The six-dimensional pictures of emperors of all dynasties were exposed, and the ancestors panicked

Chapter 674: The Ming Dynasty fell in 1644

[People are very complicated. Chongzhen was firmly opposed to the migration to the south, but was also extremely eager to move to the south.]

[While he said "the king dies for the country", he sent Zuo Maodi, an official in the imperial court, to Nanjing to check the status of the fleet and troops along the river, hoping to know if Nanjing could be defended if he fled to the city.]

[He also secretly ordered the Tianjin Governor Feng Yuanyang to prepare 300 grain ships to wait at Zhigukou, ready to travel by sea.]

【Feng Yuanyang repeatedly urged Emperor Chongzhen to move south immediately, believing that Beijing could not be defended.】

[He was willing to lead 5,000 strong troops to Tongzhou to await the emperor's arrival, and to travel by sea to Nanjing, and he also sent his son Feng Kaizhang to Beijing to urge the emperor to come.]

[It was already the seventh day of March, and Li Zicheng immediately surrounded Beijing.]

【However, the successor cabinet chief Wei Zaode also firmly opposed the move to the south. 】

[Chongzhen asked Wei Zaode to express his opinion on whether to move south, but he remained silent.]

【I will never be a scapegoat and will never express my views.】

[Things were delayed until the third day of March.]

[After Guang Shiheng's words "Suzong ascended the throne in Lingwu" came out, no one dared to mention the word "migration to the south" anymore.]

[Chongzhen asked the ministers how to defend Beijing, and the ministers were silent again.]

……

{I am not the king who ruined the country, but all my ministers are the ministers who ruined the country!}
{He hated these ministers.}
{He felt that he was not the king who caused the country to fall, that he had done a good job, that he was upright, capable, and responsible, and that it was his ministers who did not work hard that led to the country's demise.}
{Little did they know that those officials hated him to death. You yourself were indecisive about peace and war, arguing over merits and shirking responsibilities, but you were extremely cold to your officials, who didn't care whether you lived or died. After all, the emperor was dead, and he would be replaced. Whoever became the emperor would have to use them anyway, so why bother clinging to Zhu Ming?}
{He forced a group of the most loyal, brave and capable ministers, commanders and generals in the late Ming Dynasty to the Liaodong battlefield, where they either died in battle or were killed.}
{He issued more edicts of apology than frequent urination, but when it came to something, he pushed all the responsibility onto his subordinates, showing no sense of responsibility.}
{You worked hard and were diligent. The time you spent on government affairs was comparable to that of Zhu Yuanzhang. You were also very frugal, but you didn't know how to employ people.}
{…Emperor Chongzhen did not understand human nature.}
……

Ming Dynasty·Chongzhen period
Zhu Youjian's eyes were red and he licked his cracked lips.

Perhaps, he was not suitable to be an emperor from the beginning.

I am not someone who can turn the tide.

I am just an ordinary mortal like Emperor Liu...

No...I am not even as good as Emperor Liu...

Emperor Liu Hou trusted Zhuge Wuhou wholeheartedly and in the later period he did not interfere in other people's affairs.

His failure was not due to war.

And what about my future...

Zhu Youjian gave a bitter smile and sighed deeply.

Sun Chuanting, Lu Xiangsheng...

My actions are heartbreaking.

……

[On the sixth day of March, Chongzhen ordered Wu Sangui to abandon Ningyuan and enter the pass to defend the country. He also ordered Tang Tong and Liu Zeqing to defend the country.]

[Liu Zeqing refused to follow orders and fled south after looting in Linqing.]

[After receiving the order, Wu Sangui gave up the territory outside Ningyuan Pass and led his troops into the pass. He also moved all the logistics, supplies, and the people of the entire Liaoxi Corridor to the area.]

[On March 16, 500,000 people arrived at Shanhaiguan]

[As early as February 12, Chongzhen had discussed with Wu Sangui's father, former general Wu Xiang, about transferring Wu Sangui's Guanning Army to Beijing to defend the emperor.]

【But after this conversation, Chongzhen felt disappointed. 】

[The Guanning Army has 80,000 soldiers on the list, but in reality there are only 30,000 soldiers.]

……

The period of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty
"The soldiers are also fake..."

Liu Bingyi didn't even know what else was true on the Ming Dynasty's list.

The Yellow Book was forged, and the military personnel were forged.

In the end, only the uprising is real.

"You can test your success temporarily, but not forever."

……

Period of Emperor Guangwu of Yanhan Dynasty

Liu Zhuang snorted coldly.

"Some of the generals on the Liaodong frontier died or were demoted, which broke people's hearts."

"In the end, we still have to rely on the Liaodong border to defend the king."

"Why bother?"

Liu Xiu twisted his beard and said calmly:
"Emperor Chongzhen possessed a certain amount of intelligence, but he used it to find fault with others."

"He is smart enough to hear and find the flaws in what others say and what opinions they give."

“When someone else does something, he is smart enough to immediately think of the parts that were not well thought out.”

"He sees the mistakes of others everywhere, is constantly irritated by their mistakes, and constantly uses his absolute authority to punish people."

"In this way, he will certainly not listen to other people's advice, and any decision he makes, from his perspective, will certainly not be implemented thoroughly and completely."

"He doesn't see any responsibility of his own and is absolutely unwilling to take any responsibility. Avoiding responsibility has become his first choice in his psychological mechanism."

"He must push the responsibility onto others so that he can survive."

“Education is an urgent issue.”

"Han Emperor, take this as a warning."

……

[Of these 30,000 real numbers, only 3,000 are capable of fighting.]

[These three thousand men would cost a million in military pay.]

[On the ninth day of the third lunar month, Emperor Chongzhen made his final effort to save the country.]

[He finally put aside his status as an emperor and begged ministers and royal relatives to donate money to pay the soldiers defending Beijing.]

[As a result, the royal family members did not give a penny, and the whole court was full of military officials who acted like idiots.]

……

{Three thousand people? One million! Can they finish it all?}
{Wu Xiang had already told Chongzhen the truth about this matter, because the Ming army was extremely weak, lacked supplies, had poor equipment, and was inadequately trained. Everything was bad.}
{But the general had to protect his life during the war, so he kept a group of personal soldiers, giving them dozens of times the salary, the best equipment and supplies.}
{They are just like their own brothers and sisters. They are usually provided with "fine wine, fat sheep, silk and satin", and they eat, drink and wear well.}
{So the only ones who can really fight are these few personal soldiers who are raised by the commander at great expense.}
{These 3,000 people have land and manors worth hundreds of gold in the Liaoxi Corridor outside the Great Wall. Now they are asked to throw all their property into the Great Wall. They must be settled down and their property losses must be compensated. There are also more people who depend on their land and manors, and they also need to be settled down. One million taels of silver may not be enough. }
{Three thousand retainers... are indeed much stronger than the average general. When Man Gui died in battle, he was accompanied by only a hundred retainers. But this is far inferior to the Qing Dynasty.}
{It is no wonder that the Portuguese in the south at that time believed that more than 10,000 elite Portuguese soldiers could occupy China. If the elite soldiers in the nine borders were not taken into account, the garrison troops in the interior would indeed be vulnerable.}
{Whether the Guanning Iron Cavalry came or not, it would be hard to see any big changes. As the saying goes, those who have constant property have constant determination. In order to protect their property and homes, they were tenacious in fighting against the Qing army. However, a problem also arose. That is, these soldiers owned real estate such as land and houses outside the Great Wall. Therefore, it would be extremely costly for them to abandon their property outside the Great Wall and enter the Great Wall to defend the king.}
{The problem is the same. They gave up the permanent property to enter the country. It is hard to say whether they can still have the ambition.}
……

On the canopy.

An eunuch said to an old man:

"The father-in-law is the Queen's father. He is the current Taishan. He shares weal and woe with the Ming Dynasty and should set an example."

"Your Majesty, it's not difficult for the father-in-law. All he needs is for him to pay 100,000 taels."

The old minister's eyes and mouth drooped together, and he looked mournful:

"How can this old minister have so much money?"

The eunuch sucked his teeth and said with a smile:

"The father-in-law has accumulated a lot of wealth. If the whole world is ruled by the surname Li, can you keep your wealth worth tens of millions?"

The old man waved his hands helplessly and said:

"I really don't have anything, nothing...I and my whole family will tighten their belts and donate...donate 10,000 taels."

The eunuch's smile froze, and he said calmly:
"All the eunuchs in the palace donated 50,000 taels each. Is it possible for the old royal family to donate 10,000 taels?"

"So, how much did the ministers donate?"

The eunuch was speechless for a moment:
"We only know that the Prime Minister Wei Zaode donated 500 taels. His Majesty asked the former Prime Minister Chen Yan to donate, but Chen Yan cried poor and refused to donate."

……

[After Chongzhen issued a call for donations, an old man in his sixties came to the Ministry of Revenue, with tears streaming down his face, and donated the four hundred taels of silver he had saved throughout his life.]

[After Chongzhen learned about this, he awarded him the position of "Jinyiwei".]

[Compared to this old man who donated all his wealth, those civil and military officials, and royal relatives are in a very bad state. ]

[They cried poor, played dirty, and evaded others, took their own pots and pans to the street to set up stalls, and posted a sign on the door of their mansion saying "House for sale urgently..."

[Chongzhen's father-in-law Zhou Kui was very rich, and Chongzhen knew he was rich.]

[On the tenth day of March, he sent the eunuch Xu Gao to visit Zhou Kui. He did not mention the money at first, but immediately conferred the title of nobility on Zhou Kui. Then he said, "The emperor hopes that you will donate 100,000 taels of silver to set an example for everyone."]

[Zhou Kui burst into tears and said, "How can an old minister get more money?"]

[For example, the family is so poor that they can only buy moldy rice to eat. ]

[He resolutely gave the emperor's son-in-law a 10% discount on his plan and was only willing to donate 10,000 taels.]

【Emperor Chongzhen listened to Xu Gao's reply and reduced the amount from 100,000 taels to 20,000 taels.】

【Zhou Kui saw that he could no longer deceive people, so he went to the palace to seek help from his daughter, Queen Zhou.】

[Empress Zhou was very righteous and she also asked her father to be very righteous and set an example for the rich and powerful.]

[Empress Zhou gave five thousand taels of silver to her father. Zhou Kui did another thing: he donated three thousand taels and kept the other two thousand in his own pocket.]

【In the end, he donated a total of 13,000 taels.】

[During this campaign in which the emperor begged the dignitaries to donate money to save the country, a total of 200,000 taels were raised.]

……

{Chongzhen's father-in-law has become a typical example. Almost all books and movies about the late Ming Dynasty mention him.}
{It was really too bizarre. Chongzhen asked him to donate silver but he refused. His own daughter donated silver and even embezzled it. When Li Zicheng came, he directly confiscated 530,000 taels of silver.}
{They were all the same, crying and shouting that they had no money. After Li Zicheng used some tricks, they all donated hundreds of times more money. In the end, the eunuchs donated the most.}
{70 million silver coins... these bastards are really rich...}
……

Northern Qi Dynasty: Cultural and Propaganda Period
Gao Yang is becoming less and less convinced.

Compared to these people, I am so normal!

Li Zu'e was very confused.

"As the father-in-law of the emperor, why are you still unwilling to lend a hand to your son-in-law at this critical moment?"

"Five hundred and thirty thousand taels of silver... the family assets must be at least one million."

"He was able to get so much silver, to put it bluntly, thanks to the Ming Dynasty. Once the Ming Dynasty is over, others may have some chance to survive, but he will definitely not." "Shouldn't Zhou Kui be reluctant to pay the silver?"

Gao Yang said lazily:
"Many things in the world don't make sense."

"It's not strange to prefer money to life."

……

Northern Zhou Dynasty: Emperor Wu Period
"There is probably no other emperor in history who was so humble as Chongzhen and asked his ministers for money."

Yuwen Yong looked at the two little kids playing around in the Langfang not far away, and said to Dou Yi beside him calmly:

"It is extremely rare to see such a group of powerful ministers in the late Ming Dynasty who did not give the emperor any face at all."

"Why do you think they are unwilling to donate money to save the country?"

Without waiting for Dou Yi to reply, Yuwen Yong said to himself:

"Because the king and his subjects do not trust each other, no one is willing to take responsibility."

Read more latest popular novels at 6.9*shuba!

"The emperor cries poverty, and they cry poverty too."

"They seem to be playing an unspoken game with each other."

"You think the ministers in the court don't know the country's financial situation?"

"they know."

"They also know that this is a proud emperor. He will never lower his noble head and ask for money from everyone unless he is desperate."

“But they have deeper considerations.”

"This is your kingdom, if you lose it, then you lose it. What does it have to do with me?"

"Why should I contribute money and effort?"

Dou Yi broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this.

He always felt that there was something else the emperor said, but he didn't dare to think too much about it.

Then he looked at the two children opposite.

Li Yuan...

Yuwen Yong folded his arms and suddenly said:

"It's time for the two of them to get engaged."

……

[Chongzhen knew that these people were corrupt and had plenty of money, but they were unwilling to bleed. Although he was the emperor, he had no way to stop them.]

[On March 15, Juyongguan surrendered without a fight.]

[On March 16, Li Zicheng's troops approached the Pingze Gate of Beijing.]

[On March 17, Emperor Chongzhen held a court meeting, and his ministers made various suggestions, such as resolutely defending the city and fighting street battles, which were actually completely useless.]

[Desperate Chongzhen wrote on his desk: "Any civil official can be killed"]

[On the same day, the rebels arrived at Xizhimen. That night, the eunuch Cao Huachun opened Guangning Gate (this is questionable) and let the rebels in.]

[On the 18th, Li Zicheng sent the captured eunuch Du Xun to negotiate peace, demanding that the Ming Dynasty cede the northwest to Li Zicheng to rule on his own and reward him with a million yuan. He neither obeyed the imperial edict nor came to see the emperor. In this way, he could help the Ming Dynasty suppress the rebels and conquer the northeast. His request was rejected.]

……

On the canopy.

at the foot of the mountain.

The seven-treasure carved saddle was still on, the gold- and jade-inlaid bridle was still there, and the yellow silk reins were draped over the saddle.

The white royal horse was eating grass slowly.

Traces of crushed grass spread along the rugged path.

The forest is dense and the mountain road is dark.

The white crane let out a few loud and sad cries in the sky.

The sky was filled with dark clouds and there was a light drizzle.

Raindrops fall on the palm of your hand.

Zhu Youjian looked up.

All the palaces and magnificent buildings in the Forbidden City are in full view.

"There is no other place like this in the world..."

From today on, it no longer belongs to him.

"I am powerless to govern the country, and the people of this city are suffering in vain."

The eunuch behind him shed tears when he heard this.

"Wang Cheng'en."

The eunuch wiped his tears and replied in a low voice:
"Your Majesty, I am here."

Zhu Youjian looked at the capital city where beacons were burning everywhere and said hoarsely:
"Am I a ruler who indulges in wine and women and ignores state affairs?"

"No."

"Am I a weak, foolish, or young and ignorant monarch who has allowed treacherous officials to mess up his government?"

"No."

"Am I not the one who gets up at dawn every day, respects the heaven with piety, abides by the teachings of my ancestors, and always works hard to govern the country?"

The eunuch burst into tears again.

Zhu Youjian watched his ancestors' foundation being destroyed by his own hands and murmured softly:

"I am not a king who will destroy my country, but I have the misfortune of destroying my country..."

"If the country is destroyed, where is the monarch?"

Zhu Youjian did not go to see the capital. He turned around and looked around on the top of the hill for a while and found a locust tree.

He untied the yellow silk ribbon around his waist and asked Wang Chengen to tie it around the branch of the south-facing locust tree.

Wang Chengen took the silk ribbon and found a few stones from the weeds to use as footing, and tied the yellow silk ribbon to the south-facing locust tree branch for the emperor.

Then she untied the silk ribbon around her waist and tied the noose on the other branch of a small locust tree next to her.

"What else does the emperor want?"

Zhu Youjian shook his head and walked towards the locust tree:
"It's okay."

"The Queen is waiting. I should leave now."

He looked calm, with his hair crown untied, letting it fall down in disarray.

Wang Chengen wanted to fix his hair, but he waved his hand and said as usual:

"I have no face to see my ancestors in the underworld."

After saying that, he held onto the tree trunk and climbed onto the pile of stones as a stepping stone.

Pulled the yellow silk ribbon on the horizontal branch.

Insert your head into the wire ring and use your feet to push the pile of stones over.

The hands holding the silk ring loosened and fell down, and the hanging body shook violently.

Never move again.

Wang Chengen knelt down and kowtowed three times, then stood up and hanged himself on a branch of a small locust tree not far away.

at the foot of the mountain.

The white horse lowered its head to eat grass, sweeping its tail, and suddenly raised its head in alertness.

"Brother! Imperial horse! That dog emperor is on the mountain!"

"Quick, quick, quick! Catch the dog emperor!"

The sound of iron armor rubbing against each other could be heard.

The white horse looked at the line of torches that formed a star-like line on the mountain road, wagged its tail, and continued to eat grass with its head down.

……

【March 1644, the th year of Chongzhen ().】

[When Chongzhen saw that the situation was hopeless, he ordered the empress and concubines to commit suicide, hacked his daughter Princess Changping, and lamented, "Why were you born in my family!" He ordered his three sons to disguise themselves and escape.]

[He then went to the front hall and rang the bell to summon all officials, but no one came.]

[He then climbed up the Wansui Mountain and hanged himself, with the eunuch Wang Chengen following him.]

【He was posthumously named "Emperor Zhuangliemin". After the establishment of the Southern Ming Dynasty, he was posthumously named "Emperor Lie" and his temple name was "Sizong". 】

[Known in history as the "Jiashen Rebellion"]

【The fall of Beijing, the suicide of Emperor Chongzhen.】

[It may not be possible to prove that the Ming Dynasty fell. It is also difficult to say.]

[Because at this time, in the south of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, the ruling institutions of the Ming Dynasty at all levels were still intact, the legal system still existed, and soon a new emperor was established.]

【However, historians generally believe that the Ming Dynasty fell during the "Jiashen Rebellion". 】

【So, it lasted for 276 years, spanning 16 emperors.】

【The Ming Dynasty fell in 1644.】

……

{There was a suicide note left on Chongzhen's clothes: "I am a cold-hearted person who has committed crimes against the heavens, but it was all my ministers' fault. I will not be able to face my ancestors after I die, so I will take off my crown and cover my face with my hair. Let the enemy divide the country, but do not harm any civilians."}
{At the last moment, he still had some dignity as a king and thought about the people.}
{This letter... hehe.}
{? What the hell are you doing?}

(End of this chapter)