Throughout ancient history, there have been many cannibal tragedies caused by various reasons, but few have erupted like the Ming Dynasty. From Liaoning to Lingnan, from Shandong to Sichuan, there have been large and small mass human flesh tragedies.
Among them, Henan, which is located in the hinterland, Hebei is particularly serious. And in some extreme cases, it can even lead to the extinction of people in the area.
Take pleasure in cannibalism
At the beginning of the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Chang Yuchun was a favorite general under Taizu, and was fortunate to be rewarded by Zhu Yuanzhang as a beautiful concubine. He was very fond of this woman, especially obsessed with those white and tender little hands. But the original wife couldn't allow the newcomer to occupy the magpie's nest, and she didn't dare to disobey the holy will, so she had to order someone to chop off the pair of jade hands.
Later, Chang Yuchun reported the matter. Zhu Yuanzhang simply sent someone to arrest Chang's wife and unload eight pieces and give them to the ministers to eat. even deliberately smiled and told Chang Yuchun: This is the meat of a wicked woman. I am often frightened, and I can't stay in fear all day long, and I don't even dare to go home. Such a cowardice made the emperor laugh, thinking that this was the most high-level joke in his life!
Evaluation: Being able to derive spiritual satisfaction from cannibalism is undoubtedly a psychopath. But considering that Hu Weiyong's case alone involved tens of thousands of people, it is obvious that killing a jealous woman is really insignificant for Zhu Yuanzhang.
A lover of good food
Zhu Di, the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, continued to cut the feudal domain after seeking the usurpation of the throne, depriving the local feudal kings of their military power and raising them as domestic animals that could continue the national ancestry. As a result, some feudal lords indulged in lust because they had nothing to do all day, and even vented their energy in banquets of fine food and wine. In the long run, some perverted habits will be difficult to restrain themselves.
For example, Zhu Youxi, a descendant of King Zhou, was tired of eating ordinary baiwei, so he expanded the scope of his recipe to human beings. He often preys on human flesh like a wild beast, until he needs his liver and brain to appease his taste buds. The Ming Dynasty is fair and honest, and pays attention to the fact that "the Son of Heaven is guilty of the same crime as the common people", and adopts a zero-tolerance attitude towards murderers, even if they are relatives of the saints. So Zhu Youxi, who was originally high, was demoted to a commoner, and ordinary people applauded him.
Comments: Typical pig cannibal farce.
Shock the enemy
During the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, the Miao people in Guangxi rebelled because they could not bear the pressure of taxation. As a result, Hu Guang commanded Peng Lun to lead the army to the expedition, and everywhere he went, he was barbarian and scattered. Although it achieved a brilliant victory, the officers and troops also suffered a lot of losses in the course of the campaign.
Therefore, in order to deter the needs of the barbarians, the commander ordered the torture and killing of the captured captives. First, they were tied to the barracks pillars with ropes, then they were shot with arrows, and then the corpses were disemboweled and the soldiers were treated. Suddenly, the pungent aroma filled the Ming army camp, and Peng Lun himself smiled with relief.
Comments: Historically, there have been many armies that have eaten people due to supply exhaustion, but there are very few troops who have to eat human flesh after winning battles. It can only show that the achievements of the dynasty in some aspects can be called unprecedented, and there is no one after them!
Superstition harms people
In addition to the emperor's relatives and relatives, the cannibalism of the Ming Dynasty was also transmitted from the temples to the grassroots. For example, the local tyrant named Wang Guan not only has a lot of money and servants, but also has made a lot of transactions with dignitaries. In his spare time, he learns the secret art of immortality from the warlock - eating fetal flesh. Newborn babies are usually eaten cooked or powdered from their bones. For this reason, he specially raised more than a dozen concubines, and used medicine to cause miscarriages when they gave birth. In this way, the freshest stillborn babies can be eaten.
In addition to this, he will also secretly buy fetuses from others. Until the matter was revealed, he asked the high-ranking officials and nobles he knew to excuse himself, but he was still sentenced to Ling Chi by the Nanjing Criminal Department in accordance with the law.
Comments: Tiger poison does not eat children, what about people? Superstition kills people!
Cure diseases and strengthen the body
During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, a eunuch surnamed Gao who was stationed in Fujian to supervise the tax collection listened to the letter of the home remedies: as long as the cerebral marrow of a boy or girl is taken to take it, the severed penis can regenerate and completely restore the male ability!
So, the eunuch ordered someone to rob the children of the people. Due to the long-term uninterrupted sucking of brain plasma, the pool of the tax house courtyard is full of white bones.
Comment: The ignorance and cruelty of eunuchs will inevitably be criticized. But we should also think about who took away the happiness of the lower half of the eunuch, and who gave the right to kill. What is the root cause of all this pain and terror?
summary
Cannibal tragedies broke out frequently in the Ming Dynasty, which was not only a curse of natural disasters, but also played a role in human disasters. The sad thing is that natural disasters exacerbate man-made disasters, and man-made disasters lead to more natural disasters.
Because China is located in the monsoon climate zone, various droughts and floods are frequent. Especially in the case of famine, up to birds, animals, fish, shrimps, river turtles, down to the bark, locusts, ants, Guanyin, and soil will be swept away by the victims. In many cases, they were hungry and had to eat dead bodies and even living people to make a living. This is a very typical physiological cannibalism, which can cause the population of an area to be halved or exterminated.
On the other hand, because the emperor has supreme power, he can be arbitrary and do whatever he wants. The bureaucracy, as its minions, is equally adept at preying on the common people. After years of excesses and miscellaneous taxes, ordinary people can fall into a catastrophe in an instant at the slightest disturbance. In addition, in many cases, the stewards have no intention or ability to help, which further exacerbates more cannibalistic tragedies.
In the end, this kind of cannibalism inevitably harmed the Ming Dynasty clan itself. During the Chongzhen period, Zhu Changxun, the king of fat fortune with a full brain, was made into pot meat by the peasant army that broke through Luoyang. To a certain extent, this can be regarded as a retribution under the cycle of heavenly principles......
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