【Civil changes】
Lao Zhu loved reading, especially history books. He was deeply touched by the reasons for the collapse of the Han and Tang Dynasties, and he was well aware of the impact of the eunuch rebellion on the court. In the seventeenth year of Hongwu's reign, the "Ancestral Instructions of the Emperor Ming Dynasty" was promulgated, which strictly prohibited eunuchs from intervening in politics. A three-foot-high iron stele was specially built in the palace, with the words "Ministers shall not interfere in political affairs, and those who interfere will be killed." It also stipulated that eunuchs were not allowed to serve as civil and military officials, and civil and military officials were not allowed to have document exchanges with eunuchs. The eunuch's official position could not exceed the fourth rank, and He was not allowed to read or write. If it can really be implemented, Ming Dynasty will be a different story.
The hereditary disease of Lao Zhu's family was that he did not trust any ministers, especially Zhu Laosi. Because he killed too many ministers, the emperor himself could not bear the complexity and hardship of government. On the one hand, he established a cabinet, and on the other hand, he hired some eunuchs to assist him. The emperor handled political affairs. The Zhu Zhus believed that since eunuchs had no children or desires, they would naturally obey the emperor's orders and be entrusted with important tasks. Legend has it that there was an emperor of the Southern Han Dynasty in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms who was like this. Anyone who wanted to be an official in the court must castrate himself. Sometimes it’s funny to think about a group of people with no beards and strange voices in the court discussing national affairs.
Emperor Xuande left a cabinet of three Yang Kaitai (Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and Yang Pu) to assist his son Yingzong, which also marked the beginning of the Ming Dynasty's eunuch participation in government affairs. Wang Zhen was a poor scholar, and he couldn't handle the imperial examination. But one day he suddenly wanted to enter the imperial court, so he castrated himself, and he got into the palace as expected. Because he was proficient in writing, he was deeply loved by Xuanzong and asked him to serve the prince.
Wang Zhen knew what the prince meant, so he flattered him and gained the prince's trust. Xuanzong left early, and the ten-year rule of Renxuan left behind a prosperous Ming Dynasty, but also left a turbulent crisis. When the prince ascended the throne, he was the Yingzong, and Wang Zhen was naturally the most favored eunuch. Because of the existence of Sanyang and the Queen Mother Taihuang, he did not dare to be more arrogant. After the Queen Mother returned to the west, Sanyang's illness was cured. Yingzong began to obey his words and respectfully called him sir. He quietly took away Taizu's iron sign and took full control of the government. His best way to deal with the resistance of courtiers was to dismember those opponents. The Jin Yiwei obeyed Wang Zhen's orders and slaughtered the ministers at will. Another talent of Wang Zhen is that he likes to provoke border wars. Fortunately, he has won many wars.
After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, Mongolia split into Tatar and Oara. Gradually accepting the reality of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, he began to communicate with the Ming Dynasty. After several twists and turns, Wala hired a Grand Master Ye Xian. He was ambitious and always hoped to restore the great achievements of the Yuan Dynasty, so he was always looking for opportunities. He donated horses to the Ming Dynasty every year in exchange for tea and so on. Originally, everything was peaceful, but this year, a large tribute team was first sent to Beijing, hoping to exchange for more rewards. Wang Zhen seemed to have seen the clues and lowered the horse price. The Wala envoys left angrily, and in the seventh month of Autumn, they also launched a large-scale invasion. The border was in a hurry, but Yingzong became excited because Wang Zhen decided that the emperor would personally conquer and supervise the country. The courtiers objected one after another. The Ming Dynasty had been peaceful for a long time, and the current army was not trained at all. The emperor refused to listen. The bravery of his ancestors flowed in his blood, and he was bound to lead the expedition himself. With a strong will and unquestionable dispatch of troops, the army quickly arrived at Xuanfu, but they were caught in a heavy storm and were in a terrible state. Another person came to remonstrate, and Wang Zhen became even more furious. Duke Cheng Zhu Yong and others asked him for instructions and reports, and they all walked forward on their knees. The ministers Kuang Nie and Wang Zuo offended Wang Zhen and were punished to kneel in the grass. His party member Qin Tianjian Zheng Peng Deqing used celestial phenomena to persuade him, but Wang Zhen did not listen. He even said that it was destiny and that even if he perished, he must move forward. In August, the emperor was stationed in Datong, and Wang Zhen wanted to go north. At this time, the guarding eunuch Guo Jing escaped and told him that the enemy was very strong, and Wang Zhen became afraid. We immediately returned to the army and arrived at Shuangzhai. It was raining heavily. Wang Zhen initially wanted to go via Zijingguan, but after passing Yuzhou to invite the emperor to visit his hometown, he was afraid that the troops would trample the crops in his hometown, so he changed his route to Xuanfu. It seems that Wang Zhen wants to leave a good reputation in his hometown. However, the soldiers traveled in circuitous ways and did not arrive at Tumubao until Renxu, and there was no water source. The Wala cavalry chased them, pretending to make peace, but took advantage of the Ming army's unpreparedness and launched a sudden attack, resulting in a major defeat for the army. Moreover, Yingzong was captured and Wang Zhen was killed by the rebel army. It was due to the Civil War. The news of the defeat reached the court, and the capital was shocked. All the officials first held their heads and cried. Then Chen Yi, the imperial censor, and others reported Wang Zhen's crimes to the court. The angry courtiers killed Ma Shun, the commander of the Jinyiwei, and Mao and Wang on the spot. Two eunuchs. King Yin ordered Wang Shan to be taken to the market to have his body dismembered, and other members of Wang Zhen's party to be killed. All members of Wang Zhen's family, old and young, were beheaded. Wang Zhen was in power for seven years. When his home was confiscated, he obtained more than 60 treasuries of gold and silver, 100 jade plates, more than 20 corals six to seven feet high, and countless other treasures. This is the most serious statement of Jingtai Dynasty.
[Battle of the Capital]
On August 18, the 14th year of Zhengtong, the Empress Dowager ordered King Zhu Qiyu to supervise the country. The high-ranking officials and wealthy households in the capital fled south one after another, and some ministers also advocated moving south. Yu Qian, Chen Xun, and Wang Zhi firmly opposed it. Beijing was the foundation of the world and had just been transformed from a city into a national capital. They could not give up easily and advocated the defense of the capital. Yu Qian was appointed as Minister of War in the face of danger. Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne on September 6th, and respected Yingzong as the Supreme Emperor. The next year was regarded as the first year of Jingtai. He also failed to succeed in threatening Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, and then led an army to invade Beijing in October. On October 11th, the Wala army arrived at the gate of Beijing, lined up outside Xizhi Gate, and placed Yingzong in an empty room outside Desheng Gate. On the 13th, Yu Qian and Shi Heng led their troops to fight with the Oara army outside Deshengmen, and the Oara army was defeated. Then they moved to Xizhimen to attack the Ming army, but were also repelled by the Ming army.
Unwilling to fail, the Oara army organized another attack at Changui Gate. The Ming army pretended to be defeated. The Oara army pursued them to Tucheng, but were blocked by Ming army musketeers lurking in residential buildings. They suffered numerous casualties and were unable to advance. Coupled with the cold weather, the vigorous resistance of the garrison outside the capital, and the continuous coming of King Qin's troops, they were afraid of being surrounded and annihilated, so they withdrew. By November 8, the Oara army withdrew outside the fortress, and the capital was lifted from martial law.
The battle to defend the capital led and organized by Yu Qian and officials from the main war faction achieved victory, shattering the Oara army's ambition to seize Beijing, and the Ming Dynasty turned the corner.
[The change of seizing the door]
Oara failed to attack the capital and returned to the Mongolian prairie in despair. Yingzong seemed a bit redundant. He was killed or left as a hot potato. In the end, in order to ease the relationship with Ming Dynasty and to disgust Ming Dynasty, Wala decided to send Yingzong back. After all, in one year, Yingzong became friends of many Mongolians. There is no father or son in the face of power, let alone half-brothers? Emperor Jingtai was unwilling to take Yingzong back because he was worried about his throne. But Yu Qian said, "Destiny has been decided", which enabled Yingzong to return to Beijing. The two brothers exchanged a few words at the palace gate and humbly gave up the throne to each other. After a few rounds, Yingzong was sent to Nangong to rest. The Jin Yiwei naturally took strict precautions. On the surface, they were protecting the safety of the Supreme Emperor, but in reality they were monitoring the Yingzong. Even the trees in the Nangong Palace were cut down, and there was not enough food and clothing. Queen Qian had to make some needlework and give it away and sell it to support the family. As for his son's position as prince, he had long since been abolished. People say that imperial power has no family ties, which seems to make some sense.
Jingtai was emperor for eight years, but his son died early and he was in poor health. Fortunately, Yu Qian and others were there, and the Ming Dynasty continued to move forward. However, as time went by, Jingtai's desire to have a son became more and more distant. Ministers naturally hoped that Jingtai could restore Yingzong's son to the position of prince. Jingtai always said that he was still young and could still have a son. He ordered an increase in offerings to the former prince and decided to announce it to the public early the next morning. Everyone in the court understood to some extent that if something unexpected happened to the emperor, the former prince would succeed him. Xu Youzhen, Cao Jixiang, and Shi Heng, who are often reprimanded, want to do something extraordinary. They know that they are half-measured and the distance from Yu Qian and others is getting wider and wider. Once the new emperor ascends the throne, they will still stand aside. They aim at Jingtai who is bedridden. Get up and lead people into Nangong to welcome Yingzong back. Emperor Yingzong listened to their plan through the door. He looked at Nangong where he had lived for eight years. Rather than die here, it was better to give it a try. He agreed without hesitation.
The Jingyang bell rang hastily, and the ministers originally thought that Jingtai agreed to restore Yingzong's son to the crown prince position. When Yu Qian and others entered the court, the eunuch shouted: "Kowtow to the emperor!" When he raised his head, it was Emperor Yingzong sitting in the middle. It was too late, Yu Qian and others had to admit the restoration of Yingzong. Jingtai was ill when he heard the sound of the bell and asked, "Is it Yu Qian?" The emperor actually thought that it was Yu Qian who wanted to usurp the throne. How sad! When I learned that it was the Yingzong restoration, I had to say: "Okay!"
While Yingzong rewarded the courtiers who supported his restoration, he killed Yu Qian and other ministers. Yu Qian, who "is not afraid of being broken into pieces, but wants to leave his innocence in the world", went to the execution ground like this. The world was wronged, but there was nothing he could do about it. Yu Qian was concerned about the safety of the Ming Dynasty. He specialized in military affairs and even sent minions everywhere, but he turned a deaf ear to the conspiracy of Cao Jixiang and others. It was a pity that the situation was over in a hurry. There are just too many doubts, causing future generations to speculate. Yu Qian should know many things, but he just doesn't want to do anything else.
Yingzong did not want to kill Yu Qian and others at that time. He knew that these people were the pillars of the Ming Dynasty, but Cao Jixiang and others said that not killing these people meant that Yingzong's restoration was wrong. Yingzong had no choice but to agree, but later regretted killing Yu Qian. He began to screen and use those who supported his restoration, and finally got rid of those black sheep. Out of sympathy, he lifted Emperor Jianwen's son from house arrest, but the Ming Dynasty began to decline. He was a strange emperor. He had been emperor for twenty-two years and a prisoner for eight years. His greatest achievement when he died was to abolish the precedent of concubines being buried!
