In Chinese history, peasant revolts were not in the minority, but very few were able to overthrow the rulers and ascend to the throne of God. Among them, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang is the most eye-catching, how did he gradually ascend from a beggar to the emperor's throne? Today, I will take you to understand the life of Zhu Yuanzhang. No evaluation, only objective narrative.
In the first year of the Celestial Calendar (1328), Zhu Yuanzhang was born in Zhongli Guzhuang, Haozhou, a poor peasant family, named Zhu Zhongba. Due to the poverty of his family, Zhu Zhongba could only herd cattle for the landlord's family.
In 1343, a drought broke out in Haozhou, followed by a plague, and Zhu Zhongba's father, eldest brother and mother died one after another. Zhu Zhongba had to go to huangjue temple to become a monk, and soon there was a famine in the local area, and Zhu Yuanzhang was sent out to change his fate. At the age of 17, Zhu Zhongba left the Huangjue Temple, entrusted himself with a bowl, and became a beggar for three years. Three years later, Zhu Zhongbayou returned to Huangjue Temple.
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, ethnic contradictions continued to intensify. In May of the eleventh year of Zhizheng (1351), Han Shantong and Liu Futong revolted, known as the "Red Turban Army". For months, rebel armies from all over the world responded. Among them, Guo Zixing led his troops to capture haozhou city and declared himself a marshal. At this time, Zhu Zhongba received a letter from Tang He, advising him to join the rebel army, but was denounced by his brother, and Zhu Zhongba was forced to be helpless and defected to Guo Zixing. That year, Zhu Zhongba was 25 years old.
Zhu Zhongba was brave and resourceful, and was appreciated by Guo Zixing, who appointed him as the commander of the Ninth Husband of the Pro-Soldiers, and also married his adopted daughter (Empress Ma) to him. At this time, Zhu Zhongba changed his name to Zhu Yuanzhang, the character Guorui. Later, because the generals of Haozhou City were vying for power and profit, Zhu Yuanzhang was ready to leave here. In June of the thirteenth year of Zhizheng (1353), Zhu Yuanzhang returned to his hometown to recruit troops, and Xu Da, Zhou Dexing, Guo Ying and others joined the army, recruiting more than 700 soldiers. After that, Zhu Yuanzhang returned to Haozhou, and Guo Zixing promoted him to Zhenfu.
In the winter of that year, Zhu Yuanzhang selected Xu Da, Tang He, and 24 other people to leave Haozhou, and recruited 3,000 people from Zhangjiabao Donkey Pai Village in Dingyuan, and 800 people from Qin. Zhu Yuanzhang continued to march eastward, attacking the Yuan Dynasty Dingyuan Hengjian Mountain at night, marshal Miao Tycoon surrendered, Zhu Yuanzhang selected 20,000 Han Chinese, expanded his army, and marched south into Chuzhou. On the way, he became acquainted with Lee Sun-chang and made him the secretary of the shogunate. Later, Zhu Yuanzhang conquered Chuzhou, and his nephew Zhu Wenzheng, brother-in-law Li Zhen, and nephew Bao'er (Li Wenzhong) defected. At that time, Guo Zixing was ostracized and also defected to Zhu Yuanzhang, who surrendered his military power and was commanded by Guo Zixing.
In the sixteenth year of Zhengzheng (1355), Zhu Yuanzhang conquered Hexian County. Guo Zixing made him the commander-in-chief, the town guard and the prefecture. During this period, strict military discipline was strictly enforced and won the hearts and minds of the people. Later, Guo Zixing died, and Zhu Yuanzhang became the actual commander-in-chief. Zhu Yuanzhang was stationed in western Zhejiang for 6 years, "building high walls, accumulating grain, and slowly becoming king", secretly expanding his strength. After a few months of aid and weeks, the grain and grass problems needed to be solved urgently. At this time, the two Red Turban Armies Chaohu Water Army were attached. In July, the Chaohu water army broke through the east crossing from Hezhou to the opposite shore of the quarry, chang Yuchun led the army to fight, conquered the quarry, obtained a large amount of grain, and moved back to Hezhou. After that, he conquered Taiping.
Zhu Yuanzhang strictly enforced military discipline and won the support of the people. Set up the Marshal's Office of the Taiping Xingguo Wing, self-appointed Marshal, and appointed Li Shanchang as the capital of the Shuai Mansion, and began to have a solid chassis.
In the sixteenth year of Zhengzheng (1356), Zhu Yuanzhang attacked Jiqing, and on the third day, he attacked Chen Zhaoxian's camp outside the city, and his troops surrendered with 36,000 men. In less than ten days, he conquered Jiqing, renamed it Ying Tianfu, and built the Kangyi Grand Marshal's Mansion in Yingtian, with Liao Yong'an as the marshal of the unified army and Li Shanchang as the left and right Silangzhong. The following year, Geng Bingwen conquered Changxing, Xu Da conquered Changzhou, and Zhu Yuanzhang personally led a large army to conquer Ningguo. Subsequently, Zhao Jizu conquered Jiangyin, Xu Da conquered Changshu, Hu Dahai conquered Huizhou, Chang Yuchun conquered Chizhou, and Liao Tycoon conquered Yangzhou.
In the nineteenth year of Zhengzheng (1359), Zhu Yuanzhang successively conquered various parts of eastern Zhejiang, Chang Yuchun conquered Quzhou, and Hu Dahai conquered Chuzhou. At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang controlled all parts of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, with 100,000 troops. At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was bordered by Chen Youyu to the west, Yuan Jun to the east and south, Zhang Shicheng to the southeast, and Xu Shouhui to the west. Several major forces contained each other, and President Hu was able to develop and grow. As a result, Zhu Yuanzhang built walls high, accumulated grain, strictly enforced military discipline, won the hearts and minds of the people, recruited talents, and greatly increased his strength.
In the twentieth year of Zhengzheng (1360), Chen Youyi attacked Taiping and quarrying, and declared himself emperor at the quarry, and Zhang Shicheng attacked YingTian. At Liu Ji's suggestion, Zhu Yuanzhang designed to defeat Chen Youyu at Dongqiao, recover Taiping, and occupy Xinzhou and Anqing. Chen Youyi fled to Jiujiang in defeat, and in August of the following year, he conquered Anqing, Zhu Yuanzhang directly took Chen Youyi's old lair Jiujiang, Chen Youyi fled to Wuchang in defeat, and Zhu Yuanzhang occupied Jiangxi and southeast Hubei. In February of the 23rd year of Zhizheng (1363), Zhang Shicheng attacked Liu Futong, Zhu Yuanzhang sent troops to rescue Liu Futong, Chen Youyu took the opportunity to attack Hongdu, and Zhu Wenzheng held it for eighty-five days.
In July of the 23rd year of Zhengzheng (1363), Zhu Yuanzhang led an army of 200,000 and marched into Hongdu. Chen Youyu met the battle, and the two sides fought a decisive battle at Poyang Lake. Zhu Yuanzhang attacked with fire and eventually won, and Chen Youyu was killed by a random arrow. On New Year's Day in the twenty-fourth year of Zhengzheng (1364), Zhu Yuanzhang was elected King of Wu, known in history as Western Wu (Zhang Shicheng called Eastern Wu). In March, Zhu Yuanzhang attacked Wuchang again, Chen Li went out of the city and surrendered, and Chen Youyi's territory was completely annexed.
In the 25th year of Zhengzheng (1365), Zhu Yuanzhang attacked Zhang Shicheng and conquered Tongzhou, Xinghua, Yancheng, Taizhou, Gaoyou, Huai'an, Xuzhou, Suzhou, Anfeng and other prefectures and counties, driving Eastern Wu forces out of Jiangdong. In May of the twenty-sixth year of Zhengzheng (1366), Zhu Yuanzhang published a letter against Zhang Shicheng, and in November, Hangzhou. Huzhou surrendered to Zhu Yuanzhang, and Pingjiang became an isolated city. Zhu Yuanzhang sent troops to surround Pingjiang, and Zhang Shicheng failed several breakthroughs and stubbornly defended Pingjiang.
Until September of the 27th year of the Yuan Dynasty (1367), the city of Pingjiang was destroyed, and Zhang Shicheng was captured and sent to Yingtian. Zhang Shicheng was unyielding and was finally beaten to death with a stick. At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang secretly sent someone to sink The Xiaoming King Han Lin'er into the river.
In the twenty-seventh year of Zhengzheng (1367), Zhu Yuanzhang successively appointed Tang He and Hu Yanrui as generals of Zhengnan to attack Fang Guozhen in eastern Zhejiang. In the same year, Fang Guozhen surrendered.
In October of the 27th year of Zhengzheng (1367), Zhu Yuanzhang took "expelling Hu Yu, restoring China, establishing Chen Ji, and relieving the Si people" as his program, and ordered Xu Da, the right chancellor of the Book, to be the general of zhengyu, and Pingzhang Chang Yuchun to be the deputy general, leading an army of 250,000 people to the north into the Central Plains. Zhu Yuanzhang made arrangements, first taking Shandong, then entering Henan, capturing Tongguan, and then entering Dadu, and before sending troops to the west, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Guanzhong, and Gansu swept down.
In the first year of Hongwu (1368), Zhu Yuanzhang was proclaimed emperor in Nanjing, with the name Of Daming and the era name of Hongwu. In July, the various armies reached Tianjin and occupied Tongzhou on the 27th. In August, the Ming army marched directly into Beijing, The Yuan Shun Emperor took the three concubines, the crown prince escaped from Dadu, fled to Shangdu via Juyongguan, and the rest of the Yuan generals basically abandoned the city and fled. The ninety-eight years of Mongol rule in the Central Plains ended, the Ming Dynasty unified the Chinese territory within the Great Wall, and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, which had been lost for four hundred years, were also recovered.
During Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, he attached importance to farming, severely punished corrupt officials, checked the household registration, and gradually restored social stability (and also killed a large number of powerful ministers), known in history as the rule of Hongwu. During this period, Zhu Yuanzhang asked the crown prince Zhu Biao to inspect Guanzhong, intending to move the capital to Xi'an, but the prince died early and the move to the capital was not completed.
On the tenth day of the first month of the 31st leap year of Hongwu (June 24, 1398), Zhu Yuanzhang died at the Yingtian Imperial Palace and was buried in the Ming Tomb of the Purple Mountain, with the temple name Taizu.