PFC Chapter 201 Uncrowned Queens
Chapter 201 Uncrowned Queens
[Understand the history of the demise of the Southern Ming Dynasty in one breath]
Why couldn't the Ming Dynasty hold on to half of its territory? After the death of Emperor Chongzhen, the Southern Ming regime rose one after another, and countless loyal officials and righteous men worked hard to ensure the continuation of the Ming Dynasty. But in the end, it still couldn't escape the fate of destruction. In this video, let's walk into the demise of the Southern Ming Dynasty.
In 1644, Li Zicheng invaded Beijing and Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian hanged himself in Meishan, which was known as the Jiashen Incident. The history of the Ming Dynasty as a unified regime came to an end.
But for the remaining officials loyal to the Ming Dynasty, this did not mean the complete demise of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, Li Zicheng's Dashun regime had occupied the Yellow River Basin and part of the Yangtze River Basin, confronting the Qing Dynasty outside the Great Wall in the north, while the wealthy Jiangnan region was not affected by the war.
As the capital of the Ming Dynasty, Nanjing still retains a complete political system.
When the news of Emperor Chongzhen's suicide reached Nanjing, the civil and military officials who stayed in Nanjing were faced with a situation of being leaderless. Emperor Chongzhen had three sons, but their whereabouts were unknown, so they could only choose from the side branches of the royal family.
Prince of Fu Zhu Yousong was the third son of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty and a descendant of Prince of Fu Zhu Changxun. He was the closest member of the royal family at that time. During the turmoil at the end of the Ming Dynasty, he and other royal family members including Prince of Lu Zhu Changfang fled to Huai'an.
According to the Ming Dynasty's patriarchal system, he was a suitable candidate. However, Zhu Yousong's father, the old Prince of Fu, Zhu Changxun, had competed with the crown prince, Zhu Changluo, for the throne. The Donglin Party stood on the side of the crown prince and strongly opposed Prince of Fu's ascension to the throne.
Unexpectedly, the situation has changed. Now Prince Fu Zhu Yousong is about to ascend the throne. Some members of the Donglin Party are worried that Prince Fu will purge them after he ascends the throne. They strongly oppose the enthronement of Prince Fu and want to support Prince Lu Zhu Changfang, who is more distantly related.
Shi Kefa, the Nanjing Minister of War, was not optimistic about Prince Fu because he was mediocre and greedy for pleasure. Finally, with the support of Gao Jie, Huang Degong, Liu Liangzuo and Liu Zeqing from the four towns of Jiangbei, Prince Fu ascended the throne and changed the reign title to Hongguang.
However, Shi Kefa also lost the emperor's trust because of this, which laid the groundwork for the Prince of Fu in the Hongguang court.
Just as Shi Kefa had imagined, Emperor Hongguang did not have the talent to be a ruler, and the court officials of the Southern Ming Dynasty were only thinking about intrigue and had no sense of crisis about the serious situation before them.
At the same time, Beijing had changed hands again. Wu Sangui led the Qing army into the pass, and Li Zicheng was defeated in the Battle of Shanhaiguan and retreated westward. Dorgon led his troops into the pass, and the biggest enemy of the Southern Ming Dynasty changed from Li Zicheng to Dorgon.
However, the mainstream view of the Southern Ming court at that time was that they should unite with the Qing army to eliminate Li Zicheng, regarding Li Zicheng as an enemy and the Qing court as a friend. But the Qing court only wanted to seize the victory and unify the world.
In 1645, after defeating Li Zicheng in Shaanxi, Duoduo led his troops southward, aiming at Nanjing. Faced with a powerful enemy, the Southern Ming court was in internal strife. Zuo Liangyu raised an army in Huguang to attack the capital Ma Shiying. Ma Shiying transferred his troops to the west to deal with Zuo Liangyu, clearing the way for the Qing army to advance. Soon Yangzhou was captured and Shi Kefa was killed.
A month later, the Qing army arrived at the gates of Nanjing, and the nobles and ministers surrendered. The Hongguang Emperor was captured and executed. The Hongguang regime was destroyed, and Ma Shiying supported Zhu Changfang, the Prince of Lu, as regent, but the Prince of Lu also surrendered soon.
Although there were many members of the Ming Dynasty royal family, there were very few who were capable of ruling the country. Without an emperor who could command the people, the direct consequence of the refugees was that the various factions in the Southern Ming Dynasty continued to fight among themselves and each ruled its own empire.
After Lu Wang surrendered, Tang Wang Zhu Youjian ascended the throne with the support of Zheng Zhilong, Huang Daozhou and others, and named the reign Longwu. At the same time, Lu Wang Zhu Yihai was also supervising the country in eastern Zhejiang.
Zhu Youjian and Zhu Yihai were both distant relatives of the royal family, and neither of them was submissive. Longwu Emperor Zhu Youjian was the most ambitious emperor among the Southern Ming emperors, determined to restore the country and revive the Ming Dynasty.
However, although Longwu was named emperor, he had very limited ministers and was held hostage by the brothers Zheng Zhilong and Zheng Hongkui. He wanted to kill the enemy but was powerless to turn the tide.
In 1646, the Lu Regent regime collapsed and Zhu Yihai went into exile at sea. Not long after, Zheng Zhilong betrayed the Longwu Emperor and secretly withdrew his troops, leaving the gates of Fujian wide open. The Longwu regime was destroyed, and Zhu Youjian was captured by the Qing army and died of starvation.
Zheng Chenggong, the son of Zheng Zhilong, led the remaining troops south to fight against the Qing Dynasty. Zhu Youjian ascended the throne in Guangzhou and named the later year Shaowu.
At the same time, Zhu Youlang, the Prince of Gui and grandson of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty, also ascended the throne in Zhaoqing, Guangdong. A year later, the Yongli and Southern Ming dynasties once again saw two regimes coexisting. The Shaowu regime sent troops to attack the Yongli regime, and the battle was fierce.
Before the two sides could decide the final outcome, the Qing army attacked Guangzhou and the Shaowu regime was destroyed. At this point, Yongli became the only legitimate emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty, and anti-Qing forces in various places were willing to regard Emperor Yongli as the legitimate emperor.
However, the Yongli Emperor was also a mediocre person and had no talent for being a ruler. In 1647, Hunan was captured by the Qing army and Yongli fled to Guangxi. The remnants of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong cooperated with the Southern Ming to resist the Qing army, but some Southern Ming officials still regarded them as bandits and excluded them everywhere.
The Yongli court was busy with power struggles and factional strife. Sun Kewang, who was once a subordinate of Zhang Xianzhong, was willing to submit to the Southern Ming regime, but asked Yongli to make him the King of Qi.
Although Yongli reluctantly conferred him the title of king, he was very suspicious of Sun Kewang, who also wanted to use the emperor to control the princes. Li Dingguo, who was once Zhang Xianzhong's adopted son, was very loyal to the Southern Ming Dynasty. He had strict military discipline and was deeply loved by the people. He repeatedly repelled the Qing army's attacks.
The two Ming princes recovered Hunan and Guangxi, and Sun Kewang was very resentful of this. He not only withheld the salary of Li Dingguo's subordinates, but also led troops to attack Li Dingguo, and Li Dingguo failed. The Yongli Emperor was also held hostage by Sun Kewang and asked Li Dingguo for help.
In 1654, Zhang Mingzhen and Zheng Chenggong marched into the Yangtze River. The southeastern coast of the Qing Dynasty was in danger, and Li Dingguo contacted Zheng Chenggong to attack Xinhui, Guangdong. However, Zheng Chenggong did not respond in time and Li Dingguo was severely defeated by the Qing army in Xinhui, with heavy casualties.
When Li Dingguo retreated to Nanning, he had only 6000 subordinates left. Sun Kewang took the opportunity to attack Li Dingguo. Li Dingguo decided to support Emperor Yongli and escort him to Yunnan. He also repelled Sun Kewang's army that attacked Yunnan.
Sun Kewang surrendered to the Qing army, and the Yongli regime was in a more difficult situation. In 1650, Wu Sangui invaded Yunnan, and the Yongli Emperor went into exile in Burma. The following year, Burma killed all the guards around the Yongli Emperor.
After the Qing army attacked Burma, they handed over Emperor Yongli to Wu Sangui. In 1662, Yongli was strangled to death by Wu Sangui, and Li Dingguo died of a sudden illness after hearing the news.
At the same time, Zheng Chenggong decided to go to Taiwan to find the last base for the Southern Ming Dynasty. At that time, southern Taiwan was occupied by the Dutch East India Company.
After Zheng Chenggong landed in Taiwan, he expelled the Dutch colonists and brought the surviving Ming royal family to Taiwan. Soon, he heard the news that Emperor Yongli had been killed. Zheng Chenggong was exhausted and died of grief.
The Zheng family still used the Yongli reign in Taiwan, but internal strife continued, making the situation even more unstable. In 1683, Shi Lang marched into Taiwan, Zheng Chenggong's grandson Zheng Keshuang surrendered, and the last force of the Southern Ming Dynasty was completely destroyed.
[Take stock of historical facts about Wu Zetian, the uncrowned empress who ruled from behind the curtain]
They are the uncrowned empresses in Chinese history, ruling from behind the scenes, some of them could depose and enthronize emperors and carry out reforms, some of them could conquer cities and terrify enemy countries. In this video, let's take stock of the empresses who ruled from behind the scenes in history.
First: Queen Mother Xuan of Qin, Mi Bazi
The first one is the Queen Mother Xuan of Qin, Mi Bazi. She was the first woman in history to be called the Queen Mother and the mother of King Zhaoxiang of Qin. She was originally a woman from the State of Chu, but was later sent to the Qin Palace and was named Mi Bazi. She was deeply loved by King Huiwen and gave birth to three sons.
The eldest son was Qin Zhaoxiang Wang Yingji. Mi Bazi's younger brother Wei Ran was also highly valued by King Huiwen. In 307 BC, Qin Wu Wang Yingdang, the eldest son of Qin Huiwen Wang, died from lifting a tripod.
As the princes fought for the throne, among whom Prince Zhuang was the most powerful, Yingji, who was a hostage in Yan State at the time, returned to the country with the help of his mother and uncle to ascend the throne. Prince Zhuang, together with the princesses of the royal family, opposed Yingji's ascension to the throne with the support of Queen Huiwen, and was killed by Wei Ran.
It is said that Queen Huiwen was also killed in the coup. Since Yingji was young, his mother Queen Dowager Xuan ruled the country, and his uncle Wei Ran assisted in the administration. Three years later, King Zhaoxiang of Qin took power, but Queen Dowager Xuan still had a certain influence on the government.
The Queen Mother Xuan appointed her younger brother Wei Ran and her sons Prince Shi and Prince Kui as the rulers, collectively known as the Four Nobles, who were superior to the two sons born to the King of Yiqiu. In 272 BC, the Queen Mother Xuan lured the King of Yiqiu into Qin and killed him in Ganquan Palace. The Qin State took the opportunity to attack and destroy the Yiqiu State and established the three prefectures of Longxi, Beidi and Shangjun.
The following year, Fan Sui, a native of Wei, was appointed as a guest minister by King Zhaoxiang of Qin. Fan Sui reminded the king that the four nobles should be expelled, and King Zhaoxiang agreed. In 266 BC, King Zhaoxiang deposed Queen Dowager Xuan and expelled the four nobles from Xianyang.
Soon, Queen Dowager Xuan became seriously ill and wanted to let her lover Wei Choufu be buried with her. Minister Yong Rui persuaded her, saying, "If you let Wei Choufu be buried with you, how can you see the late king after you die?" So Queen Dowager Xuan gave up the idea of letting her lover be buried with her. In 265 BC, Queen Dowager Xuan died.
The second is Empress Dowager Feng of Northern Wei, who was born into the royal family of Northern Yan. Her grandfather Feng Hong was the last emperor of Northern Yan. When Empress Dowager Feng was born, Northern Yan had already perished.
Empress Dowager Feng and her family were displaced and eventually sent to the Northern Wei imperial palace, where she was raised by her aunt, Feng Zhaoyi. At the age of 12, Empress Dowager Feng was selected by Emperor Wencheng of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tuoba Jun, to be a noble lady. In 456 AD, Feng Guiren was made empress by Emperor Wencheng.
The Northern Wei Dynasty had a tradition that if the son is noble, the mother must die. When the prince was born, his mother would be executed. In the second month after Feng was made empress, Concubine Li gave birth to Emperor Wencheng's eldest son Tuoba Hong. Concubine Li was executed and Tuoba Hong was given to Empress Feng to raise.
In 465 AD, Emperor Wencheng died and Crown Prince Tuoba Hong succeeded him as Emperor Xianwen. At this time, Empress Dowager Feng was only 24 years old. How could an orphan and a widow cope with this bizarre political struggle?
General Yu Hun secretly planned a rebellion. When Empress Dowager Feng learned the news, she immediately sent troops to suppress it. She exterminated Yu Hun's entire clan and announced that she would rule the country from behind the scenes.
In 467 AD, when Emperor Xianwen's eldest son Tuoba Hong was born, Empress Dowager Feng issued an edict to return power to the emperor. However, 10 years later, Tuoba Hong, who was only 14 years old, took power and suppressed Empress Dowager Feng's favorite ministers. He was particularly dissatisfied with Empress Dowager Feng's favorite lover Li Yi, and executed Li Yi and his brothers on the charge of treason.
Empress Dowager Feng could no longer tolerate this and forced Emperor Xianwen to pass the throne to the 5-year-old prince, but it was obviously impossible for a 5-year-old child to rule the country. Empress Dowager Feng and Emperor Xianwen, who were not related by blood, fought for power openly and secretly. In 476 AD, Emperor Xianwen died in captivity shortly after being imprisoned by Empress Dowager Feng. Empress Dowager Feng was honored as the Grand Empress Dowager and once again took charge of the government.
She ordered the establishment of the equal-field system and the three-chief system to reform the salaries of officials, promoted ethics and respected Confucian classics. She also carefully cultivated her grandson, Emperor Xiaowen Tuoba Hong. In 490 AD, Empress Dowager Feng died at the age of , and became the Grand Empress Dowager Civilization.
The third is Empress Dowager Chengtian Xiao Chuo, whose courtesy name was Yanyan. She was born in 953 AD. She entered the palace as a noble concubine at the age of 17 and was soon made empress. Emperor Jingzong of Liao, Yelü Xian, was frail and sickly, so he left government affairs to the empress.
In 982, Yelü Xian died of illness while hunting. His will ordered that his eldest son, Yelü Longxu, born to Xiao Chuo, ascend the throne, and Xiao Chuo would handle military and national affairs. At that time, Yelü Longxu was only 12 years old, and Xiao Chuo was only 30 years old.
In order to stabilize the overall situation, Xiao Chuo appointed Yelu Xizhen as the Privy Councilor of the Northern Court to manage the affairs of the royal family, and reused the Privy Councilor of the Southern Court Han Derang to seize the military power of the royal princes, and summoned their relatives into the palace as hostages.
The hidden danger of a coup d'état during the handover of power was eliminated, and the possibility of a coup d'état was eliminated. When Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Guangyi, heard that the orphans and widows of the Liao Kingdom had been killed, he ordered an expedition to the east, west and north, sending troops in three directions. Xiao Chuo sent Yelu Xiu'ge and Yelu Xizhen to the east and west, while he personally took the emperor to Nanjing, the Liao Kingdom, and the Song army was defeated.
By the way, the story of conquering cities and territories turned out to be that of Empress Xiao, who became the villain in the story of the Yang Family Generals. In 1005 AD, Empress Xiao led the army in person and fought all the way to the Yellow River, but the general Xiao Talin was killed in the battle, and the morale of the Liao army was greatly reduced. So Xiao Chuo agreed to negotiate peace with the Song Dynasty, and the two countries agreed to be brother countries.
The Song Dynasty paid 30 tributes every year, and the two sides stopped fighting, which was known as the Treaty of Chanyuan. In 1009, Xiao Chuo returned power to her son Yelu Longxu. Soon after, Xiao Chuo died of illness at the age of 57.
The fourth is Empress Zhangxianmingsusu Liu E, the villain in The Substitute Prince.
Liu E lost both her parents when she was young, and married the silversmith Gong Mei. Later, the couple came to Kaifeng together to make a living. Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng, who was still a prince at the time, fell in love with Liu E at first sight, so he took her into the palace despite the fact that Liu E was married.
When Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Guangyi, heard about this, he was furious and ordered Zhao Heng to drive Liu E out. However, Zhao Heng couldn't bear to let Liu E go, so he placed Liu E in the home of one of his subordinates and met with her privately from time to time.
In 997 AD, Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Guangyi, died of illness, and Emperor Zhenzong of Song, Zhao Heng, succeeded to the throne. Liu E was taken into the palace, but she had no official status. It was not until 1004 AD that Liu E was promoted to Beauty, and then to Xiuyi and Defei.
Liu E's ex-husband Gong Mei also changed his name to Liu Mei and became Liu E's elder brother. Three years later, Queen Guo died, and Zhao Heng wanted to make Liu E the queen, but was opposed by the prime ministers.
So Zhao Heng announced that the son born by Li, a maid in Liu E's palace, was Liu E's, and Liu E ascended to the throne as she wished. This child was Song Renzong Zhao Zhen. In his later years, Zhenzong was weak and sickly and could not manage affairs. The daily government affairs were presided over by Empress Liu E.
In 1022 AD, Emperor Zhenzong died. The empress was honored as the empress dowager, and all national affairs were handled by the empress dowager. Liu E took power and ruled the country from behind the curtain. From then on, she firmly held the power in her own hands.
After Liu E came to power, she first stopped the Tianshu Movement, expelled Prime Minister Ding Wei, and ordered the issuance of the world's first paper currency, Jiaozi. When Song Renzong grew up, Liu E still refused to return to power.
Some people tried to please Liu E and persuaded her to emulate Wu Zetian, but Liu E said that she would not do such a thing that would let down the ancestors of the Song Dynasty. However, Liu E did not completely want to be an emperor. In 1033 AD, Liu E wore the emperor's crown to worship at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Soon after, Liu E died of illness and was posthumously named Empress Zhangxian Mingsu.