"Shoot the man first, shoot the horse first, and catch the thief first." Although this sentence is now seen in Du Fu's poem, it was also a popular war song on the battlefield. And to this day, the view of "catching the thief before catching the king" is still deeply recognized by many people.
But the reality is so wonderful. In the chaos of the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, Zhu Yuanzhang's confidant Xu Da once let go of Yuan Huizong, who was forced into a desperate situation, when conditions were favorable. Zhu Yuanzhang was not angry about this, but also praised Xu Da happily, and gave the fugitive Yuan Huizong the honorific title of "Yuan Shun Emperor" (hereinafter referred to as "Yuan Shun Emperor").
1. The Battle of the Siege of Yuan Dadu
In the Yuan Dynasty, although the Mongols from the north entered the Central Plains and built the capital city of Yuan Dadu in the territory of present-day Beijing, they still retained the temporary capital of the north, Yuan Shangdu, and designated it as the capital of Xia. And as the birthplace of the Mongol regime, although The Yuan Shangdu was not as important as the Yuan Capital, it was still much more important than other cities, and the layout of them was also more meticulous.
However, comparing Yuan Shangdu and Yuan Dadu alone, Yuan Shangdu is still easier to attack. However, for Zhu Yuanzhang and other southern regimes, the Yuan Dynasty, which has an emperor who lives for a long time and is closer, has more significance and possibility of attack. Therefore, at the end of the twenty-seventh year of the Yuan Dynasty (1367), Zhu Yuanzhang took his confidant Xu Da as the main general and the fierce general Chang Yuchun as his deputy general, and ordered his army to go north to compete for the capital of Yuan.
At that time, whether it was the prestige of Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, etc., or the strength of Zhu Yuanzhang's army, they all surpassed the Yuan generals and the Yuan army that was still chaotic and decaying. Therefore, less than a year after leaving, Xu Da and others took down the cities along the line and formed a siege of the Yuan Capital. It was only when the army officially entered the city and counted the prisoners of war in the city that Chang Yuchun confirmed that emperor Dayuan Emperor Bo'er had already run away!
Second, Xu Da's wisdom and the helplessness of Emperor Yuanshun
"Capture the thief before the king", but the Yuan Shun Emperor, who had no power to bind the chicken, ran away in the encirclement of the army! As a vice admiral known for his bravery, Chang Yuchun was particularly annoyed by this. He was also dissatisfied with the arrangement of the commander Xu Da: if Xu Da was properly deployed, how could Emperor Yuan Shun escape from Yuan Dadu. So much so that the army went out to destroy Dayuan, but it did not completely eliminate Dayuan.
As a result, Xu Da did not take Chang Yuchun's rebuke to heart. He even truthfully reported the battle situation to Zhu Yuanzhang - Zhu Yuanzhang said that the move to let go of Emperor Yuanshun was very beautiful! Didn't you say "catch the thief before the king"? Why did Xu Da let go of Emperor Yuanshun, and Zhu Yuanzhang not only did not suspect that Xu Da had a heart of betrayal, but also praised Xu Da for his good moves?
After escaping from the Yuan capital, the Yuan Shun Emperor, surrounded by a large number of widows, reorganized his forces in the Yuan capital and established the so-called "Northern Yuan" regime. Although Emperor Yuan Shun himself was faint, and the power of the dprk had long been sidelined, he was also appropriately instigated. Long before Zhu Yuanzhang planned the Northern Expedition, Emperor Yuanshun had already built a palace for refuge on the Korean Peninsula, intending to continue his life after running away. It was only later that Zhu Yuanzhang's army was too strong and the Yuan dynasty perished too quickly, that Emperor Yuanshun had to stay in Yuandu first and temporarily integrate the remnants.
The strength of this remnant can be imagined. Before the Yuan Dynasty was dead, the courtiers and generals were fighting among themselves to ignore the Emperor Yuan Shun. Now that the Great Yuan is gone, the strength is greatly damaged, and the money and power are all folded, it is even more difficult for the Yuan Shun Emperor to command this group of widows. Unable to escape any longer, unable to attack again, Emperor Yuan Shun was left with only the idea of self-abandonment.
Third, Zhu Yuanzhang's understanding and strategy of yuan
In the third year of Hongwu (1370), Emperor Yuan shun, who was depressed and fled to Yingchang (in present-day Chifeng, Inner Mongolia), finally died of illness. Soon after, the Northern Yuan regime completely retreated to the desert north and no longer participated in the competition for the Central Plains. Compared with "catching the thief before catching the king", the benefits of Xu Da's original move of "wanting to capture the old and indulging" have finally emerged.
But then again, Zhu Yuanzhang's victory was an afterthought after all. When Xu Da had just let Emperor Yuan Shun go, how could Zhu Yuanzhang be very satisfied with this move? Was it because Zhu Di's mother was originally a concubine of Emperor Yuanshun, and it was this concubine who blew the pillow wind for Zhu Yuanzhang?
Of course not. Rumors about Emperor Yuan Shun and Zhu Di have long been confirmed to be fabricated by later generations. The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang was willing to indulge Emperor Yuanshun's escape at the beginning was actually related to his attitude towards Yuan and his pre-war strategy.
Before basically capturing Jiangnan, Zhu Yuanzhang's focus was on Jiangnan, so he and yuan were at wartime peace, both shelving, easing, vigilance, and refusal to defend. Before and after the Battle of Jiqing in the fifteenth year of Zhizheng (1355), Zhu Yuanzhang's strategy against the Yuan gradually became active. To be dispatched Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and others to the north to besiege Yuan Dadu, its replacement of Dayuan, the understanding of unifying the whole country has long been determined.
But it is one thing for Zhu Yuanzhang to have an idea, and it is another thing to realize this idea. Although Zhu Yuanzhang's power was increasing, Yuan was still orthodox. Emperor Yuanshun was wearing an orthodox hat, what would Zhu Yuanzhang do if he caught him? Did he kill Emperor Yuanshun and put himself on the hat of a prince, or did he kidnap Emperor Yuanshun to order the princes? The former Zhu Yuanzhang was not happy, and the latter Yuan Shun Emperor really did not have that appeal.
Therefore, at that time, Emperor Yuanshun still had the name of orthodoxy, forcing Emperor Yuanshun to embark on the road of escape, it was best to come back to the road of exile, which was the most affordable way for Zhu Yuanzhang to seize orthodoxy. After all, the Yuan Shun Emperor was a muddy mud that everyone knew. Even if he were to let go at this time, he would not be able to make any big waves. As for the remnants who surrounded Emperor Yuanshun, or the generals who had many contradictions with Emperor Yuanshun, in short, they all needed Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer by force, which was not inconsistent with the move to release Emperor Yuanshun. In this way, Xu Da, who understood Zhu Yuanzhang's intentions and executed it well, won Zhu Yuanzhang's affirmation, which was natural.
Resources:
ZHANG Guangyao. Zhu Yuanzhang's View of the Yuan Dynasty and Its Study on the Yuan Strategy[D].Inner Mongolia University, 2016.
GUO Liqing. The Mystery of the Ancestral Lineage of Emperor Yuan shun and Ming Cheng[J].Forbidden City, 2006(05):62-65.