Why did Li Zicheng fail despite occupying the Forbidden City? Let's explore the reasons with the help of interesting historical facts.

In 1644 AD, the city of Beijing was captured by the peasant army, and Emperor Zhu Youjian committed suicide, marking the end of the Ming dynasty in the long history of China. However, during the Ming dynasty, a dual capital system was implemented, with Nanjing serving as a secondary capital. This was because Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming dynasty, had initially established his capital in Nanjing. After Zhu Di successfully rebelled and took power, he moved the capital to Beijing. To commemorate the hard work of their father in founding the dynasty, Nanjing remained an important city, and a government bureaucracy was maintained there, albeit without any real power.

At this point, Li Zicheng had occupied the Forbidden City, but there were still many people in the south who remained loyal to the Ming dynasty. As Nanjing had once been a secondary capital, ministers led by the Minister of Military Affairs Shi Kefa began to search for a new emperor to lead the government. However, there was significant disagreement among them about who should become emperor. The main contenders were Zhu Changfang and Zhu Yousong. Many ministers took sides, and Shi Kefa, as a politician, hesitated, allowing the conflict to escalate.

Eventually, Shi Kefa reached an agreement with Ma Shiying to exclude Zhu Yousong from consideration as emperor. However, unexpectedly, Ma Shiying overturned the agreement at a crucial moment and instead supported Zhu Yousong as emperor. This was a severe insult and blow to Shi Kefa. Panicked, Shi Kefa proposed an unwise solution, suggesting that the emperor should be the Prince of Gui, Zhu Changying. This decision not only angered Zhu Yousong and Ma Shiying but also disappointed scholars throughout the country.

In the end, Zhu Yousong was recognized as regent and later became emperor. Shi Kefa, who should have been the prime minister of the government, was instead sidelined by Ma Shiying, who became the head of the government. Excluded from the power center, Shi Kefa had to flee to Yangzhou. We can see that even after the death of Emperor Chongzhen, the southern Ming government continued to fight internal battles while facing the advancing Manchu cavalry. The rivalry within the court was relentless, with each side seeking to destroy the other. Although Shi Kefa and his allies were loyal, their abilities were limited, and they could not turn the tide alone. Coupled with the influence of small-minded officials like Ma Shiying, the fate of the southern Ming court was precarious.

During this time, the Hongguang government was established, appearing strong on the surface, even stronger than the early Song dynasty. However, the bureaucrats of this small court were largely inactive, lacking any ambition to recover the lost northern territories. Instead, they hoped that the Manchu and Li Zicheng would continue to fight each other, allowing them to continue their decadent lives in the south. Such a foolish government only accelerated the Manchu's conquest of China.

The Manchu government exploited the internal strife within the Hongguang government and quickly occupied vast areas north of the Yangtze River. They began to eliminate the remaining forces of Li Zicheng, who, despite resisting the Manchu cavalry, was unable to withstand the powerful Manchu army and died in the hands of a local militia. Thus, the Dashun dynasty was destroyed, and the war turned against the Hongguang government. Ironically, the Hongguang government was still celebrating the supposed revenge of the Qing army against Li Zicheng.

After the Qing army eliminated Li Zicheng, they turned their attention to the south, heading for Jiangnan. The southern Ming government finally realized that the Qing army was not just targeting Li Zicheng; they were also coming for them. As a result, the one-year-old Hongguang government was quickly destroyed under the onslaught of the Qing army.

　　Disclaimer: The above content is sourced from the internet and the copyright belongs to the original author. If there is any infringement of your original copyright, please inform us and we will delete the relevant content as soon as possible.