Zheng Chenggong was a great military, politician, and national hero in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and his greatest achievement in life was to lead the army to recover Taiwan and let the island of Taiwan return to the embrace of the motherland. Zheng Chenggong died suddenly at the age of 39, why did he order the killing of his wife and eldest son before his death?
Zheng Chenggong
Zheng Chenggong's father, Zheng Zhilong, was a smuggling syndicate leader who wandered the sea, traveling to and from the Ming Dynasty and Japan all year round, and Zheng Chenggong was the son of Zheng Zhilong and his Japanese wife, and was an authentic Chinese-Japanese mixed-race child. When Zheng Chenggong was six years old, his father Zheng Zhilong accepted the invitation of the Ming court and became an official of the Ming Dynasty, and Zheng Chenggong also came to the Ming Dynasty with his father. Zheng Chenggong gradually grew into a general with both wisdom and courage, and made great achievements for the Ming Dynasty.
Especially in the war against the Qing Dynasty, Zheng Chenggong played an important role, but because the national strength of the Ming Dynasty had declined at the end of the year and was not an opponent of the Qing army, Zheng Chenggong was still defeated. Zheng Chenggong led his army to the southeast coast and formed a confrontation with the Qing army. Zheng Chenggong took precautions and led his troops to recover the Dutch-ruled island of Taiwan, leaving himself a way out. Zheng Chenggong has been fighting outside for many years, and his home is already very chaotic.
His son Zheng Jing had an affair with the fourth son's wet nurse and gave birth to a grandson, and when he reported it to Zheng Chenggong, he only said that he was born with a concubine, and Zheng Chenggong was very happy and gave many rewards. Zheng Jingzheng's wife Tang Shi was very dissatisfied and returned to her mother's house to complain, Zheng Chenggong's relative Tang Xianyue told Zheng Chenggong the truth, Zheng Chenggong was furious and ordered to kill the child and the nursing mother Chen Zhaoniang, but with the help of Zheng Jing's mother Dong Shi, the son Zheng Jing hid the child and Chen Zhaoniang and concealed Zheng Chenggong.
Zheng Chenggong, who later learned the truth, was even more angry and ordered the killing of his wife, Chen Zhaoniang, Zheng Jing, and the child, but Zheng Chenggong was after all out on a campaign and did not have much energy to take care of family affairs, Zheng Jing took the lead in disobeying, plus Zheng Chenggong's father Zheng Zhilong was killed by the Qing government, and the ancestral grave in his hometown of Henan was dug up, zheng Chenggong fell ill and died soon after.