#109 The Rise Of Li Zicheng
Li Zicheng was born in Mizhi District during the decline of the Ming Dynasty. Initially a shepherd, he started to learn archery and horseriding from age 20. He had also spent time working in a wine shop and as an apprentice to an ironmonger.
During the campiagn to pacify the Mongols, the Ming army had gone through many villages, taking all the food they could as well as many able bodied men to fight in their war. This left the majority of the rural population without any food and famine became rife throughout the land.
When the Ming decided to fight the Jurchens, the army once again went from village to village, taking all the supplies they could, as well conscripting 150000 peasants. By this point, many had already died from starvation and corruption had become rampant. Mizhi District was no exception.
Folklore says that Li was a mild mannered man who was happy as long as he had enough food to feed himself and a roof to sleep under. That was until he saw children being taken away from his village to become slaves to a usurious magistrate. Outraged he banded together with other disenchanted men and armed with nothing but woddens ticks they ambushed the magistrats men and rescued the children.
Upon his return to his village Li became a hero and word of his exploit spread so fast, that many other disenchanted peaseants from Mizhi came to join him. Within 30 days, he had the support of 1000 men. All had the dream of destroying the Ming and restoring dignity to the peasantry.
The rebellion of Li Zicheng was aided by the lack of any army with authority. All those capable of prodicing an army capable of beating him was too corrupt to care. They simply saw it as a problem that didn’t concern them.
***
By 1625, the Japanese had marched into Hanseong and bought the Korean King Gwanghaegun back to his throne in safety. General Wu Xiang and his army of conscripts followed in shame.
[FONT="]At this point Li Zicheng had raised an army of 10000. Since the day he rescued those children he spent the rest of his time lynching those who the people saw as corrupt. The magistrate who trid to ensalve the children from his village was one of the first to lose his head. For the next year he and his army would continue lynching th corrupt as each one lost their head, more came to join his army. [/FONT]
Li Zicheng was born in Mizhi District during the decline of the Ming Dynasty. Initially a shepherd, he started to learn archery and horseriding from age 20. He had also spent time working in a wine shop and as an apprentice to an ironmonger.
During the campiagn to pacify the Mongols, the Ming army had gone through many villages, taking all the food they could as well as many able bodied men to fight in their war. This left the majority of the rural population without any food and famine became rife throughout the land.
When the Ming decided to fight the Jurchens, the army once again went from village to village, taking all the supplies they could, as well conscripting 150000 peasants. By this point, many had already died from starvation and corruption had become rampant. Mizhi District was no exception.
Folklore says that Li was a mild mannered man who was happy as long as he had enough food to feed himself and a roof to sleep under. That was until he saw children being taken away from his village to become slaves to a usurious magistrate. Outraged he banded together with other disenchanted men and armed with nothing but woddens ticks they ambushed the magistrats men and rescued the children.
Upon his return to his village Li became a hero and word of his exploit spread so fast, that many other disenchanted peaseants from Mizhi came to join him. Within 30 days, he had the support of 1000 men. All had the dream of destroying the Ming and restoring dignity to the peasantry.
The rebellion of Li Zicheng was aided by the lack of any army with authority. All those capable of prodicing an army capable of beating him was too corrupt to care. They simply saw it as a problem that didn’t concern them.
***
By 1625, the Japanese had marched into Hanseong and bought the Korean King Gwanghaegun back to his throne in safety. General Wu Xiang and his army of conscripts followed in shame.
[FONT="]At this point Li Zicheng had raised an army of 10000. Since the day he rescued those children he spent the rest of his time lynching those who the people saw as corrupt. The magistrate who trid to ensalve the children from his village was one of the first to lose his head. For the next year he and his army would continue lynching th corrupt as each one lost their head, more came to join his army. [/FONT]