The Strategic Crossroads of 1645

As Qing forces consolidated control over Xi’an in early 1645, the Shun dynasty faced its defining crisis. Prince-Regent Dorgon dispatched two devastating pincer movements: Prince Dodo marched against the Southern Ming’s Hongguang regime while Prince Ajige pursued Li Zicheng’s retreating forces through Henan. This moment marked a critical juncture in China’s mid-17th century power struggle, where peasant rebellion, ethnic conquest, and dynastic survival collided.

Historical records suggest Li Zicheng contemplated a bold strike toward Nanjing to secure the wealthy Yangtze Delta before Qing forces. His advisor Gu Jun’en famously dissuaded him, advocating instead for a southern retreat through Xiangyang and Cheng Tian. This fateful decision would set in motion the Shun’s final tragic campaign.

The Relentless Qing Pursuit

Prince Ajige’s campaign nearly faltered before it began. His detour through Mongol territories to requisition horses provoked Dorgon’s wrath, earning a stern rebuke: “You must completely exterminate the remaining bandit forces to atone for your previous delays.” The chastened Manchu commander accelerated his march, appointing regional administrators en route as he drove southward.

Despite numerical superiority, the Shun forces suffered catastrophic disadvantages:

– Demoralization after consecutive defeats
– Slow movement due to civilian entourages
– Strategic confusion between defensive stands and continued retreat

The Shun army’s prolonged encampment at Neixiang, Henan proved disastrous. From late January to mid-March 1645, this operational pause allowed Ajige’s cavalry to close the gap. When Qing forces finally appeared on March 18, Li Zicheng’s forces abandoned their positions in a disorderly retreat toward Hubei.

Seven Battles Along the Yangtze

Ajige’s dispatches to Beijing documented eight engagements across seven locations between March and April 1645:

1. Dengzhou (Henan)
2. Cheng Tian (Zhongxiang)
3. De’an (Anlu)
4. Wuchang
5. Fuchikou (Yangxin County)
6. Sangjiakou
7. Jiujiang (Jiangxi)

These encounters revealed the Shun army’s deteriorating condition. Not all were major field battles—many represented rearguard actions during the chaotic withdrawal. The operational pattern showed Li Zicheng’s forces moving erratically along the Yangtze’s northern bank before their fateful river crossing at Shayang.

The Wuchang Gambit and Left Behind Defenses

In a daring maneuver, Shun forces crossed the Yangtze between Shahu and Paizhou, routing Southern Ming general Zuo Liangyu’s defensive positions at Jinghekou. This caused panic throughout the Huguang region, with Zuo abandoning Wuchang under the pretext of “rescuing the crown prince” from Nanjing’s corrupt officials.

Li Zicheng’s strategic vision became clear—he sought to transform the southeast into an anti-Qing bastion. As he reportedly declared: “Even if we cannot hold the northwest, how can we afford to lose the southeast?” Consolidating forces from four prefectures, he amassed 200,000 troops for a proposed amphibious assault on Nanjing.

This concentration proved disastrous. General Bai Wang had warned against abandoning their hard-won territories in Hubei, but Li overruled him. The decision left their rear vulnerable when Ajige’s cavalry arrived.

The Final Collapse

The Shun’s eastern campaign unraveled with shocking speed:

– Wuchang Debacle: Qing forces surrounded the city in April 1645. Liu Zongmin’s 5,000-strong counterattack failed, forcing abandonment.
– Fuchikou Disaster: Qing troops surprised Shun camps at Yangxin, capturing vital supplies.
– Jiujiang Catastrophe: Forty miles from the city, Qing forces overran headquarters, capturing:
– Liu Zongmin (executed)
– Strategist Song Xiance (defected)
– Two of Li’s uncles (executed)
– Numerous family members

The defection of Chancellor Niu Jinxing and his son Niu Quan (who became Qing officials) symbolized the regime’s moral collapse.

The Death of a Peasant Emperor

By May 1645, Li Zicheng’s options had evaporated. With eastern routes blocked and boats lost, he turned southwest toward Hunan. On an uncertain date in early May (likely the 4th), while scouting ahead with 28 guards near Jiugong Mountain in Tongshan County, local militia ambushed the party.

Contemporary accounts describe the dramatic final moments:

Caught in heavy rain on Niuji Ridge, Li struggled hand-to-hand with militiaman Cheng Jiubai. As Li attempted to draw his mud-clogged sword, Cheng’s nephew struck the fatal blow with a farming tool. The attackers only realized their victim’s identity after Shun survivors reported to Qing authorities in Wuchang.

Historical Controversies and Legacy

The circumstances of Li’s death spawned numerous theories:

– Alternative Death Locations: Tongcheng, Chenzhou, or Buddhist retreats
– Survival Myths: Claims he became a monk at Jia Mountain or Wutai Shan
– Dating Disputes: Proposals ranging from April to September 1645

Modern scholarship confirms the Tongshan account, supported by:
– Kangxi-era county gazetteers
– Qing reward documents to Cheng Jiubai
– Military movement timelines

The Revolutionary Legacy

Li Zicheng’s death marked not an end, but a transformation. His forces became the nucleus of Southern Ming resistance, inaugurating two decades of anti-Qing struggle. The Shun leader’s revolutionary achievements endure:

1. Class Revolution: Temporarily inverted China’s social hierarchy
2. Ming Overthrow: Destroyed the corrupt Chongzhen regime
3. Anti-Qing Vanguard: First major force to resist Manchu conquest

The 1644-1645 campaigns demonstrated both the potency and limitations of peasant revolution—capable of destroying the old order but struggling to institutionalize power. Li’s tragic final year remains a poignant study in revolutionary idealism confronting hard geopolitical realities.