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Introduction: During the Ming Dynasty, Jinyiwei was a mysterious and frightening existence. It originated from the "honor driving" guards and the forbidden army guards, although the official position was not prominent, but it was above tens of millions of people, directly obeying the emperor's orders and serving the emperor, but it also made the high-ranking officials of the imperial court panic and did not dare to talk lightly about the imperial government. This article will explore the rise, evolution, and eventual decline of Jinyiwei, as well as their important role in the history of the Ming Dynasty.
The origin of Jinyiwei is not for power, but to establish a system of etiquette. Zhu Yuanzhang created this organization, and he had forethought and knew that to become a legitimate emperor, he needed a legitimate banner. Image is crucial in a country's political map, and Zhu Yuanzhang understood this, and he wanted to drive the Mongols back to the north, recover the Han lands, and restore the glory of the Central Plains. Therefore, he established a system of etiquette, in which he was able to occupy the moral high ground, attract more talent, and quickly expand his ranks. As a result, Jinyiwei was born in this political context, although it did not have this name at that time and did not have so much power.
In the early days, brocade guards were known as honor guards, and they accompanied the emperor to major ceremonies, such as royal sacrifices. The commanders of these brocade guards must wear flying fish suits and embroidered spring knives. The creatures embroidered with dragon heads and tails on the flying fish suit look like pythons, which shows the emperor's trust in them. At that time, they were also known as the Arch Guard Division and were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Ceremonies. However, in the fifteenth year of Hongwu, Jinyiwei officially appeared, they expanded their duties and powers, and the highest official rank rose to the third rank. Zhu Yuanzhang's paranoia also prompted this change.
Zhu Yuanzhang gradually rose to the throne from a peasant uprising leader, and when he was a child, he came from a poor family, was oppressed by landlords, and harbored hatred for those who were powerful, lawless, and oppressed the people. He aspires to power in order to change this unjust society, yearns for power and cherishes everything. However, he was betrayed by his own nephew Zhu Wenzheng, which strengthened his belief in consolidating imperial power and even distrusting his relatives. The reason for Zhu Wenzheng and other rebels was the unfairness of the official positions of power, which further inspired Zhu Yuanzhang's determination.
Under Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youshu were their biggest rivals, and the Battle of Poyang Lake between the two became one of the largest water battles in Chinese history. Although Zhu Yuanzhang's troops were obviously insufficient, with Zhu Wenzheng's military wisdom, they successfully resisted Chen Youcheng's 600,000-strong army, and this miracle was created thanks to Zhu Wenzheng. However, when the official post was issued, Zhu Yuanzhang did not give Zhu Wenzheng the status he deserved, which made Zhu Wenzheng dissatisfied, and eventually colluded with Zhang Shicheng to prepare to rebel against Zhu Yuanzhang.
This situation was exacerbated by Zhu Yuanzhang's paranoia, and he no longer trusted anyone. Zhu Wenzheng's betrayal is an important factor that led to the gradual change of Jinyiwei's attributes. Jinyiwei began to monitor the hundred officials, paying attention to their every move, and suppressing those who were conspiring against him to ensure that the imperial power was firmly in his hands.
Jinyiwei's work was varied, they were not only the emperor's personal guards, protecting the emperor's safety, but also a secret agency that roamed between the emperor and the ministers, secretly monitoring the ministers' every move and reporting to the emperor. They can investigate anytime, anywhere, whenever and wherever they decide to investigate, and they can easily grasp everything. In addition, they are responsible for the domestication of elephants, "heavy weapons" used both for performances at grand festivals and for defense. In addition, they are responsible for arresting criminals who have been cleansed to prevent them from committing acts that endanger society.
Most frightening, however, is the brutal methods used by Jinyiwei to interrogate prisoners. They invented all kinds of torture, which became their regular modus operandi, and these tortures were so horrible that many people endured torture and confessed to crimes they did not commit. In addition, Jinyiwei is not under the jurisdiction of any department in the DPRK and China, and can arrest people at will, even in private trials, no one can hinder them. The torture they set up in the prison was extremely cruel, and the prison was described as "inaccessible, epidemic and full of prisons", and the conditions were unbearable.
Over time, the cruelty of Jinyiwei becomes normalized, and in order to enter their ranks, candidates need to participate in killing each other between groups, and only those who remain can become Jinyiwei. This selection system makes them ruthless and callous. In order to consolidate the imperial power, Zhu Yuanzhang killed many civil and military officials who had fought with him through the hands of Jinyiwei, which made Jinyiwei increasingly swollen and reckless, and eventually led to the abolition of the organization.
During the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di reactivated Jinyiwei because his unstable position on the throne required someone to help him clear his political opponents. In times of turmoil, you don't need a reason to kill, but in a peaceful world, you need a justification. Jinyiwei's duty was to create charges and help Zhu Di eliminate political enemies and become a powerful tool for safeguarding imperial power.
However, during Zhu Di's reign, Jinyiwei's power reached its peak, and the chief Ji Gang intensified, blackmailing wealthy merchants in the capital, and even holding beautiful women hostage, and the ministers connived at his actions, and some even began to plan to seize the throne. Ji Gang deliberately cheated during a willow shooting competition during the Dragon Boat Festival and observed the reaction of the ministers, Zhu Di sensed their ambitions, so he executed Ji Gang and established the East and West Factories, which together constituted the factory guard system of the Ming Dynasty. This marked the beginning of the decline of Jinyiwei.
In the end, the East Factory became the master of Jinyiwei, and Jinyiwei lost its former glory, especially during the Ming Yingzong period, the leader of Jinyiwei recognized the East Factory as a godfather. Jinyiwei and Dongchang were both secret agencies of the Ming Dynasty, and they existed to limit and supervise the power of government officials to prevent the excessive concentration of power on one side, and they have always been in a relationship of competition, cooperation, and struggle. Both Jinyiwei and Dongchang were important tools for maintaining imperial power.
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