On March 18, the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, the sky was covered with yellow sand, the ground was blown by a whirlwind, and there was a thunderstorm. This is the last day of the splendid mountains and rivers in the Ming Dynasty for nearly 300 years, and it is also Li Zicheng? Forty Days Dynasty in Beijing? The day before the start.
Li Zicheng came and stormed Beijing, and the outer city of Beijing was captured immediately. Soon the inner city also fell, and people fled in fear. Emperor Chongzhen, in grief and indignation, slaughtered the harem of the whole family and hanged himself in Jingshan.
On March 22, someone found the body of Chongzhen in Jingshan, and found a suicide note from his body, which read:
I am cool and modest, and my work has been criticized, but all the ministers have misunderstood me. I'm ashamed to see my ancestors when I'm dead, and I have to go to the crown to cover my face. Let the thieves split up and no one will get hurt. ?
Judging from the suicide note, how angry, resentful and hateful Chongzhen was to his ministers when he died.
Chongzhen was martyred, Li Zicheng entered the city, and regime changed. What will the people in Beijing choose? Are those officials really disloyal and unfilial as Chongzhen said? Later, Li Zicheng lived in Beijing for only forty days and then fled. What happened?
People: change the dynasty and live as usual.
Disaster came, they flew separately, and the city fell into panic and chaos. Officials and people all don't know if invading the city will kill people, so they all fled separately. But soon, because of two letters from the army, people began to stabilize.
One is a letter to the people of Beijing, to the people of this city.
"Ming Ji Bei lue" records:? Don't be dismayed when I come to your people. You must write the word docile subjects on yellow paper, stick them on your forehead and on the door, that is, don't kill them. ?
What do you mean? In other words, our Dashun Army is here to protect the people. Don't panic, just write it on yellow paper? Shunmin? Two words, stick it on your forehead and stick it on the door frame, and you will be saved.
How did people react?
At that time, Zhao, the foreign minister of Daming Ministry of Industry, sent us back the frontline reports he saw when he fled more than 300 years ago.
At Jiaojiaqiao, the guns suddenly fell silent. Seeing the defenders in the city scurrying about like flies, they rolled towards the gate. Give the donkey a standing position. There are two or three hundred men and women from the west. Yun: I have already gone to town. Later, two or three hundred people came. Cloud:? All right, all right, stop killing people!
Quick attachment? Shunmin? The words are at the door! ? Will people find yellow paper, red paper and all the books? Shunmin? Two words, glued to the door. After a while, another incense table was set up, and a yellow paper and a book were posted? Long live Emperor Dashun Yongchang! Hooray! ?
Thieves and soldiers all wear white hats, Tsing Yi, and the royal armor carries an arrow, with a penetrating title. People are closed. If there are pedestrians, avoid the roadside and don't quarrel with each other. There was silence, only the sound between armour and horse. In the afternoon, people posted it? Shunmin? The words on the hat run back and forth as before. ?
Breaking into the army not only kept its promise and never killed anyone, but also had serious military discipline. "Guoque" records that at that time? Two thieves ransacked the silk shop and found it in the market. The public is happy to announce it, and the security is still the same? . Two soldiers who broke into the army were also executed in the street for robbing shops, which is an example.
You see, at this time, on the surface, we seem to have broken away from bandits, kept our promises, and had strict military discipline. Is it the teacher of king, victory and benevolence?
It doesn't matter to the people who is the emperor. The important thing is that I have a good life. The invasion of China and the execution of robbers obviously gave the people a reassurance, and then the people happily told each other that life could go on as usual and they could continue to fry shredded potatoes when they went home.
Senior Minister Daming: At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, we should strive for the first place.
Another imperial edict was addressed to Beijing officials. In a letter to Beijing officials, it wrote:
"Ming Ji Bei lue" records? According to greatness and innovation, you should respect heaven as soon as possible, and all the ministers respect each other. Hundreds of officials of the former government in Beijing should register for inspection as soon as possible; Don't want to be an official, just let it be;
Willing to be an official, just like before. If resistance fails, it will be dealt with on a large scale. Hide in the house and sit together. Yang each according to the new purport, * * * to expand the empire. It is better to visit first than to choose later. ?
It probably means that the dynasty is changing now, and Dashun Dynasty needs talents now. If former officials want to be new officials, they should report as soon as possible, on a first-come-first-served basis.
How did the officials react?
According to historical records, there were many people applying for officials at that time, so they were beaten with sticks by the long class of gatekeepers. Get up early and be greedy for the dark, the door is open, sit open, thieves fight for shame, and there is no food every day. There is a cloud: although I am hungry, I am very happy. ?
Officials got up early and rushed to Chengtianmen to queue up. Because there were so many people, they had to use long sticks to drive away the soldiers who broke into the army to maintain order. Before the gate was opened, these people sat on the open ground. The soldiers who broke into the army looked down on these people, deliberately made things difficult and insulted them, and refused to eat. With such treatment, some people say: although hungry, but very happy. ?
Such a scene, in fact, as early as the day before, Li Zicheng has already come into view. Originally, on March 20th, the day after the fall of Beijing, Li Zicheng found three sons of Chongzhen from eunuchs. When talking to Li Zicheng, the prince said,? Civil and military officials are the most meaningless. They will come to Korea tomorrow. ?
Sure enough, the prince was right. There were more than 1300 people when the votes were counted. Seeing this, even Li Zicheng, who had already prepared, was surprised. Zi Cheng sighed: This generation is unjust, and the world is safe! ?
Let Li Zicheng angry and laughing is yet to come.
On March 23, we began to count the surrendered officials and found several officials with shaved heads. These officials had intended to run for their lives disguised as monks, but when they heard that Li Zicheng was going to surrender, they had the cheek to report back.
King Chuang traveled all over the country, seeing thick-skinned, never seeing such a thick one, which really pissed Li Zicheng off.
Li Zicheng asked his men to pull out all the remaining armpit hair, pubic hair and leg hair from these people before scolding them? Now that it's shaved, why sign up? ? Then he turned to Liu Zongmin and Niu Jinxing around him and said: Every official is loyal to the city when it breaks the sun. If parents with physical problems dare not hurt or get a haircut, they are disloyal and unfilial. What if they keep him? ?
This is a disgrace to the Ming Dynasty. If Emperor Chongzhen saw this scene, he would probably be so angry that he would be resurrected and then scold. Bah, you shameless bitch? .
When the people mutinied, no one had anything to say. But the officials are all Daming elites who eat the wealth of the monarch. The country has trained scholars for 300 years, and the education of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism has grown from childhood to adulthood. On weekdays, I never leave my country and my loyalty to the monarch. How can it be so embarrassing at a critical moment?
We can get a glimpse of the hearts of these officials from the narrative of the other side. At that time, Gao Gu, a celebrity of Fushe, was in Beijing. He recorded the performance of four Wuxi officials with the story of a seat.
On March 20th, the academician bachelor came to the apartment of Master Wang of Neo-Confucianism and said tearfully:
It is known that Chongzhen is deep, but the country is ruined, and it is really self-inflicted. I will donate my life to be a martyr, otherwise, I will escape and reward my wealth, and my feelings will be unbearable. what can I do? ?
Sun Hui said? At the beginning of the founding of the people's Republic of China, we should fight for it. ? Yusen said: It suits me very well. ? So I signed up with the thief.
Obviously, judging from the dialogue with Wang, Chongzhen's national subjugation was his own crime and deserved it. It is unreasonable to die for such an emperor. For such an emperor, it is heartless to give up prosperity to resist.
These words may be an excuse for these people to be afraid of death and greed for glory. However, judging from the mutual accusations of Chongzhen, the relationship between them is very tense, and their trust and concern are gone. So the best choice at this time, of course, is not to die, nor to escape, but to surrender and continue to be an official.
So, Wang and I rushed to register and met another Wuxi person on the way. Zhang Qi, director of does, said:
Zhang Qi surrendered without saying anything. Qi said? I can still dance with the dust without abandoning our old friends. ?
Zhang Qi is probably getting old, which means don't leave home. I'm fine. I can dance.
So the three men walked on, and suddenly they saw the fourth man, Qin Hao, the minister of the Ministry of War.
Emergency call and language. Hey:? I have made up my mind for a long time. I don't care about comrades, I'll make things public, and I'll have no help in my official career. Besides, Uncle Zhao is very close to others. ? Shake hands and make peace, laugh and go forward.
Yusen Zhao is Qin Xun's uncle. Seeing his uncle and two other villagers go for money together, he was very happy, and his guilt and doubts vanished at once.
Don't worry, the story of these four people is not over yet.
Sun Hui's unique performance surprised all three of them. ?
I didn't expect Wang to be a good chess player. She prepared a flattering statement in advance and kept it a secret. Zhao and Qin couldn't help being indignant.
Thanks to Zhang Qi's persuasion: Don't hurt the same spirit with a little doubt. ?
So, Zhao and Qin Dou didn't say anything. ?
Wang's performance table, however, took a lot of effort, and there is a very beautiful compliment: now that Yanbei has returned, Gonghe Mountain has collected it properly; Jiangnan, when Luo children owe. ? Li Zicheng saw it and was very satisfied.
You see, surrender must stand out from the crowd in order to be appreciated by the new leaders.
Li Zicheng was not surprised that the four people who came to surrender were ordinary officials. But what surprised Li Zicheng most was Wei Zaode, the cabinet minister and records of Chongzhen. "Pingkouzhi" recorded the encounter between Wei Zaode and Li Zicheng:
Call Wei Zaode first and kowtow on your knees. From its own side:? If you are favored, why don't you die? ?
Zhao De cried: Can you die if you seek utility? ?
Self-control, Venus laughs. Zhao De bowed his head and gave it a try, and waved himself.
Wei Zaode, who was full of loyalty, benevolence and filial piety before, refused to let Chongzhen go south. But this time I met Li Zicheng with this face again. Li Zicheng was curious and asked him: Chongzhen is so kind to you, why don't you die? ? Wei Zaode's answer is also very direct: I want to work for you. How could I die? ? Li Zicheng's smile, meaning is too rich, with contempt, ridicule and teasing.
Obviously, Li Zicheng actually despises these defected Ming officials, but out of practical needs, he needs to organize an administrative team as soon as possible. The quickest way is of course to choose among former officials.
New official of Dashun: Stop being a mortal and draw a clear line with the old dynasty.
What will happen to these lucky people who have been arranged for official positions?
At this moment, an interesting thing happened. A large group of officials rushed to the troupe to buy costumes. The price of clothing soared instantly, and a singing hat cost three or four taels of silver.
Strange, and an official, why do you want to snap up ancient costumes?
Ha ha. It turned out that when the invading army first entered the city, these officials were afraid that the official uniforms would be exposed and lead to death, so they destroyed all the official uniforms. Later, I heard that Li Zicheng was going to become an official, and I regretted it, so I crammed for clothes in the troupe.
There is no doubt that these people are happy to become officials of the new dynasty.
"Pingkouzhi" records? The newly granted puppet officials all embroidered clothes and greeted guests with red thorns, crisscrossing the road. ?
There is also a man named Yang who, after being appointed, happily said to his family: I will die at this time tomorrow. ? He got one for it? Not mortal? Nickname.
Besides being eager to be an official, officials in the Shun Dynasty have one more thing to do, and that is to draw a clear line with the old dynasty.
On March 23rd, the bodies of Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou were bound and placed in a buddhist nun in Donghuamen. Li Zicheng allowed the old ministers of the Ming Dynasty to bid farewell to the remains.
Is it recorded in Little Knowledge of the Emperor? The minister cried and worshipped 30 people, worshipped and wept 60 people, and the rest were punished. ?
Crying goodbye? , said there are still the dead; ? Worship without crying? , it is not willing to end up ungrateful, but also afraid of offending the new ruler and getting burned; Proud, that is, looking sideways, of course, it is clear that it is necessary to make a clean break with the old master.
How many Beijing officials were there in the Ming Dynasty?
When the army called the roll. About 4000 people stood outside the noon gate wearing 100 officials' prison uniforms. ? It can be seen that the number of officials in Beijing should be more than 4,000, and only 30 people dare to admit their loyalty to Chongzhen. Only 60 people dare to admit that they are old ministers of Chongzhen, and others should draw a clear line with Chongzhen.
Of course, this is not to say that there are no loyal ministers who died in the capital, but only a few. Some officials fled Beijing, but most people surrendered.
Surrender, when you are a good citizen, can you let them sing and dance and continue to rinse mutton hotpot?
What happened later proved that the people and these officials were too naive.
The rivers and mountains may change, but not one's essential nature You are not welcome in Beijing.
When the invading army entered the city, it was really like a teacher of benevolence and righteousness, and the military discipline was purged, which reminded people of the situation that Zhu Yuanzhang led the peasant army into Nanjing about 300 years ago. Unfortunately, Li Zicheng was not Zhu Yuanzhang, nor was the invading army the Red Scarf Army.
Why did Zhu Yuanzhang gain a firm foothold in Nanjing, while Li Zicheng was about to be defeated and flee after only forty days, and saw the gap within a few hours of entering the city? In the lust of dogs and horses, in the temptation of gold and silver jewelry, Pojun's discipline suddenly collapsed, and rogue temperament broke out irresistibly.
The first thing I feel cheated is the city people. Let's look at the live report of Zhao Jinshi 300 years ago:
During the day, the people still don't know how to suffer. At night, in case there are spies, the cavalry will intercept them in the name of the neighborhood. Soldiers broke into houses, plundered gold and silver and raped women. People began to suffer. All night.
There is a similar record in Ming Ji Bei lue:? Thieves and soldiers first entered the house, saying? Can I borrow a pot? . What's the matter, Yue? Borrow a bed to sleep? . Damn it. Keep your wife, daughter and sisters company? One night in Anfu Hutong, more than 370 women died. ?
There are also historical records that soldiers who violate discipline take civilian women to the city wall to rape them, fearing that passing generals will find out that they are responsible, and then throw women off the city wall.
Ha ha. The tall image of the army's kind teacher only lasted less than a day. During the day, Beijing residents were so happy and naive that they thought they could live a good life, but at night, soldiers who broke into houses began to rob women and gold, and then the people woke up. Everything they see during the day is an illusion.
Liu Zongmin, the supreme general of the army, took the lead in corrupting military discipline.
The aforementioned Zhao unfortunately did not escape from the city, but was caught, which gave him a chance to witness what he had done.
He recorded in the Chronicle: On March 20th, he married a young woman in front of Zongmin's house, and dozens of beautiful and gorgeous women joined a nation. ?
What happened to the obedient officials? Hehe, they are worse than one.
After entering the city, Yan Li, the core figure of the invading army, gave Li Zicheng an idea, one of which was a memorial service. To put it bluntly, it is money, but who is rich? Of course, officials, princes and princes will be appointed.
This pursuit is not blind, but has a minimum standard. Cabinet ministers need 1 00000 yuan, Ministry of Industry officials, Jingtang, Jinyi and handprints need 70000 yuan, Ministry of Science and Technology officials need 50000 yuan, Ministry of Industry officials need 20000 yuan, Hanlin needs10000 yuan, and Cao Department needs several thousand yuan, but there is no upper limit for royalty and honor.
The way to remember is to call if you don't give it or call if you don't give it. Wei Zaode, the record was beaten to pieces and handed over thirteen thousand taels.
Yan Li, who made meritorious service, sealed up the mansion of Zhou Kui, the father-in-law of Chongzhen, and forced Zhou Kui to pay the money, which Zhou Kui gave to102,000 at a time. Yan Li said that you are a state official, you are stingy and disloyal, and then you were tortured, and Zhou Kui took out102,000 yuan. Later, I branded it with a soldering iron once, and I added 10 thousand yuan. Finally, I was burned out and took out 402 thousand. Zhou * * * took out 602 thousand yuan, plus countless rare antiques.
However, when it comes to torture, Yan Li is dwarfed by Liu Zongmin.
Zhao said to him: daily gold and silver wine vessels? The clothes were sent to Liu Zongmin's office, and there were piles of clothes in the hall. Gold and silver are collected and stored in two places. The cart is loaded with clothes and is as high as the house. ?
On April 7th, Li Zicheng went to discuss this matter with Liu Zongmin, and witnessed hundreds of people being tortured and some dying. By the eighth day of April, Liu Zongmin alone had extorted10000000 taels of silver from the princes and ministers, and other intruders finally recovered 700000000 taels of silver.
According to the calculation that 1 2 silver is exchanged for 200 yuan RMB, the invading army forcibly plundered the property equivalent to1400 million RMB in Beijing with harsh violence, which is simply astronomical.
In fact, seeing the lax military discipline, Li Zicheng tried to stop it. As a result, the soldiers were in an uproar and said, the emperor asked you to do it, but the gold and silver women refused? ? And open the floodgates of general Liu Zongmin is unconvinced that Li Zicheng is the emperor, saying? He and I are thieves. Why should we worship him? ?
After all, Li Zicheng is not ready. He has no absolute authority in the army and can't restrain his subordinates at all. He doesn't deserve to take over the world. It's like a poor diaosi who suddenly won the lottery of 654.38 billion yuan, but he can't hold it and will lose sooner or later.
Sure enough, on April 2 1 day, Li Zicheng led a great army to resist Shanhaiguan and fought a decisive battle with the allied forces of Manchu and Wu Sangui. As a result, I was defeated and fled back to Beijing in a mess. On April 29th, Li Zicheng hastily proclaimed himself emperor in Wuying Hall of the Forbidden City, and then became emperor for only a few hours, then fled Beijing in a hurry that night.
However, when the invaders were defeated, their temperament remained the same.
"Ming Ji Bei lue" records:? The thief set fire to the palace first, and so did the private house. Thieves flying horses kill people, and the people suffocate the alley with their beds, or guard the alley and highlight it. In a short time, a fire broke out on the ninth floor outside the city. The thief was unable to leave and died at dusk.
Soon, the soldiers rushed out of the front door, leaving thousands of disabled soldiers and setting fire to the house. At dawn on the 30th, the palace and ancestral temple were burned down, leaving only the Wuying Hall, and countless maids escaped. There are still important artifacts in ouchi, and the rogue king took them from the simmering fire. At noon, Jiumen also caught fire, leaving only Daming Gate and Zhengyang Gate, and the area around Jiangmi Lane was not burned, leaving a back road for thieves. Before he came out, he knew that he was killed by the people, with more than 2,000 people. ?
Obviously, did you break into the army? I left quietly, without taking away a cloud? Instead, we set fires everywhere and didn't want to leave what we couldn't get to others. Typical rogue and bandit mentality, Beijingers are also very rude. They besieged and defeated the army, killing more than 2000 people.
Alas, Li Zicheng overthrew the Ming Dynasty, and the indifference and lack of attachment of the people and officials to the downfall of the Ming Dynasty does not mean that the invading army led by Li Zicheng is a suitable substitute.
Finally, Beijing told Li Zicheng that you don't deserve it, and Beijing doesn't welcome you. can you hurry up a little ? Get out? All right. Watch him rise from Zhu Lou, watch him entertain guests, and watch his building collapse! Li Zicheng? Forty days dynasty? , its prosperity is also rich, and its death is also sudden.
Four days later, on May 3, the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, Dorset, Regent of the Qing Dynasty, entered Beijing, and the capital welcomed a new owner, who lived for nearly 300 years.