Chapter 17 [Beijing imperial spirit sadly closed] -1

Under internal and external troubles, Emperor Chongzhen chose to commit suicide on the 20th day of the first lunar month in the 14th year of Chongzhen (1641), in Luoyang, Henan, at the residence of Prince Fu. Against the backdrop of the majestic red walls with flying eaves, the Zhongtang Square of Wangfu is particularly flat and wide.Amidst the din of people, flames were blazing, and countless pieces of royal furniture made of rare fragrant woods were turned into firewood, and a "thousand-person pot" carried from Ying'en Temple in the suburbs of Luoyang was baked.The huge iron pot is filled with ginger, onion, garlic, cinnamon, peppercorns and countless ingredients for stewing the broth, which is very fragrant.Amidst the raging flames, the most shocking sight was that in the giant pot, besides seven or eight whole sika deer that had been skinned and dehorned, there was also a bald, fat living human weighing more than 300 kilograms, swimming blindly. They flop around like crazy, sometimes jumping to the surface of the water, sometimes sinking to the bottom, howling and screaming, very miserable.In the meantime, this "lard cake"-like fat man with his pubic hair shaved just grabbed a floating sika deer carcass to catch his breath. Two or three thousand peasant soldiers around the cauldron immediately stabbed his arm with spears , so that the person had to let go of his hand screaming and "swimming" in the slightly boiling hot water again.

The giant fat man who was stripped and shaved in the pot is not a monk in a temple, nor is he performing any "peerless martial arts".This person is the uncle of the current Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty and the most beloved son of Ming Shenzong—Fu Wang Zhu Changxun.The cheery onlookers around the cauldron are the peasant army under Li Zicheng. The "living thing" they are admiring is the main course of the big meal that is about to be enjoyed - the "Fu" dish in the "Fu Lu (Deer) Banquet" . An hour later, the well-cooked Fu Wang Zhu Changxun and several sika deer in the pot had been eaten by thousands of soldiers and became everyone's delicious dinner.

Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youjian was the fifth son of Ming Guangzong.Due to the loss of his mother in his early years and the absence of any reliable family members around him, the loneliness, abandonment, and frustration he suffered in childhood determined his suspicious, paranoid, and stubborn personality in his adulthood.The only thing that Emperor Chongzhen is better than his half-brother Ming Xizong is that he loves reading and has been receiving orthodox Confucian education since he was a child. After succeeding to the throne, Emperor Chongzhen cured his disease with medicine and easily eradicated Wei Zhongxian's eunuch cancer.While relaxing, arrogance overflowed his chest, and he suddenly felt that he was a wise and wise emperor.

At the beginning of his ascension to the throne, Emperor Chongzhen had great trust in Yuan Chonghuan, and ordered him to be the Minister of the Ministry of War and the right deputy capital censor, to supervise Ji Liao, and to supervise Denglai and Tianjin military affairs.In the autumn and August of the first year of Chongzhen, Yuan Chonghuan went to Beijing to have an audience, and promised in front of the emperor that the entire Liao territory could be restored within five years.Emperor Chongzhen was delighted when he heard the words. After seeing your Majesty, Xu Yuqing asked Yuan Chonghuan during the incident: "Why do you say that the Liao land can be restored in five years?" Yuan Chonghuan: "The Sacred Heart is anxious, as I say as a subject, to comfort the Sacred Heart." Xu Yuqing reprimanded: "The emperor is wise. Smart gentleman, how do you deal with the question of your results after the due date?" Hearing this, Yuan Chonghuan knew he had made a slip of the tongue and was unhappy.

In order to make up for the dead and avoid the old path of Xiong Tingbi and Sun Chengzong being constrained by others, Yuan Chonghuan said to Emperor Chongzhen when he bid farewell: "With the power of ministers, it is more than enough to control the whole Liao Dynasty, and it is not enough to adjust the public's mouth (referring to the inability to restrain the officials of the court, Zhongke and Taoism from slandering themselves) .As soon as the minister goes abroad, he will become thousands of miles away. It is inevitable that jealousy can be jealous of merit. I hope that your majesty will be the master of the minister."

Emperor Chongzhen fully agreed and gave him the Shangfang sword.At the request of Yuan Chonghuan, Ningyuan and Jinzhou were combined into one town, and Zu Dashou, Zhao Shujiao, He Kegang and others were ordered to be controlled exclusively, with a view to overcoming the whole Liao Dynasty. In May of the second year of Chongzhen, the Ming court rewarded the meritorious service and added Prince Yuan Chonghuan as Shaobao. In July of the second year of Chongzhen (1629), Yuan Chonghuan went to Lushun and killed Mao Wenlong, a general of the Ming Dynasty in Pidao. Mao Wenlong was killed entirely by himself.Mao Wenlong, originally an official of the Ming army's mid-level capital, stayed in Liaodong to aid North Korea.When Wang Huazhen was the governor of Liaodong, Mao Wenlong rushed in and sent troops to attack Zhenjiang (now Dandong) in Houjin, and repay Wang Huazhen's credit, which caused Wang Huazhen and Xiong Tingbi to suspect each other.Due to Wang Huazhen's efforts to recommend, Mao Wenlong was awarded the title of general soldier, tired of officials to Zuodudu, and set up an army town on Phi Island.Phi Island is also known as Dongjiang Island (known as Lime Island in North Korea). Eighty miles away from its north shore is the territory of Houjin, and the northeast is the mainland of North Korea.The reason why the Ming Dynasty attached great importance to Mao Wenlong was that they wanted to rely on him to contain Houjin and protect North Korea's "friends" from being swallowed up by Houjin.

But Mao Wenlong himself is running his own independent kingdom in Phi Island.In fact, most of the hundreds of thousands of "soldiers" in his hands were refugees from Liaodong in the Ming Dynasty.In order to collect soldiers' salaries to enrich himself, Mao Wenlong has been falsely reporting the number of soldiers to the court.Therefore, only 20,000 of the 150,000 elite soldiers in the book can actually become an army.Due to the great power of the late Jin Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty cut off land exchanges with North Korea, and they could only communicate by sea.For this reason, Mao Wenlong set up checkpoints at sea and demanded "taxes" from the passing ships. The profits were huge, which made Mao Wenlong and his subordinates suddenly rich and lived extravagantly, just like emperors.Mao Wenlong himself has countless gold and silver treasures, nine concubines, and many maids.With huge wealth in his hand, he held banquets five or six times a day, with more than a hundred exquisite dishes in each banquet, which was extravagant.

Not to mention, Mao Wenlong continued to conspire with Houjin, wanting to attack North Korea and capture Shandong for Houjin.Due to the sudden death of Nurhachi, contact was interrupted, and Mao Wenlong's hundreds of thousands of troops in Phi Island depended on supplies from the mainland and North Korea. He was afraid that his supply would be cut off, so he did not rebel for the time being.After Huang Taiji inherited Khan, Mao Wenlong actively sent people to read the judgment with Hou Jin, trying to join forces with Hou Jin. He dominated Shandong and North Korea by himself, and let Hou Jin occupy Shanhaiguan.

Because the Houjin envoy was discovered by the household officials sent by the central government of the Ming Dynasty when he went to Phi Island, Mao Wenlong was forced to send the Houjin envoy to Beijing. This action caused Huang Taiji to lose his trust in him, and the negotiation process between the two parties stopped. Mao Wenlong is still a braggart.In the Battle of Zhenjiang in the fifth year of Apocalypse, although only more than 60 people were captured, more than 70 Houjin soldiers were killed. He reported that "more than 5,000 captive heads were beheaded"; Houjin sent troops to hunt down Mao Wenlong, and he lost 500 soldiers. Many people fled to North Korea in embarrassment, but reported that they had "seven battles a day, with equal victories and defeats"; He raised his own troops from North Korea to go deep into the hinterland of Houjin, killed 20,000 Houjin soldiers with 1,000 soldiers, and seized 3,000 horses.At the same time, he boasted Haikou, saying that if the imperial court paid him 1.5 million soldiers per year, he would be able to wipe out the Houjin in two years; In the first year of Chongzhen, the imperial court sent personnel to investigate the number of soldiers on the spot, and found that only 28,000 soldiers were capable of fighting.Moreover, Mao Wenlong often killed the Liao people who were forced to shave their hair by the Houjin people in order to falsely report their military exploits and receive rewards, and offered their heads for false meritorious service.Therefore, even the North Koreans scolded him when they couldn't bear it: "The governor (referring to Mao Wenlong) doesn't repair weapons, doesn't train soldiers, and has no intention of begging captives (later gold). He won the Liuhu (Later Jin) and called it the level of 60,000 (heads), and what he played and heard about the Tianchao (Ming court) was nothing more than deceitful words."

After Yuan Chonghuan became the governor of Jiliao, in order to strengthen the frontal defense of Shanhaiguan, the west of Lushun was assigned to Ningyuan, and the east of Lushun was assigned to Dongjiang, which actually reduced the jurisdiction of Mao Wenlong's Dongjiang Town.At the same time, Yuan Chonghuan changed the Dongjiang pay route from the original Denglai to Ningyuan, which blocked Mao Wenlong's loopholes in paying wages, and at the same time severely cracked down on his smuggling trade at sea. Yuan Chonghuan was fully aware of Mao Wenlong's payment and Qiantong Houjin, so he used the name of a military parade to meet him in Fanhai.At that time, Yuan Chonghuan did not want to kill Mao Wenlong.He and Mao Wenlong drank happily for several days, discussed military affairs, and proposed to set up a supervisory department, change the battalion system, and prevent smuggling at sea.Mao Wenlong firmly refused.Therefore, Yuan Chonghuan hinted that he could retire "gloriously".This Marshal Mao replied carelessly: "I wanted to go home and retire before, but now I am the only one who is familiar with Liao affairs in the court and the middle. Seeing that Mao Wenlong wanted to separate North Korea for self-seeking, Yuan Chonghuan made up his mind to kill him.

Therefore, under the pretext of inviting Mao Wenlong to watch the soldiers shoot arrows on the mountain, Yuan Chonghuan invited him to his tent and set up an ambush in advance.Because it was in his own territory, Mao Wenlong had no doubts, so he led the officers and soldiers up the mountain.Before entering the account, all the soldiers under him were refused by Yuan Chonghuan's guards. After sitting down, Yuan Chonghuan first said: "Mr. Mao resent overseas and worked hard for the country. I should pay homage to him!" Please also accept my worship, I hope you will do your best for the country!" Everyone bowed their heads and returned the salute. Yuan Chonghuan took his seat, suddenly changed color, and asked Mao Wenlong why he did not obey the imperial order.Mao Wenlong was also angry, thinking that Master Yuan's face had changed so quickly, and he immediately defended loudly without giving himself face. Yuan Chonghuan got up, scolded sharply, and ordered the guards to strip Mao Wenlong's crown belt and tie him up in public. Mao Wenlong's subordinates, although there are quite a few generals, did not dare to act in a hurry. Mao Wenlong himself was still furious, jumping and shouting.Yuan Chonghuan stood still, holding Shangfang's sword in his hand, and counted Mao Wenlong's twelve beheading crimes one by one: "You have twelve crimes of beheading, do you know it? According to the ancestral system, the general is outside, and he must order civil servants to supervise. You are autocratic, and the army, horses, money and food are not checked, and you should be beheaded. The crime of a minister is nothing more than deceiving the king. Killing and surrendering refugees takes meritorious service, the second should be beheading. The ministers have no generals, and the generals must be punished. Erzuo has a herdsman in Dengzhou to take Nanjing. It is like a rebellion. The third is to behead. The annual salary is hundreds of thousands, not for soldiers , Half of the three buckets of rice at the end of the month, stealing army rations, four should be executed. Unauthorized opening of the horse market in Phi Island, adultery with foreigners, five should be executed. Thousands of people in the department have assumed their surnames. Thousands, pawns and husbands who spend all their money, six should be beheaded. Returning from Ningyuan, plundering merchant ships, and self-made thieves, seven should be beheaded. Forcibly robbing the children of the people, ignorant of Jiji, subordinates imitating others, people are uneasy, eighty beheaded. Drive refugees away to steal ginseng, if they don't follow, they will starve to death. The bones on the island are like a mang, and they will be killed every ten times. The capital of Jin Dynasty, worship Wei Zhongxian as his father, and make a crown statue on the island, and beheaded every ten times. Counting, cover up the defeat and turn it into merit, the eleventh should be executed. After opening the town for eight years, if you can't regain an inch of land, wait and see to support the enemy, the twelve should be executed." After counting all his crimes, Mao Wenlong was devastated and speechless, so he had to kowtow and beg for forgiveness. Yuan Chonghuan sternly asked his generals: "Should Mao Wenlong be executed for his crime?" These people were all shocked, and they were all terrified. Therefore, Yuan Chonghuan ordered people to push Mao Wenlong out of the tent, and beheaded him with the sword bestowed by Shangfang to declare his crime. "(Mao) Wenlong has tens of thousands of strong soldiers in the healthy school, fearing (Yuan) Chonghuanwei, no one dares to move." The next day, Yuan Chonghuan ordered people to take the coffin and bury Mao Wenlong generously. He paid homage with sacrifices and wine. The Four Associations are respectively in charge of Mao Chengzuo, the son of Mao Wenlong, Chen Jisheng, the deputy general, Xu Fuzuo, the general, and Liu Xingzuo, the guerrilla.Then, Yuan Chonghuan rewarded the sergeants and eliminated Mao Wenlong's tyranny. When Emperor Chongzhen heard that Mao Wenlong had been killed, he was shocked.It is indeed unexpected that Fangzhen will be killed in this way.However, because he was relying heavily on Yuan Chonghuan at that time, Emperor Chongzhen had no choice but to give a commendatory order, affirming that he had killed him well, and issued an edict proclaiming Mao Wenlong's guilt.Later, this became one of Yuan Chonghuan's murder charges: killing a general without authorization. At that time and in later generations, some good people believed that Yuan Chonghuan's killing of Mao Wenlong was a trick of Houjin's countermeasures.These people often use Dongjiang Town's future Geng Zhongming, Kong Youde, Shang Kexi and others as an excuse to rebel against the Ming Dynasty and surrender to the Qing Dynasty, and believe that it was all caused by the death of Mao Wenlong.In fact, only a few months after Yuan Chonghuan killed Mao Wenlong, Huang Taiji entered the mainland from the Great Wall, so Yuan Chonghuan rushed to rescue with the army.Emperor Chongzhen favored Zhonghuang Taiji's "anti-indirect strategy", self-destructed the Great Wall, and killed Yuan Chonghuan.If Yuan Chonghuan does not die, according to his command and control ability, Dongjiang Zhenbing will definitely be built into a powerful force to restore Liaodong.And if Mao Wenlong does not die, this domineering Ming general will 100% rebel against the Ming and surrender to the Qing, and will not be attached to Yuan Chonghuan's biography in the future, and will definitely be compiled into "The Biography of Two Officials" by Emperor Qianlong. Three months after Mao Wenlong was killed, Huang Taiji led his troops to bypass Shanhaiguan Pass, destroying the side walls of Chang'an, Longjingguan, and Hongshan Pass in Jizhen Great Wall, and captured the four cities of Zunhua, Qian'an, Yongping, and Luanzhou. . Later, the Jin army suddenly appeared outside Beijing and launched a siege to Beijing, which is the "Ji Si captive change" in the Ming population. People may wonder that Shanhaiguan was the only way for the later Jin (Qing army) to invade the invaders, how could they go around the Mongol border to reach the inland.Here, I would like to briefly describe the situation of the Mongolian tribes. After Oala was also killed first, the Tatar tribe recovered.Bolai supported Bumaer Keer, the son of Tuotuobuhua, as "Khan". Because he was young at the time, he was called "Little Prince".Since then, people in the Ming Dynasty called the Mongolian Khan the "Little Prince".During the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty (1474), Dayan Khan (still called the "little prince" in "History of the Ming Dynasty"), who was the seventh grandson of the ancestor of the Yuan Dynasty, became the co-lord of the Mongolian tribes and reunified Mongolia. After his death, Mongolia was divided into three parts: Mobei Khalkha Mongolia, Monan Mongolia, and Moxi Oara Mongolia. Mobei Khalkha Mongolia was inherited by the youngest son of Dayan Khan, who had seven sons, and most of them were enfeoffed, known as the Seven Tribes of Outer Khalkha. Monan Mongolia is divided into east and west. Since Chahar Khan in the east is the descendant of Dayan Khan's grandson Bodi, he is nominally the Great Khan of all Mongolia.The west is the descendant of the third son of Dayan Khan, who occupies Ordos.During this period, Tumed's Alda dark horse appeared again.These people fought and killed each other, and finally Altan Khan came to the fore.He took Qinghai in the west and Duoyanwei in the east, and he was very powerful for a while.Because he wanted to benefit from the economy, I Da became a minister of the Ming Dynasty in the Longqing period (1570) and was named "Shunyi King".In this way, in addition to receiving huge rewards from the Ming Dynasty every year, he can benefit from the mutual market.Alda also built Guihua City (now Hohhot) to attract Han settlers. Chahar Khan was oppressed by Alta forces and was forced to move eastward to the north of the Ramulun River in the east and west of Liaodong, harassing the border of the Ming Dynasty from time to time. When it was passed down to Lin Dan Khan (known as "Hudun Rabbit Han" by the Ming people), the tribes were strong for a while, and they successively conquered Kalaqin and other tribes, starting from Liaodong in the east and reaching Taohe in the west. . At the end of the Ming Dynasty, there were three strong border tribes in Mongolia: Chahar, Khalkha (Neikarka) and Horqin. Their nominal co-owner was naturally Chahar Khan who had the blood of the "golden family".Originally, the Horqin tribes had been attacking Nurhachi together with the Jurchen Yehe tribe, but they were all defeated.After Nurhachi said that Khan founded the country, Horqin Mongolia first came to attach it.After the Battle of Sarhu, Houjin defeated the strongest Khalkha Zaiser and forced the five tribes of Khalkha to obey their orders.But these people have "good times and bad times". Because of their greed for the rewards of the Ming Dynasty, Khalkha often turned around and attacked Houjin.They have no faith in the Later Jin Dynasty, nor in the Ming Dynasty.One of the important reasons for Wang Shizhen's defeat in Guangning was that the Mongolian tribes failed to breach the contract and did not attack Houjin. Lin Dan Khan, who conquered the Mongolian tribes in the west, became stronger and stronger, but he showed no kindness to the tribes. In the end, the Horqin tribe completely fell into the arms of Houjin, and together with his troops, he defeated Lin Dan Khan in Long'an Tower (now Nong'an, Jilin Province).Lin Danhan is a direct descendant of the "Golden Family", an unadulterated emperor of the Yuan Dynasty.He is brave and wise, and has managed the land for several years, dominating Monan Mongolia.It is a pity that both Shengyu and He Shengliang, Lin Danhan lived at an untimely time. When he was preparing to unify Monan, Mobei and Mongolia, the later Jin Dynasty was in the ascendant. Great resistance.Lin Dan Khan has a high IQ but a low EQ, and his blood is full of Temujin's cruelty and self-righteousness. The cohesive force of "Mongolia" formed a centrifugal force on the contrary, which made Horqin, Alu and other Mongolians invest in Houjin one after another. In 1619 (four years after Jin Tianming), Lin Danhan wrote a letter to Nurhachi, claiming to be "the hero of 400,000 heroes Qinggis Khan (Genghis Khan)", calling Nurhachi "the hero of 30,000 people by the water" and threatening the other side not to capture Guangning , otherwise there will be an armed struggle.In fact, "400,000 Mongolians" is a traditional conceptual number, which generally refers to the great Mongolia in the south and north of the desert, just as the Chinese emperor called himself "the lord of China" and "the lord of Kyushu". Same.Nurhachi was serious, and in his reply, he sneered at Lin Danhan, recounting the tragic situation when they fled from Beijing in the Yuan Dynasty, "revealing" that the "400,000 people" in Mongolia had already lost their days, and ridiculed Lin Danhan for being just a greedy for money from the Ming Dynasty. The "rogue".After sending the letter, Nurhachi attacked decisively and conquered Guangning in one fell swoop, but Lin Danhan did not dare to retaliate, and stayed away from Houjin Bingfeng.After succeeding to the throne of Khan, Huang Taiji conquered Lin Dan Khan three times and pursued them for thousands of miles. Finally, in the autumn of the sixth year of Tiancong (1632), he completely defeated Lin Dan Khan's Chahar tribe. The old nest of the base camp.More than a year later, at the end of the road, the rebellious Lin Danhan died of pox in Dacaotan, Qinghai. His wife, the Empress Dowager Nangnang, and her son, Ezhe, came to surrender, and brought the jade seal of the country (this jade seal is said to be from the Han Dynasty, Not necessarily true), Monan Mongolia all surrendered to Huang Taiji. Later, Jin Nurhachi and Huang Taiji suffered two setbacks in Ningyuan Jinzhou and other places. Originally, all the Mongolian tribes had the opportunity to turn the tables and beat the Jurchens away, but they all lost great opportunities due to internal divisions.The thirty-six Mongols in Karaqin were squeezed by the Mongols in Chahar and failed to seek help from the Ming Dynasty, so they all surrendered to Houjin.In this way, the Chahar tribe was not only isolated, but also lost its barrier for more than a thousand miles outside Jizhen in the Ming Dynasty.It was under the guidance of the Mongols that Huang Taiji was able to go deep into the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty. While taking down the remaining Mongolian tribes, he rushed to the city of Beijing. After first hearing that the Jin army was approaching the capital, the Ming court was shocked and immediately dispatched all kinds of soldiers to Beijing to help.When Yuan Chonghuan heard the news, he first sent Zhao to lead his teachers to help, and immediately led Zu Dashou and others to rush to the national disaster, step by step, passing through Fuping, Yongping, Qian'an, Fengrun and other cities, all staying in the camp. Soon, the news of the death of Zhao Liaojiao, the general of the Ming Dynasty, came to the news, and the Jin soldiers flocked to him.Yuan Chonghuan was shocked, and hurriedly led his troops to the city of Beijing and set up camp outside Guangqumen.Although Yuan Chonghuan had less than 20,000 people in his hands, they had high fighting spirit and fought against the Hou Jin army several times, all of which were victorious and returned (the Qing people themselves said that they "killed each other"). Seeing that Yuan Chonghuan's camp was tough and there was no gap to take advantage of, Huang Taiji, who had been familiar with it for a long time, used "countermeasures".It happened that there were two captured eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty, Yang Chun and Wang Decheng, in the camp. He ordered the Han people to surrender Gao Hongzhong and Bao Chengxian to sit in the dark. Outside the sleepy tent, he pretended to be drunk, and said that Governor Yuan (Yuan Chonghuan) in the city had secret discussions with Da Jin and planned to cooperate with each other. At night, the sentry deliberately let the two eunuchs escape. As soon as the two returned to the city, they jumped in front of Emperor Chongzhen like a rabbit, and told the emperor this "big secret".The self-willed Emperor Chongzhen fell for the simplest trick of Huang Taiji, and soon sent someone to arrest Yuan Chonghuan, and sent him to prison for torture and interrogation. Yuan Chonghuan's general Zu Dashou was terrified by this, and after leaving the city, he joined his troops and fled to the west of Liaoning.Fortunately, Yuan Chonghuan wrote a letter in prison to summon Zu Dashou, so he did not rebel at that time.Since the Shanhaiguan and Ningjin lines were still under the control of the Ming Dynasty, and Sun Chengzong who came later was able to defend against the enemy, Huang Taiji had to lead his troops back.Beijing is safe and sound. After Hou Jin withdrew from the army, the Ming court began to examine Yuan Chonghuan's case.At that time, Qian Longxi, a bachelor, was upright and offended many hidden eunuchs.Wang Yongguang, the eunuch Wang Yongguang, was the Minister of the Ministry of Officials. He cited his fellow party censor Gao Jie and others to violently attack Yuan Chonghuan, falsely claiming that he secretly negotiated peace with Houjin, killed Mao Wenlong without authorization, and led the Qing soldiers to enter.These eunuchs originally intended to use Yuan Chonghuan to raise a new big "reverse case", and by the way, they attracted Qian Longxi to create public opinion, saying that Yuan Chonghuan's killing of Mao Wenlong was led by Qian Longxi. In prison, Yuan Chonghuan wrote a poem "Confronting the Moon in Prison": The moon is clear in the sky, and it seems that I feel old love.In those days, thousands of horses galloped out of the Great Wall in the middle of the night.Feng Di once begged for death, but dared to live in jail.There are infinite things in my heart, and the night watchman is shocked. In prison, the great hero remembered his relatives even more, and wrote "Recalling Mother's Poem" with missing his mother: Dreaming around the high hall is the saddest thing. Qianyi once asked to come back early.What is the mother's hometown, the law of the country can't accommodate the son's talent.Negative rice was thick with Coke at that time, but reading today is empty.Missing relatives and seeing you in Huangquan, tears and blood can't be shed. Finally, on August 16th in the third year of Chongzhen (1630), just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Yuan Chonghuan himself was sentenced to Ling Chi and cut to death in downtown Beijing.Qian Longxi, a bachelor, died in Xubian, and was reformed through labor for more than ten years. (Wen Tiren, who is also a bachelor, has received a lot of benefits from Mao Wenlong, and he also decided to put Yuan Chonghuan to death). The case of Yuan Chonghuan was wronged by the whole world.But the ignorant Beijing citizens believed it, and hated the governor Yuan who led the wolf into the house. They stepped forward and scolded loudly, and even paid for the meat of this loyal martyr to eat raw. Cut to pieces by a thousand knives, this is how the Ming Dynasty treated Yuan Chonghuan, a loyal minister. Before he was killed, Yuan Chonghuan was still loyal to the Ming Dynasty in his "Ling Xing Kou Zhan": His career is always empty in his life, and his fame and fame in half his life are in his dreams.After death, there is no worry about having no brave generals, and the loyal soul still guards Liaodong. When the great hero was cut, he gritted his teeth, wanted to cry but had no tears, and could only look up to the sky, letting the sigh of grievance echo in his chest! It's ridiculous and sad that Emperor Chongzhen didn't realize that he had been tricked by Huang Taiji's countermeasures until his death. Even Zhang Dai (who wrote it), a great talent in the late Ming Dynasty who lived for more than 30 years after entering the Qing Dynasty, also listed Yuan Chonghuan in the book. He was a rebellious minister of the Ming Dynasty.It was the "Tartar" emperor Qianlong who finally "rehabilitated" Yuan Chonghuan.This is really a historical black humor!If Luo Guanzhong secretly knew that many years later he was envoyed by a Jurchen Tatar chieftain as a "book of war" to kill Yuan Chonghuan, the pillar of the Ming Dynasty, based on "Jiang Gan's Stealing Book" as a prototype, Mr. Luo would definitely shout angrily underground. "Ling Xing Kou Zhan": My career is always empty in my life, and my fame and fame are in my dreams for half my life.After death, there is no worry about having no brave generals, and the loyal soul still guards Liaodong. (Three years of Chongzhen) August 16th, 1630, just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ling Chi and Yuan Chonghuan—even if he was wronged, he will be a hero in life and a ghost in death. Emperor Chongzhen's Big Mistake No. 2: "Suppressing Thieves" by Adding Oil to the Fire Since Emperor Chongzhen succeeded to the throne, improper employment was naturally an unshirkable subjective responsibility, but rare natural disasters were also an important objective reason for the demise of the Ming Dynasty.Bad luck is one of the important factors that cannot be ignored in the demise of each dynasty.First of all, from the second year of Zhu Youjian's succession, that is, in 1628 AD, northern Shaanxi suddenly suffered a severe drought.For more than ten years, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Hebei, Jiangsu, and Shandong have experienced drought every year.Unfortunately, there were severe droughts one after another, locust plagues and plagues followed one after another, thousands of miles of red land, ten rivers and nine dry.Due to lack of food, the tragedy of "man cannibalism" finally appeared.Ma Maocai, a small official (pedestrian) such as the "deputy director level" inspector of the Ming Dynasty, wrote "Preparing Chen Dahun" in the second year of Chongzhen, which truly recorded the tragedy at that time: The minister is also from Ansai County, Shaanxi Province. He was a Jinshi in the fifth year of Zhongtianqi, and he was a pedestrian.At the beginning, he was sent to the customs for rewards, and then he was sent to Guizhou for a test, and then he was sent to Huguang to issue an edict. He traveled for four years and traveled tens of thousands of miles.During the period, such as the defeat of the Dangyi River outside the Guan, and the siege of the South of Guizhou, the people rushed and the scene was withered, all of which were witnessed by the ministers, but none of them were extremely miserable, as seen in the disasters of the ministers and villages. I have seen that the ministers are sparse, and there are those who say that fathers abandon their sons, and husbands kill their wives, and those who dig grass roots to feed themselves, and those who pick white stones to feed themselves, have not yet elaborated. I would like to ask you to say this for the emperor: In Yan'an Mansion, Chen Township, there has been no rain for a year since last year, and the vegetation is scorched.During August and September, the people compete to pick the grasses in the mountains and eat them. Its grains are like chaff, and the taste is bitter and astringent. Eating them can only keep them alive.After the tenth month, when the fluff is exhausted, the bark is peeled and eaten. Among all trees, elm bark is not good, and the bark of other trees is mixed for food, which can also slow down its death.At the end of the year, when the bark is exhausted, they dig up rocks from the mountains and eat them. The stones are cold and smelly. If you eat less, you will always be full. (The above describes the suffering of the people.) Some people were unwilling to eat stones and died, and they began to gather together to become robbers, and one or two people who had a little savings were robbed, and the plunder was exhausted.There are some winners, (thieves) also don't know why, and said: "Death of hunger and death of robbers are equal, instead of sitting and starving to death, why not die of robbers? It's like being a dead ghost." The most pitiful person, For example, there is Jicheng in the west of Ansai City, where one or two babies are abandoned every day. There are those who weep, those who call their parents, and those who eat their dung. Those who abandon it. (Talking about the reasons for the people's rebellion and the suffering and tragedy) What's more, children and solitary travelers disappear without a trace once they leave the city. Later, when they see people outside the door, they cook human bones for salary and human flesh for food. Everyone eats it.And the cannibals will inevitably die of redness and swelling of the eyes after a few days, internal heat and dryness.As a result, the deceased was covered with pillows and the stench was suffocating. Several pits were dug outside the county seat, each pit could hold hundreds of people, to cover their remains.When the minister came, there were more than three pits full, and I don't know how many miles away, those who are not enough to cover up. (Talking about the tragic scene of cannibalism) If it is like this in a small county, you can know it in a big county;Fortunately, Fuchen Yue Hesheng helped the robbers to relieve the hunger and donated their salaries to cook porridge. However, the Taoist prefectures and counties each have their own donations. However, the porridge is limited but the hungry are infinite. How can it help?And if they are not tied together, they will be stolen?Moreover, there is a strict command of the secretary, who has to be strict in urging the subjects. Only the recommended ones are left behind, and only one escapes.If you flee here, you flee there, and if you flee there, you flee here. If you turn around and flee, you turn into a thief. The reason why this thief is in the middle of Qin is also. (Talking about the reasons for the concentration of thieves in Shaanxi.) Generally speaking, in the Qin region, the famine is extremely severe in the north of Qingyang and Yan'an, and the robbers are slightly less; in Xi'an, below Hanzhong, the thieves are extremely high, and the famine The next thing is... natural disasters and man-made disasters, ordinary people have no way out, coupled with official corruption, exorbitant taxation, excessive collection, there is only one way to go: rebellion! At the same time, in the late Ming Dynasty, the land was highly concentrated, and the annexation of land by clans, honored relatives, officials and landlords intensified. The poor benefited from poverty, and the rich benefited from wealth.However, since Emperor Jiajing began to "exhaust the wealth of the world to serve one person", Emperor Wanli intensified, Ming Xizong followed suit, and the Ming Dynasty's finances were facing bankruptcy, so they had to squeeze people's wealth by continuously increasing taxes.Officials at all levels plundered and plundered, exhausted their waters and fished.As the peasants deserted and fled one after another, the water conservancy fell into disrepair, and the river became more and more troubled. Under the vicious circle, natural disasters and man-made disasters continued.In terms of the military system, the law has long been flawed. The military and commercial settlements are all in name only, and the soldiers are owed military salaries, and even have little combat effectiveness.Except for the available soldiers around them, the generals basically have no credible military academy.Under the corruption of military discipline, extortion and mutiny became the "main theme" of the army in the late Ming Dynasty. The early peasant riots were nothing more than a group of rabble looking for something to eat. They were unorganized, undisciplined, and without any clear goals. They seemed to be tens of thousands, but they were actually a large group of hungry refugees with their families. If it is dealt with seriously, these people will immediately scatter.Moreover, many of the people who led the rebellion were the children of local wealthy families or middle- and lower-level officers of the frontier army of the Ming Dynasty.The Peasant War developed to the middle and late stages, and the bandits became more and more powerful. The bandits showed their names one after another, and the use of "nicknames" became less and less. The peasants rioted in the late Ming Dynasty. Wang Xiyin, a man from Fugu who admired Yan'an in the first year of Zhenzhen (the scale of Chengcheng County is too small to be ignored), was the earliest. Food at home, get together and become a thief.After reuniting with Wang Er of Baishui County, the group had grown to a size of 5000 to 6000 people. They broke through Yijun County, plundered wantonly, and fled into Huanglong Mountain in Yan'an area.The murderer Zhang Xianzhong was the first to join Wang Jiayin's team. Zhang Xianzhong himself is a guard of Yan'an. When he was young, he may have served as an arrester (criminal investigation officer) in Yan'an Mansion, or he may have worked as a frontier soldier. Self-proclaimed, not necessarily true), but what is certain is that this person is definitely not an ordinary obedient citizen who turned against hunger, but should be a seasoned villain with a lot of experience in the yamen or military.Because of his bravery and ability to kill in battles with the official army, he himself soon had an armed force and called himself the "Eight Kings of Xiying". Therefore, compared with Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong is definitely an old "revolutionary" predecessor. As for Li Zicheng, it has been said that he is a "peasant leader" for many years. In fact, he is a laid-off postman.He was born in Mizhi, and his nickname was Huangwazi. When he became an adult, he went to Qichuan Station (Yinchuan Station) as a postman.In the Ming Dynasty, shops were set up in ten miles and post houses in sixty miles.Originally, the post station system was originally a necessary "public" facility for government officials to provide boats, horses, labor, and postal services.With the overall corruption of Ming Dynasty society, the post station system has increasingly become a tool for many officials to seek profits.When they pass by the post station, they often extort the post station, which is detrimental to the public and private, which is basically the same as the behavior of taking the driver to drive for themselves while taking the public luxury car and getting transportation subsidies.What is too much is that, in order to cope with errands, postmen and horse households in the Ming Dynasty sometimes even went bankrupt.For example, the big post station should provide 50,000 silver a year, but only one or two thousand are actually paid out.This little money is not enough for daily expenses.Even so, some people in the Ming government still had the idea of ​​a post station. In the second year of Chongzhen, Liu Mao played a speech to rectify the station.He has a good starting point. Through rectification and streamlining, the state expenditure can be saved and the new salary can be offset.After working for more than a year, tens of thousands of postmen were abolished, and a total of about 680,000 taels of silver was saved—this mere 680,000 taels of silver proved to be the price of the Ming Dynasty’s demise—due to the reduction of postmen , Li Zicheng was laid off, and this master joined the Peasant Army in desperation. Zhong added a lot of strength. When Li Zicheng climbed up and shouted, the hungry people gathered together, and thousands of people were gathered in one day, and they plundered all directions.Because of his work in the government department, he is very good at organizing and arranging. Within ten days, he has grown to thousands of people, running back and forth, calling himself "Chuang Jiang". (Because of the title of "Chuang Jiang", including Mr. Yao Xueyin, many contemporary and late Ming and Qing scholars believed that Li Zicheng was under the "Chuang Wang" Gao Yingxiang. In fact, the two had no relationship at all, let alone uncle-nephew relationship. His later wife Gao Shi also had nothing to do with Gao Yingxiang.) "Chuang Wang" and "Chuang Jiang" are both rebellious nicknames, and they are juxtaposed, not subordinated. The hungry people rebelled everywhere, and the officials in the prefectures and counties were all the same. The big things were reduced to small things, and they always reported that the "starving people" were extremely hungry and caused troubles. calm. Coincidentally, God tricks people, Shaanxi and other places have been drought year after year, the famine is getting bigger and bigger, and there are more and more rebellions.When the central government of the Ming Dynasty really faced up to this matter, the small-scale riots of hungry people who robbed food had developed into a large-scale, planned and organized rebellion. In order to solve the problem, Emperor Chongzhen sent Yang He, the left deputy capital censor, to serve as the governor of the three sides of Shaanxi.Since Huang Taiji had just experienced the crisis of breaking the border entrance and killing him to the foot of the capital, many elite troops were dispatched from various places to the Gyeonggi area. Yang He saw that the peasant army in various parts of Shaanxi was huge and could not be suppressed with a small number of soldiers, so he advocated mainly to appease the hungry people, and proposed to solve the problem of food for the hungry people, and then let the hungry people be disbanded, and the government would distribute cattle and farm tools to let them go. Farmers farm in an orderly manner and behave like obedient citizens.Although this appeasement strategy costs a lot of money, it is very effective. The farmers will settle down to their own jobs and will no longer come back as thieves.Farmers have harvests from their fields, production resumes, and the government can recover silver from taxes. This is a virtuous circle, and the problem should be solved. Emperor Chongzhen thought it was reasonable and issued an imperial edict to approve it.Since many peasant armies had entered Shanxi at that time, only "Shen Yikui" was the most powerful in Shaanxi.Hearing that the officials recruited him and he could be a "cadre", Shen Yikui led 60,000 to 70,000 people to Ningzhou, formally surrendered, and was awarded the post of garrison (colonel head) by Yang He.The hungry people who joined the group received "printing tickets" (home return certificates) one after another, and went home after receiving the money. At that time, almost all the thieves in Shaanxi, including "old revolutionaries" such as "Diandengzi" and "Mantianxing", were all appeased and received corresponding official positions.However, the leaders of the peasant army after they became officials had their backs. They kept their weapons privately, occupied key areas, and sent people to rob rich households from time to time, known as "grain hunting".On the other hand, since the Ming government only allocated 100,000 taels of silver for relief, which was a drop in the bucket, most of the peasants were still extremely hungry. go. Under such circumstances, the "main suppression faction" in the court attacked the "main Fu faction" on Yang He's side, accusing him of wasting a large amount of state funds, which eventually resulted in a situation of "repeated support and repeated rebellion". 崇祯帝是个急性子，见花了银子不见立马成效，大怒之下罢去杨鹤官职，重新确定剿杀方针。 杀剿之下，稍稍平息的民乱趁势又起。“神一魁”再次造反，攻占宁塞县城。 不久，农民军头领们互攻，“神一魁”被杀。 由于胆识过人的洪承畴被委任为总督，陕西叛乱相继被镇压，郝林庵、“可天飞”等人逐一被杀。这位洪总督爱使招降和收买的手段，“以贼杀贼”，铁角城、锥子山等叛民大本营一一被端掉，明军斩获数万级，陕西境内基本看不见大股农民军。 Wild fire, in spring.农民军不是被杀光了，而是不少人遁至山西，在那里轰轰烈烈干了起来。 应该交待一下的是，当崇祯朝臣尽力剿杀陕西饥民暴动的同时，东北地区的皇太极发动进攻，摧毁了大凌河城。 崇祯四年（1631年），得知明军在大凌河中左千户所（距锦州四十里，今为大凌河镇）加紧筑城的消息，为防止明朝藉此步步推进，皇太极亲自率六万大军自沈阳出发，于八月六日突然包围了大凌河城。 当时，城内仅有一万四千多官兵及一万多平民，守城明将是祖大寿和何可纲等人。由于经过数次攻城挫败，后金已经在战法上有所改变，他们不再急于以人肉作为代价拼死攻城，十分耐心地坚持“围城打援”战略方针，在把大凌河城包围得水泄不通的同时，在城外各处挖掘层层壕堑，一方面阻止宁锦方向的明朝援兵，一方面防止城内明军奔逸逃出。更为重要的是，后金军队也拥有了自己的“红衣大将军炮”。用于此战的，有这种大炮四十门，威力相当大。如此一来，先前明军在热火器一面倒的优势已经消失，我有人有，心理上不再占据上风。 明朝派出四万大军来援，结果在锦州东南的长山山口遭受后金截击，恶战之下，明军不支，三十三员将领以及四万精兵被后金全歼。 即使如此，祖大寿仍旧坚守孤城。几个月后，大凌城内开始断粮，马肉鼠肉雀肉食尽之后，开始出现人吃人现象。供役筑城的近万名工匠最惨，他们首先被军士当作“军粮”吃掉。 皇太极也不着急，十拿九稳之下，他派人劝降。由于先前皇太极的堂兄阿敏在攻打北京撤退时尽杀永平、迁安的明朝降官，祖大寿等人不敢投降，深恐降后仍不免于一死。 皇太极展开攻心战，“痛心疾首”表示“不再妄杀一人”，并告诉祖大寿乱杀人的阿敏已受幽禁处分（这倒是真的，此人乃“四大贝勒”之一，因其威胁到皇太极地位，故借此故被幽囚）。 思前想后好一阵子，祖大寿暂时决定投降，并送儿子祖可法到后金营中为人质。由于祖大寿的家属大部分在锦州，他表示投降后希望后金不要声张，再替后金赚开锦州城。可怪的是，守城诸将，除何可纲以外，这些与后金血战多年的汉子们都愿意随祖大寿投降（明帝杀袁崇焕也可能在最大限度上冷了这些人的心）。 为了取信后金，祖大寿等人把何可纲押至城外，当着双方军将的面，把这位英雄砍头。何将军临死大笑：宁为大明鬼，不为鞑子奴！ 当晚，祖大寿亲自出城，入皇太极“御营”谒见。诸贝勒一里外相迎，待之非常恭谨。行至帐前，皇太极本人出帐迎接。祖大寿刚要行跪拜礼，皇太极止之，与他行“抱见礼”。这种满族礼仪，在民国初的北京、天津市面上还可见到――两大老爷们见面，拱手打揖后，趁前互屈一膝，相互左肩碰右肩，再右肩碰左肩，然后相抱交头，难看至极，简直在今天人的眼里就是大滑稽。但在当时的女真人眼里，此礼乃见客的最高礼仪。二人入帐后，皇太极亲自斟酒递与祖大寿。 对方饮毕，也酌酒跪献，表示降服。 转天，皇太极听信祖大寿建议，命八旗诸将率四千多人着明军服色，跟同祖大寿的三百多人一起作溃逃状，希望赚开锦州城门。由于天降大雾，后金军自己相互失散，不果而还。为此，祖大寿提出自己先入城，趁机斩杀明将后再拥兵献城（清人自己记载是皇太极主动提出放祖大寿，表明这位“太宗”事前诸葛亮的英明）。皇太极信以为真，派祖大寿与其侄子祖泽远带二十名明军前往锦州。 祖大寿回锦州后，派人至后金营报称锦州明军太多，表示要“从容图之”，希望皇太极善待其留在后金营中当人质的子侄。皇太极无奈，反正破大凌河城的目的已经达到，就率兵回返。十年之后，祖大寿才真正归降皇太极。但他的儿子（一说是其养子）祖可法对后金百分二百的真心孝顺，为皇太极出了无数上好的“坏主意”，他在《贰臣传》中“名位”也远远在洪承畴和祖大寿之前。 祖大寿回锦州后，对巡抚邱禾嘉说自己是突围而出。不久事泄，邱巡抚上奏崇祯帝。由于边地需要祖大寿这样的勇将，崇祯帝没有下令杀他，下敕让他入京面君。祖大寿心中有鬼，一直不敢入京，皆借故推辞。但观其日后所为，他确实断绝了与后金方面的联系，一心守土，直到锦州大战时才真正降附满清。 大凌河之战，明军精锐数万被歼，大量先进火器丧失，损失不可谓不大。最重要的是，皇太极粉碎了明军步步为营东进的战略，迫使明朝往后退缩。 后金天聪七年（1633年初，因愤恨巡抚孙元化征兵渡海，被袁崇焕杀掉的毛文龙原先的部将孔有德、耿仲明（三人均为辽东人）在登州叛变，乘船率万余兵士及家属在镇江向后金投降。皇太极大喜过望，待以厚礼，立封孔有德为都元师，耿仲明为总兵官，让二人在朝中与八和硕贝勒共列一队朝见，以示殊宠。同时，明令二人自领所统汉军，具有类似旗主的权利。日后，皇太极称帝，封二人为王爵，专为他们所统汉军设汉军二旗，成为日后汉军八旗的前身。皇太极这一举措意义深远，一是用汉将统汉兵，这些人熟谙水战，深晓地利，成为满清的鹰犬前驱，二是汉军人旗（以及蒙古八旗）的建立，可以削弱满州八旗旗主这些人的独尊地位，对他们予以牵制，更增加了皇太极一人独大的不二地位。 崇祯七年（1634年），皇太极发兵二次入关打击明朝，总共进行三个多月，在宣府、大同一带大肆杀劫，掳抢百姓、牲畜不计其数，洋洋而去。 崇祯帝大错之三轻信农民军投降见陕西境内消停一些，明廷便下令给临洮总兵曹文诏，让他带统陕西、山西诸将，去山西剿贼。曹文诏手下兵不多，只有近四千人，立刻从甘肃庆阳开拔，经潼关、过黄河，率先击杀蒲州、河津一带的农民军。 到崇祯六年冬，从各地调至山西、河南、河北一带的围剿官军人数，已达三万多。一直号称“英明”的崇祯帝，此时也走他前任的老路，派出不少没老二的太监公公到各部队当监军。 明末农民军之所以被称为“流贼”，就是因为这些人善于四处游走，东打一下西杀一下，让官军四顾不暇。但华北地区多为大平原，叛乱者们无险可据，无山可藏。官军势大，进攻不懈。最后，大部分农民军被压迫于河南界内的黄河以北地区不能动弹。 见突围无望，年底隆冬时分，“闯塌天”、“满天飞”、张妙手以及李自成等人，佯称要投降，向京营总兵王朴递信。王朴和军中“政委”太监杨进朝大喜，立刻制止各部官军的围剿，向朝廷上报了六十多位即将接受“招安”的降贼名单，自认为兵不血刃立下奇功。 “投降”名单上人名很有意思，一半象上面的，一半象《智取威虎山》里面的： 贺双全、新虎、九条龙、闯王（高迎祥）、领兵山、勇将、满天飞、一条龙、一丈青、哄天星（当为混天星）、三只手、一字王、闯将（李自成）、蝎子块、满天星、七条龙、关锁（当为关索、八大王、皂莺、张妙手、西营八大王（张献忠）、老张飞、诈手、邢红狼、闯塌天（刘国能）、马鹞子、南营八大王、胡爪、哄世王（当作混世王）、一块云乱世王大将军、过天星（惠登相）二将、哄天王（当作混天王——引者）猛虎、独虎、老回回（马光玉）、高小溪、扫地王、整齐王、五条龙、五阎王、邢闯王、曹操（罗汝才）、稻黍杆、逼上路、四虎、黄龙、大天王、皮里针、张飞、石塌天（当系射塌天李万庆）、薛仁贵、金翅鹏、八金龙、鞋底光、瓦背儿、刘备、钻天鹞、上天龙千奇百怪的人名，共计六十一名。 明军放松警惕后，不少兵卒还与即将“投降”的农民军做起买卖来，偷出军营里军靴、棉衣、兵器等物卖与对方。 数名农民军头领暗中早有串联，趁诈降机会大大地修整一番。然后，他们吃饱喝足，趁山西垣曲到河南济源之间黄河封冻之机，纵马狂奔，整部整部地突破黄河天险，冲出明军包围圈，忽喇喇出现在中原大地。 由于河南地方官员没有平贼经验，四战之地又便于驰骋，农民军水银泻地一样，四处窜击，不仅河南全境遭受劫害，周遭的安徽、四川、湖广等地均处处开花。由此，局部农民战争，一下子变成了全面的祸患。 特别是河南连年大旱，当地人活不下去，见当“贼”能吃饱饭继续存活，不少人纷纷入伙，农民军军势益炽。于是，高迎祥、张献忠、李自成等部进入卢氏山区，与当地偷掘矿藏的“矿贼”合伙，直下湖广，连破襄阳、上津、房县等地，如入无人之境。而“扫地王”、“满天星”、“横行狼”等人西入武关，连陷山阳、镇安等地，然后北上雒南，杀向西安。待洪承畴率军来截杀时，他们南下四川，攻城略地。 横行数月，农民军主力最终大多回到了陕西。 为了统一事权，明廷任命陈奇瑜总督五省军务（陕西、山西、河南、湖广、四川）。他在河南陕州会师后，统军南下，打得在均县、竹山一带活动的张献忠、李自成等部纷纷退却，转往陕西。 大部农民军在明军的围追堵截下，误入汉中栈道险地车厢峡。由于两个多月的阴雨天气，农民军弩解刀锈，衣甲多日不干，缺粮少食，几乎丧失基本战斗力。 如果明军趁势进攻，这几万人只有等着挨宰的份儿。情急之下，李自成、张献忠等人齐集商议，各自拿出先前抢掠的金宝，运了几十匹骡马，送入陈奇瑜营中遍贿明军上下军官。在左右力保下，陈奇瑜答应用抚招降，准备接受农民军的“投降”。 由于朝中兵部尚书张凤翼也主抚，崇祯皇帝信之，下诏招安。结果，陈奇瑜派出明军小头目，一对一百，对“投降”贼军登记整编，准备尽遣这些人回乡安置。 眼见大伙都成“良民”了，明军松懈，捧着农民军方面“孝敬”的大酒罐痛饮，搂肩搭背瓦诉衷肠，都表示不打仗好。 结果，一夜之间，农民军在统一布置下忽然翻脸，尽杀安抚官（一百杀一个，太容易），夺马夺兵器后四处出击，立呈燎原之态。 可见，明政府对农民军“伪降”、“诈降”一直没有充分的警惕性，使得他们一而再、再而三绝处逢生，化险为夷。 诸部农民军脱险后，自汉中逸出，回奔陕西、甘肃攻掠。 崇祯帝大怒，撤掉陈奇瑜，改任洪承畴为兵部尚书，总督五省军务。屋漏偏逢连夜雨，明军西宁士兵哗变，洪承畴不得不首先处理西宁军变。等他回来时，“流贼”们都东奔入河南。 农民军在河南集结后，共七十二营三十万左右的队伍，各推首领，于荥阳大会，商议共拒官军事宜。 崇祯八年初，过了一个肥年的农民主力由河南汝宁入安徽，攻克颖州后，直杀明太祖朱元璋的老家凤阳。凤阳是明朝“祖陵”所在，一直没敢建城墙，怕压住龙脉。结果，正月十五元宵节，农民军轰哄而至，杀掉当时守军数千，并派人挖掘了明帝的“祖坟”（其实朱元璋父母早就丢于乱坟岗，皇陵仅是象征性建筑）。 然后，龙兴寺和皇陵宫殿均被农民军一把火烧成白地。 祖陵被掘，崇祯帝气得发疯，在下“罪已诏”的同时，杀掉凤阳巡抚等多名高官。然后，他调集七、八万大军，发足军饷，命令洪承畴在半年内一定要消灭掉所有农民军主力。 恰恰是在凤阳，李自成与张献忠二人结下梁子，从此分道扬镳―――攻破凤阳皇陵后，张献忠俘获了在皇陵充当乐手的小宦官十二人。每次宴酒，张献忠就让这些小阉人为他吹吹打打，以乐佐酒。李自成看着眼红，就向老张索要。老张先是不给，李自成固请，多次派兵上门来索取。老张大怒，派人砸毁所有乐器，让兵士把小宦者们轮奸（鸡奸）后送给李自成。 李自成看见小宦者们个个捂着屁股双眼哭成鲜桃，非常恼怒。再问乐器下落，回言张大王已经砸毁。一怒之下，李自成持剑，把十二个小阉人均捅死在当地，以泄胸中愤恨。 由此，李、张二人失和。 半年内平灭农民军，说来容易做起难。各路农民军返回秦地，饥民纷纷相从，规模几近二百万人。李自成率部坚持在陕西发展，并在进攻甘肃真宁（正宁）时杀掉明军猛将曹文诏，给予诸路明军以极大的精神打击。高迎祥、张献忠、“老回回”马守应等人吃尽当地粮食后，又从陕西东出潼关杀回河南，几十万人忽来忽去，似蝗虫一般，到哪里就把哪里吃个干净，抢个干净。 眼见洪承畴一个人忙不过来，明廷只得让湖广巡抚卢象升协助，让他剿东南，洪承畴专剿西北。高迎祥、张献忠等人东下安徽，对滁州展开围攻，卢象升立刻领兵去救，但扑了个空。 农民军军在密县、登封一带与官军交手得利后，复回陕西。洪承畴本来在甘肃打得李自成等人喘不过气来，正要集中兵力予以消灭时，明军驻宁夏固原的政府军因缺饷发生兵变，洪承畴只得赶过去救火。李自成逃出生天，奔回陕西老家。 沮丧之余，明廷终于得到一个好消息。崇祯九年夏末，在孙传庭、洪承畴二部明军的围堵下，“闯王”高迎祥在周至被生俘。如此大贼头被擒，明廷立刻派人把他押解北京，凌迟处死。高迎祥之死对农民军打击很大，张妙手、“蝎子块” 等头目纷纷乞降。这次，他们是真正投降。可笑的是，明廷为免蹈前车之覆辙，几个农民军头目投降不久，均被交付各部官军斩首。 李自成方面，在米脂、绥德一带休整后，本来想渡河进入山西，见明军有备，他只得率部西行，在宁夏、甘肃一带杀掠。 崇祯九年初，李自成与十余只农民军军联手，从秦州出发，想攻取汉中。但明朝总兵曹变蛟早已设伏，把农民军军击得大败。 见入汉中不成，李自成便转头进攻四川，攻破广元后，连克数十州县，所向披糜。吃足抢足之后，见明朝政府军云集川地围堵自己，李自成出四川往北，杀入甘肃境内。 在崇祯九年（1636年）明廷狼奔豕突追截堵杀农民军时，东北的皇太极改国号“大金”为“大清”，年号由“天聪”改为“崇德”。 拜天大典上，朝鲜使臣罗德宪、李科二人反感这些“鞑子”们的仪式，站立不拜。皇太极大怒，但他并未杀人，而是在打发二人回国时撂下一句话：“尔国王若知逆顺，当送子弟于我国为人质。不然的话，我必兴兵，直到把尔国打服为止。” 在动手击朝鲜之前，夏五月，皇太极先派十四弟多尔衮等人率十万大军第三次深入明朝腹地，并明示此次进攻目的只在抢掠明朝京畿地区，抢人掠物为主，不计城池得失。明廷以为清军会从山西入京，岂料清军选择延庆，入居庸关后，杀入昌平，焚毁了明熹宗的德陵（这位皇帝在阴间估计也找不到木头做家俱了）。 身任总指挥的明廷兵部张凤翼要谋无谋，要胆无胆，虽然手中有尚方宝剑，也调动不了胆战心惊的明军将领，眼巴巴看着清军数月之间遍掠畿内，五十六战皆捷，俘掠人畜二十万，于秋九月从冷口从容退军，并派人在