Preface: On April 13, the first year of Jianwen (1399 AD), the Xiangwang Mansion in Jingzhou was surrounded by officials and troops. On the grounds of rebellion, the imperial court prepared to escort Zhu Bai the King of Xiang back to Beijing to study Nanjing for questioning. Zhu Bai has always been proud and arrogant, how can he endure such a trumped-up charge.
Several princes who had been cut down before had become prisoners, and King Xiang did not plan to follow in their footsteps. After tidying up his clothes, Ju Bai set fire to the palace, and then jumped into the raging fire to die Mingzhi. Most of them, including Princess Wu of Xiang, and the people of the palace were martyred by death.
Wang Yangtian sighed: "Oh, when the ministers of the previous life met the dynasty, they were sentenced to prison. He is the son of Emperor Taizu and the king of the south. Tai Zu Bin Tian, the disease is not enough, the meeting is not enough. What is the joy of holding the world? Who will now be humiliated by slaves? I can't live too. "For he wept bitterly, and the ground was wet, followed by blood, and he died on fire with his clothes, and all the palaces were obeyed. —"Xiangxian King Shinto Inscription"
Xiang King Zhu Bai stills
When the news reached Beiping, Zhu Di, the king of Yan, was shocked and afraid. Six years ago, at the canonization ceremony of the crown prince, he and his twelfth brother Zhu Bai were the prince's representatives who witnessed the whole process. Judging from the evil "evil" given to King Xiang after his death, the imperial court had no remorse, and he was obviously the next target.
In July of that year, Zhu Di, who was stabbed to his neck, had to rebel. Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunjiang ordered that his fourth uncle be deposed as a commoner, and on the other hand, he quickly mobilized an army of 300,000 to the north to suppress the rebellion. The imperial court was so strict with the sect, so what was the attitude of Zhu Di's other surviving brothers and sisters during the three-year Jing War? What kind of situation did they have after the war?
In the midst of appeasement: each side of the road
On the 10th day of the fifth month of the leap month in the thirty-first year of Hongwu (1398 AD), Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Daming Dynasty, died, and his grandson Zhu Yunjiang ascended the throne. After this emperor, who was deeply engulfed by the Jiangnan landlord literati clique, ascended the throne, he immediately implemented the so-called "Jianwen New Policy" and attacked the imperial prince Wuxun.
Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang stills
Less than 100 days after the death of Emperor Taizu, his doting youngest son Zhu Yu the King of Zhou was deposed as a commoner, and the whole family was assigned to Yunnan to fill the army. In the Jianwen period, the emperor's seventh uncle Zhu Yu the Prince of Qi, the thirteenth uncle Zhu Gui the Dynasty, and the eighteenth uncle Zhu Feng, the Prince of Min, were deposed one after another. And the self-immolation of the twelfth uncle Zhu Bai the King of Xiang completely tore off the mask of false benevolence and false righteousness of the Jianwen imperial court. At the beginning of his army, Zhu Di, the king of Yan, made a strong criticism of the perverse actions of the imperial court:
Trust the evil and learn the ancestral law, and the kings will see the slaughter when they are small. Before the deadline, the five kings were captured, and the king of Xiang was forced to set himself on fire in the palace. Since I have guarded the domain, I have been cautious, obeyed the law and kept my points, and did not dare to violate it. Than using evil words, there is no reason to see doubts. Yesterday, he sent people to do something, and the jailer was prepared for great pain, forcing him to confess his conspiracy. If you do nothing, you will want to do harm. Heaven and earth, temples, gods are above, and all the ears and ears of Ercao are below, Wu Guo has this heart? It has been heard that the world's military horses have been transferred for four episodes, and the lives of my father and son's family are at stake. —Records of Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty, Volume II
As the saying goes, the rabbit dies and the fox is sad, the lips are cold, so many brothers are either deposed, or commit suicide, or rebel, can Zhu Yuanzhang's other children be indifferent? Before talking about this, let's take a look at the living princes and princesses at the beginning of the Yasuka War.
At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the national policy of "princes and frontiers" was implemented, and when the princes became adults, they would go to the feudal state to defend the frontiers for the imperial court. The kings had powerful officers and soldiers of the Three Guards and were known as the "King of Sai". The details of the princes who had been appointed to the clan at that time were as follows:
The sixth son, Zhu Zhen the Prince of Chu, was granted the title of Wuchang. The eleventh son, Zhu Chun the Prince of Shu, sealed the state of Chengdu. The fourteenth son, Zhu Yang the Prince of Su, was granted the title of Ganzhou. The fifteenth son, Zhu Zhi the Prince of Liao, was granted the title of Guangning. The sixteenth son, Zhu Li the Prince of Qing, was granted the title of Ningxia. The seventeenth son, Zhu Quan the Prince of Ning, was granted the title of Great Ning. The nineteenth son, Zhu Qi, the king of Gu, was granted the title of Xuanfu.
Yan King Zhu Di stills
In addition, the King of Zhou in Kaifeng, the King of Qi in Qingzhou, the Dai King of Datong, and the King of Min in Yunnan have been deposed, and the King of Xiang of Jingzhou has died. Zhu Shangbing the King of Qin in Xi'an and Zhu Jixi the King of Jin in Taiyuan were the second princes and were cousins to the emperor Zhu Yunjiang. In addition, there are several princes who have not yet taken up the domain in Beijing:
The twentieth son Zhu Song the Prince of Han, the twenty-first son Zhu Mo the Prince of Shen, the twenty-second son Zhu Yu the Prince of An, the twenty-third son Zhu Huan the Prince of Tang, the twenty-fourth son Zhu Dong the Prince of Ying, and the twenty-fifth son Zhu Yu the Prince of Yi.
Different from the image of the mascot in later generations, the princesses and colts of the Taizu line during the Jianwen period also played a huge role in the Jingyan War. Let's first take a look at the princesses and colts who were titled and living at that time:
The eldest daughter Princess Lin'an, the second daughter Princess Ningguo and Horse Meiyin, the sixth daughter Princess Huaiqing and Princess Wang Ning, the seventh daughter Daimyo Princess and Princess Li Jian, the eighth daughter Princess Fuqing, the eleventh daughter Princess Nankang and Huguan, the twelfth daughter Princess Yongjia, the fourteenth daughter Princess Hanshan and the horse Yin Qing, the fifteenth daughter Princess Ruyang and the horse Xieda.
- Stand in line with the Yan King
Different from the conjectures of later generations, Emperor Jianwen's means of cutting the domain were actually very mature and old-fashioned. When Zhu Di first started his army, he looked around and found that the King of Qi and the King of Dai, who could provide him with support, had been abolished, and the only people who could win over were the King of Liao, the King of Ning, and the King of Gu. As a result, King Liao and King Gu returned to Jing from the sea road, and the other personally led the escort army to abandon Xuanfu and go south. Only King Ning resisted and was placed under house arrest in Daning.
Ning King Zhu Quan stills
Among the several Sai kings, King Ning was "known for his good strategy", and his guards were brave and good at fighting, which made King Yan coveted, thinking that "taking the side to help the war, great things will help". In fact, the three guards of Yanshan under King Yan's own command are extremely elite, far more powerful than the three guards of Duoyan who were blown into the sky, after all, in the last years of Hongwu, King Yan had three things: eating, sleeping, and playing Duoyan Sanwei.
But here we have to talk about Zhu Yuanzhang's political wisdom, although the prince's guards are strong in battle, they also have a weakness: insufficient numbers. It is no problem for an army of tens of thousands of people to fight Duoyan Sanwei, but it is too difficult to face the imperial court that requires millions of people. Therefore, although Zhu Di defeated the army led by Geng Bingwen, the Marquis of Changxing, in August, he could only return to Beiping, which is the reason.
At this time, Li Jinglong, the Duke of Cao, took over the command of Geng Bingwen, and the imperial court once again carried out military mobilization, and the army was about to launch a general attack on Beiping. In order to solve the problem of insufficient troops, Zhu Di left his son Zhu Gaojie to defend the city, and he led his elite cavalry to attack Daning in the north, not only saving his younger brother King Ning, but also taking in King Ning's guards. The combination of Yanning troops was the decisive factor in the final victory of the Jingjian War.
Quan entered the Yan army, and was always the king of Yan. King Yan said power, things were done, and the world was divided. —History of the Ming Dynasty, Volume 17, Legend 5
Yan King Zhu Di stills
In addition to Zhu Quan, the king of Ning, the only other people who supported the fourth brother King Yan were Princess Huaiqing and her horse Wang Ning.
This Wang Luma was in charge of the Later Military Governor's Office in the last years of Hongwu, and was in charge of the Beiping Capital, the Northern Parallel Capital, the Shanxi Division, the Shanxi Xingdu Division, the Yanshan Three Guards, and the Taiyuan Three Guards, so there was a lot of intersection with Zhu Di. After the start of the Jingjian War, Wang Ning repeatedly transmitted information to the Yan army, and after being discovered by Zhu Yunjiang, not only was he imprisoned, but even Princess Huaiqing's family property was confiscated.
In Jianwenzhong, Yu Yan was a courtier, and through his family, he was a Jinyi guard. —History of the Ming Dynasty, Volume 121, Legend IX
- Take sides with the imperial court
Because Emperor Jianwen's methods against the sect were extremely ferocious, in fact, no one really supported the imperial court. The king of Liao returned to Beijing on his orders, and the king of Gu abandoned the country and went south, just because he didn't want to cause trouble.
Other princes with heavy troops, whether they were the kings of Chu and Shu of their uncles, or the kings of Qin and Jin of their cousins, remained silent during the three-year Jingjian War and did not provide a single soldier to the imperial court. In fact, the superintendent of the Jianwen Dynasty, Yushi Kangyu, once appealed to the imperial court, hoping to invite the king of Chu and the king of Shu to come out of the mountains to assist the government, so that they could persuade the king of Yan to quit. This unrealistic fantasy naturally would not be adopted by the emperor.
Fu wishes to rise and die, release the prisoner of the king of Qi, seal the tomb of the king of Xiang, return the king of Zhou to the Jingshi division, welcome Chu and Shu as the Duke of Zhou, and then order his sons to hold a letter to persuade Yan, to strike Gangge, to Dun's relatives, the world is very lucky! —Chronicle of the History of the Ming Dynasty, Volume XVI
Stills of Princess Ningguo and Empress Ma
However, compared to the princes, except for Princess Huaiqing, other Taizu princesses and colts all supported Zhu Yunjiang with practical actions.
Princess Ningguo was the sister of Zhu Di the Prince of Yan, but she wrote to rebuke her brother at the beginning of the Jing disaster, and Mei Yin was Zhu Yuanzhang's chosen minister of Tuogu. At the end of the third year of Jianwen, Mei Luma was ordered to lead an army to guard Huai'an, so that Zhu Di, who was going south, always had the feeling of a thorn in his back.
And the daimyo princess Li Jian was the left deputy general at the time of Geng Bingwen Fa Yan, Marquis of Changxing, and was made Marquis of Luancheng for meritorious service. Princess Nankang Huguan, the main general at the time of Cao Guogong's Li Jinglong and Yan, was once scolded by Zhu Di for being angry and corrupt.
The generals said: "Li Jiujiang is big and unscheming, and he likes to be authoritarian and disobeys the public. Guo Yingmai retreated, safe and self-serving. Hu Guanjiao was indomitable, and Wu Jie was cowardly and unbroken. The number of sons is a man, and in vain. How can the crowd be shamed? If you are undisciplined, you are prone to chaos. And hit before, after or not knowing. What is the benefit of hitting left and right is not corresponding? —Records of Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty, Volume VI
Cao Guogong Li Jinglong stills
Although Princess Yongjia Guo Zhen died in the first month of Jianwen's first year, her husband, Guo Ying, Marquis of Wuding, was one of the core generals of the imperial court against King Yan. And her younger brother-in-law, Guo Ming, the treasure of the Liao Prince's Mansion, committed suicide when the Yan army went south.
After the appeasement: clear rewards and punishments
In May of the fourth year of Jianwen (1402 AD), when the Yan army approached the north bank of the Yangtze River, the panicked Zhu Yunjiang asked his uncle and aunt in Beijing to write a letter to Zhu Di, persuading him to retire and return north.
Zhu Laosi almost became happy after receiving the letter, and immediately wrote back to his brothers and sisters, saying that it was impossible to retire from the army, and it was impossible in this life. I came this time to "condemn the evil and support the sect", and you should quickly move out of the city to save the time when the jade and stone are burned.
On the 3rd day of June, the Yan army crossed the Yangtze River and stationed at Longtan, a stone's throw away from the Jingshi Division, on the 6th of the first month. On the 11th, the kings of Jing were ordered to leave the city and came to the Yan army camp to discuss peace. Zhu Yunjiang's purpose was to delay time and win that the Qin Wang's army from all over the country could arrive in time to surround the Yan army under the city of Nanjing. Zhu Di took this opportunity to rebel against Zhu Qi, the king of the valley.
Zhu Di stills
On June 13, Zhu Qi, the king of Gu, and Li Jinglong, the Duke of Cao, opened the Jinchuan Gate as agreed and put the Yan army into the city. Caught off guard, Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunjiang was cornered and could only set himself on fire in the Fengtian Hall in the imperial palace, and King Xiang's spirit in the sky was also considered to have no regrets. Fang Xiaozi, Qi Tai, Huang Zicheng and other "traitors" who advocated the reduction of the clan were all executed.
On the 17th, Zhu Di ascended the throne as emperor, becoming the third emperor of the Daming Dynasty. So what would he do with his brothers and sisters? Let's take a look.
- The end of the princes
Zhu Yu the King of Zhou, Zhu Yu the King of Qi, Zhu Gui the Acting King, and Zhu Feng, the Prince of Min, all reinstated their titles and returned to their respective fiefdoms.
Zhu Bai, the king of Xiang, was called the king of Xiangxian and rebuilt the crown tomb for him in Jingzhou. The admonition "wise and wise, to Wynd" is a beautiful saying.
The king of the valley, Zhu Qi, with the merit of offering the Jinchuan Gate, increased the rice by 3,000 stones, and changed the fiefdom from Xuanfu to Changsha. The Gu King's guards were rewarded with 587 people. The reason why he rebelled against King Gu was because he fled south with the escort army and had enough troops to control the defense of Jinchuanmen.
Cao Guogong Li Jinglong and Gu Wang Zhu Qiao stills
Although Zhu Quan the King of Ning had great merits, Zhu Di did not fulfill his promise to share the world with him, and only changed his fiefdom from Daning to Nanchang.
Zhu Zhi the King of Liao offended his fourth brother and relocated the state from Liaodong to Jingzhou. After that, he was cut off from the guard, and he was depressed for life.
- The ending of the princesses
After Zhu Di ascended the throne, Wang Ning not only regained his freedom, took back the family property confiscated by Zhu Yunjiang, but was also made the Marquis of Yongchun. As for the other colts, luck wasn't so good.
Princess Mei Yin of Ningguo, in March of the third year of Yongle (1405 AD), was squeezed into the river and drowned by Tan Shen, the former military governor, and Zhao Xi, the commander of Jinyiwei. Princess Ningguo decided that this matter was the mastermind of the fourth brother, but what could be done?
Princess Ningguo stills
The daimyo princess Li Jian was captured by the Yan army in the Battle of Zhending, but died inexplicably on the way to Beiping. After Zhu Di attacked the Jing Division, he made a list of traitors, and Li Jian's name was prominently listed. Fearful of the daimyo princess, she specially entered the palace to find the fourth brother, expressing her willingness to hand over the world coupons of the Marquis of Luancheng, only hoping that the fourth brother could spare his son Li Zhuang.
Princess Huguan of Nankang, in the fifth year of Yongle (1407 AD), was imprisoned on the charge of "party than Li Jinglong", and finally died in prison in an unknown way.
As for Princess Yongjia, after the death of her husband Guo Ying, her hereditary marquis of Wuding was removed.
Conclusion: The essence of the Jingjian War was a power struggle between the landlords and the clan and Wuxun in Jiangnan. Both the kings of Chu, Shu, and the second generation of Qin and Jin saw this clearly, so they all remained silent in this war and did not support the imperial court. At the same time, because the imperial court has always been in the inferior position, there is no time to take care of these princes.
But why didn't anyone help Zhu Di? The reason is also very simple, there is only one emperor's throne, can it still be divided equally? What happened to King Ning, who got on the thief's ship, after the battle, undoubtedly confirmed the judgment of the kings. To be honest, if King Yan loses, these princes are afraid that they will also be settled by the imperial court. But in case both the imperial court and the Yan King are defeated, won't he have a chance?
However, the attitude of the princesses is very interesting, and the colts, as foreign relatives, almost all of them are on the side of the emperor. It is possible that under the joint pressure of the clan and Wuxun, the civil landlords could only give benefits to the foreign relatives with the colts as the core to obtain their support.