Zhu Yuanzhang, also known as Ming Taizu, was the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He became emperor at the age of 40. Before that, he was a poor beggar who was at ease with his encounters, and his experience has been recognized by many historians as a model of "salted fish counterattack".
He was initially only racking his brains about how to survive, if he had not come to the temple and was rescued by the abbot, I am afraid that his life would not have changed so much.
When Zhu Yuanzhang came to this small broken temple as emperor, he saw the former abbot, whose identity was so disparate and worried, that he asked the abbot if he still had to kneel down and worship the Buddha. In the face of the dilemma that seemed quite tricky to others, the abbot who had seen many people and things only smiled slightly, said eight words, and successfully resolved this embarrassing problem.
First, make a living in a chaotic world
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, like any successive dynasty, monarchs launched wars against neighboring lands in order to expand national borders and show their rights. The beneficiaries of war are always the emperors of a country, and the victims are always the people. The people were displaced and helpless in the war, and eating a hot meal became a luxury.
Zhu Yuanzhang was still a hairy boy at this time, and his parents did not have enough food and the ability to accept the treatment of doctors because of the epidemic and locust plague, and eventually they were tortured to death by the disease. The cost of his parents' burial in the ground was paid by the neighbors. The generous neighbor also took a few torn clothes and rags to wrap the body, and Zhu Yuanzhang's parents were successfully buried.
Since then, Zhu Yuanzhang has no relatives, he wanders around, has no lofty ideals, and only wants to beg for food. Wandering around, with no place to live, and encountering unreasonable soldiers, there is no way to get a good night's sleep. So he thought, it would be better to go to the temple, the monks are very kind, I believe they will give him food and housing.
Zhu Yuanzhang was thin and weak, and as soon as he arrived at the temple gate, the abbot took him. For both sides, they have their own purposes, Zhu Yuanzhang wants to eat, the temple is wrapped up, this is the best living conditions in the chaotic world. The abbot was old, and there was a lot of work for young people in the temple, and it wasn't a bad thing to take him in. In the darkness, Zhu Yuanzhang had a relationship with this temple.
Zhu Yuanzhang usually does some rough work in the temple, and the rest of the time will chant the Buddha, such a life is far away from the war, everyone's life is guaranteed, the temple is like their shelter, just when Zhu Yuanzhang thought he was going to spend his life here leisurely, his leadership talent began to show.
However, whenever there is a dispute in the temple, Zhu Yuanzhang can always understand and rush to the scene to enlighten others at the first time, he will give a good judgment on everything, and most people are still quite satisfied with the result. Over time, the more Zhu Yuanzhang handled these trivial things, the greater his prestige, and many people encountered trouble and would first go to Zhu Yuanzhang for evaluation.
With Zhu Yuanzhang stabilizing the harmony of the temple, the abbot was relieved. This is like the relationship between leaders and subordinates in the company now, subordinates perform well in their work, and leaders will naturally delegate some of their rights to let subordinates gallop in the workplace.
Zhu Yuanzhang accepted the rights given by the abbot, which made the monks who often stayed with the abbot blush. They were wondering why Zhu Yuanzhang, a young furry child who had just arrived, would be so liked by the abbot, there must be something catty in it. Whether it was to find out the truth or to take the opportunity to vent his jealousy and anger, Zhu Yuanzhang was fiercely spoofed by them.
They injured Zhu Yuanzhang, and at this time, as the great steward of the temple, the abbot could not express his opinions at will, otherwise he would not be able to win the hearts and minds of the people, and it would be easy to fall into another round of power struggle. The abbot did not want this to happen, there was always strife outside the temple, if there was still instability inside the temple, then where could this group of people go?
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang obeyed the abbot's words and left the temple. There is no grandfather here, there is freedom to stay in the grandfather' place, he has arrived in the outside world, which is a new beginning of his life.
Second, heroes emerge from chaos
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, social order collapsed, and people from all walks of life appeared on the scene. Zhu Yuanzhang came out of the temple and encountered a rebel army that wanted to rebel against the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty. He did not have any expectations for the restoration of the Yuan Dynasty, nor did he hope that the Yuan Dynasty would rise, and the new dynasty might be able to save the people of the present, so he joined the rebel army.
His talents continued to play a role in the rebel army, he had a strong way of employing people, and he commanded the army to fight without losing to other officers. Soon, Zhu Yuanzhang's team fought several victorious battles, strengthening the morale of the soldiers. Later, Zhu Yuanzhang simply increased the scope of control and confiscated all the non-commissioned officers in the military camp who were not happy with him, and unconsciously, he had a group of troops that could rival the Yuan Dynasty.
Zhu Yuanzhang can be described as a hero in the chaotic world, and he did not expect that the soldiers he led could successfully repel the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty and restore the vitality of the past. When the land came back to life, people's daily lives slowly returned to the right track.
Third, preside over the solution of problems
The dynasty changed to the Ming Dynasty, which was a new dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang became the emperor, and today he has no shadow of the past, and he walks with great grace. His ability to get to where he is today has an indirect relationship with the choices made by the abbot at that time. Most importantly, the abbot gave him a place to live and food to eat, and even if he became a king, Zhu Yuanzhang did not forget this benefactor.
Zhu Yuanzhang arrived at the original temple, which frightened the monks in the temple, how can the saints come to visit this broken temple today? He looked around, and the monks were frightened, because they recognized that the man in front of him, who was not angry and arrogant, was the same young man who had been bullied by them before.
In the face of these people, he had some ripples in his heart, as the saying goes, it is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge for ten years, and now that Zhu Yuanzhang has great power, he can execute these monks with a single order. He wavered, and facing the Great Buddha, he asked the old abbot if he needed to kneel. It wasn't just a question, it was also a question he asked the old abbot for help.
On the surface, he was worried about his identity, and the emperor could not kneel indiscriminately, which was quite provocative to the old abbot. In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang was asking the old abbot for advice, should he forgive this group of people who had bullied him?
The old abbot saw Zhu Yuanzhang's doubts, he saw a lot of knowledge, and after some thought, he answered these eight words: "The Buddha in this world does not kneel before the Buddha." Saying this, the people present were stunned for half a moment, and then smiled soothingly. Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't hide his joy even more, the question in his heart had been answered, and he didn't think too much about the previous events.
The old abbot's words lifted all the monks out of their misery, and also made Zhu Yuanzhang relieved, and he had to admire his wisdom, if not handled properly, I am afraid that there will be terrible consequences. This incident also reflects that Zhu Yuanzhang is an open-minded person, he will not be grumpy because of the past things, and he will not put the other party to death because of these small things, from this point of view, Zhu Yuanzhang still has some human touch.
summary
Heroes born in a chaotic world should also pay attention to the favorable time and place. Zhu Yuanzhang's becoming emperor seems to be predestined, and without the help of the old abbot, he may have starved to death on the side of the road. If the old abbot had not driven Zhu Yuanzhang out to maintain the stability of the temple, he might not have joined the rebel army or found his own goal.
Zhu Yuanzhang did not care too much about the small things before, and tolerated those people with a broad heart, highlighting the height of his personality. Reading history and looking at characters is not only attracted by the twists and turns of the plot, but also to understand the truth of people's life from what the characters do and say, so that they can improve their own sensitivity and better adapt to the changeable society.