Text: JOURNEY: TALK
Edit: TALK
After Zhu Qizhen was captured in the Tumubao War, his younger brother ascended to the throne, why did he effortlessly ascend to the throne after returning?
01
Zhu Qizhen was captured
The Ming Dynasty was a period of "rich and rival country" in Chinese history, however, history is always full of thrilling plots. Among them, there is a vigorous Ming Dynasty version of the "prosperous curtain call" drama - the change of Tumubao. In this battle, the Ming Dynasty emperor Zhu Qizhen was captured, and the entire dynasty fell into an unprecedented crisis, as if falling into the black hole of history.
In this crisis of dark clouds, not all emperors have "lost the light", Zhu Qiyu, Zhu Qizhen's younger brother, was born out of thin air and took over the baton of the throne. Although the Ming Dynasty encountered great adversity, because of this "unexpected" imperial brother, the national fortunes were continued, and the fate of the dynasty also found a way forward.
After Zhu Qizhen was captured, the Warat people felt that it was useless to keep him, so they sent him back to the Ming Dynasty, but at this time, after his younger brother became emperor, he was not willing to give up this throne easily, so he was placed under house arrest in Nangong, prohibiting him from contact with the outside world.
On the big stage of history, in order to contribute to his family's version of the "inheritance plan", Zhu Qiyu resolutely decided to abolish the original prince Zhu Jianshen and replaced his own son as the prince. But the new prince seemed to have played a joke with fate and died early.
In the eighth year of Jingtai, Zhu Qiyu's body began to call the police, and the problem of the inheritance of the throne became a time when everyone wanted to avoid but couldn't escape, and the "conspiracy group" such as the general Shi Heng, the eunuch Cao Jixiang and Xu Youzhen was planning a coup d'état comparable to "The Master of Strategy", and the goal was directly aimed at the throne next to his sickbed.
Their plan is to have a rescue operation to the throne at the critical moment when Zhu Qiyu's health is deteriorating, and send Zhu Qizhen back to the top of the title. So, in the middle of the night on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Shi Heng, Cao Jixiang and Xu Youzhen and other "men in black" led a thousand soldiers, like an elite commando, swaggering into the imperial city.
When they came to the Donghua Gate, the soldiers guarding the gate looked at the formation of the Emperor Taishang in front of them, and they could only give way to the Emperor in a stupid way, after all, who made the Emperor Taishang's halo shine? So, as if they were engaged in a palace "limited VIP access" activity, they effortlessly crossed the Donghua Gate and went straight to the palace. They did not encounter the slightest resistance, fought bloodlessly, and completed the coup d'état perfectly.
02
The reason why the restoration went smoothly
First of all, let's take a look at the participants in this coup, Shi Heng, Zhang Xuan, Cao Jixiang and others played a key role in the coup, and they each had a clear division of labor, some were responsible for planning and execution, and some were responsible for liaison and coordination.
Xu Youzhen, as a strategist, his resourcefulness and strategy played a decisive role in the entire coup, he skillfully arranged for Cao Jixiang to enter the palace, gained support through the empress dowager, and led the soldiers into the city at a critical moment, ensuring the smooth progress of the coup.
Yu Qian, as the secretary of the military department at that time, had a heavy army in his hands, and could have easily prevented the coup, but he made a serious mistake in political judgment and failed to take effective measures to prevent the coup d'état. In addition, he also had omissions in the defense of the capital, which allowed the coup d'état to take advantage of the situation, and Yu Qian's mistakes undoubtedly accelerated the success of the coup.
At the same time, Zhu Qiyu's position as emperor at the time changed dramatically before and after the coup, and at first, he implemented a series of popular policies during his reign, which brought prosperity to the Ming Dynasty.
But as time passed, his mentality gradually changed and he lost the hearts of the people, especially after Zhu Qizhen was captured, his worries and uneasiness became more and more obvious, and when he learned that Zhu Qizhen was about to return, his feelings became more complicated.
The success of the "Seizure of the Gate" was the result of a combination of factors, including the resourcefulness, courage and loyalty of the participants, Yu Qian's political mistakes, and the change in Zhu Qiyu's status, which jointly promoted the process of this coup, which not only changed the historical direction of the Ming Dynasty, but also had a profound impact on later generations.
03
Yu Qian died unjustly
Under the persuasion of his confidant Li Xian, Zhu Qizhen launched the "Rebellion to seize the door" and re-ascended the throne, and then he carried out a brutal liquidation of Qian. The reason why he was in a hurry to kill Yu Qian and other important ministers of the court was partly because he wanted to consolidate his throne, and partly because he was dissatisfied with Qian.
Xu Youzhen, as one of the main planners of the "Seizure of the Door", held a grudge against Qian, and he continued to slander in front of Zhu Qizhen, claiming that if Yu Qian was not killed, the coup would be unknown and could not be recognized by the people of the world.
At the urging of Xu Youzhen, he eventually ordered Yu Qian's execution, but the question of whether he really believed that Yu Qian had to be executed is still controversial to this day. Some people think that Zhu Qizhen did it out of political necessity and had no choice but to consolidate his position; others think that he was dissatisfied with Qian for a long time, and only used Xu Youzhen's hand to remove the thorn in his eye.
In fact, Xu Youzhen's reason for killing was not entirely true, Yu Qian, as a loyal minister, did everything he did for the country and the people, not for personal gain, but in the complex political environment at that time, such a truth was often covered up, resulting in Yu Qian's persecution to death.
After Yu Qian's death, his family was implicated, his property was confiscated, his family was displaced, history is just after all, his deeds and his contributions to the country were gradually recognized, and his image was also rehabilitated and praised by later generations.
During Zhu Qizhen's reign, although he had some political achievements, his unjust killing of Yu Qian undoubtedly became an indelible stain in his life, and Yu Qian, a loyal minister who served the country and the people and did his best, will always be remembered by future generations.