01. Shen Wansan was rich and wealthy, and contributed huge sums of money to help Zhu Yuanzhang build the city of Nanjing, which was indispensable. Just because of saying the wrong thing, good things become bad things
Shen Wansan (1330-1376), real name Fu, the character Zhongrong, was the richest man in Jiangnan in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties.
Shen Wansan, the richest man of the Ming Dynasty who was rich enough to rival the country
Regarding Shen Wansan's origins, it can be said that it is quite mysterious. Legend has it that he saved the frog caught by the fisherman, and the frog rewarded him by giving him a tile pot. This tile pot is magical, put a copper coin into it can conjure up a full pot of copper coins, is a cornucopia, Shen Wansan also made a mark, rich enough to rival the country. Of course, this is just folklore.
According to records, Shen Wansan was once a maritime businessman, and he took advantage of the convenience of the Baiyan River (Dongjiang) to connect the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in the west and enter the Liuhe River in the east, and transported a large number of items such as silk, ceramics, grain, and handicrafts from Jiangsu and Zhejiang to overseas sales, thus accumulating a wealth of thousands of family fortunes.
Shen Wansan has left footprints in Shenzhuang, Zhouzhuang, Suzhou, Nanjing, and Yunnan. Shen Wansan always regarded Zhouzhuang as the place where he established his business, and It was because of Shen Wansan that Zhouzhuang became a famous ancient town in Jiangnan. Not only did Zhou Zhuang benefit from him, but Shen Wansan also had half the credit for the founding of the city of Nanjing, because he was rich and invincible to the country, and he paid a huge amount of money to build the city of Nanjing with the Ming court.
Shen Wansan's hometown - beautiful Zhouzhuang
In the first year of Hongwu (1368), Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne as emperor and established the capital Nanjing. Soon, Zhu Yuanzhang summoned Shen Wansan, who was rebuilding the capital at the time, but progress was slow due to the lack of national treasury. Shen Wansan then took the initiative to offer a thousand platinum ingots and a hundred pounds of gold, expressing his willingness to assist in one-third of the construction project. The work of the imperial court and Shen Wansan was carried out at the same time, and as a result, Shen Wansan completed it three days before the imperial court.
Shen Wansan was proud of this, there was merit in building the imperial city, and he and Zhu Yuanzhang also had some acquaintances, thinking whether they could further strengthen their relations, so he dared to say to Zhu Yuanzhang: "I am willing to pay millions of gold to treat the three armies on behalf of the emperor." After Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he was furious and scolded: "It is advisable for the army of the world to harass the people and harass the people!" "In a word, you are a pariah, what qualifications do you have to represent the imperial power?" Slap the horse's ass on the horse's leg!
Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang
When Empress Ma learned of this, she bitterly persuaded her and said, "Your wife, I have heard that the law is used to kill lawbreakers, but not to kill ominous people." The common people are rich enough to be enemies of the country, and it is the common people themselves who are ominous and ominous, and the heavens will inevitably bring disasters to him, so why should His Majesty kill him again?" Zhu Yuanzhang listened to his wife's words very much, and when he heard Empress Ma say this, he was a little relieved, spared Shen Wansan and did not kill him, but only confiscated his family wealth and exiled him to Yunnan.
02. Lesson 1 of Shen Wansan's tragedy: How can a grass people treat the three armies on behalf of the emperor? It is dangerous not to put yourself in the right position
After Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne, he wantonly slaughtered meritorious men for two reasons: First, "the birds are hidden with bows, and the rabbits are dead and the dogs are cooked." In order to protect the imperial power, Zhu Yuanzhang could not allow the heroes who held the military power to threaten his throne; second, there were many meritorious people who thought that they had made a lot of merits and could call Zhu Yuanzhang brothers and brothers, but they did not know that the emperor was the emperor, the courtiers were the courtiers, and offending the emperor was a dead end.
Nanjing City Wall
In the ancient society of heavy agriculture and light commerce, the status of merchants was very low. Zhu Yuanzhang was born in the grassroots, and after becoming emperor, his ideal society was a small peasant economic society of "male cultivators and female weavers", and attached great importance to agricultural production. Shen Wansan and other "treacherous businessmen" have no status in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, and killing a "treacherous businessman" is just a trivial matter. Therefore, Shen Wansan was not self-aware.
Oniguzi said, "Knowing oneself from the beginning, knowing oneself and then knowing oneself", which means that one must have self-knowledge, and only by being able to do self-knowledge and know how many pounds you have, then you can know people. In other words, it is not enough to know others, but also to have self-knowledge. Knowing oneself is yin, and knowing oneself is yang. To know others is to be negative, and to know oneself is to be positive. Only by combining yin and yang is it possible to know each other and know oneself, and can we not lose a hundred battles as Sun Tzu said.
There are many factors that determine success, but the most important thing is to recognize yourself! Neither can you demean yourself too much, nor can you let yourself be too arrogant. It is especially important to look at yourself correctly. As the saying goes: people are self-aware! Only by being able to recognize yourself can you succeed.
Zhu Yuanzhang killed the heroes
A person who cannot see himself clearly is either too humble or too arrogant and disgusting. People who like to overestimate themselves, most of the time, can't see clearly how many pounds they have, always self-righteous, and even like to listen to the hypocritical praise of others, once they are praised beautifully, their hearts unconsciously begin to swell.
To be a person, you must be able to carry yourself clearly, know how to act according to your ability, and can neither talk about it, nor can it be silent! Recognize yourself, correct your mentality and position, in order to become better and better step by step! Most people, after experiencing a lot of setbacks, can gradually see themselves clearly, in order to find their own position.
Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing
In a person's life, having nothing is not terrible, but what is terrible is that having nothing and not being able to see the self clearly is the saddest thing. The ruler is long, the inch is short, recognize yourself, put the right position, in order to win success!
03. Lesson 2 of Shen Wansan's tragedy: To reward the three armies with millions of gold, is this not a show of wealth in front of the emperor? Getting carried away will be fatal
When people are as they wish, the most likely thing to show is the pride, and it is difficult to control. "Poetry Immortal" Li Bai was excited as soon as he touched a fine wine and friends: "Life must be full of joy, do not make the golden bottle empty to the moon." After mengjiao Dengke, who was only a 46-year-old soldier, was almost out of shape: "The spring breeze is proud of the horseshoe disease, and I can see all the Chang'an flowers in one day."
Shen Wansan was the same, thinking that he had helped Zhu Yuanzhang build the city of Nanjing, found the most reliable backer in the world, and inevitably became complacent and satisfied, which was also the common sentiment of people, but showing off his wealth in front of the emperor, this is not looking for death!
Empress Ma advised Zhu Yuanzhang
To reward the three armies with millions of gold is actually to show off their wealth under the form of arrogance, and they want to show themselves in front of the generals of the three armed forces. Zhu Yuanzhang is not strange if he doesn't kill you.
Pride is a double-edged sword, if you lose your measure, you will be ridiculed as a "villain", blindly oblivious, you will make mistakes. Therefore, Lan Ling smiled and said, "When things encounter organs, they must retreat, and people will turn back early when they are proud." Master Hongyi said, "Don't be arrogant and extravagant, and don't be depressed and unprepared when you are frustrated", which is all talk of experience and wisdom. The attitude of being sober and sober should be to be proud and calm, not to boast of one's abilities with momentary pride, and not to fall into one's own ambitions with momentary frustration.
If pride is not restrained, it will become pleasure. When you are happy, you can do whatever you want, you can come as you please, and you can do whatever you want. For example, "happy to be willing to take revenge", if you want to repay the favor, you will drip water and be grateful, and if you want to take revenge, you will simply and neatly hand blade the enemy, and you will not be afraid of the wolf before and after the tiger. Freewheeling is, of course, the moving place of happiness, but also the danger of happiness.
Zhu Yuanzhang and Shen Wansan were on the walls of Nanjing
When you are proud, do not forget the form, should not be indifferent, do not be arrogant, the most feared thing is that when the tail is exposed when fluttering, the proud time becomes the time of disaster; when successful, it is not frivolous, it is advisable to be low-key, not to be arrogant and impetuous, to move forward in a down-to-earth manner, and to persevere in the success, which is more important than being tenacious and unyielding when it is defeated.