Preamble:
In 1271, Kublai Khan ascended the throne and established the Yuan Dynasty, a state unified by the Mongol iron cavalry.
Kublai Khan's ambition was not only to unify the Mongol tribes, but also to incorporate the vast Central Plains into the territory and establish an unprecedented unified dynasty.
The remnants of the Southern Song Dynasty were wiped out by the iron heel of the Yuan Dynasty, and for the first time, China fell completely under the rule of ethnic minorities.
After 98 years of tyrannical rule in the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the "Beggar Emperor", sent the Mongols back to Mobei and established the Ming Dynasty.
The Yuan Dynasty, which was entrenched in the Central Plains for 98 years, faced with the heinous crimes committed by the Mongols, how did Zhu Yuanzhang deal with Mongolian women?
During the reign of the Yuan Dynasty, the internal struggle never stopped
The internal affairs of the Yuan Dynasty can be described in one word - chaos.
The power struggle within the royal family never stopped, and fathers and sons and brothers could kill each other for power.
This instability directly affected the administration of the state, and policies often fluctuated greatly with the change of emperors.
What is even more reproachful is that the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty did not draw nourishment from the vast and profound culture of the Central Plains, but still used the brutal methods of nomads to govern the country, which greatly regressed the civilization level of the entire society.
During the Yuan Dynasty, society was divided into four classes: Mongols, Semu (other ethnic minorities), Han Chinese, and Nanren (Han people in the Southern Song Dynasty).
Han Chinese and Nan people are at the bottom of society and suffer all kinds of unfair treatment.
For example, the imperial examination system was abolished, and Han Nan people could not serve as high-ranking officials, and even basic rights to self-defense were denied.
Through these extreme policies, the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty strengthened their control over the Han and Nan people, but also sowed the seeds of resentment and revolt among the people.
Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty
As time passed, Zhu Yuanzhang saw the suffering of the people under the tyranny of the Yuan Dynasty.
When the peasant uprising broke out at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, he resolutely joined the Red Turban Army led by Guo Zixing and began the anti-Yuan struggle.
Zhu Yuanzhang performed well on the battlefield, not only brave and good at fighting, but also put forward strategies and tactics many times, and repeatedly defeated the Yuan army.
These exploits enabled him to gradually gain Guo Zixing's appreciation and more military command.
After Guo Zixing died of illness, Zhu Yuanzhang took over the command of the troops.
His leadership skills were on full display: he led his army to attack the Yuan army in the north, and the rebellion in the south, eliminating the separatist forces one by one, and finally defeating the Mongols back to Mobei.
In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne in Nanjing, with the name Daming, which marked the return of the Central Plains Dynasty to the Han people.
His ascension to the throne was not only the pinnacle of his personal destiny, but also an important turning point in the history of the Chinese nation.
When Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne as Ming Taizu, one of the most difficult problems he faced was how to deal with the Mongols who remained in the Central Plains.
Assimilation of the Mongols: customs, culture, intermarriage
For the long-term peace and stability of the country, Zhu Yuanzhang proposed a series of policies of cultural assimilation.
He ordered the Mongols to abandon the custom of having their younger brothers or sons inherit their wives after their husband's death, which was a disruptive move at the time.
Through such a policy, Zhu Yuanzhang not only legally eliminated the traditional inheritance rights of Mongolia, but also promoted the gradual acceptance of the cultural values and lifestyle of the Central Plains by the Mongols at the cultural level.
In Zhu Yuanzhang's strategy of governing the country, the policy of tolerance occupies an important position.
He knows very well that a country that has just undergone a major blood change needs not only a strict legal system, but also warmth and tolerance.
Therefore, in the treatment of Mongolian women, he explicitly prohibited any form of abuse and discrimination, and gave them the freedom to choose to stay in the Central Plains or return to the north.
This policy greatly eased interethnic tensions and transformed Zhu Yuanzhang's image among the Mongols from that of a conqueror to a benevolent ruler.
Han-Mongolian intermarriage is a trick used by Zhu Yuanzhang to strengthen ethnic integration.
In this way, the Mongolian and Han bloodlines are intertwined, and the formal integration of the family further fosters cultural and emotional exchange and understanding.
This is not only a cultural assimilation of the Mongolian people, but also a subtle influence on the Mongolian psychology.
In this way, Zhu Yuanzhang skillfully lowered the national barriers and strengthened the cohesion of the country.
Through a series of policies of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Dynasty finally achieved the harmonious coexistence of a multi-ethnic state.
The boundaries between the Han and Mongol ethnic groups gradually blurred, and the two peoples were no longer antagonistic as conquerors and vanquished, but as common subjects of the Ming Dynasty, working together to build a prosperous and powerful country.
Zhu Yuanzhang's policies are not only reflected in military and political success, but also in his deep understanding and proper handling of cultural integration and ethnic relations.
Under the governance of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Dynasty not only showed military strength, but more importantly, it showed the tolerance of a big country.
Through the pardon of Yuan officials and the respectful treatment of the Mongol nation, Zhu Yuanzhang proved that true strength is achieved not through fear and oppression, but through understanding and tolerance.
This open-minded and generous attitude won the Ming Dynasty widespread respect at home and abroad and lasting national stability.
Epilogue:
Zhu Yuanzhang's policy towards the Mongols can be described as a combination of grace and power.
Let the Han people intermarry with Mongolian women, inculcate the cultural ideas of the Central Plains, make the Mongols submit to the Ming Dynasty ideologically, promote the unification of the Chinese nation, and stabilize the regime.
Zhu Yuanzhang's policies not only brought prosperity to the country and harmony during his reign, but also set an example for later dynasties to handle ethnic relations.
Through this deliberate approach to governance, Zhu Yuanzhang succeeded in uniting a multi-ethnic empire and laying a solid foundation for China's unification and development.
As a miraculous figure from poor peasant to emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang showed extraordinary political wisdom and humanistic care in handling national affairs.
Under the influence of Zhu Yuanzhang's policies, the Ming Dynasty became a strong period of internal political stability, ethnic integration, and cultural prosperity.
Zhu Yuanxiang images