Zhu Yuanzhang, the legendary military commander, had ascended to the throne of the emperor, and he decided to establish a new dynasty, the Ming Dynasty. In order to stabilize the regime, he decided to follow the political system of the Yuan Dynasty, establish Zhongshu Province, and put the left and right prime ministers in order to build a strong administrative body.
Power struggle, political tension.
In 1370, a powerful coup d'état was staged at the Ming court. Yang Xian, the left chancellor of Zhongshu Province, was sentenced to death as a heavy minister of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. The news caused an uproar among the government and the public.
At that time, the Ming Dynasty had complex political forces. Two of the most striking political blocs — the eastern Zhejiang clique, headed by Liu Ji of Yushi Zhongzhong, and the Huaixi clique, headed by Li Shanchang, the left chancellor of Zhongshu Province, competed with each other for political dominance.
Yang Xian, as Liu Ji's confidant, is also an important member of the Zhedong Group. It was precisely because of Liu Ji's strong recommendation that he was reused by Zhu Yuanzhang and appointed as the governor of Zhongshu Province, responsible for assisting the prime minister in handling government affairs. His sudden death undoubtedly put the Zhedong Group and Liu Ji in a difficult situation.
On the other hand, the Huaixi Group led by Li Shanchang began a game of power. They took full advantage of the political turmoil caused by Yang Xian's death in an attempt to expand their influence. They established a delicate balance of power with Zhu Yuanzhang, which made the political situation in the Ming Dynasty even more tense.
Zhu Yuanzhang reused Yang Xian, and Yang Xian squeezed out Wang Guangyang, eventually leading to Wang Guangyang's exile.
In order to restrain the powerful Huaixi clique, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to reuse Yang Xian of the eastern Zhejiang clique. With Liu Ji's recommendation, Yang Xian soon rose to prominence in the dynasty and began to friction with Wang Guangyang in Zhongshu Province.
At that time, Li Shanchang had retired to recuperate, and Wang Guangyang, as the left prime minister, was responsible for the daily affairs of Zhongshu Province. However, Yang Xian is not satisfied with the status quo, he is against Wang Guangyang in everything, as long as it is proposed by Wang Guangyang, he will definitely oppose it, and what Wang Guangyang wants to do, he will also obstruct.
In order to completely exclude Wang Guangyang, Yang Xian instigated the attendant Liu Bing to impeach Wang Guangyang on the charge of "not being a good mother". Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to filial piety, and after receiving the impeachment, he immediately demoted Wang Guangyang to the people. However, Yang Xian did not stop there, and he immediately asked Liu Bing to continue to impeach Wang Guangyang, which eventually led to Wang Guangyang being exiled to Hainan Island.
After Wang Guangyang was expelled from Zhongshu Province, no one was in charge. Zhu Yuanzhang once asked Liu Ji's opinion on this matter to see if Yang Xian could be allowed to serve as prime minister. Although Liu Ji intended to cultivate the power of the Zhedong clique, he did not want to show his edge too much to arouse Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicion or even suppression. Therefore, he did not echo Zhu Yuanzhang's proposal, but only said that Yang Xian had the talent of a prime minister, but did not have the measure of a prime minister.
Zhu Yuanzhang reused Yang Xian, and Yang Xian squeezed out Wang Guangyang, eventually leading to Wang Guangyang's exile. Zhu Yuanzhang reused Yang Xian, and Yang Xian squeezed out Wang Guangyang, eventually leading to Wang Guangyang's exile.
Although he did not heed Liu Ji's advice, Zhu Yuanzhang still decided to make Yang Xian the left chancellor of Zhongshu. Yang Xian thus gained more power, and he vigorously cultivated his henchmen and formed gangs, so that the power of the eastern Zhejiang clique in the DPRK gradually rose.
Power struggles, collusion and betrayal, offend public anger
Hu Weiyong of the Huaixi Group said to Li Shanchang: "If Yang Xian becomes prime minister, it will be difficult for us Huaixi people to be promoted to high officials." In response to this threat, Li Shanchang took action by cleverly transferring Hu Weiyong to Zhongshu Province as a counselor.
Soon after, Yang Xian's brother Yang Xisheng angered Li Shanchang for something, and was suddenly removed from office by Li Shanchang. This action made Yang Xian very angry, and he decided to express his dissatisfaction with Li Shanchang to Zhu Yuanzhang, accusing Li Shanchang of not having the talent of a prime minister.
After Zhu Yuanzhang listened, he understood Yang Xian's motives, but at this time, he did not abandon Li Shanchang. Considering Li Shanchang's long-term dedication and merits for the Ming Dynasty, he chose to let Li Shanchang continue to serve as prime minister, while warning Yang Xian that there should be no more such remarks.
However, Yang Xian did not stop there. He continued to attack political opponents in the DPRK, and even instructed his attendant Liu Bing to impeach Zuo Anshan of the Criminal Department, accusing him of unfair judgment and framing good people. Li Shanchang immediately seized this opportunity and submitted a note to Zhu Yuanzhang, accusing Yang Xian of "squeezing out and framing ministers and acting recklessly."
After Zhu Yuanzhang saw this omission, he felt that the situation was serious, and he ordered Liu Bing to be arrested and interrogated. During the interrogation, Liu Bing confessed that Yang Xian had instructed him to attack Zuo Anshan. At this time, in order to protect himself, Liu Ji also stood up to expose Yang Xian's various evil deeds.
The matter intensified, and other ministers joined in exposing Yang Xian. Faced with so many accusations, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to take action. After the trial, it was found that Yang Xian had colluded with Liao Yongzhong, Marquis of Deqing, and other meritorious ministers. This made Zhu Yuanzhang intolerable, and in order to calm the anger, he ordered the execution of Yang Xian, Liu Bing, and others.
Personal opinion, for informational purposes only
I think this power struggle was an important event in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, reflecting the fierceness and brutality of the political struggle at that time. From what Hu Weiyong said to Li Shanchang, this struggle was doomed to a tragedy. Yang Xian's attack and Li Shanchang's counterattack reflected the brutality and unscrupulous competition of politics at that time. In the end, Zhu Yuanzhang's decisive action executed Yang Xian, Liu Bing, and others, bringing a cruel but necessary end to this power struggle.
While this struggle may be described in history as Zhu Yuanzhang's actions to balance Li Shanchang, I think it is more like a just trial. In this struggle, many ministers exposed Yang Xian's evil deeds, proving his political betrayal and improper methods. In order to calm the anger of the people, Zhu Yuanzhang executed Yang Xian, Liu Bing and others, also to maintain the stability and justice of the Ming Dynasty.
Of course, this struggle has also taught us profound lessons. Power struggles and collusion and betrayal are extremely dangerous behaviors that not only destabilize politics, but also pose great risks to individuals. Only by winning the political struggle in a fair, honest and transparent manner can the people's trust and support be truly gained.