76-year-old Li Shanchang, who is busy digging soil and farming every day, why was he still exterminated by Zhu Yuanzhang?
From Li Shanchang's life, look at Zhu Yuanzhang's way of scheming
Li Shanchang, the head of the founding fathers of the Ming Dynasty, was once compared by Zhu Yuanzhang to Xiao He of the year. He has been smart and studious since he was a child, and he has made suggestions for Zhu Yuanzhang, who is at the beginning of his career, with his own talents, and has made a lot of achievements. Therefore, after Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, he gave Li Shanchang Danshu iron coupons, crowned him as the Duke of Korea, and once became the first father of the founding of the country.
However, just when Li Shanchang was enjoying his old age and had retired to Haozhou to recuperate, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly eradicated his Manmen, leaving only one son who was spared because he was Zhu Yuanzhang's son-in-law. Such an ending makes people feel that the road of power worship has finally evolved into a power trap. Li Shanchang's experience undoubtedly reflects the scheming of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
As a military general who was born recklessly on the battlefield, after Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne and became emperor, he faced a huge challenge to consolidate his power. On the one hand, he needed to use the power of the Founding Fathers to stabilize power; On the other hand, they must eliminate the threats they may pose to themselves. Therefore, while rewarding the founding heroes, Zhu Yuanzhang also closely observed their every move, and once he found any signs of threatening his dominance, he ruthlessly eradicated them.
In the case of Lee Shanchang, the roots can be traced back to several key moments:
First of all, it is Li Shanchang's exploits in the early days of Zhu Yuanzhang's establishment of the Ming Dynasty. As a smart and capable strategist, Li Shanchang gave advice to Zhu Yuanzhang and made indelible contributions from a little beggar to the king of a country. This is also the reason why Zhu Yuanzhang appreciated it at first.
However, just when his status was in full swing, Li Shanchang seemed to be a different person, becoming more and more arrogant and arrogant. This undoubtedly aroused Zhu Yuanzhang's vigilance. Because as a calculating politician, Zhu Yuanzhang knows very well that the essence of power is a never-ending struggle, and a little carelessness may lead to a catastrophe. Therefore, he began to consciously suppress Li Shanchang's forces and weaken his political position.
Secondly, it is Zhu Yuanzhang's personal grievance complex against Li Shanchang. At the beginning, Li Shanchang resigned due to illness, but Zhu Yuanzhang not only did not pursue it, but gave him a large piece of land and tenants. But did Li Shanchang really appreciate Zhu Yuanzhang's grace, but instead thought about building a mansion, and often asked about state affairs. This undoubtedly angered Zhu Yuanzhang. What's more, when Zhu Yuanzhang was sick, Li Shanchang, as an old courtier and in-law, did not take the initiative to greet him. In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, these are serious nevegrievances.
In the end, it was Zhu Yuanzhang's trick to eradicate Li Shanchang with the help of external factors. When a minister wrote to impeach Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong for colluding and rebelling, Zhu Yuanzhang seized this opportunity, and there was a saying that divination retribution was good for the murderer, and he took the opportunity to kill Li Shanchang with great fanfare. cleverly used external accusations and rumors of natural and man-made disasters to cover up his own personal grievances.
In general, Li Shanchang's encounter fully demonstrates the scheming of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. On the one hand, he needed to use the founding heroes to consolidate his dominance; On the other hand, they have to be constantly on the lookout for potential threats to themselves. Therefore, he must not only appreciate their contributions, but also be vigilant at all times, and if he finds any clues, he will ruthlessly eradicate them.
It was this way of constantly weighing the pros and cons and planning the layout that enabled Zhu Yuanzhang to finally sit firmly on the throne of the Ming Emperor and create a dynasty that lasted for nearly three centuries. But at the same time, this practice also made Zhu Yuanzhang criticized by later generations, and was regarded as a politician who made good use of power and used unscrupulous means.
Li Shanchang's experience is undoubtedly the best footnote. A founding father who once made outstanding achievements could not escape the fate of being eradicated in the end. This reflects the essence of Zhu Yuanzhang's power game – the quest for power is a never-ending struggle, and even the closest allies will inevitably die if they pose a threat to their rule.
It can be said that Li Shanchang's life experience vividly interprets the way of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. A man who was born from a reckless rise and eventually became an emperor of the ages, although the methods he adopted were cruel, they also reflected the inevitable logic of the power struggle. This undoubtedly left a profound historical lesson for later rulers - the taste of power is sweet, but at the same time it is full of dangers.
Li Shanchang's End: The Trap of Power and Zhu Yuanzhang's Prevention
Since Zhu Yuanzhang is full of personal grudges against Li Shanchang, how did he further eradicate this founding father?
As mentioned above, Zhu Yuanzhang first used the incident of Ding Bin, Li Shanchang's relative, being assigned to the frontier in an attempt to arouse Li Shanchang's internal dissatisfaction. However, Li Shanchang unexpectedly repeatedly interceded with the emperor, which not only did not arouse Zhu Yuanzhang's vigilance, but made him doubt Li Shanchang's loyalty. Because in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, how could a courtier who sincerely serves himself be so entangled in a small family case?
So Zhu Yuanzhang began to look for other opportunities. When a minister wrote that Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong were suspected of colluding and plotting against him, he seized this excellent opportunity. In addition, there was an ominous omen in the palace divination at that time, so Zhu Yuanzhang carried out a comprehensive purge of Li Shanchang and his family on the charge of "great rebellion".
Although Li Shanchang's son Li Qi was spared because he was Zhu Yuanzhang's son-in-law, this bloody purge undoubtedly once again showed Zhu Yuanzhang's ruthlessness and ruthlessness as a politician. In his opinion, anyone who may pose a threat to his power, must be eradicated without hesitation. Even the founding fathers who had made outstanding achievements could not escape the fate of death once the slightest flaw was revealed.
What is even more worth pondering is that even Li Shanchang, who is so pampered, will not escape such an ending in the end. This undoubtedly reveals the nature of power – it is a never-ending game of struggle, and if someone threatens your dominance, you must destroy it at all costs. This is also the core conspiracy of Zhu Yuanzhang as a politician.
And for Li Shanchang, his experience also shows a cruel truth: even if you were once the founding father of the country, as long as you violate the emperor's taboo, you will not escape the fate of being eradicated. Game of Thrones is always a zero-sum game, and when you're at the top, it's important to be wary that you could be the next pawn to be sacrificed.
In this way, it is not difficult for us to understand why Zhu Yuanzhang punished Li Shanchang so harshly. His aim was nothing more than to completely suppress Lee's political influence and thus avoid possible threats in the future. Even if Li Shanchang is still loyal to himself on the outside, as long as he finds the slightest flaw, Zhu Yuanzhang will not hesitate to take action.
Because in his eyes, anyone who may pose a threat to his power must be completely eliminated. This ruthless approach undoubtedly reflects Zhu Yuanzhang's ultimate pursuit as a politician - that is, only by ruling the world can he truly ensure that his dominance is not shaken.
For later rulers, what happened to Li Shanchang is undoubtedly a heavy historical lesson. Game of Thrones has always been a sinister trap where even the closest allies can fall victim at any moment. Therefore, only by always being vigilant and constantly consolidating the foundation of our own rule can we truly ensure the stability and longevity of the regime.