Qin Shi Huang came to this era, he assumed the name Li Zicheng, as the king of Chuang, he led the peasants to revolt against the Ming, established the Dashun State, and called himself the Dashun Emperor.

Li Zicheng's general, Liu Zongmin, arrived outside the city of Taiyuan, commanded the siege of the city, and defended the 2,000 Yang and soldiers of Nanguan, and almost did not resist, so he put up a white flag and surrendered. The Dashun army did not continue to attack the city, waiting for the defenders in the city to surrender, in order to conquer Taiyuan without a fight. At this time, the weather was very gloomy, the hearts of the people defending the city had collapsed, and there would be changes, Cai Maode, the governor of the city, hurriedly wrote a testament, and then transferred Zhang Xiong, the general guarding the new south gate, to defend the south gate.

When Zhang Xiong left the new south gate, he quietly said to one of his henchmen: "The corner tower in the southeast corner of the city is hiding gunpowder and firearms, and now the general trend is over, and when I get out of the city, you will set fire to this corner tower." Everyone surrendered to King Li, let's find a way to live. ”

At dusk, when the wind blew, the sand and rocks were scattered, and some of the big trees were blown off, and Zhang Xiong, with a few cronies, went down to the city in the dim night and surrendered to the Dashun army. Soon after, a fire broke out in the southeast corner tower, and the people defending the city fled in the fire, and the soldiers guarding the south gate opened the south gate and surrendered. Part of the Dashun army relied on the ladder to successfully enter the city, part of the city poured into the city from the open south gate and the new south gate, and the other gates were also opened, and the Dashun army successfully broke Taiyuan without fighting.

Cai Maode happened to be near the West Gate at the time, saw that the South Gate had been broken, kowtowed to the north in a panic, handed over the watch to a friend of his Jia Shangzhang, and asked him to escape from Taiyuan and send the watch to Beijing. Cai Maode sighed and said: "I have studied Taoism for many years, and I have already seen through life and death, and now it is time for me to sacrifice my life for the country." ”

He was about to kill himself, but was stopped by people on the left and right, and the deputy commander-in-chief of the Chinese army urged him to go down to the city quickly: "Please get on the horse." ”

The people on the left and right helped him into the saddle, and when he opened the way in front, he arrived at the entrance of the Dengshi, and there were soldiers of the Dashun army everywhere, and he could not advance. Ying Shisheng shouted, "Get out of the west gate!"

Cai Maode suddenly dismounted and said to the left and right: "I should die here, you can flee by yourselves!"

They couldn't bear to leave him behind, and pushed him onto the horse. When he arrived at Shuiximen, he knew that it was impossible to escape, and at the same time he could see that someone was trying to drag him to surrender. He glared angrily and rebuked, "Are you trying to trap me in disloyalty?" and suddenly rolled off his horse, sat on the ground, and refused to move.

Ying Shisheng's family lived outside Shuiximen, he slashed all the way back home, killed his wife, turned around and disappeared the governor, and then killed back inside Shuiximen, and saw that the people around Cai Maode had escaped. He said to Cai Maode: "My lord, I can't get out, let me die with my lord for the court!"

Cai Maode said in a trembling voice: "Sanli Academy, Sanli Academy, help me to Sanli Academy." ”

Cai Maode is not only a believer in Wang Shouren's doctrine, but also a devout Buddhist, does not eat meat, people often call him an ascetic head, in fact, he is a complete pedantic master. He attached great importance to lecturing and once rebuilt Sanli Academy, so at this time he remembered that he chose this place to commit suicide.

They turned two small streets in the confusion and came to Sanli Academy, the gate was open, and the gatekeepers fled. Cai Maode arrived at the place where he lectured on weekdays, and Ying Shisheng helped him hang himself on the beam, Ying Shisheng saw that his body was too thin, and his body was fluttering when he hanged himself, worried that he would not be able to die immediately and suffer in vain, so he took off his iron armor and pressed it on his shoulders, and then Ying Shisheng also hanged himself.

Because Taiyuan City was surrendered with the door open, the Dashun army did not kill people in vain after entering the city, nor was it allowed to enter private houses at will, and it was not allowed to set fire, rob and rape. But because the women in the city didn't know what Li Zicheng's military discipline was like, when the city was broken, many people still threw themselves into wells and hung beams and died.

Li Zicheng and Liu Zongmin had three experiences in breaking Luoyang, Xiangyang, and Xi'an, and they were able to prepare in advance, so that the army entered the city with strict discipline. Especially this time is the first time after the establishment of the Dashun State, the first time to break through the provincial capital, and in the heyday of the Dashun State, everyone is bent on building a country and starting a business, so they attach special importance to military discipline.

That night, the Dashun army only a few thousand men and horses led by Li Guo and Li Yan entered the city, occupied the important yamen and all eight city gates, and assigned soldiers to guard the residences of the Jin king's mansion and the county king's mansion of the Jin clan and the township officials and gentry at night, and did not allow the rebels and bad people to enter, nor did anyone in the palace enter or leave.

Because Li Yan was ordered to give relief to the hungry people after breaking the city, most of his men and horses went to the Jin Temple to station, and he himself only led a thousand men and horses to enter the city with Li Guo. The entire Dashun army that entered the city was less than 10,000 people, and the rest were stationed in the suburbs.

Because Li Shuangxi had experience in raiding the Fu Wangfu, Li Zicheng and Liu Zongmin were very satisfied, so he was ordered to lead five hundred soldiers and dozens of civil servants who could write and calculate into the city at dawn, and raided the Jin Wangfu and the Jin royal family in the city, as well as the families of the various gentry and wealth.

From night on, cavalry patrolled the streets, beating gongs and proclaiming several prohibitions from the former general of the camp. After dawn, Liu Zongmin led a large group of civil and military officials and 500 cavalry into the city, and took the political envoy Yamen as his own line. At this time, the streets and crossroads were posted in his name and the two edicts of the king of Dashun. These three extremely important proclamations had been fired into the city from the south and east of Taiyuan in the past two days, but they were burned at any time due to the prohibition of the gentry guarding the city, and the natives of the city could not read the originals, but only whispered them in private.

Now the citizens know that the Dashun army is indeed very well disciplined after breaking the city, and it can be called the army of the king as the ancients said. At first people peeked out quietly through the crack in the door, then some small civilian families or those who dared to do it were larger, opened half the door and poked their heads out, and then someone came out and looked boldly and asked the neighbors about each other.

Later, a local armor guard struck a gong and pold, saying: "Emperor Dashun will enter the city from the Great South Gate at midnight this morning, and the people must clean the streets, prepare incense cases, and welcome the holy car. ”

There are also places where dignitaries personally knock on the doors of those who live in the courtyards of deep houses, lest these gentry families do not know the situation, miss the major event of the driver, and cause trouble. So the city of Taiyuan was rejuvenated, and suddenly there was a scene of a change of dynasty, the common people were excited, and the dark was comfortable, and the dignitaries were worried and afraid, waiting for the arrangement of fate.

Starting from the southern suburbs of Taiyuan City, passing through the South Pass, entering the South Gate, leading to the Governor's Yamen, every household has cleaned the streets, used the pure land to fill the potholes and potholes, and those who can find the yellow sand are also paved with yellow sand. There is an incense case at the door of each house, and there is a yellow paper tablet on the case, which reads: "Long live the Emperor Dashun, long live, long live." ”

Everywhere there was a proclamation of the new dynasty, there were many people around, and the literate people were reading the proclamation, and the illiterate people were listening to the proclamation. People can understand the more popular language book and Liu Zongmin's text issued by Li Zicheng in the name of the emperor, whether they read it or listen to it, and they always nod their heads and praise them.

As for Li Zicheng's edict with elegant words, only a few learned people were shaking their heads and shaking their heads to read it, and sometimes they unconsciously expressed their heartfelt admiration, thinking that there were great talents in the Dashun Dynasty. Some people who used to think that Li Zicheng was just a thief no longer dared to have contempt after reading this edict of the Eastern Crusade.

When breaking through Taiyuan at night, Li Zicheng's mood was very excited, he braved the north wind, stood outside the yellow imperial tent, looked at Taiyuan City from afar, and at first saw that in addition to the southeast corner tower burning, there was also a fire on the south gate. Later, the fire was quickly extinguished, there was no shouting of killing in the city, and he knew that there was no street fighting, and everything went well, as he expected.

According to the most auspicious time to enter the city selected by the military advisor Song Xiance, Li Zicheng started from the southern suburbs at the whole time, and entered the south gate in the east at exactly three o'clock, named Yingze Gate, and took its direction auspicious. Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance led a large number of Wenchen who came from Chang'an and newly surrendered along the road, and first entered the city from the south gate of the west, that is, Cheng'en Gate, and followed Liu Zongmin to pick up at Yingze Gate.

Li Guo and Li Yan also came to Yingzemen to pick up the car, and the streets along the road were all on guard and pedestrians were prohibited. Citizens who want to admire the demeanor of the new emperor can only stand in the closed door of the street and peek through the crack in the door. Li Zicheng still rode his oolong horse, this war horse was not only still majestic, it could be called a divine horse, but the decoration was also different. The saddle and bridle were all renewed, inlaid with gold, silver, and red and green gems, and with a gilt stirrup with two dragons offering pearls.

Li Zicheng rode on a horse and looked forward, but saw neat flags, cavalry, drum music, honor guards, and a yellow umbrella; he looked left and right, but saw the houses on both sides of the street, the closed gate facing the street, and the incense case at the door of his house. Not only could I not see the warm welcome of the fathers and elders, but not even a single ordinary person could see it.

Now that he has entered Taiyuan, the vigilance is so strict, which Li Zicheng has never experienced. He thought that it would be better to spread the message and let the people boldly go to the street to meet him, he himself was originally from a poor people, but then he changed his mind again, remembering that this was the arrangement made by Niu Jinxing and others according to the old system of the emperors of the previous dynasties, so he dispelled the thoughts that flashed in his heart.

He also thought that since ancient times, the emperor should have been like this. There are many emperors who inherit the ancestral business in infancy, they don't know about the world, and they still go in and out of the police, not to mention that he should be trying to advocate righteousness in the sky, out of death, and bloody war for 16 years to get to today, thinking so, his heart is calm.

When he arrived at the yamen, which was the governor of the palace, Li Zicheng only left Liu Zongmin, Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance, Li Guo and Li Yan because he had many things to deal with, and the rest of the civil and military officials kowtowed and withdrew. Although he had been constantly reported by the flying cavalry before entering the city, he still asked Liu Zongmin first: "How is the order in the city? Are there any robberies, murders, and rapes?"

Liu Zongmin replied: "After the city was broken, there were cavalry patrols everywhere, and the law enforcement was very strict, and the order in the city was very good. The gentry who should be arrested sent people to arrest them after dawn. ”

Li Zicheng asked Li Guo: "Did anyone escape?"

Li Guo replied: "There are a few who are hiding. But no matter how well they hid, they were caught. Some of them were their servants who led the way, and some of them were told by the people. ”

Li Zicheng nodded, and ordered the governor Cai Maode and the deputy chief soldier Ying Shisheng, who hanged themselves to death, to be buried in coffins and parked in Sanli Academy. Then he turned to Li Yan and asked, "Is there any difficulty in releasing the relief?"

Li Yan replied: "In the warehouse of the Jin Prince's Mansion, there is not a lot of grain in stock, far less than that of the Fu Wangfu; most of the grain of the rest of the eunuchs is hidden in the mountains, and not much is transported into Taiyuan, so they can only give relief to the hungry people. In addition, our army went north, the road was long, and the route was not a place to produce grain. In the humble opinion of the ministers, although it is important to give relief, military needs are even more important, so not only can we not give relief on a large scale, but we should also quickly collect grain in Taiyuan and nearby prefectures and counties and bring it to Beijing, which is a perfect strategy. ”

Li Zicheng was silent, as if he had poured a scoop of cold water on his heart, and turned his head to look at the military division. Song Xiance hurriedly bowed and said: "Li Yan is very worried, since there is not much grain in Taiyuan City, the matter of relief can be relieved. ”

Li Zicheng continued to be silent, for many years, whenever he went to a place, he always cracked down on corrupt officials and local lawless eunuchs, and opened a warehouse to give relief, so he was called a savior by the people of Limin. Now he has just established the Dashun Dynasty and broken Taiyuan, but he does not give relief to the people of Limin, and he can't say it in his heart. However, the opinions of Li Yan and the military advisors are worth paying attention to, especially Li Yan, who has always been responsible for helping the hungry, and his words must be considered even more.

In his moment of hesitation, he suddenly remembered the past in Shangluo Mountain in the spring of the twelfth year of Chongzhen. At that time, the military rations were very difficult, so it can be said that the food was counted every day, and he resolutely decided to allocate half of the grain to help the hungry. Isn't the situation too good today to be compared? He was about to decide to give alms, but then he thought about it, the current situation of the great army going east is fundamentally different from the situation when a few people were hiding in the Shangluo Mountains in the past, and he wants to say today's words today.

So he said softly to Li Yan: "Let's discuss it tomorrow." ”

At this time, Wu Ruyi hurriedly came in and handed over an urgent document. Li Zicheng saw that it was Tian Jianxiu who came from Chang'an, and Tian Jianxiu reported that Zhang Xianzhong had led all his men and horses to leave Hunan and go to the Yichang area, claiming that he would enter Sichuan and establish the Great Western Kingdom in Sichuan. Tian Jianxiu also reported on the situation in Henan and Huguang.

Li Jichang of Dengfeng did secretly accept the official title of chief soldier of the Ming Dynasty, but he did not dare to openly make enemies of Dashun; he also said that Liu Hongqi, who was in the Suiping and Xiping areas, was awarded the rank of chief soldier by Zuo Liangyu, and was recruiting troops and horses, and occupied several nearby counties. The situation in Runing Mansion was very chaotic, and the appointed local officials were driven out of the city by the local gentry, and there was nowhere to stand, and Wang Guang'en in Junzhou besieged Gucheng and declared that he would march to Xiangyang, and his arrogance was very arrogant.