Zhu Yuanzhang

Zhu Yuanzhang

Zhu Yuanzhang (October 21, 1328 - June 24, 1398) was born in Guzhuang village, Taiping Township, Zhongli County, Haozhou (now Fengyang, Anhui Province). He is a Han nationality with the name Guorui and his ancestral home is Jurong, Jiangsu Province. The founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1398).

Zhu Yuanzhang was poor when he was a child and used to herd cattle for landlords. In 1344, he went to Huangjue temple and traveled all over the world. At the age of 25, he joined the red scarf army led by Guo Zixing and resisted the Yuan Dynasty. In 1356, Jiqing road was captured and renamed Yingtian. After that, Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng and other separatist forces were successively eliminated, and they called themselves King Wu. In 1367, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun were sent to the northern expedition to overthrow the rule of the Yuan Dynasty. In the first month of the first year of Hongwu (1368), the emperor was located in yingtianfu. His name was Daming and his year was Hongwu. In the autumn of the same year, it conquered Dadu and ended the rule of Yuan Dynasty in the whole country. Later, the southwest, northwest, Liaodong and other places were pacified, and the whole country was finally unified.

During Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, in politics, he strengthened centralization, abolished the prime minister and the provincial secretary in the line, set up three departments to take charge of local power, severely punished corrupt officials and illegal dignitaries; in military affairs, he implemented the system of garrison; in economy, he carried out immigration and garrison, built water conservancy, reduced taxes, measured the national land, checked household registration and so on; in culture, he paid close attention to education, promoted imperial examination, and established the Imperial College In terms of foreign relations, it is necessary to establish a "non levy country". Under his rule, social production gradually recovered and developed, known as "the rule of Hongwu".

In 1398, Zhu Yuanzhang died of illness at the age of 71. His first posthumous title was "emperor Qiyun and Junde succeeded in ruling heaven, Emperor Xiaogao". His temple was named Taizu and was buried in Xiaoling of Ming Dynasty.

Life of the characters

Born in cloth clothes

Zhu Yuanzhang was born in a poor peasant's family on September 18, the first year of Tianli (October 21, 1328). His father is Zhu Shizhen and his mother is Chen. Zhu Yuanzhang ranked fourth in his family, and his family brothers ranked eighth, so he was named Zhu Chongba. According to the inscription in the stele of Zhu Shi De, which was made by Zhu Yuanzhang, it is recorded that "Zhu's family came from Jurong of Jinling, and the place name is Zhu Xiang, which is in Tongde township. Since the last century, he has been "serving agriculture" and moved back to Xuyi county and Zhongli township of Haozhou.

In 1343, a drought occurred in Haozhou. In the spring of the next year, there were serious locusts and pestilence. In less than half a month, Zhu Yuanzhang's father, elder brother and mother died one after another. Only Zhu Yuanzhang and his second elder brother were left. The family had no money to buy coffins, and even no land to bury their relatives. Liu Jizu, a neighbor, gave them a cemetery. The two brothers found some rags to wrap the body and buried their parents on the land of the Liu family. In order to survive, Zhu Yuanzhang and his second brother, sister-in-law and nephew were forced to separate and escape separately.

Travel everywhere

When Zhu Yuanzhang was desperate, he went to gaobin monk of Huangjue temple and became a traveling boy for him. In the temple, he sweeps the floor, perfumes, beats the bell and drum, cooks food and washes clothes every day, and is reprimanded by the old monk. Soon, there was a famine and the temple could not get alms, so the abbot had to send the monks to travel around. In this way, only 17-year-old Zhu Yuanzhang had to leave the temple as a mendicant.

Zhu Yuanzhang begged as he walked. He went south from Haozhou to Hefei, then turned west to Henan, went to Gushi and Xinyang, then went north to Ruzhou and Chenzhou, passed Luyi and Bozhou in the East, and returned to Huangjue temple in 1348. In the three years of wandering, he traveled all over the famous capital of Huaixi, contacted the local conditions and customs, met the world, broadened his horizons, and accumulated social life experience, which had a profound impact on Zhu Yuanzhang's life. During the three years of traveling abroad, the peasant uprising was in full swing in the late Yuan Dynasty. There is a widespread saying in the society that "King Ming was born and all living beings were given universal support". The Bailian religion in the north is also carrying out the same propaganda. Zhu Yuanzhang was also exposed to such propaganda when he was wandering.

With the intensification of national and class contradictions and the frequent natural disasters, the poor peasants who have no way out are desperate. In May of the 11th year of Zhizheng (1351), Han Shantong and Liu Futong rose up in Yingzhou. The soldiers wrapped their heads in red scarves, known as the "red scarves army", and promoted Han Shantong as the king of the Ming Dynasty. Then, Xu Shouhui started in Qizhou, and Li Er, Peng DA and Zhao Yong all started in Xuzhou. In a few months, all over the world responded. On the 11th of the first month of the second year (1352), Guo Zixing, a local tyrant in Dingyuan County, joined forces with sun Deya and others, and tens of thousands of people responded. Guo Zixing gathered people to burn incense and became the leader of the local white lotus society. On February 27, after the rebels captured Haozhou, Guo Zixing called himself marshal. Later, Guo Zixing held fast according to Haozhou, and the order was made clear. Zhu Yuanzhang received a letter from his childhood partner Tang He, inviting him to join Guo Zixing's Volunteer Army. Just at this time, his elder martial brother told him secretly that someone knew the letter and wanted to tell on it. So Zhu Yuanzhang went to join Guo Zixing's red scarf army. This year, Zhu Yuanzhang was 25 years old.

Rebel generals

After Zhu Yuanzhang joined the army, he was brave, resourceful, and fluent in writing. He was soon appreciated by Guo Zixing, so he was transferred to the commander's office and appointed as the commander-in-law. Zhu Yuanzhang was smart and capable. He was a pioneer in the war. Before long, Zhu Yuanzhang's good reputation in the army spread. Guo Zixing also regarded him as a confidant and always discussed important matters with Zhu Yuanzhang. At that time, Guo Zixing had an adopted daughter, who was the daughter of his close friend Ma Gong. After Ma Gong died, his youngest daughter was adopted by Guo Zixing. Guo Zixing saw that Zhu Yuanzhang was a talented person, so he married his adopted daughter Ma Shi to Zhu Yuanzhang. From then on, he was renamed Master Zhu in the army. Zhu Yuanzhang got his official name Yuanzhang, which was Guorui.

In the city of Haozhou at that time, there were five Marshals in the red scarf army. Guo Zixing, sun Deya and the other three marshals have many contradictions. In September of this year, Zhima Li, the chief General of Xuzhou red scarf army, was killed by the yuan army. Peng DA and Zhao Junyong led his troops to Haozhou. Peng Da made friends with Guo Zixing, while sun Deya and others wooed Zhao Junyong. Encouraged by sun Deya, Zhao Junyong kidnaps Guo Zixing and takes Guo Zixing to the sun family to beat him up, ready to kill him. After hearing the news, Zhu Yuanzhang led his troops to rescue Guo Zixing with the support of Peng da. Since then, the feud between the two factions has deepened.

Zhu Yuanzhang saw that the generals of Haozhou city were fighting for power and profit, and he was determined to rely on his own strength to create a new situation. In the middle of June, 1353, Zhu Yuanzhang returned to his hometown to recruit soldiers. His friends Xu Da, Zhou Dexing, Guo Ying and other acquaintances in the same village heard that Zhu Yuanzhang had become the leader of the red scarf army and came to work one after another. So he soon recruited more than 700 soldiers and returned to Haozhou. Guo Zixing was very happy and promoted Zhu Yuanzhang to be a governor.

In the winter of this year, Peng Zaozhu, the son of Peng Da, called himself the king of Lu Huai, Zhao Jun called himself the king of Yongyi, while Guo Zixing and others were still marshals. When Zhu Yuanzhang saw that these people hadn't been out of Haozhou city for half a year, he selected 24 new recruits from his recruits, including Xu Da and Tang He, to leave Haozhou and set a distance in the south. On the way to Dingyuan in the south, Zhu Yuanzhang first appeased 3000 militia members of lvpai village in Zhangjiabao, and then recruited 800 soldiers who were in charge of the Qin Dynasty. Under the command of this troop, Zhu Yuanzhang set out to the East and took the night to break the yuan army camp in hengjianshan, Dingyuan. Marshal Miao Daheng surrendered. Zhu Yuanzhang selected 20, 000 strong Han people from his troops and went south to Chuzhou.

On the way to Chuzhou, Dingyuan celebrity Li Shanchang asked to see him. Li Shanchang and Zhu Yuanzhang are familiar at first sight. Taking Liu Bang as an example, Li Shanchang persuades Zhu Yuanzhang that as long as they follow Liu Bang's example, they can understand people's good deeds and do not kill people indiscriminately, and the world will soon be pacified. Zhu Yuanzhang thought it was very reasonable, so he left Li Shanchang as the Secretary of the shogunate, and asked him to coordinate the relationship between the generals and create a great cause together.

Zhu Yuanzhang quickly attacked Chuzhou, and his nephew Zhu Wenzheng and brother-in-law Li Zhen took his nephew bao'er (later named Li Wenzhong) to take refuge. From them, Zhu Yuanzhang learned that his second brother, third brother and elder sister had all passed away. At that time, there was an orphan Mu Ying in Dingyuan, so Zhu Yuanzhang took the three children as adopted sons and changed their surnames to Zhu. Later, Zhu Yuanzhang adopted more than 20 adopted sons. When Zhu Yuanzhang attacked Chuzhou, Guo Zixing was excluded by Zhao Junyong, sun Deya and others. Therefore, not long after Zhu Yuanzhang attacked Chuzhou, Guo Zixing also came to Chuzhou. Zhu Yuanzhang immediately handed over military power, a team of 30000 people, strict discipline, military integrity, Guo Zixing was very happy to see.

In 1355, Zhu Yuanzhang conquered He county. Guo Zixing immediately appointed Zhu Yuanzhang as commander in chief to guard Hezhou. Once, when Zhu Yuanzhang was out, he saw a child crying. He asked him why he was crying and said he was waiting for his father. After careful inquiry, Zhu Yuanzhang found out that the father and mother of the child were both in the military camp, and the father kept horses in the camp. The mother and father did not dare to recognize each other, so they had to match each other as brothers and sisters. Zhu Yuanzhang realized that there were problems in the military discipline of the army. After they broke down the city, they would disturb the people, make trouble, and plunder women. If they went on like this, the army would lose the popular support. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang called all the generals together, declared discipline, ordered the return of married women in the army, and reunited many separated couples in the city. Zhu Yuanzhang won the hearts of the people.

In this year, Guo Zixing died of illness. Han lin'er, the king of Xiaoming, appointed Guo Zixing's son Guo Tianxu as marshal of the capital, his wife and brother Zhang Tianyou as the right deputy marshal, and Zhu Yuanzhang as the left deputy marshal. In name, marshal Du is the leader of the army, and the position of the right deputy marshal is higher than that of the left deputy marshal. However, most of the troops in Chuzhou and Hezhou were recruited by Zhu Yuanzhang, who was more courageous and resourceful than Guo Tianxu and Zhang Tianyou, and had talented people under him. Therefore, the fact that Zhu Yuanzhang

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