After the fall of the Yuan government, some Mongols fled to northern Sai with the Yuan dynasty, while many Mongols remained in the Central Plains. Some Mongols were accustomed to life in the Central Plains and did not want to leave, so the policies of the Ming Dynasty were crucial to them.
In addition, the Ming army repeatedly went north and captured a large number of Mongols, including soldiers, officials, family members, and many female dependents, so what happened to these Mongolian women?
Above_ Map of the Ming Dynasty
Survive and will not be killed indiscriminately
When the Mongols destroyed the Jin, Song, and Western Xia regimes, they often slaughtered the city and exterminated the tribes, and the means were extremely cruel, while the Ming army mostly adopted a policy of huairou on the road of unification, avoiding too much killing as much as possible.
Zhu Yuanzhang suffered hardships when he was a child, and his parents and brothers died tragically, largely due to the tyranny of the Yuan Dynasty, but on the road of Zhu Yuanzhang's unification, he was not too affected by hatred, which is also one of the reasons why Zhu Yuanzhang was able to achieve great things.
After capturing Jiqing, Zhu Yuanzhang told the people:
"The Yuan Dynasty ruled corruptly, wars broke out frequently, I came to eliminate chaos for the people, please be satisfied with your duties, I should treat those who are capable of treating themselves with courtesy, the old political councils that are not suitable will be changed, and officials are not allowed to abuse the people."
When the people heard What Zhu Yuanzhang said, they were overjoyed, and from then on Zhu Yuanzhang changed the name of Jiqing to Ying Tianfu.
Above_ Qing Dynasty "Portrait of Zhu Yuanzhang" Private Collection
Historical records
"Wherever you pass and when you go down the city, do not kill in vain, do not take away the wealth of the people, do not destroy the dwellings of the people, do not destroy the agricultural tools, do not kill the cattle, and do not plunder the children of men." There may be abandoned orphans and children in the camp, and those who come to ask for help from parents and relatives will return it. ”
War is to kill people, Zhu Yuanzhang mainly deals with those stubborn Mongolian Yuan troops, not civilians, Zhu Yuanzhang knows a truth, if the people in the city are killed, not only is it unpopular, and the city where there is no one will lose its value, what to use.
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang often warned the generals to treat the people kindly, and when the city is destroyed, the most important thing is to restrain the soldiers, not to rob the people's wealth, kill the people indiscriminately, prohibit the abduction of children, and if there are orphans who are scattered, they must be returned to the relatives of the children.
Above_ Chang Yuchun (1330-1369), zi Boren, yanheng
Zhu Yuanzhang's generals were like clouds, the two most powerful were Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, Xu Da had the style of an elder, did things steadily, and had strict military discipline, while Chang Yuchun was too strong, and also had some killing problems, and often killed prisoners after attacking the city.
Just as the so-called killing and surrendering is ominous, Chang Yuchun did this, which not only violated Zhu Yuanzhang's purpose, but also affected the credibility of the Ming army, for this point, Zhu Yuanzhang repeatedly advised Chang Yuchun not to slaughter the city. Of course, it was the time of war, and only a general like Chang Yuchun could meet without asking for it, and Zhu Yuanchao could only euphemistically warn about it.
Zhu Yuanzhang said this:
"There are no more kills in kecheng. What good is it to gain the land without the people? ”
After this, Chang Yuchun converged a lot, and Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed, and he also gave a book commendation.
Born in a chaotic world, the most tragic is that those women say to keep women away from war, but in fact, this is simply impossible to do, many women are displaced in the war, and even abused in every way.
However, at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, most of the Remaining Mongolian women saved their lives, thanks to Zhu Yuanzhang's enlightened ethnic policy.
Above_ Zhu Yuanzhang Dajun Post
Intermarried with Han Chinese
Although Zhu Yuanzhang established an enlightened ethnic policy, it does not mean that there are no restrictions, and the successive dynasties, foreign invasions, and even the extinction of the country have occurred from time to time, so we must also beware of these Mongols.
In the West, people have a greater sense of identity with the nation than with the state, while in our case, the sense of identity with civilization is higher than that of race. For these remaining Mongols, Zhu Yuanzhang adopted a policy of assimilation.
"Forbidden Mongolian semu people are more prone to surnames, the edict: The Tianshengsi people belong to the surname, each has its own origin, especially the ancient saint king. So don't get married, re-establish the original, to thick folklore also. For the lord of the world, he has tasted the edict to the world, and the Mongolian people of all colors are all naked sons, and the fruits and materials can be used as a whole. ”
Through various ways, the Mongolians increased their sense of national identity, and gradually became no different from the Han Chinese. If there are talented people, they can also participate in scientific expeditions and treat them the same as Han Chinese.
Above_ Diagram of the Imperial Examination System
In addition to this, the most important point is intermarriage. If the Mongols are allowed to continue to live in their own small groups and their own people are intermarried, then over time, there may be variables. One of the best ways to speed up assimilation is to intermarry with Han Chinese.
"All Mongols who listen to Chinese as marriage must be willing to marry each other, and are not allowed to marry each other in this category, and those who violate the law are eighty rods, and men and women are enslaved to officials."
Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that the Mongols should intermarry with the Han, of course, there is another regulation, that is, consensual, which shows how humane the policy of the early Ming Dynasty was. At the same time, intermarriage also requires a certain degree of coercion, and if it is not done according to the requirements, it may face military punishment or enslavement.
In order to encourage intermarriage between Han and Mongols and Semites, Zhu Yuanzhang himself also set an example, and some of his concubines were not Han Chinese, such as Concubine Weng, who was a Hongjira.
In other words, there is no problem for Mongolian women to stay in the Central Plains, as long as they intermarry with the Han people, they are all the people of the Ming Dynasty, and after a long time, these Mongolians and Semu people will also be integrated into the big family of the Han people, and those racial differences will become less and less.
Above_ Coloured figurines
Protect royal concubines
In addition to ordinary people, there were many women of the Mongol royal family who were captured, and it was important to properly dispose of them. The new dynasty overthrows the old dynasty, and the new ruler must take the lead in wooing the landlords and eunuchs, otherwise it will be difficult to last, after all, those landlords and bureaucrats control most of the resources and are a force to be reckoned with.
"And some people said that his private concubine, the concubine was ashamed of herself, and the emperor rebuked Yu."
Blue Jade was a general under Zhu Yuanzhang, whose talent was no less than that of Chang Yuchun, Fu Youde and other generals, and in 1388, at the Battle of Yu'erhai, Blue Jade won a great victory and captured a large number of concubines and concubines of the Yuan Dynasty.
Although Blue Jade's talent is outstanding, his character needs to be considered, and on the way back to the army, he insulted a concubine, so that the concubine committed suicide. Zhu Yuanzhang was very dissatisfied with Lan Yu's move, and the Liang GuoGong, who was originally to be sealed, was changed to "Liang Guo Gong", and Lan Yu's arrogance also laid the groundwork for his subsequent tragic death.
Above_ Sapphire (?) –1393), a famous general of the Founding Of the Ming Dynasty
"For example, the Mongols and the Semu, although they are not of the Chinese ethnic group, are born between heaven and earth, and there are those who can know etiquette and righteousness, and who are willing to be subjects, and they are no different from those who are raised in the Middle Xia."
By treating those Yuan Dynasty female relatives kindly, they can win the support of those landlord classes, which is helpful for consolidating the rule of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, those concubines who were left behind or captured were also treated accordingly.
All in all, under Zhu Yuanzhang's enlightened ethnic policy, the foundation of the early Ming Dynasty was laid very firmly, whether it was Han, Mongolian, or Semu people were given due respect, those who remained could live with peace of mind, and talented people could also go to the imperial court as officials, no matter how many wrong things Zhu Yuanzhang did, but he made great contributions to the integration of our nation.
author:
Nine Fish Pavilion
Correction/Editing:
Lilith
Resources:
Ming Shilu, Ming Shi Liechuan XIII, Ming Shi Liechuan XX
The text was created by the History University Hall team, and the picture originated from the Internet and the copyright belongs to the original author