In China's history, there is no shortage of brave and good generals, nor is there a shortage of brave and resourceful fighters. However, there are still such generals in history, who are fierce and murderous.
For example, the most famous Qin general Bai Qi killed 400,000 prisoners of the Zhao state who had surrendered. In addition, Xiang Yu killed 200,000 soldiers surrendered to the Qin state, and Huang Chao ordered his men to build 3,000 boulders, grind 300,000 people into minced meat, and kill millions of people. Behind these elaborate figures are fierce generals.
In the last year of the Yuan Dynasty, there was also a general who was brave and good at war, and made great contributions to the emperor. However, when he returned to the city, the people of the city welcomed his triumphant return at the city gate.
The general did not say a word, and after sneering, he ordered the slaughter of the city and killed all the people of the city. So, who is this general? What really happened? Why did he do that?
Early life – a thief or a warrior?
In the last years of the Yuan Dynasty, there was a young man with lofty ambitions, although he came from an extremely poor peasant family, he was not willing to be just an ordinary person with a hoe, but practiced martial arts with a master. Sure enough, when he grew up, he would have amazing bones, long arms, and even skilled in the use of various weapons. This person's name is Chang Yu chun.
This man was born in an era of war and chaos. It is precisely this era that has created the great achievements of Chang Yuchun's later years. In the last years of the Yuan Dynasty, class contradictions continued to intensify, officers went on crusades and waged wars, and the people were displaced and miserable. Chang Yuchun could not bear such a displaced life, so he threw himself into the green forest bandits.
Chang Yuchun is not an ordinary man, on the contrary, he is physically strong, his physique is beyond ordinary people, and he is brave and strategic. The leader of the Green Forest Thieves was named Liu Ju, and he admired Chang Yuchun very much, so he kept him by his side. Therefore, this group of green forest thieves burned and looted in the Huaiyuan and Dingyuan areas, and did all kinds of evil.
But Chang Yuchun still felt unsatisfied. This group of green forest thieves only cares about the immediate interests, and only knows how to block the road and rob, and does not have any long-term plans and plans. Therefore, Chang Yuchun followed the green forest thieves to enjoy the big fish and meat of the people, while secretly plotting his own other way out.
Perhaps destined, Chang Yuchun met the noble man of his life in 1355. To be sure, Chang Yuchun's vision was very unique, and among the many rebel generals, zhu Yuanzhang was the only one who chose him as his future follower.
Therefore, Chang Yuchun immediately made a decision to go to Zhu Yuanzhang and show his willingness to be loyal to his subordinates. However, at the beginning, Zhu Yuanzhang did not buy it, but just looked at him coldly, at this time Chang Yuchun was poor and destitute, and his experience as a thief also made General Zhu think that his loyalty was not credible.
In the face of such doubts, Chang Yuchun only told the truth: "The general is a wise man, and wherever you point, I will hit you." ”
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw such a situation, he already had the answer in his heart. Chang Yuchun in front of him is eight feet tall and has a large physique, which is a usable talent. Seeing that he was sincere in his words, Zhu Yuanzhang left him behind. The road of killing and conquest that often met the spring also began.
Conquest and crusade - the great achievements of often encountering spring
Every general in history has his own many great achievements, which are the spoils of war that they have fought everywhere. As a general of Zhu Yuanzhang, Chang Yuchun was naturally no exception. The most famous battles fought by Chang Yuchun were the Battle of Quzhou, Jiuhua Mountain, and the destruction of the enemy Chen Youyu.
At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang had already conquered the Jinhua area, and Quzhou was his next target. At this time, Chang Yuchun was no longer the bandit he had been, but a well-known general who followed Zhu Yuanzhang's signs. This time attacking Quzhou, Zhu Yuanzhang also sent him there.
This Quzhou was inherently impregnable. The soldiers guarding the city heard that it was Zhu Yuanzhang's side who had come to fight against the general Chang Yuchun, and for a time strengthened the city wall more unbreakable. There are historical records that say, "Hun to the city, high and cloudy, want to ascend to the city." In the face of such a precautionary measure, Chang Yuchun naturally thought of countermeasures.
Under the city of Quzhou, he built a fence and surrounded all the walls of Quzhou by land and water. In addition, he also ordered his generals to build a variety of siege weapons, hoping to break through Quzhou City in one fell swoop. However, the Yuan Dynasty general who guarded Quzhou was money that Bo Yan did not spend, and this person was also determined to fight a war, and his morale to win the battle was no lower than that of Chang Yuchun. The two sides fought all night, neither letting anyone go.
At this time, Chang Yuchun remembered a sentence by Zhu Yuanzhang, "Defeating the enemy is courageous, and total victory is in the plot." Chang Yuchun knew that the war could not only be won by a single blood, but also by the general's strategy.
Therefore, on this night, Chang Yuchun attacked him unprepared, and urgently besieged Quzhou City, Quzhou's troops could not support it, and finally the traitors in Quzhou City opened the city gate, and Chang Yuchun took Quzhou.
The Battle of Quzhou was a key node on the road of Zhu Yuanzhang's uprising. Since taking Quzhou, Zhu Yuanzhang had established the positions of marshal and judge, which made the Yuan Dynasty's ruling power in the interior of the Central Plains muddy.
The other two battles, the Great Battle of Jiuhua Mountain and the destruction of the enemy Chen Youyu, were also the immortal deeds of Chang Yuchun. Soon, Zhu Yuanzhang made him a marshal.
The reason for the slaughter of the city - is it inevitable or accidental?
The slaughter city mentioned in the story actually took place in Jiaozuo City, Henan. At that time, Chang Yuchun was already a great general who was invincible in the battlefield, and it was reasonable to say that he should not have such a big grudge to slaughter the people of a city. So, what really happened at that time?
Originally, the people at that time heard that General Chang Yuchun was going to attack Jiaozuo HuaiqingCheng, and although they were very dissatisfied with the oppression of them by the Yuan Dynasty, they also expected Zhu Yuanzhang's army to liberate them. But they don't know who will lose or win the war. Where the little people know how to make good use of power, their fate is like ants to the generals and officials.
Just then, someone came up with an idea. That is, holding a sign with congratulations written on the front and congratulations to the rebel army on the back, such a move can be said to be foolproof. Whoever won the city in the end had a reason to live.
The outcome of this war is undoubtedly that Chang Yuchun won Jiaozuo Huaiqing City. When Chang Yuchun entered Huaiqing City safely, at first he was very satisfied with the welcome attitude of the local people.
But his gaze was so vicious that soon, Chang Yuchun noticed that there were differences in the signs in the hands of the people. At the moment, Chang Yuchun was extremely angry and ordered the slaughter of the city. For a time, Huaiqing City was bleeding all over the place.
The tragedy of the people in Jiaozuo Huaiqing City is undoubtedly caused by Chang Yuchun' hand. So, was the murder of the people in the city accidental or inevitable?
In fact, it is not difficult to see from the results of Chang Yuchun's successive conquests that when he attacked Chen Youyu, the war was very difficult, and even once Zhu Yuanzhang fell into crisis. When the war was finally won, Chang Yuchun also killed Chen Youyu's prisoners.
From this point of view, although this decisive general has a fierce vision and can be called brave and strategic, he is indeed an out-and-out executioner who can brutally and cruelly kill the people. Therefore, the slaughter of the city is because of the fierce character of the spring that often encounters spring, and it is also an inevitable result of history.