ExclusiveChongzhen: The Diligent Emperor and the Fall of the Ming Dynasty

The catchphrase, the more diligently the emperor works, the more a nation falls, went viral. When the book titled Chongzhen, The Diligent Emperor and the Decline of a Dynasty was removed from circulation in China, it was suspected that the current Chinese leader tried to liken himself to Emperor Chongzhen, who was known for his diligence but also presided over the downfall of the Ming Dynasty. But what exactly did Chongzhen do to accelerate his own dynasty's collapse? Indeed, Chongzhen worked diligently during his reign. He was frugal and abstained from indulgence, even avoiding the company of women. However, his inherent suspicion and the desire to maintain absolute power led him to make tragic mistakes. He often acted on baseless accusations, leading to the wrongful execution of capable ministers. Ultimately, he isolated himself and the dynasty fell into decline. Chongzhen's unfulfilled ambitions and the tragic cry, the emperor is not the cause of the nation's downfall. It is the ministers who are echoed as he took his own life in the Jingshan Park behind the Forbidden City in Beijing. Did Chongzhen really fall victim to his deceitful ministers? And why did his diligence hasten the demise of his dynasty? Over 200 years of Ming Dynasty rule witnessed a gradual erosion of the legacy created by its founding emperors, Ming Taizu and Ming Chengzhu. The later reigns of Ming Xinzong and Ming Shizong were marred by political apathy and the rise of eunuch influence, leading to turbulence in the Ming Empire. Ming Xinzong, Zhu Yijuan, ascended to the throne at the age of 10 and ruled for 48 years. Records suggest that he didn't attend court sessions for 28 years, leaving many new court officials ignorant about the emperor's appearance. Ming Guangzong Zhu Chongluo, the son of Ming Xinzong, enjoyed a brief reign as emperor but passed away less than a month after ascending to the throne. Following Guangzong's death, his 14-year-old son Zhu Youjiao ascended the throne as the Tianqi emperor. Zhu Youjiao was too young to govern. Especially, he had an unusual passion for woodworking and was known as the thick carpenter emperor. He abdicated his responsibilities to Eunuch Wei Zhongxian, who effectively controlled the court. The young Tianqi emperor was also short-lived, ruling for only seven years before his death. Furthermore, he left no heirs. After the death of the Tianqi emperor, his 17-year-old half-brother Zhu Youjian took the throne, marking the beginning of the Chongzhen era. Zhu Youjian was a neglected and suspicious child, raised by a concubine of lowly birth. His mother, Lady Lu, died from corporal punishment when he was five. He grew up in the shadow of more favored concubines and lived a secluded life in the palace. Fortunately, the former emperor Zhu Youjiao treated him well and conferred the title of king of Xin upon him. This marked a turning point in his life. Zhongxian, once crowned emperor, faced a kingdom in disarray. There were internal conflicts, with powerful eunuchs and disputes between the eunuch party and the Donglin faction. The external situation from the end of the Wanli era saw continuous peasant uprisings. In the 47th year of the Wanli emperor's reign, Nurhaci achieved a major victory over the Ming army. In the first year of the Tianqi emperor's reign, Nurhaci managed to capture Shenyang and Liaoyang in just nine days, effectively ending Ming's rule in Liaodong. In addition, coupled with years of natural disasters, fiscal depletion, and the necessity to increase taxes, this made the emperor's rule a very challenging one. Wei Zhongxian, wielding immense authority, naturally saw Zhu Youjian as a thorn in his side. To regain actual authority and ensure his own survival, it was imperative for Chongzhen to eliminate the influence of Wei Zhongxian. In an effort to lower Wei Zhongxian's guard, Emperor Chongzhen outwardly displayed respect and consistently lauded Wei Zhongxian's merits while simultaneously orchestrating covert strategies to diminish his sway. Under Chongzhen's meticulously devised plans, a cascade of accusations against Wei Zhongxian accumulated. Nonetheless, Emperor Chongzhen maintained a facade of serenity, feigning sympathy for Wei Zhongxian's grievances. The turning point came when Xian Jiazhi submitted a memorial detailing ten major transgressions committed by Wei Zhongxian. Consequently, Emperor Chongzhen promptly took decisive action, dismantling the eunuch faction, ultimately coercing Wei Zhongxian to take his own life in an inn. Chongzhen's resolute measures to purge treacherous elements set him apart from the previous feeble emperors, earning him great admiration. People began to hope that this promising young emperor might be the one to rejuvenate the Ming dynasty. In the final years of the Ming dynasty, the state of affairs was deteriorating rapidly, and there was no quick remedy in sight. If not for his drastic reforms, perhaps the empire, although ailing, could have survived. According to the Chronicle of the Filial Emperor, Chongzhen was described as being eager to seek governance, meticulous in financial management, eager to employ people, and hasty in enforcing the law, leading to multiple policy changes over seventeen years. The text further states, he employed individuals too hastily and executed people too hastily. When someone agreed with him, he wanted to raise them to his knees, when someone disagreed, he wanted to throw them into the abyss. Therefore, courtiers and officials could only answer obediently, just like parrots imitating speech, echoing his every word. As a ruler of the country, Chongzhen was talented but lacked wisdom and the ability to discern good advisors. And he had a volatile temperament, was obstinate, and prone to suspicion and vacillation. During his seventeen-year reign, he changed the position of the minister of punishments eleven times and the minister of war fourteen times. He executed seven provincial commanders and forced one to suicide. This led to a shortage of talented individuals, and those with patriotic intentions were either unwilling or afraid to serve the court. Although Chongzhen was frugal as an emperor, he took thrift to an extreme, not only in his personal expenses but also in state finances. For instance, in his second year, he disbanded post stations, causing countless post officers to lose their livelihoods, which eventually drove them to rebellion. Li Zicheng was one of them. In his fourth year, over 100,000 starving peasants accepted a meager allowance. Chongzhen reluctantly approved funding of 100,000 tales of silver, but this effort proved futile. The peasants couldn't survive on such a small sum and rebelled once more. Even in terms of military rations, he would cut costs whenever possible. To fund his military campaigns, he increased taxes year after year, seizing food from famine-stricken peasants. Despite calling upon the royal family and relatives to donate funds, he couldn't even gather 100,000 tales, and he hoarded the treasury resources. After Li Zicheng captured Beijing, they discovered several million tales of silver from some officials' homes, and they confiscated an astonishing 1.5 million tales of gold and 37 million tales of silver from the imperial treasury. This was equivalent to three years' worth of tax revenue for the Ming dynasty. With an emperor like this, how could the country not decline further despite his diligence and frugality? Yuan Chonghuan was a skilled military commander in the late Ming dynasty. He successfully led campaigns such as the Battle of Ningyuan and the Battle of Ningjin, which helped reverse the tide of Ming dynasty's military defeats. However, due to political intrigue and accusations from corrupt officials like Wei Zhongxian, Yuan Chonghuan was forced to resign. After Emperor Chongzhen came to power and Wei Zhongxian was removed, Yuan Chonghuan was reinstated. However, a conflict arose when Yuan Chonghuan executed a military officer named Mao Wenlong without reporting to the court. Later, the leader of the Manchu, Wang Taiji, devised a plan to bypass the Ming defenses and attack Beijing directly. Emperor Chongzhen urgently summoned Yuan Chonghuan back to rescue the capital. Yuan Chonghuan's tactics successfully thwarted the Manchu forces at the Battle of Guangmen, but Emperor Chongzhen was disappointed that only half of Yuan Chonghuan's troops had arrived in the capital. Amid growing suspicions and rumors of collusion with the Manchu, Emperor Chongzhen accused Yuan Chonghuan of treason. Public rumors further fueled the emperor's mistrust, leading to Yuan Chonghuan's arrest. Yuan Chonghuan was subjected to an extremely brutal execution method known as Lingchi or Death by a Thousand Cuts. His flesh was sliced piece by piece, and the crowd even consumed the pieces. This inhumane execution was unprecedented in its brutality. Sun Chuanting, though a scholar by background, possessed a deep understanding of military strategy. During the reign of Emperor Shizong, he became disenchanted with the powerful eunuch Wei Zhongxian's influence and decided to resign from his official position and return to his hometown. However, in the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, as various bandit groups, including Gao Yingxiang, Li Zicheng, and Zhang Xianzhong, were causing chaos, Sun Chuanting could no longer remain uninvolved. He returned to serve as the governor of Shaanxi and took on the task of suppressing these marauding forces. Sun Chuanting had limited resources but employed a twofold strategy. He encouraged local civilians to join the military and participate in the fight against the roving bandits, many of whom were vagrants. Simultaneously, he implemented a policy promoting local cultivation to alleviate food shortages. Sun Chuanting's wise governance led to the capture and execution of Gao Yingxiang, known as the Yellow Bandit King, effectively quelling one of the major rebel forces. Employing the philosophy of local people governing local areas, he instilled a sense of ownership and responsibility among the local population. Through his efforts, Sun Chuanting was able to secure both the region and its resources. While he had the opportunity to eliminate Li Zicheng, the new leader of the rebel movement, he was recalled by Emperor Chongzhen. However, Chongzhen's suspicion grew as Sun Chuanting's achievements mounted, and he fell victim to the plots of the Minister of War, Yang Sikheng. Falsely accused, Sun Chuanting was unjustly imprisoned for three years. In the 15th year of Chongzhen's reign, Sun Chuanting was released and reinstated to his position. Chongzhen ordered Sun Chuanting to lead troops to relieve the city of Kaifeng, which was under siege by Li Zicheng. However, the Qin army that Sun Chuanting had trained was no longer as formidable, and Li Zicheng's power had grown. Despite the odds, Sun Chuanting led his troops valiantly, but the fate of the Ming dynasty was sealed. Continuous rain for seven days rendered firearms useless, and the epidemic spread among his soldiers. In a desperate attempt to break the siege, Sun Chuanting perished on the battlefield. The annals of history documented this tragic ending with a final lament, Sun Chuanting's death marked the fall of the Ming dynasty. In this light, Emperor Chongzhen, despite his diligent efforts and busy governance, implemented misguided policies and surrounded himself with unscrupulous advisors. While he subjectively aimed to rescue the fortunes of the Ming dynasty, objectively, he unwittingly pushed himself and the empire closer to the brink of destruction. It seems that all of this was in accordance with a higher, inevitable fate. The ancient Tuobei Tu of the Tang dynasty, the Aixiao Binggui of the Ming dynasty, and the Emei Huaxue of the Song dynasty all foretold the Ming dynasty's downfall. That concludes today's story. Thank you for watching. If you enjoyed it, please subscribe, leave a comment, and share. See you next time!