(All pictures in this article are from the Internet. If there is any infringement, please contact us for deletion)
(Total 3 in this article 530 words, it takes about 12 minutes to read)
In the previous chapter of the series, we popularized the story of Zhu Yuanzhang the eighth son Zhu Zi . It is almost difficult to find a detailed introduction about Zhu Zi on the entire Internet. Today, we continue this momentum and continue to talk about , Ming Dynasty, , and vassal kings.
Today's protagonist is Zhu Zi's twelfth brother. He ended his young life in the same way as his eighth brother, but when he was burned to the ground, the emperor was already his nephew Zhu Yunqi .
His death directly led to the rise of the fourth brother Zhu Di . So thinking from another angle, this fire changed the course of Chinese history.
In the moment of rushing into the sea of fire, any flesh and blood ties are no longer important.
Today’s protagonist is Zhu Yuanzhang’s twelfth son King Xiang Zhu Bai.
Stills of Zhu Bai in film and television works
- He was crowned king at the age of seven and became a feudal lord at fourteen
Zhu Bai, the twelfth son of Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Bai was born on September 12, 1371, and his mother was Shunfei Hu. Speaking of this concubine Hu, she is the daughter of Hu Mei, the Marquis of Linchuan. Concubine Hu Shun gave birth to only one son, Zhu Bai, for Zhu Yuanzhang, but no other children.
When Zhu Bai was thirteen years old, Hu Shunfei's father Hu Mei, Hu Mei's son, and other family members were all executed. It didn't matter what the crime was, of course they were also implicated in the "Hu Weiyong case". At this point, the historical records of Shun Fei Hu's family have also disappeared. Therefore, the life of Zhu Bai's mother is a mystery from the perspective of historical facts.
On the first day of the first lunar month in 1378, Zhu Bai, who was less than 6 and a half years old, was named King of Xiang. Also conferred the title on the same day were Zhu Yuanzhang's eleventh son Zhu Chun, who was less than 7 years old at the time, and was named King of Shu; Zhu Yuanzhang's thirteenth son Zhu Gui, who was 3 and a half years old at the time, was named King of Yu. (later changed to King of Dai); Zhu Yuanzhang's fourteenth son Zhu Kai, who was less than 1 and a half years old at the time, was named King of Han (later changed to King Su); Zhu Yuanzhang's fifteenth son Zhu Zhi, who was less than 1 and a half years old at the time, was named He was named King of Wei (later changed to King of Liao). This time of ennobling the king was also the second time that Zhu Yuanzhang ennobled the disciples.
Hongwu eighteen years (1385), 14-year-old Zhu Bai came to Jingzhou Prefecture to start a new life. Just before the vassal period, Zhu Yuanzhang married the daughter of Jinghai Marquis Wu Zhen to Zhu Bai, who became the Princess of Hunan.
- He was smart and knowledgeable since childhood.
Zhu Yuanzhang had a rule that when the feudal kings were preparing to vassalize the country, they would give each prince a jade belt to wear.
Before Zhu Bai was about to become a vassal, such a ceremony was also performed. Zhu Yuanzhang would order all the princes to turn around and let each of them check the decorations on the back of the belt. The other princes turned their backs to their father, except Zhu Bai, who turned the belt around for his father to check. Zhu Yuanzhang asked him why he did this? Zhu Bai replied: "You cannot betray your father!"
This is also the famous story of "Don't betray your father" in the history of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang was very pleased to hear that his son was so sensible.
When Zhu Bai was growing up, he always loved learning and often read until midnight. This is the son of an emperor. Let's put the timeline into today's society. Nowadays, some so-called "yamen" whose father is the director wish to be "one of the best in the world". Therefore, looking at that time, Zhu Bai is definitely a A magical existence.
So you think Zhu Bai is a weak scholar? In fact, he was a talented man with both civil and military skills.According to historical records, Zhu Bai liked to talk about military affairs. He had extraordinary physical strength, could use bows, arrows, swords and swords freely, rode horses quickly, and had a heroic spirit.
People who are good at reading have their own temperament. People who are good at reading have their own temperament.
No matter where he goes, Zhu Bai will always carry a blue and white book bag with books. Even if he encounters cold or hot weather, he will still carry it with him. Don't waste time and concentrate on reading. When looking for to visit the mountains, if Zhu Bai sees beautiful landscapes on the way, he will never forget to leave. He will definitely write poems and compositions about the beautiful scenery and inscribe them on stones.
To sum up simply, this is a rare talent. Fortunately, this was the Ming Dynasty that "established its power through direct descendants". Compared with any other dynasty, it was a new force in the fight for the crown prince.
- Zhu Bai has an elegant demeanor, poetry, calligraphy and painting
Zhu Bai loves Taoist doctrine and calls himself "Zixuzi".
In addition, Zhu Bai also has an elegant demeanor, is good at calligraphy, painting and poetry, and has profound calligraphy skills and powerful calligraphy. Jie Jin said that "the calligraphy is deeply interpreted by the people of Jin Dynasty, and the precise thinking and movement are combined with the law." "Ming Dynasty Paintings" "Records" said that he was good at painting babies. Unfortunately, due to various disturbances over the past hundreds of years, Zhu Bai has no paintings left in this world.
At the same time, Zhu Bai's poems are rich in writing, clear and elegant, and have the thought of transcending the world. This may also be related to his love of Taoism. His poems include "Poem in Praise of Zhang Zhenxian", "In Praise of Marshal Zhao", "Praise of Zhenwu" and other poems that have been preserved.
- · Wu determines the world, and we are the first to take the lead
In the previous description, we talked about Zhu Bain's ability in literature and martial arts. His ability to write has now been described in so many words, and I believe viewers now have a mature image of him.
But where is his outstanding martial arts performance reflected?
Historical records indicate that Zhu Bai led his army on several expeditions. During the Hongwu period, troops were sent to Changde to launch a rebellion. Then they fled to the Hudu River area in Jingzhou. Since Zhu Bai's feudal state was in Jingzhou , he naturally took on the task of eliminating rogue bandits.
Zhu Bai analyzed the current situation at that time and believed that the enemy's morale was high at that time, and they must first demoralize their troops to demoralize them. If the enemy's troops were allowed to flee outside the Great Wall, the disaster would be even more serious.
Zhu Bai immediately mobilized his troops, fought bravely, successfully defeated the enemy's forward, and led his troops to pursue them along the road, preventing the rebels from escaping outside the fortress. The enemy was defeated many times, and finally retreated to Yan'an. was completely annihilated. Bai was so impressed by the award that he specially summoned Zhu Bai to Nanjing to express his gratitude for his achievements.
Zhu Bai is also an ordinary person, and he cannot always be the victor.
The 30th year of Hongwu (1397), which was the year before Zhu Yuanzhang died. Zhu Bai was ordered to serve as deputy general and his sixth brother Chu King Zhu Zhen jointly conquered Guzhou, which is now the ethnic minority area in Guizhou. The Chu King Zhu Zhen, who served as the commander-in-chief, asked the court for 300,000 dan for military rations, but he did not come to the battlefield to command the army, which made the military campaign against the barbarians quite unsatisfactory. Ming Taizu later ordered two people to build Tonggu City and led the army. The army returned to the feudal country.
In the face of military operations, Zhu Bai has always been calm and unhurried. This is his obligation as a prince and his responsibility as a prince.
- was framed and died calmly
On June 24, 1398, his old father Zhu Yuanzhang passed away. Although Zhu Yuanzhang was already 70 years old at the time, he himself might have been fearless in the face of death. But his death was still a serious blow to the twelfth son Zhu Bai.
Let’s first analyze Zhu Bai’s family relationship.
First of all, his mother, Concubine Hu Shun, only had one son like him and no other children. In other words, Zhu Bai had no brothers or sisters from the same mother. Furthermore, there are very few records of Zhu Bai's mother in history. It is highly likely that his mother and her maternal grandfather were not the same. Hu Meidu was implicated in the "Hu Weiyong Case" in 1384 and was executed.
Long before anything happened to his mother and grandfather's family, Wu Zhen, who later became his father-in-law, died in 1379. Wu Zhen's daughter, Wu, was Zhu Bai's princess. Wu's brother, Wu Zhong, inherited his father's title of Marquis of Jinghai. Unfortunately, in 1390, he was implicated in the "Hu Weiyong Case" and was deprived of his title. In addition, Zhu Bai and the prince's concubines and concubines only had two daughters in total, but they both died young. In other words, in 1398, the only relative in the world who could make Zhu Bai nostalgic (leaving aside other half-brothers for the time being) was this old father.
In 1398, his old father Zhu Yuanzhang passed away. As a result, Zhu Bai's spiritual world collapsed. He was so sad that he even thought of giving up.. But the last straw was the accusation against him by his eldest nephew Emperor Jianwen .
Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen was 6 years younger than his twelfth uncle. The TV series "Mountains, Rivers and Moons" released in early 2022 stated that Zhu Yunwen's father Zhu Biao admired his twelfth uncle very much, but he never thought that Zhu Bai and Zhu Yunwen, uncle and nephew, hate each other.
In the first year of Jianwen (1399), Zhu Bai was accused of intending to commit rebellion. He was charged with "counterfeiting treasure notes" and "indiscriminate killing of innocent people." Zhu Yunwen immediately issued an order requiring Zhu Bai to enter Nanjing immediately for questioning. But the ministers of the DPRK and China came up with an even more radical idea. After discussing at a meeting, they proposed to send troops to hide weapons in trucks filled with wood piles and disguise themselves as caravans until they arrived in Jingzhou, where prepared to arrest Zhu Bai. Soldiers unexpectedly surrounded Zhu Bai's mansion.
As for who made the suggestion, Sheng Yu did not find out. He made a blind guess that it might be Qitai and Huang Zicheng . Of course, it might also be other ministers who advocated reducing the vassal state.
When his mansion was surrounded, Zhu Bai felt that he had suffered a huge injustice. According to historical records, Zhu Bai exclaimed for the last time in his life: "Alas! I think the previous ministers were imprisoned when they encountered a violent dynasty, and they often committed suicide. As the son of Taizu, when my father passed away, I I can't visit my sick person, nor can I attend the funeral. I feel so sad and regretful. What fun can there be in living in this world again! How can I live in such humiliation as a slave?" After saying this, Zhu Bai set fire to the Prince of Xiang's palace, put on the prince's clothes, held a bow and arrow, and jumped into the fire on a white horse. Everyone in the palace died from Zhu Bai. That day was May 18, 1399. Zhu Bai died, less than 28 years old, childless, and the country was destroyed.
Uncle Twelve is gone. It can be said that he was forced to death by Zhu Yunwen who was too hasty. But at this moment, Zhu Yunwen gave Zhu Bai the posthumous title "戾". He received such a bad posthumous title, which shows the relationship between the two.
In the early years of Yongle , after Zhu Di became emperor, he took pity on Zhu Bai and died innocently. He restored Zhu Bai's reputation and changed his posthumous title to "Xian", so the only king of Hunan in the Ming Dynasty was also called King Xiangxian.
The pedigree established by Zhu Yuanzhang for the descendants of his twelve sons Zhu Bai is: "Zhen Kai Fang Yue for a long time, displaying power and etiquette, persevering and adhering to excellence, maintaining balance and self-control." Since Zhu Bai had no sons and the country was removed, this pedigree was also invalidated.
- Some thoughts about Zhu Bai
There is actually a lot to say about Zhu Bai.
This rare talent is both civilized and military, humble and thoughtful, respectful of his elders, and responsible. But essentially, in Zhu Yunwen's heart, he is a soft persimmon.
We have mentioned many times in our previous article that when Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, his father, second uncle, and third uncle had all passed away. The greatest threat was to the fourth uncle Zhu Di, followed by the fifth uncle Zhu Ji. As for the fifth uncle Zhu Ji, he had been deposed as a commoner by Zhu Yunwen as early as 1398. By the beginning of 1399, the seventh uncle Zhu Shu was also deposed as a commoner and was imprisoned with Zhu Zhu. At this time, among Zhu Bai's brothers, none of them were alive and deposed. Not to mention the fourth brother who was the most threatening, only the sixth brother Zhu Zhen, king of Chu, and the eleventh brother Zhu Chun, king of Shu, were left.Zhu Zhen, who had nothing to do with the world, mainly focused on quelling the rebellion of the ethnic minorities in the south; Zhu Chun, a virtuous king who was rare in the entire Ming Dynasty, could not find any flaws.
Therefore, although Zhu Bai is capable of literary and military skills, he does not have the outstanding military exploits and early experience of his fourth brother Zhu Di. Therefore, taking down Zhu Bai, a relatively soft persimmon, is the first step towards Zhu Yunwen's ultimate goal of cutting off Yan Fan. .
At the same time, it was also because of the fire in Zhu Bai's palace that strengthened Zhu Di's determination to fight against the enemy. In Zhu Di's view, of course this is the historian's point of view, and he believed that if Zhu Di did not resist in advance, the consequences would be like Zhu Bai's.
Is Zhu Yunxuan right? Of course, that's true, but I think it's too hasty.
Are Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng loyal ministers? Of course it is, but Sheng Yu believes that there is a lack of long-term consideration.
As for other evaluations of Zhu Yunwen, I will not go into details here. Please refer to "Provincial Fool Ming Emperor-Ming Huizong Zhu Yunwen" for detailed discussion.
At this point, the story about Zhu Bai, King of Xiangxian, has been told here. Let’s calm down and organize our thoughts. In the next installment of the series, we will tell the story of the first wise king of the Ming Dynasty, the King of Shu, Zhu Chun, and his branches.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-