When it comes to the change of Tumu Fort, everyone knows that this is a great shame in the history of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Zhu Qizhen, who was in charge of the imperial conquest, became a prisoner of Wala, and the Daming dynasty was in danger.
At a critical time for survival, the ministers of the Ming Dynasty launched a great debate about whether to move the capital or not. In the end, Zhu Qizhen's younger brother Zhu Qizhen ascended the throne and regained his humility, winning the defense of Beijing and preserving the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Qizhen was captured on August 15, the 14th year of the Orthodox era.
Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne on the sixth day of September in the 14th year of orthodoxy.
A full 21 days abounded.
What happened to the imperial court in Beijing during these 21 days? Why did the monarchs decide to hold on to Beijing? How did Zhu Qiyu become emperor?
In this article, we will talk about the ups and downs of the Ming Dynasty in these 21 days, from the capture of Zhu Qizhen to the accession of Zhu Qizhen to the accession of Zhu Qizhen.
Stage 1: Is the Emperor still alive?
On August 15, the 14th year of the Orthodox era, it was supposed to be the Mid-Autumn Festival. And the army of Zhu Qizhen was in trouble in Tumu Fort.
This is already their 3rd day at Tumu Fort. There was no water source in this place, and the army of more than 100,000 people was hungry and thirsty, and they dug two wells, but still did not dig water.
There was a river 15 miles south of the fort, but it was controlled by the Vara army. Just the night before, Vara had launched an attack on the Ming army.
Suddenly, things took a turn. The Walla also sent people to negotiate peace, and in order to show their sincerity, the army also began to retreat.
Shangshu of the military department was keenly aware of the fraud and opposed it. Wang Zhen, Zhu Qizhen's most trusted eunuch, hit the nail on the head: the crisis had been lifted and the army had begun to shift.
The army had only set out for two or three miles, and Wala's army turned back and began to attack the Ming army. The Ming army, which was poor and unprepared, was crushed by one blow, and 52 heavy ministers died in battle.
In the chaos, Emperor Zhu Qizhen also became a prisoner of the Vara people.
The news of the defeat of the Ming army spread back to the capital. In the harem, the Empress Dowager and the Empress cried together. The ministers of the former dynasty were also in chaos.
At that time, the army of Vara was like a broken bamboo, and the front was directed at the city of Beijing. And the elite army in the capital was taken away by Zhu Qizhen, and there were less than 100,000 old and weak soldiers stationed in Beijing, and it was difficult to keep the Beijing division no matter how you looked at it.
At the moment of the attack, King Shangshu of Hube asked a question that hit the soul: Is His Majesty still alive?
After all, if Zhu Qizhen died, things would be easier to handle, and a new emperor would be established immediately. If Zhu Qizhen was still alive and fell into the hands of the Varas, and the Vara people used him to threaten the Ming Dynasty, things would be troublesome.
Not long after, a Jinyi Wei Qianhu named Liang Gui brought the latest news: the emperor was still alive and had been captured by the Vara people, and ordered him to return to get a ransom for Yexian.
The ministers were still hesitating, but Zhu Qizhen's mother, Empress Dowager Sun and Empress Qian, could not sit still, and as soon as they heard that they could redeem people, they immediately raised a batch of jewelry in the harem and sent them to Yexian.
As you can imagine, this batch of jewelry is like a mud cow into the sea. The jewelry was gone, and the people of Zhu Qi did not return.
Stage 2: Move south or hold on?
Even if a small number of the ministers and harems of the Ming Dynasty were immersed in the fantasy that Zhu Qizhen might be redeemed, they still clearly knew that the most urgent task was how to preserve the Daming's social welfare.
During this period, one of the most important issues for the imperial court was whether to hold on to Beijing and face the powerful Walla head-on, or whether to move the capital back to Nanjing and avoid it.
These two options have their own advantages and disadvantages.
If they stay in Beijing, the Vara soldiers are strong and strong, and even Zhu Qizhen, who led the elite army, is taken prisoner, what will these old and weak soldiers in the capital take to resist the Vara soldiers? Once the capital falls, the Ming royal family and ministers may be wiped out by the Walla as in the late Northern Song Dynasty, and the rule of the Ming Dynasty will be shaky.
If you move back to Nanjing, you can keep the royal family and ministers, but it also means giving up the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains in the north, and it will be difficult to fight back in the future. The Ming Dynasty may henceforth be like the Southern Song Dynasty, a corner of peace, and the people in the north may also suffer from destruction.
This great controversy took place in the early dynasty on August 17, two days after Zhu Qizhen was captured.
The first to speak was Xu Jue, an attendant from the Hanlin Academy. His reasons were very strong: before Zhu Qizhen's personal campaign, he watched the sky at night and felt that he was going to lose, and no one believed him; Now that Zhu Qizhen has been captured, he once again watched the sky at night and found that he should move south to avoid the army, and this time he had to believe him.
The old minister Hu Hu was the first to stand up and refute: Emperor Wen set the mausoleum here, which is to warn his descendants not to shake. Which of you dares to move south?
Emperor Wen refers to Zhu Di. His nickname was "Emperor Taizongwen". And the Ming Chengzu we know well was changed during the Jiajing period.
The Ming Dynasty has always paid attention to the ancestral family law, and Hu Hu took Zhu Di out to tell things, which was very effective.
When he was anxious, Yu Qian stood up and said impassionedly: Those who move south can be cut!
Taking the Southern Song Dynasty as an example, he pointed out that once the Jingshi was abandoned, the Ming Dynasty would fall into a situation of irreparable disaster, and it would be difficult to reclaim the city of Beijing in the future.
Under the influence of Yu Qian, important ministers such as Shangshu Wang Zhi, cabinet bachelor Chen Xun, and Lian Zhong Sanyuan's Shang Luo all came forward to support Yu Qian. Their persistence impressed Zhu Qiyu, who presided over the meeting, and Zhu Qiyu finally decided to stay and hold the city of Beijing.
Stage 3: How to punish Wang Zhen's henchmen?
On August 18, the 14th year of the Orthodox Dynasty, three days after Zhu Qizhen was captured, the day after the imperial court decided to stay in Beijing, Empress Dowager Sun formally issued an edict, ordering Zhu Qiyu, the king of Zhu Qizhen, who had previously been guarding the capital, to act as a national official and deal with the Walla with all his might.
At the suggestion of Zhu Qiyu Yuqian, soldiers and horses were dispatched from various places to aid Beijing, and the people's hearts were slightly settled.
At the same time, he also made a very important decision: trust and Qian were restored, and Yu Qian was promoted to Shangshu of the military department, with full responsibility for the defense of Beijing.
On the 22nd, Empress Dowager Sun issued another edict and made Zhu Qizhen's eldest son, Zhu Jianshen, crown prince. Because Zhu Jianshen was only 2 years old and too young, he was still supervised by Zhu Qiyu and controlled the affairs of the court.
The general policy of the imperial court to stay in Beijing has been set, soldiers and horses from all over the country are rushing to Beijing, and there is an adult king Zhu Qiyu in the capital to oversee the country, and a prince has been appointed as a prince in case of accidents. Things seem to have turned a little around.
However, there are still many people who are pessimistic about whether this battle can be won. Many wealthy families in the capital were ready to transfer their property, and some ministers began to send their families to Nanjing to take refuge.
At this critical moment of pressure, the ministers' resentment against Wang Zhen and his henchmen cannot be contained.
As early as before the change of Tumu Fort, the eunuch Wang Zhen took over the power of the dynasty with the connivance of Emperor Ming Yingzong. In order to get rich from promotion, many officials attached themselves to him, and even recognized him as a godfather. Some officials who were unwilling to submit to him were retaliated by him.
The change of the Tumu Fort is also inseparable from him. It was at his instigation and support that Zhu Qizhen insisted on pro-conquest despite the opposition of the courtiers; It was precisely because of his selfishness and blind command that he delayed the fighter, resulting in the loss of the elite of the three major battalions of the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Qizhen became a prisoner.
Although Wang Zhen had died in Tumu Fort, his henchmen still held important positions in the imperial court. While the ministers were preparing for war, their resentment against these people skyrocketed.
On August 23, the 14th year of the Orthodox Dynasty, the day after Zhu Jianshen was made crown prince, Zhu Qiyu of the overseer of the state personally went to the noon gate to preside over the imperial meeting.
Chen Yi, the right capital of the capital of the Metropolitan Prosecutor's Office, was the first to play and demand that Wang Zhen's henchmen be punished. He listed Wang Zhen's crimes and said sadly and indignantly: Wang Zhen has brought calamity to the country and the people, endangering the society, if he does not destroy the clan to appease the people's hearts, the ministers would rather die than agree!
As he spoke, sorrow came from it, and he wept bitterly.
His emotions infected the ministers, and for a while, the cry above the court shook the heavens, and the crowd was excited.
Zhu Qiyu, who is not yet 22 years old and has been a rich and idle king for half of his life, couldn't help but panic when he saw this situation. He didn't know what to do, and perhaps he was worried that one day when Zhu Qizhen returned, he would blame him for disposing of Wang Zhen privately, so he ordered that it be discussed another day.
The mood of the hundred officials has already been raised, how can there be another day? Seeing that Zhu Qiyu got up to leave, they all hugged forward, knelt on the ground and begged bitterly: The emperor was captured, it was all caused by Wang Zhen, if His Highness did not dispose of Wang Zhen, how could he calm people's hearts?
One of Wang Zhen's dead friends, Jinyi Wei Ma Shun, saw that the situation was a little out of control, so he loudly rebuked the ministers and wanted to drive them away.
At this moment, the emotions of the ministers completely exploded. Huke gave Wang Lang suddenly rushed out, grabbed Ma Shun's hair, bit his face when he opened his mouth, and said loudly: Ma Shun used to rely on Wang Zhen and help cause abuse, and now he dares to show his might, and he is an out-and-out traitor!
The group of ministers rushed up, punched and kicked Ma Shun, and Ma Shun died on the spot.
After Ma Shun's death, Qunchen asked Zhu Qiyu to raid Wang Zhen's home. At this moment, the stunned Zhu Qiyu had to agree.
At this time, even the soldiers in charge of guarding the court could not help but burst into tears.
After Zhu Qiyu ordered the Wang Zhen family to be exterminated, he immediately got up and returned to the pavilion. But the ministers remained outside and refused to disperse. Zhu Qiyu then ordered the eunuch Jin Ying to come out and ask what else they wanted.
The red-eyed courtiers said that Wang Zhen's two important henchmen, the eunuchs Mao Gui and Wang Changsui, happened to accompany Zhu Qiyu and asked Zhu Qiyu to dispose of them together.
Jin Young was already at odds with these two, and as soon as he heard this, he immediately kicked the two out of the door, allowing them to be killed by the angry courtiers.
This court brawl and murder incident is also rare and shocking in the history of the Ming Dynasty, and is known as the "Noonday Gate Blood Case".
Through the noon gate bloody case, the ministers not only made Zhu Qiyu order to dispose of Wang Zhen's henchmen, but also vented the hatred that had been buried in their hearts for a long time. The work of defending Daming can be regarded as pulling out a very important thorn, making people's hearts further settled, and the ministers can concentrate on preparing for war.
It is worth mentioning that during the whole process of the noonday blood case, Yu Qian did not participate in the fight from beginning to end. But at the critical moment, he stood up, took Zhu Qiyu's arm and pleaded: Ma Shun and others deserve death, not killing is not enough to calm anger, the ministers are just concerned about the society, there is no other idea, please Your Highness do not blame.
Zhu Qiyu agreed.
After all, fighting and killing people in the court, no matter what the reason, is guilty. Zhu Qiyu promised not to pursue this crime again, so that the ministers had no worries about being liquidated at any time because of this matter.
Stage 4: Who will be the emperor?
Wang Zhen's accomplices had already been disposed of, and King Qin's army had rushed to Peking Chen, and the people's hearts gradually calmed down.
The army of the Vara is not far away either.
The moment of decisive battle is coming.
But the ministers soon discovered that they were still facing a huge problem: the emperor Zhu Qizhen was still in the hands of the Varas. And the Vara people, using Zhu Qizhen as a meat shield, have been blackmailing the Ming Dynasty, and also held him hostage to detain the gate.
And Zhu Qizhen, the emperor, is also particularly spineless, and he will do whatever Vara tells him to do, without taking the responsibility of Jiangshan Sheji on his shoulders at all.
This brought great trouble to the preparation of the Ming Dynasty for war.
The ministers, led by Yu Qian, realized that a new emperor must be appointed so that the imperial court could have a true backbone and Zhu Qizhen's order would be invalid.
But who will be the emperor?
Right now there are 3 options:
First, Zhu Qizhen's son Zhu Jianshen. This is the choice that seems most orthodox and most in line with etiquette.
Second, Zhu Qizhen's younger brother Zhu Qizhen. He is in the capital, he is in the country, and he can connect seamlessly.
Third, the only surviving half-brother of the first emperor Zhu Zhanji, King Xiang. He had twice imprisoned the country after Zhu Gaoji's death and when Zhu Zhanji was on his imperial conquest, and he experienced strong winds and waves and was trustworthy.
For Empress Dowager Sun, the best choice was naturally to make her own grandson Zhu Jianshen emperor. But Zhu Jianshen's age is too young, only less than 2 years old, even if he becomes an emperor, he needs an adult Wang Ye to preside over the overall situation, it is better to set up an adult in one step.
The adult Wang Ye is Zhu Qiyu or Xiang Wang. However, Zhu Qiyu was the son of Empress Dowager Sun's rival, and Empress Dowager Sun did not want to see him become emperor.
So, she took out the golden talisman that summoned King Xiang into Beijing, intending to let King Xiang succeed to the throne.
However, the ministers had different ideas.
They hoped to directly make Zhu Qiyu emperor.
Although a new emperor was to be established, an edict was issued in the name of the empress dowager, but the empress dowager of the Ming Dynasty had no real power after all. In the face of the ministers' request to appoint Zhu Qiyu as emperor, Empress Dowager Sun could not be stubborn.
In the end, Empress Dowager Sun issued an edict and made Zhu Qiyu the new emperor, leading his subjects to resist the Wala. Zhu Qizhen, on the other hand, was honored as Emperor Taishang.
On the sixth day of September in the fourteenth year of orthodoxy, Zhu Qiyu officially ascended the throne and changed his name to Jingtai. Therefore, later generations also called him Emperor Jingtai, or Emperor Mingjing.
At this time, a full 21 days had passed since Zhu Qizhen was captured.
Why can Zhu Qiyu become emperor?
We all know that there were a total of 3 candidates for the new emperor at that time, one was Zhu Jianshen, the eldest son of Zhu Qizhen, one was Zhu Qizhen, and the other was Zhu Qizhen's fifth uncle Xiangwang.
Why did Zhu Qiyu finally ascend the throne?
I think there are three main reasons.
- First, the Ming Dynasty needed a backbone.
To understand why Zhu Qizhen became emperor, we need to know why the Ming Dynasty needed a new emperor at this time, rather than waiting for Zhu Qizhen to return and continue to be emperor.
One of the most important reasons was that if Zhu Qizhen was still nominally emperor, then the ministers would have to obey his orders, and it would be difficult for the imperial court to prepare for war.
If Zhu Qizhen gave an order to make the Ming Dynasty give up resistance and surrender directly to Wala, what would the ministers do?
The best way is naturally to abolish Zhu Qizhen's status as emperor and install a new emperor in the imperial court, and from then on, Zhu Qizhen's orders are invalid, and the Ming Dynasty only follows the new emperor's orders, only obeying the new emperor's orders.
It turns out that after Zhu Qizhen ascended the throne, as emperor, he ordered the front line not to obey any orders from Zhu Qizhen, which had a positive impact on the Ming Dynasty's final victory in the battle.
- Second, Zhu Qiyu's identity and age are appropriate.
According to the inheritance law of the Ming Dynasty, the most suitable person to inherit the throne should have been Zhu Jianshen, the eldest son of Zhu Qizhen.
But Zhu Jianshen is only 2 years old. If in peacetime, there are auxiliary ministers who can help him deal with the imperial government, at this critical juncture, the Ming Dynasty needs an emperor who can control the overall situation, not a mascot, they must establish an adult emperor.
In the sect room, after excluding Zhu Qizhen's son, the adult with the highest line of inheritance is Zhu Qizhen. He was the son of the first emperor Zhu Zhanji and the younger brother of Zhu Qizhen, and it was logical that he would succeed him.
In contrast, although King Xiang was more mature and stable and experienced the wind wolf, his inheritance was second to Zhu Qiyu after all. It is already expedient not to choose a new emperor among the descendants of Zhu Qizhen, and if even Zhu Zhanji's descendants abandon it, it is somewhat unjustifiable.
- Third, Zhu Qiyu happened to be in the capital.
At that time, Vara had already captured Zhu Qizhen and had been threatening the Ming Dynasty, and could overwhelm the city at any time.
And Zhu Qiyu was the only clan king in the capital at that time who could be the master. Other older clan kings all served in other places.
In the case of King Xiang, for example, his place of residence was Xiangyang Prefecture in Hubei Province, about 1,000 kilometers from Beijing. With the transportation conditions of the Ming Dynasty, it took a month to go round trip from Beijing to Xiangyang Prefecture. If you want to make him emperor, by the time you take him to Beijing, I am afraid that the defense of Beijing has already been fought.
The other clan kings are not close to each other, and they are really far from quenching their thirst.
And Zhu Qiyu, who is in Beijing, has undoubtedly become the choice that can best solve the problem at hand.
I think that if the situation of King Xiang and Zhu Qiyu were reversed, King Xiang was in Beijing and Zhu Qiyu was far away in Xiangwang's mansion, then, with the urgency of the situation, even if Zhu Qiyu's name was corrected, most of the ministers would directly appoint King Xiang as emperor.
Write at the end
After Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne, he returned to Qianqian, and finally won the victory in the defense of Beijing, preserving the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains of the Ming Dynasty.
After Zhu Qizhen lost his use value, only a year later, he was sent back by Wala. After that, he was imprisoned by Zhu Qiyu in Nangong and was not allowed to contact outsiders.
However, no one could have imagined that Zhu Qiyu had only been emperor for 8 years, and he would become terminally ill, and when he was seriously ill, he was taken away from the throne by Zhu Qizhen by taking the door.
Zhu Qizhen, the emperor who caused the elite of the three major battalions of the Ming Dynasty, more than 100,000 soldiers died in battle, and the Ming Dynasty almost followed in the footsteps of the Southern Song Dynasty, can actually regain the throne, which is really incomprehensible and angry.
Don't you think?