Introduction:
In 1368 AD, Huaiyou Commoner Zhu Yuanzhang finally established his own dynasty after years of warfare: Ming
In the matter of establishing a country, setting the capital is undoubtedly the most important thing, so he chose the capital. Zhu Yuanzhang hesitated for a long time.
Chang'an, Luoyang, Kaifeng, and his hometown Fengyang were all his candidates. After careful consideration, on Liu Bowen’s suggestion, Zhu Yuanzhang decided that the capital of the new Ming Dynasty was Nanjing.
Among them, Chang'an City, which was once the imperial capital of the Central Plains dynasty for a long time, followed the Han and Tang dynasties with its brilliance. (Xi'an)
So the city of Nanjing chosen by Zhu Yuanzhang is really suitable for the capital, and is Chang'an really not suitable for the capital?
(Zhu Yuanzhang decides his capital in Nanjing)
One: Zhu Yuanzhang's hesitation in his later years.
After taking the capital in Nanjing, Zhu Yuanzhang actually thought about changing his decision.
In August 1391, Zhu Yuanzhang once had the idea of moving the capital to Xi'an. For this reason, he sent his most important prince Zhu Biao to visit Shaanxi.
Zhu Biao's mission in this trip is not only to inspect Shaanxi and explore whether Chang'an can become the capital, but also to take the opportunity to investigate the faults and deeds of the Qin King Zhu Xiao who was once sealed here.
Although Zhu Biao is the prince, he is also an old and respectful person. During the inspection, he surveyed and mapped the map of Shaanxi. At the same time, as the eldest brother, he still did not forget to intercede for his brother King Qin. It was also because of his plea, that King Qin Zhu Xiao returned. Xi'an continues to be the king.
Zhu Biao, who is loyal to his duties, also reported his views after the inspection of Xi'an, despite his health.
After Zhu Biao went to Chang'an, the city of Chang'an he saw no longer has the flourishing scenery of the Han and Tang Dynasties. The former place of Guanzhong in Longxing in the Han and Tang Dynasties, after the economic center of gravity moved to the south, has long been unable to withstand the important tasks of the capital.
(Restoration of the Weiyang Palace in Chang'an City)
The distance from the rich land of the Ming Jiangnan is too far, so that the wealth of the Guanzhong area cannot afford the mission of a unified dynasty, and the difficulty of transportation also makes foreign food transfers. False proposition.
No matter how good the strategic location, without economic advantages, there is no possibility of becoming a capital city.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang could only helplessly dispel this idea and continue to locate the capital in Nanjing.
Soon afterwards, the prince Zhu Biao passed away. Zhu Yuanzhang, who was distraught, turned his attention to the good grandson Zhu Yunxuan. Zhu Yuanzhang, who was all about playing with his successor, no longer had the energy to worry about moving the capital. He could only continue to make mistakes. .
Two: Zhu Yun's defeat.
Zhu Yunqi, who inherited the throne and became the helm of Daming, began to suppress his uncles after he came to power, and finally greeted Zhu Di's counterattack.
The battle of Jingnan has exposed the shortcomings of Nanjing as the capital.
The command of Zhu Yunxi's army, which had the advantage, failed and retreated steadily, and disappeared without a trace after the destruction of Nanjing City. This incident has also become a historical mystery.
(Zhu Di successfully rebelled)
Why Zhu Di can defeat Zhu Yunzhang so smoothly, I have to say that it was Zhu Yuanzhang's responsibility back then!
Nanjing is actually not the most appropriate as the capital of the unified dynasty.
's root lies in its geographical location in the south. Although the economy is prosperous, it cannot be considered for national defense.
China's border troubles since the Han and Tang dynasties have all come from the nomads in the northern region.
There were the Huns in the Han Dynasty, the Turks in the Tang Dynasty, and the Liao, Jin, Xixia, and Mongolian Yuan in the Song Dynasty. These enemies were all infestations in the north and northwest.
Because of this, Zhu Yuanzhang entrusted his sons to build a northern barrier after the founding of the country, and the decision to defend the central government was made.
Countless vassals are on the front line in the north to defend against foreign enemies, of course there must be soldiers and horses.
Nanjing, the center of the imperial court, also needs troops to guard, so you can't let it go.
These two reasons gave the military deployment of the Ming Dynasty a special feature, that is, the frontier area and the central capital are the focus of military deployment. As for other areas, the military strength is relatively empty.
The reason why Zhu Di was able to successfully complete the battle of Jingnan is the root cause of this uneven deployment of troops.
Zhu Di, who was stationed in the frontier, had a brave and proficient frontier army, and he was also a good fighter at war. When the rebellion was initiated, the early days went smoothly because the defenses in other areas except Nanjing were very weak.
In addition to the bewildered and abducted King Ning and Zhu Quan's troops, and the Duoyan Sanwei Mongolian mercenary who took refuge in, Zhu Di, who was originally weak in strength, has the strength to contend with Zhu Yunxuan.
The deployment of troops, the changes in the strength comparison, and the differences in the commanders on the battlefield contributed to the success of the Battle of Jingnan.
(The gate of the emperor of the Ming Dynasty guarding the country)
3: The decision of Zhu Di.
Zhu Di, who successfully entered Nanjing and became the helm of Daming, will of course reflect on the experience of success or failure.
Why can I succeed in the emperor's career in a safe corner? The key issue is that there is a problem with the allocation of troops.
If you continue to set the capital in Nanjing, you will also face the problem of northern defense. How to solve it? Then Zhu Di chose to move the capital!
Moving the capital from Nanjing to Beijing is a perfect military strategy, an economic trade-off strategy, and an act of An Zhu's heart.
From a military point of view, after moving the capital to Beijing, you can sit in Beijing, and subsequent emperors can directly mobilize elite troops. There is no possibility of dividing forces, and there is less risk of rebellion.
Economically, after the capital is moved to Beijing, although the economic environment is not as good as Nanjing, it needs water transportation to transport grain and grass to supply the capital, but the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal at the door of Beijing can basically complete the water transportation task.
From a psychological point of view, after moving the capital to Beijing, Zhu Di was more at ease and relieved, because this was his base and base camp, and his business foundation was solid for a long time.
The above three points made it a logical matter for Zhu Di to move his capital to Beijing.
(when the Ming Dynasty had the largest territory)
Four: Why can't Xi'an (Chang'an) become the capital?
In 1391, Zhu Yuanzhang sent Zhu Biao to visit Xi'an, which was the last opportunity for Xi'an to become the capital.
lost the election this time, and the subsequent death of Zhu Biao,Let Chang'an, which has the Qinling Mountains stretching for thousands of miles and is located on the boundary between China's north and south, completely lost the opportunity to be the capital.
has geographical advantages and strategic advantages. Why can't it be the capital? The root cause lies in historical environmental changes and climate changes!
Historically, there were countless dynasties that regarded Xi'an (Chang'an) as their capital. The Zhou Dynasty, Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang Guanzhong Chang'an were the first choices for the capital, and Luoyang was the next-level choice.
The so-called Luoyang in the east and Chang'an in the west are the reason.
But the gradual changes in climatic conditions have changed the taste.
Throughout the four thousand years of climate change history in China, although the temperature has fluctuated, the overall trend is getting drier and colder, especially in the middle and high latitudes.
Xi'an (Chang'an) happens to be located in the middle and high latitudes of the northwestern region, and it is becoming increasingly dry due to climate change.
If an area becomes dry, it means less water sources, and less water sources mean changes in the environment and reduced food output.
In the Han and Tang Dynasties, although this trend existed, it was not prominent!
(Today's Guanzhong area)
At that time, the Guanzhong area was rich in products and good weather. With the advantages of strategic location, even if it needed to transport materials to feed the capital, it was also affordable.
All of this makes Chang'an the first choice for the capital city in the world. This is a correct choice based on strategic needs under the blessing of climatic conditions.
However, many years of wars and climate change have made Chang'an inferior to the past since the Song Dynasty.
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the southern economy ushered in rapid development due to the excavation of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and the southeast region gradually became the center of the national economy.
During the turmoil in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the reality of the change of the Great King Banner in the northern area made the northern economy further depressed. On the contrary, the southern economy developed further because it was far from the war. The overall trend of the Chinese economy's southward shift inevitably occurred.
The southward shift of the economy in conjunction with climate change has caused the northern Guanzhong region to lose its former glory!
under such conditions,It is a false proposition that Chang'an should be the capital.
Why is it a false proposition?
The economic situation is not good, so that Chang'an is not enough to support the economic strength as the center of the unified dynasty.
The environmental conditions are not good, so the dignitaries are reluctant to live in the northwest, dry and cold places for a long time.
The decline in its strategic position has prevented Changan from truly controlling important regions in the country.
Ending:
Chang'an in the Qin and Han dynasties was completely different from the subsequent Chang'an, and finally made Chang'an completely lost the opportunity to become the capital of China again.
The miss in 1368 is a historical necessity and a historical choice.
Zhu Yuanzhang continued to stay in Nanjing, and then Zhu Dijing's battle was successful and moved the capital to Beijing.
Then for hundreds of years, the capital of China has been in Beijing for a long time until today.
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