中英雙語話史記 第121期:明朝滅亡

Ming Dynasty

明朝

Fall of the Ming Dynasty

明朝的滅亡

The fall of the Ming Dynasty was a protracted affair, its roots beginning as early as 1600 with the emergence of the Manchu under Nurhaci.

明朝的滅亡是一件長期的事情，它的覆滅早在1600年努爾哈赤統治的滿族出現後就埋下了禍根。

Under the brilliant commander, Yuan Chonghuan, the Ming were able to repeatedly fight off the Manchus, notably in 1623 (where Nurhaci himself was killed by a much smaller force commanded by Yuan.) and in 1628.

在傑出的將領袁崇煥的帶領下，明朝得以不斷擊退滿族人，其中最著名的是1623年（努爾哈赤被比自己兵力少得多的袁軍所殺）以及1628年。

But the tragic killing of General Yuan in 1630 by the futile Ming emperor began to change things around ； the succeeding general proved unable to eliminate the Manchu threat.

然而自從1630年袁江軍被無能的明朝皇帝殺害後，一切都變了；繼任的將軍無法減少滿族人的威脅。

Earlier, however， in Yuan’s command he had securely fortified the Shanhai Pass, thus blocking the Manchus from crossing the pass to attack Liaodong Peninsula.

早先，袁崇煥曾下令加固山海關的安全防禦並因此阻擋了滿族人入關攻打遼東半島。

Unable to attack the heart of Ming directly, the Manchu instead bided their time, developing their own artillery and gathering allies.

因爲無法直接攻打明朝的中心，滿族人等候着，加強他們自己的炮兵並召集盟軍。

They were able to enlist Ming government officials and generals as their strategic advisors.

他們能夠招募明朝的官員和將領作爲他們的軍事參謀。

Large part of the Ming Army mutinied to the Manchu banner.

明朝軍隊的大部分人馬向滿族人倒戈。

In 1633 they completed a conquest of Inner Mongolia, resulting in a large scale recruitment of Mongol troops under the Manchu banner and the securing of an additional route into the Ming heartland.

1633年，滿人征服了內蒙古，因此將蒙古的大部分兵力收歸自己麾下，這是入侵明朝中心的另一個保障。

By 1636 the Manchu ruler Huangtaiji was confident enough to proclaim the Imperial Qing Dynasty at Shenyang, which had fallen to the Manchu in 1621, taking the Imperial title Chongde.

到1636年時，滿族的領袖皇太極已經足夠有自信在瀋陽（1621年被滿族政府）建立大清帝國，立年號爲崇德。

The end of 1637 saw the defeat and conquest of Ming’s traditional ally Korea by a 100 000 strong Manchu army, and the Korean renunciation of the Ming Dynasty.

1637年年末見證了明朝的傳統盟友韓國被擁有100000人馬的強大的滿軍打敗和政征服，最終韓國與明朝脫離了關係。

On May 26, 1644, Beijing fell to a rebel army led by Li Zicheng.

1644年5月26日，北京陷入由李自成領導的反叛軍手中。

Seizing their chance, the Manchus crossed the Great Wall after Ming border general Wu Sangui opened the gates at Shanhai Pass, and quickly overthrew Li’s short-lived Shun Dynasty.

滿族人抓住這個機會，在明朝將領吳三桂打開山海關的大門後進入了長城，很快就推翻了李自成建立的短命的順王朝。

Despite the loss of Beijing (whose weakness as an Imperial capital had been foreseen by Zhu Yuanzhang) and the death of the Emperor, Ming power was by no means destroyed.

因爲北京失守（朱元璋曾預見北京作爲國都的弱點）和皇帝的駕崩，明朝毫無疑問地滅亡了。

Nanjing, Fujian, Guangdong, Shanxi and Yunnan could all have been and were in fact strongholds of Ming resistance.

南京、福建、廣東和山西是明朝時期的要塞，然而中央政權的淪陷導致了許多明朝僞政權的出現，它們無法共存。

However, the loss of central authority saw multiple pretenders for the Ming throne, unable to work together.

這些政權被清軍各個擊破，直到1662年，永曆皇帝朱由榔去世後，明朝復興的最後一絲希望破滅了。

Each bastion of resistance was individually defeated by the Qing until 1662, when the last real hopes of a Ming revival died with the Yongli emperor, Zhu Youlang.

儘管明朝戰敗，到中華民國成立以前仍然有許多小規模的反清復明運動。

Despite the Ming defeat, smaller loyalist movements continued till the proclamation of the Republic Of China.