Preface
In the long course of history, there are often many loyal ministers who have fought their lives for the country, but in the end they have died tragically. These seven loyal ministers are even more heart-wrenching, because they are loyal to the country, but in the end, each one is worse than the other.
So, what kind of tragic fate did they suffer in the end? Let us walk into the long river of history together, relive the bloody stories of those loyal ministers who once served the country loyally, and feel the tragic lives of those loyal ministers.
1. Warring States Period: The tragic end of the reformers
Shang Ying's car crack died
During the Warring States Period, a hundred schools of thought contended and the princes disputed. In this era of great change, the tragedy of one reformer is particularly poignant. He is Shang Ying.
In his early years, Shang Ying traveled to study all over the world, studied both China and the West, and was later appreciated by the Qin State and held important positions. He put forward the idea of abolishing the feudal system and implementing the county system, which greatly strengthened the centralization of power in the Qin state. He also implemented the military merit title system, encouraged agricultural warfare, and made the Qin state stronger and stronger.
But who would have thought that Shang Ying's changes touched the interests of the nobles and aroused their strong opposition. After the death of Qin Xiaogong, the new monarch Qin Huiwen succeeded to the throne, and Shang Ying's situation fell into crisis. The traitorous son Qian took the opportunity to frame Shang Ying for rebellion, and King Qin Huiwen was furious and ordered Shang Ying to be hunted down.
Shang Ying fled to the mountains, but was eventually captured by the Qin army. He was torn apart and his body was divided into five pieces. This loyal minister, who made great contributions to the reform of the Qin State, was treated miserably.
Lees's slash
Li Si, another reformer of the Warring States period, had an equally unfortunate fate. Li Si was a disciple of the famous thinker Xunzi, and later lobbied the Qin king Yingzheng, was appreciated, and was appointed prime minister.
Li Si assisted the King of Qin in completing the great cause of unifying China and was the founder of the Qin Dynasty. He also put forward a series of policies such as "the same book, the same track, and the unified weights and measures", which laid the foundation for consolidating the rule of the Qin Dynasty.
However, after the death of Qin Shi Huang, the traitor Zhao Gao was autocratic, jealous of Li Si's talent, and designed to frame him for rebellion. Lees was arrested and imprisoned, tortured, and finally beheaded. His three clans were also put to death.
The tragic ending of Shang Ying and Li Si reflects the cruel reality of the Warring States Period. In this era of the jungle, even loyal and patriotic reformers cannot escape the fate of being framed by traitors. What happened to them shows us how dangerous it is for loyal and good generals in an era of autocracy.
2. Western Han Dynasty: The Scourge of Slander
The death of the wrong half
During the Western Han Dynasty, after the rule of Wenjing, the national strength became stronger and stronger. However, in this seemingly prosperous era, there is a loyal minister who has suffered an unfortunate fate, and he is wrong.
Chao Cuo was born poor, but he was erudite and talented, and won the appreciation of Liu Qi, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty. He put forward the famous idea of "cutting the feudal domain", believing that the power of the princes and kings should be weakened and the centralization of power should be strengthened. Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty adopted his suggestion and issued an edict to reduce the feudal domain, seizing the military power and territory of the princes and kings.
The policy of cutting feudal domains touched the interests of the princes and kings, triggering the "Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms". Faced with this crisis, Chao Cuo once again made a proposal to Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, suggesting that troops be sent to quell the rebellion. Emperor Jing of Han took his advice, put down the rebellion, and consolidated the centralization of power.
However, Chao's wrong advice led to death. Before his death, Liu Bi, the king of Wu, framed Chao Cuo and colluded with him to rebel. Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty listened to the rumors and ordered Chao Cuo to be hunted and killed. In 178 BC, Chao Cuo was beheaded in public in the eastern city of Chang'an, at the age of 40.
Li Ying's unjust death
Li Ying was a famous scholar and politician in the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was knowledgeable and known for his virtues, and was known as "the model of the world". Li Ying wrote many times, bluntly criticized the maladministration of the imperial court, was appreciated by Emperor Zhang of the Han Dynasty, and was appointed as the crown prince and concubine.
However, Li Ying's integrity attracted the envy of the ministers. At that time, the eunuchs were autocratic and the government was chaotic. Li Ying wrote many times, exposing the shortcomings of the eunuchs and demanding the eradication of the eunuchs. His remarks angered the authoritarian eunuchs, who were falsely accused of "misleading the public" and put on trial.
In prison, Li Ying was brutally persecuted. He was tortured and barely humanized. Even so, Li Ying is still indomitable and insists on his righteous position. In the end, Li Ying was tortured and died unjustly at the age of 73.
The tragic experiences of Chao Cuo and Li Ying reflect the cruelty of political struggles in the Western Han Dynasty. In this era, loyal ministers and good generals often become thorns in the side of powerful ministers and traitors, and they are easily framed and persecuted. Their experiences tell us that in order to achieve long-term peace and stability in the country, it is necessary to establish a fair and just system.
3. Southern Song Dynasty: Yue Fei's unjust case
During the Southern Song Dynasty, the Jin State continued to invade, the territory was lost, and the people were displaced. At this critical moment, there was a famous anti-gold general who stepped forward, and he was Yue Fei. Yue Fei learned martial arts since he was a child, and was later recruited as a general, and made many military exploits. He led the Yuejia army to fight to the death against the Jin State, recovered a large amount of lost territory, and became the mainstay of the Southern Song Dynasty's resistance to the Jin.
However, Yue Fei's loyalty and courage attracted the jealousy of the traitor Qin Hui. Qin Hui advocated being a vassal to Jin and ceding land for peace, while Yue Fei advocated fighting to the end and recovering the lost territory. The two have completely opposite views, and the contradictions are becoming more and more acute.
In the eleventh year of Shaoxing, Yue Fei led the army to recover Yuncheng and defeated the Jin army. This battle made the monarch of the Jin State angry, and he put pressure on the Southern Song Dynasty to get rid of Yue Fei. Qin Hui took this opportunity to slander Song Gaozong, framing Yue Fei for colluding with the Jin State and plotting rebellion.
Song Gaozong was originally a cowardly and suspicious monarch, he listened to Qin Hui's slander and ordered Yue Fei to be arrested and imprisoned. While in prison, Yue Fei was brutally tortured to extract a confession. The jailer struck him in the ribs with iron tongs and burned his body with a soldering iron, and Yue Fei screamed so hard that he almost fainted.
Even after being tortured, Yue Fei still refused to give in. He insisted that he was loyal to his country and had never rebelled. Seeing this, Qin Hui sent someone to persuade Yue Fei's subordinate Zhang Xian to give false testimony and frame Yue Fei for rebellion. Zhang Xian was overwhelmed by coercion and temptation, and finally gave in and committed perjury.
With Zhang Xian's perjury, Qin Hui made a statement to Song Gaozong, saying that the evidence of Yue Fei's rebellion was conclusive, and asked him to be executed. Song Gaozong finally listened to the slander and ordered Yue Fei to be killed. Yue Fei died unjustly at the age of thirty-nine.
Yue Fei's death caused a huge shock in the Southern Song Dynasty. Many upright scholars complained about Yue Fei and asked for him to be rehabilitated. However, during the period of Qin Hui's dictatorship, their voices were quickly silenced. It was not until the period of Song Xiaozong that Yue Fei was rehabilitated and posthumously presented the Taishi, nicknamed "Wu Mu".
Yue Fei's tragic experience reflects the darkness and corruption of the Southern Song Dynasty. As a famous anti-gold general, Yue Fei should have been reused and appreciated by the imperial court, but he ended up so miserably, which cannot but be said to be a huge tragedy. Yue Fei's death also exposed the cowardice and incompetence of the Southern Song ruling group.
Fourth, the Ming Dynasty: unjust cases one after another
Xie Jin's disaster of freezing to death
The Ming Dynasty was a seemingly glorious era, but in fact it was full of dangers. During this period, there was a tragic experience of a loyal minister, which was particularly embarrassing, and he was Xie Jin.
Xie Jin, the word gentry, is a native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang. He was erudite and talented, and at the age of twenty-eight he was already a scholar of considerable repute. During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, Chengzu Zhu Di ordered the revision of the "Yongle Canon", and Xie Jin was summoned to Beijing to serve as the general person in charge of the compilation work.
Xie Jin worked hard to revise the "Yongle Canon", and forgot to sleep and eat. After years of hard work, the compilation of this vast masterpiece has finally been completed. However, the good times did not last long, but Xie Jin got into trouble because of this.
It turned out that the compilation of the "Yongle Canon" was originally Zhu Di's intention, but Zhu Di's son Zhu Gaochi had a lot of complaints about the compilation of the canon. Zhu Gaochi believes that the "Yongle Canon" is too vast, and its compilation is time-consuming and laborious, and it consumes a lot of manpower and material resources, which is a waste.
After Zhu Gaochi succeeded to the throne, he ordered the compilation of the Yongle Canon to be stopped. Xie Jin wrote a petition in the hope of continuing to compile the canon, but was reprimanded by Zhu Gaochi. Zhu Gaochi was furious and ordered Xie Jin to be dismissed and demoted to a concubine.
Xie Jin not only lost his official position, but was also sent to remote areas. On the way to the debasement, Xie Jin unfortunately encountered a snowstorm. He was trapped in the snow, unable to move forward, and eventually froze to death in the middle of nowhere. Xie Jin worked hard for the compilation of the "Yongle Canon", but in the end ended up with such a miserable end, which cannot but be said to be a great irony.
Yuan Chonghuan's Ling Chi's punishment
Yuan Chonghuan, the word Yingjia, is a native of Mengjin, Henan. He learned martial arts from an early age and later became a member of the Ming Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty, the Later Jin Dynasty rose and repeatedly invaded the borders of the Ming Dynasty. Yuan Chonghuan was ordered to lead the army to fight against the Later Jin, and made many military exploits, becoming the mainstay of the Ming Dynasty's fight against the Later Jin.
However, Yuan Chonghuan's loyalty and courage attracted the jealousy of the villain. At that time, traitors were in power in the court of the Ming Dynasty, and party disputes continued. Yuan Chonghuan was feared by the traitors because of his great achievements. They slandered in front of Emperor Chongzhen and framed Yuan Chonghuan for collaborating with the enemy and treason.
Emperor Chongzhen was a mediocre monarch who believed slander and ordered Yuan Chonghuan to be arrested and imprisoned. While in prison, Yuan Chonghuan was brutally tortured to extract a confession. His hands and feet were cut off, and his body was executed by Ling Chi, which was horrific to see.
Before his death, Yuan Chonghuan also wrote a magnificent poem in prison: "The emperor and the queen of heaven and the earth, the truth is this heart, and the grass and trees of the spring platform are desolate for me." The words are bloody and tearful, and it is moving. Yuan Chonghuan was loyal to the country, but he ended up so miserable, which cannot but be said to be a microcosm of the dark politics of the Ming Dynasty.
The tragic experiences of Xie Jin and Yuan Chonghuan reflect the darkness and corruption of politics during the Ming Dynasty. During this period, the monarch was mediocre, traitorous and treacherous, and loyal and good generals were often attacked and persecuted. They are all good ministers who are loyal to the country, and they should be reused, but they were tragically framed by traitors and finally died in a foreign country, which is really regrettable.
epilogue
The wheels of history are rolling forward, and those stories that were once loyal and blood-drenched have passed away with the wind. However, the spirit of those loyal ministers will always live in the hearts of the people.
Today, when we cherish the memory of these loyal ministers and good generals, we should learn from their spirit of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism, and inherit their will to do their best. Let us join hands and make unremitting efforts to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!