Emperor Taizu Gao Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty was born in 1328 into a poor peasant family in Guzhuang Village, Zhongli, Fengyang. When he was 15 years old, there was a drought in the area, followed by severe locust plagues and plagues in the spring of the following year. Wi

Ming Taizu Gao Zhu Yuanzhang was born in 1328 in a poor peasant family in Zhongli Guzhuang Village, Fengyang. When he was 15 years old, there was a drought in the local area, followed by a serious locust plague and plague in the spring of the following year. Within half a month, his father, eldest brother and mother died one after another. Only Zhu Yuanzhang and his second brother were left. The family had no money to buy a coffin, and they didn't even have a piece of land to bury their relatives. Their neighbor Liu Jizu gave them a cemetery. The two brothers found some tattered clothes, wrapped the body, and buried their parents on the Liu family's land.

In order to survive, Zhu Yuanzhang, his second brother, sister-in-law and nephew were forced to separate and escape separately.

Monk Zhu Yuanzhang was responsible for carrying water, sweeping the floor, cooking and washing clothes every day.

When Zhu Yuanzhang was desperate, he went to seek refuge with Monk Gao Bin of Huangjue Temple. He was ordained and became a monk and a young boy. Soon, there was a famine in the area, and there was no alms in the temple, so the abbot had to send the monks to travel around to beg for alms. In this way, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was only 17 years old, had no choice but to leave the monastery and beg for alms.

Zhu Yuanzhang wandered for three years and returned to Huangjue Temple in 1348. The hard life created Zhu Yuanzhang's perseverance and courageous character, but it also made him cruel and jealous. The three years of wandering abroad were also the period when the peasant uprising was raging in the late Yuan Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang who joined the Peasant Rebel Army

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang received letters from his childhood friends Tang and , inviting him to join the Guo Zixing rebel army. At this time, his senior brother secretly told him that someone knew about the letter and wanted to inform him. So, Zhu Yuanzhang went to Guo Zixing's Red Turban Army .

After Zhu Yuanzhang joined the army, he was brave in battle, witty and proficient in writing. He was quickly appreciated by Guo Zixing and married his adopted daughter Ma to Zhu Yuanzhang. This was the future Queen Ma.

　Queen XiaocigaoMa Shi

Zhu Yuanzhang established a base centered on Yingtian through continuous recruitment of talents, and later eliminated Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng and other separatist forces. In October 1367, Zhu Yuanzhang sent Xu Da and Chang Yuchun to lead an army of 250,000 in the Northern Expedition. In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor in Nanjing, with the country name of Ming Dynasty and the reign name of Hongwu . The Northern Expedition captured Beijing in August 1368. Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty abandoned the city and fled to the Mongolian grassland . This ended the ninety-eight-year rule of Mongolia in the Central Plains, and China once again returned to the rule of the dynasty established by the Han people. under.

　Nanjing Forbidden City model picture

　[Ming DynastyThe second most awesome monk]

　I guess you can’t answer it.

Like Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, he was born a monk and changed the historical trajectory of the Ming Dynasty. After becoming famous, as the "number one hero", he did things in the world with a worldly mind, and chose to live a half-official and half-hidden life, and died at the age of eighty-four. In addition, planning the city of Beijing and editing an encyclopedia are not a problem.

　This person is: Yao Guangxiao

　Yao Guangxiao (1335-1418), whose legal name was Daoyan. Ming Dynasty politician, Buddhist scholar, and main planner of the Jingnan Campaign.

　1. Abandoning medicine and converting to Buddhism

In 1335, Yao Guangxiao was born in the home of a rural doctor in today's Suzhou . He was 7 years younger than Zhu Yuanzhang. In the Yuan Dynasty , the Han people wanted to become officials in the court, and getting an official position was tantamount to reaching heaven.

So his father sent Yao Guangxiao to the nearby Miaozhi Temple to become a monk and take the Dharma name Daoyan. Although he became a monk, Yao Guangxiao's intention to become an official has not changed. In addition to diligently studying Buddhism, he also taught himself the art of war, strategy, and even Confucianism. Later, he also went to learn the yin and yang techniques from Taoist priest Xi Yingzhen.

At this time, the world was in the age of warlords and raging wars. The 30-year-old Yao Guangxiao was eager to leave his name in this historical stage. However, until Zhu Yuanzhang, who was also a monk, unified the country, Yao Guangxiao did not wait to belong. own opportunity.

2. Take the initiative to recommend yourself

In the fifteenth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, Queen Bigfoot Ma passed away. Zhu Yuanzhang decided to select an eminent monk to serve the disciples. Yao Guangxiao's friend, Zongdi, who was Zuo Shansi of Senglu Temple at the time, took the opportunity to recommend him to go. Capital.

King Yan Zhu Di , later Emperor Yongle .

48-year-old Yao Guangxiao saw the handsome and majestic King of Yan Zhu Di when he was chanting sutras. He thought to himself, "If this opportunity is missed, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find it again in this life." So he stepped forward and recommended himself. Zhu Di only saw this monk, who was nearly fifty years old. He had an unattractive appearance and a bloated body. The only impressive thing was his pair of triangular eyes. He did not take him seriously and was unwilling to accept him.

When Yao Guangxiao saw this situation, he took heart and whispered in Zhu Di's ear: "If this poor monk can be used by Your Highness, he will definitely give you a white hat." If there is a white on the head of the word "王", isn't it? "Emperor"? If you say this, it is a treasonous act. After hearing this, Zhu Di glared at the monk in front of him without saying a word.

These few seconds may be the most difficult moment in Yao Guangxiao’s life. Then, Zhu Di motioned to the monk to take a step to speak. Yao Guangxiao breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he made the right bet this time.

The two of them found a secluded place to sit down and chat. The conversation was quite speculative, and both sides felt that it was too late to meet each other. After returning, Zhu Di immediately asked Zhu Yuanzhang for the monk Daoyan.

　3. Planning to raise troops

　In 1398, Zhu Yuanzhang died of illness. Zhu Yunwen, who was only 21 years old, came to the throne, with the reign title of Emperor Jianwen.

　After Emperor Jianwen ascended the throne, under the instigation of his cronies, he began to cut down the vassal vassal. Yao Guangxiao knew that there was not much time left for Zhu Di.

Because the next target that Emperor Jianwen aimed at was probably King Yan, the most powerful among the vassal kings.

Yao Guangxiao strongly recommended Zhu Di to raise troops, but King Yan, who had always been decisive and resolute, hesitated at this time, "My uncle's attack on his nephew seems to be unpopular, and now public opinion is leaning towards the court."

The Battle of Jingnan

Yao Guangxiao said: "I I only know that the way of heaven is like this, regardless of the people's will." He also called his friend Yuan Gong to meet Zhu Di. After hearing the comment that "he walks like a dragon and a tiger, with a high forehead, he is the emperor of peace", Zhu Di finally made up his mind. Determined to win over the army and recruit troops.

4. Planning

In October, when Zhu Di led his army to attack Daning, the imperial commander Li Jinglong took the opportunity to siege Beiping.

　Nanjing Forbidden City Ruins

Yao Guangxiao commanded a hard battle and held on. During the day, even the women and children in the city threw stones to resist the imperial army's attack. At night, Yao Guangxiao sent his warriors to sneak under the city wall to attack the enemy. He finally persisted until the reinforcements returned, cooperated internally and externally, and won a great victory.

Although Yao Guangxiao had been ordered to stay in Peiping and did not go out with the army, during Zhu Di's revolt, "whenever there was an indecision or when the army was unfavorable, he should ask Guangxiao in writing, and Guangxiao would agree to it."

5. Position Jiwenguan

It is said that at this time, Yao Guangxiao would not be exaggerated if he wanted any reward. But Zhu Di asked Yao Guangxiao to return to secular life with his hair, but he refused; rewarded him with two palace maids, but he would not look at them; rewarded him with a mansion and a compound, but he would not go; gave him a high official position, but he sternly refused, only He accepted a sixth-grade junior official from Zuo Shanshi, a monk named Si Zuo.

There was a strange sight in front of the Yongle Emperor in the court hall. This old monk wore official clothes when he went to court, and then changed into monk clothes and returned to the temple.

In June of the second year of Yongle, Yao Guangxiao finally had the opportunity to return home in glory. In his hometown of Cheung Chau, Yao Guangxiao's sister, clan members and old friends were unwilling to see him. He was also scolded by his sister as a rebellious official and a traitor, which made him feel confused.

　6. What is a wizard?

　Forbidden City in Beijing in the Ming Dynasty

　Not long after Zhu Di came to the throne, in order to deter the Mongols, he decided to move the capital to Peking. The task of planning the capital fell on Yao Guangxiao.

The current central axis of Beijing, the three main halls of the Forbidden City, the nine-gate pattern of Beijing, the construction of the archery tower and the urn city, the direction of the city wall and building codes were all planned by Yao Guangxiao.

In order to demonstrate his literary and martial arts skills, Zhu Di decided to compile the "Dacheng Document". At first, the person who presided over the compilation of "Dacheng Dacheng" was Xie Jin, a bachelor and chief minister of the cabinet. But after the first draft was completed, Zhu Di felt that it was still not up to his requirements, so under the auspices of Yao Guangxiao, in the fifth year of Yongle, the encyclopedia with a word count of 370 million was successfully completed, and was eventually named " Yongle Dadian " 》.

　7. Right and wrong, merits and demerits

　In 1418, 84-year-old Yao Guangxiao came to the end of his life. Zhu Di was very sad and issued an edict to abolish the court for two days. He was posthumously given the posthumous title of Gongjing, a minister of Xuanli who assisted the country in pushing the sincerity, a doctor of Tejin Ronglu, Shangzhu , Rongguo Gong. And respecting Yao Guangxiao's wishes, he was buried with the rites of a monk.

Looking at his life, Yao Guangxiao was really a complicated person. He was born in the late Yuan Dynasty, grew up in the early Ming Dynasty, and achieved success in Yongle. He is empty of all four elements and detached from things. He refuses generous salary from high-ranking officials and donates all the bounty. However, he is also ambitious and eager to make achievements and honor his ancestors.