Wu Sangui led the Qing soldiers into the customs, and Li Zicheng took the lead and won every battle, claiming the title of Beijing. However, in the Shanhaiguan War, he was defeated by the Qing soldiers and lost again and again, and finally died in Jiugong Mountain.

Why did Li Zicheng, with his battle-hardened soldiers and many war generals, be completely annihilated in Shanhaiguan World War I?

1, the composition of Li Zicheng Dashun Army.

Li Zicheng used to be a messenger. In the second year of Chongzhen, Liu Mao, a military adviser, wrote that the abolition of post stations could "save hundreds of thousands a year", and this suggestion was echoed by Mao, an ancient Taoist priest in Yunnan. As a result, a large number of couriers lost their jobs and were incited by deserters who defeated the Qing army. "Gathering together is a thief, and all Shaanxi is better than soil." This was the composition of the army at the beginning of the Li Zicheng Uprising.

In the first year of Chongzhen, Ma Maocai, the deputy governor of Huguang, wrote a letter about the famine in Guizhou and Huguang, saying that "digging grass roots to eat", "picking white stones" to satisfy hunger, and "the father abandoned his son and married". The hungry people in Shaanxi fought for grass, but when they ate all the grass, they skinned it and ate it all. The hungry people finally gathered as thieves, which was an important source of soldiers gathered after the Li Zicheng uprising.

After Yuan Chonghuan killed Mao, Qing soldiers went to Beijing. Chongzhen ordered the four sides to help the king of Qin, Baoding soldiers were defeated first, deserters and hungry people merged to "gather mountains", and active soldiers of the Ming army colluded with the hungry people. Since then, a large number of fleeing border soldiers have gathered into thieves, especially the soldiers in the Deng Lai mutiny, which is another important source of troops for Li Zicheng.

When Li Zicheng proclaimed himself emperor in Ann and led troops to Beijing, Zhang Xiong, commander of Huaiqing Ming Army, Bian Jiang, company commander of Western Union in Ji Town, Tang Tong, Zhen Taishou Qiu and others led the troops to surrender and join Li Zicheng. Postmen, refugees, mutinous soldiers and deserters were the main sources of Dashun Army led by Li Zicheng before Shanhaiguan War.

2. Who is stronger, Ning Guan Tieqi or Dashun Army?

In front of Shanhaiguan, Wu Sangui's Ning Guan fighters fought fiercely with Dashun Army. At this time, the main force of the Qing army will do nothing. Unlike Dashun Army, Ning Guan Tieqi has always been the most elite army in Ming Dynasty. Soldiers are mainly composed of "people who are close to Hebei, Shanxi and Liaoyang, who control strings and practice warfare", which determines that their combat effectiveness is much higher than that of Dashun Army.

The biggest problem of Ning Guan soldiers is that there are less than10,000 soldiers at the peak. Wu Sangui's number is only 3,000 to 5,000. How many men and horses were there in Dashun before entering the customs? Historical materials have different opinions, ranging from 800,000 to 1 10,000. In a word, it is far more than Wu Sangui's Ning Guan fighters. The era of cold weapons determines the outcome of the war, and the number of people still plays a decisive role.

Therefore, in terms of personal combat capability and accomplishment, Ning Guan Tieqi is undoubtedly better, but the gap in numbers is fatal. Dashun Army has 1000 people or even1000 people for you. The so-called hero is difficult to defeat four hands. In history, Ning Guan fighters fought fiercely with Dashun Army for one day, and Wu Sangui's army could not support it. At this point, the Qing army took advantage of the fisherman.

There are less than 10,000 soldiers, and the world is invincible.

Nvzhen soldier, the ancestor of the Qing army, won high praise: the number of soldiers is less than 10 thousand, and the whole staff is invincible in the world. Although many people think that this kind of evaluation is too praise, it is precisely the reason why Liao, who lost the battle with Jurchen, moved here to cover up the decline in combat effectiveness. However, the Eight Banners Army is brave and good at fighting, especially its amazing riding and shooting ability, which is hereditary.

After losing the strategic initiative, the Ming army was in a passive defense situation. After Levin, successive Liaodong military strategists faced more losses than victories. Military incompetence needs a good reason to get rid of it, so the myth of the invincibility of the Qing army came out, which became a well-known evil force in the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, when Li Zicheng's Dashun Army was about to defeat Ning Guan's fighters, the Qing soldiers marched on the battlefield, and Li Zicheng's first reaction was: The Qing soldiers came! "Avoid when you are in a hurry", the important thing is to escape first. The Qing soldiers are "invincible wherever they go." In addition, Liu Zongmin, commander of Dashun Army, was shot by a flowing arrow, seriously injured and unable to command, and Dashun Army was defeated.

4. The main reason of Li Zicheng's failure.

Li Zicheng failed in Shanhaiguan World War I, mainly because:

1. Although Dashun Army has a large number, its core strength is mainly messengers, refugees and mutineers. The Ming army that surrendered in the later period was only forced by the war. As a stopgap measure, it is not excluded that there are people who make up for it. This kind of soldier's quality and fighting capacity can't be compared with Ning Guan's fighters and the Eight Banners Army.

Second, the Qing army defeated Li Zicheng in strategy and tactics. At first, we stayed put, and let Wu Sangui's Ning Guan fighters and Dashun troops fight a war of attrition, and the crane and mussel fought each other, and the fisherman benefited. Both armies were exhausted, defeated Dashun Army in one fell swoop, and tied Wu Sangui to the chariot of the Qing army at the same time, unable to break free.

Third, Li Zicheng defeated the Qing army tactically. The battle of Shanhaiguan began with a stone. Li Zicheng, like Levin of Salhu, was divided into more than 10,000 men and was defeated by Wu Sangui and the Qing army. Fighting again the next day, Dashun Army has lost the initiative. The Qing soldiers went out, and because there was no reserve team as a subsequent party, they had to flee like a frightened bird.

Fourth, the most important point is: after Li Zicheng captured Beijing, he had no strategic thinking at all, whether copying officials to help pay or conniving at his men to kill and plunder the capital. Until he tolerated Liu Zongmin's occupation of Chen Yuanyuan and forced Wu Sangui to become a beauty, Li Zicheng never changed his habit of being a rogue, but was only prepared to conquer the world, and had no intention of sitting on the ground.

Bewitched by Niu Jinxing and others, he didn't listen to Yan Li's advice and killed Yan Li. He was so busy grabbing treasures that he proclaimed himself emperor, and Li Zicheng lost all the people's hearts. This is also the main reason why Wu Sangui "would rather be a foreign enemy than an internal thief".