The Last Emperor of Ming - Chongzhen
Chongzhen Emperor, Yuan Chonghuan and the Manchurian Invasions
The patriotic Yuan Chonghuan
The last Emperor of Ming, Chongzhen Emperor did not make the right choices as an Emperor, and the ongoing enemy invasions and rebels in China made him clueless. One of his most trusted commanders, “Yuan Chonghuan” saved China from collapsing earlier, however in winter 1629, the Manchus surprise attacked the capital Beijing, going around Yuan Chonghuan’s army without anyone else knowing. Yuan Chonghuan found out just days before the Manchu surrounds Beijing. He brought his most elite troops and rushed back to Beijing just in time to save the Emperor. However, he didn’t have enough troops with him, he ultimately won but the current emperor of the Manchu-lead Jin Dynasty “Hong Taiji” escaped.
It was believed that Hong Taiji planned to spread rumors about Yuan Chonghuan letting the Manchus escape so he could be spared once Ming Dynasty has fallen. The rumors went to the eunuchs who spread the rumors all over Beijing and as soon as Emperor Chongzhen heard it, he arrested Yuan Chonghuan. With absolutely no strong evidence, he was tortured, cut in to 1,000 pieces in front of the public in Beijing. His meat was shared among the commoners and some of the officials. However, he was extremely patriotic and did not do anything wrong. After his death, the Ming Dynasty did not have many capable commanders to lead China’s Army. Notably, “Wu Sangui”, a well-known commander defending “Shanhaiguan” one of the main gates of the Great Wall surrendered to the rebel army and eventually the Manchus. He had well over 100,000 men but he still betrayed Ming. He also eventually betrayed Qing and declared himself Emperor of Great Zhou Dynasty but soon he died and his son failed to keep the Empire alive. On the other hand, the rebel army of "Li Zicheng" led his army to attack the collapsing Ming, and he eventually ransacked Beijing and announced himself as the Emperor of Shun Dynasty. However, the combined forces of Wu Sangui and Manchus soon defeated him. After his escape, he was either killed by Ming soldiers, hanged himself onto a lotus tree, or he ran away to become a monk. In history, he was known as a negative figure, killing hundreds of thousands and stealing supplies from citizens. However, they exaggerated his status as a type of propaganda to prevent rebellion in Qing Dynasty.
It was believed that Hong Taiji planned to spread rumors about Yuan Chonghuan letting the Manchus escape so he could be spared once Ming Dynasty has fallen. The rumors went to the eunuchs who spread the rumors all over Beijing and as soon as Emperor Chongzhen heard it, he arrested Yuan Chonghuan. With absolutely no strong evidence, he was tortured, cut in to 1,000 pieces in front of the public in Beijing. His meat was shared among the commoners and some of the officials. However, he was extremely patriotic and did not do anything wrong. After his death, the Ming Dynasty did not have many capable commanders to lead China’s Army. Notably, “Wu Sangui”, a well-known commander defending “Shanhaiguan” one of the main gates of the Great Wall surrendered to the rebel army and eventually the Manchus. He had well over 100,000 men but he still betrayed Ming. He also eventually betrayed Qing and declared himself Emperor of Great Zhou Dynasty but soon he died and his son failed to keep the Empire alive. On the other hand, the rebel army of "Li Zicheng" led his army to attack the collapsing Ming, and he eventually ransacked Beijing and announced himself as the Emperor of Shun Dynasty. However, the combined forces of Wu Sangui and Manchus soon defeated him. After his escape, he was either killed by Ming soldiers, hanged himself onto a lotus tree, or he ran away to become a monk. In history, he was known as a negative figure, killing hundreds of thousands and stealing supplies from citizens. However, they exaggerated his status as a type of propaganda to prevent rebellion in Qing Dynasty.
