As we all know, Zhu Yuanzhang was the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the most famous emperor of the Ming Dynasty. However, as a founding emperor, he was not a rich gentleman, and even once worked as a beggar! A beggar can turn over and become an emperor, like a dream, this thing is really unimaginable, but let Zhu Yuanzhang do it.
Because of his birth, Zhu Yuanzhang has a deep understanding of the situation of poor people. Zhu Yuanzhang, who had not yet become emperor at that time, said to an 8-year-old beggar: I will be your father from now on.
And beggars to repay the favor, China has since added a province! What's going on here? Let's elaborate on this story.
This 8-year-old little beggar was Mu Ying, who later became famous.
According to the "History of Ming", Qianning was ill with his heart in his life. Khan Ma Xuanlao, pure diligence, often Bingyao, Xun is not ashamed. Duqian Ning Wei zhen is desolate, dissecting the world, and the honor is consistent with the Ming.
The story begins with the encounter between Zhu Yuanzhang and Mu Ying.
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Red Turban Army revolt led to great chaos in the world and the displacement of the people, while 8-year-old Xiao Muying followed her mother to escape the chaos of soldiers and horses. Unexpectedly, her mother died on the way to escape, so Mu Ying could only become a small beggar and asked for food all the way to Fengyang, Anhui. There, he met the man who changed his life's fate— Zhu Yuanzhang, a general in the peasant rebel army.
And probably because Zhu Yuanzhang saw the scene of his begging in Mu Ying, so he felt pity for Mu Ying and accepted Mu Ying as a righteous son, which is also most likely because Zhu Yuanzhang and his wife Ma Shi did not have children at that time.
After Zhu Yuanzhang took him in, he named him Zhu Ying. Why Zhu Ying and not Mu Ying? We'll explain that later. Let's first talk about Zhu Ying's story.
When he grew up, Zhu Ying followed Zhu Yuanzhang to fight in the world, and at the age of eighteen he held an important position in the army.
This Zhu Ying is also a generation of generals, he fought from Jiangxi to Fujian, and then from Gansu to Sichuan, almost all over half of China, it can be said that he made great contributions to the establishment of the Ming Dynasty.
In the fourteenth year of Hongwu, Zhu Ying followed Fu Youde and Lan Yu to lead 300,000 troops to conquer the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty in Yunnan. First of all, the Ming army broke through Qujing, and suddenly the entire Yunnan gate opened, and Zhu Ying and others directly attacked the Yellow Dragon.
The last Liang king of the Yuan Dynasty, Bao'er only saw that the general situation had gone, so he hanged himself. Then, Zhu Yuanzhang asked Zhu Ying to stay in Yunnan. It can be seen here that Zhu Yuanzhang trusts this righteous son very much, so he entrusted him with the heavy responsibility of managing such a large piece of land, and at the same time highlighted Zhu Ying's strength.
Zhu Ying's change to Mu Ying came after Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty.
Once, Zhu Ying returned to Beijing to see Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang then asked Zhu Ying, whose child are you, and Zhu Ying replied that I am Your Majesty's child, deeply admiring the nurturing grace of Your Majesty and the Empress!
But Zhu Yuanzhang refused to give up and still asked whose child you were. Zhu Ying replied the same way. After the two of them repeated it several times, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said to Zhu Ying, "You are the adopted son of Yuan, and now you cannot be allowed to restore your original surname, but you can no longer follow my surname Zhu." Since you have always said the grace of deep Mu nurturing, give you the surname Mu, let you forever Mu Huang Grace. ”
Therefore, from then on, Zhu Ying was called Mu Ying.
You know, Zhu Yuanzhang, who became emperor, was very suspicious, and this can be seen from his practice after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty. In fact, this is Zhu Yuanzhang reminding Mu Ying, let him remember Zhu Yuanzhang's deep nurturing grace like remembering his own surname, and ask him to be loyal to the Zhu family all the time.
Mu Ying was not stupid, he understood that Zhu Yuanzhang gave him a "Mu", it was not a whim, there was a deep meaning behind it. After appreciating Zhu Yuanzhang's intentions, Mu Ying really carried it out, not only him, but also Mu Ying's descendants were loyal to the Zhu Ming Dynasty.
In the sixth month of the lunar calendar of the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu, Mu Ying cried very sadly after learning that Zhu Biao, who was the crown prince, had died of illness in Renshou, Yunnan, at the age of 48.
When Mu Ying's coffin was transported to the capital Ying Tianfu, Zhu Yuanzhang personally went to greet him, and sent palace officials to be responsible for his burial, and posthumously named Mu Ying the King of Qianning, Yu Zhaojing, and Youxiang Taimiao. After that, the descendants of the Mu clan guarded Yunnan for generations until the end of the Ming Dynasty.
According to the Cambridge History of the Ming Dynasty of China, "It was actually the Mu family that made Yunnan a province of the Ming Dynasty and made it an integral part of the Han civilization... The Dukes of Qianguo were the only ming courtiers who continued to hold actual territorial power. ”
Mu Ying's loyalty also affected his descendants, the last Duke of Qianguo Mu Tianbo is Mu Ying's descendant, nearly 300 years have passed since Mu Ying's death, and the Mu family is still so bold and loyal to the Zhu family.
When the Qing army entered the customs, Mu Tianbo followed Zhu Youluo to rebel against the Qing dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, but unfortunately failed one after another, and eventually lost Yunnan and had to retreat to Burma.
What do you think about that?
References: Cambridge History of the Ming Dynasty of China, History of the Ming Dynasty