Later, some people verified that Wu Sangui was loyal to the Ming royal family. The reason why the Qing troops were introduced into the pass was because there was a plague in the background at that time, so the Ming army in Beijing was quickly defeated. At the same time, Li Zicheng's army also suffered from the plague. Wu Sangui wanted to lure Qing soldiers into the pass first, and took advantage of the plague to defeat Dorgon and Li Zicheng, both of whom were injured, and finally reaped the benefits himself.
Of course this is a family story. It's up to you whether you believe it or not.
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1644 is a very special year in Chinese history In the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, the first year of Yongchang, and the first year of Shunzhi
, Beijing, the thousand-year-old ancient capital, changed the king's flag on the city wall. Within one year, three emperors sat on the dragon throne in the Forbidden City. .
Three hundred and sixty-one years later, future generations have continued to discuss the history of that year in Beijing and its impact on China.
I came into contact with this period of history when I was young by reading Guo Moruo's "The Three Hundred Years of Jiashen Festival". In that era of scarce resources
, I read that booklet over and over again. This famous article, written at the end of the Anti-Japanese War, formed the view that Dashun's army was corrupted after entering the city. Even before the army entered Beijing a few years later, Mao Zedong also warned based on this that he would seize the world's revolution. Communists must learn the lessons of Li Zicheng.
Is history really like this? What was the reason for the dramatic changes in Beijing in the spring of 1644?
The Ming Dynasty began to decline during the Wanli period. Its demise was inevitable, but wouldn’t it be unable to survive the seventeenth year of Chongzhen
? Although Chongzhen was suspicious and changeable, he was considered a diligent and good emperor among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty. To the north, the Manchu Qing Dynasty
Huang Taiji was newly mourned, Dorgon came to power, the internal situation was unstable, and there would be no large-scale invasion for the time being. There were swarms of civil unrest everywhere, but the fertile Jiangnan remained intact. The only immediate concern is Li Zicheng, why can't he escape?
Although Li Chuang killed generals along the way, he only captured Shanxi. The Ming Dynasty focused on the capital and neglected other provinces, and had always assembled heavy troops in Beijing.
The three major battalions are said to have 470,000. Although there is a lot of vacancy, half of them should be available. Although the combat effectiveness is not strong, the Manchu and Qing troops have come to the city many times, and the Beijing camp can be regarded as a battle-hardened formation. Beijing's city defense is very strong. Since the surrender of Anda, foreign enemy troops have been approaching many times and they have been unable to break through the city. During the Chongzhen period, the Manchu and Qing dynasties also attacked Beijing many times. The Beijing camp might not be effective in the field, but the defense of the city could at least last for several months. In addition, there was the help of red cannons. The army's ability to attack difficult targets was very poor. One Ningwuguan Pass lost tens of thousands of elite soldiers. Why?
Why is attacking Beijing so much like trying to get something out of a bag?
It is difficult to explain Chongzhen's delay in moving south and his order for the prince to go south. It is heroic for a king to die in the country, but who is willing
to be the king of the country's subjugation. Unlike other dynasties, the Ming Dynasty used Nanjing as its companion capital, and the prince had been stationed in Nanjing in previous dynasties. Chongzhen was not so mediocre that he later overthrew the Southern Ming Dynasty due to the issue of imperial rule. It can be said that Chongzhen did not believe that the city had fallen when the intruders were approaching, and the civil and military forces also had this confidence, otherwise they would have fled in all directions.
There is a theory that the ruthless officials of Chongzhen had an attempt to escape and deliberately prevented the prince from going south. They all hung themselves from a tree. This kind of speculation is too outrageous.
It should be said that Chongzhen did not believe that the city had fallen when the invading army was approaching. Wu Sangui would arrive soon. Once the invading army was under the strong city, Qin Wang's troops from various places would also arrive one after another. Chongzhen does not need to defend the city for a long time, as long as he can hold on for a few months, the danger will be turned into safety.
The most incredible thing is that when Li Zicheng came to the city, he sent the eunuch Du Xun as an envoy to negotiate peace with Chongzhen. The conditions offered
were: "We will cede the northwest area to the king." , and rewarded the army with millions of silver, and retreated to Henan." "I am willing to curb the bandits within the imperial court. I can especially recruit troops to help control the Liao vassal, but I will not obey the imperial edict or pay homage." We are about to enter the city, and we are actually offering such favorable conditions
? But Chongzhen actually refused when the country was overturned. Li Zicheng has already occupied Shaanxi and Henan, and it doesn't matter whether he cedes the capital or not. Moreover, he has already established himself as king, and now it is just a matter of spending one million silver, and he can also use him to exterminate Zhang Xianzhong and other bandits, and even resist the Manchus. Even if the end of the world cannot be lost, it is still ten thousand times better than the destruction of the city and the country. Assuming that Chongzhen accepted this alliance under the city, Li Zicheng would break the siege and lose the victory he had won.
On March 17, 1644, the day before the siege, both sides inside and outside the city believed that Beijing was unbreakable. Where did this misjudgment come from?
Where did it come from?
2
In the 17th year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng led the Dashun army to march eastward. His purpose was not to seize the world, but to plunder. Later generations commented on the matter and believed that Li Zicheng thought the time was ripe, so he came to take Beijing. In fact, he wanted to retreat or turn several times during the Eastern Expedition
especially after Ningwuguan lost troops and generals. If the Datong garrison had not come to surrender, they might have returned or changed their route to the Yangtze River and Huaihe River.
Even when they arrived at the gates of Beijing, the monarchs and ministers of Dashun still did not expect to easily break into the city.
After entering and leaving the city for forty days, after a battle at Shanhaiguan, the Dashun army, which had been invincible before, was defeated and was never fought again
A decent battle. If it is said to be corrupted, it is hard to believe that it was completely different within forty days. There have been many rebels who have entered Beijing since ancient times, and there are many who are more greedy than the Chuangbu. They have never lost their combat effectiveness in such a short period of time.
For example, the Huangchao tribe was able to fight in the north and south after withdrawing from Chang'an. In comparison, the Chuang Department had the shortest time to enter the capital, but their combat effectiveness dropped the most.
If Li Zicheng's troops were like this, it would be difficult to explain their previous results. Some people think that he did not bring that many people into Beijing, and the elite were lost in the battle of Shanhaiguan. But what about the troops staying in Shaanxi? There is also a theory that it was because of rogue bandits
that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom could last longer. But the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom were also rogue bandits, they just didn’t leave after arriving in Nanjing. Li Zicheng
At this time, he had established his foundation in Xi'an and was no longer a bandit. There must have been a lot of troops left in the rear and along the route when marching eastward. How come this group of troops who had not suffered any losses had no fighting power?
The reason why Chongzhen could not hold Beijing was because of the rebellion and separation of relatives. Li Zicheng withdrew immediately after proclaiming himself emperor. In the battle of Shanhaiguan, the Wu army and the Qing army suffered a tragic defeat, and they did not even have the ability to take advantage of the victory and pursue it. Although Li Zicheng suffered heavy casualties, his entire army was not wiped out
Why not rely on Beijing's complete city defense to defend it? Li Zicheng led more than 200,000 people to attack Wu Sangui, and he brought far more than this number into Beijing. At that time, Beijing was newly established and would definitely leave heavy troops in Beijing. There are still surrendered pawns from the three major battalions, which should add up to hundreds of thousands. Why not hold on for a while, but leave in a hurry, letting Wu Sangui pursue them like a lost dog?
There is another saying that it was Li Zicheng's elite who were lost in Shanhaiguan. Even so, other second-rate troops should also have some combat effectiveness. Li Zicheng will not bring all the elites to Shanhaiguan, because there are so many surrendered soldiers in the three major battalions in the capital, and he needs to leave close confidants and elite soldiers to guard them.
Li Zicheng has been in power for decades, and his troops are the most powerful among all the bandits. Even if they suffer losses, they are not without the ability to fight back
. And the generals under his command, why did these battle-hardened generals fail to perform well after they withdrew from Beijing?
Why is the whole army so different? In contrast, Zhang Xianzhong's troops were defeated in one battle, and later Li Dingguo killed famous kings in succession. Why were Li Zicheng's men such idiots?
Before coming to Beijing, I also went to Luoyang and Xi'an. These are big cities. Why did they become completely corrupted when I entered Beijing?
After withdrawing from Beijing, even Xi'an could not be defended in the end. Li Zicheng was killed or became a monk. In the end, it was not that everyone rebelled and separated from their relatives
, but that there was a large army that could not fight despite the large number of people.
What Li Zicheng brought to Beijing was not a mob, and what he left behind was not a decoration. His performance in Shanhaiguan and the Guanning cavalry confrontation
also showed that the theory of corruption is incorrect. . At least in front of Shanhaiguan, Chuangbu can fight. Why can they only fight in one battle?
Three
Let’s look at Wu Sangui, who played an important role at this time. He accepted the order on March 7th, abandoned Ningyuan on March 10th, and abandoned Ningyuan on March 16th
Arrived at Shanhaiguan, for a group of 200,000 soldiers and civilians, this speed should not be deliberately delayed. Wu Sangui
could leave the people behind and rush to Beijing, but Li Zicheng had not arrived in Beijing at that time, so there was no need to rush. On March 18th, Wu Sangui, who had not yet settled the officers, soldiers, their families and the people of Liaodong, sent troops to rescue the capital. However, the capital had already fallen on this day. At this time, it shows that Wu Sangui is wholeheartedly saving the driver.
On March 23, after receiving news of Chongzhen's death, Wu Sangui returned to Dashun. On March 27, Wu Sangui arrived at Yutian, which is about 260 miles away from Beijing. He learned that the Dashun army was robbing and plundering in Beijing. They tortured the civil and military nobles for gold and silver. The Wu family
p>It is also involved in disaster. That night, "weeping at the six armies for their lack of self-esteem, and turning their heads and anger into beauty", they turned around and attacked Shanhaiguan. What happened during these four days
?
After Wu Sangui rebelled, Li Zicheng personally went to war, which showed that in his eyes Wu Sangui was a strong enemy, otherwise he would have sent Liu Zongmin and others.
Why could such an important person not wait for several days and insist on going to Wu's house to ask for gold, silver and Chen Yuanyuan? Many officials in the Ming Dynasty surrendered. Li Zicheng always treated the generals who supported the army favorably. Why was he so harsh on Wu Sangui?
It shows that the torture of Wu Xiang and even the extortion of Chen Yuanyuan are all false. Even if it is true that Wu Sangui becomes a beauty in anger, his sergeants may not be willing to do so.
At that time, various places surrendered one after another. Why was it that the Wu army was the only one that was united? If he wanted to surrender, he would surrender, and if he wanted to rebel, he would be punished? Revenge for the Ming Dynasty is unjustifiable, because Wu surrendered first and then rebelled. If he had known today, why would he have done so in the first place?
Wu Sangui is the representative of the Liaodong Military Group. He is not a reckless warrior. Everything he does must be based on the interests of the Liaodong Military Group. Otherwise, his subordinates will not obey absolutely. The decisive battle with Li Zicheng at the back of the pass was extremely risky. Even if the Manchu and Qing Dynasties came to help,
With Li Zicheng's previous power in the Central Plains, the outcome was difficult to predict. In the 17th year of Chongzhen, when people's hearts were unstable, why were Wu San
Gui's troops so united?
In the battle of Shanhaiguan, the Wu tribe suffered heavy casualties, but they were able to pursue Li Zicheng and win consecutive battles. It was completely different from the situation before Shanhaiguan
where they were evenly matched. But why did he suddenly stop pursuing him? Just because Li Zicheng released Chen Yuanyuan? Wu San
If Gui values ??sex over hatred of family and country, how could anyone work hard for him? The Manchu Qing Dynasty would not let him become the king of the southwest.
The last is the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. Only two flags were used in the battle of Shanhaiguan. It can be said that compared with other northern nomads, the Manchu and Qing Dynasties
were the easiest to seize North China. The main force is intact and it is time to deploy troops in spring and summer. But why did he not go to the south of the Yangtze River except to pursue Li Zicheng in the west this year, but let the small court of the Southern Ming Dynasty be established? The talented Dorgon and Fan Wencheng and Hong Chengchou should know that the most dangerous thing is not the rogue bandits, but the Ming Dynasty Zhengshuo. As a result, Li Dingguo and Zheng Chenggong held high the banner of restoring the Ming Dynasty, but they fell short of success. As well as those Manchu and Qing nobles who aimed for robbery, they should know that the northwest is ruined, and Jiangnan
is the land of wealth. Why was Man Qing wasted this year in vain? Without Zuo Liangyu, Qing Jun's side, it might be difficult for Qing soldiers to cross the river, and the story of Song and Jin Dynasties would happen again.
In Beijing between March and April 1644, what affected history?
IV
In the eyes of later generations, history is regular and inevitable, while in the eyes of people at that time, history is disordered and accidental. Accidents, large and small, cause history, at least partial history, to be unpredictable. These accidents are often ignored by historians, because they regard them as fait accompli
Facts. It is impossible to assume history, but the contingency in history or things ignored by people at the time and even modern people are often the real driving force of history.
On this planet, humans are the masters, but in addition to humans, there are also animals, plants and the natural environment. These
non-artificial things can also create history, because history is not only Belonging only to humans, history is the diary of this planet. In 164
In Beijing in 1644, it was not a single person or a group of people that determined history, but the ubiquitous bacteria invisible to the naked eye.
In 1644, no one knew what bacteria were, even though they were much older than humans. In China's historical records, epidemics often represent epidemics of infectious diseases caused by bacteria. In the precarious late Ming Dynasty, great epidemics
were prevalent in the north many times. Starting from the Wanli period, plague began to appear in Shanxi. In the sixth year of Chongzhen's reign, an epidemic occurred in Shanxi. In the tenth year of the reign of Emperor Chongzhen, the epidemic spread throughout Shanxi, with the peak in the sixteenth and seventeenth years. Henan and Jiangsu also experienced major epidemics many times between the 13th and 17th years of Chongzhen.
Near Beijing, in the thirteenth year of Chongzhen's reign, there was a serious epidemic in Shunde Prefecture and Hejian Prefecture. In the 16th year of Chongzhen, there was a major epidemic in Tongzhou, Changping Prefecture
and Baoding Prefecture, and it was introduced to Beijing. The Ming History said: "The epidemic in the capital lasted from February to September." And in Shanxi
p>
The situation was the same. In the second year after the initial epidemic, that is, the 17th year of Chongzhen, the epidemic in Beijing reached its peak, and the peak period was March and April.
What exactly is this epidemic that is rampant in North China? "A rat dies in the east and a rat dies in the west. When a person sees a dead rat, he feels like he sees a tiger." This is the most important serious infectious disease in human history: plague. At that time, people did not know the route of transmission, because they saw dead mice in every epidemic. They knew that it was related to the death of mice, so it was named plague. 250 years later, the Japanese Kitasato Shibasaburo and the Frenchman Yersin isolated a bacillus from plague patients in Hong Kong and proved that this bacillus was the source of the plague, and people began to
< p>Understanding the plague and finding ways to prevent it. But in 1644, facing the plague, people could only wait and dieThe most famous plague epidemic in history was the Black Death that wiped out nearly half of the European population in the fourteenth century. The Black Death was spread between rats and between rats and humans through the bites of fleas. Its onset is rapid and its mortality rate is extremely high. But the place where this disease first occurs requires high temperature and humidity, like Italy on the Mediterranean. At the same time, the sanitary conditions are very poor, and fleas and mice are everywhere
. Although the sanitary environment in North China was not very good during the Ming Dynasty, the climate was dry and wintery, which was not suitable for large-scale flea reproduction.
Why was the plague also prevalent? Unlike the Black Death, the plague prevalent in North China has a long incubation period, a lower mortality rate, no black spots on the body, and often bleeding, so some people still think it is not plague.
This question was answered by the famous doctor Wu Liande during the plague epidemic in Northeast China in the early 20th century, who proved that there are two kinds of plague.
The cause of the Black Death was bubonic plague, which was spread by fleas. Pneumonic plague is prevalent in northern China and is transmitted through the respiratory tract. The most effective way to prevent it is to wear a mask. Masks, masks, how did people know what a mask was in 1644? It was not until spring 359 that Beijing implemented masks throughout the city. This time it was SARS, which is also a severe infectious disease spread through the respiratory tract. The peak season is also spring.
This also proves that the dry climate in Beijing in spring is suitable for the survival of respiratory tract-borne pathogens, allowing them to survive for a period of time after leaving the human body
This is true for influenza, true for SARS, and true for plague. When Li Zicheng came to the city, the plague in Beijing happened to be a critical moment for a sudden outbreak. Think of the panic situation when SARS was in Beijing. If there were enemies, how could it be defended? Three battlements and one soldier. How many battlements does Beijing have? No matter how empty the three camps are, there will still be one tenth
of them. "One person rises with the whip, and another person lies down as before." Is this a sign that people's hearts are distracted? Isn't it enough to kill one policeman?
Li Zicheng's troops have always been brutal, are we all willing to die? It's because the plague is prevalent, and after infection, the body becomes weak and unable
to do anything.
Beijing was overcrowded, which was conducive to the epidemic of plague. The plague was prevalent among people and soldiers living in poor living conditions, and the families of officials were very little affected. Therefore, Chongzhen in the palace did not know about it, and Li Zicheng outside the city did not know about it. This is why there is discussion
The story of and. When Li Zicheng wanted to attack the city in a punitive manner, before he could start, the defenders offered their services one after another. This is because
Everyone knows that it cannot be defended. If there is no plague, no matter how hard it is, relying on cannons and strong city defenses, we can still hold on for how many days, right?
Li Zicheng entered Beijing so easily that even he couldn't believe it, and at the same time he found that even he couldn't believe it.
The prosperous capital in his dream was now like a ghost land.
Five
Regardless of whether it is a ghost town or not, no one who enters Beijing is willing to leave. Li Zicheng had already established a country in Xi'an, so why did he enter Beijing so easily and not ascend the throne? So Dashun's elite soldiers and generals settled in Beijing, either in barracks or in civilian houses. The soldiers were also recruited after they were demoted, giving them countless opportunities for close contact. The plague began to spread among these outsiders.
The rapid loss of combat effectiveness on the 41st was not the flowery world of Beijing, but the cough and cough bacteria all over the city.
Now that the capital has been taken, why are you so anxious to collect it from the officials? Don’t you know the importance of stabilizing people’s hearts?
But Li Zicheng had no choice. The palace was empty, the people were poor and sick, and only the officials had money. If there was a plague one day, he would have to lift his feet if he couldn't bear it. In fact, this was not done by Li Zicheng's family. Rebels have always burned, killed, raped, and plundered when they entered the city. Judging from the vilified historical records, Li Zicheng is considered civilized. How many times did the princes The nobles were slaughtered
but it was not heard that they were lost in the capital so quickly.
There is a lot of controversy over the number of people involved in Li Zicheng's crusade against Wu Sangui. It was because of the epidemic of plague, which resulted in serious attrition. But why
Why did Li Zicheng once have the upper hand in front of Shanhaiguan? Let’s also talk about pneumonic plague. The incubation period of this type of plague can be as long as more than 20 days
That is, it takes more than 20 days for the disease to develop. This kind of severe infectious disease with a long incubation period is widespread because it can continue to infect others just like normal people before the onset of the disease. The troops Li Zicheng brought to Shanhaiguan were the remaining ones who had not yet become ill and whose combat effectiveness was still there. Some of this group of people died in the battle at Shanhaiguan, and those who escaped also fell ill one after another, so Li Zicheng's men were all plague patients, and even those who recovered were very weak, so it would be good if they could escape. This is why Li Zicheng came down from Shanhaiguan and was unable to defend Beijing. He also lost consecutive battles after leaving Beijing. Retreat all the way to eliminate the plague. "
Every place where thieves pass by will be plagued by plague, and those who do not pass by will not be plagued by plague." The troops left behind in various places were also infected with the plague, so they abandoned Shanxi and Xi'an
In the end, they were defeated at Jiugong Mountain. That invincible army was wiped out by the plague, and when they united with the Southern Ming Dynasty, they were already a rabble.
There are many records in history of plague killing almost 10% of the army. When marching and fighting, plague is the most feared thing. Li Hongzhang had a deep understanding. The biggest emotion when he inspected the Western military was that Western troops focused on medical officers, so he opened the Beiyang Medical School to train military doctors. Under the sanitary conditions and medical standards of ancient times, once a plague appeared in a military camp, the entire army would collapse without a fight. Countless victories were taken away by plague. The same was true for Li Zicheng, but It was a pity that he lost it, and it was so lamentable that future generations ignored the role of the plague.
When leaving Xi'an, Li Zicheng had two options in front of him. One was to manage Henan and Hubei and seize Jianghuai, and the other was to invade Beijing.
In the end, he took Gu Junen's direct route from the middle. advance strategy. From the perspective of capturing Beijing, it is a good strategy. But
It was the invisible hand of the plague that caused Li Zicheng, who was not secure on the throne, to suffer a rapid defeat. If we adopt a steady and steady strategy, first stabilizing the occupied territory and then seizing Beijing, the outcome will be completely different. The demise of the Ming Dynasty was a matter of time
Sooner or later. Apart from the Manchus, there were no other rebels fighting against it in the north. Why not wait one more year? This is the so-called death reminder.
Persisting in the crusade against Wu Sangui is also a bad move. Wu Sangui would not take the initiative to attack Beijing, nor would he surrender to the Manchu Qing. The large army's pressure on the country could only push Wu Sangui to the Manchu Qing Dynasty. If Wu Sangui is eliminated immediately after occupying Beijing, the army will still be in good shape at that time.
Li Zicheng's only chance to force surrender through battle is Li Zicheng's only chance. The ancients were superstitious and often attributed great epidemics to God's will. This great epidemic cost Chongzhen his life and also caused Li Zicheng's subordinates to become alienated and have no one to serve him.
Later generations analyzed Li Chuang's defeat and there were endless strange theories, but this issue of timing was ignored. Li Zicheng took Song Xiance as his military adviser and observed the sky and divination, but unfortunately he could not read through a microscope. Li Chuang's defeat can only be blamed on the timing.
Sixth
Between March 23rd and March 27th, Wu Sangui surrendered and rebelled again, not because he knew that his family was being abused
Waiting, but knowing the real situation in the capital and knowing that the plague was prevalent in the Dashun Army, he dared to fight against the enemy. The Liaodong Army under him
like him saw the hope of becoming a hero in the plague, so they followed him back to Shanhaiguan without hesitation.
Wu Sangui’s calculation was that Li Zicheng would not fight him during the epidemic. After a few months, he was tortured to death by the plague
Beijing belonged to Wu Sangui. At that time, either a new king will be supported and the emperor will be used to control the princes, or North China will be used to separate the country.
Wu Sangui, who lives in Liaodong, because his family is in Beijing, he is very aware of the epidemic situation in Beijing, and he also expected that the epidemic would spread until autumn, so he dared to get angry.
It is said that Wu Sangui led the Qing soldiers into the pass in order to use the Qing soldiers to destroy the rogue bandits, and then use gold and silver treasures to coax the Qing soldiers back. Wu San
Gui has been an enemy of the Qing soldiers since he was a child, so he would be so naive. What's more, there was also Fan Wencheng and Hong Chengchou in the Manchu Dynasty. How could he hide this trick?
How could he get away with it? Wu Sangui would not fail to consider luring Qing soldiers into the pass. At the most, he would be a sinner through the ages, and at the least, he would be Shi Jingtang. In history, has this kind of person ever come back so easily?
Wu Sangui is well-educated and will not risk this crime. His real idea was to introduce the Manchu Qing into the epidemic area and let the plague help him eliminate his two formidable enemies. After arriving in Beijing, Wu Sangui did not stay in the epidemic area and led his army to pursue Li Zicheng. He
knew that now was the best time. Although his men suffered heavy casualties, Li Zicheng had no power to fight back, and he
You cannot stay in Beijing and let your men lose their combat effectiveness. I stopped chasing after half the time because my subordinates also began to get sick.
In front of Shanhaiguan, "the bones are in the wild, and they have not been collected in three years." After the Manchu and Qing Dynasties entered the customs, Chongzhen was buried. Why didn't they order the local officials to collect the corpse and listen to it? Exposed wilderness? This doesn't look like a new dynasty. The reason is still the plague. Who dares to collect the sick corpses?
After the Qing army entered the pass, some of them followed Wu Sangui to pursue Li Zicheng. In addition, a large number of troops were stationed in Beijing with nothing to do.
There was nothing to do except for Shunzhi's accession to the throne. The plan to go south gradually became popular as he watched the establishment of a small imperial court in Nanjing. The reason was that he contracted the plague after entering Beijing. Wu Sangui's plan to wipe out the family almost succeeded, but unfortunately, it was the right time.
It was because of the weather that the Manchus entered the Pass, and it was still because of the weather that they settled down.
Historical records show that the plague was indeed prevalent in Beijing and North China until September 1644. However, the Manchus and Han people were divided into The weather had already started to get hot when the Manchus arrived in Beijing, and bacteria outside the human body could not easily survive
so the plague did not spread among the Manchus on a large scale like the Dashun Army did. Even so, it was still popular to a certain extent
which caused the Manchu Qing Dynasty to be unable to go south.
But just like the situation in Shanxi, after being popular for two consecutive years, it stopped being popular in the third year. Even today, scientists can only say that there are some so far unexplainable natural laws in the epidemic process of severe infectious diseases that are caused by God's will. Not only did it not become popular in 164
5 years, but it only became popular on a small scale in the following years. Why? In the second year of Shunzhi, the weather began to improve, and the weather was no longer dry, so the large-scale plague disappeared. Wu Sangui's clever plan was ultimately no match for the timing.
The plague, a hand in the dark, caused an overestimation of the Qing Dynasty’s combat power at that time and in later generations, because even Li Zicheng, who was crisscrossing the Central Plains
, was defeated in one battle. People generally believed that The Manchu and Qing troops were very strong in battle.
In fact, judging from the later achievements of Zheng Chenggong and Li Ding, the troops led by those who were not considered a great army were able to almost sweep the south. The Manchu troops did not have the combat power.
It was so powerful because not many people entered the customs, and they all surrendered and joined later. The so-called three generations of Eight Banners disciples cannot
fight. It cannot be said to be wrong, but it is not so absolute.
The Manchu Qing conquered the world with 100,000 people, and the plague helped a lot. People today praise Dorgon, but when northern nations
invaded the Central Plains, there were many leaders whose abilities were comparable to Dorgon. Except for Mongolia, those nations
< p> None of them did as they wished, just because there was no such time as the plague.Seven
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in order to promote Liu and suppress Cao, there was a famous saying: The weather is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the people. Since ancient times, those who have a favorable geographical position have been on the defensive. Those who win the world rely on competition in the Central Plains. Those who rely on a favorable geographical position are at best on the safe side. Human harmony is out of the question
People's hearts are like iron and official laws are like furnaces. When dynasties change, when is there not a murderous person and a river of blood? The so-called popular support is just because the people are tired of war and support the stronger side. Therefore, the most important thing is the weather. The Three Kingdoms returned to Jin.
Didn’t the favorable geographical location, people and the right time all lose to the weather?
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Romance! The so-called weather includes the general trend and opportunities of the world, as well as the influence of the natural environment, which includes the prevalence of diseases. In the battle between Liang and Jin at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Liang army had the upper hand at the beginning and besieged Taiyuan several times. However, due to the epidemic, more than half of the soldiers were lost and they stopped, and finally lost to the Jin army. There are many similar examples, and this unpredictability is the intrinsic reason that makes history colorful.
Why did misfortunes never come singly in the Ming Dynasty? There is also plague among the rogue northern captives. It can be said that the sky wants to destroy the Ming Dynasty. But let’s explore it carefully,
What exactly led to the demise of the Ming Dynasty? Taking a step back, why did the weather in Beijing change three times a year in 1644? Putting aside the issue of the Manchu Qing dynasty, bandits and the plague actually have the same origin, both because of land annexation.
The common people have lost their land and have two options. One is to become homeless and hungry people, and finally they have no choice but to join the bandits. The second is to open up wasteland. A large number of farmers who lost their land went to the grasslands to reclaim wasteland through Shanxi. The grassland was originally the territory of wild rats. People gradually invaded the territory of rats, and in this way they also came into contact with the plague that had always existed in the wild rats. Starting from the Wanli Year, plague was frequently prevalent in Shanxi Province, precisely because the grasslands were gradually being eroded.
Why was Li Zicheng so unlucky? This starts with the spread of the epidemic. Getting sick is not like being poisoned. If you sprinkle the poison into the well, the whole village will become sick after eating. Infectious diseases are either transmitted from animals to humans, or from humans to humans
In the form of one-to-one or one-to-several transmission, at first it is a point, then it is a small-scale area, and finally it is a large-scale Overwhelming
The earth. There is a critical point from point and surface to overwhelming, which is the appropriate environmental climate and sufficient sources of infection.
As far as the situation in Beijing is concerned, infectious diseases are most likely to be prevalent in March and April in spring. The situation in Shanxi during the Chongzhen period also proves that the peak incidence of plague is during these two months. It was an accumulation stage before, and then gradually decreased due to the heat. It was exactly these two months that Li Zicheng was stationed in Beijing.
Another factor in the epidemic of infectious diseases is that there are many people. The plague has not stopped on the grassland, but it has not become epidemic because
there are not too many people. The epidemic of plague in Beijing was due to the dense population in the capital. This year was originally the peak period of the plague. At the peak, hundreds of thousands of outsiders suddenly poured in, and they suddenly became the heirs of Yersinia pestis. After years of plague, Beijing residents
At least some of them are resistant. Newcomers have never experienced this, so it would be strange if it didn't spread quickly.
As a result, the epidemic of plague was transferred from Beijing citizens and soldiers of the Three Battalions to the Dashun army, and Li Zicheng's army became the main plague area.
Li Zicheng withdrew from Beijing, and most of the current plague patients and infected people left Beijing.
After the Qing soldiers entered Beijing, the weather started to get hot. This was partly due to the fact that there were not many current plague patients and infected people in Beijing.
The other reason was that people who contracted the plague either recovered or died. At most, they were Bits and pieces, not enough for large-scale dissemination.
The Ming Dynasty did not die from the plague, but from the people’s deprivation of life. It was Li Chuang who died from the plague, and the restoration of the world must be attributed to the mouse and the tiny bacteria on it. Sometimes history is visible to the naked eye, and sometimes it is invisible. The history of Beijing in the spring of 1644 is not visible to the naked eye. It is this kind of history invisible to the naked eye that is "Countries rise and fall on their own time" that has been ignored by historians
.
In the spring of 1644, many people in Beijing were coughing. In the sound of coughs, something invisible to the naked eye changes history
History changes, and the top of the city changes into the king's flag.