Zhou Yuji

Also known as Zi Cuian

Zhou Yuji, courtesy name Cui'an, came from Jinzhou Guard in Liaodong and joined the army as a youth; under Chongzhen he served in the capital garrison and was promoted for fighting the Qing raiding parties that broke through the Great Wall. In 1643 he became regional commander of Shanxi, based at Daizhou. When Li Zicheng crossed from Shaanxi in the second month of 1644, he held Daizhou for days, then fell back on Ningwu Pass when supplies ran out and resisted tens of thousands with a few thousand men. When the walls were breached he fought on in the streets until he was taken, hung from a pole and shot full of arrows. His wife, Lady Liu, led some twenty women onto a roof to shoot at the attackers, and all died when the house was set on fire. According to the History of Ming, the losses at Ningwu made Li Zicheng think of retreating to Shaanxi; the Southern Ming court named Zhou Zhongwu.