In people's impressions, Zhu Yuanzhang seems to have become synonymous with "fierce heart" and "ruthlessness and injustice", but after the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, there were countless Mongols stranded in the Central Plains, and there were millions of Mongols in the Yuan Capital alone.
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According to the "History of Ming", the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty were able to suppress the Han people to the extreme: compared with the Mongols and The Semu people, the Han people were a low-class group, and the Southerners were even more inferior, and there were many discriminatory measures in the appointment of officials, the examination of the imperial examination, and the legal status. For example, when the Mongols beat the Han people, the Han people could not fight back, they could only appeal to the government, and all kinds of unfair systems abounded, which was the "four-class system" of the Yuan Dynasty.
During the reign of Emperor Yuanshun, the Mongol chancellor Boyan went so far as to write a letter to kill the five Han Chinese surnamed "Zhang, Wang, Liu, Li, and Zhao" in order to permanently weaken the Han people's ability to resist. After the news came out, the Han people were excited, and the Red Turban Army rebellion led by Han Shantong, Liu Futong, Xu Shouhui and others began, and Zhu Yuanzhang, who had spared cattle, worked as a monk, and begged for food, also joined this team. After decades of baptism of war, Zhu Yuanzhang grew rapidly, became the commander of the rebel army, and successively eliminated the forces of Chen Youyu, Zhang Shicheng, and Fang Guozhen to unify Jiangnan.
In 1367, Zhu Yuanzhang, with Xu Da as the general and Chang Yuchun as the deputy general, led 250,000 horses north into the Central Plains, and on the way issued the "Edict to zhongyuan", calling on the people of the world to rise up and ask for yuan. The text mentions the treatment of the Mongols and Theemites, claiming that as long as they know the etiquette, take the initiative to submit, and recognize their status as vassals, they can get the same treatment as the Han.
It can be said that this propaganda copy has made many people who were worried before feel relieved, the northern warriors know that they are not the object that Zhu Yuanzhang wants to eliminate, the commoners also know that Zhu Yuanzhang is here to rescue us from suffering, and the Mongolian and Semu people do not have to worry about cruel retaliation, so there is no need to resist death.
It is recorded in the "Sayings of zhongyuan": "For example, the Mongols and the Semu, although they are not of the Chinese ethnic group, are born between heaven and earth, and those who can know etiquette and righteousness, and are willing to be subjects, are no different from those who are raised in the middle of the Summer." Therefore, I hereby advise that it is advisable to know." The Northern Expeditionary Army was able to march smoothly, recover a large amount of land in a short period of time, and then unify the whole country, which had a lot to do with this paper text.
Zhu Yuanzhang complained with virtue
Zhu Yuanzhang's text is not just a big talk, compared with the "four-class system" of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang's treatment of the Mongols and the Semu people can be said to be extremely kind. For the Northern Yuan forces, he adopted a policy of fighting if he did not obey, and appeased the people if he served, and the combination of rigidity and softness gradually disintegrated the Northern Yuan forces.
For the Mongol nobles and soldiers, they also gave certain preferential treatment and did not retaliate against them. After Emperor Yuanshun's grandson Libala was captured, Zhu Yuanzhang not only did not kill him, but instead made him the "Marquis of Chongli", where he was treated well and entertained for several years, and finally had him sent back to Mongolia, hoping that he would inherit the Khanate and obey the Orders of the Ming Dynasty.
According to the Edict of the Amnesty of the World, "The Mongols and the Semu people dwell in our land, that is, I am a naked son, and those who have talent, are promoted as one",
For the ConfucianIzed Mongols, Zhu Yuanzhang was even more equal, and talented people could also be appointed and had the opportunity to show their ambitions. Just like the Mongol scholars, Dalu and Quan, because of their talent, also became the Qin Fu Jishan, responsible for tutoring Taizu's second son, the King of Qin, and later changed to the position of imperial history.
From struggle to assimilation
Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang had his own considerations for doing these things, and his ultimate goal was to let the Mongols and Han People honestly accept their rule and stop doing senseless resistance. So what could be more reliable than turning an enemy into one's own? This is the reason why Zhu Yuanzhang implemented these policies. In fact, although he did not retaliate against the Mongols, he also came up with many ways to assimilate them:
First: linguistic assimilation.
In the first year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang issued a ban, requiring Mongolians to use Chinese characters, learn Chinese, and communicate in Chinese.
Second, the assimilation of clothing.
The Mongols were no longer allowed to wear their own traditional costumes, not even jewelry, but only Hanfu, that is, "the crown of the imperial robe is like the Tang system".
Third, name assimilation.
The Mongols wanted to simplify their surnames to Han surnames, and the Mongols and Semu people scattered in various places at that time basically changed their names, and if you look at them only from the names, it is difficult to distinguish their clans.
Fourth, assimilation of blood.
This trick should be the most cruel, that is, the Mongols and Semu people are not allowed to marry each other, they can only intermarry with the Han, especially the millions of Mongolian women left over from the Central Plains, can only marry the Han, if they violate it, they will be severely punished, and even be punished as slaves.
In order to set an example, Zhu Yuanzhang himself took the Mongolian woman OngJi lashi as a concubine, and also let his son Zhu Zhu, the King of Qin, marry the daughter of the Yuan Dynasty taiwei Kuoku Timur, and this move alone blocked the mouths of the world's yo-yo people.
It is recorded in the Minghui Canon: "In the fifth year of Hongwu, the Mongol Semu clan, who lived in China, was allowed to marry the Chinese family, and was not allowed to marry with this type of self-marriage. From this point of view, Zhu Yuanzhang's purpose has been very clear, that is, through various means of assimilation, the Mongols gradually forget their clans, achieve complete Sinicization, and accept the rule of the Ming Dynasty from the depths of their hearts.
Some people say that this is called "soft knife although there is no blood", "warm boiled frog", but it is far more advanced than the "four-class system" of the Yuan Dynasty!
bibliography:
1. "Myo-Myo"
2. "The Edict of Zhongyuan"
3. The Edict of Amnesty
4. "Fengtian Northern Expedition to discuss the Yuan Dynasty"