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Chapter 329: The Twin Stars of the Ming Dynasty

[If the ever-victorious general Chang Yuchun had not died young, would Zhu Yuanzhang have gotten rid of him as well? Historical trivia and historical figures]

He was an ever-victorious general in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, one of Zhu Yuanzhang's three great generals, and participated in all the major battles launched by Zhu Yuanzhang, making countless military achievements. However, he died suddenly of illness at the age of 40, leaving too many regrets for future generations.

In this video, we will learn about the only general in history whose dragon robe was slashed by the emperor - Chang Yuchun. If he had not died prematurely, would he have had a good end when Zhu Yuanzhang eliminated his meritorious officials?

Chang Yuchun was born in 1330 in Huaiyuan County, BB City, Anhui Province. Like Zhu Yuanzhang, he grew up in a poor family.

When he was young, he was not content with the status quo, so he learned martial arts from others while working to earn money. After years of hard work, he became successful in his studies when he grew up.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, class contradictions in society became increasingly fierce, peasant uprisings of all sizes were surging, and bandits were rampant in various places. Chang Yuchun could not stand the corruption of the court, so he joined the bandit leader Liu Ju and started a business of robbing houses.

Before long, he lived a comfortable life, but he was not satisfied with it. He found that Liu Ju had no great ambitions and was at most an insignificant mountain king, so he decided to look for another wise leader.

At that time, the rebel army led by Zhu Yuanzhang was already very famous. Chang Yuchun was ready to join him. In order to avoid meeting people like Liu Ju again, he secretly observed Zhu Yuanzhang many times before joining him, and only officially followed him after confirmation.

Zhu Yuanzhang also admired Chang Yuchun's martial arts and character. If we only talk about fighting ability, Chang Yuchun is definitely one of the best generals in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty.

Since 1359, he organized cavalry as the vanguard, and every time he charged into the battle array, he was unstoppable. He successively captured the wealthy areas of Quzhou, Caishiji and Yingtian. The victory of these major battles laid a solid foundation for Zhu Yuanzhang to unify the country.

Chen Youliang was the biggest obstacle to Zhu Yuanzhang's expansion among the separatist forces at that time. In 1360, Chen Youliang led his army to attack Chizhou. Chang Yuchun set up an ambush outside the city and attacked Chen Youliang with 1 elite troops.

As a result, more than 3000 of Chen Youliang's troops were killed and more than 5 were captured. Chen Youliang took advantage of the chaos to escape. In May of the same year, Chen Youliang organized hundreds of thousands of naval forces to attack Yingtian, but was defeated by Chang Yuchun's 3 ambushes, with heavy casualties and a complete defeat.

When Chen Youliang was about to withdraw his troops, the river ebb tide and more than 100 giant warships ran aground. Chen Youliang had no choice but to abandon his ships and flee. Zhu Yuanzhang not only turned danger into safety because of Chang Yuchun's victory over a larger force, but also strengthened his own military strength.

Three years later, Chen Youliang was still unwilling to give up, and led an army of 60 to fight Zhu Yuanzhang in Poyang Lake. Zhu Yuanzhang's boat was suddenly stranded while fighting, and Chen Youliang's general Zhang Dingbian took the opportunity to besiege him.

At this critical moment, Chang Yuchun stepped forward, shot Zhang Dingbian with an arrow, and used his own ship to hit Zhu Yuanzhang's ship, freeing it from the ground. Zhu Yuanzhang was then out of danger.

Afterwards, Chang Yuchun used the maneuverability of the small boat to quickly approach the enemy ship and set it on fire. Most of Chen Youliang's soldiers were either burned to death or fell into the water and died. The huge disparity in the strength of the two armies was reversed in an instant.

Chen Youliang saw that the situation was not good and turned to withdraw his troops, but was intercepted by Zhu Yuanzhang from behind and eventually died from a hail of arrows. Zhu Yuanzhang thus became the strongest of the various separatist forces.

Chang Yuchun was injured for his service. Starting from 1364, he was ordered to fight against the remnants of the Mongolian army in the north many times. He was invincible in the north and even broke into the enemy camp alone in the Battle of Xiangyang in 1367.

Under his leadership, the Ming army was in high spirits and defeated the 5-man army in one fell swoop. The Ming army occupied Henan and Tongguan, and from then on, Chang Yuchun frightened the Yuan army.

In 1368, he and other generals captured the Yuan capital Dadu and pursued the counterattacking Yuan army for thousands of miles, winning a great victory and eventually destroying the Yuan Dynasty.

According to historical records, Chang Yuchun participated in all major battles launched by Zhu Yuanzhang, and each battle ended in victory. He was an undoubted victorious general.

However, God is jealous of talents, and this outstanding general died suddenly in Liuhechuan at the age of 40. Some people have analyzed that based on Zhu Yuanzhang's treatment of some founding heroes, this might be the best ending for Chang Yuchun.

Otherwise, he would most likely end up in a tragic situation like Lan Yu and others.

So, if Chang Yuchun had not died, would he have suffered the same fate as other meritorious officials? Zhu Yuanzhang had three great generals under his command, namely Xu Da, Tang He and Chang Yuchun.

Except for Chang Yuchun's premature death, the other two died peacefully. This shows that Zhu Yuanzhang was good to his loyal and modest old brothers.

Moreover, Chang Yuchun became the father-in-law of the crown prince Zhu Biao, which shows that Zhu Yuanzhang trusted him very much. Chang Yuchun knew that Zhu Yuanzhang hated corrupt officials and traitors who were more powerful than his master, so he knew how to advance and retreat and never touched Zhu Yuanzhang's bottom line.

More importantly, after Chang Yuchun's death, Zhu Yuanzhang did something that no one expected: he painted a portrait of Chang Yuchun wearing a dragon robe, treating him as his own imperial brother.

In comparison, Lan Yu's death can be said to be half his own fault and half due to the death of Crown Prince Zhu Biao. Zhu Yuanzhang originally turned a blind eye to Lan Yu's arrogance, and since he was Zhu Biao's uncle, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted him to assist Zhu Biao in the future.

However, after Zhu Biao's death, Zhu Yuanzhang passed the throne to Zhu Yunwen. Judging from Lan Yu's usual arrogant style, Zhu Yunwen could not control him, and he was likely to threaten the imperial power in the future.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang personally designed an unjust case to eradicate him. Chang Yuchun never touched these things, so overall, if Chang Yuchun had not died, he would not have been killed by Zhu Yuanzhang in the future.

We all know the ending of Chang Yuchun, so imagine what would happen if Chang Yuchun didn't die? Feel free to use your imagination and express your ideas in the comment section.

[Why was Xu Da ranked first among the many brave generals in the early Ming Dynasty? Was there a conspiracy behind his death? Was he really killed by Zhu Yuanzhang? Historical trivia and historical figures]

He was the leader of the 24 generals under Zhu Yuanzhang and the first famous general of the Ming Dynasty. He followed Emperor Hongwu in his battles throughout his life and made countless achievements, but there were rumors that he was murdered.

In this video, we will learn about Xu Da, the most powerful general in the Ming Dynasty. Why was he ranked first among many powerful generals? Did he really die under Zhu Yuanzhang's conspiracy?

Xu Da was born in Bozhou, Anhui Province in 1332. He had mastered martial arts since childhood. When he was 22 years old, Zhu Yuanzhang had already gained a reputation among the rebels.

On his way back home, Zhu Yuanzhang met Xu Da, who began his military career. He served as the main general in many major battles and helped Zhu Yuanzhang unify China.

So why did Xu Da get the title of the first general of the Ming Dynasty? In this regard, there was a saying that Zhu Yuanzhang and Xu Da were childhood friends, and that he got this title because of this relationship.

However, there is no such record in the official history, only that the two were from the same hometown. However, Xu Da was indeed a good fighter. After joining the uprising in 1353, in just two years, he helped Zhu Yuanzhang control Jiangsu, southern Anhui and northwestern Zhejiang. As Zhu Yuanzhang's main general, Xu Da made great military achievements.

After that, Zhu Yuanzhang fought many battles with Chen Youliang, the strongest separatist force at the time. As the main general, Xu Da defeated Chen Youliang several times in six years and finally annihilated him completely in the Battle of Poyang Lake.

Xu Da's status therefore ranked above all other generals. At this time, Zhang Shicheng had already proclaimed himself the King of Wu. After Zhu Yuanzhang dealt with Chen Youliang, he again used Xu Da as the main general to launch a general attack on Zhang Shicheng in 1366 and eventually won. After Zhu Yuanzhang defeated the two major separatist forces, he had the conditions for a northern expedition.

Therefore, in 1367, the Northern Expedition was officially launched, with Xu Da still as the main general, leading an army of 25 to attack the Yuan Dynasty. With his outstanding ability to command troops, he defeated the Yuan army step by step, and made great contributions to Zhu Yuanzhang's consolidation of his rule.

Judging from the battle record, Xu Da's performance was indeed outstanding.

Zhu Yuanzhang also ordered the construction of a temple for meritorious generals in 1369, and made Xu Da the first among all the generals. However, at that time, other generals also performed well. Why did Xu Da rank first? In fact, a general should not only be good at fighting, but also have certain wisdom.

From Zhu Yuanzhang's evaluation of him, we can see that Xu Da's intelligence and strategy are quite high. Zhu Yuanzhang said in "The Veritable Records of Ming Taizu": "Xu Da can predict the enemy's moves like a god, and his level is no less than that of the famous generals of the Han and Tang dynasties." The so-called "predicting the enemy's moves like a god" means that he can accurately predict the enemy's next move.

This shows that Xu Da was very good at thinking during the war. He also strongly suggested that Zhu Yuanzhang implement the military farming system, which required the soldiers guarding the city to cultivate the land. Zhu Yuanzhang commented on this: "The country has 200 million soldiers, but it doesn't spend a grain of money." The military farming system was indeed used for more than 200 years.

Xu Da's importance to the country is self-evident. Zhu Yuanzhang's high evaluation of him fully demonstrates that Xu Da was an outstanding general with both wisdom and courage.

In addition, there is another aspect that plays a very important role, that is the attitude towards Zhu Yuanzhang.

In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Da was ordered to march his troops from Beijing to Tongzhou, which was only a few dozen miles away. Emperor Shundi of the Yuan Dynasty was near Tongzhou at the time, and if Xu Da attacked quickly, he could destroy him in an instant.

However, Xu Da took 7 days to travel this short distance, thus losing the best opportunity to destroy Emperor Shun of Yuan Dynasty. What was Xu Da's purpose? The clear answer can be found in the "Records of Emperor Taizu of Ming Dynasty".

Zhu Yuanzhang did not want to destroy Emperor Shun of Yuan at that time, which shows that Xu Da already understood Zhu Yuanzhang's intention very well. Zhu Yuanzhang asked him to lead troops to Tongzhou, but did not let him attack Emperor Shun of Yuan.

As long as there is no order from Zhu Yuanzhang, he will never act on his own. In other words, Xu Da's actions are very much in line with Zhu Yuanzhang's wishes. And this is exactly the attitude that Zhu Yuanzhang wants.

Therefore, the reason why Xu Da was ranked first among the founding heroes was not only because of his combat ability, but more importantly, his emotional intelligence exceeded that of other generals.

In 1376, in order to win over the people, Zhu Yuanzhang asked his fourth son Zhu Di to marry Xu Da's eldest daughter Xu Miaoyun. This marriage changed the course of the Ming Dynasty.

After Zhu Di married Xu Da, Xu Da gave him the military power of Beiping in order to enhance Zhu Di's prestige in the army. This laid the foundation for Zhu Di to launch the Jingnan Campaign later.

Although Xu Da had passed away when Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, he played an indirect role in this matter.

So, did Zhu Yuanzhang ever think of getting rid of Xu Da before conferring titles on his founding heroes? There is a widely circulated saying that Xu Da had a poisonous sore on his back and could not eat goose meat.

When Zhu Yuanzhang found out, he gave him a roast goose. Xu Da knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was going to kill him, but he couldn't disobey, so he had to eat it. He fell seriously ill and died the next day.

However, this argument lacks basis. Because when Zhu Yuanzhang eliminated those meritorious officials, there were always reasons, either corruption or arrogance. But Xu Da was very low-key in this regard. Every year, he would travel a long distance back to the capital, hand over the military power to Zhu Yuanzhang, and then wait for the emperor's dispatch.

Zhu Yuanzhang also tried to test Xu Da, for example, he wanted to give Zhang Shicheng's Wuwang Mansion to him to live in, but Xu Da refused to accept it. This showed that Xu Da had no ambitions, and Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied with this.

If it was Lan Yu, he would have been killed. According to Zhu Yuanzhang's style, if he really regarded Xu Da as a threat, even Xu Da's family would not be spared. However, after Xu Da's death, his son Xu Huizu was not only safe, but was also granted a high-ranking official position by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Moreover, Xu Huizu was loyal to Zhu Yunwen during his reign and fought hard against Zhu Di's mutiny. This obviously did not seem like a sign of revenge for his father's murder.

From this point of view, although Zhu Yuanzhang had doubts about Xu Da, it did not mean that he would kill him. Even if Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to get rid of him, given his wisdom, he would not be stupid enough to kill him in this way.

Because everyone knew that Xu Da could not eat geese, Zhu Yuanzhang's knowing violation was equivalent to telling the world that he was the murderer of a founding hero.

Moreover, the "History of Ming Dynasty", which had a very harsh evaluation of Zhu Yuanzhang, did not record that Xu Da died because of Zhu Yuanzhang, but only said that he died of illness.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang regarded Xu Da as a commoner brother, Xu Da never violated the etiquette between the emperor and his subjects and was always very humble. Historical records also record that he was never greedy for money or lustful, and there was almost no flaw in him.

This shows how upright Xu Da was. Therefore, it can be confirmed that Xu Da had a good end.

——"The idea of ​​not eating goose meat is definitely a fabrication. There is no official record of it."

——"It shouldn't be that bad. Xu Da is not arrogant at all, and he doesn't have the bad habits of Zhu Yuanzhang's old brothers, so he will definitely have a good end."

——"I'll just mention one person, and you'll know Xu Da is definitely a good person. Zhu Di's wife is a famous virtuous queen. Her daughter has a good upbringing, so her father must be good too."