Chapter 22: Li Shimin: The Mighty Ming Dynasty, a Sorrowful Cry

[However, during this period, the Ming Dynasty entered a small ice age, and disasters occurred frequently in the country, and disasters occurred almost every year in various places. ]

[Among them, severe droughts and earthquakes occurred frequently, affecting dozens of states and counties. The disaster lasted for several years, which is rare in history. Henan, the center of the drought area, has been suffering from drought for seven consecutive years. ]

【Natural disasters and man-made disasters made people's lives miserable, which eventually led to the peasant uprising. 】

[The troops of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong gradually expanded. Li Zicheng put forward slogans such as "equal distribution of land and exemption of taxes". The troops gradually grew stronger and became the main force in the peasant uprising.]

[In 1629, Huang Taiji pretended to negotiate peace with Yuan Chonghuan, but actually bypassed Gubeikou to enter the Great Wall and besieged Beijing.]

[After Yuan Chonghuan noticed this, he rushed to the rescue overnight and eventually defeated the Eight Banners Army after paying a heavy price in casualties.]

[In 1630, although Yuan Chonghuan won the Battle of Beijing, he lost the trust of Emperor Chongzhen and was executed by slow slicing for treason.]

[In 1636, Huang Taiji proclaimed himself emperor and changed the country's name to Qing, formally establishing a regime that competed with the Ming Dynasty.]

[In 1640, the Battle of Songjin broke out, and the Ming army was defeated. The elite troops that the Ming Dynasty had built with all its national strength were completely wiped out.]

[The last line of defense of the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong was only Wu Sangui in Shanhaiguan. ]

[In 1643, Li Zicheng captured Luoyang, broke through Tongguan, killed Sun Chuanting, and then occupied the entire province of Shaanxi. ]

[In 1644, Li Zicheng's army approached Beijing, and Zhu Youjian hanged himself on Coal Hill.]

【At this point, the Ming Dynasty, which had existed for 276 years and had passed through 16 emperors, fell.】

[In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, many emperors began to cultivate immortality, but most of the emperors who worked hard to govern the country died young, which accelerated the demise of the Ming Dynasty. ]

……

The Ming plane.

Hongwu period.

Zhu Yuanzhang gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"I never thought that my Ming Dynasty would end up like this..."

"Is it really God's will to destroy the Ming Dynasty?"

There was a hint of grief and helplessness in Lao Zhu's voice.

According to Tianmu, the actions of Zhu Youjian in later generations were by no means those of a foolish and incompetent king who brought about the downfall of his country.

He even has the demeanor of a wise ruler.

Then there were successive years of famine, the people were living in misery, the court was troubled by internal and external troubles, and Zhu Youjian was ultimately unable to save the Ming Dynasty.

"In the final analysis, the fault lies with Wanli. If it weren't for this evil beast not attending court for nearly thirty years, causing chaos in the Ming Dynasty and allowing the Jurchens to grow stronger, there wouldn't be any disasters in the future generations!"

A cold light flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.

When Zhu Yuanzhang thought of the ridiculous behavior during Wanli's reign, he wished he could take the Emperor's Sword and chop that bastard down with one blow!

……

AD 1641, the th year of Chongzhen.

Upon learning of his own fate, Zhu Youjian, whose nerves had been tense for fourteen years, finally collapsed.

"Since I ascended the throne, we have been plagued by internal and external troubles, disasters have occurred year after year, bandits have risen up everywhere, and the people have been forced to eat their own children. This is all my fault!"

As Zhu Youjian spoke, he burst into tears.

Zhu Youjian didn't believe in fate at first.

He thought that with his own efforts, he could bring the dynasty back on track.

But reality gave him a blow.

Liaodong was defeated, and the Central Plains suffered a severe drought of such scale and duration that it had not been seen in nearly five hundred years.

Perhaps it is just as those Taoist priests said, a dynasty has its own destiny, which cannot be remedied by human power.

……

Datang.

Seeing Chongzhen hang himself, Li Shimin sighed: "The king dies for the country, the great Ming Dynasty, how sad it is."

Southern Song Dynasty.

Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou, looked at Qin Hui in confusion: "Prime Minister Qin, don't you think Zhu Youjian is too stupid? Why would he rather hang himself than escape?"

"Even if you live in a remote corner, you are still the emperor of a dynasty. Isn't that better than being a king of a fallen country?"

Qin Hui replied: "Perhaps there is no way to retreat, no way to escape."

……

Three Kingdoms.

The period of the Later Lord.

Jiang Wei, who was leading his army to fight against Zhong Hui, learned that the emperor had surrendered. He looked up at the sky, heartbroken.

"I am about to fight to the death, why does Your Majesty surrender first?"

...1644 AD.

March 18th.

The Forbidden City was a sea of ​​fire, the setting sun was bloody, and the sounds of weapons were endless.

This most principled dynasty in China ushered in its most humiliating day.

Zhu Youjian climbed up Coal Hill, and accompanying him was a eunuch named Wang Chengen.

"How could the Ming Dynasty perish in my hands?"

Zhu Youjian looked at the Forbidden City in flames and burst into tears.

"Since I ascended the throne seventeen years ago, the rebels have been approaching the capital. Although I am not a man of virtue and have offended the gods, which has led to the rebels approaching the capital, it is all because of my ministers' mistakes."

"When I die, I will not be able to face my ancestors in the underworld, so I will take off my crown and cover my face with my hair. Let the thieves dismember my body, but do not harm any of the people."

Zhu Youjian felt tired.

too tired.

He worked hard and diligently all his life, and he never gave up until the day when the enemy was at the gates.

For him at this moment, living requires more courage than dying.

That's why he came to Coal Hill, intending to do as the sky curtain said and find a crooked tree to end his life, so that he could be free from humiliation.

"Long live the Lord!"

The old eunuch Wang Chengen grabbed the hand of Emperor Chongzhen.

Zhu Youjian had already decided to die.

Looking at the old eunuch who had accompanied him for most of his life, he slowly said, "I have decided to end my life. If you are afraid of death, just go down the mountain by yourself."

"Your Majesty, I have no reason to fear death."

Wang Chengen shook his head and said, "I am not afraid of death. I just think it would be a pity to die like this. Before I die, I want to see what the world will be like in the future!"

Zhu Youjian looked at the empty sky. The setting sun was bloody, like the afterglow of the end of the world, showing the desolation of a dynasty.

"Well, let me see how that thief surnamed Li treats the people of the Ming Dynasty!"

……

[After Li Zicheng entered Beijing, he strictly enforced military discipline and did not harm the people.]

[However, due to the shortage of food and grass, and Li Zicheng's own lack of control over the army, it didn't take long for the army to become undisciplined, and they robbed and killed the local gentry, plundered the people, and insulted other people's wives and daughters.]

……

See here.

On top of Coal Hill, Zhu Youjian's eyes were bloodshot.

"Why here!"

"Didn't I say that the fault lies with me? Let the thieves dismember my body but don't hurt any of the people!"

……

[In 1644 AD, the Qing army entered the Shanhaiguan Pass, the Battle of Shanhaiguan broke out, and Li Zicheng was defeated and fled. ]

【Li Zicheng started his army for eighteen years, but was only king for one day.】

"The dog thief was defeated so quickly?"

Zhu Youjian looked at the sky with his eyes wide open.

Then he burst into laughter, like a madman.

"You're killing the people! You deserve it!"

"What a good defeat! What a good defeat! It's really satisfying!"

Suddenly, Zhu Youjian noticed the words "Qing troops enter the pass" on the sky curtain and stopped laughing instantly.

He collapsed to the ground with a look of panic on his face.

"The Battle of Shanhaiguan was lost, and the Qing army entered the pass..."

"The Manchus... the Manchus have entered the country?"

"Then the world wouldn't be..."

Chongzhen stared at the sky in a daze, and a terrible thought popped into his head.

It seems to be to confirm Zhu Youjian's idea.

Above the sky, the images played slowly.

【After the Qing army entered the pass, they carried out a bloody suppression of the Han people. 】

(End of this chapter)