If you look closely at the history of the Ming Dynasty, you will certainly be often indignant, and the emperors who are emperors spoil the eunuchs and let them arbitrarily interfere in the politics of the dynasty, and in the end, push the entire dynasty to its demise. Compared with the previous dynasties, the power of the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty is not only second to none, but also certainly ranked among the best, which is also the root cause of their interference in the affairs of the dynasty.
From the beginning of the Ming Dynasty to the last emperor Chongzhen Emperor himself, in the 276 years of history, there have been many eunuchs active in various historical periods. Some of them relied on the emperor's grace to call the wind and rain, and some of them joined forces with the ministers to seek benefits, and with their participation, they profoundly influenced the historical trend of the Ming Dynasty.
Among these people, the person who had the greatest impact on the history of the Ming Dynasty, I personally feel that Wang Zhen, a eunuch who was not favored by Emperor Yingzong in the early days of Ming Yingzong, was none other.
Compared with the latecomers, Wang Zhen can be described as an "old predecessor". It can also be regarded as the first generation of powerful eunuchs who rose from the Ming Dynasty after Xuanzong established eunuchs as the core participants in the rule. Of course, if this is the first, his influence on the Ming Dynasty is completely negligible.
However, other things Wang Zhen did eventually changed the trajectory of the Ming Dynasty.
At that time, during the reign of Emperor Ming Yingzong, the nomadic peoples in the northern region of the Ming Dynasty rose up a tribal leader named Yexian. Under his leadership, the nomadic forces that had been weakened by Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di became strong again. Prior to this, between the Ming Dynasty and Yexian, they were still able to rely on trade, tribute, etc., to maintain peace on the frontier.
Even so, Yaxian's appetite grew, believing that with the wisdom of the ministers of the Ming Dynasty's ruling center, there would be no problem in maintaining peace between the two sides. The reason is also simple, the Ming Dynasty army at this time is strong, and it can completely deter the ambitions of Ye Xian.
However, at this time, the Ming Dynasty did not have the cabinet to decide, nor the emperor to decide, but the eunuch Wang Zhen, who was favored by Emperor Mingyingzong. Under his operation, he also turned face to the Ming Dynasty first, and war broke out between the two sides.
Of course, war is not terrible, as long as the decision-making level determines whether to attack or defend, and the professionals (soldiers) in their own professional institutions make reliable plans. However, this was not the case for our prince, who decided to develop across borders and decided to lead an army on the premise that he could not even grasp the military book.
Not only did he go to meet the enemy himself, but he also sent Ming Yingzong, who knew nothing about military affairs, forward. When Emperor Zhu Qizhen decided to agree to Wang Zhen's proposal, the historical direction of the Ming Dynasty was changed in their hands.
You know, when the emperor personally conscripted, as the supreme commander of the whole army, the marching route and so on were decided by the emperor himself. No matter how unreasonable, knowledgeable generals could only carry out the emperor's will.
As the actual commander-in-chief of this conquest, Wang Zhen took advantage of the emperor's trust to arbitrarily adjust the marching route, and in the end, the Ming army was completely destroyed, which is known in history as the "change of Tumu Fort". In this battle, the emperor was captured and the civil and military personnel who followed the emperor's personal conquest were killed and wounded, the elite of the capital city were all destroyed, and the family belongings accumulated by the Ming Dynasty for decades were destroyed.
At this time, the northern region of the Ming Dynasty fell into a situation where there were no soldiers available, and the people in the capital were panicked. If it were not for Yu Qian, the Ming Dynasty would have almost lost half of the country. Later, although the Ming Dynasty reversed the unfavorable situation, the high-level power struggle opened the prelude.
After Emperor Yingzong was captured, Zhu Qiyu, the king of The People's Republic of China, succeeded to the throne as emperor at the recommendation of his ministers. However, in the process, various forces came and went, and it was finally determined that the throne would be inherited by Zhu Qiyu, but the position of crown prince was held by Emperor Yingzong's eldest son Zhu Jianshen.
This power structure has become unstable over time. In order to control the imperial succession, Zhu Qiyu finally succeeded in removing the crown prince, but this victory was only temporary, and with the unexpected death of the new prince, the core of the Ming Dynasty rule once again fell into turmoil.
After Zhu Qiyu fell ill, several people led by Shi Heng, Xu Youzhen, and the eunuch Cao Jixiang launched the "Change of Seizing the Gate" and re-established Zhu Qizhen as emperor. When the dust settled, everyone was happy, but few people noticed the change in Prince Zhu Jianshen.
You know, when the game was fierce, it was Zhu Jianshen's childhood, which caused great trauma to his soul. Later, after Zhu Jianshen succeeded to the throne, he also influenced the development of the Ming Empire and the growth of the next generation. And the root of all this is in the body of the great eunuch Wang Zhen, which is why he is said to have the greatest influence on the Ming Dynasty.
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