Text | Editor: Chestnut
Foreword: He was hidden in the backyard since he was a child, but when his brother was captured, he was ordered to be in danger, and what was unexpected was that he actually picked up the burden and saved the future of Daming in just a few years.
He is Zhu Qiyu of the Ming Dynasty, so why can he turn things around in a short period of time and protect his homeland, and what ability does he have?
The kidnapped Yingzong
Since the Ming Dynasty was founded by Zhu Yuanzhang, after several generations of imperial rule, the national power was rising, and then to the rule of Yingzong, the government was corrupted, the social troubles deepened, the national prestige declined, and the rise of the northern Wara formed an increasingly severe threat to the Ming Dynasty.
Under the leadership of Yexian, the Warat tribe grew in strength and began to covet the Ming Dynasty, while some ministers within the Ming Dynasty also expressed concern about Yingzong's policies, believing that if measures were not taken, the Ming Dynasty might fall into an even greater crisis.
However, Yingzong's decision did not win everyone's support, and some ministers believed that the Ming Dynasty was already much less powerful than before, and that a rash attack could have disastrous consequences, but Yingzong was determined, and he insisted on going on the expedition despite the opposition of his ministers.
In the process of the expedition, Yingzong's wrong decisions and command errors led to the Ming Dynasty's army suffering a crushing defeat at Tumubao, which further weakened the Ming Dynasty's national strength and made it the first to see the opportunity to attack the Ming Dynasty.
On the one hand, they also hoped to gain more benefits through war. On the other hand, he also hoped to force the Ming Dynasty to pay a huge ransom by capturing Yingzong, and he also hoped to force the Ming Dynasty to submit through the trump card of Yingzong.
Yu Qian showed his military talents
Above the court, the ministers were flustered, there were many discussions, and some people even put forward a proposal to move the capital to Nanjing, at this critical juncture, Yu Qian, the squire of the military department, resolutely stood up, resolutely opposed the relocation of the capital, and advocated sticking to the Beijing division.
Yu Qian said impassionedly in the court: "Princes, the Song Dynasty died because of the relocation of the capital, how can we repeat this mistake? Moving the capital is not a policy to benefit the country, and those who propose this should be severely punished!" His words were sonorous and powerful, shocking, and made the originally noisy court suddenly quiet.
He went on to state: "The society is supreme, and the monarch and the minister are second. The top priority at the moment is to appease the people, immediately elect a new king, and urgently prepare for war. His proposal was supported by many ministers, and finally the imperial court decided to appoint Zhu Qiyu, the king of Yu, as the new monarch and respect him as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
After the new monarch ascended the throne, Yu Qianying served as the secretary of the military department, responsible for rectifying the army and preparing military supplies.
The transportation of grain and grass was a big problem, so Yu Qian ordered the army to get grain from Tongzhou to the capital, and in order to ensure the supply of grain and grass for the army, he also mobilized local residents to participate in the requisition of 500 carts from Shuntianfu.
In the confrontation with the Tile Spur, Yu Qian resolutely advocated resistance to the end, rejected the conditions put forward by the Tile Spur, and personally commanded the army, deployed the defensive line, and boosted morale.
In the fierce battle between the Ming army and Warat, Yu Qian strategized and skillfully arranged the formation, so that the Ming army won many victories in the disadvantage.
Especially in the battle under the city of Beijing, Yu Qian made full use of firearms, artillery and other weapons to inflict heavy losses on the Warat army, and finally won the victory in the defense of Beijing.
Yu Qian's life is full of legends, he has written an admirable historical chapter with firm faith, outstanding military talent and lofty national integrity, and his deeds have inspired future generations and become the precious spiritual wealth of the Chinese nation.
In the torrent of history, Yu Qian's name will always shine brightly.
He was ordered to be in danger and calm the war
Zhu Qiyu, the seventh emperor of the Ming Dynasty, although he was a member of the imperial family, he did not initially enjoy the glory brought by the royal family.
His mother, Wu, was originally a palace maid beside Zhu Zhanji of Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, who was fortunate by chance and gave birth to Zhu Qiyu.
However, due to Wu's humble background, she and her son were hidden for a long time, and they were not admitted to the palace until Zhu Zhanji was dying, so that the mother and son never received Zhu Zhanji's true love.
Despite this, Zhu Qiyu did not give up the pursuit of power because of his background, and after the death of his father, he was taken care of by his grandmother, Empress Dowager Zhang, was named King of Yu, and set up a palace in Beijing.
Zhu Qiyu originally lived a comfortable life, but the outbreak of the Tumubao Incident completely changed his fate.
In the fourteenth year of orthodoxy (1449), the frontier of the Ming Dynasty was invaded by the Mongol Warat, and Ming Yingzong decided to go out in person at the instigation of the eunuch Wang Zhen.
However, this decision led to disastrous consequences - the Tumubao Incident, the capture of Ming Yingzong, the loss of a large number of elite troops, and the heavy loss of civil and military ministers, greatly weakened the Ming Dynasty.
Jingshi suddenly fell into chaos and panic, the people in the city were panicked, some wealthy families moved south one after another, and some ministers even suggested moving the capital to Nanjing to avoid the edge.
In the face of the crisis, Yu Qian, the left squire of the military department, resolutely protested against the plan to move the capital, he firmly believed that the Beijing division not only carried the imperial tomb, the temple, and the community, but also the political, economic, and cultural center, and the move of the capital was bound to shake the country's foundation and affect morale and people's hearts.
Yu Qian took the Northern Song Dynasty as a reference, and urged Chen to move south to the theory that the country was lost, and called on the imperial court to stick to the Beijing division, and the main battle faction and the capital relocation faction debated fiercely in the court.
In the end, Yu Qian insisted on defending the Ming Dynasty, and after the empress dowager and the servant king Zhu Qiyu expressed their support, the court decided to face the Wara army.
In this life-and-death struggle for the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Qiyu, the king of servants, was elected as the superintendent of the state.
Zhu Qiyu decisively supported Yu Qian, mobilized the armies of Liangjing and Henan, the Nanjing Anti-Japanese Army, and the Jiangbei and Beijing grain armies to quickly support the Beijing Division and stabilize people's hearts.
Then, Yu Qian was promoted to the secretary of the military department, and was fully responsible for the defense of the Beijing Division. Yu Qian quickly organized a strong resistance force, rectified internal affairs, mobilized troops, and appeased the people.
Under the leadership of Zhu Qiyu and Yu Qian, the Ming army and civilians worked together to successfully thwart the Wara attack in November of that year, winning the battle to defend Beijing.
This battle not only saved the fate of the Ming Dynasty, but also highlighted the leadership skills and firm beliefs of Zhu Qiyu and Yu Qian, and the Ming Dynasty entered a new historical stage, and Zhu Qiyu became a historical model of outstanding monarchs.
The author thinks
In the long history of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Qiyu and Yu Qian undoubtedly left a strong mark, they stood up at the time of national crisis, guarded the Ming Dynasty with their wisdom and courage, and made great contributions to the prosperity and stability of the country.
Information sources:
Eurasian Language. The Battle of Beijing in the Ming Dynasty[J]. Science Park, 2011(18): 54-55.
YAN Haiqing. Yu Qian's Response Measures and Modern Enlightenment of "Saving the Prime Minister of the Times" in Danger [J]. Leadership Science, 2020(3): 88-90.