The untimely death of the crown prince Zhu Biao was not a bad thing for the Ming Dynasty, but a kind of luck. This assertion is puzzling. As the founding prince, Zhu Biao is talented, benevolent, and benevolent, and is regarded as the best candidate to inherit the unification of the Ming Dynasty. However, his untimely death changed the fate of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang passed on to his grandson Zhu Yunwen from generation to generation, but Zhu Yunwen was unable to hold power, and was eventually replaced by Zhu Di, the fourth uncle of Yanwang. So, is Zhu Biao's early death a curse or a blessing to the Ming Dynasty? If he can live a long life and inherit the throne, what kind of future will the Ming Dynasty go? These mysteries have led historians to continue to explore.
The difference between the ideas of Zhu Biao and Zhu Di
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhu Yuanzhang pursued a passive policy of locking the country, and his concept of governing the country was condensed in the "ancestral system". Zhu Biao, as the eldest son of the crown prince, will naturally inherit Zhu Yuanzhang's philosophy. However, Zhu Di, as the fourth son, had the ambition to expand his territory and revitalize the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Yuanzhang set the ancestral system for the Ming Dynasty, and the core was the tributary trade system. If foreign countries wanted to trade with the Ming Dynasty, they had to submit tribute first, which caused the Ming Dynasty's foreign trade to be restricted. Although Zhu Yuanzhang was not keen on restoring the vast territory of the heyday of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Biao followed his father's orders step by step and did not have his own ambitions. On the contrary, after Zhu Di ascended to the throne, he wanted to follow the example of Kublai Khan, the ancestor of the Yuan dynasty, to build a magnificent empire, relieve the feudal shackles of tributary, and clear the way for inland trade.
In order to realize his ambitions, Zhu Di took earth-shaking strokes. First of all, choosing Beijing as the new capital is conducive to unifying the territory and making it possible to personally conquer and conquer the Mongol aliens. Second, it expanded its territory on a large scale, successively conquering Mongolia, rectifying the northeast, and controlling Xinjiang, Tibet, and the southwest, pushing the territory to an unprecedented peak. This is completely different from Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude towards Shoucheng.
Zhu Di was ambitious and decisively implemented the policy of great unification, which made the Ming Dynasty quickly rise to become a powerful dynasty. In contrast, after Zhu Biao inherited the throne, he would only follow the ancestral system, and it was impossible to actively expand his territory, and the Ming Dynasty might fall into stagnation of the status quo of self-sufficiency. The huge difference in the ideas of the two doomed the Ming Dynasty to a completely different fate.
The historical significance of Zhu Di's expansion of territory
Although Zhu Di failed to establish a worldwide empire spanning Asia and Europe like Kublai Khan, the Ming Dynasty rapidly expanded to its peak during his 22-year reign. According to different accounts, the territory may be 9 million square kilometers or 11 million square kilometers, both of which are vast and extensive. In particular, Zhu Di's five personal conquests of Mongolia, the purge of warlords in the northeast, and the purge of foreign races in the northwest made the Ming Dynasty's territory expand unprecedentedly.
Zhu Di's exploits in expanding the territory won a vast hinterland for the Ming Dynasty on the East Asian continent, effectively curbed the infiltration of the northern nomads into the Central Plains, and won a buffer period for later Ming emperors to get rid of border troubles. Even if the emperors of later generations failed to hold on to their territory, the vast territory of the Ming Dynasty still provided strategic space for it, effectively delaying the general trend of the rise of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing and replaced the "vassal king guarding the border" with "the town of the Son of Heaven", which directly disintegrated the military strength of the feudal town. After Zhu Di unified the territory, he sent troops to suppress the local commanders in the northwest and inland, fundamentally eliminating their threat to the dynasty. Obviously, the Jingshi guarding the north is far more authoritative than the eunuchs guarding the border, and it is easier to concentrate troops to deal with unexpected situations. In this way, the imperial power of the Ming Dynasty was further concentrated, laying the foundation for the long-term stability of the country.
Zhu Di not only unified the vast territory by force, but also extended the iron hooves to the islands of the South China Sea, and ordered overseas countries to pay tribute to demonstrate the prestige of the Ming Emperor. The smooth maritime trade routes not only boosted the economic take-off of the Ming Dynasty, but also affirmed China's central position in East Asia and even the world. At the same time, in addition to expanding the territory, Zhu Di also vigorously revitalized the imperial examination, advocated the policy of valuing agriculture and suppressing business, strengthened agricultural production, and strengthened the backing of national strength. Zhu Di's wise move ensured the long-term stability and economic development of the Ming Dynasty to a great extent for the rest of the following years.
Zhu Di's political achievements in the world are obvious to all, even if later generations may be criticized because of personal likes and dislikes, but his heroic deeds of laying out the overall situation and driving his own expedition have been engraved in the annals of history, and have also laid a foundation for later generations of Ming Dynasty emperors to expand their territory.
Zhu Biao has excellent character, but lacks pioneering ambition
Zhu Biao is benevolent, benevolent, and follows the rules. He was nurtured by Confucian education since he was a child, and he believed in the concept that "without force, there is no dignity". After Zhu Biao inherits the throne, he will definitely uphold the concept of Ming Taizu's reckless military force, reform and heavy literature, and even further reduce military power. This kind of weak and inactive style of work is doomed to make it difficult to rectify the frontiers, let alone carry out an ambitious policy of opening up and expanding territory.
In contrast, Zhu Di has been brave and good at fighting since he was a child, and understands the truth that "without soldiers, there will be no national prestige". After ascending to the throne, he built a large number of civil engineering projects, built cities and gathered people, and strengthened the foundation of strong national strength. What's even more valuable is that Zhu Di personally conquered Mongolia five times and took the lead, reflecting the national pride and courage that a generation of Ming masters should have.
As the eldest son of Zhu Biao, the crown prince, he will naturally make every effort to maintain the "ancestral system" of his father Zhu Yuanzhang and abide by the tributary trade system stipulated by it. He will not be like Zhu Di, flee to Beijing, support troops to open up the territory, and confront the northern tribes. On the contrary, Zhu Biao would follow the ancestral system, stick to the inland territory, and isolate himself from the world, lest foreign invasions and cause turmoil. And this kind of timid, conservative and rigid approach will eventually make the Ming Dynasty miss the great opportunity to make a comeback.
Zhu Biao is generous by nature, loves the ancient and the present, and believes too much in the old Tan clichés such as "convincing people with virtue" and "ruling by inaction". This fantasy of moral salvation can never work for the brave and warlike nomads. In comparison, although Zhu Di is ruthless, he is also suitable for dealing with the frontier. He did not hesitate to conquer the Mongols, first realizing that it was necessary to conquer the hard-line aliens by force, and then to govern them well, which was the best policy. Although Zhu Di's thunderous wrist was brutal for a while, in the long run, it would help the Northeast ethnic groups to naturalize as soon as possible and completely integrate with the Central Plains culture.
To sum up, although Zhu Biao is noble and virtuous, I am afraid that it will be difficult to convince the important ministers of the government and the opposition, let alone command the border warlords, let alone unify the territory and abroad. On the contrary, Zhu Di was ambitious and thoughtful, and personally conquered many times during his reign, accumulating valuable experience in governing the border for the Ming Dynasty. From this point of view, Zhu Di is more suitable for succession than Zhu Biao, and Zhu Biao's early death may be the great fortune of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Di's heirs are of outstanding quality
When Zhu Yuanzhang led his troops to the Northern Expedition, Zhu Di repeatedly performed miraculous feats. As a general of the guard, he defeated the Yuan army and laid the foundation for the founding of the country during the Lin'an Imperial Expedition. There was once the praise of "Your Majesty has signs of reconstruction, but Zhu Di does his best". Zhu Di guarded Nanjing for 11 years and performed heroically and remarkably. With this meritorious service, Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to Zhu Di and was canonized as King Yan, reflecting his recognition of his military command ability.
Even in the Battle of Jingjing, Zhu Di also showed outstanding military talent. In the case that the strength of the army was far inferior to Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Di still relied on many strategic layouts to capture Beijing in more than a month. The military command wisdom embodied in this battle shows Zhu Di's extraordinary commanding skills. What is even more commendable is that even after the throne changed hands, Zhu Di did not stop there, but actively expanded his territory and conquered Mongolia five times. There has never been an emperor who can be with Zhu Di.
In contrast, although Zhu Yunwen is the eldest grandson, his political ability is really difficult to convince the public. After he ascended the throne, he did not pretend to provide foreign aid and relied solely on his cronies, which was simply a mistake after mistake. The founding fathers of the Ming Dynasty were all disgusted with Zhu Yunwen's mediocrity, which eventually led to the betrayal of a large number of princes one after another, laying the foundation for Jingnan's usurpation. After Zhu Di ascended to the throne, he understood the true meaning of governing the country without people, so he thought about it with his heart, the treasury was saved, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. It is precisely because of a generation of virtuous kings like Zhu Di that he was able to accumulate national strength and laid the cornerstone of the Ming Dynasty's hegemony in East Asia.
Looking at Zhu Di and Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Di's moral integrity is superior, and his command ability is particularly outstanding. Even if Zhu Yunwen is the eldest grandson, compared to Zhu Di, he has no way to govern and it is difficult to control the hearts of the people. Therefore, starting from the fundamental interests of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di was superior, and it was no accident that he was able to succeed to the throne. It can be said that Zhu Di's tough hand is the only way for the Ming Dynasty to move towards great unification.
Judging the luck of Zhu Biao's early death
Time goes back to the Battle of Jingyan at the beginning of Zhu Di's succession, when the Ming Dynasty was on the verge of civil strife. Zhu Yunwen was incompetent, and the disaster came out of his mouth, and he lost the support of the princes, generals and the people. Therefore, out of desperation, Zhu Di had to launch a coup d'état and seize imperial power. Fortunately, Zhu Di was politically harmonious, diligent and selfless, and after unifying the country, the country and the people were safe, and the society was revitalized.
If Zhu Biao can live a long and safe life, he will follow Zhu Yuanzhang's legacy, abide by the ancestral system, and adhere to the tributary trade system. The Ming Dynasty will, as always, be self-sufficient inland and isolated from the outside world. At the same time, Zhu Biao will certainly emphasize the suppression of military power, reduce military power, and neglect border defense. This practice of ruling by inaction is doomed to be unhelpful in defeating the barbarian races in the northwest, and the ethnic groups in the northeast will gradually split and centrifuge.
On the other hand, Zhu Di, he carried forward the heroic demeanor of Ming Taizu, brave and good at fighting, and was a commander. After ascending the throne, Zhu Di looked at the northeast from afar and suddenly felt that the invasion of the northern ethnic groups had become a concern. So he personally conquered many times, lasted for several years, and finally suppressed the warlords in the northeast in one fell swoop. Subsequently, he further pacified Mongolia, purged inland thieves, and cleared the obstacles to the succession path of the Ming Dynasty. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Ming Dynasty was like a bamboo, and its territory was rapidly promoted to its heyday.
In the face of Zhu Di's achievements in soaring above the clouds and clearing the territory, even if there are people with different views, it is rare to deny his contribution to the development of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, starting from the fundamental interests of the country, although Zhu Biao's early death was unfortunate but also lucky, otherwise if it was overkill, the Ming Dynasty would fall short. Who would have imagined that if Zhu Biao lived a long life, there would be no place for heroes, and the Ming Dynasty would stop there?
Although Zhu Di's methods are brutal, he has become the master of the world. It was precisely because of his rise that the Ming Dynasty was able to unify the Central Plains and expand its territory to an unprecedented extent, laying a solid foundation. From this point of view, no matter how you comment on it, Zhu Biao's early death is a rare luck.