The Battle of Songjin, the main general Hong Chengchou was captured, and he should have committed suicide for righteousness, but old Hong was unconvinced and refused to die with his eyes closed.

In the Battle of Songjin, Chongzhen assembled generals from all over the country, even mobilizing the white banner troops from Sichuan and the wolf troops from Guangxi, to relieve the siege of Jinzhou. In terms of manpower, the Ming army had 130,000 frontline combat forces at that time, and their firepower far exceeded that of the Qing army led by Huang Taiji.

In the initial battle, Wu Sangui displayed great prowess and courage, achieving a significant victory over Huang Taiji at Rufen Mountain. However, Hong Chengchou knew that the Qing army's advantage lay in its cavalry, which had strong individual combat capabilities and excelled in open-field combat; therefore, he adopted a strategy of fully utilizing his firepower and chariots, advocating for "pressing the enemy with chariots, not engaging in light combat." Just like in the Battle of Changping, where the Zhao army lost Guanglang City in the first battle, and the vice-general was killed, Lian Po understood that individual combat was not a match for the Qin army. He then built fortifications and dug trenches, advancing step by step to wear down the distant Qin army. If Hong Chengchou could defend and fight simultaneously, advancing step by step, he could have completely relieved the siege of Jinzhou. However, the problem lay with the incompetent political commissioner (military supervisor) who exaggerated the battle achievements; a eunuch who had never been on the battlefield did not understand General Hong's strategy and reported that Hong Chengchou was hesitant and indecisive. Eager for victory, Chongzhen and several pro-Qing knowledgeable officials in the court of the Ming believed that the large number of troops and the difficulty of logistics justified a quick resolution and urged Hong Chengchou to advance. Chongzhen trusted the opinions of these Confucian scholars and issued several edicts urging Hong Chengchou to “advance promptly,” assigning Ma Shaoyu and Zhang Ruoqi as ministers in the Ministry of War and personally sending them to the army to supervise the battle.

Hong Chengchou argued compellingly and reported the repeated results of military chess simulations to the court, emphasizing that if they advanced lightly and paused, they would neither be able to break the siege nor manage a retreat effectively, as the situation would become untenable. However, Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, and several officials criticized Hong Chengchou for missing the opportunity and for coddling the enemy!

Helpless, Hong Chengchou could only grit his teeth and strike out against Huang Taiji in open battle. As predicted by the military simulations, he was quickly surrounded and cut off by the Eight Banners cavalry, unable to assist one another. Since it was an open battle, the logistics were limited, and soon they ran out of supplies, leading to chaos among the troops! The various generals either died or surrendered. According to the "Veritable Records of the Qing Taizong," it was recorded: "In this battle, they killed and captured 53,783 enemy troops and seized 7,440 horses, along with 9,346 pieces of armor. The Ming troops fell from Xing Mountain to Tower Mountain, with many dying at sea; the abandoned horses and armor numbered in the tens of thousands. Corpses floated in the sea, as numerous as wild geese."

After being captured, Hong Chengchou initially considered fasting to death, but later heard that Chongzhen had arranged a state funeral for him, realizing that this was intended for his death, a way of shifting blame without evidence. Old Hong decided not to die after all. Huang Taiji sensed the rift and sent Hong Chengchou a sable fur coat worth hundreds of thousands, to which Hong Chengchou sobbed on the ground, declaring him to be the true Son of Heaven!

In fact, the reason for the failure of the Battle of Songjin was Chongzhen's arbitrary and misguided command!

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