As we all know, the founder of the Ming Dynasty was Zhu Yuanzhang, and among the founding monarchs of China's dynasties, his origin was the lowest.
Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestral home was Pei Guoxiang County, which is now Pei County, Jiangsu, from his grandfather's generation, his family migrated several times due to poverty, and finally settled in Haozhou, which is now Fengyang, Anhui Province, when his father Zhu May fourth was born.
Zhu Yuanzhang's childhood was called a miserable! From an early age, he herded cattle for the landlord's family, was beaten and scolded by the landlord from time to time, and only read books in private school for a few months.
Later, a serious natural disaster occurred in the Haozhou area, with locust plagues and droughts ensuing, and Zhu Yuanzhang's parents and eldest brother died one after another because they did not have food. In order to survive, he had to go to Huangjue Temple to become a monk.
However, before long, due to natural disasters, the monks had no food, so he had to leave the temple and make a living. To say that the good point is 'to change the fate', to say it bluntly, it is actually 'begging'.
Such a day lasted until he joined guo zixing of the Haozhou Red Turban Army, and then basically ended!
However, it is really incredible that such a lowly person finally created a Ming Empire that ruled China for 276 years!
So, how did Zhu Yuanzhang do it? On his road to success, what is worth learning from and learning?
Zhu Yuanzhang, who came from a humble background, was able to stand out in the great social turmoil and fierce competition in the last years of the Yuan Dynasty, overthrow the Yuan Dynasty, and achieve reunification, and the author believes that there are the following four reasons!
First, rely on power, Taoguang and obscure
At the beginning of Zhu Yuanzhang's rise, he first moved in the Huaixi area, and then crossed the river, with Nanjing as the center, Chen Youyi in the west, Zhang Shicheng in the east, and Han Lin'er in the north, which avoided the main force of the Yuan Dynasty very well.
Han Lin'er's father, Han Shantong, was one of the important leaders of the Red Turban Army at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and after Han Shantong was arrested and killed, his apprentice Liu Futong found Han Lin'er and made him emperor, with the title of "Xiaoming King", the national name Song, and the Jianyuan Longfeng.
Judging from the situation in the world at that time, it was Han Lin'er in the north who undertook to block the main army of the Yuan Dynasty, although he also went to failure later, but it is undeniable that he also exhausted the yuan qi of the Yuan Dynasty, so that later Zhu Yuanzhang led the Northern Expedition to break through the bamboo.
When Zhu Yuanzhang's wings were not yet full, he did not choose to fight alone, but wisely attached himself to the "Dragon and Phoenix Regime", Taoguang cultivated obscurity, and waited for the opportunity.
After Guo Zixing's death, Zhu Yuanzhang accepted the title of Longfeng regime, established the Capital Marshal's Office in Hezhou, and was later promoted to privy councillor, Jiangnan and other officials of Zhongshu Province.
Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang seems to be doing things under the command of King Xiaoming, but Zhu Yuanzhang has absolute independence and autonomy. To put it simply, Zhu Yuanzhang's army was not dispatched by King Xiaoming, but only by Zhu Yuanzhang.
However, it is precisely because of this superficial "subordination relationship" that Zhu Yuanzhang has a certain legitimacy when he carries out some military operations. This provided a good help for Zhu Yuanzhang to expand and consolidate his strength in the early stage.
In addition, among the heroes of the world at that time, Zhu Yuanzhang adhered to the advice of Zhu Sheng, the great Confucian of Huizhou: "Build a high wall, accumulate grain, and slowly become the king", thus greatly narrowing his goals and avoiding becoming the target of the public.
As a result, the latest person to be called the emperor is precisely the person who finally achieved the imperial cause!
Therefore, this also tells us: when our own strength is still weak, we must not be too ostentatious, on the contrary, we must learn to taoguang and cultivate obscurity, slowly accumulate strength, and finally surprise everyone.
Second, pay attention to the building of the army
Starting from the south, Zhu Yuanzhang continued to integrate local troops, and as his power grew, the members of his army became more and more complex.
For this problem, Zhu Yuanzhang has a very good set of rectification training plans. After each unit was incorporated, he would conscientiously reorganize it, from officers to soldiers, without exception, and then begin to train strictly.
And training is divided into: military training and ideological training! The purpose of military training is to enhance the military quality of soldiers and improve their combat effectiveness; ideological training is to make soldiers abide by discipline and unite as one.
Therefore, compared with the Yuan Dynasty army and the armed forces in various localities, Zhu Yuanzhang's army was a disciplined and strong combat effectiveness.
Hu Dahai, a famous founding general of the Ming Dynasty, once said: "The Wuwu people do not know books, but only know three things: do not kill people, do not plunder women, and do not burn the huts." And this is precisely where Zhu Yuanzhang's team won the hearts and minds of the people.
"Those who win the hearts and minds of the people win the world", this is an eternal truth! Power may be able to gain the world, but it is not long-lasting, and gaining the support of the people is the law of long-term peace and stability of a country.
Figure | Stills of Zhu Yuanzhang
Third, the correct strategic approach
Zhu Yuanzhang himself was a man of extraordinary military talent, and this was mainly manifested in his ability to use the means of war mobilization and his unique and correct strategic policy.
Among them, "war mobilization" is the most important part of the war!
Before each conquest, Zhu Yuanzhang would mobilize the generals and soldiers, mainly divided into: clarifying the battle objectives, explaining specific tasks, explaining steps, boosting morale, and affirming discipline. In addition, Zhu Yuanzhang will also answer the doubts of the generals and unify their understanding.
Before each battle began, Zhu Yuanzhang would personally mobilize for battle, so that his troops dared to fight and fight in battle, and did not fear life and death, giving the enemy a heavy blow.
Of course, in addition to mobilizing generals and officers and men, the issuance of documents is also a way of mobilizing for war.
For example, Zhu Yuanzhang's "Pingzhou List" released during his crusade against Zhang Shicheng, and the "Imperial Yuanyuan Tan" released when attacking Dadu, etc., can be called "big strokes".
The release of the article often has a kind of momentum of preemptiveness, which can not only strengthen the momentum of one's own team, but also make the enemy army discouraged and discouraged.
The text will declare the motive of the war, showing that he is a master of the people's crimes, so as to gain more popular support.
Figure | Zhang Shicheng stills
The second is a unique and correct strategic approach!
In the strategy of treating Chen Youyi and Zhang Shicheng, Zhu Yuanzhang proceeded from the actual situation of the two people, first attacking Chen Youyu, who was powerful in the distance, and then attacking Zhang Shicheng, who was relatively weak in the vicinity, and the results received good results.
In addition, Zhu Yuanzhang was also good at using contradictions to break through the enemy.
For example, when Zhu Yuanzhang was attacking Zhang Shicheng, the biggest worry was that the Yuan Dynasty army went south, and once the enemy was attacked, the consequences would be unimaginable. Therefore, he constantly took advantage of the internal contradictions of the Yuan Dynasty to make good friends with Timur, thus isolating Zhang Shicheng.
Therefore, adopting a correct strategic policy is also a major reason for Zhu Yuanzhang's victory in seizing the world.
And this also tells us that when doing something, choosing the right direction and using the right method is much better than blindly immersing ourselves in hard work.
Figure | Chen Youyi stills
Fourth, pay attention to the wartime economy
In the last years of the Yuan Dynasty, due to successive years of war, the social economy suffered serious damage, the rural areas lacked labor, and the food supply was seriously insufficient. Coupled with the disrepair of the water conservancy, the ruins of the ruins and broken walls can be seen everywhere.
Therefore, the military contest between the various warlords at that time will eventually be reflected in the contest of economic strength.
In the beginning, when Zhu Yuanzhang's army went out on the expedition, the non-commissioned officers did not pay grain, but entered the enemy territory and carried out "grain".
The so-called "grain", also known as "zhai grain", means that the local people pay grain and grass for the use of the army. Although this way of raising grain and grass has certain benefits, its drawbacks are even greater!
The first is the harm to the people, and the second is the difficulty of supporting protracted wars.
After the next jiqing, Zhu Yuanzhang implemented the measure of "accumulating grain in a wide range", and in the sixteenth year of Zhizheng, he set up the Yingtian Division, which, in addition to being responsible for repairing embankments and managing water conservancy, its main task was to lead the generals in various places to open up wasteland. At the same time, farmers are encouraged to return to their native land and carry out mulberry cultivation.
These measures achieved good results, so four years later, that is, in the twentieth year of Zhizheng, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the abolition of "grain collection".
Zhu Yuanzhang, who was proclaimed Queen wu, also set up the Si Nong Division, which was in charge of tun tian affairs. And these are also the clever points of Zhu Yuanzhang compared to other separatist forces.
Therefore, we can finally briefly sum up that the main reason why Zhu Yuanzhang, who was born in poverty, was able to gain the world and establish the Ming Dynasty was fourfold:
First, when their own strength is not yet strong, choose to rely on the power, Taoguang and obscure, wait for the opportunity, and finally make a big splash.
Second, we should pay attention to the work of building the armed forces, and in addition to strengthening the military capabilities of the troops, we should also strengthen the ideological building of the troops themselves.
Third, adopt the right strategic approach to cope with the current complex situation and thus gain the initiative.
Fourth, pay attention to the wartime economy, build a strong economic backing, and keep yourself in an invincible position.
Of course, in addition to the above four points, there are many reasons for Zhu Yuanzhang's success, such as he knows people and is good at using power and means.
So, in addition to these, what factors do you know about Zhu Yuanzhang's success? Feel free to write your answer in the comments section and we'll discuss it together!