In 1360 AD, after Zhu Yuanzhang led his people to conquer Chuzhou, he did a big thing.
Taking advantage of the victory of the war, Zhu Yuanzhang instructed his subordinates to find outstanding advisers to help him wipe out the world.
Upon hearing this, the general of Zhu Yuanzhang, Hu Dahai, made a suggestion, saying that he had several good candidates for counselors.
"One is the provincial marshal Ye Chen , 
is Kuangshan lay Buddhist Chapter Yi , is Qingtian prodigy Liu Bowen ."
A few days later, Ye Chen and Zhang Yi were successfully introduced to their command, but Liu Bowen kept complaining.
In order to bring the wise men into command as soon as possible, Zhu Yuanzhang sent Sun Yan to "hire with coins" first, trying to use money to attract Liu Bowen.
After being rejected, Zhu Yuanzhang wrote a letter, generously expressing his ambition to found the country, but Liu Bowen was still unmoved, and even asked Sun Yan to bring back a sword to apologize.
In desperation, Zhu Yuanzhang had to compile the book again and asked Sun Yan to bring back the sword given by Liu Bowen, and then invite the talented people to come out.
This time, Liu Bowen was finally moved by Zhu Yuanzhang's sincerity, and from then on, he gave the latter a hurried horse and gave him a guide to the battlefield.
And their "three requests to come out" story of seeking talents was also compared with the elegant words of Liu Bei's "three visits to the cottage" back then.
As a "replica Zhuge Liang ", there have been many amazing plans in Liu Bowen's strategy of companionship. Especially on the territorial issue that ancient kings valued the most, he also advised to obstruct Zhu Yuanzhang's intention to annex.
However, his obstructive behavior not only did not arouse Zhu Yuanzhang's disgust, but also made the latter feel like he had a treasure. still lamented the clever intentions many years later.
What's going on?
Ming Dynasty history and Japan entangled with grudges
In 1368 AD, Zhu Yuanzhang encountered a big event.
Some officials came to report: Since the seal letter calling for the publication was issued, small neighboring countries, such as North Korea, Ryukyu, Annan , have surrendered without any intention.
But Japan, which is only separated from China, shows a rebellious intention. did not come to show his kindness, and after receiving the seal, he also killed five envoys in succession, with a very bad attitude.
"Japan had fiercely opposed the Mongolian Yuan. If he could surrender to the Ming Dynasty, the impact would be extraordinary."
After thinking for a while, Zhu Yuanzhang was a little unhappy, but he waved his hand and picked up his pen and wrote another seal, indicating that the envoys would go to Japan again.
His generous treatment surprised all the confidants under his command.
Before he could be called Emperor Tianying Prefecture, Zhu Yuanzhang had a premonition that the world was in power. I sent envoys everywhere, hoping to win a spectacular scene like ",000 countries come to " when I ascend the throne.
As a neighboring country, Japan is separated from China and is very disgusted with the Mongolian Yuan, naturally also entered Zhu Yuanzhang's "list of envoys".
But surprisingly, Japan did not accept Zhu Yuanzhang's hint.
Seeing Qilu, Hiluo and other places recognize their masters, but Japan still remains motionless and has no political awareness of being both victims.
Japan's indifference made Zhu Yuanzhang, who was about to become emperor, feel a little frustrated.
However, fortunately, after a lot of things were done, Zhu Yuanzhang began to make final preparations for his own affairs and did not make a grudge with Japan because of this.
However, just when his confidants thought that Zhu Yuanzhang would not interact with Japan, Zhu Yuanzhang, who successfully ascended the throne, actually sent an invitation to Japan again.
As the king of a major country, Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude has indeed been very low.
However, Japan once again slapped Zhu Yuanzhang in the face.
According to the book "Record of History", when the first time I issued a seal letter to Japan, Zhu Yuanzhang mobilized seven ministers, including Yang Zai and Wu Wenhua , which shows the importance of .
However, the fate of these people, either died in a foreign country, or was "released after three months of detention", and only two of the seven-person missions came back.
even, in order to show its determination to reject the seal, Japan also launched an army to "pull the sea people beside Wen, Taiwan, and Mingzhou", bringing a considerable threat to Shandong and other places.
This series of angry attacks hit Zhu Yuanzhang's face, which was enough to make him angry and send troops to annex the entire Japan.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang took into account the heroic contributions made by Japan in the First World War with the Mongolian Yuan, but he still forced himself to breathe this breath. and ordered the envoys of Japan again, which surprised the ministers of the dynasty.
It can be said that Zhu Yuanzhang gave Japan enough face on the issue of surrender of neighboring countries.
However, on the other hand, Japan's reaction is quite like being cheap and being good at it.
In 1370 AD, after receiving the second letter of seal sent by Zhu Yuanzhang, Japan once again chose to ignore it, and stepped on the majesty of the emperor of the Ming Dynasty under his feet.
This time, Zhu Yuanzhang, who could no longer bear it, could no longer suppress his anger.
In the seal book he wrote for the second time, words such as "stupid and Japanese barbarians" and "human and gods are angry" have inadvertently revealed his restraint and patience.
But even if you persuade them with kind words and give them enough steps, it is difficult to get the other party's sincere surrender.
Seeing that the small country around him challenged his bottom line again and again, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to calculate the new and old hatreds together, and arrange the annexation of Japan on its itinerary.
Zhu Yuanzhang's decision to annex the past and over the court won the recognition of most officials from all over the court.
Unlike the Tang and Song dynasties, the Ming Dynasty had just broken through the chaotic times of the Yuan Dynasty. It was more than enough to shout and fight and kill, and its desire for no war on the border was not high.
Zhu Yuanzhang's regime has just gained a foothold, and the neighboring countries are likely to submit. If they are not careful, there is a possibility that the regime will be overthrown.
, especially the island country like Japan, which has repeatedly provoked, officials believe that if cannot give a lesson at this time, then North Korea, Ryukyu and other places may be in danger of effective imitation.
The speeches of the officials stimulated Zhu Yuanzhang's sensitive nerves.
Immediately, he ordered to start planning the issue of sending troops to Japan and prepare to complete the annexation as soon as possible.
But at this moment , Liu Bowen stood up and sang a counter-tongue with the civil and military officials of the court.
" I don't know which faction in Japan was sent to the envoy for the seal letter?"
As the well-received "Little Zhuge", Liu Bowen did make a lot of efforts on Zhu Yuanzhang's road to becoming emperor.
It can be said that if he hadn't been around to make suggestions, the Ming Dynasty would not have won the country so smoothly.
But at this time, Liu Bowen's words made everyone confused.
Faced with the puzzled people, Liu Bowen slowly expressed his opinions...
Liu Bowen's three reasons
"I think it is not suitable to send troops to annex Japan now."
Just as everyone was persuading Zhu Yuanzhang to go to Japan, Liu Bowen's words were like pouring cold water on everyone.
Especially Zhu Yuanzhang, his anger of being slapped in the face by Japan has not completely subsided. At this time, a minister appeared to stop him from venting, and his face became ugly.
But considering Liu Bowen's talent and strategy, after careful consideration, Zhu Yuanzhang also understood the purpose of the former.
Immediately afterwards, Zhu Yuanzhang signaled Liu Bowen to express all his views.
After receiving the instruction of Zhu Yuanzhang, Liu Bowen was no longer ambiguous and simply put the current situation in front of everyone.
First is the current political situation in Japan.
It turned out that almost the same period as Zhu Yuanzhang raised an army to claim emperor, Japan was in the "Northern and Northern Dynasties", and a country also launched a regime change movement with considerable movement.
336, Emperor Go Daigo fled Kyoto and re-established the regime in the Yoshino area in northern Nara, calling on various samurai groups to use for their own purposes in order to reunify the world.
On the other hand, Ashikaga Shogunate also re-established " Emperor Guangming " in Kyoto, denying the legitimacy of Go-Daigo and demanding the people to be completely loyal.
Since the two emperors have political support, the two parties of Emperor Daigo and Emperor Guangming competed for a long time and could not decide the outcome.
Over time, Japan formed a chaotic situation of "Two emperors in a day south of Beijing" . , from royal families and nobles to samurai, all were working loyalty to different emperors. differentiated into two political centers: Yoshino and Kyoto .
Wait until 1363, two powerful Samurai Group ———The Ouchi family and the Yamana family announced their allegiance to the shogunate, which led to the Emperor Mitsumei gradually gaining the upper hand, and with the Ashikaga shogunate behind it, he defeated Emperor Go Daigo.
During this period, although Emperor Go Daigo had resisted with all his might, the high-profile loyalty of the Samurai Group still greatly damaged his vitality and gradually could not compete with the Ashikaga shogunate forces.
developed into the late stage of the struggle, Emperor Guangming gradually controlled most of the ruling areas of Japan, and the power of the Southern Dynasties gradually declined.
Even so, the samurai group that was loyal to Emperor Go Daigo still formed an anti-shogunate organization in the dark, always ready to give Emperor Guangming a fatal blow.
At this critical moment, Japan is still in the "Northern and Southern Dynasties turmoil" with constant internal strife. Once external forces intervene, it will inevitably cause crazy revenge from a certain group.
Liu Bowen believes that the reason why sent Japanese envoys to be repeatedly frustrated and even died in a foreign country is likely to be a mistaken estimation of the situation in Japan.
Without knowing the sphere of influence of the two parties, no matter which emperor the imperial side is sent to, it will make the other side feel unsafe.
In order to preserve its dominance, the neglected party is likely to wait for an opportunity to launch a bandit crisis to disrupt the peaceful Sino-Japanese relations.
If the Ming army attacked Japan now, they would inevitably choose one of Emperor Go Daigo and Emperor Guangming, but in this way, the risk of being caught in a joint attack will greatly increase.
With the combat level of the Ming army, it may not be difficult to successfully annex , but the human loss consumed during the annexation process was far from what Zhu Yuanzhang could bear at this time.
and unnecessary human resources loss, is also the second reason why Liu Bowen does not recommend the annexation of Japan.
As a peasant army in the uprising, Zhu Yuanzhang's army was not an ordinary royal family under the hereditary system, and its foundation was unstable.
Plus, the Ming army has just ended its fierce battle with the Mongol Yuan. Although it has successfully established a regime, it is difficult to guarantee that the retreating Mongol Yuan army will not make a comeback.
is different from the Central Plains. Mongolian is good at fighting and has strong external adaptability. The different living environments of both sides have already caused the Ming army to suffer a lot in the process of the war.
New dynasty has just been built. If you want to eliminate the bandits around you who have disagreements, you will inevitably dispatch some troops to restrain them, and even make plans for a long-term battle.
. For the Ming Dynasty, which was in destruction at this time, the inability to support such a high-intensity war was also a major factor threatening the regime's rule.
In Liu Bowen's view, if Zhu Yuanzhang sent troops to fight in Japan at this time and a tug-of-war broke out in Japan, then the relatively empty defense of troops in the country would become the bait for the enemy to launch an attack.
Even if the Ming army eventually defeated Japan and blocked the attack of the bandits on the capital, it would inevitably be short of troops and the strength to resist the reactionary forces would be greatly weakened.
In this way, once other forces want to usurp power, Zhu Yuanzhang is likely to be unable to clone his own skills and eventually hand over the country he has worked hard to defeat.
For the peasant army that followed Zhu Yuanzhang's uprising, this situation is not something that everyone wants to see.
What's more, after the war started, the people who had just emerged from the dire straits would fall into the whirlpool of turmoil again, repeating the tragedy of not filling their stomachs and crops without harvest.
People are living in poverty, and the "vassal states" that come to see around them may also take the opportunity to turn against each other.
"affiliated state" took the opportunity to turn against him. The fiscal revenue of the Ming Dynasty plummeted, and is the third unfavorable factor that Liu Bowen wanted to explain.
Take North Korea as an example. After the Mongol Yuan retreated, the Northern Yuan regime was re-established in the north, and did not completely disappear. The establishment of
North Yuan has brought a lot of pressure to surrounding small countries. Everyone was shocked by the forces of the Yuan Dynasty and wanted to surrender as soon as possible to protect their own land and peace.
On the other hand, Zhu Yuanzhang's Ming Dynasty's power gradually stabilized, which made the small country sandwiched between the two regimes very troubled.
Northern Yuan had proved its strength by relying on the arrogance and domineering period of the Yuan Dynasty, but the Ming Dynasty, which was born in the grassroots, did not have such an advantage.
According to normal logic, in order to make it happen for the first time and for all, the first target of of most small countries is actually the Northern Yuan tribe who retreated to the north.
But because of fear of future liquidation, the small countries did not immediately express their opinions, but were preparing to act and follow the mainstream.
North Korea stood up at this time.
The Korean ruler at that time, King Gongmin, disagreed with the public and announced his sanctions to the Ming Dynasty, which also led to the trend of small neighboring countries to a certain extent.
But what was unexpected was that just a few years later, King Gongmin was assassinated and died. The newly appointed ruler of North Korea chose to continue to accept the enthronement of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. began to promote shaving and humble speech, and quickly got into evil with the Ming Dynasty. Although
cannot affect the whole body, North Korea's distinctive attitude has greatly reduced the enthusiasm of small neighboring countries to submit to the Ming Dynasty.
Liu Bowen said that if he forced troops to send troops to Japan regardless of the fatigue of the troops at this time, it would be very likely that he would be in the Northern Yuan Dynasty's wishes, which made him doubt the small country that was surrendering to the Ming Dynasty.
Once the Northern Yuan Dynasty took the opportunity to send envoys to various small countries to preach and induce them to fall into their arms, then the Ming Dynasty would face the dangerous situation of losing its vassal state.
Chaofeng, which has no vassal state, coupled with the decline in domestic productivity, the deficit of the treasury, and the financial weakness will also affect the war between the Ming Dynasty and other countries.
At that time, even if the Ming army lucky enough to annex Japan, they would face the dilemma of domestic economic downturn. When they were desperate, they even needed to protect the stability and harmony of the country through a princess marriage.
And this will also become the last straw that crushed the rule of the Ming Dynasty.
Liu Bowen believes that no matter which situation it is, it may bring a catastrophe to the newly established Ming Dynasty. At this time, it is not a wise choice to attack Japan.
After hearing Liu Bowen's words, Zhu Yuanzhang's anger disappeared. After calming down and thinking, Zhu Yuanzhang also felt that Liu Bowen's words were not unreasonable, so he gave up attacking Japan and instead developed domestic construction.
Under his outstanding leadership, the Ming Dynasty developed steadily. The rule of Hongwu and Yongle prosperous times began one after another, and the people lived and worked in peace and harmony.
Stability and harmony within and pilgrimage to all countries outside. Such a healthy and prosperous era made Zhu Yuanzhang begin to admire Liu Bowen's foresight.
And the "wrongedness" he suffered in Japan was finally able to "take revenge" a hundred years later...
Wanli Korean War and the debate on "Japanese annexation"
588, the Korean king fled to Yizhou, and asked for help from the Ming Dynasty, the suzerain kingdom, saying that North Korea was retaliated against Japan and that the country was in danger.
It turns out that after Japan ended its internal turmoil, its ambition to expand externally is gradually expanding.
In addition, the shogunate forces were unevenly divided into spoils and the domestic territory could not be evenly distributed. Japan's Taigao Toyotomi Hideyoshi decided to send troops to invade North Korea, conquer China again, and then seek India to realize his dream of territorial expansion.
In order to successfully achieve the goal of dominance, after capturing most of North Korea's territory, Japan made a demand to North Korea, demanding that the other side cooperate with it to conquer China in exchange for temporary peace at home.
But the North Korean king flatly rejected Japan's request, which made Japan even more angry and launched a crazy attack.
In desperation, the North Korean king had to ask for help from the Ming Dynasty, hoping to get the protection of the Ming Dynasty.
After receiving the message of asking for help, the Ming Dynasty immediately sent 40,000 troops to fight against Japanese aid to North Korea. In the battle of Pyongyang, the three countries began to negotiate peace tomorrow.
597, Japan, who pretended to be a truce, attacked North Korea again, which furiously made the Ming Dynasty very angry. She sent another 70,000 Ming troops to reinforce, vowing to teach Japan a lesson.
It was in this battle that Toyotomi Hideyoshi died in battle. The Ming army fought all the way to the Luliang Strait, severely scattering the morale of the shogunate and happily sweep away the injustice in the early Ming Dynasty.
Thousand years later, when we mentioned the Wanli Korean War that year, in addition to the sincere heartfelt praise of generals such as Li Shunchen and Deng Zilong, the military strength of the Ming Dynasty was also recognized.
At the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, gave up the wisdom of annexing Japan, and was also re-thought by later generations.
Everyone believes that if it weren't for Zhu Yuanzhang's abandonment of fighting and turning to calm down and keep a low profile, the Ming Dynasty would not have severely defeated Japan during the Korean War of Wanli and liquidated the provocative hatred of a hundred years ago.
But in fact, there have been many different opinions on whether Zhu Yuanzhang had ever thought about attacking Japan.
Some people believe that in real history, Zhu Yuanzhang had never thought of attacking Japan.
After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang did issue seal letters to strive for the surrender of surrounding cities and even small countries, but his "all nations come to the court" focused more on moral influence and emphasized the joy and sincerity of convincing. The seal books distributed to various places are also adjusted to different versions according to the strength of the other party.
"I am obeying the will of heaven and have ruled China."
"Only the four barbarians have not reported it, so I sent an envoy to report it to the king to know it."
In the seal letter to Goryeo, Annan and other places, Zhu Yuanzhang's tone was relatively tough, and the lines were all looking down at the monarch.
and even, in the seal letter to Java , Zhu Yuanzhang directly expressed his intentions, asking him to "know the current affairs and be polite to his ministers", and he seemed to have regarded Java as his own vassal state.
But Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude towards Japan became ambiguous.
In the first seal letter to Japan, Zhu Yuanzhang also specially gave two choices: "Subject and Unsubject", and his preference for Japan was about to emerge.
Judging from the political situation at that time, Zhu Yuanzhang's preference was his own reason.
As a small country that has fought against the Mongolian Yuan, Japan successfully gained a sense of existence through its own efforts in the fierce battle with the Yuan Dynasty.
Since they were born in grassroots, the attitude of the Ming monarch towards Japan after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty was related to the initial impression of the small surrounding countries of the Ming Dynasty.
Just this factor is enough to make Zhu Yuanzhang treat Japan differently.
, and in the second seal letter to send the day, Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude became even more obvious.
Facing Japan, which had killed five envoys of his country, Zhu Yuanzhang did not express his anger in the seal book, but instead used the sentence "I have sent people to ask questions but have not answered for a long time."
In other words, even if Japan was provoking first, Zhu Yuanzhang did not think of sending troops to directly annex Japan for the sake of national plans.
On the contrary, during Zhu Yuanzhang's tenure, the Ming Dynasty's attitude towards Japan was always on defense, interspersed with the hints of trying to "five barbarians and guest submissions", and the frontal conflict between the two sides did not rise to the level of swords, guns and sticks.
And the Liu Bowen who made the key opinions is also regarded as the secondary processing of the novel book. He who really existed in history, although he was quick-witted and offered advice for Zhu Yuanzhang, he was far from reaching such a "deified".
Conclusion
No matter how the historical community finally defines "Zhu Yuanzhang's theory of annexation of Japan", the history of the previous dynasty has become a past tense.
No matter which version it is, the wisdom and courage of the Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang is worthy of our admiration and praise.
And Liu Bowen's three suggestions cannot verify the authenticity, but they also taught us a good lesson:
Before doing anything, you must think twice before acting. Don't be quick, don't be self-consistent and block the audio-visual.
