In spring and February in northern Shanxi, there is a feeling of loneliness. Heavy snow is pressing down layer after layer, and the air is full of depression.
Since the fall of Pingyang in Shanxi, Hejin, Jishan, and Yinghe also fell, and other prefectures and counties often watched the wind and sent money to surrender.
In early February, Liu Zongmin crossed the Yellow River, defeated Fenzhou, inspected Hequ and Jingle, attacked Taiyuan, captured Jin King Zhu Qiugui, and governor Cai Maode was killed.
Li Zicheng made a grand display and carried the sedan chair on eighty-one days. He chose an auspicious time - it was already the right time, and he drove from the southern suburbs into the city without missing a beat, and moved into the Prince of Jin's Mansion.
Before that, Liu Zongmin led five hundred cavalry to raid the homes of the King of Jin and other wealthy gentry, and obtained a large amount of money to reward the three armies.
"Something bad is going to happen -"
Just as hundreds of civil and military officials gathered together to share the joy of victory, suddenly, General Guo Yi Wu Ruyi burst into the palace:
"Your Majesty, this is an urgent document submitted by Zehou from Chang'an."
Li Zicheng frowned.
"Presumptuous-" Niu Jinxing saw it and said angrily: "Why did you come in so suddenly without being called?"
"ah?"
Wu Ruyi was stunned, and seeing that Li Zicheng looked bad, he hurriedly apologized.
"Forget it!" Li Zicheng sighed: "Send it over."
There are no rules at all, I am the emperor.
Soon, the documents were spread out by Li Zicheng.
I saw three things he reported:
Lao Huihui died of illness.
Zhang Xianzhong entered Shu.
Xiangyang was besieged.
Immediately, the letter was passed on.
"Your Majesty, Beijing is in sight, so what does a little Xiangyang mean?"
Song Xiance said hurriedly: "The most important thing now is to capture Beijing and replace Ming Dynasty with Shun. In this way, with just one edict, the world will naturally be peaceful."
Li Yan, Niu Jinxing, etc. all agree.
With the enthusiasm to conquer the world, Li Zicheng couldn't wait to say:
"Then leave him alone. Let's set out immediately to capture Beijing."
At this time, his eyes were full of eagerness.
Everyone is also eager to live in Beijing.
Immediately, the invading army was like a broken bamboo.
On February 16, the troops arrived at Ningwuguan.
On the first day of March, Ningwu Commander-in-Chief Zhou Yuji fought to the death, and the city was fortified. More than 70,000 people were killed and injured by the invading army, and the city was massacred with heavy casualties.
That night, Datong's commander-in-chief Jiang Yu surrendered, and Xuanfu commander-in-chief Wang Chengyin also arrived to surrender.
On the 11th, the Dashun army entered Xuanfu.
On the 15th, the garrison at Juyong Pass at the northwest gate of Beijing, the eunuch Du Zhizhi and the general Tang Tong surrendered without a fight, and Li Zicheng's army marched straight in.
In this way, the troops of the Shun Army continued to expand, from 300,000 to more than 400,000.
…
At this time, the city of Beijing was in chaos.
On the streets in February, there were few people, branches and leaves fell off, leaving only dead trees, as if it was the end of the world.
There was panic in the palace, and tens of thousands of people were dragging their families and families out of Beijing every day.
The panicked Emperor Chongzhen once again issued an edict against himself.
He also issued an order from King Qin, ordering all armies from all over the world to come to King Qin.
Helpless, he asked the princes and nobles for donations, but in the end he only had two hundred thousand taels.
He summoned Li Mingrui, a Hanlin scholar, for the second time to inquire about the move to the south.
Li Mingrui took the trouble to persuade: "Your Majesty can go to Shandong to worship Confucius Temple under the pretense. As long as you get to Huai'an, you will be safe and sound."
Chongzhen looked hesitant, but he had quite a bit of research on the inns, armies, and canals along the way.
Li Mingrui urged earnestly and sincerely: "Destiny is very secret, you must cut off the sacred heart within, so as not to worry about navel-eating."
As a last resort, the court meeting was held again.
The topic is also very direct: how to solve the crisis in Gyeonggi Province.
"Li Mingrui once advised me to move south. If the monarch dies in Sheji, where will I go? He also advised me to let the prince go to Nanjing first. What do you think?"
Emperor Chongzhen looked at his ministers expectantly.
Chen Yan frowned. He had always opposed "southern migration" and signaled to the military department to give the matter to Zhongguang Shiheng.
Guang Shiheng understood and said sternly: "Your Majesty, please kill Li Mingrui.
If you don’t kill Li Mingrui, it won’t be enough to stabilize the people; if you don’t kill Li Mingrui, how can you govern the world!”
To put it bluntly, Guang Shiheng strongly demanded to follow Yu Qian's example and guard the capital.
So, the idea of moving south was over.
Up and down the court, people's hearts turned toward the south.
On March 16, news came that Li Zicheng's troops came to Juyongguan and captured Changping, where the imperial mausoleum is located.
Therefore, the court meeting was held again, and Du Xun, the eunuch who guarded the mausoleum in Changping, also participated in the court meeting.
He was sent by Li Zicheng to negotiate terms.
Facing the ministers and the emperor, Du Xun trembled and crouched, trembling:
"Li Thief said three things, one is to separate the northwest and become the king, the other is to reward the army with millions of dollars in military pay, and finally he wants the court to suppress the thieves and control the captives, and he will listen to the instructions but not the propaganda..."
After listening, Chongzhen's eyelids twitched a little, and he looked at the ministers with tired eyes.
To be honest, these conditions are not bad. The northwest has long been gone. It is extremely barren and money does not matter.
But, if I agree, wouldn’t I be Song Huizong?
After a long time, he finally said:
"What do you think, gentlemen?"
Facing Chongzhen's inquiry, the ministers remained silent.
This is looking for a scapegoat again!
Emperor Chongzhen’s usual practices are familiar to everyone.
Whenever there was a major event, the emperor would always push his ministers to perform in front of the curtain.
When the opera was performed well, he could attribute it to his "talent and sage, and Shen Ji's arbitrary decision-making"; if the opera failed, he would become ruthless and slap the ministers who were acting under his orders, and even kill people to silence them.
The lessons learned from the past are vivid in my mind.
In the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, the emperor secretly sent Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, to discuss the matter with the Qing army.
Unexpectedly, the secret was leaked, and there was an uproar inside and outside the court.
Chongzhen was so angry that he killed Chen Xinjia without hesitation, regardless of the advice of ministers Zhou Yanru, Chen Yan and others.
Killing the donkey is too decisive.
Not getting a response at this time, Chongzhen sighed inwardly, but he couldn't bear to lose face.
His eyelids trembled, he was anxious, so he turned his head and looked at Wei Zaode, the chief minister of the cabinet: "This matter is urgent, you can decide it yourself."
(Zhang Yanzhi’s country’s subjugation is not far away and he resigned at the end of February)
"Wei Chen, Wei Chen is willing to listen to the Holy Judgment!"
Wei Zaode was the number one scholar in the 13th year of Chongzhen Emperor's reign, but he became the first assistant in just four years, which can be described as a miracle in the officialdom.
He has always been very eloquent and eloquent, but at this moment, he shut up and stuck out his butt without saying a word.
"I'm asking the Qing family for any suggestions?" Chongzhen couldn't help but ask again and again. Wei Zaode was like a mute, kneeling on the ground with his butt stuck out high...
Chongzhen felt that he was going crazy, so he overturned the dragon chair and "pushed the emperor to sit on the ground".
"Then, refuse the intruder's conditions."
At this time, all the officials were in an uproar.
The ministers were stunned and couldn't understand the emperor's operation.
The court was in chaos.
Only Wang Chengen, who was standing by, understood the prince's thoughts relatively well.
He couldn't hold back his face and refused to bear the infamy.
In the end, he was gambling.
Beijing was also besieged in the second year of Chongzhen's reign. King Qin's army arrived and lifted the siege.
Including the Zhengtong Year and Jiajing Year, and three consecutive rescues, Emperor Chongzhen had great luck.
Moreover, as early as the fifth day of March, he granted Wu Sangui the title of Ping Xibo, granted his request to abandon Ningyuan City and enter Shanhaiguan, and urgently ordered him to be King Qin.
Therefore, as long as Wu Sangui works hard, the capital will be saved.
only……
Wang Chengen left with the angry emperor. After holding it in for a long time, he couldn't help but say:
"Your Majesty, Wu Sangui moved hundreds of thousands of people to Ningyuan to enter the customs. It cannot be solved in a short time. Besides, Shanhaiguan is more than 600 miles away from the capital. With the messengers coming and going, plus the march, it will take more than ten days...
"
After hearing this, Chongzhen was silent for a long time.
"You slaves deserve to die for talking nonsense about government affairs!"
"No, you're right."
Chongzhen sighed, his voice hoarse: "It's just that I would rather be the king of a subjugated country than a prisoner of a subjugated country."
After the court meeting, Chongzhen had a lot of thoughts. In the entire court, he didn't even have anyone to discuss with.
"I am not the king of subjugation, they are all ministers of subjugation and losers."
In frustration, he decided to hand over all the defensive military power of the palace gates and city gates to the eunuchs.
Not long after the oral order was issued, he personally came to the city gate to inspect the defense.
However, the result disappointed him.
The plague was raging and corruption was rampant. Coupled with years of redeployment, more than half of the soldiers in the Beijing camp were killed or injured, leaving less than 50,000 weak soldiers.
The Beijing army has nearly 30,000 war horses, but only 1,000 are left to ride.
You know, there are dozens of miles in the forty-nine cities, 150,000 crenels, and 180,000 are not enough.
On the city tower, thousands of old, weak and remnant soldiers, who were still short of food and clothing, and emaciated, climbed onto the city tower. Most of them lay down and slept, and no one took serious defense at all.
Seeing the emperor coming, the officer supervising the battle was so anxious that he whipped him.
But when one got up, the other lay down again, which did not give the emperor any face.
Zhu Youjian's face turned livid: "Okay, okay, the dignified Beijing camp is full of this kind of stuff."
The majestic Ming Emperor could not even do anything to ordinary soldiers.
At this time, he truly understood that his Ming Dynasty was really rotten to the core.
At this moment, he missed Sun Chuanting, Sun Chengzong and others very much.
Leaving the city gate disappointed, Zhu Youjian felt increasingly sad.
The splendid and majestic Forbidden City is home to tens of thousands of people. At this time, there is a feeling of loneliness. The afterglow of the setting sun casts its shadow, and its shadow becomes longer and longer.
Wang Chengen saw this and felt pain in his heart. He hurriedly helped him and said, "Sir, it's better to go back and have a meal. The people haven't eaten for a whole day."
"I can not eat!"
Zhu Youjian's temples were gray, his face was ashen, and he had no energy at all.
He was once a majestic and heroic person, and he was steadfast in his vows. Now, he has become a lonely man, betrayed by everyone.
He felt even more sad in the huge Forbidden City.
The maids and eunuchs passing by were all walking very fast, and they were extremely perfunctory towards the emperor. They were obviously trying to escape for their lives.
Zhu Youjian was surprised, why are you running away at this time?
Wang Chengen directly stopped him and asked, and the palace maid said: "Your Majesty, the intruders have begun to attack the nine gates. It is rumored that the three major camps of the Beijing camp have surrendered the thieves."
"What?"
Zhu Youjian's face became even more ugly. The Nine Gates were where the outer city was located, and the three major battalions surrendered to thieves again. It was obvious that Beijing really could not hold on anymore.
When he thought of this, he hurriedly said: "Get out of the palace!"
Wang Chengen hurriedly responded, prepared his carriage and left the palace.
Walking on the imperial road with a slightly crude bicycle frame, Zhu Youjian's eyes were full of desolation.
I saw that all the royal relatives, nobles and high-ranking officials had closed their doors one by one, as if they were isolated from the city and formed a world of their own.
"Send someone to knock!"
Immediately, Wang Chengen asked people to knock on the door. Even if he mentioned the emperor's name, no one would open the door.
Zhu Youjian sighed: "Go back, it seems they have made a decision."
These nobles and royal relatives who had retired from the country were actually like this at this time. Zhu Youjian couldn't help but sneer:
"I have read history books, and I have never seen that the nobles of the previous dynasty can inherit the wealth of the new dynasty. It is ridiculous, ridiculous."
As he said that, he climbed up Meishan Mountain and looked from a distance. He could only see the Zhangyi Gate area, which was also in flames at this time.
"That's the gate guarded by Cao Huachun, right? Did he surrender too?"
Zhu Youjian said sadly.
Wang Chengen glanced at it, lowered his head and said, "It must be so."
"It's nothing more than a traitor. It's just a pity for my people."
Zhu Youjian sighed: "In my seventeen years as emperor, I have never benefited the people. Now, in the end, I have caused them to suffer. Alas -"
After wandering for a long time, he seemed to have thought of something. It was already dark and he returned to Qianqing Palace.
"Your Majesty, intruders have entered the city."
At this time, the eunuch Wang Lian ran over in a hurry, crying.
"I understand."
Zhu Youjian nodded numbly and drank two glasses of wine before his face became rosy.
"Your Majesty, your status is valuable, so you should vote!" Zhang Yin, the eunuch waiting at the side, couldn't help but said.
"Surrender? Live?"
Zhu Youjian's numb expression changed, and he suddenly became violent: "I think you want to live!"
With that said, without waiting for the latter's reaction, he directly pulled out the guard's waist knife and killed him with one blow, causing the blood to flow endlessly.
"Pooh--"
Zhu You inspected the king's body and said coldly: "If I surrender, what will happen to the prince? What will happen to the Ming Dynasty?"
As he spoke, his eyes were crazy and he laughed wildly: "In this case, wouldn't the Ming Dynasty really be dead?"
"It's not that easy to take away my Zhu family's world."
"I would rather die than let rogue bandits dominate the world."
After being frantic for a while, he finally recovered and continued to drink and binge without taking his chopsticks to the dishes in front of him.
The blush on his cheeks became more and more obvious, and Zhu Youjian wrote an edict, ordering Duke Zhu Chunchen to command the armies and assist the crown prince Zhu Cihong.
Immediately, he summoned the crown prince, queen, and concubines, and with a few simple words, he ordered the crown prince, Yong Wang, and Ding Wang to be sent to Xun Qi Zhou Kui (descendant clan) and Tian Hongyu's family (Tian Guifei).
Facing the married Queen Zhou, Zhu Youjian rarely let go of his emotions and cried loudly: "Queen, you are the mother of the country and you should die for the country."
"I have been with you for eighteen years, and Your Majesty has not heard a word from me, even today.
Now His Majesty orders my concubine to die, how dare I not die?"
Empress Zhou looked sad. She took one last look at the thin and crying emperor, and barely smiled and said:
"It's just that, Your Majesty, you should have sent the prince south long ago!"
With that said, she extricated herself from Bai Ling and refused the palace maid's help: "This is my last journey, let me do it by myself!"
The chair, Bai Ling, and the queen made Qianqing Palace even more miserable.
"Clang-" The chair fell.
"Ah——" Zhu Youjian's cry became hoarse after witnessing his wife's death.
After a long time, he turned his head and said to Concubine Yuan: "You should also go with the Queen."
"Concubine, thank you Your Majesty!" Concubine Yuan cried and said goodbye, and then she hanged herself.
Looking at the two corpses, Zhu Youjian said sadly: "Don't blame me. Royal people have their own royal destiny and must not go to the disgrace of Jingkang. This is actually better for you."
Order people to collect the body.
After resting for a long time and seeming to have relaxed a little, Zhu Youjian turned his head and said to Wang Chengen, who had been accompanying him: "Go and call the two princesses!"
"Your Majesty—" Wang Chengen couldn't bear it.
"Go and do it!" Zhu Youjian waved his hand and said, "This is the best ending for them."
Soon, the fifteen-year-old Princess Changping and the six-year-old daughter-Princess Zhaoren.
"Father!" the two princesses saluted.
Looking at Princess Changping's pretty face, Zhu Youjian shed tears and shouted sternly: "Why were you born in the emperor's family!!!"
After saying that, he covered his face with his left sleeve, pulled out the knife with his right hand, and slashed hard, hitting her left arm, and then slashed her right shoulder. He thought she was dead, so he let her go.
Six-year-old Princess Zhaoren was also stabbed to death.
His little face was full of fear.
A moment ago, she was calling her father sweetly.
"Ah!" Zhu Youjian roared, enduring the pain.
Immediately, he took a knife and hacked several concubines to death.