In the last years of the Ming Dynasty, the 150,000 Jinyi guards who had terrified the enemy disappeared without a trace in the long river of history. This makes one wonder where they went, whether they escaped into the mountains and forests to enjoy their old age in peace, or did they find new faith in the troubled times and continue their mission?
It is said that in 1368 AD, Zhu Yuanzhang, a legendary figure who jumped from a low-level peasant to the founding emperor, deeply felt the importance of power. In order to make his guard department more effective, he upgraded it to the Praetorian Guard and named it "Jinyi Guard". Jin Yiwei was only responsible to the emperor alone, and their power was so great that even the six Shangshu had to retreat by three points. They handled the case quickly, and the information needed by the emperor could be submitted to the imperial case overnight.
Under the rule of Zhu Yuanzhang, Jin Yiwei became his right-hand man, clearing out dissidents for him and making great achievements. However, in his later years, Zhu Yuanzhang realized that his son Zhu Biao could not control this powerful force. In order to avoid the leakage of power, he decided to abolish the Jinyiwei.
However, Zhu Di was not willing to fail. He raised troops to rebel in the name of "Qing Jun's side" and finally won the throne. After coming to power, he immediately reinstated the brocade guard system. With the support of Zhu Di, Jinyiwei's status reached its peak. When the emperor was out, the Jinyi Guard even represented the supreme ruler. During this period, Jinyiwei's power was monstrous, there was almost no reason for arrest and killing, and the struggle between the government and the opposition intensified.
However, as his power grew, so did his greed and corruption. Their acceptance of bribes and their habit of embezzlement have aroused widespread dissatisfaction among the government and the public.
During the Zhengde and Jiajing periods, the emperor's trust was no longer focused on Jinyiwei, but turned to the eunuchs of the East and West Factory. With their iron fists, these powerful giants in the court quickly seized the authority of Jinyiwei in the field of intelligence. The former Jinyiwei is now in a precarious position, and even needs to rely on institutions such as Dongchang for self-protection. The structure of its team also gradually collapsed in this trend - many children of princes and nobles easily blended in with their family backgrounds, making the whole team useless. The commanders, on the other hand, indulge in pleasure and no longer care about the achievements of their teams.
Against this backdrop, the number of Jinyiwei quickly swelled to 150,000, but most of them were redundant people who received salaries. In order to survive, they had to find a way out by buying and selling official positions. Even some of the descendants of Wenchen joined in in an attempt to get a piece of the pie. These market thugs pretending to be "Jinyi Wei" went around extorting and extorting the people, and when they arrived in Suzhou, they were met with angry counterattacks from the local people. Once formidable Janissaries, they now exist in name only, degenerated into a bunch of rogue villains in sheep's clothing.
By the time of Chongzhen, the Ming Dynasty was already devastated. At this time, the Jinyi guards were disheartened, greedy for life and afraid of death. When Li Zicheng's peasant army approached the city, the 150,000 Janissaries did not react and allowed the country to fall. The last group of backbone Jinyiwei chose to follow the Nanming regime and continue to fight against the Manchus. However, they were defiled and soon died heroically on the battlefields of Burma. And those Jinyi guards who surrendered to the Manchu Qing Dynasty could not escape their fate in the end and were killed by the pit.
The brocade guard was very prosperous back then, but now it ends in a dramatic sword shadow. They scattered and fled, throwing off their armor and ending in misery. Just like the Ming dynasty, which was about to fall, the success or failure of Jinyiwei reflects the entire process of an empire from its peak to its decline. It is closely linked to the national fortunes of the Ming Dynasty, and in the end it will inevitably be destroyed together.
We can't help but ponder deeply, why did the people of this once brilliant spy agency scatter and flee in all directions at the last moment? In fact, if we study the reasons carefully, it is all because people's hearts are changeable. Back then, they were powerful and lofty, but as the years passed, the lazy government eroded like silverfish, and the former dragon and phoenix posture has long been gone. Instead, there is a group of scoundrels who turn the golden sign of Jinyiwei into a tool for personal gain. At the end of the stormy Ming Dynasty, how could this group of brocade guards talk about their loyalty? When their interests disappeared and their lives were in danger, they would naturally choose to fight for their own battles instead of sacrificing their lives for righteousness.
The existence of Jinyiwei, like a touchstone of history, has caused endless controversy. Some accuse them of being the main culprits in the demise of the Ming Dynasty, because their power struggles undermined the stability of the government and shook the foundations of the country. However, there are also people who defend them, arguing that they played an active role in protecting the national security of the Ming Dynasty at a critical moment in history. In the long history of the Ming Dynasty, Jinyiwei is like a double-sided blade, which is not only a powerful tool to appease power, but also a spark that causes historical controversy.
Examining the role of the Jinyiwei in history, we may be able to more fully understand the historical process of the fall of the Ming Dynasty, and the far-reaching impact of power and loyalty in troubled times. In this process, we can't help but think about how the temptation of power and the complexity of human nature are intertwined and interpreted on the stage of history, and together they have written tragic historical chapters.