Seek the last guilt of Emperor Chongzhen.
Emperor Chongzhen (1610-1644), the king of national subjugation in the late Ming Dynasty, issued six imperial edicts against himself in his life, which is undoubtedly an extremely embarrassing and shameful thing for a Chinese emperor and a world ruler, especially for such a headstrong Chongzhen. But he not only blamed himself and even bring disgrace to oneself, but also became one of the emperors who issued the most imperial edicts on crimes in the history of China. This really makes later historians feel a little strange, which reflects that the social contradictions and governance crisis in the late Ming Dynasty have developed to a critical moment on the verge of disintegration. The total outbreak of these threatening social crises and disasters finally forced Chongzhen, who was very concerned about the emperor's prestige, to make up his mind and issue a letter to himself. However, due to his own suspicious evolution, unkind and ungrateful personality defects, and anxious style of seeking treatment, all his court officials are only Nuo Nuo, looking ahead and looking back, lacking the overall view of grand strategy. Emperor Chongzhen was born without political ability, and the external objective environment was dangerous, sinister and complicated, which made the declining dynasty he took over unable to turn the tide. The Ming Dynasty finally collapsed under the oppression of the Eight Banners of Manchu Dynasty and the armed refugees from the Central Plains in Guannei, and then frequent wars led to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster in the history of China, which led to a sharp drop of tens of millions of people in China in just 20 years. Judging from this tragic historical consequence, Emperor Chongzhen was not only the decision-maker and maker of the wrong policy of the imperial court, but also the victim and victim of the social crisis in the late Ming Dynasty. His personal misfortunes and family tragedies are also an inseparable part of the misfortunes and tragedies of the whole Chinese nation. They also constitute the suffering specimens of the era of fierce change, such as war, internal troubles and foreign invasion, sudden collapse and regime change, and have become the legacy of later historians and politicians to discuss and study regime change and national subjugation.
Emperor Chongzhen's First Needle to His Imperial Decree (promulgated in the eighth year of Chongzhen)
In the first month of the eighth year of Chongzhen (1635), Shaanxi peasant armed violent gangs that had been wandering in several provinces of the Central Plains suddenly went south, unexpectedly conquered Fengyang, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and Longxing Land of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Taizu, and dug up and burned the graves of Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestors. The raging fire and foggy sky lasted for several days. Subsequently, the imperial court hurriedly mobilized more than 80,000 soldiers from all provinces to hold a meeting in the Central Plains. In August, Hong Chengchou was in charge of the northwest and Lu Xiangsheng was in charge of the southeast, and the battle to wipe out the peasant army was launched throughout the country. /kloc-at the beginning of 0/0, Emperor Chongzhen took a step that embarrassed his self-esteem, that is, he issued an imperial edict to the world for the first time, acknowledging the policy mistakes of the imperial court and the sinister situation in the world for the first time. Zhao Yun said, "I inherit the great system with cool virtue, and I intend to renew the world and restore my ancestors. Actually relying on anyone who is not himself leads to shackles. Fu Jianzhou is mine, and Atmosphere is my son. How dare you disobey me when you make it comfortable? In the heyday of the world, there were many people who were both civil and military, but they were helpless and deceived their superiors and deluded their subordinates. It's a great achievement, three years in Lu and seven years in Kou. Mentoring was exposed and Li Shu was connected. The national treasury is in short supply, but it is difficult to stop it. Thinking in the middle of the night is too humiliating and angry. In the first month of this year, it returned to the tomb of Shanggan. The ancestors bullied the people and blamed me. So Zhang Bing took measures to pay, restrained and disciplined him, and looked forward to hearing the news and fighting the canal, comforting him several times. Unexpectedly, ministers miscalculated and then collapsed. Even the army humiliated the clown, and the military and civilians dared to be the first in the world. The place has been ravaged again, and life has been ruined. Bite with grief, why embarrassed! If we don't suppress it, when will I rest! I left some extra pay, and now I'm going to mobilize my troops and rescue Yuanyuan. This is the only thing I can do. However, I am a civil and military person between the lines and between the subject and the object, tired and hungry. I miss it deeply and can't bear to sleep in the palace. I can't bear to enjoy the pleasure of drinking ice and eating coarse grains; I can't bear to dress and embroider alone. I choose to live in Wuyingtang on10.3, eat less food and listen to less music. In addition to the ceremony, I worked in Tsing Yi to show that I was synonymous with the soldiers in the civil and military circles of our bank until the day of Kouping. Hundreds of civil and military officials have also come to visit, inspiring the future, revising up and down, telling the world with God's will, praising my heart and saving lives. Secret contact, big encirclement, straight into the backbone, hard work ... "For Emperor Chongzhen, who has always been very arrogant and conceited, it is really a last resort to make such a" guilty accusation "with deep regret. If we think of his dream of rejuvenating the country and his complacency at the beginning of his accession to the throne, we will realize that the complex feelings of pain and contradiction when Chongzhen personally wrote this imperial edict can't be expressed. It can be said that it is a dangerous situation, and it is really out of the worry of making up for it.
Emperor Chongzhen's Second Aim at His Imperial Decree (promulgated in the 10th year of Chongzhen)
In April of the tenth year of Chongzhen, there was a drought in the north, and the Central Plains was thousands of miles away, and the people went hungry everywhere. However, local officials still push their families with strong food and exploit the people. In many places, people's grievances are boiling and explosive. Faced with such a crisis, Emperor Chongzhen was sober-minded, but he couldn't bear it. The mountain is high and the emperor is far away, and the grassroots of the imperial power center is also corrupt. Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen, in his book Self-Sin, said bitterly when he prayed for rain for a long time: "Zhang Guan set officials to govern the country and protect the people. Today, I am an official for myself and have the same trade with the official. It takes more fire to urge money and food, and more envy after eating the right amount. Even if it has been exempted, it is also a private levy; Only discuss repairs, and (really) take the opportunity to moisten yourself. Or buy worthless, or mail sedan chair. If you send envoys, you will sell the rich and the poor, or be reasonable, you will be straight. If Adu goes against his wishes, he will beat Park at will. If the bag has money, it will be easy to accommodate. Massage recommendation distortion, Tianjin reputation upside down. Another example is Xun Yu's insatiable greed, and both capitals are greedy. The township official destroyed the defense and invaded the land. Take a rogue as a pawn and be sacrificed by traitors. Unscrupulous officials bend in fear of the situation. Accumulate evil and seduce. Oh, Wang, who can rest in peace! ............................. "(see" A Brief History of the North of Ming Dynasty "Volume 13)
Emperor Chongzhen's third needle aimed at his imperial edict (promulgated in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen)
In the fifteenth year of Chongzhen (1642), at the beginning of the new year, Emperor Chongzhen humbly bowed to courtiers such as Zhou Yanru and others, hoping that the monarch and ministers would make concerted efforts to revitalize the country. In the first month, with the acquiescence of Emperor Chongzhen, the imperial court sent a horse as a special envoy to negotiate with the Qing court outside the customs, in order to alleviate the military pressure of the Ming Dynasty between Scylla and Charybdis. In February, Li Zicheng and his men defeated the Ming army in Xiangcheng and killed Wang Qiaonian, the governor of Shaanxi Province. In March and April, Hong Chengchou, governor of Liaoji, was captured by the Qing army and surrendered to the Qing court. In May, Li Zicheng and his men made three measurements in Kaifeng. In July, Tian Guifei, a virtuous and intelligent woman, died. Emperor Chongzhen was heartbroken, unable to drink alcohol every day, unable to sleep at night, and miserable. In August, the secrets of the Qing court were leaked by courtiers, and the court public opinion was furious and pedantic officials attacked them. Emperor Chongzhen became angry from embarrassment. In desperation, Chen Xinjia, a minister of the Ministry of War who had no intention of revealing state secrets, was sent to prison for interrogation, and the Ming and Qing peace talks were completely shattered. In September, when Li Zicheng and his men besieged Kaifeng, the Yellow River levee burst, and the city of Kaifeng was washed away by the raging flood, causing hundreds of thousands of Kaifeng people to die for no reason, which became a huge humanitarian disaster in the late Ming Dynasty. Li Zicheng bears an unshirkable historical responsibility for this. In October, Li Zicheng led his troops to defeat Shaanxi Governor Sun Chuanting in Jiaxian. 1 1 month, the Qing army entered the fortress for the fifth time to plunder, went deep into the hinterland of Shandong, captured more than 300,000 people and killed hundreds of officials. In November, Chongzhen committed a crime for the third time, saying, "... compared with frequent disasters, fighting and harassing, thinking of changing the night for disasters is really because of my immorality!" The sin lies in my bow and I dare not forgive myself. From now on, I worship the palace and silently tell God that I will make amends, treat things as things, and I will annihilate Kou to make amends ... "Yunyun.
Emperor Chongzhen's fourth needle aimed at his imperial edict (promulgated in the sixteenth year of Chongzhen)
At the beginning of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen (1643), Li Zicheng, the king of Zhuang, established political power in Xiangyang. Plague has been prevalent in the capital since February. In March, Zuo Liangyu defected. In April, the Qing army broke into the fortress. In May, Zhang conquered Wuchang, and the king of Chu was killed (Zhang brutally broke the cage and drowned in the Yangtze River), and Zhang formally established the "Daxi" regime. Subsequently, cabinet records showed that Zhou Yanru was removed from office. In June, Chongzhen was heartbroken and wanted to cry without tears. For the fourth time, he angrily accused the officials and gentry in the world and denounced his immorality and negligence, which led to the loss of life and the disaster of the country. He hoped that the officials and gentry in the world would wake up, go to the national disaster together, and save the Ming Dynasty, which was in danger and was terminally ill.
Emperor Chongzhen aimed at his fifth imperial edict (promulgated in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen)
In the seventeenth year of Chongzhen (1644), on the first day of the first month, Li Zicheng, king of Zhuang, proclaimed himself emperor in An, with the title of "Dashun". Li Zicheng immediately suited two road blade to Beijing. In the first month, the court worshipped Li Jiantai, a university student, as a supervisor and went out to Beijing to fight against Dashun Army. In order to boost morale, Emperor Chongzhen held a "farewell ceremony" on the platform for Li Jiantai, who is about to represent the emperor. Unexpectedly, the situation suddenly changed. In March, Li Zicheng's army arrived at the gates of Beijing. 18, Chongzhen wrote to himself in a hurry for the fifth time. Emperor Chongzhen wrote in his letter to himself: "... I have been in Xu Hong for more than 17 years, deeply thinking about the power of God's intervention in surrender and the weight entrusted by my ancestors ... I am the parent of the people, and I can't leave it alone, and the people are my adopted son, so I can't leave it as a baby, so I am sitting in Xu Qiu, Chu Jiang, Qin Yu. Therefore, it is my fault that people died in front of dysprosium, jumped into the water, lost the quantity of violets and piled up bones. It's all my fault that people lose money, stay at home and see me off, plus the sign of no skills. Make somebody else's room like a hanging stone, the venue is filthy, and there is no door to watch fireworks. Crying to death is my fault. It is my fault that the people are accused of evil, the drought continues, the divisions and brigades are located, the vines are damaged, the sum of heaven and earth is dry, and the family feud is low. As for being a minister is illegal, I use a small minister instead of cheap, and I can't discuss it clearly. A military commander, arrogant and timid, does nothing. It is inappropriate for me to caress and control ... loyalty to the monarch and patriotism, unity of the people, revenge, and no one is angry! ……"。 Then, with a bitter heart, Emperor Chongzhen wrote the following passage, which also made people feel unspeakable sadness after reading it: "I humbly inherited the achievements of my ancestors, and there are trillions, and seven out of ten are here. If politics is not repaired, disaster will come. Restrain the sage? As for the widespread indignation and resentment, the pure son becomes a thief and the fertile land becomes a scorpion; The mausoleum was shocked and the prince slaughtered it. The disaster of the country is greater than this. Now we besiege the capital and invade the outer city. Clan society is in danger, and it cannot be sent. Without denunciation, why Shen Guowei! I will personally lead the Sixth Division to discuss, leaving the East Officer to supervise the country and pay attention to state affairs. Tell your subjects that they have equipment that can work hard and be brave, or help with food and grass, and they can use it to destroy ugly people before the army. Reward the earth and never break your word! "Yun Yun. Chongzhen's words are painful enough. He really has the sincerity of guilt and repentance. However, the world is getting worse, the enemy is under pressure, and the morale of the army is scattered, and the general trend is gone. It is too late.
Emperor Chongzhen aimed at his sixth imperial edict (promulgated in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, last words)
On March 18th, the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, the desperate and helpless Emperor Chongzhen held his last family dinner. After the banquet that night, Emperor Chongzhen arranged for Prince Ci Cong, the third son Wang Cican and the fourth son Wang Yong Ci Huan to escape from the palace. Later, Emperor Chongzhen personally killed his wife and daughter with a sword in his palace. The youngest daughter, Princess Zhaoren, died, and the eldest daughter, Princess Changping, was seriously injured. Empress Dezhou hanged herself in Kunning Palace. /kloc-in the early morning of 0/9, Wang Chengen, the eunuch who wiped the imperial brush during the Chongzhen period, left the Forbidden City, boarded Jingshan Park in the Imperial Garden, and hanged himself under an old pagoda tree, at the age of 34. When he died, he was "covered with hair, white robe and thin pants, and a pair of stockings", and there was blood on his clothes. Emperor Chongzhen wrote in his suicide note: "I was in the seventeenth year, and the rebels pushed the capital. Although humble and arrogant, the rebels pushed the capital in great anger, but all the ministers were at fault. " 1644 This day is Shen Jianian in the history of China, and 19 is also the anniversary of the demise of the Ming Dynasty, which ruled China in China for 276 years. On this day, Huang Zongxi, Gu and other adherents of the late Ming Dynasty will bathe and change clothes, face the north, burn incense and kowtow, and burst into tears. The past is like smoke for 362 years, and the world will mourn in the future.