In his later years, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang wantonly slaughtered heroes, which is a good interpretation of "flying birds are exhausted, good bows are hidden; cunning rabbits die, and running dogs cook." "Even the wise and strategic generals could not predict their own end.
In the twelfth year of the Yuan Dynasty (1352), Dingyuan was a local tycoon
Guo Zixing
Lead the crowd to rise up, capture Haozhou, and join the mighty Red Turban Army uprising. Later, Zhu Yuanzhang was invited by Tang He to also join the Red Turban Army. Although Zhu Yuanzhang was born poorly, he was very talented and had a strong personal charm, and he quickly gathered a group of elite soldiers such as Xu Da and Chang Yuchun around him. Zhu Yuanzhang knew very well that if he wanted to do something big, he only needed a group of big bosses and no hope, and he also needed intellectuals to give advice.
Dozing came to send pillows, and when Zhu Yuanzhang was in need of talents, Li Shanchang came to defect. Since he was a child, Li Shanchang loved to read, had wisdom and strategy, and was well versed in the Fa. Zhu Yuanzhang knew that he was a local elderly and virtuous person, treated him with courtesy, and put him in charge of literary and historical books. Zhu Yuanzhang and Li Shanchang were very opportunistic, and Zhu Yuanzhang asked Li Shanchang: "When will the war between the four sides be calmed?" Li Shanchang replied:
"Qin chaos, Han Gao clothing, open-mindedness and generosity, knowing people and good responsibilities, not fond of killing, five years into the imperial industry." The present Yuan Gang is in disorder, and the world is falling apart. Gonghao production, not far from Pei. The mountains and rivers are kingly, and the public deserves it. What the law does, the world is not determined. ”
This dialogue is no less for Zhu Yuanzhang than Zhuge Liang's longzhong for Liu Bei
"Taizu is good. From Xia Chu Prefecture, for the staff, pre-machine drawing, the lord of the salary, even see the cronies. ”
Zhu Yuanzhang, who claimed the title of queen, appointed Li Shanchang as the Right Chancellor, in charge of logistics and grain and grass, similar to Xiao He of Han. Zhu Yuanzhang was called the empress dowager, and Li was good at ranking first
"Shi Fenggong, Xu Da, Chang Yu Chun Zimao, Li Wenzhong, Feng Sheng, Deng Yu and Shanchang were six. And the good long position first, the word making is better than Xiao He, praise even. ”
First of all, because Li Shanchang's power was too large, it threatened the imperial power.
Li Shanchang was born from a small landlord, had deep feelings for his hometown, and was willing to hug his hometown people, so after the establishment of Daming, Li Shanchang became the leader of the Huaixi Group. It should be known that there are many talents in the Huaixi Group, many of whom are heroes who follow Zhu Yuanzhang to fight the world, and the military power, financial power and many departments are controlled by the Huaixi Group. Li Shanchang defected to Zhu Yuanzhang very early, with high prestige and great power, and Zhu Yuanzhang was naturally afraid.
Hu Weiyong relied on Li Shanchang's recommendation to rise all the way to the position of prime minister, and the two exchanged with each other. Li You, the son of Li Shanchang's younger brother Li Cunyi, was also Hu Weiyong's niece and son-in-law. In the thirteenth year of Hongwu (1380), Hu Weiyong was murdered for plotting rebellion, and many people were executed for being implicated, but Li Shanchang remained the same and was not implicated, but the seed had been planted in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart.
Secondly, Li Shanchang's personal personality is easy to provoke right and wrong.
The "History of Ming" records
"Good length and outer width, more engraving on the inside."
That is to say, although Li Shanchang looks tolerant and easy-going on the outside, he is narrow and mean on the inside. Senators Li Yinbing and Yang Xisheng only slightly offended his authority, and Li Shanchang immediately brought his guilt to the emperor and deposed both of them. Li Shanchang argued with Liu Ji about the edict, so much so that he insulted Liu Ji, and Liu Ji was upset, so he asked to return to his hometown, and after Liu Ji fell ill, Zhu Yuanzhang sent Hu Weiyong to visit with the imperial doctor. The imperial doctor prescribed the medicine, he grabbed the medicine and came back to fry it according to the order, feeling as if there were some uneven stones squeezed together in his stomach, which made him very painful, and soon Liu Ji fell ill and died, and Hu Weiyong was pulled by Li Shanchang. This series of events caused Zhu Yuanzhang to begin to resent him.
Third, Zhu Yuanzhang cleared the way for his successors.
Crown Prince Zhu Biao died early, and Zhu Yuanzhang did not choose his own son to succeed to the throne, but instead made his grandson Zhu Yunjiao the emperor's grandson. Zhu Yunjiao was young and had no prestige, it was not easy to sit on the throne, and the Manchu Dynasty Wenwu all followed Zhu Yuanzhang to fight the world, and his ability was very strong, and Zhu Yunjiao was difficult to control. Therefore, as the head of the heroes, Li Shanchang, the leader of the Huaixi Group, became the chicken that frightened the monkeys.
In the eighteenth year of Hongwu (1385), someone denounced Li Cunyi's father and son (Li Shanchang's younger brother and nephew) as Hu Weiyong's henchmen, and Ming Taizu ordered them to be spared death and placed them in Chongming, but Li Shanchang did not express his gratitude, Zhu Yuanzhang accumulated hatred in his heart, and his killing heart had already started.
In the twenty-third year of Hongwu (1390), Li Shanchang was already seventy-six years old, and was implicated in the Hu Weiyong case, And Li Cunyi and others confessed that Li Shanchang had conspired with Hu Weiyong to rebel, but this was only one-sided, there was no other evidence, and it was not enough for Zhu Yuanzhang. In the same year, Zhu Yuanzhang executed Li Shanchang, along with more than 70 of his wife, daughters, and nephews, and the blood flowed like a river.
When Li Shanchang and Zhu Yuanzhang started their own business, they were also a pair of harmonious monarchs, inseparable, sharing weal and woe, and jointly expelling Yuan Meng to found Daming, but once people gained a high position and gained power, they changed, and power has covered their eyes. At the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang commented on Li Shanchang:
"Rising from the grass, lifting a three-foot sword, leading thousands of people, and struggling in the cracks of the crowd, at this time Li Shanchang came to the gate of the army, devoted himself to conspiracy, and crossed the river together and settled in Nanjing." In one or two years, hundreds of thousands of troops were trained, the Eastern Expedition was western, and the good elders stayed in the middle of the country, transporting grain reserves and supplying equipment, and there was never a shortage. He also governed the rear, harmonized the army and the people, and made peace between the upper and lower levels. This is The Divine giving this man the right. His merits are known only to others, but others may not know them all. At that time, Xiao He had the merit of giving, and under a thousand years, everyone praised it, compared with the good chief, Xiao He may not have passed it. ”
However, with the passage of time, one is the Ninth Five-Year Dignity, and the other is a high power. Two people are confused by power and drift apart, one to ensure that the imperial power is not threatened, the other to compete for their own power, and finally turn against each other. In a word: do not forget the original heart, you must always. The original intention is easy to get, and it is always difficult to keep. Thought-provoking!
Resources:
Xu Yuanwen et al.: History of the Ming Dynasty * Biography of Li Shanchang
Yao Guangxiao and Xia Yuanji, etc.: Records of Ming Taizu
Wu Han: The Biography of Zhu Yuanzhang