At the same time, Li Zicheng, who annexed Luo Rucai and the Fifth Battalion of the Revolutionary Left, began the Eastern Crusade, taking a key step towards the destruction of the Ming Dynasty and the seizure of the world. 【思~路~中~文. Hand hit 】()

On the morning of the third day of the first month of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng led Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance, and Yu Shangyou's newly surrendered generals in Xi'an, and thousands of elite cavalry escorted by Li You, Wu Ruyi, Li Shuangxi, Li Qiang, etc., and set off from Chang'an to the east. The Minister of Civil and Military Affairs who stayed in Chang'an, led by Yuan Zongdi, was sent to Baqiao. Liu Zongmin's troops, led by Gao Yigong and He Jin, had already arrived in Hancheng and had crossed the Yellow River with the Eastern Expeditionary Army, and the King of Qin and several county kings of the Ming Dynasty were brought in the army. In the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, King Chong, who was caught when he broke Runing in Henan, was also brought with him in the army.

The vanguard of the Dashun Dynasty's eastward expedition crossed the Yellow River on solid ice in mid-December last year. The main army was divided into two routes: one route crossed the river by the sand vortex between Hancheng and Yumen; One route crosses the river from Hancheng to Pusaka. When Li Zicheng set off from Chang'an, the Ming Dynasty regimes in many prefectures, prefectures, and counties in Shaanxi Province had collapsed one after another, and some local soldiers opened their city gates to welcome the surrender, and some were preparing to surrender. 3。 Li Zicheng constantly received Liu Zongmin's flying music on the road, and sometimes it was reports from generals such as He Jin and Liu Fangliang transferred by Liu Zongmin, and he knew that there was no resistance everywhere. As expected: the momentum is like a bamboo. On the way, after the camp every night, if there was no urgent military situation that he needed to deal with, he still asked Niu Jinxing to bring the newly descended Wenchen to explain the scriptures and the "Zizhi Tongjian" to him. The first scripture lecture after leaving Chang'an was "The First Moon of the Spring King" in the "Spring and Autumn Period".

Niu Jinxing believes that it is currently the first month of the first month of Emperor Dashun, so he chose "Spring and Autumn? The four words at the beginning of Lu Yin's Chronicle of the Common Era, in accordance with the opinions of "The Legend of the Ram", were greatly exerted to propagate to Li Zicheng the idea of becoming a unified emperor. Li Zicheng also hopes to be the master of the country. Now that the situation is going well, as long as Beijing is captured and Jiangnan is cleaned up, although it cannot be said that it can be "passed on", it will not go through a major war. Therefore, Niu Jinxing's explanation of these four words on "Spring and Autumn" is very much in line with his heart. 6。

Li Zicheng and his surrounding ministers, in the joy of victory, rode horses to cross the Yellow River on solid ice, arrived in Puzhou on the 16th of the first month, sacrificed Guan Gong, went to Yishi on the 18th, Wenxi on the 19th, Jiangzhou on the 20th, Quwo on the 21st, and Pingyang on the 23rd, stopped in Pingyang for five days, held a military meeting with Liu Zongmin, Li Guo, and others, and issued an edict that the common people could understand and understand, and then marched to Taiyuan.

Everywhere the Eastern Expeditionary Army arrived, they restored the post stations that had been demolished, reorganized the post guards, and equipped them with horses. Therefore, Li Zicheng continued to send messengers and official documents along the road to Chang'an, and he also continued to report to Li Zicheng on major events in the DPRK and China, as well as on the situation in Guanzhong, Hanzhong, Henan, Huguang, and other places. If there is an important military situation, it will change horses at every station, day and night, although it is hundreds of miles apart, it can be reached in one day and night. In this first month, the Chang'an Imperial Court received many official documents from all over the world every day, and also issued many official documents, and the most important thing was the news that led to Taiyuan all the way. 1。 All official documents and news received by the Chang'an court from Shanxi must be reported to the palace

The 100,000 horses led by Liu Fangliang, as a partial division to attack Beijing, crossed the Yellow River, and then marched separately with the main force to southern Jin, chasing Gao Jian while occupying various prefectures, prefectures, and counties in southern Jinnan. Following Li Zicheng's order, he went east from southern Jin, crossed the Taihang Mountains, entered the Huaiqing region of Henan Province, and then went north from Anyang to threaten Jifu. The vanguard cavalry led by He Jin continued along the road from Pingyang to Taiyuan.

When it was the strength of the Ming Dynasty in Shanxi, it was very empty. The Fubiao battalion, which was directly commanded by Governor Cai Maode, was only about 3,000 people. He was originally stationed in Pingyang, but Shanxi Province was adjacent to Shaanxi from the beginning of Hequ City, only separated by a Yellow River, up and down for more than 1,000 miles, and all of them were frozen in winter, and they could be crossed at any time, let alone a small number of troops could defend them. Cai Maode was strictly ordered by Emperor Chongzhen to guard the river. But he had no soldiers or pay in his hands, and there was nothing he could do. 6。 When he was about to die in Pingyang, the king of Jin urged him to hurry back to Taiyuan and protect the provincial capital with all his might. Because at that time, not only was the Yellow River west of Pingyang in danger, but also near the meanders of the river, it was also rumored that the Dashun army crossed the river, that is, Li Zicheng's men and horses not only had to march from Pingyang, but also from the north to take the pass and surround Taiyuan from the north. Therefore, in the city of Taiyuan, when the wealthy gentry arrived from the Jin royal family, they were very scared and urged the governor Cai Maode to go back to defend the city. Cai Maode knew that if Taiyuan was lost, it would be even more difficult for him to apologize to the emperor. Therefore, when the Dashun army crossed the river with a small force from Hancheng, he hurriedly returned to Taiyuan with 2,000 pacesetters, and handed over the heavy responsibility of guarding the Yellow River to Chen Shangzhi, the deputy commander-in-chief who was originally stationed in Pingyang. On December 18, part of the Dashun army crossed the river from Shawu Town between Yumen and Hancheng, and Chen Shangzhi fled back to Pingyang, then to Zhaocheng and surrendered. There were no more Ming troops south of Taiyuan.

After the people from all over Shanxi arrived in Xi'an, they coaxed and spread the word about how benevolent and righteous Li Zicheng was and how strict the discipline of the people and horses was, and they waited for Li Zicheng's army to surrender as soon as he arrived. 1。 Sure enough, after the Dashun army crossed the river, the local people not only saw with their own eyes that Li Zicheng's discipline was indeed very good, but also read the proclamation of Liu Zongmin, the chief general of the battalion. Therefore, from 22 December, there has been a situation of welcoming and surrendering everywhere. The prefect of Pingyang, Zhang Xuanran, surrendered and was reused.

Shen Jiayan, the great squire of Pingyang, fled to the mountains, was captured by the house slaves, and sacrificed to the Dashun army. Liu Zongmin was very angry because he was rich and unkind, and ordered him to be severely tortured, forcing him to hand over all the gold, silver, treasure, and grain in his family, and then execute him. This incident made the people of Binh Duong Province very happy. This incident can be regarded as the beginning of Liu Zongmin's torture of officials at all levels in Beijing in the future, forcing them to hand over gold and silver treasures to "pursue wages".

After Li Zicheng learned of this, he praised Liu Zongmin for doing a good job, and Liu Zongmin was also very proud, so he normalized this kind of violent pursuit, laying the foundation for Li Zicheng's defeat in the future.

Li Zicheng entered Shanxi with the surrender everywhere, and there were two or three thousand mighty cavalry in front of him, followed by a group of cavalry waving various forms of flags and honor guards, and a band playing music on horses. 5。 The ministers in charge of the yamen, such as the cabinet of the Great Shun Dynasty, the six governments, and the Wenyu Yuan, each brought slaves, servants, and cavalry, and followed behind, followed by 2,000 cavalry. There were also five hundred crossbowmen and two hundred firearmsmen. These five or six thousand cavalry were the guards of the Dashun Emperor, with neat armor, clear banners, and strong horses. Then there were five hundred mules and a hundred camels, carrying food and grain. In the fifteen years since the uprising, Li Zicheng led a large army for the first time as an emperor. He and the military generals of Wenchen who followed him had expected to surrender all the way before leaving Chang'an. And now that's the case, so even though it's still a long way from Beijing, everyone thinks victory is in sight. A few years ago, Song Xiance's memoir said "Eighteen Sons Master Artifact", and there were three words "Li Jizhu" in the poem. Now it seems that the tide has settled, and this prophecy has been fully fulfilled. 3。 The civil servants who surrendered in Chang'an or surrendered along the road were also glad that they had already known the destiny of heaven and became the ministers of the dragon.

The Eastern Crusade army only focused on moving forward, and generally did not leave troops to garrison the places. The newly appointed magistrates, in accordance with Li Zicheng's strict orders, searched for the Ming dynasty's clans and the eunuchs and wealthy people of various prefectures, prefectures, and counties, as well as the relatives of the eunuchs. As long as it is a place of fish and meat on weekdays, those who accumulate the anger of the people will be arrested, severely tortured, and forced to give gold and silver as military pay; Their stockpiles were confiscated, partly for military pay, and partly for distribution to the hungry. All the prefectures, prefectures, and counties that had surrendered were quickly appointed with the county orders of the Great Shun Dynasty. At that time, Guanzhong had been in war for many years, coupled with continuous natural disasters, so it was necessary to supply not only the army of the Eastern Expedition, but also the Western Expedition to Xining and the garrison of Yulin. People and horses in Ningxia and other places, so after the Eastern Expeditionary Army entered Shanxi, they searched for the Ming Dynasty clan and local eunuchs and large households, tortured them, and forced them to give gold, silver, treasures and food, not only for the country and the people, but also to solve the army supplies and court expenses. 5。 It is not surprising that the newly appointed officials of the prefectures, prefectures, and counties have taken this matter as a pity to search for mules and horses from the people as military salaries. However, Shanxi Province is also plagued by famines, production is destroyed, and urban and rural areas are withered. Li Zicheng only thought about how to supply the Eastern Expeditionary Army, drove into Yan, and quickly broke through Beijing. It is too late to consider how to get the newly appointed officials to adopt some effective measures so that the people can live a peaceful life and recuperate.

Li Zicheng stayed in Pingyang for five years, summoned his father, visited the suffering, and gave relief to the hungry. Liu Fangliang's partial division has passed through Zezhou and is about to enter Henan. This partial division divided a detachment of men and horses and marched north from the west of Taihang, with the purpose of summoning Jindongzhou County, and then meeting with the troops advancing north through Zhangde to the south of Baoding.

Because Liu Zongmin wanted to personally command the attack on Taiyuan and prevent the king of Jin from escaping, he set off to Taiyuan on the third day after Li Zicheng arrived in Pingyang. After staying in Pingyang for five days, Li Zicheng dispatched officials from various local governments, prefectures, and counties to arrive outside Taiyuan on the morning of 6 February, passing through Hongdong, Zhaocheng, Huozhou, Lingshi, and Fenzhou. 6。 At this time, the Dashun army had already surrounded Taiyuan the day before.

Before the arrival of the Dashun army, Cai Maode, the governor of Shanxi, had returned to the provincial capital for not guarding the Yellow River, so that the prefectures and counties of western and southern Jin fell without a fight, and was severely impeached by Wang Zongyou, the imperial envoy of Shanxi. Emperor Chongzhen issued an order to reprimand, remove him from his post, and wait for questioning; At the same time, a bureaucrat named Guo Jingchang was ordered to take over. On the 23rd day of the first lunar month, that is, the day when Li Zicheng arrived in Pingyang, Cai Maode summoned the civil and military officials in Taiyuan, as well as the county and local officials of Yangqu and the more prominent figures among the people, a total of about 200 people, to the back hall of the governor's yamen, and swore an oath in the face of the tablets of Taizu Zhu Hongwu and the ancestors of the Ming family, determined to protect Taiyuan to the death. Because the situation was very critical, Cai Maode made a generous statement, and he didn't feel that he cried bitterly, and everyone cried too. Before the meeting was over, suddenly a divine decree arrived, announcing that he would be removed from his post and that he would be questioned for questioning.

Cai Maode's cronies and staff knew that Taiyuan would not be defended, and at the same time they were also dissatisfied with the disposition of the imperial court, so they advised Cai Maode to take this opportunity to leave it alone, quickly hide outside the city, and wait for the new governor to come and take over. 9。 Cai Maode resolutely refused and said: "I have decided to report Jun'en with a death, that is, I will order Guo Jingchang to come and take the governor's seal, and I will also accompany him to die in the city." ”

Liu Zongmin arrived outside Taiyuan on the 5th day of the first month of February, and on the morning of the 6th day of the first month, he immediately commanded the siege of the city. The two thousand Yang soldiers who defended Nanguan almost did not resist, and they 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. On the seventh day of the first month, the weather was very gloomy, the hearts of the people defending the city had collapsed, and there would be changes. 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. Now that the general trend is over, 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, the wind rose, and the sand and rocks were scattered, and some of the big trees were blown off; Zhang Xiong, with a few cronies, went down to the city in the dark night and surrendered to the Dashun army. In a few moments, the southeast corner tower caught fire, and the people defending the city fled in the fire, and the soldiers guarding the south gate opened the south gate and surrendered. Some of the Dashun army successfully ascended the city by means of ladders, some of them poured into the city from the open south gate and the new south gate, and the other gates were also opened. The Dashun army successfully broke through Taiyuan without a fight.

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 people know that the discipline of the Dashun army is indeed very good after breaking the city, and it can be called the "army of kings" as the ancients said. At first people peeked out quietly through the crack in the door, and then small civilian families or those who dared to be larger opened half the door and poked their heads out. Then someone walked out, looked boldly, and asked the neighbors about each other. Later, a local armor knocked 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, and there must be no mistake." "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 matter of the driver, and cause trouble. So the city of Taiyuan was rejuvenated, and suddenly there was a scene of a change of dynasty. Civilians are uplifted, and the darkness is comfortable; The dignitaries are worried and afraid, waiting for the arrangement of fate.

Ideas Chinese Network, the first hand-typed text version, a new starting point for new domain names! Updates are faster and all eBook formats are free to download.

New Ideas Chinese Network, the first hand-typed text version. A new domain name, a new beginning! Updates are faster and all eBook formats are free to download.