Chapter 257: Meeting with Thirteen Xun, the late Ming Dynasty failed
In Zhu Yongxing's view, if he had the time and energy, why not use offense instead of defense to completely sweep away the Qing army south of the Yangtze River and upstream of Yuezhou, so as to fully grasp the natural dangers of the Yangtze River? The Changsha Navy that surrendered to Wu Sangui at that time was not very strong.
, but it was enough to overwhelm the Qing army who had just established a base camp in Jingzhou. This article was first published by... Why did the Qing army gather in Yuezhou to passively defend against the Qing army's repeated attacks to seize Yuezhou?
Jingzhou gradually became clearer in the field of vision of the telescope. Five miles outside the south gate of the city was the Yangtze River. A large embankment blocked the surging river water and protected this low-lying ancient city.
"Jingzhou is most afraid of the embankment bursting. If the river bursts, all the Qing troops in Jingzhou will be fish and turtles, but -" Zhu Yongxing confirmed his judgment, put down the telescope and sighed: "We are Master Wang!"
In order to prevent the river from flooding the city, Jingzhou built long embankments on the east, south and west sides. Therefore, it was most afraid of the embankments breaking and releasing water. The Qing army used this as their base camp. They were just as stupid as Kang Xiaosan back then. Look
He was blindly giving directions based on the map, but Wu Sangui was even more stupid, allowing Kang Xiaosan to win by chance.
Historically, Wu Sangui was concerned about the hundreds of thousands of people living in the city, and could not bear to break the embankment, flooding the Qing army and bringing disaster to the people. He rejected the suggestion of his subordinates to "break the Jingzhou embankment and destroy Jingzhou". Naturally, Zhu Yongxing did not dare to do so.
Because of this, he has been infamous throughout the ages.
When inspecting Jingzhou, Zhu Yongxing naturally took the flagship of Chen Shangchuan, the commander-in-chief of the Yangtze River Navy. The ship was large and had many guns. It was the most powerful and safe warship in the Yangtze River Navy. Also on board at this time were the Duke of Jing, Wang Guangxing, and Duke Lin.
Li Laiheng, Yidu Houta Tianbao and others.
Hearing Zhu Yongxing talking to himself about flooding Jingzhou, no one dared to answer. When Zhu Yongxing said that Wang Shi should not break the dike, Xingpinghou Dangshou Su just opened his mouth, and Ma Tengyun touched him with his elbow.
He looked at him and shook his head slightly.
When it comes to water attacks, the most talked about in the storytelling is that Guan Yu flooded the Seventh Army, and Li Zicheng flooded Kaifeng, which was a human tragedy. As the remnants of the Dashun Army, how could they not know about this. As for the meaning of Zhu Yongxing's words
, they can’t figure it out, so how can they dare to answer casually.
Zhu Yongxing observed for a moment. He then asked the gunner on the ship whether it was possible to bombard Jingzhou from the river. After receiving the answer, he ordered the ship to return.
After abandoning the ship and landing, Zhu Yongxing formally hosted a banquet for the generals of Kuidong. As the leader of Kuidong granted by the imperial court, King Zheng, Liu Tichunzheng and Hao Yaoqi blocked the Qing army of Gansu and Shaanxi in Zhuxi and Zhushan areas, and now they are here
Those who gathered to attack Jingzhou were led by Li Laiheng, Duke of Linguo.
"I didn't expect the situation to change so quickly. I originally thought it would take quite a while to see you all!" Zhu Yongxing changed into casual clothes and smiled very easily. "Here, this first cup is to thank you for your determination.
Resisting the Qing Dynasty, it contained a large number of Qing troops and made great contributions to the great cause of ZTE."
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness. I really don't take it seriously." Li Laiheng hurriedly raised a glass of humility on behalf of everyone.
"There's nothing you shouldn't take credit for. The credit is there, everyone can see it!" Zhu Yongxing took a sip, then put down his glass and said, "When the Qing army launched a massive attack on the southwest, you all helped the court to relieve the crisis and attacked Chongqing.
In order to contain the Qing army. From this incident, I can see that you have the overall situation in mind, are loyal to the court, and resolutely resist the Qing Dynasty."
When Li Laiheng and others heard Zhu Yongxing mention this, their faces were focused, but their hearts were really happy.
This important anti-Qing force, with the former Dashun Army as the main body, had almost always been discriminated against and excluded in the Southern Ming Dynasty. As early as the Longwu period, when He Tengjiao, Zhang Kuang and others controlled the entire territory of Hunan.
He made things difficult for him in many ways, and later he was suppressed by Qu Shishu, Chen Bangfu, Li Yuanyin and others in the Yongli court. When Sun Kewang came to power, he never provided him with logistical support.
Compared with this, Zhu Yongxing is very generous and fair. Now he talks about old things in an appreciative tone. He is obviously more cordial and enthusiastic.
"Expelling the Tartars and restoring China is a goal that Gu has long proposed. It is the so-called great cause of ZTE." Zhu Yongxing paused and continued: "Today's situation depends on the sincere unity of all armies, unified orders, and ability to coordinate and cooperate in operations.
.If there were internal disputes and everyone's selfishness came first, how could we be in the current situation?"
"What His Highness said is absolutely true." Li Laiheng saw Zhu Yongxing's eyes sweeping over him and answered with cupped hands: "Divided strength means weakness. Naturally, a pile of scattered sand cannot compete with the Tartars."
Zhu Yongxing nodded with a smile, stretched out his hand to point out and comment one by one, "Guangxing, the Duke of Jing Kingdom, made a move in Yunyang that day, and his tears are still in Jiuyuan. Since he had no sworn relationship with the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, and he recognized the righteousness, he handed over the local governance to the imperial court and organized his own army into the Ming Dynasty.
military."
"The general also had selfish motives. Later, when he saw that His Highness was sincere, he came to his senses and asked His Highness not to sin." Wang Guangxing was secretly happy, but his attitude was respectful.
"Qihou He Zhen rebelled against the Qing Dynasty in Hanzhong and attacked Fengxiang. Later, he united various anti-Qing forces to attack Xi'an and became very powerful. I heard that the reason for the rebellion against the Qing Dynasty was the disbandment of Meng Qiaofang, the governor of Shaanxi Province in the Qing Dynasty. I don't know if this is true.
?" Zhu Yongxing looked at He Zhen with a smile, "Now, what do you think about the reform of the military system proposed by Gu and the formation of the Shuo Army?"
To ask this is to be blunt. He Zhen was originally a Ming general, and later joined the Dashun Army, and then the Qing court. It can be said that he changed his master three times, and the current military reform is similar to the situation when he was forced to rebel.
, Zhu Yongxing asked this, He Zhen couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart.
"Back to Your Highness, the general will raise a flag to rebel against the Qing Dynasty. Firstly, Meng Qiaofang is jealous, and secondly, he loves the Ming Dynasty and hates the tyranny of the Qing Dynasty." He Zhen said cautiously: "As for the reform of the military system, it is an act of unifying the power of the imperial court.
The separation of military and political affairs has been common practice since ancient times."
"Some of his words were insincere!" Zhu Yongxing smiled and waved his hand to stop He Zhen's defense. Then he pointed at Dang Shousu and said: "Dang Shousu, the Marquis of Xingping, when Kong, Shang and Geng rebelled against Guangdong and He
During the period of Hunan and Guangxi, you once accompanied the late Marquis Gao Bizheng and led his elite troops to meet the Holy Spirit, and put forward two important suggestions. One of them was to change the separatist situation in Xunzhen. Financial revenue and official appointments should be uniformly arranged by the imperial court, so that
Concentrate limited financial resources and use military force to save the nation. Do you remember correctly?"
"Back to Your Highness, this is indeed the case." Dang Shousu hesitated for a moment and said: "Therefore, the princes and generals saw that the ministers with military power were blindly supporting the troops and occupying the territory to respect themselves, begging their neighbors, and had no overall plan. At that time, the situation was critical.
Hence this suggestion.”
"Times have changed, what do you think now?" Zhu Yongxing flicked the wine glass and made a slight crackle. He said: "At that time, the Zhongzhen Camp was repeatedly challenged, lacked food and pay, and was in a difficult situation. Now, although Kuidong is poor and remote,
, but it is much better than the situation at that time.”
"General, I still hold this opinion. It has not changed." Dang Shousu heard the hidden meaning of Zhu Yongxing's words, hesitated for a moment, and answered.
Zhu Yongxing smiled faintly, stretched out his hand and pointed out one by one, clearly explaining the experiences and achievements of Ta Tianbao, Ma Xiangyun and others, naturally deleting and adding, trying not to touch on their faults.
"Linguo Duke Li Laiheng——" Zhu Yongxing finally focused his eyes on Li Laiheng, nodded repeatedly, and his admiration was beyond words.
Li Laiheng spent most of his life fighting against the Manchus. Maolu Mountain became the last tragic battle for the anti-Qing forces on the mainland. Although he was defeated and died, he vowed not to bow his head and his national integrity to kill himself was enough.
Reflecting the sun and moon! Li Laiheng was defeated, and there was no more enlightened people in the Central Plains. Only Zheng Tun was overseas. From then on, China fell into decline for three hundred years. What a pity!
"You're very good. I'd like to offer you a glass of wine." Zhu Yongxing pondered for a moment, raised his glass to express his gratitude, and then drank it all in one gulp.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Li Laiheng saw Zhu Yongxing's appreciation, but did not know the specific reason.
After drinking a glass of wine, Zhu Yongxing pondered for a long time, and then slowly said: "At the beginning of leaving Myanmar and entering Yunnan, although the remnants of the various armies were gathered one after another, the morale of the army was in chaos. The soldiers and generals were suspicious. They walked through it step by step, and now they are where they are now.
Situation, who can we rely on?"
"It is His Highness's brilliance and martial prowess that made the soldiers return to their mission and rise from the ground. It is unstoppable." Duke Guangxing of Jing Kingdom hurriedly offered his hand in compliment.
"Well, Gu is smarter than others and can see further than others." Zhu Yongxing smiled and nodded, his expression calmed down again, and continued: "But this is not complete. I think the most important thing is to treat others with sincerity.
Only by making promises can people be convinced. My doubts are not only facing the Tartars, whose victory or defeat is unknown, but also this historical issue. They are all Ming troops, and there is no difference in Gu's eyes. As long as they are still with the Manchus
When we fought, we didn’t kneel down and surrender, we didn’t use weapons that harmed the people, we treated everyone equally, and I felt grateful and admired in my heart. But because of different backgrounds, including you, I’m afraid you still have a lot of worries, right?”
Zhu Yongxing paused, and Li Laiheng opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, but remained silent, waiting for Zhu Yongxing to continue.
"Physical illness is easy to cure, but mental illness is difficult to cure!" Zhu Yongxing sighed and continued: "No matter what I think in my heart, it is not convincing when I say it. I can only prove it with practical actions. The injury is nourished, and the death is compassionate.
After retirement, there were arrangements, clear rewards and punishments, and impartiality, which gradually made the Southwest Ming Army return. Like the King of Jin, the King of Zhao, etc., their own glory and wealth are on the one hand, and they can give the subordinates who follow them a good home.
wish. Do you also have this hope?"
"Your Highness is wise." Li Laiheng cupped his hands and said: "It is indeed our wish to follow our men in the south and north, and travel thousands of miles across mountains and rivers. It is indeed our wish to allow them to enjoy a happy life. As for glory and wealth, we will not wait for you in the end.
Dare to have too much extravagant expectations."
"The last generals and others are just like the Duke of Linguo." Everyone agreed.
"That's a lie." Zhu Yongxing smiled, pointed in a circle, and said jokingly: "It can't occupy more than one county, and it's not willing to hand it over to the imperial court. It's too petty!"
"His Highness has taught you a lesson." Ma Xiangyun said with a smile: "His Highness is ambitious for the world, but my eyesight is really short-sighted."
"After all, you still don't understand the lonely king." Zhu Yongxing raised his glass, turned it around to indicate, took a small sip, and said: "It's hard to say some things, but if I don't explain them clearly, this knot of my heart will
It’s still hard to explain. ‘If you don’t die of hunger in peace, follow the example of the mantis with its arms’, this is what Yang Sichang said, right? Bullshit, is this human language? A minister of the Ministry of War, an important minister of the imperial court, who has always regarded himself as an official of his parents, actually wants his people to do it.
Will An An die of hunger?"
"Moon over the West River" written by Yang Sichang, who was responsible for suppressing Zhang Xianzhong in the late Ming Dynasty, begins with "If you don't die of hunger in peace, I will imitate the mantis with its arms." This poem was also well received by the scholars of the Ming Dynasty, and they felt that it was quite right. The peasants did not
If you want to eat food, you have to starve to death quietly at home. How can you run around and cause trouble to the government? If you dare to resist food, resist taxes, or even rebel and cause trouble to the court, you really deserve to die.
In fact, as far as Li Zicheng's life experience and actions are concerned, he is certainly not a "hero" who promotes historical progress, but he is not a born thug either. Compared with Zhang Jiao, Fang La, the White Lotus Sect, the Green Lotus Sect and the subsequent Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Li Zicheng
The peasant uprising he led was actually the least religious. His uprising was entirely driven by famine.
Northern Shaanxi is located in the bitter cold Loess Plateau, with barren land and scanty rainfall. In the late Ming Dynasty, taxes and "extra payments" were collected on a per-mu basis, regardless of actual output. This is very difficult for Northern Shaanxi, which has a vast territory and sparsely populated areas.
It is extremely unreasonable. What is most intolerable to the local people is that northern Shaanxi is originally located inland, and residents rely on farming to make a living. There is basically no industry and commerce, but the government's various "extra jobs" only accept money. No food.
This is equivalent to an additional burden on farmers.
In addition, endless corvee work and various raids caused farmers to flee in large numbers. In order to "complete the food supply", the government stipulated that if one household fled, the other nine households would make up for it, and if nine households fled, the other one would make up for it. Therefore, for those who did not want to sit still,
For the farmers who were waiting to die, there was only one option left, which was to flee the entire village.
In the second year of Chongzhen, Maocai, a man from Yan'an, recorded in detail the tragic situation of drought, no rain, people displaced, and mourning everywhere in the "Bei Chen Great Famine":
In Yan'an Prefecture, Chen's hometown, there has been no rain since last year, and the grass and trees are withered and scorched. During the first month of the year, people compete to collect grass from the mountains and eat it. Its grains are like bran bark, and its taste is bitter and astringent. It can only be eaten after a long period of time.
After ten months, if the bark is gone, peel off the bark and eat it. Of all the trees, the elm tree is the worst. Mixing the bark of other trees for food can also slow down its death. At the end of the year, if the bark is gone, then there will be another
They dig up stones from the mountains and eat them. The stones are called Qingye, and they taste fishy and greasy. If they eat little, they will feel full. Within a few days, they will have abdominal distension and fall down and die. People are not willing to eat stones and die. They gather together to steal... and even those who find something are unaware of it.
Afraid, he said: "Death from hunger is the same as death from robbers!" Instead of dying of hunger while sitting down, how can one die for robbers and become a satiated ghost?
This heartbreaking memorial from an ancient official is still shocking to read today. The words of the hungry people three hundred years ago were direct, heartfelt, and closer to the truth than the articles published by dozens of scholars in later generations in core journals. Because according to the "law of blood reward"
.Since the "risk coefficient" of "death by hunger" and "death by stealing" are the same, then according to the principle of "maximizing interests", of course you should choose "death by stealing", because "stealing" can at least eat enough
Go to hell.
This conscientious official continued to write in his memorial: The most pitiable people, such as the Yicheng area west of Ansai City, will abandon one or two babies there every day. Some cry, some call their parents, some
Those who eat their excrement. By the next morning, the abandoned children have no life left, and there are abandoned children. What’s more strange is that children and those who walk alone have disappeared as soon as they leave the city. When they see the people outside the door later,
Cooking human bones for fuel and cooking human flesh for food, until everyone in front of them is eaten. And those who cannibalize will die in a few days with red and swollen eyes and internal heat. Then the deceased's pillow is covered with odor and the smell is suffocating.
Tian. Several pits were dug outside the county town, each pit could accommodate hundreds of people, to cover their remains. When I arrived, more than three pits were full, and I don't know how many there were that could not be covered several miles away.
Ma Maocai used the words "the most pitiable" and "the even more deplorable" to illustrate the tragic scene of bones and cannibalism at that time. The place where this tragedy occurred, "Ansai", was the ancestral home of the early peasant leader Gao Yingxiang.
At the same time, we can also see that although the famine was caused by drought, as long as we are willing to provide relief, there is nothing we can do. "Gathering together to steal" just means that there is something to steal, otherwise what is the use of "gathering together"? What if the government can "gather together to steal"
The damage caused by natural disasters could have been minimized. But what did they do?
...Some officials are afraid of the strictness of the law and have to punish them severely. If there are only one or two people in a household, these one or two people will inevitably be made to pay for the money and food of each household; if there are only one or two households in a family, these one or two households will be forced to pay.
Compensate with one armor of money and food. Wait for it, and it is the same for every mile and county. Now the people can only run away with hatred and drift to different places. Flee here to that place, and there to flee here again. Turn around and flee from each other.
He turned into a thief, which is why the thief spread all over the Qin Dynasty.
As soon as there is a "rebellion", the blame will be too high. The Ming court not only did not find any way to help, but instead levied three kinds of rates (Liao rate, suppression rate, and Lian rate) continuously. In addition to the Ming levy, there were "private factions" and "private factions".
In addition, there was "fire consumption", which left the people in poverty and lost all their wealth. At this time, Li Zicheng's "three-year tax exemption", "buy and sell at the same level", and open warehouses to provide disaster relief greatly won the hearts of the Central Plains.
Therefore, in essence, instead of calling the peasant army the "peasant revolutionary army", "volunteers" or "thieves", "bandits", "bandits" and "robbers", it is better to just call them "hungry people"
It is closer to the truth. Of course, "hungry people" are not a source of pride, but they are not inherently shameful; grabbing grain (the peasant army itself calls it "grain raiding") is certainly not an honor, but when various ways of making a living through honest labor are eliminated
After a blockade, grabbing food is almost a blameless feat, at least no more shameless than those who take food from other people's bowls.
In other words, the purpose of the hungry people's "rebellion" is not to be loyal to a certain person or a certain "ism", but to be loyal to their own stomach. Simply put, it is to treat guests to a meal.
There is an interesting phenomenon in the peasant uprising in the late Ming Dynasty, that is, almost all the leaders of the rebel army had the experience of recruiting troops and surrendering. A rebellious man like Zhang Xianzhong was also officially promoted in the 11th year of Chongzhen, and accepted the lieutenant general given to him by Xiong Wencan.
Title. When a patrol censor named Lin Mingqiu came to Gucheng, Zhang immediately knelt down and bowed to him in accordance with official etiquette.
When historians deal with this piece of history, they either pretend not to know - and if they can't get around it, they say it's a "strategy"; or they say it's the "dual nature of the peasant class". In fact, this just explains the nature of these uprisings.
None of the peasant leaders, including Li Zicheng, truly rebelled. At least at the beginning of the uprising, none of them thought about "replacing" them. (To be continued...)