Fierce and lawless, arrogant and arrogant
Zhu Gaoxu was the second son of Chengzu, and was born to Empress Xu along with his brother Zhu Gaozi and brother Zhu Gaozhuo. Fierce and rogue personality. In the twenty-eighth year of Hongwu (1395), Zhu Gaoxu was made the king of Gaoyang County. Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang summoned the princes to study in the Beijing Division, and Gao Xu had no interest in learning, and rode and frolicked all day in the Beijing Division, with frivolous words and deeds, which was disgusted by Taizu.
Thirty-one years after Hongwu, Taizu died of illness. Zhu Di, the King of Yan, sent his eldest son Gao Xu (高炽) and his second son Gao Xu (高煦) from Beiping (present-day Beijing) to Beijing to mourn. Gao Xu's uncle Xu Huizu the Duke of Wei told Emperor Jianwen that Gao Xu was fierce and a rogue, and that he would be a great trouble for the imperial court one day, and it was advisable to detain The Capital And strictly discipline him. So Emperor Jianwen handed it over to Xu Huizu to supervise.
Xu Huizu had repeatedly warned him to get rid of his bad habits and act cautiously. But Gao Xu not only turned a deaf ear, but also stole his uncle's horse and crossed the river to escape from the Capital Division. On his way back to the north, the officials received a little and killed him, and went to Zhuo Prefecture (涿州, in modern Zhuo County, Hebei) and killed Yi Cheng again. Its ferocity is evident!
In July of the first year of Jianwen (1399), Gao Xu's father, Zhu Di, the King of Yan, raised an army in Beiping under the name of "Qing Junfang", leaving the eldest son Gao Xu to stay in Beiping, and the second son Gao Xu to go south with the army. Emperor Jianwen was forced to send an army to requisition. Gao Xu followed Zhu Di in his conquests of the north and south, and made many military achievements. In April of the second year of Jianwen, the Yan army clashed twice at the Battle of Baigou River, but lost both, and Zhu Di fell into the encirclement of the southern army and was almost killed. Later, Gao Xu led thousands of elite horsemen to come and fight hard, so that the Yan army turned defeat into victory.
In August, at the Battle of Dongchang (東昌, in present-day Liaocheng County, Shandong), the Yan army was again defeated, and the general Zhang Yu was killed in battle, and Zhu Di retreated alone in a critical situation. At this time, Lai Gaoxu led his troops to repel the Southern Army and protect Zhu Di. In June of the fourth year, at the Battle of Puzikou, the Southern Army attacked bravely, and the Yan army could not support it; at this critical moment, Gao Xu again led the elite horse to arrive, and Cheng Zu looked at the great joy and said, "I am exhausted, and my father is brave enough to fight again." Gao Xu then led a fine cavalry battle, and the Southern Army retreated, once again relieving Zhu Di's embarrassment.
Due to Emperor Jianwen's weakness and indecisiveness, his general Zhu Di was shallow and incompetent, and in June of the fourth year of Jianwen, he attacked the Jing division and seized the throne. It is for Ming Chengzu. In the Battle of Jingnan, Chengzu repeatedly turned defeat into victory in the midst of danger, and Gao Xu's contribution was mostly. Therefore, Cheng zu believes that Gao Xu is brave and good at fighting, and he is partial to him. Under Chengzu's favor, Gao Xu was even more blind and arrogant; he was arrogant and arrogant; he was arrogant and lawless. So much so that the queen did not go to the domain, lai was in the capital division, plotting to seize the position of prince of the Eastern Palace.
The plot to seize the Eastern Palace was despicable
After Chengzu ascended the throne, he ordered Gao Xu to lead his troops to Kaiping (present-day Zhenglanqi, Inner Mongolia) on the north bank of the Lightning River; at the same time, he began to negotiate the establishment of a crown prince.
Gao Xu, who had long coveted the throne of the Eastern Palace, hurriedly sent people to Nanjing, even though wang Ning, the Duke of Qiguo, had repeatedly spoken into the words of The Ancestors: Gao Xu was highly meritorious and should be made crown prince. Cheng Zu hesitated. Yes, for Chengzu, his own access to the throne includes the great military achievements of Gao Xu, who is his favorite son. Therefore, from the perspective of personal feelings, Cheng Zu was inclined to make Gao Xu the crown prince. However, Gao Blaze is the eldest son, and it is the traditional practice to establish a concubine, and the position of Gao Blaze's son is determined by Taizu.
Abolishing the concubines and establishing the concubines, contrary to traditional practices and the wishes of the ancestors, I am afraid that it will cause people's hearts to be unstable. More importantly, Gao Xu did not learn any techniques, was arbitrary and unreasonable, and at best was just a warrior, and had no art of governing the country at all; while Gao Xu was knowledgeable and courteous, quite popular, and his eldest son, Zhan Ji, was even more gentle and elegant, handsome and dashing, and indeed a rare imperial grandson.
In order to protect Zhu tomorrow, it will be passed down from generation to generation, and intellectually speaking, Gao Zhi should be made crown prince. Whether to take feelings or reason, Cheng Zu is really difficult to decide for a while. So he secretly consulted Xie Jin and other ministers for advice. Xie Jin, Huang Huai, and other close ministers urged Li Yan to be the chief and Gao Zhi to be the crown prince.
In this case, Chengzu's sanity finally prevailed. In the first month of the second year of Yongle (1404), Chengzu summoned Gao Xu, the eldest son of Beiping, and Gao Xu, the second son of Bibian Kaiping, to return to Nanjing. In April, it was officially proclaimed that Gao Xu was made crown prince, Gao Xu was made the King of Han and the state of Yunnan, and Gao Fu was made the King of Zhao, and the state of Zhangde (present-day Anyang, Henan) was made. The matter of building and storing reserves has finally been basically determined.
The position of prince was not obtained, and he was sent to remote Yunnan, and Gao Xu was really angry and hateful.
Not only did Qi Chengzu forget his hard work, but he also hated Xie Jin, Huang Huai and others for speaking for Gao Zhao. Gao Xu was not willing to end this, he wanted to take revenge on those who spoke for Gao Zhi, and to create an opportunity to regain the position of prince.
In order to stay in Nanjing and engage in conspiracies, Gao Xu pretended to be aggrieved and said to Cheng Zu, "What crime do I have, I want to exclude me to Yunnan, which is thousands of miles away from the capital division!" Insist on not going. In this regard, although Cheng Zu was a little unhappy, he was also a little sorry for him in his heart, so he did not say anything more. Subsequently, Cheng Zu took Gao Xu to Beijing to inspect the border, and Gao Xu pleaded with him and his son to return to Nanjing.
After the first step was realized, Gao Xu took advantage of Chengzu's preference for him and successively put forward further requirements. The first was to ask the Tiance Guards as their own guards, and then to request the addition of two other guards. After having three escort armies, Gao Xu was extremely arrogant, and always compared himself to Tang Taizong, often saying: "Tang Taizong was once a general of the Tiance Wei, and today, I also got the Tiance Wei Army, is this accidental?" 」 Isn't this kind of heroic warrior of mine very similar to Li Shimin, the King of Qin!?" The ambition to be like Li Shimin for the Son of Heaven is overflowing with words!
One winter, Gao Xu was ordered by Chengzu to pay homage to Xiaoling with the crown prince Gao Zhi, and Gao Xu, who was walking in front, was fat and had a foot disease, plus the road was frosty and slippery, although there were two eunuchs around to support him, and he often lost his foot. Gao Xu saw it in the back and said in response: "The predecessor lost his foot, and the latter slipped." Although this was a temporary remark, Gao Xu's desire for Gao Xu to fall on the throne of the crown prince was clearly revealed.
After Gao Xu stayed in Nanjing, he and his brother Gao Fu joined forces to trap Gao Xuan. There are two main points: one is to frame, attack, and squeeze out the officials and subordinates of the Eastern Palace and remove the prince's wings; the other is to stir up discord between Chengzu and the prince, so that Chengzu will have a sense of distrust of the prince. The above two points are interrelated, and their purpose is to try to reduce Gao Blaze's prestige and make Chengzu develop an aversion to Gao Blaze, so as to replace the prince.
In February of the fifth year of Yongle, Gao Xu framed Xie Jin, a scholar of Hanlin and a scholar of Right Chunfang University, for leaking palace secrets, and indeed provoked Cheng zu's anger and expelled Xie Jin from the capital, starting with the Guangxi Senate and then degrading the Right Senate. In June of the ninth year, Xie Jin entered the capital to play an affair, unfortunately, Cheng Zuzheng led an army to invade Mongolia in the north, and Xie Jin had no choice but to pay homage to the crown prince and return.
However, Gao Xu told Cheng Zu that there would be a conspiracy in the absence of The Emperor Xie Jin, the private visit to the crown prince, and no one to pay tribute to. When Cheng Zu, who had only been respected, heard this, he couldn't stand it, and immediately sent someone to arrest Ji Jin and put him in prison. Several ministers were implicated. In prison, Xie Jin was severely tortured, and four years later, he died tragically in prison.
At that time, Cheng Zu made many northern tours of Beijing and pro-Mongolia, leaving the crown prince Gao Zhi in Nanjing to oversee the state. During the period when the prince was supervising the country, Chen Shou, the left attendant of the Ministry of Works, often explained the advantages and disadvantages of the current government to the prince, which won the trust and appreciation of the prince. In this way, Chen Shou was jealous of Gao Xu. In the ninth year of Yongle, under Gao Xu's slander, Chen Shou was arrested and imprisoned, and soon after, he also died in prison.
Gao Xuyin formed a relationship with the left and right officials of the ancestors to frame Zhu Gaozi, which not only offended many officials and subordinates in the Eastern Palace, but also caused Chengzu to have a sense of distrust of Zhu Gaozi. In the ninth year of Yongle, after Chengzu returned to Nanjing after his northern expedition to Mongolia, he summoned Yang Shiqi to ask the crown prince about the state of affairs, and Shiqi said to him: "The prince is very filial and respectful, and his talent is high, even if he has a fault, he must know it, and he must change it; and if he loves his people, he will never bear the trust of His Majesty." After Yang Shiqi's euphemistic explanation, Cheng Zu's anger was calmed.
In September of the twelfth year of Yongle, Cheng Zu returned to the north, and the crown prince sent people to slow down a little, so in Gao Xu's court, Huang Huai, Yang Pu, and Jin Wen, the officials of the Eastern Palace, were arrested and imprisoned for ten years. Yang Shiqi also explained to Cheng Zu: "The crown prince is still as filial and respectful as before, and this time he is slow to meet the driver, which is really a crime such as a minister." In this way, under Gao Xu's advice, Cheng Zu wanted to make the crown prince more several times, and under the protection of Yang Shiqi, an official of Laidong Palace, Zhu Gaozi retained the position of crown prince.
In May of the thirteenth year of Yongle, Chengzu changed the title of Gao Xu to Qingzhou (青州, in modern Yidu, Shandong). Gao Xu still did not want to go, and still adopted his usual tricks, saying grievously: "If I have any crime, I must be placed in the barren land of Qingzhou." He also said to Cheng Zu in a false way: "I would like to serve around my father for a long time, and I don't want to go to the feudal kingdom anymore." Again, resign from the domain.
At this point, Cheng Zu began to suspect that he had ulterior motives. The rebuke said, "If you have been enfeoffed, how can you be a servant for a long time?" The previous time I sealed Yunnan, I was afraid of far away; now I seal Qingzhou, and I want to stay, if I sincerely stay in Beijing, last time in Beijing, why borrow my old strength to ask for a return to the south? The words left and right are not true. The fate of Qingzhou must not be shirked!" However, Gao Xu ignored Chengzu's rebuke, that is, Lai did not leave in Nanjing. At the same time, taking the opportunity of Cheng Zu's long-distance tour of Beijing, he was even more reckless.
In September of the fourteenth year of Yongle, Gao Xu privately selected various health guards and recruited 3,000 soldiers to accompany them, not belonging to the military department, even if they plundered. The soldiers and horses commanded Xu Ye Donkey to capture some of his lawless soldiers and punish gao Xu in anger, holding an iron melon and killing Xu Ye Donkey, and the crowd did not dare to speak. Gao Xu did not obey the law of etiquette and arrogantly used tianzi car clothes to show off the market. Cheng Zu heard this, was very annoyed, and returned to the south.
In October, back in Nanjing, he heard gao Xu plotting to seize the position of crown prince and other illegal things, and asked the minister Jian Yi, who was afraid and did not dare to be right. So he asked Yang Shiqi again, and Yang Shiqi replied: "In the matter of the King of Han, outsiders are really not good at saying anything." However, the han king refused to do so on both sides, and now that his majesty would move to Beijing, he asked him to stay in Nanjing. His Majesty is familiar with his true intentions. After Cheng Zu listened, he did not make a sound.
Within a few days, dozens of illegal things were done by the King of Han, and he was furious. Summoned Gao Xu, stripped of his clothes, imprisoned in the Xihua Gate, and wanted to depose him as a commoner. Lai Gao prostrated his head in a fiery manner, weeping and trying to save him, and was spared. However, gao Xu's two guards were cut off, and the people who were left and right were cursed. In March of the fifteenth year, Gao Xule'an Prefecture (高煦樂安州, in modern Guangrao, Shandong) was sealed, and the order was restricted to the same day without delay.
Raise an army to rebel and commit suicide
After Gao Xu arrived at Le'an, his resentment was even worse, and his plot became more and more urgent, and he was deliberately planning to seize the emperor's throne. He privately built firearms; he gathered rogues and fugitives from near and far, formed an army, gave silver coins, and generously raised them; he also transported weapons to the guards and actively prepared for an armed rebellion. Because Cheng Zu was still alive at that time, Gao Xu feared his might and did not dare to take action.
In the 22nd year of Yongle, Cheng Zu died of illness in the Yumu River (present-day northwest of Duolun, Inner Mongolia) during the Northern Expedition. Crown Prince Gao Took the throne as Emperor Renzong. During Chengzu's death, Gao Xu intensified his activities in Beijing, his son Zhan Qi, secretly spied on the affairs of the imperial court, and reported gao Xu. Six or seven groups of people were sent to Le'an in a day to report news. At the same time, Gao Xu himself also sent dozens of people to sneak to the Beijing Division every day to observe the movements of the imperial court, hoping that there would be some turmoil in the Beijing Division at the time of the change of position, and he would be able to take advantage of the chaos in Le'an and seize the throne.
However, at the time of the change of throne, the Jingshi was exceptionally stable; at this time, Emperor Renzong knew about Gao Xu's series of activities in the Jingshi, but did not break it, let alone blame him, but instead gave him a good gift, summoned him to the Jingshi, increased his age, gave him silver coins, and received hospitality, and told him to still return to the Clan Le'an. Soon, he also made his concubine Zhan Yuan the son of the world, and the remaining eight sons were all kings. I want to use brotherhood to impress him and make him restrain. Emperor Renzong's magnanimity, Gao Xu was confused for a moment, coupled with the infighting between the dog and his son Zhan Qi, there was no action for the time being.
In May of the first year of Hong Xi (1425), Emperor Renzong died of illness again. Gao Xu was ecstatic. He prepared to ambush and shoot the soldiers on the way from Nanjing to Beijing, but because of Taicang's emaciation, he did not carry it out. In June, Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji, the emperor, took the throne as Emperor Xuanzong. Following his father's example, Emperor Xuanzong was particularly generous to his two uncles, Gao Xu the Prince of Han and Gao Fu the King of Zhao.
The pros and cons of the current government that Van Goghxu stated, whether sincere or false, were replied to in a letter of thanks and ordered to be carried out by yousi; Whether it was reasonable or unreasonable, Van Gowth's request, whether reasonable or unreasonable, was also distorted. For example, soon after Emperor Xuanzong ascended the throne, Gao Xu pretended to neglect the four affairs of Chen Liguo's security, and Emperor Xuanzong ordered Yousi to carry them out and praise them in a royal letter; then Gao Xu demanded camels, horses, and robes, and Emperor Xuanzong gave him forty camels, one hundred and twenty horses, and several robes.
However, Gao Xu regarded his nephew Xuanzong's courtesy as weak and deceitful, and in August of the first year of Xuande (1426), he officially rebelled in Le'an. Li Fifth Army: Command wang bin to lead the front army, Wei Da left army, Qianhu Shengjian right army, Zhizhou Zhu Heng rear army. The sons zhanlang, zhan domain, zhan yue, and zhan ze each supervised an army. Gao Xu led the Chinese army by himself, and Shizi Zhanyuan lived in the guard. The deployment has been decided, and the close confidant Mu Qing sneaks to the Beijing Division to ask the British Gongzhang Fu as an internal response.
That night, Zhang Fu tied up Mu qing and reported it to Xuanzong. He also asked Shandong du to command Le Rong and others to return to Jinan in response; to distribute the bow and knife banner to Zhending Zhuwei and to seize the officials' private horses; to send envoys to lure rebellion, Sun Sheng, the governor of Tianjin Weizhen, Zhang Jie and Yang Yun, The commander of Qingzhou Zuowei, Shi Bin, the commander of Qingzhou Wei, Fu Wenying, the commander of Hejian Wei, and Fu Liuzhi of Zhengxing Town, the commander of Dezhou Wei, all of whom responded by raising the city.
Subsequently, he also falsely appointed Wang Bin, Zhu Heng and other officials such as Taishi, Dudu, and Shangshu. At this time, Gao Xu, who did not measure up to his own strength, seemed to think of himself as an emperor. Yushi Liqing, a native of Le'an, because his father was bereaved, Gao Xu recruited him and did not follow, at this time he also abandoned his home, changed his name, and sneaked to The Capital to report Gao Xu's rebellion to Emperor Xuanzong.
After Emperor Xuanzong received the report, he did not believe it at first, and he could not bear to send troops to requisition immediately, but instead wrote a handwritten letter to send the eunuch Hou Tai to Le'an, hoping to give Gao Xu the opportunity to repent and rehabilitate. The letter said: "Yesterday Mu Qing said that the uncle was dissatisfied with the imperial court, and I did not believe at all because my father's closest relatives only had the second uncle, and I only relied on the second uncle, so this must be a surprising statement deliberately spread by the little man in order to alienate the relationship between us." However, I could not rule out the possibility that these little people would take the opportunity to rebel, so I had to take a little precaution and hope that the second uncle would understand. ”
Hou Tai to Le'an, Gao Xu not only Chen Bing saw Tai, but also arrogantly did not kneel down to accept the edict, and said loudly to Tai: "Why should I bear the imperial court?!" The Battle of Jingnan is not my Battle of Gao Xu's death, whether the King of Yan will succeed is very unpredictable, Chengzu believes in rumors, cuts my guard, migrates me to be happy, who is the one who slanders me? Erzong only baited me with gold and wanted to make me live in peace for a long time, but how could I live here for a long time, and now I have a powerful army, enough to run amok in the world. You quickly go back to report to your master, first tie up the traitors in the dprk, and what to do later is up to me. ”
After Hou Tai listened, he was extremely afraid, and only had the share of the promise. After Hou Tai returned to the capital division, Xuanzong asked him what the King of Han had said and how the situation was, and Tai did not dare to answer truthfully. Not long after, Gao Xu sent a hundred households of Chen Gangjin to rebuke Xuanzong and slander the courtiers. After Emperor Xuanzong saw this recitation, he truly believed that "the King of Han was rebellious" and discussed the conquest of the army.
Emperor Xuanzong prepared to send Xue Lu, the Marquis of Yangwu, to lead an army to negotiate. Yang Rong, a university scholar, took Jianwen's loss of the country as an example and tried not to do so, and persuaded Xuanzong to personally march. Xia Yuanji and others also agreed with Yang Rong's opinion. So Emperor Xuanzong decided to march in person. First of all, he ordered the Le'an spies in the Beijing Division to cut off Gao Xu's intelligence sources: send huang Qiantong's general soldiers and Pingjiang Bo Chen Xuan to defend Huai'an, and not let Gao Xu go south; order the commander Rui Xun to guard Juyongguan to prevent Gao Xu from going north.
At the same time, Xu Yongchang and Pengcheng Bo Zhang Chang were appointed to guard the imperial city; Zhang An, Marquis of Anxiang, Liu Rui of Guangning, Zhang Rong, and Gao Yuan of Jianping Bo, were appointed to guard the imperial capital; Li Xian, Shilang Guoban, Guo Jing, and Li Chang of Fengcheng were appointed to guard the imperial capital; Zheng Wangzhan and Xiangwang Zhanta remained in Beijing; Yuan Rong, Marquis of Guangping, Zheng Jing, Marquis Of Wu'an, Zhang Sheng, Shanyun, Shangshu Huanghuai, Huang Fu, and Li Youzhi cooperated.
After the arrangement was stopped, Emperor Xuanzong conveniently set out from Beijing on the tenth day of the first month of August to recruit the rebel king Gao Xu. Young Master Jianyi, Young Fu Yang Shiqi, Shaobao Xia Yuanji, And Crown Prince Young Fu Yang Rong. Xue Lu, the Marquis of Yangwu, became a pioneer. On the 19th day, the army led by Emperor Xuanzong also arrived outside Le'an City. Gao Xu originally commanded Le Rong in Shandong to respond to the army in Jinan, but was prevented from sending it by Shandong's envoys and envoys.
Zhu Heng asked Gao Xu to lead his elite troops to take Nanjing, but the families of the guards were in Le'an, and they refused to leave their homes and go south. When Gao Xu heard that Emperor Xuanzong had personally marched, he was greatly frightened and stuck in Le'an City, not daring to go out. In order to disintegrate the rebel army and reduce losses, Emperor Xuanzong twice wrote to Gao Xu, asking him to go out of the city and surrender, and capture the advocates. The book says: "Now that the Sixth Division is oppressing the situation, as long as the king surrenders and sacrifices the advocates, he will not remember the past, and the grace will be the same." Otherwise, a war will be won, or the king will be a strange commodity, and he will be sacrificed since then, and there will be no regret!"
Gao Xu, under the pressure of the army and the powerful political offensive of Xuanzong, feared being captured, and with a glimmer of hope of survival, he surrendered the city on the twenty-first day. Emperor Xuanzong ordered Xue Lu and Shangshu Zhang Ben to change their name to Wuding Prefecture.com. Those who conspired with Gao Xu to advocate rebellion and were killed included Wang Bin, Zhu Heng, and Sun Sheng, the governor of Tianjin Zhenshou, Zhang Jie and Yang Yun, the commander of Shanxi, Liu Cheng, the commander of Qingzhou, and Zheng Dian, Wen Ying, and Liu Zhi of Cangzhou Wei. Deliberately indulging the Gao Xu rebellion and knowing that the Gao Xu rebellion was not reported, more than 1,500 people were killed and killed, and 720 people were demoted to border thugs.
In September, Emperor Xuanzong's class returned to Beijing, and Gao Xu's father and son were both sent to the Capital Division, deposed as Shuren, and imprisoned in the Happy City inside the Xi'an Gate. The offerings of his food and clothing were given according to the old practice of the king's time. Emperor Xuanzong was still tolerant and generous to Gao Xu's father and son. Soon, Emperor Xuanzong also made the "Record of the Eastern Crusade", which listed Gao Xu's crimes and the reason why the imperial court had to use troops as a sign of subjection.
Gao Xu, with the courage of Yi Jie, raised an army to rebel and was unpopular; in addition, there were neither ministers of insight nor generals who were able to fight; he raised his army for half a month and did not take a step out of Le'an; the guards were cut, and the army was mostly a ragtag crowd, and its defeat was inevitable.
One day in the fourth year of Xuande (1429), Emperor Xuanzong personally went to the City of Runaways to see Gao Xu, and Gao Xu unexpectedly kicked down Xuanzong, and Xuanzong was furious and ordered the brave men to cover Gao Xu with a copper cylinder. Although the cylinder weighs three hundred pounds, it is high and powerful, and it is moved with the hand. Emperor Xuanzong also ordered that charcoal be piled on the jar and burned with fire. The fire melted copper, and Gao Xu was burned alive, ending his life of a fierce rogue. After Gao Xu's death, the sons were also killed.