Zhu Yuanzhang was born in poverty and went through hardships, and finally established the Ming Dynasty, with his outstanding wisdom and firm will, to achieve the transformation from a cowherd to a generation of kings.
However, it was this brilliant emperor who exposed the deep-seated suspicions at the peak of his power, even his own son.
Today, let's get a glimpse of the inner complexity of this great monarch through a power struggle within the family.
Suffering is born, and he vows to eliminate harm for the people
In 1328 AD, Zhu Yuanzhang was born in a poor peasant family, and the family was very poor. Both parents are hard-working farmers, working hard day and night, but they can barely maintain the food and clothing of the family.
In order to help reduce the burden on his family, he began to herd cattle for the landlord since he was a child, earning a meager salary. When he was young, he loved stories about history and heroes, and often fantasized that one day he could become a hero who saved the people from fire and water while herding cattle.
However, the cruelty of reality made his dream seem so unattainable, when the plague swept through Fengyang at the age of fourteen, Zhu Yuanzhang's parents and brother died of illness one after another, leaving him and a few young siblings at home.
In desperation, Zhu Yuanzhang was forced to enter the temple as a little monk in order to have food and clothing for three meals a day.
Even so, the good times did not last long, and the famine prevented the temple from continuing to provide for these orphaned children, so he had to wander around begging for a living.
The wandering life allowed Zhu Yuanzhang to see more of the world, witness the suffering of more people, and strengthen his determination to change this decadent society.
In 1352, Zhu Yuanzhang was 24 years old, when the Red Turban Army uprising was in full swing, and it seemed that he saw that this was an opportunity to change his fate.
In the Red Turban Army, Zhu Yuanzhang also met a group of like-minded comrades-in-arms, fought bloody battles on the battlefield with them, and repeatedly broke through the enemy's defense line.
After each battle, Zhu Yuanzhang would carefully analyze the battle situation, learn lessons, and gradually grow into an excellent military commander.
A few years later, Zhu Yuanzhang led the Red Turban Army to capture Chuzhou, which was the first major victory as a major general, not only greatly increasing his prestige in the army, but also strengthening his belief in overthrowing the rule of the Yuan Dynasty and establishing a new regime.
It was also at this time that Zhu Yuanzhang realized that he could not overthrow the Yuan Dynasty by bravery alone, and he also needed strategy and wisdom. In order to expand his power, he began to actively recruit talents and establish his own base.
Zhu Yuanzhang promoted a large number of talented generals and strategists, and the strength of the Red Turban Army continued to grow, gradually becoming a force to be reckoned with, laying a solid foundation for future conquests.
Since ancient times, "those who win the hearts of the people win the world", after years of arduous struggle, Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty in 1368 AD and ascended the throne in Nanjing, known as Ming Taizu and changed the Yuan Hongwu.
As a wise monarch, he not only changed his own destiny, but also the fate of hundreds of millions of people. Zhu Yuanzhang came from a humble background, experienced the hardships of the people, and empathized with the difficulties of the people.
After ascending the throne, he cared about the suffering of the people, implemented a series of policies to benefit the people, reduced the enslavement and rectified the rule of officials, so that the people could breathe, and social order was gradually restored.
He also encouraged agriculture to develop production, so that the people could have food and clothing, and these measures were widely supported and loved by the people.
Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicions
As the saying goes, "no one is perfect", Zhu Yuanzhang has a big "stain", that is, why power can be desperate.
In the early days of the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, in order to consolidate the imperial power and eliminate dissidents, he eradicated a group of important ministers and the opposition through various cases, and designed to murder Hu Weiyong, Li Shanchang and Lan Yu and other founding fathers.
Zhu Yuanzhang was highly sensitive to power and extremely guarded against potential threats, and in the process of consolidating his rule, former heroes and princes were regarded as possible threats, for fear of losing the country, suffering from gains and losses, and even affecting his family.
The crown prince Zhu Biao has always been Zhu Yuanzhang's qualified heir, and his prestige in the court and the people is very high, but it is a pity that this person died young without a holiday, and all of Emperor Zhu's plans have become empty talk.
At this time, the politics of the Ming Dynasty were very delicate, whether to choose his son to succeed to the throne, or to choose his eldest grandson to succeed to the throne, and finally Zhu Yuanzhang determined the position of Zhu Yunwen's grandson, that is to say, he will be the emperor in the future.
However, Zhu Yunwen's age is too young, and he does not have any experience in governing the country and managing hundreds of officials, so the suspicion of the lord Shaoguo may cause problems, especially his own son is likely to be dissatisfied with this nephew, the most notable of which is the fourth son Zhu Di.
Because of his outstanding performance on the battlefield and his reputation of winning the hearts of the people, Zhu Biao is not worth mentioning when he is alive, but after Zhu Biao's death, it is a great worry.
The key to the stability of imperial power is to ensure that the authority of the heir is not threatened, and Zhu Yuanzhang knows this very well, so he appointed his eldest son Zhu Biao as the crown prince early at the beginning of his succession, hoping to eliminate the ambitions of others through this decision.
With Zhu Biao's untimely death, Zhu Yuanzhang's heart resurfaced, worried that the rest of his sons would compete for the throne after his death, and Zhu Di's existence made him even more unassured.
Thinking about it day and night, Zhu Yuanzhang had a nightmare one day, in which he saw a general in gold armor rebelling and slashing him to the ground with a knife to seize the Scorpion Love of the Ming Dynasty.
The ancients were very superstitious about dreams, believing that dreams were a kind of omen of reality, and Zhu Yuanzhang was such a person, who was the golden armor general who kept recalling dreams? also told the concubines around him about it.
One day, Zhu Yuanzhang peeled oranges in the palace to eat, and during this period, he also called Zhu Di and gave the peeled oranges in his hand to the other party.
It was also at this time that he found that Zhu Di, who received the orange, and the golden armor general in his dream were like the same person, and his eyes became subtle in an instant.
Zhu Yuanzhang's actions shocked the concubines on the side, and combined with the dream that Zhu Yuanzhang said to him, he immediately thought of something.
She knew that Zhu Yuanzhang had always been wary of Zhu Di in her heart, worried that it would threaten Zhu Yunwen's status, and now that she had such an expression, she must have a plan in her heart.
As the emperor's pillow person, he naturally knew what the other party was thinking, and in order to protect Zhu Di, he immediately signaled his son to leave quickly: "Your father wants to kill you, hurry back and don't stay longer." ”
Although Zhu Di didn't know the specific reason, he still followed the advice and left the palace immediately, and never came to Nanjing City again.
When Zhu Yuanzhang found out about this, Zhu Di had already left Nanjing and went to Beiping, and he had no choice but to issue an edict that "the vassal king shall not enter Beijing without an edict".
A power game
Zhu Yuanzhang's temptation was not accidental, but part of his ruling strategy, and only through constant temptation and suppression could the concentration of power and the stability of inheritance be ensured.
In his later years, in order to ensure Zhu Yunwen's smooth succession to the throne, Zhu Yuanzhang frequently summoned Zhu Yunwen to explain the principles of governing the country, and even let him participate in politics in the court, so as to enhance his authority.
He imposed extremely strict surveillance measures on his sons, intensified the crackdown, not only restricted freedom of movement, but also constantly weakened the military power, secretly monitored the movements of the prince, and prevented the gathering of forces from threatening Zhu Yunwen's position.
Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicion and temptation of his son gradually caused rifts within the family, and Zhu Di became more alert to his father's suspicion, understanding that he must be cautious in this whirlpool of power, and secretly accumulate strength to deal with potential crises.
In 1398, Zhu Yuanzhang died, and Zhu Yunwen succeeded to the throne smoothly and became Emperor Hui of the Ming Dynasty. What should come always comes, Zhu Yuanzhang's various power schemes and suspicions when he was alive quickly showed consequences after his death.
Although Yun Wei received the full support of the court officials and tried to maintain the stability of power through strong means, this method invisibly exacerbated the contradictions and problems between family members.
The relationship between Zhu Di and Zhu Yunwen has gradually changed from the relationship between uncle and nephew to power confrontation, and an internal power struggle is inevitable. Soon after, Zhu Di rebelled and launched the Battle of Jingyan in the name of "Qing Jun's side, Jingsheji".
Although Zhu Yunwen had a good card in his hand, it was a pity that there was no one available around him, and finally Zhu Di successfully attacked the city of Nanjing in 1402 and seized the throne to become the Yongle Emperor, and the power struggle between father and son, uncle and nephew, ended in a great turmoil within the Ming Dynasty.
In general, Zhu Yuanzhang's orange-peeling incident reveals his extreme sensitivity to power and strict defense against potential threats, and also reflects the profound contradictions and helplessness in maintaining the inheritance of imperial power, and excessive suspicion and control eventually lead to greater hidden dangers.
What do you think differently about this?
Reference: History of the Ming Dynasty
Analysis of Zhu Yuanzhang's merits and demerits - CNKI (cnki.net)