In the twenty-third year of Hongwu, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, the Taishi Han Gong Li Shanchang committed suicide, and on the same day, many nobles with iron coupons to avoid death were given to die. Among these people, there was a figure that should not have appeared - Shen Guogong Deng Zhen. Just ten days ago, Zhu Yuanzhang just rewarded him with gold and silver and asked him to "retire" and return to his hometown, it seems that he wants to protect the life of this Shen Guogong. But in the end, why did Deng Zhen still die? What exactly happened between him and the princelings? Let's find out.
Shen Guogong Deng Zhen's past and present life
When the Ming Dynasty was first founded, Zhu Yuanzhang recruited wise men in order to win the hearts of the people, and paid special attention to those heroes who took refuge in him early. Among them is Deng Zhen's father Deng Yu, the Duke of Patriotic Justice, who can be described as one of the six founding dukes of the country, with a transcendent status.
Deng Yu was originally a military general in the Yuan Dynasty, and fought side by side with Zhu Yuanzhang during the Zhizheng period, and was born and died for him. When Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, Deng Yu naturally received a heavy reward. In the third year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang issued a decree to seal the meritorious heroes, and Deng Yue was awarded the title of Duke of Weiguo, and his family background reached the highest peak of his life.
However, the good times did not last long, and in the tenth year of Hongwu, Deng Yu unfortunately died of illness on the way back to Beijing at the age of 41. In order to commend the merits of the founding father, Zhu Yuanzhang specially posthumously crowned Deng Yu as the king of Ninghe, nicknamed Wushun, and personally mourned. Although Deng Yu died, his title can be inherited from his descendants, which is a promise made by Zhu Yuanzhang back then.
Deng Zhen, as the eldest son of Deng Yu, became the Duke of Shen Guo as he wished after the expiration of the filial piety period. Although the title was downgraded from Duke Wei to Duke Shen, this did not affect the status of the Deng family. On the contrary, Deng Zhen made frequent meritorious contributions in the following years, successively quelled the Jiangxi rebellion, and participated in the Northern Expedition, which can be said to be the beginning of the edge.
In the twenty-second year of Hongwu, Deng Zhen ranked first among the four second-generation dukes who were in the limelight at that time, and his strength should not be underestimated. Not only did he have the experience of commanding a large army independently, but he also personally participated in the two key battles of Jinshan and Yuerhai. With his outstanding military talent, Deng Zhen won the appreciation of Zhu Yuanzhang, and his status became more and more prominent among the government and the opposition.
However, just when Deng Zhen's future was bright, the situation in the government and the opposition suddenly changed drastically. In April of the 23rd year of Hongwu, a purge against Huaixi Xungui kicked off, and Li Shanchang, the prince of Hanshi, and others were arrested and imprisoned one after another. The princelings were behind the turmoil, hoping to consolidate their position in the government and the opposition by suppressing the Huaixi nobles.
In the face of this surging political wave, Zhu Yuanzhang once wanted to protect Shen Guogong Deng Zhen, and even rewarded him with gold and silver, so that he could "retire" and return to his hometown. But in the end, Deng Zhen still could not escape death and became a victim of this political struggle. Why did Deng Zhen suffer this fate, and what kind of contradictions occurred between him and the princelings? Let us continue to explore.
Deng Zhen's entanglement with the princelings
The conflict between Shen Guogong Deng Zhen and the princelings can be traced back to the marriage of his sister Deng Shi. Deng is the concubine of Deng Yu, who was named the princess of Qin during the Hongwu period and became the second concubine of Zhu Yuanzhang's second son, Zhu Zhang.
Zhu Zhang, as the younger brother of the crown prince Zhu Biao, has been eyeing the throne since he was a child. He did not have a good relationship with the princess Wang, but favored the Deng family, and even made a "five-claw nine-dragon bed" for her, which violated the rules of the vassal king. This behavior undoubtedly deepened the contradiction between Zhu Fan and the princelings.
After the Deng family entered the Qin Palace, the relationship between the Deng family and the Qin Palace became inseparable. Deng Zhen's younger brother Deng Ming served as the commander of the right guard of Xi'an of the Qin Palace, and it can be said that half of his feet stepped into the gate of the Qin Palace.
The princelings naturally looked down on the encroachment of Zhu Zhang, the king of Qin, and were also resentful of the close relationship between the Deng family and the Qin palace. They believe that the Deng family's high-profile approach to the King of Qin is tantamount to paving the way for Zhu Fan to seize the throne. Therefore, the princelings were determined to deal a severe blow to the power of the Deng family.
In April of the twenty-third year of Hongwu, the princelings finally found a golden opportunity. At that time, Lu Zhongheng, the Marquis of Ji'an, was accused of colluding with Prime Minister Hu Weiyong to plot a coup d'état. This is undoubtedly a major blow to Huaixi Xungui.
The princelings took the opportunity to make a big fuss and pointed the finger at the Taishi Han Gong Li Shanchang. They did not hesitate to forge "Li Shanchang's handwriting" and confirmed Li Shanchang's crime of colluding with Hu Weiyong and Tong Beiyuan. In this surging political wave, although Deng Zhen was temporarily spared, his fate was no longer up to him.
Deng Zhen's wife is the granddaughter of Li Shanchang, which undoubtedly gives the princelings an excellent excuse. What's more, the relationship between the Deng family and the Qin Wangfu has long been feared by the princelings. Once Huaixi Xungui is destroyed, Deng Zhen, the thorn in his side, will naturally not escape his fate.
The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang tried to protect Deng Zhen
When the Huaixi Xungui was suppressed in the twenty-third year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang once wanted to protect Shen Guogong Deng Zhen. There is no single reason for this, but many considerations.
First of all, we have to start with Deng Zhen's father, Deng Yu. Deng Yu's defection to Zhu Yuanzhang can be traced back to the fifteenth year of Zhizheng, when Zhu Yuanzhang had only 30,000 horses. Deng Yu brought more than 10,000 troops, contributing heavy troops to Zhu Yuanzhang's group. It can be said that the Deng family is a force to be reckoned with in Zhu Yuanzhang's group.
When Hongwu was crowned a hero in the third year, Deng Yu was given the title of Duke of Weiguo, ranking last of the six dukes of the founding of the country. Although the title is low, the status of the Deng family is unquestionable. When Deng Yu died, Zhu Yuanzhang not only posthumously crowned him as the king of Ninghe, but also personally mourned, which shows the importance of the Deng family.
Deng Zhen, as the eldest son of Deng Yu, frequently made meritorious contributions after attacking the Duke of Shenguo. He put down the Jiangxi rebellion and participated in the Northern Expedition, ranking first among the four second-generation dukes who were in the limelight at that time. With his outstanding military talents, Deng Zhen won Zhu Yuanzhang's appreciation.
In the twenty-third year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang faced a confrontation between the Huaixi Xungui clique and the princelings. If you sit back and watch the Huaixi old brothers be wiped out, the balance above the court will be completely broken. In order to save the situation, Lao Zhu had to play a combination of punches, including letting the prince return to his hometown.
Deng Zhen, as Shen Guogong, is naturally also on this list. More importantly, Zhu Yuanzhang rewarded him with gold and silver and let him "retire" and return to his hometown, which can be seen as wanting to protect the life of this Shen Guogong.
Secondly, Deng Zhen's own strength is also a reason why Zhu Yuanzhang has to pay attention to it. Deng Zhen not only had the experience of commanding a large army independently, but also personally participated in the two key battles of Jinshan and Yuerhai. He ranked first among the four second-generation dukes who were in the limelight at the time, and his strength should not be underestimated.
Moreover, the collapse of the Huaixi Xungui clique means a complete imbalance between the government and the opposition. Zhu Yuanzhang hoped to avoid the complete annihilation of the Huaixi Xungui by balancing the forces of the government and the opposition. As the leader of the new generation of the Deng family, Deng Zhen is naturally one of the objects that Zhu Yuanzhang strives to protect.
Finally, we cannot ignore the relationship between the Deng family and the Qin Palace. Deng Zhen's sister Deng was the second concubine of Zhu Zhang, the king of Qin, and Deng Zhen's younger brother Deng Ming served as the commander of the right guard of Xi'an, the palace of Qin. The relationship between the Deng family and the Qin Wangfu is inseparable, which may also be a reason why Zhu Yuanzhang tried to protect Deng Zhen.
Whether it is out of the importance of the Deng family, the recognition of Deng Zhen's personal strength, or in order to balance the forces of the government and the opposition, and take into account the relationship with the Qin Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang's efforts to protect Deng Zhen are understandable. However, in the end, Deng Zhen could not escape his death and became a victim of this political struggle. So, why did Deng Zhen suffer this fate? Let's move on.
Deng Zhen finally couldn't escape the cause of his death
In April of the 23rd year of Hongwu, the princelings launched a purge against the Huaixi nobles. The fuse of this turmoil was that the Marquis of Ji'an, Lu Zhongheng, was accused of colluding with Prime Minister Hu Weiyong to plot a coup d'état. Subsequently, Li Shanchang, the prince of the Korean Dynasty, was also implicated and accused of colluding with Hu Weiyong to pass the Northern Yuan.
In the face of this surging political wave, Zhu Yuanzhang once wanted to protect Shen Guogong Deng Zhen, and even rewarded him with gold and silver, so that he could "retire" and return to his hometown. However, in the end, Deng Zhen could not escape his death and became a victim of this political struggle. The main reasons for this are as follows.
First of all, Deng Zhen's wife is Li Shanchang's granddaughter, and the two sides are related. While the son-in-law's family is usually not implicated, it undoubtedly gives the princelings an excellent excuse. What's more, the close relationship between the Deng family and the Qin Wangfu has long made the princelings jealous.
Secondly, Deng Zhen's sister Deng was the second concubine of Zhu Zhang, the king of Qin, and Deng Zhen's younger brother Deng Ming served as the commander of the right guard of Xi'an, the Qin Palace. In other words, the relationship between the Deng family and the Qin palace was inseparable. And the Qin king Zhu Fan coveted the throne and had contradictions with the crown prince Zhu Biao, which undoubtedly intensified the princelings' vigilance against the Deng family.
Moreover, the Deng family has an important position in the Zhu Yuanzhang Group, and its strength should not be underestimated. Deng Yu took the capital into the shares and contributed heavily to the Zhu Yuanzhang Group. As the leader of the new generation of the Deng family, Deng Zhen was brave and good at fighting, ranking first among the four second-generation dukes who were in the limelight at that time. Such strength naturally makes the princelings jealous.
In the end, the downfall of the Huaixi Xungui Group was a foregone conclusion. Once the princelings take power, Zhu Yuanzhang's efforts will be overwhelmed. In the face of this surging political wave, Deng Zhen is destined to be powerless.
The reason why Deng Zhen could not escape death in the end was mainly because his wife was related to Li Shanchang, the Deng family had a close relationship with the Qin Palace, the Deng family had an important position in the Zhu Yuanzhang group, and the collapse of the Huaixi Xungui group was a foregone conclusion. Under the situation of the princelings controlling power, Zhu Yuanzhang's efforts to protect themselves have been useless.
The tragedy of Deng Zhen doomed the Huaixi nobles to the downfall, and also heralded the victory of the princelings in the struggle between the government and the opposition. What will Zhu Yuanzhang do next, and how will the princelings behave? Let us wait and see.