Chapter 40 Postscript Born in sorrow, died in peace

The evaluation left by a person in history, of course, depends on what he thinks and does in his life... After hundreds of years, historians have accumulated a lot of research efforts on the reasons for the fall of the Ming Dynasty and the rise of the Qing Dynasty, and have drawn many conclusions, discussing it from various aspects such as politics, economy, system, and social phenomena. In order to achieve the comprehensiveness and integrity of historical research. "The prosperity of the Qing Dynasty came from Taizu. The death of the Ming Dynasty came from Shenzong." This is one of the conclusions, and it is only based on the direct cause, era and leaders of the era; The two leaders of the era who caused the rise of the Qing Dynasty and the fall of the Ming Dynasty not only formed a strong contrast in many aspects, but also was thought-provoking.

Qing Taizu Nurhachi was born in 1559 AD and died in 1626; Ming Shenzong Zhu Yijun was born in 1563 AD and died in 1620. The age difference between the two was only four years old. There is only a six-year difference between them, but their personalities, ambitions, life experiences and deeds are completely different. Zhu Yijun was born in the Daming Palace. He was the third son of his father, Emperor Muzong Longqing. However, because the two previous elder brothers died young, he became the actual eldest son. He was established as the crown prince at the age of six; In addition to living a life of food and dignity, he also received the most complete education. A group dedicated to teaching him to study alone was composed of the cabinet bachelor with the highest official position and the best knowledge among the civil servants in the country and elites selected from the Imperial Academy. , preaching, teaching, and dispelling doubts for him; at the age of ten, Emperor Longqing died, and he inherited the throne logically, becoming the thirteenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty: "Emperor Wanli".

Although a ten-year-old child can't handle the heavy state affairs of this two-hundred-year-old empire with a population of 100 million, the lucky Zhu Yijun doesn't need to worry about these; Zhang Juzheng was born in the same era; Zhang Juzheng was not only his enlightened master, but also served as the chief assistant, so he naturally shouldered heavy responsibilities and managed the country in an orderly manner for him, so that he had no worries at all and could concentrate on one thing The most important thing is to study in the harem to prepare for being a good emperor in the future.

In comparison, Nurhachi's life experience and life in childhood and youth appear "very unfortunate". Nurhachi was born in the Jurchen tribe, whose level of civilization is very different from that of the Central Plains. He lived in a mud hut and slept on an earthen kang; It is not as small as one of the poorest and smallest counties in the Ming Dynasty; Jurchen had no writing at all at that time, so what kind of "education" can we talk about?In his childhood, he was just like ordinary Jurchen children, running and jumping, riding a pony, and learning how to shoot with a small bow and arrow. After the age of six, he had to be responsible for hunting some rabbits and birds to help the family's livelihood; what's more unfortunate What's more, when he was ten years old, his mother died, his father remarried, and his stepmother gave birth to a younger brother. Since then, his life has become even more difficult.

When he was nineteen years old, his stepmother drove him out, so he had to wander around, fend for himself, struggling to survive in a difficult environment, and wrestling with his bad fate. Such two people with very different birth backgrounds and growing environments coincided with the most important start in their lives in the eleventh year of Wanli (AD 1583). In the eleventh year of Wanli, Yu Zhu Yijun was the beginning of degeneration, while Yu Nurhachi was the beginning of hard work; the different development of the two planted the seeds of the rise and fall of the two dynasties led by them in the future.

In just a few months after Zhang Juzheng's death, Zhu Yijun felt disgusted from the bottom of his heart against Zhang Juzheng, who had served as an assistant to the government and served as a teacher to protect the country. The use of talents led to the abolition of reform measures in politics, finance and taxation, land and other aspects that Zhang Juzheng had worked on during his lifetime. The reason is that Zhang Juzheng and his mother, the Empress Dowager Cisheng, placed too high hopes on Zhu Yijun since he was a child, and gave him too strict education, which caused him to be overly depressed psychologically; Desiring to be "pro-government" and eager to get rid of the constraints and restrictions on his independence, the feeling of Zhang Juzheng in his heart is different from the dependence and awe he had when he was a child; when Zhang Juzheng died, he went from "relieved" to disgusted It gradually revealed that once a few officials who hated Zhang Juzheng stated to him Zhang Juzheng's "lawlessness" during his lifetime, he immediately rebounded and liquidated everything about Zhang Juzheng.

Although his psychological rebound was nothing more than a "personal grievance" between him and Zhang Juzheng, but because the two of them were emperors and chief ministers who were prime ministers, the impact was far-reaching. . Zhang Juzheng's efforts during his lifetime were all "people go to the government and die". After ten years of assisting the government, the empire that managed to make the country rich and the people happy began to decline; the successors were not as good as each other, and because of his fate, no one dared to imitate him" With the attitude of being an official with responsibility, determination, and accomplishment, no one dares to have the hope of "the rule of Wanli" any longer, and only wants to settle in his position in the form of "hometown wishes"; and because Zhu Yijun lacks the control of Zhang Juzheng, He began to indulge himself and indulged in wine, sex and wealth.

Nurhachi's situation is just the opposite.In the eleventh year of Wanli, his grandfather Jue Changan and his father Ta Keshi were murdered by Nikan Wailan, Li Chengliang, the Liaodong general of the Ming Dynasty; at the age of twenty-five, he was filled with grief and indignation, and vowed to avenge his grandfather and father , with only thirteen armors and less than a hundred subordinates, he set up an army to conquer Nikanwailan. Since then, he has launched endless years of conquests, opened up the territory with every inch of land and blood, and gradually established a country scale.

In the following forty years, the development of the two became even more polarized; when Nurhachi galloped on the battlefield and fought bloody battles, Zhu Yijun enjoyed wine and beauties in the magnificent Daming Palace; When he was able to establish his own city-state and country, Zhu Yijun began to dig his own grave and spent 8 million taels of silver from the country's total annual income in two years to build Dingling Mausoleum; Nurhachi's sixteen sons grew up on horseback, Everyone is brave and good at fighting, but because Zhu Yijun spoiled his third son Chang Xun, who was born to his concubine, there was a disturbance of "establishing a crown prince", which caused the court and public opinion to argue endlessly over this matter; , swearing against the Ming Dynasty with the "seven major hatreds", and went to several major towns in Liaodong, Zhu Yijun has not been in court for thirty years, resting on the lap of a beautiful woman, sucking "fushou ointment", and opening "mine tax" to search for people's fat and people's ointment to enrich himself The private treasury made the people miserable...

After all, history is fair, and what kind of cause is buried, what kind of result will be obtained; in 1644 AD, Zhu Yijun’s grandson Zhu Youjian hanged himself because Li Zicheng captured Beijing, ending the Ming Dynasty; Nurhachi’s grandson However, Fulin entered the Central Plains this year, eliminated Li Zicheng and the three kings of Nanming, and possessed the great country that once belonged to Zhu Yijun. Reading the history books of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, I often sighed alone under the lamp, thinking repeatedly in my heart: Everyone "carries" a mission of his own when he comes into the world; no matter the nature of the mission, The weight and size are all born to everyone, and they should work hard all their lives to complete it tirelessly; some are farmers, and they are diligent in plowing and growing various crops; There are similar utensils for human use; as scholars, they are committed to accumulating the wisdom of their ancestors, thinking about future development and creating new civilizations...

The existence of life itself has a solemn meaning: "Heaven moves vigorously, and a gentleman strives constantly for self-improvement"-man is a part of nature, and the operation of nature does not stop for a moment, how can man Can we slack off and stop in violation of the laws of nature?How can we abandon, evade and even forget our inherent mission? The pressure is too great, can it be relieved by "escape"?There are too many difficulties, can it be solved by simply abandoning them all? Nurhachi is the first class of people. He faced the difficult environment with a struggling outlook on life; in a chaotic, dilapidated, and dark age, he simply forged ahead to overthrow this dark age and recreate a new one. A time of light and hope is coming. Zhu Yijun is the last one. Because of his evasion, laziness, and abandonment of responsibilities and missions, the era he led gradually went downhill from the original "the country is rich and the people are happy, and the world is peaceful". In the middle of the year, there was a change, and the people were in dire straits, and the dynasty perished. Although from the perspective of human nature, it is "reasonable" to develop behaviors of escaping or abandoning due to psychological rebound caused by excessive pressure; Zhu Yijun's psychological changes in the fifty-eight years from birth to death The behaviors reflected are all "in line with human nature", but this "human nature" is only measured by ordinary people, ordinary people, ordinary people-it is not suitable for being a leader of an era. Zhu Yijun was born in the royal family. At the age of six, he was established as the crown prince. His status as an emperor throughout his life has been established, and his mission has been established as "governing the country and calming the world". He was smart and studious when he was young. The ideal of the "Government of Wanli" is close at hand; but how do you know that when he is an adult, he can't shoulder the responsibilities he should shoulder, can't fulfill his inherent mission, and single-handedly ruined the inheritance he inherited from his ancestors. Dynasty. Throughout the ages, those who can achieve great things and establish great achievements are often "extraordinary people"-like Nurhachi, who has lofty ambitions, strong will, and broad-mindedness; the more difficult the work and the heavier the responsibility, the harder he works; The trials and adversities he encountered are just the process of tempering him to accept challenges, which will only stimulate his stronger fighting spirit, hone his more resolute and persevering personality, enhance his spiritual strength, and make him produce greater strength. , More sufficient ability to complete their mission. History is ruthless and selfless. Only those who can stand the harsh test can become successful in history. There is no fluke or accident. Nurhachi laid the foundation for the founding of the country, and Zhu Yijun planted the cause of the country's subjugation; as the leaders of the same era, two different people started a polarized development. I also grew up in a chaotic era. For this period of history, after every sigh of my own, I always fall into contemplation. Walking on the eve of the 21st century, every Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should start with "Where is China going?" At the turning point of the future, what kind of picture will you see when you look up at the distant future? Where will "a boat in the ocean" sail? Everyone has different views and ideas. The most "seriously pessimistic" text I have ever read comes from Maeterlin's play "Group Blindness"-not just China, but the scope he refers to covers the whole world. Human beings—human beings are "group blind" and cannot see the future at all. When a visual baby is finally born into this world, all the blind people can't wait to lift him up and ask him to look into the future, but only He is a baby, although he has eyes that can see, but he can't understand anything, and the future of human beings is still uncertain. But I am not so pessimistic. Reading history books has given me a lot of enlightenment in human history; Nurhachi's struggle history has made me affirm the spiritual power of human beings in my heart, and established the "human beings because of struggle" "Immortal" outlook on life; I firmly believe that no matter what era and environment we are in, people who work tirelessly will eventually be able to break through all difficulties and make a great cause that contributes to all mankind. Therefore, I have been more actively and diligently engaged in historical research and writing; I also believe that this part of the historical facts of the fall of the Ming Dynasty and the rise of the Qing Dynasty and the comparison between the Qing Taizu and Ming Shenzong, although only a vast 5,000 years A drop in history is a thought-provoking bell.

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