
In that era when wolves were surrounded and the court was turbulent, Chongzhen was destined to become a victim of history, and his tragic fate was already doomed.
So, how should we evaluate the character of Emperor Chongzhen? Is he a mediocre king, or a loyal and benevolent emperor of compassion? I'm afraid it's hard to have a simple answer to this.
In the context of that turbulent era, Chongzhen's life was full of helplessness and contradictions.
He had the ambition of reform and strength, but he was powerless in the face of layers of resistance; He scrupulously abides by righteousness and sacrifices his life, but some extreme measures are difficult for people to agree with; As a father, he personally stopped the life of his flesh and blood in a desperate situation, and this kind of tangled and complicated mental process is difficult to judge with simple right and wrong.
Perhaps, we should not use today's eyes to criticize an emperor in troubled times.
From Chongzhen's thoughts and deeds at the last moment, we see more of the helplessness of an era and the sadness of a system. In that era of absolute monarchy, it was often difficult for the fate of the individual to escape from the shackles of the current situation.
Chongzhen may not be perfect, but he struggled as best he could in the nest and broken eggs, and the wind and rain, this kind of tragic temperament is still worthy of admiration by future generations.
In that turbulent era, no one could be left alone, and the emperor, like the people, was a leaf of duckweed in the torrent of the times. Maybe he could have made a different choice, but the outcome may be difficult to change.
As Chongzhen himself said: "I am also fate, and Daming is also fate." In the long course of history, everyone has their own destiny. Sadness or joy, after all, is just a drop in the ocean, and the past will eventually pass away with the wind.
Chongzhen had the ambition of reform and strength, but he was powerless in the face of layers of resistance; He scrupulously abides by righteousness and sacrifices his life, but some extreme measures are difficult for people to agree with; As a father, he personally stopped the life of his flesh and blood in a desperate situation.
This kind of tangled and complicated mental journey is difficult to judge with simple right and wrong.
Perhaps, we should not use today's eyes to criticize an emperor in troubled times.
The tragedy of Chongzhen is, to a certain extent, the tragedy of the times and the inevitable result of the decline of the entire feudal system. In that era of absolute monarchy, it was often difficult for the fate of the individual to escape from the shackles of the current situation.
Although Chongzhen is not perfect, he struggled as much as he could in the nest and broken eggs, wind and rain, and this tragic temperament is still worthy of admiration by future generations.