Literary Dictionary History
Editor|Literary Chronicle
In his later years, Zhu Yuanzhang murdered many loyal generals on the charge of "conspiracy", and almost all the founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty were killed, which led to no one available after the Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunjiang ascended the throne.
Not only was the new emperor's succession isolated, but almost all the powerful ministers in the imperial court were killed by Zhu Yuanzhang, resulting in military power falling into the hands of local clan kings.
In this case, Zhu Yunjiang had no choice but to use the clan to scare those clan kings. Among the clan kings, Zhu Di, the king of Shuyan, was the strongest, so the clan began with Zhu Di.
So Yan King Zhu Di launched the "Battle of Jingjian" under the banner of "the side of the Qing monarch", and after four years, he finally ascended the throne as emperor in 1402, becoming the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, known as Ming Chengzu.
Zhu Di's success in the "Battle of Jingjian" was also inseparable from the loyal generals around him, including a general Zhu Neng, who made many battle merits.
This General Zhu Neng, who can be said to be the right arm of Zhu Di, the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, played a crucial role in the "Battle of Jingjian".
Unfortunately, jealous of talent, the general only lived to be 37 years old and died in the army. After his death, he was posthumously honoured by Zhu Di as the Prince of Dongping, with the nickname Wulie.
The young general was in high spirits
It is recorded in the "Ming Shi Zhu Nengbian ": "Father Liang, crossing the river from Taizu, accumulated merit to Yanshan to guard the deputy thousand households. Be able to serve as an heir, and become the ancestral mansion. ”
That is to say, Zhu Neng's father, Zhu Liang, followed Zhu Yuanzhang when Emperor Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang opened up the Ming Dynasty, and also followed Zhu Yuanzhang across the river, because of his meritorious battle, Zhu Yuanzhang promoted him to the deputy of Yanshan Guard.
Zhu Neng inherited his father's position and followed Zhu Di at that time in the palace of the prince of the domain. It can be said that Zhu Neng is the "old man" beside Zhu Di. When Zhu Di, the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, was on his northern expedition, Zhu Neng followed Zhu Di to subdue Nai'er Buhua.
In the thirty-first year of Hongwu (1398), when Zhu Yunjiang was cutting his domain, Zhu Di, who was still the king of Yan, pretended to be ill, but in fact he was recruiting troops and forging weapons. Zhu Yunjiang also secretly strengthened his precautions against Zhu Di.
In order to prepare before the arrival of the army, Zhu Di ordered his henchmen Zhu Neng and Zhang Yu to lead 800 soldiers into Weiwangcheng. This also shows from the side that Zhu Neng has been following Zhu Di for many years at this time and has been regarded as a close friend by Zhu Di.
In the first year of Jianwen (1399), on the eve of Zhu Di's "Battle of Jingyan", he sent Zhu Neng and Zhang Yu to attack Beiping. Zhu Neng and Zhang Yu murdered Zhang Xiang and Xie Gui with a scheme.
These two people, the former were the envoys of Beiping Bu, and the latter were the commanders of Beiping, both of whom were extremely important officials of the Ming Dynasty, which showed Zhu Di's recognition of Zhu Neng's ability.
After killing Zhang Xiang and Xie Gui, Zhu Neng and Zhang Yu attacked the Jiumen of Beiping. After Zhu Neng and others captured the Nine Gates, Zhu Di led his army to occupy Beiping, and then launched the "Battle of Jingyan".
It can be said that Zhu Di's rapid occupation of Beiping is inseparable from Zhu Neng's fight, and occupying Beiping is a prerequisite for Zhu Di to launch the "Battle of Jingyan", so Zhu Neng played a crucial role in launching the "Battle of Jingyan".
After this, Zhu Neng was made a commander of Tongzhi. In the Ming Dynasty, the command was from the third-grade official and had great power, which shows that Zhu Di attached great importance to Zhu Neng.
Zhu Neng was then ordered to go to Jixian, because Ma Xuan, a confidant of Emperor Jianwen at that time, fled to Jixian. The main purpose of Zhu Neng's trip to Jixian was also to kill Ma Xuan.
After killing Ma Xuan, Zhu Neng went to Zunhua again and recruited the defenders of Zunhua.
Zhu Neng then went with the army to Xiong County, fought against Yang Song and Pan Zhong at Yueyang Bridge, captured them, and subdued Yang Song and Pan Zhong's subordinates in Yanzhou.
At that time, Zhu Yunjiang sent Geng Bingwen to attack Zhu Di and stationed in Zhending. Without the help of Yang Song and Pan Zhong, Zhu Neng led the soldiers to attack Zhending and subdue Geng Bingwen in one fell swoop.
After the defeat of the Southern Army, it retreated to the south bank of the Tuotuo River. The other generals persuaded Zhu Di not to pursue, because although the southern army was defeated this time, it still retained some strength.
Only Zhu Neng alone led thirty cavalry in pursuit to the Tuotuo River. Zhu Neng rode his horse and rushed to the southern army. The southern army looked at the brave Zhu Neng, and in panic, more than tens of thousands of people were trampled to death, and more than 3,000 surrendered.
This heroic deed also led Zhu Di to personally write a letter to comfort him and promote him to be the commander of the capital.
Zhu Neng followed Zhu Di's army to support Yongping, drove Wu Gao away, and conquered Daning. After this, Zhu Di divided the soldiers into five teams and ordered Zhu Neng to lead the left army. The army engaged Li Jinglong's army at Zhengcunba.
Although Li Jinglong's army was numerous, it was ultimately defeated by Zhu Neng and other generals, and was eventually defeated.
Zhu Neng was quite used by Zhu Di, and Zhu Neng has been present in many important battles. After defeating Li Jinglong, Zhu Neng participated in the battles of Guangchang, Weizhou, and Datong.
During the battle at the Baigou River, Zhu Neng was the forward and defeated the Southern Army general Pingan. He attacked all the way to Jinan and was stationed at Huashan.
At this time, the southern army occupied favorable terrain, and the southern army was on high ground, and according to the difference in terrain, it was deployed to attack the Yan army. Even so, Zhu Neng defeated the Southern Army and subdued more than 10,000 Southern Army.
When he followed the army to attack Cangzhou, he killed more than 10,000 people of the southern army, which shows Zhu Neng's bravery.
Stand up in times of crisis
Although Zhu Neng was brave, the march and battle were not all smooth sailing. During the Battle of Dongchang, Zhu Di personally went into battle to lead the army, but unexpectedly fell into the siege of Sheng Yong and Tie Xuan's army.
Zhu Di was besieged, and the soldiers, including Zhu Neng, naturally had to desperately come to the rescue.
Zhu Neng and Zhang Yu entered the battle, and Zhang Yu died in this battle, leaving only Zhu Neng to fight to the death to protect Zhu Di, and finally broke out of the siege and escorted Zhu Di back to the barracks.
When Zhu Di was fighting in Jiahe, a member of the Yan army, Tan Yuan, was killed on the spot, which greatly reduced the morale of the Yan army. Just when the Yan army suffered this setback, Zhu Neng led the army to arrive.
This boosted the morale of the Yan army and eventually defeated the southern army. Fighting again with Ping'an in Yancheng, Zhu Neng defeated Ping'an again, pursued Ping'an all the way to Zhending, captured Zhangde and Dingzhou, and also attacked Xishui Village.
He led more than 1,000 light cavalry to attack Hengshui and captured the commander Jia Rong. He also conquered Dong'a, Dongping, and Wenshang.
During the Battle of the Huihe River, Wang Zhen died in battle, and the Yan army was repeatedly defeated, at this time, the Yan army was unstable, and many soldiers had already retreated, and they persuaded Zhu Di to withdraw their troops. At this time, Zhu Neng stepped forward again.
He said: "At the beginning, Han Gaozu failed nine times out of ten battles, but eventually captured the world. Now we have won many battles, but if we encounter a little setback, we will withdraw our troops, and we can only bow to others! ”
Zhu Neng's words inspired the Yan army generals and strengthened Zhu Di's heart to seize the world. Seeing this scene, the other soldiers did not dare to say anything about the withdrawal of troops.
So Zhu Di led the army to the south and defeated the Ping'an Silver Army in one fell swoop. The governor Chen Hui led his army to support Ping'an, but was defeated by the Yan army. He defeated the Lingbi army, captured peace, and subdued more than 100,000 people.
Zhu Neng's battle achievements were great, and he was promoted to the post of governor of the right army. In the Battle of Sizhou, Zhu Di ordered Zhu Neng and Qiu Fu to lead hundreds of soldiers to form a death squad and sneak in from the rear of the Southern Army.
Because of the quiet attack of the death squad led by Zhu Neng and Qiu Fu, which caused chaos in the southern army, Zhu Di took this opportunity to send troops, defeated the southern army, and captured Surabaya.
After capturing Surabaya, the next step was the Huai River. After defeating Sheng Yong's army and crossing the Huai River, Zhu Di led his army straight down Yangzhou and towards Nanjing.
After crossing the Yangtze River, Zhu Di led his army to attack Jinchuanmen, which was the last obstacle to seizing the world. Unexpectedly, Li Jinglong and Gu King Zhu Sui directly opened the door and surrendered.
Since then, Zhu Di has entered the Jinchuan Gate and conquered the city of Nanjing. On June 17, the fourth year of Jianwen (1402), Zhu Di ascended the throne in Nanjing as emperor. Throughout Zhu Neng's two appearances, each of them played a crucial role.
The first time he saved Zhu Di from danger, he can be called Zhu Di's "lifesaver". The second time stabilized the army's morale and laid the foundation for Zhu Di's accession to the throne as emperor.
It is a pity that the knighthood has only been passed for 12 generations
In 1402, Zhu Di succeeded to the throne in Nanjing and became the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty. The name of Jianwen was abolished, and the year name of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty was used, and the fourth year of Jianwen was changed to the thirty-fifth year of Hongwu, and the name of the country was changed to Yongle in the second year.
At this point, everything has settled. After that, it is about merit and reward. According to Zhu Neng's battle exploits and Zhu Neng's "kindness" to Zhu Di, his reward will not be less.
When it comes to meritorious rewards, his rewards are second only to Qiu Fu. Qiu Fu can be said to be the first hero of the "Battle of Jingjian", and was named the Duke of Qi by Zhu Di. Zhu Neng's battle merits are second only to him, which shows that his merits are not small.
Zhu Neng was awarded by Zhu Di the title of Fengtian Jing, Cheng Xuanli Wuchen, Special Jin Ronglu Daifu, Right Pillar State, and Left Military Governor.
"Fengtian Jing is difficult to promote sincerity and promote the strength of Wuchen" is an honorary title, similar to the modern "excellent teacher". However, this title is also divided into three, six and nine.
"Fengtian Jingyan" was a second-class title during the Ming Dynasty, symbolizing that this person was a meritorious minister in the "Battle of Jingyan". The first-class title can only be held by the founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty, which shows that Zhu Neng's status is second only to the founding heroes.
"Special Jin Ronglu Dafu" is the title of military attaché loose official, which is a positive product, and there were 30 kinds of military attaché scattered official titles in the Ming Dynasty, and "Tejin Ronglu Dafu" was the highest level of military attaché scattered official title.
"Right Pillar Country" is a military attaché medal, which is rewarded according to meritorious deeds, and it is also a positive product, which is the highest rank of military attaché.
"Left Military Governor of the Left Military Capital" is an official position with real power. The capital governorate established by the Ming Dynasty could hold military power. And in the Governor's Mansion, the highest level and the most powerful is the Governor.
Zhu Di can make Zhu Neng an official in charge of military power, and it can be said that he trusts Zhu Neng very much.
Zhu Neng was also made the Duke of Chengguo, with 2,200 stones a year, and Zhu Neng's title of "Duke of Chengguo" could also be hereditary.
Almost all of the rewards that Zhu Di gave to Zhu Neng were of the highest level, which was enough to show that Zhu Di valued Zhu Neng, and also showed from the side that Zhu Neng's ability was good.
In the third year of Zhu Di's succession, that is, in the second year of Yongle (1404), Zhu Neng was appointed crown prince. This shows that Ming Chengzu Zhu Di values Zhu Neng's trust and ability.
In July of the fourth year of Yongle (1406), due to the rebellion of the foreign Qi of the Chen Dynasty in Annan, the envoys sent by Zhu Di to the Chen Dynasty were also killed by the rebels, so Zhu Di named Zhu Neng as the "general of conquest" and went to Annan to fight the rebels.
Zhu Neng and Mu Sheng, the Marquis of Xiping, went on a campaign together, and in Guangxi and Yunnan the army divided into two ways to attack Annan, and Zhu Di also personally came out to see him off.
But who expected that in October of that year, Zhu Neng led the army to Longzhou, and died in the army due to water and soil disobedience, only thirty-seven years old. I never expected that a generation of fierce generals would die in this way, which is regrettable!
Zhu Neng's death also made Zhu Di's heart ache. Zhu Neng and Zhang Yu were originally Zhu Di's "right arm", Zhang Yu had already died in the Battle of Dongchang, and Zhu Di naturally cherished this "remaining arm" even more.
Coupled with the love that Zhu Neng has followed since childhood, it makes Zhu Di's heart ache even more. Zhu Di buried Zhu Neng in Changping and posthumously created him the Prince of Dongping, with the nickname Wulie.
Zhu Neng, a man who is not arrogant in victory or discouraged, has courage and resourcefulness, dares to say and do, and loves soldiers in peacetime, so when the soldiers in the army learned of his death, they all wept with grief.
After Zhu Neng's death, his son inherited the title of Duke of Chengguo. Zhu Neng's son Zhu Yong was also a hero in battle, and finally died in battle to protect Zhu Qizhen of Ming Yingzong.
Counting each generation of Chengguo Gong, it seems that they have inherited Zhu Neng's ability and style, and each generation has made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty and is unswervingly following Daming. Until Zhu Chunchen, the twelfth generation of the inheritance.
At that time, Li Zicheng had already led the army to attack Beijing. The Chongzhen Emperor summoned Zhu Chunchen and ordered him to carry a secret edict to secretly assist the crown prince. Who expected that Emperor Chongzhen looked away, and Zhu Chunchen actually surrendered to Li Zicheng.
The eleventh generation of the Zhu family's loyalty came to an abrupt end at this moment!
Zhu Chunchen opened the Chaoyang Gate and voluntarily surrendered to Li Zicheng. He originally thought that voluntarily surrendering would be reused by Li Zicheng, but he did not expect that Li Zicheng would order Zhu Chunchen to be executed after capturing Beijing.
Zhu Chunchen can be said to be dead, but the reputation accumulated by the eleventh generation ancestors of the Zhu family has been dragged down by this person.
Zhu Neng single-handedly won the wealth and glory of the eleventh generation of the Zhu family; However, Zhu Chunchen single-handedly caused the Zhu family to collapse overnight.
However, although Zhu Chunchen is hateful, the achievements of the first eleven generations of the Zhu family for the Ming Dynasty are also undeniable. These eleven generations of the Zhu family are all loyal people.
Especially Zhu Neng, as the first generation of Chengguo Gong, his contribution and character are worthy of admiration by future generations. The quality of daring to say and do and the great wisdom of courage and resourcefulness in him are worth learning from future generations.
It's just that such a loyal person, but his family descendants end up like this next time, it can't help but make people regret!
Resources:
"Ming Shi Zhu Neng"
"The End of the Chronicle of the History of the Ming Dynasty"