1, which "big brothers" are the last straw of Chongzhen?
Let's first look at what "big brothers" should come to the rescue before Chongzhen died: on the 28th day of the first month of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, Chongzhen sent a letter to the world to rescue the capital. On March 5th, when no one came to the rescue, Wu Sangui, Zuo Liangyu, Tang Tong and Huang Degong were "uncles", and on the 6th, all the towns were once again called to Beijing for rescue.
On March 7, Chongzhen finally ushered in the first rescue army: the company commander Tang Tong arrived. Chongzhen ordered him and his near minister DUZH to guard Juyongguan, and ordered eunuch Wang Chengen to guard the capital.
However, this rescue army became a surrender army: on March 5/Kloc-0, Tang Tong and DUZH surrendered to Li Zicheng, on the evening of March 8/Kloc-0, the outer city fell, and at dawn on March 9/Kloc-0, the inner city fell. Chongzhen hanged Wanshou Mountain, and so did Wang Chengen.
The only company commander who arrived actually surrendered to the civilian, so Beijing opened the door to convenience. Since then, Li Zicheng's army has been like nobody's business. So, how do other "big brothers" do it? If they can arrive as scheduled, will they become the last straw in Chongzhen's life?
2. What are Wu Sangui, Zuo Liangyu and Huang Degong doing after receiving the rescue?
In the first month, a letter was sent to Beijing to rescue the driver. On March 5, no one came, so we had to give four people official positions. In addition to Tang Tong who came to surrender, the other three people's rescue performances were different:
-Wu Sangui: Wu Sangui was in Ningyuan when he received the rescue order. 13 days later, he led the army to Dashan Shanhaiguan, and then led the army to Beijing. Three days later, on March 22nd, he led the troops to Yutian, Beijing fell, and Chongzhen committed suicide. Wu Sangui immediately led his troops back to Shanhaiguan, and then Wu Sangui made political speculation between Dashun and Qing Dynasty.
Ningyuan to Shanhaiguan is more than 2 100 kilometers, 13 days, with an average of more than 60 kilometers per day. The whole journey from Shanhaiguan to Yutian (northwest of Tangshan, Hebei Province) is about 195 km, and the daily marching speed is 65 km.
What a suspicious speed. This speed can't be called an urgent March, let alone the rhythm of going to Beijing to rescue drivers. It is speculated by later generations that the reason why Wu Sangui was delayed was only one purpose: to hope that Dashun would break through Beijing as soon as possible.
-Zuo Liangyu: Zuo Liangyu was in Wuchang when he received the rescue order. Chongzhen named Zuo Liangyu "Ning Nan Bo" and named his son Zuo Menggeng "General Ping Thief", and promised to let their father and son guard Wuchang from generation to generation after the rescue was successful. At the same time, when Zuo was ordered to pass by, he was advised to send troops to rescue him.
Zuo Liangyu did not send troops after receiving the order, but wrote a plan for sending troops and brought Zuo back to Beijing. As a result, Chongzhen committed suicide before he finished reading the book. There is only one explanation for Zuo Liangyu's practice: you will go even if you die, as long as my army and I are alive.
-Huang Degong: When receiving the rescue order, Huang Degong was in Luzhou, and Chongzhen made him a Jingnanbo before he died. Huang Degong's movements after his succession are not recorded in the history books. It was only after the founding of the Ming Dynasty that Huang Degong was promoted to Hou, and opened four major military towns with,, and.
3. Why don't the "big brothers" ask for help?
Why didn't Big Brother respond positively when Chongzhen sent a letter to rescue the driver? There is only one reason: the rescue journey is also a journey of death, and no one wants to take the old road of "whoever desperately saves the savior will die for it". Yuan Chonghuan is the most typical representative in this respect.
The reality of death made everyone afraid to save him. Here is a statistic, not counting those who died and surrendered. Look at the civil servants and military commanders who were executed and dismissed in Chongzhen.
-In the second year of Chongzhen, Levin, assistant minister of the right Ministry of War and general manager of Liaodong, was executed for the defeat of Salhu and abandoned his body in the downtown area; Qing entered Beijing, and Wang Qia, the minister of the Ministry of War, was imprisoned; Yuan Chonghuan was imprisoned; Qian Longxi was removed from office.
-In the third year of Chongzhen, Liu Ce, the governor of Hebei and Liaodu, was imprisoned and put to death; Kill Yuan Chonghuan; Qian Longxi was imprisoned; Yang He was imprisoned; Sun was executed and abandoned the body in the downtown area; Liu Yulie was imprisoned and sent to the frontier.