A young emperor who worked hard and devoted himself to governance issued six edicts one after another in just seventeen years, admitting his mistakes and apologizing to officials, gentry, and common people all over the world. However, he still could not save the increasingly serious situation. The sinking Jiangshan Sheji finally became the most industrious but also the loneliest king of subjugation in Chinese history. The ill-fated Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youjian finally died in Chuang Wang on a windy and rainy dawn in 1644. Forced by Li Zicheng, who led hundreds of thousands of powerful Shaanxi soldiers to suppress the situation, he desperately chose to hang himself in a tragic way. He ended his painful and busy tragic life under the pines and cypresses of Meishan on the north side of the Forbidden City, and committed suicide. He issued the last "edict to sin against oneself" in his thirty-four years of life to the people all over the world. The continuous war and social turmoil after the death of Emperor Chongzhen turned out to be an unprecedented humanitarian disaster in Chinese history. It is unavoidable for future generations to read and feel the horror of all living beings who lived in the bloody and turbulent war era of the late Ming Dynasty. I lamented the misfortune and suffering I suffered, alas! This can truly be said to be "it's better to be a dog in prosperous times than a person in troubled times."
Emperor Chongzhen (1610-1644), the subjugated king of the late Ming Dynasty, issued edicts of sin to the whole world six times in his life. This was for a noble emperor who ruled the world. It is undoubtedly an extremely embarrassing and shameful thing for the emperor, especially for Chongzhen, a headstrong, dedicated, arbitrary, and hard-working ZTE emperor (Emperor Chongzhen prided himself on it). However, not only did he blame and even humiliate himself, but he also became one of the emperors who issued the most self-incriminating edicts in Chinese history. This indeed made later historians feel a bit incredible, and it reflected the late Ming Dynasty. The social contradictions and governance crises have developed to a critical moment on the verge of disintegration. These threatening social crises and the outbreak of chronic diseases finally forced Chongzhen, who was very concerned about the emperor's dignity, to make up his mind to issue an imperial edict in order to destroy the emperor. When the sky is angry and people are angry, to restore people's hearts and to help the country and the country, which is in danger of falling due to the wind and rain, can be said to be a good intention. However, due to his own character flaws of being suspicious, unkind and unkind, as well as his eagerness to seek treatment for headaches and pain, the ministers under his control were obedient, hesitant, and lacked an overall view of grand strategy. Emperor Chongzhen's natural lack of political ability and the difficult, dangerous and complicated external objective environment made it impossible for the declining dynasty he inherited to turn the tide. The armed forces collapsed completely under the pressure of the double military pincer attack and the torrent of weapons offensive. The subsequent frequent wars led to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in Chinese history, causing China's population to plummet in just two decades. The population has been reduced by tens of millions. Analyzing from the perspective of this tragic historical consequence, Emperor Chongzhen was not only the decision-maker and formulator of the imperial court's erroneous policies, but also a victim and victim of the social crisis in the late Ming Dynasty. His personal misfortune and family tragedy also affected the overall society of the Chinese nation. It is an inseparable and important leaf in the misfortunes and tragedies, and it also constitutes a suffering specimen of that era of fierce change, including war, internal and external difficulties, the collapse of the earth, and the change of dynasties. It has become a precious "fossil" for later generations of historians and politicians to discuss and study the legacy of dynasty changes and country subjugation. ” Feeling this, I wrote this article to commemorate him, so that future generations can have the enlightenment to avoid learning from the past.
Emperor Chongzhen’s first sinner edict (promulgated in the eighth year of Chongzhen)
In the first month of the eighth year of Chongzhen (1635), the people who had been running around for years in several provinces in the Central Plains The violent armed gang of farmers in Shaanxi suddenly marched south, and unexpectedly captured Fengyang, the central capital of the Ming Dynasty, the Longxing land of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. They excavated the Ming emperor's tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestors and burned it. The raging fire and smoke continued for several days. for a long time. Subsequently, the imperial court hastily mobilized more than 80,000 elite troops from various provinces to carry out mass suppression in the Central Plains. In August, Hong Chengchou was responsible for supervising the northwest and Lu Xiangsheng was responsible for supervising the southeast. The war to annihilate the Peasant Revolutionary Army began nationwide. In early October, Emperor Chongzhen took a step that was very embarrassing for his self-esteem, that is, he issued the "Edict of Sin" to the whole world for the first time, and admitted to the people of the world for the first time the policy mistakes of the imperial court and the dangerous situation of the world. The imperial edict said: "I use my cool virtue to inherit the great unification, and intend to renew the world and restore the old traditions of my ancestors. Unexpectedly, I relied on non-human beings, which led to the rise of bandits. The husband who built the state originally belonged to our barbarians, and Liu Fen was originally from the original state. I am an innocent son. If I am able to govern properly, how can I dare to rebel against my appearance? With the prosperity of the world, there are many civil and military people, but I can't help but win people by deception. In the middle of the night, I feel deeply ashamed and angry. I am deeply responsible for the vengeance of my ancestors. So the troops were ordered to pay, and their duties were limited, waiting to be heard and annihilated. However, they did not expect the ministers to miscalculate, and the army was even humiliated, and the soldiers and the people dared to suffer again. They are ravaged, and the living beings are suffering from fire and water. It is heartbreaking and gnashing of teeth. How can it be shameful! If we don't carry out a large-scale extermination, when will Yu Nei rest? We have already left a lot of money, and now we will mobilize more troops to save Yuanyuan. This is the only thing we can do. In the civil and military fields, the soldiers were host and guest, toiling, hungry, and cold. I miss him deeply. I miss him sleeping in the open air, but I can’t bear to sleep in a deep palace. I miss him eating ice and eating rough food, but I can’t bear to enjoy the delicacies alone. I miss him wearing a strong suit and taking risks, and I can’t bear to write alone. Embroidery.
I have chosen to take refuge in the Wuying Hall on October 3rd. I will reduce my meals and enjoy myself. Except for the ceremony, I will wear green clothes to perform my duties to show that I share the joys and sorrows of the warrior soldiers in our line. It will end on the day when the invaders are defeated. The civil and military officials also inspected the provinces, tempered the future, worked hard with superiors and subordinates, and used God's will. The governor-general and prime minister preached everywhere, raising their bodies and my hearts, working hard to save people's lives. Make secret contacts, encircle and encircle the enemy, attack the backbone, and annihilate the powerful bandits... "For Emperor Chongzhen, who had always been very arrogant and conceited, it was really a last resort for him to issue such a deeply self-blaming "Edict". If we think of his dream of rejuvenation and complacency at the beginning of his accession to the throne, then I can even more appreciate the painful and contradictory complex mood that Chongzhen had when he personally wrote this edict. It can be said that this was the result of the crisis, and it was actually out of the worry of making up for the situation.
Emperor Chongzhen’s second sinner edict (the time of issuance). : The tenth year of Chongzhen)
In the leap month of the tenth year of Chongzhen, there was a severe drought in the north. The Central Plains, thousands of miles away, were starved to death, and the people were in dire straits. However, local officials were still forcing people to pay for food and exploit the people. In many places, However, the people's resentment was boiling and the fire was raging. Faced with such a crisis, Emperor Chongzhen was very clear-headed, but he had no choice but to do it. The emperor was far away, and the central government was beyond its reach to deal with the corruption of grassroots officials. For this reason, Emperor Chongzhen sighed! In the "Edict of Gui Ji" when he prayed for no rain for a long time, he said bitterly: "The purpose of setting up officials is to govern the country and bring peace to the people. Nowadays, being an official is only for personal gain, while being an official is related to trade. When it comes to urging money and food, it's better to spend money than fire, and when you've finished your salary, you'll be envious of what's left. Even if it has been exempted, it will be levied privately against the order; only then will it be repaired and repaired, (no matter) taking advantage of the opportunity to enrich itself. Sometimes the caller is not given the price, or the postal route is carried by a sedan chair with a strange name. If someone is sending a message, he will sell the rich to favor the poor, or if he is preaching, it will be in vain to be straight. If A Du goes against his will, he will strike at will. If the bag is rich, it will be easy to accommodate. The recommendation and impeachment of care and pressure are distorted, and the reputation and reputation of Jin are reversed. Another example is that the noble relatives are not tired of contentment, and indulge in corruption and overrun the capital. The local officials destroyed and abandoned defense and invaded the village. He accepts scoundrels as his minions and accepts the sacrifices of traitors. He is unworthy of officials and is afraid of the power and makes mistakes. The evil beetles accumulate and seduce. Alas for this little fellow, who can rest in peace? …. " (See Volume 13 of "Northern Strategy of the Ming Dynasty" for details)
Emperor Chongzhen's third sinner edict (issued in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen)
In the fifteenth year of Chongzhen ( 1642) At the beginning of the new year, Emperor Chongzhen humbly paid homage to his minister Zhou Yanru and others when he addressed his courtiers, hoping that the emperor and ministers would work together to revitalize state affairs. In the first month of the year, with Emperor Chongzhen's tacit approval, the court sent Ma Shaoyu. As a special envoy, he negotiated with the Qing court outside the pass in order to relieve the military pressure of the Ming Dynasty from both sides. In February, the troops of Chuang King Li Zicheng defeated the Ming army in Xiangcheng and killed Wang Qionian, the governor of Shaanxi, in Songshan and other cities outside the pass. They were successively captured by the Qing army. Hong Chengchou, the governor of Liaoji, was captured by the Qing army and later surrendered to the Qing court. In May, Li Zicheng's troops surrounded Kaifeng. In July, the virtuous and intelligent Concubine Tian died of illness. Emperor Chongzhen was devastated and did not want to drink. In August, the secrets of the Qing court peace talks were leaked by court officials. Public opinion in the court was in an uproar, and pedantic officials criticized them. Emperor Chongzhen became so angry that he imprisoned Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, who had unintentionally leaked state secrets. , the peace talks between the Ming and Qing Dynasties were completely shattered. In September, during the siege of Kaifeng by Li Zicheng's troops, the Yellow River embankment collapsed and the city of Kaifeng was destroyed by torrential floods, resulting in the unprovoked death of hundreds of thousands of Kaifeng people, leading to a huge humanitarian disaster in the late Ming Dynasty. Li Zicheng bears the unshirkable historical responsibility for this. In October, Li Zicheng's troops defeated the Ming Shaanxi Governor Sun Chuanting's troops in Jiaxian. In November, the Qing army entered the fortress for the fifth time and plundered, penetrating into the hinterland of Shandong and capturing more than 30 people. Tens of thousands of people were killed, and hundreds of officials were killed. In the eleventh month of the intercalary month, Chongzhen issued an imperial edict to punish himself for the third time. The edict said: "... there are frequent disasters, wars and disturbances, misfortunes and disasters, and the night is full of tranquility. It’s all due to my immorality! It's my fault, don't dare to forgive yourself. From now on, I will silently pray to God in the palace, repair the province and punish the crime, and look forward to annihilating the Hu Ping bandits to atone for the crime..." and so on.
Emperor Chongzhen's fourth sinner's edict (Promulgated in the 16th year of Chongzhen)
At the beginning of the 16th year of Chongzhen (1643), Li Zicheng, the king of Chuang, established his power in Xiangyang. From February onwards, the plague spread in the capital. In March, Zuo Liangyu's tribe mutinied. In April, the Qing army invaded the fortress. In May, Zhang Xianzhong's troops captured Wuchang, and the King of Chu was killed (he was brutally thrown into a cage and drowned in the Yangtze River). Zhang Xianzhong formally established the "Daxi" regime. Subsequently, Zhou Yanru, the chief minister of the cabinet, was killed. Dismissed from office. In June, Chongzhen was heartbroken and wanted to cry. He issued an edict for the fourth time to the officials, gentry and people all over the world, blaming his own immorality and mistakes for causing ruin and disaster to the country. He hoped that the officials, people and gentry all over the world would be enlightened and enlightened. *Go to the national crisis and stand up to save the Ming Dynasty, which is in crisis and terminally ill.
Emperor Chongzhen’s fifth sinner edict (issued in the 17th year of Chongzhen)
The 17th year of Chongzhen. (1644) On the first day of the first lunar month, Chuang King Li Zicheng proclaimed himself emperor in Xi'an and established the country as "Dashun". Li Zicheng then divided his troops into two groups and marched toward Beijing. In the first month of the first month, the imperial court appointed Li Jiantai, a great scholar, as its commander and went out to defend against Dashun. In order to boost the morale of the army, Emperor Chongzhen solemnly held a "sending ceremony" on the platform for Li Jiantai, who was about to go on an expedition on behalf of the emperor. Unexpectedly, the situation suddenly changed. In March, Li Zicheng's army came to Beijing.
On the 18th, Chongzhen issued an edict for the fifth time in a hurry. Emperor Chongzhen wrote in the edict: "...I have been guarding Hongxu for seven years. I deeply remember the power of God's surrender and the entrustment of my ancestors. The importance... I am the parents of the people, and I have no choice but to protect them. The people are my innocent children, and they have no choice but to swad their infants. I sit in the Qiu Ruins of Qin and Yu, and the rivers and rivers are fishy and filthy, which brings shame to the clan and makes me feel guilty for Guizhou and Li. It is not my fault. , who is responsible for it? Therefore, it is my fault that the people suffer hardships, swim in water and fire, and pile up corpses into mounds. , It is my fault that the people's houses are like hanging rocks, their fields are dirty, they have no way to watch the fireworks, they cry in the wind and die, and it is my fault that the people are told by the sun and the moon. It is bad, drought is coming, the army is in a place, the spread of epidemic is a disaster, the harmony between the heaven and the earth is high, and the resentment of the family is my fault. Officials act like rats but cannot make clear decisions, and military generals are arrogant and cowardly but fail to perform their duties, all of which are inappropriate for me to control... Loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, people with the same heart, avenging shame and eradicating evil, who has no public indignation..." Immediately afterwards, Emperor Chongzhen wrote the following words in addition to the edict of sin, which also made people feel an indescribable sadness and heartache after reading it: "I bow with contempt to inherit the legacy of my ancestors. There are billions of signs in all directions, and there will be seven years in ten. If the government is not repaired, disasters will come. As for the anger of the heaven, the resentment of the people, the innocent people will become thieves, and the fertile fields will become wild; the tombs will be shocked. The prince is massacred. This is the greatest disaster to the country. Now we are besieging the capital and breaking into the outer city. There is no chance of an attack. I will lead the six divisions to attack the country personally. It is an important task for the country to pay it forward. If you are able to work hard and be loyal and courageous, please go to the front of the army to use it to quell the ugly ones. I will never break my promise!" So much. Chongzhen's words were painful and sincere, and he was truly sincere in his guilt and repentance. However, the world was corrupted, the enemy troops were suppressing the situation, the morale of the troops was weakened, and the general situation had collapsed. It was too late.
Emperor Chongzhen’s Sixth Edict of Sin (promulgated in the 17th year of Chongzhen, his last words)
On March 18th, the 17th year of Chongzhen, a desperate and helpless Chongzhen Emperor Qiang gathered his energy and held the last family banquet. After the banquet that night, Emperor Chongzhen arranged for the prince Cixi, the third son Dingwang Cican, and the fourth son Yongwang Cihuan to escape from the palace. Later, Emperor Chongzhen personally killed his wife, concubines, and daughters with a sword in the palace. The youngest daughter, Princess Zhaoren, died, and the eldest daughter, Princess Changping, broke her arm and was seriously injured. Empress Zhou, who had been a virtuous life, hanged herself in Kunning Palace. In the early morning of the 19th, as dawn dawned, Chongzhen's eunuch Wang Chengen left the Forbidden City and climbed to Meishan in the Royal Forbidden Garden. He hanged himself under an old locust tree at the age of 34. When he died, he "covered his face with his hair, wore a blue robe and white trousers, one leg in bare legs, and one leg in silk stockings." There was a handwriting written in blood on his clothes. Emperor Chongzhen's last edict read: "In the seventeenth year since I ascended to the throne, I have been a traitor. Approaching the capital, even though I, a bandit with weak virtue, bowed, and the wrath of heaven caused the rebels to approach the capital, but it was all a misunderstanding of the ministers. When I die, I will see my ancestors lying on the ground without a face. I will take off my crown and cover my face with my hair. Let the thieves divide and unite the corpses, but do not hurt any of the common people." March 19, the Jiashen year of 1644 AD, is also the day of national subjugation in Chinese history for the Ming Dynasty, which ruled China for 276 years. On this day, Huang Zongxi, Gu Yanwu and other survivors of the late Ming Dynasty would bathe, change clothes, and face the north. , burn incense, kowtow, and cry uncontrollably. The past is like smoke, it has been 362 years, and future generations should pay tribute to it.