Zhu Yuanzhang, a legendary figure from a poor peasant to the founding emperor, his life was full of ups and downs and brilliance. At the age of 41, he ascended the throne as emperor and established the Ming Dynasty. However, the real challenge has only just begun. From 41 to 60 years old, what kind of dilemma did Zhu Yuanzhang face in the past 20 years? How did he settle down the world step by step? In this process, what measures did Zhu Yuanzhang take, and what price did he pay? As we grow older, we feel more and more the complexity of Zhu Yuanzhang. What kind of wisdom and helplessness is behind his decision-making? Why is it that the more middle-aged we are, the more afraid we are to really understand Zhu Yuanzhang?
In the first year of Hongwu (1368), Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne in Nanjing and established the Ming Dynasty. This year, he was 41 years old. However, enthronement does not mean a one-time success, but rather the beginning of a greater challenge.
Zhu Yuanzhang came from a poor background, experienced famine and displacement as a teenager, and even had to become a beggar. This experience gave him a deep understanding of the people's suffering, and also created his tenacious character. From a peasant to an emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang has walked an extremely difficult road.
After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang's first challenge was how to consolidate his power. Although he has defeated Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng and other separatist forces, the remnants of these forces still exist and may make a comeback at any time. In particular, in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and other places, there are still many separatist forces that have not yet surrendered. Zhu Yuanzhang had to send a large army to conquer everywhere to ensure the unification of the new dynasty.
At the same time, the Mongolia forces in the north are still eyeing each other. Although Emperor Yuan Shun fled north, Mongolian nobles such as Wang Baobao and others still had hundreds of thousands of troops and constantly harassed them on the frontier. Zhu Yuanzhang had to always be vigilant against threats from the north, which not only consumed a lot of military resources, but also brought great pressure to the nascent Ming Dynasty.
In addition to the military threat, Zhu Yuanzhang also faces serious social problems. The protracted war led to the collapse of social order, barren fields, and a sharp decline in population. People have been displaced, and poverty and hunger have become widespread. How to appease the people and rebuild social order has become an urgent issue that Zhu Yuanzhang must solve.
In order to cope with these challenges, Zhu Yuanzhang has taken a series of measures. Militarily, on the one hand, he sent troops to conquer the unrecovered areas, and on the other hand, he strengthened border defense to resist the Mongolia invasion. In terms of social governance, he promulgated the "Da Ming Law" and established a strict legal system. At the same time, he also paid attention to agricultural production, implemented the policy of "farming and reading heirlooms", and encouraged the people to engage in farming.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang's reign was not all smooth sailing. Some of his policies, such as the emphasis on governing the country and cracking down on corruption, have been effective in the short term, but they have also buried hidden dangers. In particular, the purge of meritorious officials, such as the Hu Weiyong case and the Lanyu case, although it consolidated the imperial power, it also caused instability within the imperial court.
As he grew older, Zhu Yuanzhang's ruling style also changed. He has increasingly relied on secret services such as Jinyiwei, and his surveillance of officials has become more and more stringent. Although this practice has curbed corruption in officialdom to a certain extent, it has also created a terrifying political atmosphere.
It was not until the twenty-seventh year of Hongwu (1394), when Zhu Yuanzhang was 60 years old, that the rule of the Ming Dynasty really stabilized. During this period, he pacified the Northern Yuan forces, recovered Yunnan and other places, and established a sound administrative system. However, the nearly 20-year ruling process also allows us to see a complex image of Zhu Yuanzhang.
After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, in the face of internal and external troubles, he knew that military means alone could not achieve long-term stability. He decided to consolidate his rule through a strict legal system and implement a policy of "re-governing the country". At the heart of this policy is the promulgation and enforcement of the Great Ming Law and the Ming Great Decree, as well as the establishment of a series of strict law enforcement agencies.
The Da Ming Law is one of the most important legal documents during the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang. Its compilation began during the Unification War of Zhu Yuanzhang and was finally completed during the Hongwu period. This code absorbed the essence of the laws of the Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties, and at the same time innovated to become a systematic and complete feudal code.
One of the characteristics of the Da Ming Law is the severity of the punishment. For example, it provides for torture such as the death of Ling Chi, the confiscation of troops in remote areas, the killing of corpses, and the tattooing of characters. More severely, for some serious crimes, not only the perpetrator but also his family members must be punished. This system of joint sitting makes everyone have to act cautiously for fear of endangering their families.
However, the "Da Ming Law" is not only a strict punishment. It also contains some provisions to protect the rights and interests of the people. For example, it prohibits officials from leviing taxes at will and abusing the common people. These provisions limit the power of officials to a certain extent and protect the interests of ordinary people.
In addition to the "Great Ming Law", Zhu Yuanzhang also promulgated the "Ming Great Decree". It is a legal document written in plain language and is mainly aimed at ordinary people. The content of the "Ming Da Huo" involves all aspects of daily life, from marriage and family to social security, there are detailed regulations.
One of the distinctive features of the Ming Da Edict is that it uses a large number of cases to illustrate the legal provisions. Most of these cases were tried by Zhu Yuanzhang himself, and through these vivid and specific cases, it was easier for ordinary people to understand and memorize the legal provisions.
In order to ensure that these laws can be strictly enforced, Zhu Yuanzhang has established a series of specialized law enforcement agencies. The most famous of these are Jinyiwei and Dongchang. Jinyiwei was not only responsible for the emperor's security guards, but also undertook the task of intelligence gathering and supervising hundreds of officials. Dongchang was a secret service that was responsible for monitoring court officials and local officials.
The establishment of these institutions enabled Zhu Yuanzhang to keep abreast of the situation in various parts of the country and effectively crack down on corruption. However, they also became a tool for Zhu Yuanzhang to implement repressive rule, creating an atmosphere of self-endangerment in society.
The purpose of Zhu Yuanzhang's policy of "emphasizing the rule of law" was to quickly stabilize the social order and consolidate the rule of the nascent dynasty. In the historical context of the time, this policy did have a certain effect. Public order has been improved, corruption among officials has been reduced, and the lives of the people have gradually stabilized.
However, this harsh style of rule also had negative consequences. Officials are afraid to act aggressively for fear of breaking the law. Ordinary people live under pressure and lack a sense of security. In particular, the rise of the literary prison has made intellectuals even more silent, and they dare not speak their minds freely.
Zhu Yuanzhang's policy of "governing the country by heavy rules" reflected his ruling ideology as an emperor from a peasant background. He was well aware of the people's sufferings and hoped that strict laws would be passed to restrain officials and protect the people. But at the same time, he was worried that the heroes would be powerful and threaten the imperial power, so he adopted high-pressure measures to control the imperial court. This contradictory ruling ideology created a unique political situation in the early Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Yuanzhang's way of governing the country was not limited to strict punishment and strict laws, but he also adopted a series of unique strategies to consolidate his rule, including the establishment of the Inspectorate and the Jinyi Guard, encouraging the common people to report official corruption, implementing the policy of "cultivating and reading heirlooms", and implementing the policy of banning the sea. These measures formed a unique political ecology and social landscape in the early Ming Dynasty.
The establishment of the Inspectorate and the Jinyi Guard was an important means for Zhu Yuanzhang to strengthen the centralization of power. As a supervisory body independent of the six ministries, the Inspectorate is responsible for supervising officials and investigating and prosecuting cases of corruption and fraud. Its establishment broke the traditional system of three provinces and six ministries, allowing the emperor to control the bureaucracy more directly.
Jinyiwei is a more special institution. It not only undertook the responsibility of protecting the emperor's security, but also an intelligence gathering and secret investigation organization. The spies of the Jinyi Guard were all over the country, and even infiltrated the army and local governments, reporting to the emperor at any time. This ubiquitous surveillance has made officials dare not slack off.
Once, Zhu Yuanzhang received a secret report from Jinyiwei, saying that a local official was corrupt and took bribes. Zhu Yuanzhang did not deal with it immediately, but sent a Jinyi guard who was privately interviewed by Weifu to investigate. The brocade guard approached the official as an ordinary businessman, and through long-term observation and clever tricks, he finally got hold of conclusive evidence. After Zhu Yuanzhang learned the truth, he not only severely punished this corrupt official, but also used this incident to warn officials across the country and deter a large number of people with bad intentions.
In addition to top-down surveillance, Zhu Yuanzhang also encouraged the people to report corruption among officials. He set up "Affirmation Kiosks" across the country, where people could anonymously report wrongdoing by officials. On the one hand, this practice allowed the people to have a direct channel to redress their grievances against the emperor, and on the other hand, it also allowed the officials to be under the supervision of the people at all times.
However, this policy of encouraging whistleblowing has also had some negative consequences. Some deliberately make false accusations against others in order to take revenge or for personal gain. To this end, Zhu Yuanzhang also stipulated that if the report is true, the whistleblower will be rewarded; However, if the report is untrue, the whistleblower will be severely punished. To a certain extent, this provision has curbed the phenomenon of abusive reporting.
In terms of economic policy, Zhu Yuanzhang implemented the policy of "farming and reading heirlooms" and attached importance to agricultural development. He believes that only when agriculture flourishes can the country achieve long-term peace and stability. To this end, he took a series of measures to encourage agricultural production.
First of all, Zhu Yuanzhang vigorously promoted advanced agricultural technology. He ordered people to compile agricultural books such as the "Compendium of Agricultural Mulberry" and sent people to various places to teach farmers planting techniques. Second, he implemented the "Yellow Book System" to strictly manage land and population and prevent land annexation. Thirdly, he was personally involved in agricultural activities and encouraged agricultural production by example.
One spring, Zhu Yuanzhang personally went to the fields near the palace to plant seedlings. He took off his dragon robe, rolled up his trouser legs, and went to work in the fields himself. This move not only shocked the officials present, but also caused a huge repercussion across the country. Zhu Yuanzhang took this opportunity to convey the message of attaching importance to agriculture to the people of the whole country, and at the same time showed his industrious and pragmatic attitude to the officials.
In terms of foreign policy, Zhu Yuanzhang implemented the famous maritime ban policy. This policy severely restricted foreign trade, prohibiting private trade at sea, and allowing only officially organized tributary trade. There are multiple considerations in the implementation of the maritime ban policy: first, to prevent coastal residents from colluding with overseas forces and threatening national security; the second is to prevent the outflow of wealth; Third, it is necessary to control the economic development of the coastal areas so as not to affect the agricultural production in the interior.
However, the maritime ban has also had some negative effects. It inhibits the development of China's overseas trade and makes China miss opportunities for maritime exploration. At the same time, it also laid a hidden danger for the future problem of the Japanese invaders.
These unique strategies of Zhu Yuanzhang reflect his ruling ideology as an emperor born as a peasant. He hopes to restrain officials through strict supervision and stabilize people's livelihood through the development of agriculture. These policies played an important role in stabilizing social order and consolidating rule, but they also brought some negative effects and laid hidden dangers for some problems in the later Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Yuanzhang's cultural policies were an integral part of his statecraft, reflecting both his respect for traditional culture and his unique perspective as a peasant emperor. These policies mainly include the restoration of the imperial examination system, the promotion of education, the collation of classics, and the reform of the written language.
The restoration of the imperial examination system was one of the most striking aspects of Zhu Yuanzhang's cultural policy. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial examination system had been abolished. After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, he quickly restored this traditional system of selecting talents. He believes that only through fair and just examinations can truly talented people be selected to serve the country.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang also carried out some reforms to the imperial examination system. He paid special attention to the examination of candidates' practical talents, not just literary abilities. At his request, the imperial examination added content such as policy theory to examine the policy of governing the country. This reform made the imperial examination more closely related to the actual needs of governing the country.
Once, Zhu Yuanzhang personally participated in the marking of the papers. He found that although an article was brilliantly written, it was empty and of no practical value. Zhu Yuanzhang immediately threw this article aside and said: "Flashy, what's the use? This move is a good example of his emphasis on practicality.
In terms of promoting education, Zhu Yuanzhang has taken a number of measures. He ordered the construction of schools all over the country, not only for the children of the eunuchs, but also for the common people. These schools provide access to education for more people.
Zhu Yuanzhang also attached special importance to rural education. He ordered local officials to organize villagers to study the "Great Ming Law" and "Ming Great Decree" during the slack period, so that ordinary people could understand the law and know how to protect their rights and interests. This practice not only raises the cultural level of the people, but is also conducive to the improvement of public order.
In terms of sorting out classics, Zhu Yuanzhang made important contributions. He ordered scholars to compile large-scale classics such as "The Unification of the Ming Dynasty" and "Yongle Canon", and preserved and disseminated a large number of precious historical and cultural materials. These works have played an important role in the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese culture.
It is worth mentioning that Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude towards classics also reflects his pragmatic style. Once, he looked through some Confucian classics and found that there were many difficult things to understand. He believed that these contents had no practical effect on governing the country and leveling the world, so he ordered that these classics be cut down and sorted out to make them more accessible and easy to understand. This move caused some Confucian dissatisfaction, but Zhu Yuanzhang did not care, and he insisted that learning should be of practical use.
In terms of character reform, Zhu Yuanzhang implemented a policy of simplifying Chinese characters. He believes that many complex Chinese characters make it difficult for ordinary people to learn and use. Therefore, he ordered scholars to simplify some commonly used words. This policy was opposed by some conservatives, but it was eventually implemented. This reform provided an important reference for the simplification of Chinese characters in later generations.
Zhu Yuanzhang's cultural policy is also reflected in his attitude towards art. He believed that art should serve politics, so he vigorously advocated the creation of literature that celebrates virtue. He even wrote a large number of poems himself, which he used to promote his political ideas. Although these works are not highly accomplished in literature, they truly reflect Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts.
However, there are also some problems with Zhu Yuanzhang's cultural policy. The most prominent is the rise of the literal hell. Zhu Yuanzhang is extremely sensitive to speech, and the slightest carelessness may be regarded as disrespectful. The famous "Hu Weiyong case" implicated a large number of literati and bachelors, causing a serious negative impact.
This high-pressure policy has led to the atrophy of the ideological and cultural sphere. Many literati did not dare to speak their minds freely, so they could only write some works that sang the praises of virtue or the wind and snow. This situation inhibits cultural innovation and development to a certain extent.
In general, Zhu Yuanzhang's cultural policies have their positive aspects, such as the resumption of imperial examinations, the promotion of education, and the collation of classics, which have played an important role in cultural inheritance and talent training. However, at the same time, there are also some problems, such as the rise of the literary prison has caused a certain negative impact on the development of ideology and culture. The implementation of these policies and their impact profoundly shaped the cultural pattern of the early Ming Dynasty and laid the groundwork for the cultural development of the late Ming Dynasty.
As the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang's reign had a profound impact on Chinese history. His merits and demerits have always been a point of contention among historians and ordinary people. Zhu Yuanzhang's historical evaluation presents complex and multifaceted characteristics, which are closely related to his origin, ruling style and historical background.
During Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, few dared to publicly evaluate him because of his harsh ruling methods and frequent political purges. However, after his death, over time, people began to make a more objective assessment of his rule.
Some historians and scholars in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty began to summarize Zhu Yuanzhang's merits and demerits. They generally recognized Zhu Yuanzhang's achievements in unifying the world and ending the rule of the Yuan dynasty, but also criticized his cruel methods. For example, the famous historian Wang Shizhen made a detailed analysis of Zhu Yuanzhang's merits and demerits in his book "Yishan Tang Beiji". He affirmed Zhu Yuanzhang's contribution to restoring Han rule and stabilizing social order, but also pointed out the shortcomings of his abuse of power and the revitalization of literary prisons in his later years.
Qing Dynasty scholars evaluated Zhu Yuanzhang more diversely. Some scholars, such as Gu Yanwu, affirmed the historical significance of Zhu Yuanzhang's overthrow of Yuan rule from a nationalist perspective. Other scholars, such as Huang Zongxi, pay more attention to Zhu Yuanzhang's contributions and problems in institutional construction. Huang Zongxi, in his book "Ming Yi to be Interviewed", criticized Zhu Yuanzhang's excessive concentration of power, arguing that it laid a hidden danger for the autocracy of the late Ming Dynasty.
In modern times, with the continuous improvement of historical research methods, scholars have made a more comprehensive and in-depth evaluation of Zhu Yuanzhang. They not only paid attention to Zhu Yuanzhang's personal merits and demerits, but also examined them in a broader historical context.
For example, the famous historian Wu Han pointed out in his research that Zhu Yuanzhang's rule had distinctive characteristics of peasant power. He believes that many of Zhu Yuanzhang's policies, such as emphasizing agriculture and suppressing business, and harsh punishment and strict laws, reflect his characteristics as a ruler from a peasant background. This perspective provides a new perspective for us to understand Zhu Yuanzhang's rule.
Another famous scholar, Tan Qixiang, studied Zhu Yuanzhang's reign from a geographical perspective. He pointed out that Zhu Yuanzhang's decision to build the capital of Nanjing reflected the uniqueness of his ruling strategy. This decision not only took into account geographical factors, but also reflected Zhu Yuanzhang's emphasis on the economy and culture of the south.
In the folk, Zhu Yuanzhang's image is more colorful. Many folklore and opera works have created an image of Zhu Yuanzhang, who is witty and brave and loves the people like a son. For example, the widely circulated story of "Zhu Yuanzhang Cutting Mount Tai" tells the experience of Zhu Yuanzhang personally paying a private visit in order to punish corrupt officials. Although these folklore do not necessarily conform to historical facts, they reflect the general view of the general public about Zhu Yuanzhang.
However, there are also some folklore that depict Zhu Yuanzhang's brutal and suspicious side. For example, the story of "Zhu Yuanzhang killing the cook" reflects people's perception that he was seriously suspicious and sick. Together, these different folklore forms a complex and multifaceted image of Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang's influence was not limited to China, but had a profound impact throughout East Asia. For example, the establishment of the Yi dynasty in Korea largely mimicked the system of the Ming dynasty. Some of Zhu Yuanzhang's policies, such as the maritime ban policy, had a significant impact on trade and cultural exchanges throughout East Asia.
In modern society, Zhu Yuanzhang is still a historical figure who has attracted much attention. Many films, TV series, and novels feature him as the main character, reflecting the ongoing interest in the peasant emperor. Although these works are exaggerated in artistic creation, they also reflect the views of contemporary people on Zhu Yuanzhang to a certain extent.
In general, Zhu Yuanzhang's historical evaluation presents complex and multifaceted characteristics. As a peasant founding emperor, his reign not only reflected strong personal characteristics, but also profoundly influenced the course of Chinese history. The evaluation of Zhu Yuanzhang not only reflects people's perception of this special emperor, but also reflects people's understanding and interpretation of history in different eras.