Was the Ming Dynasty really mean and unkind to the heroes?

The fate of the heroes of the early years of the Ming Dynasty

The founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty and the heroes of Jingnan can be said to be the backbone of Emperor Hongwu's establishment of the Ming Dynasty. However, in the early years, when the ups and downs, the endings of these heroes were often very different. Some enjoy their old age in peace, while others suffer a tragic fate. Is this because the emperor of the early Ming Dynasty treated the heroes harshly, or is it some other deeper reason?

Let's explore the real experiences of these heroes and the revelations of their fate.

First of all, it needs to be clear that in feudal society, judging whether a meritorious hero is treated fairly mainly focuses on three aspects: first, whether the cause of death of the person is unjust; second, whether the person received the honor and respect he deserved after his death; and third, whether the person's descendants were favored by grace in the dynasty.

The author selected the fifteen most important heroes of the early Ming Dynasty, including Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Li Wenzhong, Feng Sheng, Li Shanchang, Deng Yu, Lan Yu, Tang He, Mu Ying, Liu Bowen, and Qiu Fu, Zhu Neng, Zhang Fu, Gu Cheng, and Yao Guangxiao, who were the heroes of the Jingnan, and sorted out their endings in detail.

From the perspective of the cause of death, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Li Wenzhong, Tang He, Mu Ying and others all died of natural diseases; and Li Shanchang was unjustly killed, and Lan Yu was also killed; Although Feng Sheng was also given death, it can be determined that he died unjustly. The rest, such as Liu Bowen, were also persecuted and died, but they were not entirely unjustly killed. In contrast, some of the heroes in the early Tang Dynasty were framed and killed by the emperor or the crown prince, and most of them were framed and eliminated by the Manchu emperor in the early Qing Dynasty, which shows that the situation in the early Ming Dynasty was relatively much better.

The second is posthumous reputation. In addition to Li Shanchang, Lan Yu, Feng Sheng and Qiu Fu who were taken away, other heroes all received their due posthumous honors, including Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Li Wenzhong and others who were crowned kings. Although the heroes of the early Tang Dynasty also gained a high reputation, they were still not as good as those in the early Ming Dynasty. In the early Qing Dynasty, Manchurian heroes were often deprived of their military merits and fame, and became rebels. It can be seen that the attitude of the emperor in the early Ming Dynasty towards meritorious heroes was obviously better than that of other dynasties.

Again, it is to take care of the children and grandchildren. Almost all the descendants of the heroes who were not taken away in the early Ming Dynasty were hereditary dignitaries in the imperial court, such as the Xu Da family until the death of the Ming Dynasty, the Muying family guarded Yunnan for generations, and the Zhang Fu family was the head of the capital. In the early Tang Dynasty, most of the descendants of meritorious heroes were killed or degraded in the second generation due to implication and rebellion, and soon declined.

It can be seen that from the comprehensive perspective of the cause of death, posthumous reputation, and grace for future generations, the attitude of the emperor in the early Ming Dynasty towards the meritorious heroes was not naked meanness, but relatively generous and benevolent. This is very different from the usual impression of the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.

那么, what went wrong? 为什么会有一些功臣遭受冤案牵连而死?

In fact, this is not just because of the emperor's meanness, there are some deep-seated reasons:

First of all, at the beginning of the new dynasty, various forces were in contention, and the imperial power had not yet been fully consolidated. Most of these heroes were born military generals, with straightforward personalities and great power, which could easily arouse the emperor's jealousy. For example, Li Shanchang suffered because he was implicated in the Hu Weiyong case. It can be seen that the fate of such heroes is not entirely attributable to the emperor alone.

Secondly, there are some problems with the heroes themselves. They are arrogant and arrogant, never forgetting their own merits, and taking it for granted that they should be treated favorably. But as everyone knows, only by maintaining a humble and cautious attitude at all times and treating the emperor's grace carefully and cautiously can we avoid disasters.

Moreover, at that time, there were also many conspirators and jealous forces within the imperial court, who often took the opportunity to frame meritorious heroes in order to protect themselves and grow stronger. For example, the Lan Yu case and the Hu Weiyong case are the products of some such political struggles. This has happened in all dynasties, and it is not unique to the early Ming Dynasty.

In general, the attitude of the emperor in the early Ming Dynasty towards meritorious heroes was not simply mean and unkind, but was influenced by many factors. This attitude was much more generous than that of other dynasties. After all, most of the heroes were able to save their lives, and even received great favors, and their descendants were able to inherit a hereditary and prominent position, which is rare in all dynasties.

Of course, there were indeed some unjust cases in the early Ming Dynasty, but on the whole, the emperor's handling in the early Ming Dynasty was quite appropriate. In contrast, the early Tang and early Qing dynasties were more mean and unkind.

The fate of these heroes teaches us that in the struggle for power, no matter how great the merit, we must maintain a humble and cautious attitude, and always reflect on ourselves, so as not to encounter accidents. Only in this way can we survive the sinister political environment and truly make due contributions to the country and the nation. This undoubtedly sets a good example for today's society.

Since the emperor's attitude towards meritorious heroes in the early years of the Ming Dynasty was not simply cold and unkind, what other factors are worth exploring in depth?

A careful study of history shows that the Ming Dynasty was at the beginning of the founding of the country, and the social and political pattern was not completely stable. Due to their different backgrounds, some heroes have contradictions in their positions and interests. These contradictions manifested themselves not only among themselves, but also between them and the emperor.

The most typical ones are Li Shanchang and Lan Yu in the Six Founding Princes. Li Shanchang came from a humble background, and he relied on his martial arts to work hard step by step, but Lan Yu was born in a famous family. Although the two are both founding heroes, they have conflicts due to differences in family background. The occurrence of the blue jade case is closely related to it. In order to maintain his rule, the emperor had to intervene to eliminate these potential threats.

Moreover, those heroes who are not satisfied with the status quo and vainly try to become independent can easily arouse the emperor's vigilance. For example, Zhang Fu and others encountered accidents in the Tumubao Change, which also reflects this.

It can be said that the emperor's treatment of heroes in the early Ming Dynasty was not entirely out of personal meanness and preference, but the inevitable result of a power game. During the critical period of consolidating the new Korean regime, they had to act decisively to eliminate some potential destabilizing factors. Although the method may seem a little cruel, it is also a stopgap measure from the perspective of the overall situation at the time.

But this did not mean that the emperor of the early Ming Dynasty had no other choice at all. In fact, they did try to preserve most of the heroes and their descendants, giving them quite generous rewards and hereditary inheritances. It was this generous policy that enabled the founding hero families of the Ming Dynasty to remain until the end of the Ming Dynasty. This is indeed rare in history.

In short, we cannot simply blame the emperor's disposition of heroes in the early Ming Dynasty on being mean and unkind. On the contrary, it should be combined with the complex political environment at that time, and comprehensively consider multiple factors such as the consolidation of imperial power and factional struggles. Only in this way can we have a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of this historical event.

At the same time, this historical process also gives us some enlightenment. In political struggles, no one can be conceited, and must always maintain a humble and introspective attitude. Only in this way can we survive in a sinister environment and make our due contribution to the country. This is the most precious spiritual heritage of the heroes of the early Ming Dynasty.