This article is a reproduction of a scenario based on historical facts. The main purpose is to better show the dramatic conflict to show how absurd Zhu Yuanzhang's so-called "hate official theory" is.
In October of the fourth year of Hongwu (1371), there was a prison cart on the road from present-day Shaanxi to Nanjing.
Inside the car was a middle-aged man, whose tall stature made him in a narrow prison cart, not only squatting but also twisting his body to be in the prison car. His square face was sweating profusely from the excruciating pain, and sweat flowed through his protruding cheekbones and the bridge of his nose, some of which flowed into his thick, wide mouth, salty. He shook his head and muttered, "I'm going to die today!" ”。
The criminal officer Fei Zhen prepared to lead the neck to be killed
Next to the prison cart stood two xie, one of whom looked like a bear with a bear's waist and a murderous face; the other, although thin, looked very energetic. The two listened and looked at each other. One of the tall ones whispered, "Lord Fei! Four years ago, there was a great drought in Hanzhong, and if you had not asked for the Holy Order, you would have urgently ordered the warehouse to be given to the people, and I don't know how many people would have starved to death."
Although the man's expression was very painful, when he heard such a sentence, he suddenly had a proud expression. He thought that this was probably a feat that he would be proud of in his lifetime!
The skinny man gritted his teeth and said to the prisoner, "Lord Fei, my brother and I were both victims of that famine, because the county officials were corrupt and perverted the law and did not send us grain. If you hadn't done great justice to our brother and severely punished zhi county, our brother would not have known where he was. For the sake of you, our brothers are willing to let you go! ”
The prisoner heard this, was stunned, and then angrily said, "You are waiting for nonsense." Our emperor severely punished the law, and the law was justified for the whole people. Now I am guilty, and I deserve to be killed by the neck. If you two dare to hijack a car, you would rather die and be martyred! ”
When the two of them listened, they were indifferent. The skinny little one cried, "But long live the severe punishment, this time into Beijing, the adult will undoubtedly die!" We have arranged for the adults to leave Hanzhong, you can go with us."
The prisoner smiled coldly, "The law is against the world, since the emperor's relatives can be punished for breaking the law, I and other people in the imperial court should commit crimes and take the law!" Even the horse master was killed for selling tea leaves, not to mention a petty official like me. Since I have sinned, I should be punished by the law of the land!" ”
The prisoner thus came to the city of Nanjing. People think that this person will die.
Zhu Yuanzhang's thinking
On December 13, 1372 (January 19, 1372, because of the change of the Gregorian calendar, the end of the lunar calendar is often January of the Gregorian calendar), Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the folds on the table and pondered.
He remembered the name "Fei Zhen". Unauthorized distribution of more than 100,000 stones (about 142 catties per stone) of grain to the victims!
It was the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty (1368), and he was a virtuous man selected from the people and did not pass the imperial examination. But this man was very kind to the people and very much loved by them. Such a person, just killed like this? If you don't kill, how can you serve the people?
Zhu Yuanzhang was hesitating. Thinking about it, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly thought of his parents and brothers, and his heart was shocked.
If there were such good officials as Fei Zhen in the first place, why did they die?
Fei Zhen's sin is nothing but a mistake, unlike those who are evil. Li Shimin once said that "water can carry a boat, but also can cover a boat", although the king is high, if he does not know how to gather people's hearts in ordinary days, then the gentle flow of calm will eventually become a torrential flood. Fei Zhen is too important to my Daming Shejiji. For now, people like him must not only be pardoned, but also given more important jobs.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered: Fei Zhenhongwu was spared punishment for four years due to the serious disaster in Hanzhong, and after the amnesty, the grade was reduced from the prefect of Zhengsipin to Zhengbapin.
Don't underestimate this position, this position is of low grade and power. Bao Banknote (equivalent to the current central bank governor) is responsible for the production and issuance of paper money throughout the country.
In the eleventh year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang promoted Fei Zhen to the position of Hubu Waiter and Hubu Shangshu, and was responsible for formulating a salary system for officials below the rank of Minister. In the end, he died of illness in the post of envoy of Huguang, which was equivalent to the governor of Hunan Province, and at that time there was no inspector, and the largest official in a province was the envoy.
Zhu Yuanzhang was cruel to officials, because he was afraid of the people's rebellion, and there was a fear of "walking on thin ice"
The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang rebelled was because his family was poor, caught up with natural disasters, and finally took advantage of the "great peasant uprising at the end of the Yuan Dynasty". Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang has a "conditioned reflex" fear of "hunger" and natural disasters. Therefore, he gritted his teeth in hatred for corrupt officials and corrupt officials.
Li Shimin said that the "boat-water relationship" became a generation of Ming jun, Zhu Yuanzhang needless to say, because he himself is "the unity of boat and water". Because he was afraid, Zhu Yuanzhang would do it, and in the past two thousand years, he initiated or even sang one thing: no matter when the disaster occurred, he could report the disaster. He also often punished officials who were ineffective in disaster relief and who perverted the law by taking bribes, and what was extremely valuable was that he had even opened up a system of open government affairs for disaster relief that was difficult to achieve even today: the system of open government affairs for disaster relief!
Everyone knows that Zhu Yuanzhang's punishment of officials in feudal society was extremely severe, but in the handling of Fei Zhen, we saw another side of Zhu Yuanzhang. For those who are really officials, he will not severely punish, but will greatly promote the crime of meritorious service.
During the Hongwu period, Zhu Yuanzhang killed more than a thousand officials and princes.
It can be said unceremoniously that it was precisely because Zhu Yuanzhang was so cruel to officials and heroes that the Ming Dynasty, which had just experienced the "Great Peasant Uprising at the End of the Yuan Dynasty", was able to survive.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang's "fear" of the common people was not inherited by the kings of later generations! It cannot but be said that if the king of a country does not have "fear" of the people, there will inevitably be problems in his country. It is precisely because the emperors of later generations are no longer "afraid" of the people and have begun to play "checks and balances" with officials, and thus the hearts and minds of the people in the world will be lost.