Preface
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the famous general Wang Baobao was a controversial figure. Some people called him the pillar of the Yuan Dynasty because of his contribution to defending against foreign enemies and stabilizing the situation, but others regarded him as a traitor within the Yuan Dynasty and accused him of disloyalty and injustice in political struggles.
Therefore, his every move affected the political pattern and historical trend of the time. Today, we will discuss Wang Baobao's merits and demerits, and see what kind of person he is?
The Yuan Dynasty was in decline, and there were internal and external troubles
In the 14th century, the Yuan Dynasty was already in decline. Outside, the peasant rebel army is approaching day by day, the internal power and ministers are constantly fighting, and the government and the opposition are cloudy. In this moment of crisis, a young general named Kokor Timur began to emerge.
Kuangkhor Timur was sick from an early age and was adopted by his uncle Chakhan Timur. Chakhan Timur was a famous general of the Yuan Dynasty at that time, and he had a powerful army under his command. Under his careful training, Timur soon showed great military talent. Chakhan Timur had high hopes for this adopted son, and not only taught him carefully, but also passed on his army and status to him.
During this period, the Yuan Dynasty was in the midst of internal and external troubles. Outside, the peasant rebel army was in full swing, and the party struggle between the powerful and ministers inside was escalating. The control of the imperial court became weaker and weaker, and the local warlords set up their own mountains and went their own way.
Against this backdrop, Tamur quickly rose to become one of the most powerful local warlords of the time, relying on his military talents and his uncle's resources. In 1361, Chakhan Timur was assassinated by two rebel leaders, Tian Feng and Wang Shicheng.
With the determination of revenge, Timur gathered an army to attack Tian Feng and Wang Shicheng, and even cut out the hearts of the two with his own hands to pay tribute to his uncle. This victory not only made Timur famous, but also allowed him to inherit his uncle's army and position. The Yuan Dynasty pushed the boat down the river and canonized him as Yinqing Ronglu Doctor, Tai Lieutenant and other important positions, and changed his name to Wang Baobao from then on.
Wang Baobao's rise aroused the vigilance of other powerful ministers. Especially Polo Timur, who had a feud with his uncle, was even more eyeing Wang Baobao. The grievances and entanglements between the two also became the focus of the power struggle within the Yuan Dynasty.
Wang Baobao's feud with Polo Timur
However, Wang Baobao's road ahead is not smooth. He inherited not only his uncle's army, but also a feud with Polo Timur. Polo Timur was also a general, and he had a dislike for Wang Baobao's uncle. Since then, the two have been engaged in a protracted power struggle.
Polo Timur was another powerful warlord of the Yuan Dynasty, and he also had a large elite army under his command. The conflict between the two can be traced back to the time of the previous generation. Back then, Wang Baobao's uncle Chakhan Timur and Polo Timur had many confrontations, and the grievances between the two had accumulated for a long time. Now, this hatred has spread to the next generation, and Wang Baobao and Polo Timur will inevitably have to compete.
In this infighting, Wang Baobao showed extraordinary resourcefulness. He did not directly confront Polo Timur, but with the help of the power of the crown prince, he pushed Polo Timur into a corner. At that time, there was also a complex power game within the Yuan court. The crown prince's side favored Wang Baobao, while Emperor Yuan Shun favored Polo Timur. Wang Baobao skillfully exploited this contradiction, and in the end, with the support of Emperor Yuan Shun, Polo Timur was assassinated, and Wang Baobao won.
The victory of this infighting further consolidated Wang Baobao's position. Not only did he inherit his uncle's army and position, but he also became one of the most important ministers in the Yuan court. However, the price of this victory was his opposition to the crown prince.
The Price of Victory: Turning against the Crown Prince
However, the price of victory was the opposition between Wang Baobao and the crown prince. Before Polo Timur was killed, the crown prince wanted to follow the example of the Tang Dynasty and launch a coup d'état to seize the throne. But Wang Baobao refused, knowing full well that the endless infighting would only hurt the foundations of the Yuan Dynasty.
The crown prince was worried about this and kept his distance from Wang Baobao. Eventually, at the instigation of the empress, the crown prince decided to keep Wang Baobao away from the capital. At that time, there were many contradictions within the Yuan Dynasty, and the power struggle between the emperor, the crown prince, and the ministers was very fierce. Although the crown prince superficially joined forces with Wang Baobao against Polo Timur, deep down he was also dissatisfied with Wang Baobao's status and influence.
In this complex political environment, the crown prince finally found an opportunity to use the power of the queen to squeeze Wang Baobao out of the capital. This is a major blow to Wang Baobao. As an important pillar of the Yuan Dynasty, Wang Baobao was suddenly degraded to a place, and he couldn't help but feel lost and angry.
So, Wang Baobao took the initiative to ask for help, was named the king of Henan, and returned to the local army. This decision doomed Wang Baobao's later fate. Since then, he has stayed away from the center of power in the capital, and can only run his own power independently in the local area. It also made it impossible for him to respond in time to the bigger crisis that was coming.
The Ming army pressed the border, and Wang Baobao fought to the death
At the same time that Wang Baobao returned to the local area, a new peasant rebel army began to rise - the Ming army. The Ming army, led by Zhu Yuanzhang, soon captured most of the Central Plains.
Faced with the pressure of the Ming army, Wang Baobao turned a blind eye to it. Although he was an important pillar of the Yuan Dynasty, he gradually lost control of the affairs of the court after being relegated to the local government. Instead, he mobilized his army, intending to take advantage of the chaos to expand his power. This practice undoubtedly angered the Yuan court, which at one time regarded Wang Baobao as the "second Cao Cao".
However, just as the imperial court was preparing to eradicate Wang Baobao, the threat of the Ming army was growing. Emperor Yuan Shun had to reconcile with Wang Baobao again and jointly resist the Ming army's attack. This also shows that even though Wang Baobao was once an internal destabilizing factor, he still chose to safeguard the interests of the Yuan Dynasty in the face of the general trend.
Wang Baobao fought to the death and finally won. In a major battle in the fifth year of Hongwu, he adopted the strategy of luring the enemy into the depths, allowing the Ming army to go deep into the hinterland and ambush it, and won a complete victory. This victory bought Beiyuan a respite.
This victory also proved Wang Baobao's military talent. Even after being relegated to a locality, he was still able to defeat the Ming army's attack with his wits and courage. This also made the Yuan court re-realize the value of Wang Baobao.
Until the last moment of his life, Wang Baobao was sticking to the foundation of the Northern Yuan. His life, like a mighty symphony, left a strong mark in the turbulent late Yuan era.
epilogue
The development of history is often unexpected, and the fate of heroes is often unpredictable. Wang Baobao's life can be said to be magnificent. From a young man who was adopted by his uncle, to becoming one of the most important military forces of the Yuan Dynasty, to finally fighting alone against the Ming army's attack, he has experienced too many ups and downs.
His story also reflects the complexity of the Yuan dynasty as a dynasty. Although the Yuan Dynasty was a dynasty established by the Mongols, it was also gradually sinicized in the process of its rule. Wang Baobao is one of the representatives of this "flexible sinicization". Although he was born into the Mongolian aristocracy, he was able to integrate well into Han culture and became an important pillar of the Yuan dynasty.
In the end, even if Wang Baobao was victorious, he could not stop the rise of the Ming Dynasty. This shows that even with the best heroes, it is difficult to reverse the general trend of a dynasty.