Imperial power can completely change a person, and Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Emperor, is a typical example. Perhaps he was too greedy for imperial power, afraid that others would rebel; perhaps imperial power stimulated the original cruelty in his heart. His exploits in overthrowing the Yuan Dynasty cannot be ignored, but the brutality of the later stages of his reign is chilling.
The word "fierce" is the most appropriate to describe Zhu Yuanzhang. The founding emperors of successive dynasties are inseparable from war, and for those founding heroes who helped them conquer the four directions, the emperor will generally reward them and add officials to the knighthood. Zhu Yuanzhang, on the other hand, mutilated them to death for various reasons, leaving little left.
Among them was a soldier named Chen De, who once died to save Zhu Yuanzhang from nine arrows. Zhu Yuanzhang was very touched and said to him: "Never fail you." "This touching period of sacrificing one's life to protect the Lord, in exchange for not only fame and fortune, but also full of door slashes, how pitiful and ridiculous.
First, Zhu Yuanzhang
Zhu Yuanzhang was very poor when he was a child, born in a poor peasant family, and his ancestors were farmers for generations. It can be said that he has no background at all, but he can later become an emperor of a generation, which is really admirable. He grew up as a cowherd and was ridiculed by some of his peers.
After the tragic death of their parents, the siblings in the family were forced to separate to make a living. Zhu Yuanzhang was once desperate, went to the Huangjue Temple to shave his head and become a child, begging everywhere for a relationship. Until he received a letter from his childhood friend Tang He and joined Guo Zixing's rebel army, the road to the emperor began.
After arriving in the army, he was quickly appreciated by Guo Zixing, who also married his adopted daughter to him. There will be political strife in the court, and the interior of the rebel army is inevitable. Guo Zixing was even kidnapped for this, and Zhu Yuanzhang rescued him.
Zhu Yuanzhang realized that he could not do without his own team, so he selected twenty-four henchmen among the recruits to follow him. Among them, Xu Da, Tang He and others were the main force of his future conquests. While fighting a battle, he recruited soldiers, and also met Li Shanchang, who decisively took him under his command.
Once Zhu Yuanzhang went out, met a crying child, after questioning found that the child's parents were in the military camp but did not dare to recognize each other, can only be called brother and sister. Zhu Yuanzhang realized that there was a problem with the discipline of the team, and ordered the return of the people who had been forcibly taken captive, so that the families could be reunited, which won the hearts of the people.
In the subsequent conquests, Zhu Yuanzhang always grasped the people's hearts, and those who won the people's hearts won the world. At the same time, he recruited intellectuals and treated them with great respect, laying the foundation for him to establish the Ming Dynasty. At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang already had the ambition to become an emperor of a generation.
Later, Zhu Yuanzhang broke through one by one, and the army was like a bamboo. First, chen han was destroyed, and then jiangnan was unified, and the Ming Dynasty was established in one fell swoop. This is inseparable from his superior strategy, and even more inseparable from the loyalty of the soldiers to him. These soldiers followed him all the way, without merit or hard work.
During Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, he cherished the people's strength, rewarded reclamation, and reduced taxes. However, in his later years, in order to consolidate the imperial power, Hu Weiyong and others were beheaded in the name of plotting misdeeds. Among them were Li Shanchang and other generals who accompanied him on his journey, and there were more than 15,000 people.
Instead of listening to rumors, it is better to say that Zhu Yuanzhang's own suspicions are too heavy. Even if some of them really intend to rebel, they will not be killed all, these are all friends who fought side by side in the past. Even Chen De, who has died, has been charged with crimes, and this wave of operations is really surprising.
2. Chen De protects the Lord
How did Chen De sacrifice his life to protect Zhu Yuanzhang? Chen De joined the team when Zhu Yuanzhang conquered Dingyuan, and he and Zhu Yuanzhang could be regarded as fellow countrymen, and soon became generals by virtue of their strength. Chen De's strategy is not outstanding, but Xiao Yong is good at war and is a powerful assistant.
In order to fight against Chen Youyu, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to go out on the expedition himself. The significance of this battle is very great, and if it is won, the trend of the situation is basically determined, and if it loses, it may fall short. In order to boost morale, Zhu Yuanzhang personally led the troops, and the soldiers bravely killed the enemy, and morale was high.
During the crusade against Chen Youyu, because the large ship he was riding on accidentally ran aground, he was unfortunately surrounded by enemy troops. As the saying goes, the thief captures the king first, and Zhang Dingyuan of the enemy army saw the good opportunity and killed Zhu Yuanzhang. When Chen De saw this, he fought with All His Strength against Zhang Dingyuan and single-handedly supported until the reinforcements arrived.
Zhang Dingyuan is good at archery and can shoot arrows at Zhu Yuanzhang while dodging attacks. At this time, if no one protected Zhu Yuanzhang in time, he would most likely be shot to death. In order to protect him, Chen De did not hesitate to block the arrows with his body, and when he was rescued by the reinforcements, he already had nine arrows inserted in his body.
If you want to be hit by nine arrows in a person's body, you will inevitably die. Zhu Yuanzhang immediately made a promise to never fail Chen De. Without Chen De's sacrifice of life, Zhu Yuanzhang would have been killed by random arrows. Where will the Ming Dynasty be established, where will become the emperor.
3. The King's Retribution
After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang did not forget his promise, and the reward given to Chen De was particularly rich, and Chen De's status in the dynasty was also higher than that of others. Chen De had been helping Zhu Yuanzhang conquer the north and south, and later defended Beiping. He returned home in 1377 and died a year later.
When the news of Chen De's death came, Zhu Yuanzhang was very sad and ordered a three-day boycott to commemorate him. For Chen De, Zhu Yuanzhang was still extremely grateful. Chen De was able to die well, but his son was not able to escape the disaster, and was treated as Hu Weiyong's henchman and beheaded.
For the grace of sacrificing his life, Zhu Yuanzhang's reward was to let him cut off his children and grandchildren, and he did not need to be so vicious in dealing with the enemy. At that time, some people said that Chen De was punished for his accidental defeat during the Western Expedition, and that he was calm on the surface but actually harbored a grudge, so he intended to rebel, and Zhu Yuanzhang believed it.
However, chen de participated in the western expedition only once to fight Against Chen Youyu, and in that battle he desperately saved Zhu Yuanzhang, and asked if those who wanted to rebel would be such a savior? Chen Derongma's life was full of defeats. Such a reason, as long as you carefully consider it, you will find loopholes, which is completely fabricated.
Legend has it that someone once interceded for Chen De, but Zhu Yuanzhang did not waver in the slightest, and he felt that Chen De's son was involved in the rebellion and endangered Jiangshan Sheji. Even in order to avoid anyone interceding for Chen De, he simply charged Chen De with him.
It can be seen from this that Zhu Yuanzhang's failure to live up to Chen De was originally only for Chen De, not including his descendants. Chen De should be deeply distressed under the Nine Springs, and perhaps regret the sacrifice of his life at that time. Even if you don't care about your children and grandchildren, at least don't add to the charges.
As a generation of emperors, especially the founding emperors, it is understandable that they want to consolidate imperial power. But at the cost of maiming Zhongliang, it is bound to lead to dissatisfaction. The purpose is not to be overthrown, but in fact, the people's hearts have been lost, but it is only pitiful to those heroes who have been wronged and died.
The evaluation of a historical figure cannot be one-sided. Although Zhu Yuanzhang mutilated his former comrades-in-arms for the throne, his contribution could not be ignored. Founded the Ming Dynasty, ended the rule of the Yuan Dynasty, and saved the people from the depths of the water. He saved the Han nation and successfully restored the country, which is indispensable.
After cutting them all over the door, did Zhu Yuanzhang still sleep peacefully? The answer is most likely no. If before this he could not sleep for fear of usurping the throne, after that he was afraid that he would not be able to sleep for fear of revenge. If history repeats itself, he may be willing to let Chen De go.