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  The next target, Zhang Shicheng!

  After solving the Chen Youliang problem, Zhu landlord launched an attack on Zhang landlord who was richer than him.

  Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhang Shicheng can be said to be irreconcilable enemies, especially what makes Zhu Yuanzhang incomprehensible is that he didn't provoke the other party at all, so why did they treat him as their greatest enemy?

  Chen Youliang is now finished, it's time to take down Zhang Shicheng this private salt smuggler.

  Zhang Shicheng was not an easy person to bully, and it so happened that his nickname was also Jiǔ Sì (Nine Four), which differed from the rumors about Chen Youliang's name. This nickname of his has a clear record in the official history books. He relied mainly on his several brothers: Zhang Shiyue, Zhang Shide, and Zhang Shixin to fight battles and govern the region. Except for Zhang Shixin, the other two were very formidable but had already died in battle. Now, Wu was under the leadership of the dandy Zhang Shixin and had already gone downhill.

  It seems there's no divine intervention this time either.

  In the first month of Zhizheng 24th year (1364), Zhu Yuanzhang ascended to the throne as Wu King, finally completing his transformation from a peasant to a king (he had not been enfeoffed as a king before). The fact proved that after taking the hard road, more results would be achieved. In history, in order to distinguish this regime from Zhang Shicheng's Wu region, it was called Western Wu, and Zhang Shicheng was called Eastern Wu.

  However, some historical records show that Zhu Yuanzhang was self-proclaimed as the King of Wu. After careful study, it can be found that the two characters "self-proclaimed" are worth pondering. Because Han Lin'er was still the nominal emperor at that time, becoming the King of Wu required his approval, and after approval, it would be legal. If Zhu Yuanzhang was self-proclaimed, it would obviously be a rebellious act without Han Lin'er's edict. Whether Han Lin'er was dissatisfied and refused to issue an edict appointing Zhu Yuanzhang is also a topic worth exploring.

  In the 25th year of the Zhuyuan era, Zhu Yuanzhang launched a military campaign against Eastern Wu after careful preparation.

  In August, the troops were dispatched and in less than half a year, they had conquered large areas of Jiangsu Province, including Xuzhou, Yancheng, Taizhou and even Gaoyou, which was originally Zhang Shicheng's base.

  Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was about to kick away the last obstacle on his path forward and engage in a decisive battle with the Yuan government, an unexpected piece of news left him stunned.

  Unforeseen betrayal

  While he was on a campaign in Jiangsu, his scouts informed him that his own nephew, the meritorious Zhu Wen Zheng, had colluded with Zhang Shicheng and was preparing to attack him.

  Before that, Zhu Yuanzhang had also been betrayed. In the 22nd year of Zhizheng (1359), General Shao Rong and Zhao Jizong conspired to assassinate him, but were exposed and executed by Zhu Yuanzhang. In the 23rd year of Yuantong (1364), at a critical moment when he was engaged in a decisive battle with Chen Youliang, General Xie Zhenxing defected, but Zhu Yuanzhang handled it promptly and suppressed the rebellion.

  However, Zhu Wenjing's betrayal has plunged him into real suffering. Even his most trusted nephew and powerful general are going to betray him. What is it all for?

  The reason is actually very simple, it's just for the sake of official position.

  After Zhu Yuanzhang defeated Chen Youliang, he rewarded his merits. Since Zhu Wen Zheng was his nephew and had the greatest merit, he asked Zhu Wen Zheng what he wanted and what official position he wanted to be granted. Zhu Wen Zheng showed some general demeanor and said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "We are relatives, you first grant others, I'm not interested in these things."

  Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed and thought that his nephew was indeed a talented person who knew how to handle big matters and take care of the overall situation. So he gave the good position to someone else and still let Zhu Wen Zheng guard Jiangxi.

  He didn't know that Zhu Wen was just being polite to him, just like the bidding in an auction house. He was waiting for Zhu Yuanzhang to raise the price and persuade him to stay, saying something like "You can't refuse this". Unexpectedly, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't raise the price at all and directly banged his gavel.

  Deal!

  Zhu Wen Zheng's discontent finally erupted. Guarding Hongze was my greatest merit, but when it came to rewards, I wasn't included. He couldn't understand this no matter how hard he thought about it. Every day, he would drown his sorrows in wine and openly go out to rob and abduct civilians' daughters, selling official positions for money. However, this still couldn't bring him mental balance. Whenever he saw those underlings swaggering around in the prosperous areas of Ying Tian, while he himself was stuck guarding Jiangxi, he would feel discontent from the bottom of his heart towards Zhu Yuan Zhang. When this discontent reached its peak, he inevitably went to extremes.

  Who else in the world can rival Zhu Yuanzhang?

  Only Zhang Shicheng is left.

  Just as he was making intense preparations, Zhu Yuanzhang learned of this news.

  He put down his work and came to Hongdu in person.

  He wants to clean up the entrance.

  The meeting between Zhu Wen Zheng and Zhu Yuan Zhang was dramatic. When he saw Zhu Yuan Zhang, Zhu Wen Zheng was stunned. But Zhu Yuan Zhang was not stunned at all, he fully showed his own simple nature, without saying something like "the weather is great today" or "you seem to have gained weight", no nonsense, directly using a whip to lash Zhu Wen Zheng, while beating him, he said: "You little bastard, what do you want to do?"

  Zhu Yuanzhang originally wanted to execute Zhu Wen Zheng, but due to the persuasion of Empress Ma, he did not do so and instead had him imprisoned. Objectively speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang was still quite good to Zhu Wen Zheng, as in the third year of Hongwu (1370), he enfeoffed Zhu Wen Zheng's eight-year-old son as a prince and sent him to be stationed in Guilin.

  No matter how you put it, the mistake was on Zhu Wenjing's side.

  This brilliant and talented general ended his glorious life in captivity, dying there. His tragedy stemmed from his character; this man with military genius did not know how to be a person. He was eccentric, narrow-minded, and of poor conduct. Even if he had not been ruined by this affair, one day he would have gotten into trouble over something else. From this perspective, his tragedy was inevitable.

  Character determines destiny!

  This incident cast a huge psychological shadow on Zhu Yuanzhang, who from then on did not dare to trust anyone. Even his most trusted and capable nephew betrayed him; who else could he trust?

  For Zhu Yuanzhang, gunpowder had already been buried in his heart, just waiting for when it would explode.

  After solving this matter, Zhu Yuanzhang then turned his attention to his old enemy, Zhang Shicheng.

  By the 25th year of the Zhongyuan era, Zhang Shicheng had been driven out of the area north of the Yangtze River by war. The Eastern Wu army was confined to the Jiang-Hang region, which is now Suzhou and Hangzhou. Zhang Shicheng seemed not to understand his situation, he still wanted to occupy what he called half of Jiangnan, as his rich landlord.

  But Zhu Yuanzhang told him through his actions that there can only be one largest landlord in the world, and this person will absolutely not be you Zhang Shicheng.

  In 1366, Zhu Yuanzhang led his elite troops with Xu Da and Chang Yuchun as the main commanders to attack Zhang Shicheng.

  When discussing the battle plan, a dispute arose. Chang Yuchun believed that they should directly attack the old nest of Eastern Wu, Pingjiang (now Suzhou), and Xu Da also agreed with him. They both thought that as long as they obtained Pingjiang, all of Zhang Shicheng's territories would surrender without a fight.

  Zhu Yuanzhang disagreed.

  Zhu Yuanzhang once again demonstrated his brilliant strategic vision, believing that if he directly attacked Pingjiang, Zhang Shicheng's forces in Hangzhou would definitely come to the rescue, making it extremely difficult to capture Pingjiang. By attacking Hangzhou and other areas first, he could cut off Zhang Shicheng's wings, and Pingjiang would naturally become a piece of cake.

  It turned out that Zhu Yuanzhang was indeed a military genius and he was right again this time.

  Before the expedition, Zhu Yuanzhang repeatedly emphasized one thing: after capturing a city, it is not allowed to slaughter people indiscriminately. After killing people and getting empty land, what's the use of that? ( Capture the city without killing many, if you get the land but no people, what benefit is there?)

  This remark was not for Xu Da to hear, but for Chang Yuchun to hear.

  This old fellow, since the Jiuhuashan incident, has not changed his evil habits. After capturing a city, he must slaughter its people. Zhu Yuanzhang repeatedly severely warned him before he restrained himself slightly.

  The army set out, and Zhu Yuanzhang sat in his tent with an indescribable excitement.

  Victory is within our grasp!

  This time, Zhu Yuanzhang again assembled an army of 200,000 men and entrusted it to Xu Da and Chang Yuchun. The two famous generals did not disappoint Zhu Yuanzhang. They agreed to divide their forces and attack Hangzhou and Huzhou, and soon captured them.

  Now Pingjiang is all that's left.

  Pingjiang Offensive

  Pingjiang is known as the first stronghold, Zhang Shicheng has been hiding at home for several years, watching Chen Youliang being defeated, watching his own territory being nibbled away by Zhu Yuanzhang bit by bit, and only doing one thing, that is to repair the city.

  Pingjiang City has eight gates, namely: Tongmen Gate, Huqiu Gate, Loumen Gate, Xumen Gate, Chenmen Gate, Panmen Gate, West Gate and North Gate. Each gate's city wall is extremely solid, made of large stone blocks mixed with glutinous rice, and there are fixed crossbow positions on the city wall, which can shoot anyone approaching the city wall instantly. There are also a large number of grain stores inside the city, enough to last for several years of defense.

  Zhang Shicheng, although not a man of great ambition, was a man of strong will. When he led his army of one million soldiers to attack the small city of Gaoyou, it took him three months to breach its walls, which fully demonstrated his determination.

  At this time, Zhang Shicheng understood even more clearly that if Pingjiang fell, he would have nowhere to go.

  He decided to go all out.

  To take such a city by storm, careful planning is needed. However, when Zhu Yuanzhang's troops came to ask which gate to attack first, Zhu Yuanzhang shouted at them: "With hundreds of thousands of soldiers, do you still need to divide and conquer? Just fight to the death!"

  It seems that Li Yunlong is not the only one who has used this move for hundreds of years.

  Zhu Yuanzhang made military deployments, mobilizing his famous generals and assigning them tasks as follows:

  Xu Da attacked Tongmen, Chang Yuchun attacked Huqiu, Guo Xing attacked Loumen, Hua Yunlong attacked Ximen, Tang He attacked Bianmen, Wang Bi attacked Panmen, Zhang Wen attacked Ximen, Kang Maoji attacked Beimen.

  Are you kidding me? Is there more?!

  He was dissatisfied with these people and arranged for Geng Bingwen to attack the northeast of the city, Qiu Cheng to attack the southwest, and He Wenhui to attack the northwest.

  He set up eleven troops outside Pingjiang City, attacking from different angles and positions. Not to mention humans, even gods couldn't withstand it. In fact, there was no need to fight; with so many people squeezing into the city, they could have squeezed Zhang Shicheng to death.

  Zhu Yuanzhang still felt that it was not enough, so he built a long siege outside the city and surrounded Pingjiang City. Not only people, but even rabbits couldn't escape.

  To solve the problem of Pingjiang City being too high and soldiers finding it inconvenient to attack, he built a new-style real estate - a wooden tower outside the city. The tower is divided into three layers, from which one can overlook all situations inside the city, and each layer is equipped with bows, fire guns and Xiangyang cannons (new-style firearms). Truly achieving the effect of "pointing to shoot".

  With these few sets of troops deployed, Zhang Shicheng should have surrendered if he knew what was good for him.

  But this private salt smuggler insisted on being stubborn and had to resist to the end.

  In January of the 27th year of the Zhiyuan era, the attack began.

  Zhu Yuanzhang's infantry, archers and artillery worked together to attack the city day and night without stopping. The infantry attacked from below the city wall, while the artillery fired arrows, guns and cannons non-stop from the wooden tower.

  Zhang Shicheng's soldiers, while withstanding the attack of the soldiers under the city tower, also had to pay attention to air defense. The wooden towers were guarded day and night, and the soldiers on these towers could not come down once they encountered the night shift. Eating, drinking, urinating, and defecating all took place on the tower. Even spitting, urinating, and other behaviors naturally fell onto the bodies of the Eastern Wu soldiers on the city tower.

  It's really bitter, this is the real shame!

  It was in such a harsh environment that Zhang Shicheng and his soldiers persisted with astonishing willpower for eight months, until Pingjiang was finally captured in September of the 27th year of Zhizheng (1367).

  Zhang Shicheng was a man of great fortitude, and when the city fell, he continued to fight in the alleys. Even though Zhu Yuanzhang repeatedly announced that if Zhang Shicheng surrendered, not only would he not be killed, but he would also be treated well along with his family members. However, Zhang Shicheng had made up his mind to die, and after killing all of his relatives, he attempted to hang himself, but was rescued by his generals. He was later captured and taken to Ying Tian.

  On the boat taking him to Yingtian, he refused to speak or eat, showing his determination not to yield.

  Zhu Yuanzhang sent his trusted minister Li Shan-chang to interrogate Zhang Shicheng, but despite Li's severe words and rebukes, he got no response from Zhang.

  From start to finish, Zhang Shicheng looked at Li Shan-chang with contemptuous eyes.

  Li Shan-chang was looked at by him and got goosebumps, and seeing that he didn't speak, he got so angry that he jumped up like thunder.

  Zhang Shicheng finished watching Li Shan's performance and spoke out his only testimony in this trial.

  "You're just a dog, let your master come out!"

  There's no other way, Zhu Yuanzhang takes the stage.

  He looked at this old opponent who had been fighting for ten years, what kind of person is he?

  To thoroughly defeat him, to thoroughly conquer him!

  He then used his rare gentle tone to persuade Zhang Shicheng to surrender, hoping to move him, and the reply he got was only one sentence.

  "You're no better than me, I only failed because heaven favors you, not me."

  Zhu Yuanzhang was finally enraged, he killed Zhang Shicheng and burned Zhang Shicheng's body into ashes, which is called "sanding yanghui".

  Zhang Shicheng was a man with strong willpower, who rose from humble beginnings to become a powerful warlord. However, his shortcomings were just as prominent as his strengths. As one of the heroes in a chaotic world, he had a mentality of being content with small gains, but failed to understand that in such an environment, only one could emerge victorious in the end.

  If I fail to become the Son of Heaven, then I will never again be a man!

  But he is still worthy of our admiration, with a strong will to resist the brutal rule of Yuan, although he had surrendered before, but after all, it was just an expedient measure. He showed no fear in the face of death and held on to his beliefs until the very last moment.

  Those who are not afraid of death are worthy of our respect!

  The Legend of Miyue: Chapter 17 of Zhu Yuanzhang

  Chapter word count: 4709 Updated time: July 2nd, 2022 15:48

  Zhu Yuanzhang finally cleared away the two major obstacles in his path forward and was about to face his last opponent.

  To him, this opponent was his true enemy and arch-nemesis.

  To be frank, Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng were indeed his strongest opponents, but from a personal emotional perspective, he had no grudges against the two of them, and even had a sense of affection for each other.

  But Zhu Yuanzhang was different, it was under the rule of this brutal dynasty that he lost his parents and his family was destroyed. He himself wandered homeless, begging for a living, and only reluctantly joined the rebellion.

  In Zhu Yuanzhang's heart, there was a deep-seated hatred for the Yuan dynasty.

  Not only family feud, but also national hatred.

  During Zhu Yuanzhang's wars against Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng, in order to paralyze the Yuan dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang did not claim kingship or emperorship, and secretly indicated that he would not be an enemy of the Yuan dynasty. He also sent lavish gifts to Chahar Tegus, a prominent general of the Yuan dynasty at that time.

  It seems he is indeed good at building relationships.

  In the eyes of the Yuan Dynasty, this was a rustic who only wanted to gain some benefits in war and would be satisfied with just a few benefits.

  If they were to investigate Zhu Yuanzhang's miserable experiences in his childhood and think about who caused Zhu Yuanzhang's pain, they would find that their idea is absurd.

  Zhu Yuanzhang's strategy achieved great success.

  When he had dealt with Chen Youliang and was about to sweep across Jiangnan, the Yuan government hastily sent the Minister of Revenue Zhang Kang to confer an official title on him. They always thought that this man could be used by them, as long as they gave him some money.

  Zhu Yuanzhang's reaction was greatly beyond their expectations. He accepted the resignation of the official, but kept Zhang Shicheng behind. Zhu Yuanzhang undermined the foundation of the Yuan dynasty and said to Liu Ji: "The Yuan dynasty sent a virtuous person to me, you can talk more with him if you have nothing else to do."

  If this action still cannot make the Yuan dynasty understand Zhu Yuanzhang's true intention, then they are too stupid.

  When Zhu Yuanzhang was at war with Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng, fighting to the death. The government of the Yuan dynasty had once been very happy to be a spectator in a boxing match, for them, the best result would be that all three fell down, and then they could go up and declare victory.

  The most stupid thing about the Yuan government was that it didn't know this game was an elimination match, and the final prize for winning was the qualification to fight against itself!

  When Zhu Yuanzhang had gone through all the hardships and emerged from the mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, and climbed over the bodies of Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng, the government of the Yuan dynasty was frightened to discover that this victor was more terrifying than any previous opponent.

  He had a well-trained army, wise and decisive strategists, and brave generals. The troops he led were no longer the kind of peasant uprising armies that would collapse at one blow, but a powerful and combat-effective force that was in no way inferior to his own.

  The Yuan government tried every means to save its own fate, sending a large amount of gold and silver treasures to Zhu Yuanzhang, hoping that he would accept the amnesty and continue to be their slaves.

  But they slowly discovered that the Zhu Yuanzhang in front of them not only wanted their money but also their lives.

  The game is about to start!

  Let's take a look at the contestants from both sides. Now let's first welcome the contestant from the Yuan Dynasty, Emperor Shun of Yuan is on stage!

  Please express your current mood in one sentence, Emperor Yuan Shun.

  Yuanshun Emperor: Only one sentence left, I said it, hoping that the opponent's hand is light, I'm afraid of pain.

  Now let's invite Zhu Yuanzhang's representative to share his thoughts. Ah, where has Zhu Yuanzhang's representative gone?

  Oh, we've found him, he's sharpening his knife, so let's not disturb him

  The game is on!

  Before this, let's introduce Zhu Yuanzhang's opponent, Yuán.

  It was a regime established by Mongolia, and the rise of Mongolia originated in the 12th century. In 1206, Temujin, the leader of the Mongols, unified the northern steppe, marking the beginning of the heyday of Mongolia.

  It is worth noting that many people think that the strength of Mongolia began after Genghis Khan, which is a debatable view. In fact, Mongolians have always had strong fighting power and are born warriors.

  This mighty nation had so far never appeared on the stage of history only because of its own disunity. But when Genghis Khan solved this problem, his terrible destructive power and war capability spread like a storm to all parts of the world.

  It is not uncommon in history for culturally advanced nations to be conquered by relatively backward ones, such as the downfall of Western Jin and Northern Song dynasties. However, there is a misconception that these backward nations were able to become conquerors because their soldiers were brave and skilled in battle, rather than due to the advancement of their military institutions.

  To those people, these illiterate barbarians who only relied on so-called bravery in battle, how could they possibly surpass the military officers of culturally advanced nations who had received systematic military theoretical training for a long time.

  It turns out they might be wrong.

  The development of military and economic affairs is often detached, this sentence has been proven by history many times.

  The military system of Mongolia was simple but practical, they didn't have those useless bureaucratic institutions like Southern Song, in battle they used small cavalry units to probe and then adopted sudden attack methods to strike the weak points of the enemy. Once the attack was frustrated, they immediately withdrew and then sought opportunities to break through from the side.

  Mobility is the greatest advantage of the Mongolian army.

  What's even more unbelievable is that the Mongolian army's weapons were also more advanced than those of Southern Song. They had invented a genius bow, which was the most feared at that time, with a range of 300 meters, and no matter how thick the armor was, it could not withstand it. Only the elite troops of the Southern Song Dynasty equipped with the "Divine Arm Bow" could compare with it. However, in war, weapons have never been the most important thing, but the soldiers who fight are the key to victory or defeat.

  Fighting with Mongolians is a very painful thing, because they don't directly use swords to fight each other, their most important weapon is the bow and arrow.

  When you encounter Mongolian cavalry, your nightmare begins. Shooting arrows before attacking, shooting arrows during the attack, and even when he is escaping, still shooting arrows. You can't catch up, can't hit, this kind of rogue-like play can drive people crazy!

  This is also why the later Mongol armies were able to attack Eastern Europe and defeat Europeans who were physically much stronger than them.

  They were basically not killed by swords but shot dead by arrows.

  Another characteristic of the Mongols is one that everyone is familiar with, which is massacring cities.

  The Mongols fought from East Asia to West Asia and then to Europe, always using this set of tactics. Their massacres were quite distinctive and are worth mentioning.

  From various historical records (including the History of Mongolia and the History of Yuan), it can be seen that the massacres committed by the Mongols were not simply a result of lax military discipline, but rather had clear political overtones.

  Massacre is for making the enemy surrender.

  Before attacking a city, they would usually give a good warning. If you surrender, there will be no massacre; if you don't surrender, the consequences are for you to think about.

  But what they lack in virtue is that if they don't surrender, they will inevitably slaughter the city, but even if they do surrender, they won't let them off either. Why is this?

  This is to ensure the safety of their rear, they think that leaving someone behind is unsafe, and they must be killed before they can feel at ease. (Genghis Khan's soldiers did not want any residents on their rear route, so as to avoid worries about their back.)

  The Mongol tidal wave swept across the globe, but Europeans seemed to have a more self-reflective spirit, believing that the emergence of so many terrifying guys was due to their own numerous mistakes, and God used whips to teach themselves, so they called the Mongols "the whip of God".

  This honorary title was awarded for the second time in European history, the first having been given to Attila the Hun.

  Historians have given this massacre by the Mongol army a very precise definition - state terrorism.

  The Mongol army also seemed to have some people who were fond of performance art, specifically in the Western Asian campaign, where they would cut off the heads of those killed and pile them into a triangular mountain.

  Moreover, they also had a bit of black humor, such as after capturing Baghdad, they locked up the highest leader Caliph in a house full of gold and silver treasures, letting him starve to death.

  They solved the problem of feeding several tens of millions of people at a global scale, but in the most brutal way - slaughter!

  This is a formidable enemy, their destructive power is extremely astonishing. Here we will list a few numbers.

  These numbers are chilling.

  The number of people remaining in Mongolia when the Jin Dynasty was destroyed is as follows:

  At the peak of Jin (1207), there were 76.8 million households. When Yuan destroyed Jin (1234), only 8.7 million households remained, a decline of 89%.

  The number of people who remained in Southern Song when Mongolia was destroyed is as follows:

  In the 16th year of Jiading in Southern Song Dynasty (1223), there were 12.67 million households, and by the time Yuan Dynasty destroyed Song, only 9.37 million remained, a decrease of 26%.

  It seems that Mongolia was quite lenient towards Southern Song Dynasty, and there were reasons for this, which we will discuss later.

  The Mongol army's attack on the Central Plains was indeed fierce, and it took 22 years to destroy the Western Xia Dynasty (1205-1227), and 23 years to destroy the Jin Dynasty, which had once swept across the sky (1211-1234).

  At this time, Mongolia recognized its terrible strength, and it pointed the next spearhead at Southern Song.

  In their view, the Jin people who were equally robust and brave as them couldn't withstand a blow, let alone the southerners who spent all day reciting poetry and painting, with weak physiques?

  In the first year of Southern Song's Duanping (AD 1234), the Mongols made all preparations and attacked Southern Song.

  They believed that it was inevitable that the Song would be destroyed within ten years.

  But they didn't think that this battle would last nearly fifty years and cost a great life.

  Under their threat of massacre, these weak southerners do not seem to be afraid, from the Huai River to Xiangyang and then to Sichuan, they encountered fierce resistance everywhere.

  They suffered their biggest setback in Hebei Province.

  In the seventh year of Song Bao's reign (1259), in February, Khan M?ngke personally led his army to attack Hezhou, Sichuan. The battle lasted for five months. The defending general Wang Jian defended Hezhou's Fishing City and not only repelled the Mongolian army's attack but also wounded Khan M?ngke during the battle.

  All of this happening made the Mongolian nobles very puzzled, what kind of power supported these weak people and made them so strong?

  They were determined to find out the answer.

  Although the Southern Song Dynasty put up a fierce resistance, it was ultimately unable to withstand the Mongol army's iron cavalry.

  In 1279, after fierce resistance, the last war-time Grand Chancellor of Southern Song, Lu Xiufu, paid his respects to the young Emperor Zhao Bing on a boat at sea and said his final words:

  The country has come to this point, Your Majesty can only sacrifice yourself for the country.

  Then he carried the emperor and jumped into the sea.

  The Southern Song Dynasty was destroyed, but the mystery in the hearts of the Mongolian nobles was never solved.

  At this time, they found themselves possibly finding an answer from one person.

  His name is Wen Tianxiang.

  At this time Wen Tianxiang had been in the Yuan prison for a long time, he was the one who started the army at the most critical moment of Southern Song, organized the righteous soldiers to resist the Yuan, and was captured after defeat.

  Such a person who knowingly does the impossible is precisely the ideal research subject for the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty. What supports him in doing something that is fundamentally impossible to achieve?

  From the surrendered Song Dynasty's Prime Minister to the Emperor, and then to the Yuan Dynasty's Prime Minister and Emperor, they all came to persuade him to surrender, but the answers they got were all the same.

  Never surrender!

  In battle after battle, the Mongol nobles came to realize that there was something in this man's heart that supported him.

  This is what they call moral integrity!

  What is morality?

  Although invisible and intangible, the Mongolian nobles still grasped one thing: as long as they subdued this person, they could establish a model, and morality could be defeated.

  Then they took turns torturing Wen Tianxiang, from a comfortable warm room to a stinky and dark dungeon, from soft to hard, using every possible means.

  But Wen Tianxiang was neither soft nor hard.

  Wen Tianxiang persisted in his beliefs under harsh conditions and wrote the immortal masterpiece "The Song of Righteousness".

  Among them, there were two sentences that reflected his inner self:

  When time is exhausted, the festival appears, and each one hangs vermilion and blue-green silks.

  A person's integrity and dignity are revealed in the most difficult times.

  The Mongol nobles were at a loss and had no choice but to let Kublai take the stage.

  Kublai was a man who had received long-term sinicization education, he knew that killing Wen Tianxiang was easy, but conquering the beliefs in his heart was difficult.

  He said to Wen Tianxiang in a tone that was almost pleading, "You are truly talented, stay here and be my prime minister."

  Wen Tianxiang refused him!

  Kublai repeatedly advised him, but to no avail. He was really helpless and had to say to Wen Tianxiang: What do you want to do, say it yourself.

  Wen Tianxiang raised his head and said: I only ask for death!

  Isn't it good enough to live a good life? Why must one die? Is that moral principle so important?

  He admires this person, but also doesn't understand him.

  Go for it!

  In 1283, Wen Tianxiang was taken to the execution ground in Dadu, where he arrived surrounded by countless civilians who would watch this brave and unyielding man be put to death.

  Wen Tianxiang raised his last question in life: which direction is south? Immediately, a hundred surnames pointed it out to him.

  He knelt down facing south and paid his respects, then sat down and calmly said to the executioner:

  It's all over for me.

  Today, Wen Tianxiang is the real winner!

  With his own courage and determination, he told everyone that in this war where one person fought against a country, he was the undisputed winner!

  He never gave up his faith until death!

  The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty ultimately did not find an answer.

  The answer is actually hidden in Wen Tianxiang's "Clothing Injunction", which is also his will.

  Confucius said "to accomplish benevolence", Mencius said "to obtain righteousness". Only when righteousness is exhausted, then benevolence is reached.

  Reading the books of sages, what have I learned? From now on and hereafter, I will be somewhat free from shame.

  This is indeed the magnificent finale of a life that has shone like the sun and moon, and been as majestic as mountains and rivers!

  Wen Tianxiang's actions told everyone that the body can be conquered, but righteousness cannot be conquered.

  This moral belongs not only to every individual but also to their country and nation.

  Where there is a way, even if there are thousands of people, I will go!

  The Legend of Miyue: Zhu Yuanzhang Chapter 18

  Chapter word count: 3865 Updated time: July 2nd, 2022 15:49

  We introduce Wen Tianxiang not just to introduce his greatness, but also for a more important reason.

  As a typical figure, Wen Tianxiang's behavior and thought are worth studying. We mentioned earlier that many seemingly unrelated things have a very deep connection. Wen Tianxiang's behavior has a subtle relationship with the emergence of many upright officials in the Ming Dynasty and the Donglin Party. We will reveal this hidden connection and its causes in future articles.

  The Yuan dynasty began its rule in such a situation, they did not understand what the people under their rule were thinking, nor did they want to understand. Wen Tianxiang, however, became an idol of the spirit of the ruled as a model.

  Such rule will not be solid.

  The Mongolian nobles were very careful to maintain their national characteristics, they did not accept Han culture, and did not intermarry with the Hans (those who dreamed of marrying Zhao Min can give up), the gap between them and the ruled people was getting bigger and bigger, and consensus could not be reached. In addition, from time to time, some nobles would shout out to drive away all the Hans, take the farmland to raise cattle and sheep, fortunately, the prime minister T?regene at that time stopped this foolish idea from being implemented.

  It should be noted that this Tuo Tuo is not the later Tuo Tuo, but the Tuo Tuo of the Yuan Dynasty was a good man who made suggestions to the Yuan army after capturing many cities, and did not slaughter the local residents, but instead continued to develop agricultural civilization.

  Also, reading the history books of the Yuan Dynasty is a very difficult task. Their names are often repeated, and they are always Temur, Toghon, etc. I once wrote a poem:

  All the paper is posted on Tuermu, and when I look up, it's all gone.

  Just kidding

  In the big family of Yuan Dynasty, the head of the household seems to have no feelings for his family members, grabbing whatever he wants as if this house is not even his own. This situation has been going on for decades, with both sides becoming increasingly displeased with each other, so since they can't get along, let's just split up.

  The problem is that the household chores are all done by family members, and without them, these Mongolian nobles would not be able to survive. One side wants a divorce, but the other side does not allow it, so they resort to domestic violence.

  But these Mongolian cavalrymen who once galloped across the world have sunk into a life of indulgence, and some can't even ride horses anymore. Apart from bullying their defenseless servants at home, they have no other skills.

  But when these lower classes picked up their usual kitchen knives and hoes to resist, the former rulers were at a loss.

  For example, the Azu army, the most elite unit in the Mongolian army, was outstanding even among the powerful Mongolian army and had made great achievements. When the uprising broke out, they were sent to suppress it. After receiving the order, this unit set off immediately, day and night, with lightning speed - first, they went to rob the common people.

  However, unfortunately, after the looting, they ran into the rebel army. As soon as they saw the enemy's flag, the leader shouted "Abu, Abu" (quickly run away). This elite troop retreated in such a way and afterwards repeatedly emphasized that they were defeated by a rebel army several times larger than themselves.

  It was precisely this quality of the army that made the Yuan army appear invincible at the beginning of the uprising.

  But as the uprising expanded, the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty realized the severity of the problem, and Genghis Khan's blood revived in their veins. They reorganized their troops, and their combat effectiveness rose sharply, suppressing many uprisings across the country one after another.

  As long as we ride horses, we are still descendants of the great Genghis Khan!

  At the same time when the Yuan Dynasty was in a precarious situation, some generals with rich combat experience and military talent also emerged.

  One of the best among them was called Temur the Broad.

  He also has another well-known name - Wang Baobao.

  Temur's name is too much of a mouthful, let's just call him Wang Bao Bao.

  Wang Baobao was the nephew and adopted son of the famous Yuan general Chaghan Temur, and after Chaghan's death he took on the mission to defend the Yuan dynasty and became a major enemy of the Ming dynasty.

  This name will appear in our field of vision for a very long time.

  Goal, yuan!

  Zhu Yuanzhang can finally do what he wants to do, eliminate the Yuan and avenge his parents, and the slogan he puts forward is more likely to resonate with people.

  "Expel the barbarian Hu, restore China, establish a framework and order, and save the people." This was also the idea of many people at that time.

  We quote the famous historian Mr. Wu Han's words to describe the situation at that time: "Under such circumstances, the nature of the war has changed, and it is no longer the original class struggle nature of the Red Turban Army, but a national war between the Han and Mongolian ethnic groups."

  Today's Mongols are certainly part of the Chinese nation, but from a historical materialist point of view, it is unlikely that people at that time would have celebrated together with Mongolian cavalry.

  In fact, they have been waiting for this day to come for a long time.

  Yes, it was like that at the time.

  The Northern Expedition begins

  In October of the 27th year of the Zhuyuan era (1367), Zhu Yuanzhang sent his generals Xu Da and Chang Yuchun to lead an army on a northern expedition. This northern expedition had special historical significance, as in the early 10th century, Shi Jingtang had ceded the strategic Yan-Yun 16 prefectures along the northern border to the Khitan people in exchange for their support of his own power and wealth.

  He can be called one of the greatest sinners in Chinese history. His character is shameless, his behavior is despicable, and his face is thick enough to make it difficult for later generations to match.

  This action put the Central Plains dynasty in a passive position of being unable to defend itself in military struggles with nomadic peoples. Since the Central Plains were mainly infantry, while the nomadic peoples were mainly cavalry, after ceding the 16 states, the Central Plains infantry would have to face the impact of cavalry on the open plains.

  To a certain extent, the entire Song Dynasty was destroyed in Shi Jingtang's hands, and the soldiers of the Central Plains had to use their own flesh and blood to resist the invasion of the nomadic nationalities until the collapse of the entire Great Song Dynasty.

  Four hundred years after the fall of Yan and Yun, Zhu Yuanzhang began his northern expedition, starting one of the few wars of unification from south to north in Chinese history.