On September 22, 1630, in Caishikou, Beijing, the 46-year-old soldier Yuan Chonghuan was slashed alive 3,543 times by an executioner.
Yuan Chonghuan kept screaming until his flesh was completely gone, and he died half a day later.
Before dying, he looked at the declining Ming Dynasty and at the illiterate people who cursed angrily. He sighed, then chanted:
"A life's career is always in vain, half a life's glory is in a dream, after death carefree and brave, loyal soul still guards Liaodong!"
Until his death, he could not forget the great event of his five-year-old Pingliao. Unfortunately, his life had to end before the appointed time.
When the executioner was executed, the onlookers cheered loudly. After the executioners cut off a piece, they quickly bought it and ate it raw with soju. Three days later, the execution ended. Yuan Chonghuan's flesh and blood were also stripped and eaten, leaving only his head hanging from the pillar. Go up and tell Kumian to "wait for tomorrow".
But what people didn't expect was that Yuan Chonghuan's head disappeared that night!
The Chongzhen Emperor was furious and immediately ordered a thorough investigation, but despite repeated investigations, there were no results.
Who is bold and dares to be an enemy of the emperor?
It wasn't until 150 years later that this shocking case came to light, and "the real murderer was discovered."
1. The death of Yuan Chonghuan
Yuan Chonghuan was born in Dongguan in 1584. He is a very interesting person. Obviously he is a reader, he took the entrance exam, but he did not want to be an official, he only loved to fight!
He is obviously an authentic southerner, but he knows the mountains and terrain of the north well and is famous in the north!
Who would have thought that two years before he was called a "traitor" and executed in Lingchi, he was still a highly regarded cornerstone of the Ming Dynasty, saving the people from fire and water!
Beginning with the defense of Ningyuan in 1622, Yuan Chonghuan first defeated Nur Hachi's 200,000-strong army with only 10,000 troops in isolation, achieved the "Ningyuan Great Victory", severely damaged Nur Hachi, and then repelled his successor, the Later Jin Dynasty. Khan Taiji achieved the "Ningjin Great Victory".
It can be said that since the battle of Salhu, Yuan Chonghuan single-handedly turned the entire Mingjin war around!
Chongzhen repaid Yuan Chonghuan and was full of confidence in Yuan Chonghuan. From the age of 38 to 43, in just five years, Yuan Chonghuan rose six levels in a row, from a small judge of seven counties to a second-rate "governor of Ji Liao". "Division", Shangshu from the first position in the War Department, quickly became a rising star in the political arena of the late Ming Dynasty.
However, with the Incident of Guise in 1629, the situation suddenly took a turn for the worse. Yuan Chonghuan not only completely lost the trust of the Chongzhen Emperor, but was also sentenced to death, affecting his wife and daughter.
Why is that?
Reason 1: Yuan Chonghuan's decision-making mistakes.
Yuan Chonghuan was very kind to his subordinates and very good at fighting, but he had a fatal flaw, that is, he was arrogant and did not follow orders.
With them, whether it was Nur Hachi or Huang Taiji, a group of elite troops were always divided to guard around the leather knife to prevent the enemy before and after.
Yuan Chonghuan's second mistake was to change the military orders of his superiors without authorization.
The capital is suddenly in danger!
When Yuan Chonghuan heard the news, he immediately sent the Shanhaiguan guard Zhao Lijiao to Zunhua to capture Emperor Taiji.
However, one day after Zhao led his army to Zunhua, the entire army was destroyed. Yuan Chonghuan had to take the general soldier Zu Dashou, the deputy general soldier Zhang Hongmo and others to hold the capital.
At this time, Yuan Chonghuan's old boss Sun Chengzong gave him a military order: Yuan Chonghuan would lead the army to deploy defenses in Jizhou, Shunyi, and Sanhe to block Emperor Taiji.
However, Yuan Chonghuan did not carry out Sun Chengzong's military orders, but closely followed Huang Taiji, watching the Eight Flags Iron Horse burn and loot, but did not send a single soldier.
He did this in order to force Huang Taiji to the root of the imperial city, so that the Ming army could take advantage of the Ming army's combat advantage of "relying on the city wall and using artillery". Since the Eight Banners soldiers were good at field battles, the Ming army had to avoid their soldiers if they wanted to win. Ahead, storm the city.
However, Yuan Chonghuan forgot that this was Beijing, not his ideal battlefield.
Although he was later isolated, he fought bloody battles, repelled Huang Taiji's attacks again and again, and achieved great victories at Guangqumen and Zuoanmen, but what awaited him was not a reward, but one letter of accusation after another. Commemorative.
Since ancient times, border guards were not allowed to enter Beijing without the emperor's permission, otherwise they would be considered treason.
Sun Chengzong showed him a clear path early on, but in order to win the battle, Yuan Chonghuan actually forgot this taboo.
The second reason is that Chongzhen is suspicious by nature.
History records that Chongzhen was "stern and ungrateful when in power, hasty and panicked when he was in power." During his 17 years in power, he killed 7 governors, 11 governors, and countless other low-level officials killed. On the one hand, he relied on the ministers, but on the other hand, he was extremely distrustful of the ministers.
After the Ji Ming Incident, Emperor Taiji realized that as long as Yuan Chonghuan was in the Ming Dynasty, Houjin had no chance of victory, so he took advantage of Chongzhen's suspicions and used a "counter-intuitive strategy".
Huang Taiji deliberately let people flee to Chongzhen, saying: "Yuan Dudu had a secret contract with Houjin, and Yuan Chonghuan deliberately sent the Eight Banner soldiers into Beijing. Chongzhen was furious when he heard the news, and immediately ordered the Jinya guards to arrest Yuan Chonghuan.
Before Yuan Chonghuan's charge of "collaborating with the enemy" was discovered, two officials of the Ministry of Rites poured dirty water on Yuan Chonghuan and let Yuan Chonghuan into the cabinet. They framed Yuan Chonghuan for colluding with Vice Minister Qian Longxi for committing evil.
Yuan Chonghuan, as a guard general of the Ming Dynasty, retained a large number of soldiers, while Qian Longxi, as a heavy minister of the imperial court, was in charge of secrets. Once these two people successfully join forces and want to pursue power and usurp the throne, isn't it easy?
Thinking of this, Chongzhen couldn't help but shiver, Yuan Chonghuan couldn't stay!
Chongzhen quickly issued a decree in a hurry without any evidence:
"Chonghuan knows how to kill people selfishly, seek wealth for enemies, deceive fathers and fathers, and mistakenly cross the border... Follow the rules! "Zhé (zhé) means Lingchi, and the "Great Ming Law" stipulates: "Those who attempt to rebel or rebel shall be punished with Lingchi."
In this way, the general who Houjin feared the most was easily killed by the monarch he loyally served, and it was extremely tragic.
Second, the behind-the-scenes story of Yuan Chonghuan
After Yuan Chonghuan's death, his wife Huang died angrily. His brother, concubine, and two young daughters were exiled two thousand miles away. Several of their family properties were also confiscated by the Government.
According to records, there was a concubine, surnamed Ruan, and two biological daughters, both unknown, one year six years old, one year old and three years old, according to the Ming Dynasty, both traveled two thousand miles and settled in Yunnan. - "Degree Branch Discussion"
Because Yuan Chonghuan had no heirs, on the night of his unjust death, the guard in Yuan Chonghuan's account, She Yishi, was filled with grief and indignation. At the risk of destroying his family, he secretly obtained the head of Yuan Chonghuan hanging on a pillar and buried it in his home. In the backyard.
In order to hide people's eyes, She Yi, who is also a Cantonese, specially marked this place as "Yiyuan" from Guangdong. Any Cantonese who died in Beijing and could not return to their hometowns can be buried here.
In this way, I Shishe deceived the government, but for security reasons, he resigned from his official position and stayed at home to guard Yuan Chonghuan's tomb.
Before his death, She left a last word to his descendants: first, he was not allowed to return to his hometown in Guangdong, second, he was not allowed to become an official, and third, he would guard the tomb of General Yuan for generations to come. Generation.
Since then, the descendants of the She family began to secretly guard Yuan Chonghuan's tomb.
It was not until 1784 that the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty wronged Yuan Chonghuan and searched for Yuan Chonghuan's descendants. At this time, he learned that the She family had guarded Yuan Chonghuan's tomb for generations.
Qianlong thanked the She family for their loyalty and ordered the governor of Guangdong to rebuild the ancestral tomb of the She family in his hometown. He also invited the descendants of the She family to serve as officials. However, in order to follow the precepts of their ancestors, they rejected Qianlong's kindness.
During the Republican period, under the leadership of Kang Youwei, well-known people from all walks of life donated money and materials to erect monuments to Yuan Chonghuan and the widow society, and built a Yuan Temple in front of Yuan Chonghuan's tomb.
After the founding of New China, the She family encountered unprecedented difficulties in continuing to protect the tomb of Kong.
3. 393 years of persistence
The first challenge: urban planning.
In 1952, the Beijing Urban Planning Bureau relocated all cemeteries in the city, including the Confucius Tomb, for urban reconstruction.
After learning the news, the She family was very worried and asked for help, hoping to protect the tomb of the Yuan family.
Subsequently, Liu Yazi, Li Jishen, Zhang Shizhao and other celebrities were moved by the justice of the She family and jointly wrote to the chairman to request the protection of Yuan's tomb.
After understanding the cause of the matter, the chairman quickly approved the meeting: "I informed Mayor Peng Zhen about the temple affairs of Mr. Yuan Chonghuan, the patriotic leader of the late Ming Dynasty, and if there is no problem, it should be retained." ” ”
Not only that, the Beijing municipal government also funded the comprehensive reconstruction of Konglin.
The second challenge: gravediggers are overwhelmed. According to the ancestral motto of the She family, the responsibility of guarding the tomb is generally given to the "eldest son of Nagato". However, since the 60s of the 20th century, it is She Youzhi, the 17th granddaughter of the She family, who has guarded the tomb.
She Youzhi's uncle had two sons. It was her eldest cousin who took on the responsibility of guarding the tomb. However, the disaster in the 60s of the 20th century deeply affected his cousin She Youzhi. Faced with great pressure, he had to take his family out of Yuan's tomb.
Before leaving, her cousin tearfully persuaded She to go with them so that she would no longer be involved in guarding the tomb.
But She Childish refused without thinking. She said categorically: "If you live, you live in the cemetery; If you die, you die in the cemetery. ”
Since then, She Youzhi has become the seventeenth generation gravedigger of the She family after his cousin, and the first gravedigger in more than three hundred years.
The third challenge: the husband's misunderstanding.
In 1964, She Youzhi, who worked in a factory, and Jiao Lijiang, who worked in elementary school, met and got married.
Later, they had a daughter Jiao Ying and a son Jiao Ping. In order to guard the tomb, She's family of four was crammed into a 20-square-meter house converted from a sheepfold. The house is warm in summer and cold in winter. When it rains, rainwater is poured into the house.
At this time, Jiao Lijiang's work unit allocated a house, so he asked his wife and family to move to a new house.
She Childish even threatened divorce and refused to leave Yuanling no matter what:
"There is no man in my family, as the seventeenth generation guardian of Yuanling, I must follow the ancestral precepts, absolutely cannot leave the She family, if you want to leave, we will divorce, you go alone." ”
Jiao Lijiang had never seen his wife so angry, but after learning how much effort his wife's ancestors had put into protecting Yuanling, Jiao Lijiang gradually changed from opposing his wife to supporting his wife, and his actions never stopped.
Every day after work, Jiao Lijiang took his son, daughter and wife to clean the cemetery and tell them the story of Yuan Chonghuan's loyalty.
Challenge 4: Kong Lin is destroyed.
In the 60s of the 20th century, someone heard that there was a "gold head" buried in Kong Yuan. People who did not know the truth immediately rushed to Shejiaguan, smashed Yuan Chonghuan's tombstone, and dug the grave three feet into the ground. You see, where is the trace of a gold head?
Everyone left disappointed, and Yuan's tomb was unrecognizable. When She Youzhi saw the scene in front of her, she was overwhelmed with grief: This is the heroic soul of General Yuan that the She family has guarded for more than three hundred years!
With her husband's comfort, She Childish decided to pick herself up again. She knelt in front of Yuan's tomb and secretly vowed:
Yuan Tomb does not repair for a day, does not cut hair for a day!
At that time, no one understood She Youzhi's behavior, so he privately gave her the nickname - "She is crazy".
Pay and you will pay. After the story of She Youzhi and her ancestors guarding the tomb of Confucius was widely reported, people from all walks of life at home and abroad actively donated money, hoping to contribute to the restoration of Yuan's tomb. She Youzhi was so moved that he bought a ledger to record the source and expenditure of each donation in detail. Although Sheyou's home is financially strained, she personally does not spend any money. It is used for the maintenance and sacrifice of the Yuan Tomb.
On the day of repairing the cemetery, She childishly knelt down and cried loudly, and finally cut off the braid that had been tied for more than ten years. Seeing this scene, everyone present was moved.
Challenge 5: White sends black hair.
In 2003, Yuan Chonghuan's hometown of Dongguan, Guangdong, planned to build the Yuan Chonghuan Memorial Hall. The local government kindly invited the She family to guard Yuan Chonghuan's tomb.
She Youzhi's 28-year-old son Jiao Ping took the initiative to sign up for volunteer activities and changed his name to "She Jiaoping". Jiao Ping was accidentally killed in a car accident on the way south.
The 65-year-old She Youzhi couple lost their son in old age, and the sadness in their hearts is understandable.
But they never forgot the great mission of guarding the mausoleum. In order to fulfill their son's wish and fulfill the legacy of their ancestors, She Youzhi and his wife decided to bury their son's ashes next to the tomb of Yuan Chonghuan in Guangdong.
The acts of righteousness of the Shes are the same as those of their ancestors, Sheh I, more than three hundred years ago. After Yi's death, he was also buried next to Yuan Chonghuan's tomb, but one in the south and one in the north. But both fulfilled their promises and will be buried forever. Guarding General Yuan.
After his son's death, She Youzhi was forced to leave the She family because Yuan's tomb needed to be renovated. But she still insists on taking a 40-minute bus ride with her husband every two days to clean Yuan's grave. Fancai is at ease.
Later, the management of Yuanling hired She Youzhi as a consultant and prepared an office specifically for her. She Youzhi said happily after learning the news: "Don't talk about the office, as long as I can guard General Yuan's grave, I can live in a bomb shelter!" ”
No matter how difficult he encountered, She Childish never forgot the motto of his ancestors to guard General Yuan's tomb. She used to say:
"My ancestors were not even afraid of the death penalty, if I couldn't even bear this little trouble, wouldn't I be very sorry for my ancestors?"
However, on August 12, 2020, She Youzhi, the seventeenth generation gravedigger of the She family, passed away in disgust. Before dying, she handed over the heavy responsibility of guarding Kong Lin to her daughter Jiaoying.
So far, the eighteenth generation of the She family's descendants have guarded the tomb of Kong for 393 years...
Summary:
Someone once asked She Youzhi: "Although Yuan Chonghuan is a great hero, he is not related to your family, is it worth it for you to guard his tomb like this?" ”
She Youzhi replied without thinking: "Yuan Chonghuan is loyal, and our She family is righteous. We guard the tomb not only to continue the family's faith, but also to inherit the national spirit and loyalty to future generations. ”
393 years have passed, vicissitudes and world events, but the She family's righteous act of guarding the tomb of Confucius has never stopped. They used their actions to explain what is "golden commitment" and what is "loyalty and trustworthiness"! Please click "Follow", which not only facilitates your discussion and sharing, but also gives you a different sense of participation. Thank you for your support.
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