I Transmigrated as Li Zicheng and Rewrote History

Zhang Ke, a professor of Ming history, was engrossed in researching the details of Li Zicheng's entry into Beijing when a car accident swept him into the chaos of the late Ming dynasty, where he took over Li Zicheng's body. At the time, the Great Shun regime was on the verge of collapse, Wu Sangui was about to let the Qing army through the pass, Liu Zongmin's torture of officials was driving the gentry away, and the defenses at Shanhai Pass were weak.

Drawing on modern knowledge and his understanding of history, Zhang Ke used “heavenly omens” to sound the alarm and pushed for a policy of “ending torture and extortion, winning over the gentry, and strengthening the pass defenses.” He reorganized the Great Shun army and defeated the Qing forces at Shanhai Pass with brilliant tactics. After the battle, he issued the Equal Land Decree, reformed the imperial examinations, opened maritime trade, and vigorously pursued a range of new policies. Despite obstruction from conservative forces, he continued his reforms under the banner of “reform in the name of the ancients.” Twenty years later, Great Shun had grown prosperous and powerful. He left behind the “Jia Shen Memorandum,” rewrote history, and set China on the road to modernization ahead of schedule.