The fall of Luoyang and Xiangyang and the killing of Fu Wang and Xiang Wang also marked the complete failure of Governor Yang Sichang's encirclement and suppression campaign. He heard these two pieces of news like thunder one after another after he hurried back to Huguang.
By this time, he was completely desperate.
Several months of military travel in Sichuan had already exhausted Yang Sichang, and he was seriously ill when he left Sichuan. After returning to Huguang, he took a boat along the river to Jingzhou (today's Jiangling) and lived in Shatou City on the outskirts of the country.
(today's Shashi), I originally wanted to rest for a while before planning to attack, but I immediately heard the bad news from Xiangyang.
Yang Sichang had served as Minister of the Ministry of War, and he knew very well what it meant to him to lose the vassal status. What's more, for more than a year, the superintendent had worked hard to pay his troops, and the bandits were in full swing. This in itself was enough to kill any military commander.
.He also felt sad that he could not put down the civil strife and could not repay the emperor who had given him such special favor.
So Yang Sichang wrote a letter to Song Yihe, the governor of Huguang, saying sadly and helplessly: "A strange disaster came from heaven, and it suddenly hit Xiangfan. I vomited blood and was sad, and tied myself up to die. There is no other way." Everything is hopeless, only
He died to repay the emperor's favor.
However, the disheartened Yang Sichang heard the news from Luoyang again at this time, which was another huge blow to him. On the first day of March, he died in Xingyuan, Shatou City, at the age of fifty-four.
age.
Although Yang Sichang died, the court officials who had always been prejudiced against him still clung to him. Even before the news of his death reached the capital, Zhang Jinyan, the military commander, accused him of seizing the city and losing the vassal. Chongzhen
The emperor was also very angry that Yang Sichang, whom he trusted the most, had ruined a major event. He issued an edict that "from the position of the supervisor to the subordinates, there are inappropriate dispatches and clever words and deceptions", allowing the relevant yamen to discuss the crime in accordance with the law.
At this time, the courtiers got an opportunity. A group of civil servants, headed by Li Rixuan, the Minister of Civil Affairs, Wang Daozhi, the censor of Zuodu, and other officials petitioned to remove Yang Sichang from his post as governor and hold him accountable. Among them, Yan Guan
They were the most active. But until this time, Emperor Chongzhen's trust in Yang Sichang had not completely faded. Perhaps it was also because Yang Sichang was specially appointed by him to supervise the army in Beijing, and he also had to take his own face into consideration, so he uncharacteristically did not punish Yang Sichang for the accident.
, on the contrary, he greatly protected him.
Emperor Chongzhen specially summoned officials from the Sixth Ministry, Jiuqing, Kedao and other officials into the Qianqing Palace for this matter. He said to the officials very unhappily: "Yang Sichang was specially appointed by me, and the use of troops was ineffective. I will judge it myself. What's more,
He still has talents that can be used. When you saw that I wanted to discuss the crime, you all attacked together and there was no end. If it was really out of loyalty and integrity, why didn't you bring it up before Zhang Jinyan tried to impeach him? We won't go into details this time. Everyone.
I will let you know." The courtier was embarrassed to say more.
Soon, the news of Yang Sichang's death also came. The news of his death also shocked and saddened Emperor Chongzhen. However, the courtiers refused to give up. They launched another attack on Yang Sichang, and they discussed it in detail.
A lot of articles.
Emperor Chongzhen also seemed to feel that it was unfair to still protect the dead Yang Sichang after killing so many ministers in distress. So he once again decided to let the Nine Ministers Conference convict him. The courtiers believed that Yang Sichang proposed additional dispatches.
As a result, the people of the world were destitute and ran away to steal; they were also involved in an accident and were sealed off. They concealed their crimes and tried to cover up their merits. According to the story of Qiu Luan during the Jiajing period, they should be beheaded and their bodies should be killed according to the "law of losing a city and fortress".
But at this time, Emperor Chongzhen hesitated again. After all, his feelings for Yang Sichang were different from others. The loss of the only minister he could rely on and trust brought him great sadness, which could not be erased even in his dreams.
This figure.
Just when the courtiers were clamoring to impose vicious posthumous punishment on Yang Sichang, he dreamed that Yang Sichang was kneeling in front of the court and kowtow to avenge his grievances. Yang Sichang said: "I worked hard and died. But the ministers are unfair and unfair.
I have slandered him, so I will return and appeal to the emperor." In his dream, Emperor Chongzhen also asked the courtiers some specific questions about attacking Yang Sichang, and Yang Sichang also denied them one by one.
The true meaning of this dream should be analyzed by Zhou Gong or Freud. But no matter what, this dream is also a reflection of Emperor Chongzhen's psychological emotions. And with the level of understanding at the time, it became even more determined that Emperor Chongzhen would no longer
Determination to punish Yang Sichang.
So Emperor Chongzhen narrated this dream to the ministers, with a very bleak look on his face. He also announced: "The former assistant Yang Sichang was ordered to supervise the suppression, but he did not have the responsibility of guarding the city. Moreover, he repeatedly issued strict military orders for entering the city in disguise and conducting sneak attacks at night. However, local officials
Turning a deaf ear to it. When disobeying orders caused the city to fall, and blaming all the blame on the governor and assistants, it is not a fair argument. Besides, Sichang was on the front line for two years, made great achievements many times, and died of exhaustion. His hard work is hard to lose." Zhao Xue dismissed his objections.
For his sin, he was given an altar to offer sacrifices to, and his family was buried in his hometown of Wuling.
After Emperor Chongzhen succeeded to the throne, he and Yang Sichang's monarchs and ministers knew each other from beginning to end, reaching a level of absolute and blind trust. Compared with Emperor Chongzhen's harshness and indiscriminate killing of other ministers, such a monarch and his ministers were in trouble.
It's even more rare.
It should be said that Yang Sichang's talents, especially his military talents, are outstanding. If his strategies of "reconciling foreign forces must first pacify the internal situation" and "spreading a net from ten sides" are effectively implemented, they can prevent the decline of the Ming Dynasty.
The speed. And his idea of negotiating peace with the Manchus first to buy time to restore national strength can be called far-sighted.
It is a pity that because Emperor Chongzhen wanted to reduce expenses, he first appointed Xiong Wencan, who was greedy for money and only knew how to recruit, as the first strategic commander. In addition, the second invasion of the Qing Dynasty completely destroyed Yang Sichang's prestige.
Even after Yang Sichang became the premier of the five provinces, his orders were violated by various generals of the Ming army, and they were completely unable to implement his strategy.
In addition, Yang Sichang's character was also very flawed. He was quite narrow-minded and had a strong desire for revenge. In his hands, he directly and indirectly lost outstanding military commanders such as Lu Xiangsheng, Sun Chuanting, and Zheng Chongjian, so that in the end, the Ming Dynasty
The court was unable to find a commander capable of commanding the country and encircling and suppressing the peasant army.
Therefore, Yang Sichang was an excellent military staff officer, not an excellent military commander; he was an excellent advisor, but he did not have the mind of a prime minister at all. He was a tragic figure who chose the wrong leader and took the wrong position.
And what was Wu Shigong doing in Liaodong for such a long time? He was just eating, drinking and having fun, doing nothing, because Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, had been delaying sending troops again. (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, novels are better