Yuan Chonghuan (1584— 1630), a famous military general in Ming Dynasty, was born in Dongguan, Guangdong. He was a soldier all his life and made great contributions to defending the northeast frontier of Ming Dynasty and resisting the attack of Qing army. Unfortunately, it was framed by a yes-man, which caused Emperor Chongzhen to fall into the trap of Huang Taiji, and killed Yuan Chonghuan by mistake, resulting in an eternal injustice.

Yuan Chonghuan's youth coincided with the increasingly decadent rule of the Ming Dynasty. Feeling the decline of the country, Yuan Chonghuan likes reading art books and learning the art of fighting to save the country. After entering Jinshi Academy, he was appointed as the magistrate of Shaowu County, Fujian Province, and he was still very concerned about the situation in the northeast border. He often discusses the geography and defense situation of Liaodong with some retired generals who once defended Liaodong, hoping to join the army one day.

In the first month of the second year of the Apocalypse (1622), Yuan Chonghuan went to Beijing as an example, and Hou Xun, an imperial envoy, recognized heroes, and recommended Yuan Chonghuan as the minister of war, who was responsible for guarding Shanhaiguan. As soon as Yuan Chonghuan arrived at his post, he rode out alone at night to get to know the terrain. He came back and said, "Give me Qian Gu, and I will defend this alone." Although crazy, this kind of courage and courage is really admirable. Soon, he was promoted to the Shandong provincial army and mountain navy, and became a brave general stationed in the frontier.

With the strong support of Sun Chengzong, the minister of the Ministry of War, Yuan Chonghuan built Ningyuan City in Liaodong, restored Jinzhou, Youtun and other military towns, and pushed the border defense of the Ming Dynasty from Ningyuan to 200 miles, basically recovering the lost land in the early days of the apocalypse. He also adopted the policy of raising Liao with Liao soil and Liao with Liao to encourage people to resume production and rebuild their homes. We also paid attention to rectifying the army and strictly enforced it, which greatly improved its combat effectiveness. Due to good border management, in the third year of the apocalypse, Yuan Chonghuan was promoted to the rank of deputy soldier, and soon he was promoted to the position of political right.

Ningyuan Kaixuan

In the first month of the sixth year of the Apocalypse (1626), the Eight Banners led by the late King Nurhachi130,000 besieged Yuan Chonghuan in Ningyuan, killing blood as a book, pledging to the whole army to share life and death with Ningyuan City. Under his infection. "Soldiers are dying" and morale is high. Yuan Chonghuan ordered all the defenders outside the city to retreat into Ningyuan city, fortified the field, and personally killed cattle and horses to comfort the soldiers. He also put all the money in stock on the city, and ordered that anyone who could beat back the enemy soldiers and avoid difficulties and obstacles would be rewarded with a silver ingot immediately. If you get cold feet and stand in front of the army. In order to strengthen the firepower, Yuan Chonghuan has put the imitation western "red cannon" in the city on the head of the city, and everything is ready and ready to go.

24, 8 jin j soldiers at the gates of ningyuan. Yuan Chonghuan had planned to invite the North Korean emissary to sit on the watchtower and watch the battle. Suddenly there was a cannon, and then the Jin army began to attack the city. I saw the Eight Banners soldiers scattered everywhere, covering mountains and fields. Yuan Chonghuan commanded, shots were fired everywhere on the rostrum, and bows and arrows were fired. After that, 8 jin j suffered heavy casualties and had to retreat. The next day, 8 jin j after morale, attack again, they pushed the chariot wrapped in raw cowhide to the wall, ready to dig a hole in the city, Yuan Chonghuan was advancing soldiers immediately picked a stone to block the mouth of the cave, and make the cannon on the city to strengthen fire, storm the enemy lines. Nurhachi, the head coach of the late Jin army, was directing the battle in front of the camp when he was suddenly hit by a flying cannon stone, injured and fell off his horse, bleeding profusely. Jin Jun saw that the coach was injured and hurried back. On the way home, Nurhachi became seriously ill and died in the army.

The battle of Ningyuan was Nurhachi's only defeat since he was twenty-five years old. Yuan Chonghuan became famous from then on. Later, the Qing army had to admit that "the discussion of war prevention began with Chonghuan".

Ningjin kaixuan

After the war of Ningyuan, Yuan Chonghuan was promoted to the governor of Liaodong, and the defense outside the customs was planned by Yuan Chonghuan. In order to rest the army, he sent people to make peace talks with the former king for a pretence, while stepping up the rectification of the army and building forts in Jinzhou, Zhongzuo and Daling to prevent the sudden attack of the former king. In May of the seventh year of the Apocalypse, Huang Taiji led an army to attack Jinzhou and surrounded it. Jinzhou defenders resisted and flew to Yuan Chonghuan for help. Yuan Chonghuan saw through the encirclement of Huang Taiji who lured the enemy into Jinzhou in order to attack Ningyuan. He believes that "Ningyuan is not solid, then mountains and seas are shocked, and this world is safe." So he stuck to Ningyuan and sent 4,000 elite cavalry around the rear of the Qing army to storm, causing the Qing army to be attacked on both sides. At the same time, please ask the court to transfer the defenders of Yuji Town, Baoding, Changping, Fu Xuan and Datong to Shanhaiguan for support. After Huang Taiji failed to attack Jinzhou, he concentrated his forces on attacking Ningyuan. At this point, Ningyuan defenders are ready, and the "red guns" are neatly arranged in Chengtou, ready to fire at any time. The generals of the Qing army saw that Ningyuan's defense was very strict and difficult to break, so they advised Huang Taiji not to attack the city. Huang taiji thundered, "My father couldn't capture Ningyuan at the beginning, and now I can't capture Jinzhou. We can't win a field battle like this, how can we show the prestige of our country! " Then he ordered the storming of Ningyuan City. On the city, the Ming army fired thousands of guns and stones rained down. The Qing army could not attack for a long time and suffered heavy losses. Finally, it had to retreat. In the end, Huang Taiji, like his father, was defeated by Yuan Chonghuan and failed.

"Victory in Ningjin" depends entirely on Yuan Chonghuan's strategy and good command. But in the Ming Dynasty, the right eunuch Wei Zhongxian coveted the merits of others. Not only did he get the thickest prize, but even his minions received the prize. Only for Yuan Chonghuan, instead of receiving a reward, he falsely accused him of "not saving Jinzhou for the dead". In a rage, Yuan Chonghuan went to his hometown to beg for a rest.

After Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne, he thought of him day and night to solve the worries of Liao territory. "Please call Chongqing and let us know the delay time." In April of the first year of Chongzhen, Yuan Chonghuan was appointed as the minister of war and the right deputy, supervising the military affairs of Hebei, Liaoning and Deng, Lai and Tianjin. In July, Yuan Chonghuan was called into Beijing. Emperor Chongzhen personally summoned him on the platform to discuss with him the strategy of pacifying Liao State. Emperor Chongzhen said, "It was very brave of Li to call him, and the strategy of pacifying Liao could be played with reality." Yuan Chonghuan heard that he trusted himself so much today and was determined to pacify Liao. At that time, his blood was boiling and he replied without thinking, "All plans have been exhausted. Now that Emperor Teda knows, I am willing to have a holiday at a low price. In five years, the headquarters can be Jianping, and the whole Liao country can play again. " Emperor Chongzhen was overjoyed to hear that he could return to Liao in five years. He also generously replied: "It is the general trend to return to Liao in five years. I will not hesitate to reward Hou, and I will make great efforts to solve the problem of upside down in the world! Blessed are your children and grandchildren. " How easy is it to return to Liao in five years? I don't know Yuan Chonghuan. Since he left office this year, great changes have taken place in the northeast frontier. As far as the Ming army is concerned, successive governors took bribes to be redeemed, deducted their pay, and repeatedly aroused mutiny among soldiers, resulting in low morale. Forts such as Jinzhou and Daling have also fallen, and the border defense is on the verge of collapse. Since Huang taiji ascended the throne, he has paid more attention to adjusting the relationship between Manchu and Han, and gradually began the process of feudalism. The national strength has greatly increased, and the combat capability of the Eight Banners has been greatly improved. Huang taiji also summed up the experience of fighting against the Ming dynasty in the battle. So it can be said that in the northeast border, the strength of the Qing army is much stronger than that of the Ming army. With such disparity in strength, it is obviously unrealistic for Yuan Chonghuan to declare that "Liao will be restored within five years". At that time, the ministers present all squeezed a cold sweat for Yuan Chonghuan's grandiloquence. Xu Yuqing quietly asked Yuan Chonghuan why he made such crazy remarks when Emperor Chongzhen was taking a nap in the inner room. Yuan Chonghuan smiled and said, "Talk to the sacred heart." Xu Yuqing said seriously, "What's the matter with you? How can you be right? I am responsible for working on schedule. What can I do? " When Yuan Chonghuan woke up from a big dream, he felt very stupid. When Emperor Chongzhen came out again, he immediately knelt down and said, "Dongdu has been built for forty years. The game was not easy to decide, but the emperor carefully sealed the territory and spent the night on the ground. How dare I say? " In these five years, we have to do everything, first of all, money and food. "Then, it put forward many requirements in military dispatch and supply. Emperor Chongzhen promised one by one. Yuan Chonghuan was worried that he would be jealous when he was far away from the capital. He said, "With the power of ministers, it is more than enough to control the whole Liao country, but it is not enough to mobilize the people. As soon as I go abroad, I will become Wan Li. I am jealous of my job, and my husband is very empty. In other words, if you respect the emperor's statutes and don't have the power to hold the minister's hand, you can also confuse the minister with your opinions. "Emperor Chongzhen listened very harshly, but for the sake of frontier affairs, it was inconvenient to attack. He was silent for a while and said to Yuan Chonghuan, "Don't be modest, I'll preside over it myself. "Life gave Fang a sword and allowed him to act first. Soon, Yuan Chonghuan left Beijing for his post. Emperor Chongzhen personally saw me off and pinned his ambition to restore the frontier entirely on Yuan Chonghuan. Yuan Chonghuan knew that he had a heavy burden, but he was still worried that the emperor could not be faithful, so he once again begged the emperor to be "faithful without doubt". He also said many times that "there are many suspicious people in the army, but it is related to the overall situation of success or failure, and there is no need to pick words and deeds." Emperor Chongzhen always "returned it with the best".

As soon as Yuan Chonghuan arrived at the front line of the Liao army, he met Ningyuan soldiers who mutinied because they could not get their salaries for a long time. He immediately rode into the camp alone, punished the greedy generals for loving the army, and showed the leader of the mutiny to the public with strict military discipline. In order to fundamentally stabilize the morale of the army, he repeatedly asked the court to pay a salary to help the people.

Emperor Chongzhen was very unhappy when he saw that Yuan Chonghuan did not go to the border to make meritorious military service, but asked for reimbursement. When Emperor Chongzhen called the ministers to discuss, he said grumpily, "Soldiers can be like family members and fathers, so they dare not rebel, and they don't have the heart to rebel. Those who dare not rebel are afraid of their power, and they cannot bear to rebel with their virtue. How can there be noise? " Zhou Yanru, the right assistant minister standing on the side, recognized the implication of Emperor Chongzhen and took the opportunity to provoke him, saying that the mutiny was not a lack of pay, but something else was hidden. Hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen immediately subtracted three points from Yuan Chonghuan's great trust. Although he barely got paid, he began to suspect that Yuan Chonghuan was enriching himself by forcing himself to get paid. Soon, the news came that Yuan Chonghuan had killed Mao Longwen, the commander of Pidao. Mao Yuan was a general of the Ming army in Liaodong. Liaodong fell and retreated to Pidao, which is very close to North Korea. He chose a strong man to go to the island as a soldier and attacked the rear of the Qing army many times, effectively curbing the southward movement of the Qing army. However, Mao Longwen relied on his power and did not listen to Yuan Chonghuan's command at all. Instead, he wasted money and falsely accused Yuan Chonghuan of withholding wages. In order to unify the border defense order, Yuan Chonghuan took the opportunity to go to Pidao to trap Mao, acting first and acting second. Emperor Chongzhen received a letter from Yuan Chonghuan. He was very angry and dared to kill frontier generals without imperial edict. However, because he personally gave the sword to Fang, hoping that Yuan Chonghuan would restore the territory of Liao at an early date, he still fought back his anger and "returned praise with praise". He also "preached the crime of violent dragon writing to calm his heart"

In October of the second year of Chongzhen (1629), Huang taiji led an army to avoid Yuan Chonghuan's defense and enter the customs by a detour from Mongolia (see the Battle of Gyeonggi). Due to the lax border defense in Jizhou, it was easy for the Qing army to break through, and soon joined forces with Zunhua, pushing the capital. Yuan Chonghuan learned the news of the Qing army's entry into the customs, worried, immediately led the elite troops, non-stop, and rushed to Beijing for rescue. They rushed outside Beijing to confront the Qing army that besieged Guangqumen. After a fierce battle, the Qing army lost.

Emperor Chongzhen was very surprised to learn that Yuan Chonghuan reinforcements had arrived in the city. He hurried to pay for his teacher and ordered people to send all the Wang Jun to Yuan Chonghuan. Yuan Chonghuan worried that his men were running around day and night, and the horses were tired, so he requested to enter the city to rest and fight again. However, it was resolutely rejected by Emperor Chongzhen and had to be transferred to the garrison outside the city.

Huang Taiji met his old enemy, Yuan Chonghuan, and was angry and afraid. He decided to take advantage of Emperor Chongzhen's suspicious character to get rid of his great misfortune. He first forged two so-called "secret letters" to let his men deliberately "lose" in the places frequented by the Ming army, and the letters made private peace with Yuan Chonghuan in their own tone. As soon as this letter spread, people in Beijing panicked, complained and slandered everywhere. Those courtiers who had estranged from Yuan Chonghuan also tried to "falsely accuse them of leading the enemy into peace, which must be the alliance of Enemy at the Gates". Emperor Chongzhen was dubious. Two eunuchs who escaped from the camp of the Qing army reported that they had heard the soldiers in the Qing army talk with their own ears, saying that Yuan Chonghuan had made peace with Qing and would soon offer Beijing without fighting. Convinced, Emperor Chongzhen immediately sent someone to see Yuan Chonghuan and arrested him while he was unprepared. On August 16th, the third year of Chongzhen (1630), Yuan Chonghuan was executed for "treason and deception". It was not until the Qing army entered Shanhaiguan that people realized that Yuan Chonghuan's collaboration with the enemy was just a double agent of Huang Taiji. The two eunuchs who fled back were deliberately let go after the Qing army consciously let them hear the discussion. Emperor Chongzhen's indiscretion and self-destruction of the Great Wall made Yuan Chonghuan loyal to his country but submit to humiliation.