In the fifteenth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Taiji of the Manchu Qing Dynasty repeatedly sent envoys to negotiate peace with the Ming court due to the needs of internal and external situations. Chen Xinjia, Minister of the Ministry of War, reported to Emperor Chongzhen. Emperor Chongzhen ordered Xinjia to secretly map the situation due to the defeat of Songshan.
In April of the 15th year of Chongzhen, Ma Shaoyu was ordered to go there. In June, Ma Shaoyu returned to Beijing and wrote to Emperor Chongzhen of the Qing Dynasty, promising to negotiate equal terms of exchange, currency, and boundary matters, and to send secret documents of the peace terms to Xinjia. Xinjia went to the DPRK but did not collect the secret documents. .The boy in the family mistook it for the Tang newspaper and copied it. As a result, the roads and departments were attacked and the roads were in an uproar.
Emperor Chongzhen ordered Chen Xinjia to be imprisoned. Chen Xinjia did not plead guilty and instead claimed his merits. Emperor Chongzhen then executed Chen Xinjia. The peace talks were abandoned from then on.
On April 29, the 15th year of Chongzhen, the Qing soldiers captured Tashan. At that time, Ma Shaoyu, a doctor in the Ministry of War, was stationed at Tashan, waiting for orders from the court to discuss peace. He sent people to tell the Qing soldiers not to attack, but the Qing soldiers refused to listen. Chapter 543 Chongzhen Together with Wu Sangui, they captured Tashan City. None of the soldiers or civilians in the city surrendered to the Qing Dynasty.
Since the Songjin War, Emperor Chongzhen has been really restless, unable to sleep or eat.
After the failure of the Battle of Songjin, his heart became cold. His hopes and sustenance all turned into bubbles, disappeared, and scattered with the failure of this battle. He did not understand why the foundation created by his ancestors , in his hands, it will be so precarious and turbulent. Could it be that this is fate?
He is not yet thirty-five years old. But for a long time, in order to support the shaky country and prevent the Ming Dynasty's extremely tyrannical regime from being destroyed, he also wanted to revive. He himself became the "Lord of the Renaissance."
Therefore, he struggled desperately and was in a melancholy mood. His fair cheeks now looked pale and haggard under a few palace lanterns. There were already a few deep crow's feet in the corners of his eyes, and the eye sockets were also a little dark.
When his grandfather and brother were emperors, they did not go to court for a whole year, did not read the memorials of the ministers, and left all military and state affairs to the eunuchs.
However, Chongzhen was different. After he succeeded to the throne, he tried his best to correct this shortcoming and did everything himself. But what puzzled him was that the more he tried to work hard, the more it seemed that he was wasting his efforts and achieving nothing. The situation in the country was particularly 500 Chapter 43: Chongzhen and Wu Sangui were in dire straits, the order was in chaos, and all kinds of documents delivered every day fell on the imperial case like snowflakes.
Because there were too many documents, he was afraid that he would not be able to read them clearly and miss important ones. He adopted the method used in the Song Dynasty and asked the General Secretary to write out the matters on yellow paper when receiving the documents and stick them on the front. This is called "Yin Huang" , then use yellow paper to write out the summary of the content and stick it on the back, which is called "sticking yellow".
In this way, when he reads the document, he can first read the "introducing yellow" and "posting yellow", and review and approve the important ones in detail, and there is no need to read the full text of the minor ones.
However, military intelligence reports and Tang reports were delivered as they came, and there was no "drawing out" or "advertising". So even though he adopted this method, he still had endless paperwork to deal with every day, and he often went to bed after the third watch. It's time to reach the sky.
Sometimes he felt really tired, so he would ask the eunuch who was writing to read the memorials and newspapers to him and draft an edict for him.
However, Chongzhen was naturally "petty" and prone to suspicion, and unlike his grandfather and brother, he did not have absolute doting on eunuchs.
He often suspected that the eunuchs would collude with the courtiers to deceive him, so sometimes after taking a short rest, he would still work hard to review documents and formulate decrees in person.
A few days ago, he had just received Wu Sangui's Tangbao and Zhang Ruolin's memorial. He learned that Hong Chengchou was trapped in Songshan and that Wu Sangui and others had escaped from the siege and retreated to Ningyuan. His mood was particularly heavy. Hong Chengchou originally led the army to suppress Li Zicheng. In order to In order to rescue the siege of Jinzhou, he transferred him out with great hope, and handed him over to him along with 130,000 troops in the eight towns. For Chongzhen, he had already devoted all his efforts to rescue the crisis in the northern portal, but , Hong Chengchou was trapped in Songshan, and Wu Sangui and others retreated. Half of his 130,000 troops and horses seemed to have been defeated!
Unexpectedly, just a few days later, he received a report: Songshan missed, Zu Dashou led his troops to surrender, and Hong Chengchou was captured.
He got the news before lunch. When the eunuch read the memorial to him, he was disappointed and angry. His face became even paler, his mind was confused, and he could hardly hold on. He stamped his feet repeatedly and only said, "Hi! Hi! Hi!" Then he closed his eyes and shed tears.
He had never cried like this in the Palace of Qianqing. For a moment, the eunuchs and maids were frightened. The prominent ones knelt on the ground to persuade him, while the humble ones stood outside the curtains and under the eaves holding their breath.
Chongzhen cried for a while, and Wang Dehua, the eunuch of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, also ran over after hearing the news and knelt in front of him to persuade him. After a while, Chongzhen stopped crying and stopped eating lunch. He walked to Fengxian Hall and knelt before the Wanli Divine Master. I cried again before.
After hearing the news, Queen Zhou hurriedly summoned Concubine Yuan, Prince Yong, and King Ding to Kunning Palace and led them to Fengxian Palace. They all knelt outside the door. Queen Zhou cried: "Your Majesty, don't be too sad! What if? You have harmed the Holy Body, the country, and who are the people entrusted to? Invite your Majesty to a meal!"
Concubine Yuan, Prince Yong, and Prince Ding were also crying outside the door. Seeing the emperor's family crying non-stop, the surrounding eunuchs and maids also covered their faces and started crying. For a time, there was a lot of crying inside and outside the palace, It was as if the Ming Dynasty would perish in a short time.
Chongzhen cried for a while, and stood up with the support of the eunuchs, choked with tears, and said: "The North Gate of the Ming Dynasty has almost been destroyed by the Qing soldiers. Many soldiers have sacrificed their lives for the country. Unfortunately, Hong Aiqing was captured and will definitely die to serve the country. I am crying because I am crying. Weep to the Ming Dynasty, weep to these soldiers who died for the country!"
For several days, the clouds hung low and the frost and wind were shrill. Chongzhen decided to set up a large altar for the dead soldiers and Hong Chengchou. To express his grief, the emperor, who never left the court for no reason, actually announced that he would withdraw from the court for three days and gave the altar ten days. Six; he also called Wang Dehua and ordered: "I order you to quickly build a special shrine outside the capital, and list the soldiers who died in the Songjin Battle in the shrine. The people of Qiu will look up to them, and the statue of Hong Chengchou will be commemorated so that future generations can look up to them. "
After Wang Dehua received his death, he immediately started to take care of it.
Unexpectedly, just one day later, a secret report was received: Hong Chengchou had surrendered to the Qing Dynasty!
This news was like a thunderbolt from the blue, shocking Chongzhen half to death! For a long time, he sat dumbfounded in front of the imperial case, unaware, until the eunuch next to him softly shouted twice: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! "
Chongzhen's mind gradually turned around and he thought to himself: What's going on? What was reported just now? He frowned and suddenly understood the fact: Hong Chengchou, the minister he trusted so much, had surrendered to the Qing Dynasty!
Who was joking with him? Or was someone lying about the news?
After Hong Chengchou was captured, he had hoped and believed that Hong Chengchou would do his best for the country. He hoped so because he wanted Hong Chengchou to set an example for the Manchu ministers, encourage everyone to be loyal to state affairs and boost morale; he believed that this would be the case. It's because Hong Chengchou has repeatedly shown his loyalty to him since he suppressed the peasant bandits, and he also has great trust in his effectiveness in the imperial court. If Hong Chengchou is not captured and exterminated, who else will?
However, he was wrong! The facts not only gave him a loud slap in the face, but also made him laugh out loud!
Just when Hong Chengchou was promoted to an official position by Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty, and was granted a title, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen, actually stayed away from court for three days in Beijing to set up an altar to worship him! And he burst into tears!
History played a big joke on Emperor Chongzhen!
At that time, Hong Chengchou's family members were all in Beijing. Some court officials admonished his family members to be arrested and questioned. But Chongzhen shook his head. Since Hong Chengchou surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, what was the use of arresting his family members? Could it be that he, Hong Chengchou, would take pity on his wife and children and return to Chongzhen?
By his side? If Hong Chengchou loved his wife and children, he would not have thrown himself into the service of Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty! If he executed all of his family members, he would not be able to vent his hatred and would not help the situation. It would only make him look intolerable.
So Chongzhen shook his head, sighed and said, "Let them be!" He closed his eyes, looked pale and stopped talking.
However, at the same time as the defeat outside the Pass, there was also the defeat in the battle against the rogue bandits in the Central Plains.
After Hong Chengchou was transferred to take over Jin Dynasty, the main generals who led the troops to fight against Li Zicheng in the Central Plains were Zuo Liangyu, Fu Zonglong, Ding Qirui, Yang Wenyue and others.
He originally expected Zuo Liangyu to fight Li Zicheng in a decisive battle under the city of Kaifeng, leaving Li Zicheng vulnerable to enemies from both sides. Unexpectedly, Li Zicheng actually withdrew his entire division from Kaifeng. Zuo Liangyu also left Qixian and arrived at Yancheng almost at the same time as Li Zicheng, where they held a stalemate across the river.
After that, he urged Wang Qiaonian to rush from Luoyang to the vicinity of Yancheng and attack Li Zicheng together with Zuo Liangyu. This Wang Qiaonian had dug the ancestral grave of Li Zicheng's family in Shaanxi, which made Chongzhen have great hopes for his revenge. However, something unexpected happened
, Li Zicheng not only was not eliminated, but instead killed Wang Qiaonian in Xiangcheng.
Just as various unfortunate reports of military intelligence failures reached the Qianqing Palace one after another, the palace maid kept reporting: Concubine Tian was seriously ill.
Concubine Tian, the daughter of Tian Hongyu. She has been selected into the palace since she was a teenager and was deeply loved by Chongzhen. This is not only because she has a slender and graceful figure and a pink and delicate oval face;
She had a pair of passionate phoenix eyes and a small cherry mouth that could speak sweetly. Chongzhen doted on her because this Concubine Tian was not only adorable in appearance, but also because when Chongzhen was in great distress, only Concubine Tian could do it.
It alleviated some of his worries. Only Concubine Tian was the most considerate about his mood. Although he never allowed his concubine to interfere in state affairs, when he was extremely worried about state affairs, Concubine Tian would use various methods to relieve his boredom and entertain him.
He frowned. So even though there were many beauties in the palace, only Concubine Tian, a beautiful woman with deep wisdom and heart, was called the flower of interpretation. Now, this flower of beauty, fragrant and beautiful, was about to wither. How could he let him
Can you not be anxious?
State affairs and family affairs made him sad and scared. He, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was struggling in this boundless pain, suffering, sinking and falling in this endless sea of suffering.
However, what gave Chongzhen some consolation was that in the face of the Manchu and Qing armies that were waiting to watch, Ningyuan, who was hanging outside the pass, was still struggling to hold on to the crumbling defense line of the border town. The line from Ningyuan to Shanhaiguan seemed to be impregnable.
This allows him to feel at ease against the dangers coming from the north, and the brave and brave Wu Sangui can become his trustworthy support.
After Wu Sangui retreated to Ningyuan, he immediately rectified military discipline, consolidated the city, and trained troops and horses, making the isolated city of Ningyuan indestructible.
The Qing soldiers in the surrounding areas of Ningyuan had nothing to do with this isolated city. They were so angry that Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty made Huang Taiji smoke. He repeatedly sent people to persuade him to surrender with high-ranking officials and generous salaries, but Wu Sangui was not moved at all. Therefore, the isolated city of Ningyuan was like a copper wall and an iron wall.
Between Shanhaiguan and the Manchu army, although Qing Taizong was clearly aware of the principle that "if you want to capture the Central Plains, you must first capture Shanhaiguan; if you want to capture Shanhaiguan, you must capture Jinzhou first." However, although Jinzhou was broken, who could have imagined that it would stop him from capturing Shanhaiguan and then proceed to
Taking the direct road to the Central Plains is the towering Wu Sangui and his indestructible Guan Ning cavalry.
Huang Taiji's army could not approach Shanhaiguan, so he could only attack Gyeonggi via Mongolia.
Huang Taiji once again led his army to attack Beijing via Mongolia, and the capital was in danger. Chongzhen urgently summoned Wu Sangui to Beijing to devise strategies to resist the Qing Dynasty.
Although Wu Sangui had received many awards from Chongzhen, this was the first time he was summoned alone. He entered the palace with the eunuch, walked from the west side of Huangji Hall, passed through the Youshun Gate, and walked to the front of the platform. When he came to the platform, the emperor was already sitting
Waiting on the Panlong throne. Behind the throne there are eunuchs holding umbrellas and fans. There are also many eunuchs standing on both sides of the throne. Two bronze crane incense burners as tall as one person are emitting fine smoke, and the whole hall is filled with strange fragrance. Outside the hall stand solemnly.
Two rows of royal guards, the ceremonial guards in their hands shone golden in the sun.
Wu Sangui performed the usual court ceremony on Danqi, holding an ivory ceremonial wat in his hand, kneeling on the ground paved with white marble with his head lowered, waiting for questions. The eunuch ordered him to enter the palace, and he quickly got up and walked into the palace.
Salute again.
For a moment, Chongzhen didn't say anything and looked around Wu Sangui's body. Wu Sangui's majestic appearance, Kui Wu's figure, and piercing eyes gave him a good impression.
After looking at it, Chongzhen said: "Captains invaded and the capital was under martial law. You worked tirelessly to supervise and guard important places for me. I am very happy and relieved."
Wu Sangui said loudly: "Now that the country is in danger and the Lord is worried, how dare a humble minister repay His Majesty's favor without being so heartless?"
Chongzhen nodded: "In the past years, you have fought against the Qing soldiers, and you have repeatedly performed extraordinary feats. This time, the Manchu thieves attacked our Ming Dynasty again. In your opinion, what should we do?"
Wu Sangui said: "Your Majesty ordered his ministers to supervise the battle, and he will lead the battle!"
Chongzhen's face changed slightly. It turned out that recently, some ministers proposed to use appeasement strategies to reconcile with the Qing Dynasty to avoid war. Chongzhen's heart has also moved. Today, Wu Sangui is leading the battle. He couldn't help but feel contradictory again. After a long time, he said: "This
The matter is of great importance. Some ministers have said that we need to appease, but it is not my idea. After you go out, you can discuss it with Gao Qiqian and the others. If you don’t need to appease, then whether to fight or to defend, which one is better?"
"I believe that since ancient times, we have fought against the enemy, but have not kept the law. Only when we can fight can we keep our word. If we cannot fight and keep our word everywhere, the more we defend, the more we will be controlled by the enemy."
"War and defense must be balanced."
"War means defense. Today we must focus on war and defend as a supplement. Only then can we control the enemy without being controlled by him."
"You say war is the best strategy, but my troops are weak. How should we fight?"
Wu Sangui responded generously: "The reinforcements from Guan Ning, Xuan and Shanxi are no less than 50,000. In addition to the three major battalions guarding the city, there are also tens of thousands of troops arrayed in the suburbs. As long as the court is determined to fight and encourage the soldiers, the three major battalions will not be needed, and the other 50,000 will be
Reinforcements are also worthy of a battle. If the enemy's light cavalry invades and goes deep into Jifu, they must collect food locally. Your Majesty, please issue an edict: strictly order Jifu prefectures and counties to strengthen the walls and clear the fields so that the enemy has nowhere to eat; the officials who guard the land will live and die with the city.
Anyone who abandons the city and flees will be killed without mercy. The soldiers and people of Jifu have repeatedly been ravaged by captives and cavalry, and all of them are filled with righteous indignation and hatred to the bone. As long as the imperial court gives a little encouragement, they will definitely share the same hatred of the enemy and deal with the outside world!"
Finally, Chongzhen gave Wu Sangui mango jade jewelry and Shang Fang's sword, and he became a royal general. From then on, Wu Sangui became Chongzhen's last cavalry that could be trusted and used to fight!!!!