Rebirth of the Ming Dynasty: Sixth Generation of Glory, I don't want it

Chapter 534 Is Zhu Qizhen really the "God of War"?

Writing about these people who existed in history is really a headache. Everyone has their own perspective and opinions, and if they say something they don't agree with, people will say that the person is slandering or whitewashing them.

Then the book was given a low score, causing the rating to drop to the bottom.

The melon is so helpless~~~~

I just raise a few questions here, and you are welcome to discuss.

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The life of Zhu Qizhen recorded in history books is briefly described in 500 words as follows:

朱祁镇（1427年11月29日—1464年2月23日）。

They were the sixth and eighth emperors of the Ming Dynasty.

In the third year of Xuande (1428), Zhu Qizhen, who was less than three months old, was made crown prince.

In the tenth year of Xuande (1435), Zhu Qizhen, who was only nine years old, ascended the throne and changed the reign title to Zhengtong the following year.

In the eighth year of Zhengtong (1443), Zhu Qizhen began to rule the country personally.

In the 1449th year of Zhengtong (), the Oirat Mongols launched a large-scale invasion to the south, and Zhu Qizhen personally led the army to fight.

Zhu Qizhen was stubborn and incompetent in command, which led to the disastrous defeat of the Ming army at Tumubao and his capture by the Oirat Mongols. This incident was a key turning point in the Ming Dynasty's decline.

In the same year, Prince Zhu Qiyu of Qin was enthroned as emperor, and Zhu Qizhen was remotely respected as the Supreme Emperor.

In the first year of the Jingtai reign (1450), Zhu Qizhen was released and returned to Beijing, where he was placed under house arrest.

In the eighth year of Jingtai (1457), Zhu Qiyu was seriously ill, and Wuqing Hou Shi Heng and others launched the "Change of the Gate" to restore Zhu Qizhen to the throne.

After his restoration, Zhu Qizhen carried out a large-scale purge of the court, unjustly killing important officials such as Yu Qian, and rehabilitating the eunuch Wang Zhen.

But in the later period, he also appointed some wise ministers, which gradually made the politics of the Ming Dynasty clear.

In the eighth year of Tianshun (1464), Zhu Qizhen died of illness at the age of , and was posthumously named "Emperor Yingzong".

In his will, he abolished the Ming Dynasty's system of burying concubines alive with their husbands. The "History of Ming Dynasty" praised this move as "a great virtue worthy of emulation by future generations."

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In general, historical books have both positive and negative comments about Zhu Qizhen, which is consistent with the tone of historical books.

But one thing that needs to be noted here is that historians are civil servants and the history of the Ming Dynasty was compiled in the Qing Dynasty.

Except for the time nodes, everything in most historical books can be written in the Spring and Autumn style.

The so-called "penmen write people to death" and "spittle drowns people" has existed from ancient times to modern times, and even to the present day.

We don't look at the content of the time, we only look at the time.

Zhu Qizhen was designated as the crown prince very early.

This also means that Zhu Qizhen began to receive education on how to be an emperor earlier than any previous emperor.

Counting back further, Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi both learned it later, while Zhu Zhanji was canonized as the Crown Prince at the age of thirteen.

If we count from the time he started learning at the age of five to the time he ascended the throne at the age of nine, he would have studied here for four years.

Eight years after ascending the throne, Zhu Qizhen, seventeen years old, officially took power.

Four years plus eight years equals twelve years.

It is generally acknowledged that Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to the study of royal family members.

Especially since Zhu Qizhen, as the crown prince and emperor, had to read far more books than ordinary people.

So here comes the first question.

[After Zhu Qizhen took power, did he suddenly become a stubborn fool? 】

Next, let’s talk about what happened after Zhu Qizhen took power.

Although the country was basically stable at that time and the border was not peaceful, overall, the first six years of Zhu Qizhen's reign were spent smoothly.

This kind of stability was actually a trial period between the emperor and the civil service group that controlled the government. Even though there were turbulent waves below, the surface was very calm.

Six years later, Zhu Qizhen was twenty-three years old.

In ancient times, this age was both a time of youth and recklessness and a time of prime strength.

Normally speaking, after many years of personal rule, Zhu Qizhen must have acquired the majesty of an emperor.

Then the Battle of Tumu happened.

As for why and how it happened, what is recorded in history books may only be a superficial reason.

The most widely circulated story in later generations was that the eunuch Wang Zhen instigated Zhu Qizhen to lead the army in person.

Gua did not comment on this spread, but only raised the second question.

[Why would an eunuch, whose lifelong honor and disgrace depended on the emperor he grew up with, do something like this? 】

Logically speaking, he would do this only because he was sure to win the battle, or even a complete victory.

Whenever he feels unsure, he will definitely try his best to stop it.

As a treacherous favorite who was said to have great influence on the emperor, he could persuade people to ascend the throne or to retreat.

He let the emperor do things that he was unsure of, knowing full well that the court officials were very dissatisfied with him. If the emperor made any mistake, he would be killed along with his entire clan, which would be the lightest punishment.

Therefore, after losing the battle, Wang Zhen had no choice but to die on the spot.

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After Zhu Qizhen was captured.

The court supported his younger brother Zhu Qiyu as emperor, and Yu Qian organized the defense of Peking.

Everyone knows about the Battle of Peking and Yu Qian’s final outcome, but no one is clear about the timing.

Here is the third question:

[Why did the court promote Zhu Qiyu to the throne in such a short time, while Zhu Qizhen became an abandoned child? 】

Let’s sort out the time cutoff points——

In June, the Oirat Mongols harassed the border, and it is unknown when the news reached the capital.

On July 16, Zhu Qizhen led the army in person. It is said that it took only two days from the announcement to the departure, and the actual number of troops was about 200,000.

On July 19th, the Ming army left Juyong Pass.

On August 1, the Ming army arrived in Datong. Before they could fight, the Oirat retreated. So they decided to return to the capital. On the way back, it was said that because the marching route changed frequently, the soldiers were tired and the logistical supply was interrupted.

On August 13, the Ming army retreated to Tumubao. When they moved their camp, there was confusion among the troops and soldiers. The Oirat army took the opportunity to attack. The Ming army was defeated miserably. Sixty-six ministers died in the battle (including the Minister of War and the Minister of Revenue), Wang Zhen was killed, and Zhu Qizhen was captured.

On August 18, Empress Dowager Sun ordered Prince Zhu Qiyu of Qin to be regent;

On August 23, Zhu Qiyu, the Prince of Qin, presided over the court meeting, and the Wumen bloodbath occurred. The court officials beat the eunuchs and Wang Zhen's house was confiscated. Afterwards, Yu Qian and other court officials supported Zhu Qiyu as emperor.

On September 6, Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne and changed the reign title to Jingtai the following year, becoming Emperor Daizong of the Ming Dynasty. The captured Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty was remotely honored as the Supreme Emperor.

In October, the Oirat army invaded Beijing, and the Battle of Beiping began.

There are several dates that need attention here - Zhu Qizhen was captured on the 13th, Zhu Qiyu became regent on the 18th, the Wumen Massacre took place on the 23rd, then Zhu Qiyu became emperor on the 6th, and the next month, Yu Qian led his men to win the battle.

In other words, the court officials helped the Zhu family replace the throne with great efficiency within a month, and spent another month gathering troops and supplies to fight a beautiful defensive battle.

Here I will focus on the bloody incident that happened in the afternoon.

In fact, it was a group of civil servants who treated Zhu Qiyu as nothing in front of the Golden Palace. In front of Zhu Qiyu, without going through any judicial procedures and without regard for the dignity and face of the court, they beat several eunuchs to death in a group fight even though Zhu Qiyu had called off the meeting three times. Even after they had been beaten to death, their bodies were still hung at the Dong'an Gate for display.

Finally, Yu Qian made a righteous speech, which made Zhu Qiyu agree with the justice of the officials and pardoned their crime of gang fighting. He also ordered the civil official Chen Yi, the Right Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, to go and confiscate Wang Zhen's family and his remaining gang members.

After the Wumen Massacre, Yu Qian and others began to support Zhu Qiyu as emperor.

An emperor who cannot even maintain the most basic court etiquette. An emperor who can be morally kidnapped by others. He is the best puppet emperor.

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Here, we should also briefly talk about what Zhu Qizhen did after he took power and before the Battle of Tumu.

This elder brother first took away the power of the then Empress Dowager Sun, and then began to investigate military corruption. He was also ruthless towards court officials and once laid off nearly 3,000 officials.

The above basically offended civil and military officials, and even his own mother.

The worst thing was that he, like Zhu Zhanji, began to prepare to sail to the West again, restart the great voyages of discovery, and engage in state-owned maritime trade.

At that time, due to the repeated interruptions of the royal trade to the West, smuggling in the south was rampant, generating tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of taels of profit every year.

Cutting off someone's wealth is like killing one's parents.

Zhu Qizhen tried to cut off other people's financial resources, so it's not surprising that someone wanted to cut off his financial resources.

Thus, the Battle of Tumu took place.

Afterwards, imperial power declined.

The group of nobles was wiped out in one fell swoop, the right to speak in the Ming Dynasty court was controlled by civil officials, and military officials were basically reduced to decoration. Even later, a third-rank commander could not stand up straight when facing a seventh-rank civil official.

The "anti-Japanese" war that followed, which lasted for more than a decade, was a struggle for maritime power between the imperial power and the forces behind the civil officials.

Zhang Juzheng's reforms, Wei Zhongxian and Tianqi's industrial and commercial taxes, and the loss of Zheng He's navigation data from his voyages to the West are all recorded in history books.

The so-called Spring and Autumn style of writing only writes the surface, and what cannot be written is the truth.

Later there was Zhengde who died of a "cold" after falling into the water, and Tianqi who died "suddenly".

Whoever dares to fight will die unclearly.

Jiajing and Wanli, both lazy politicians, lived very clearly and thus lived long lives.

During the last reign of Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, the country was facing external troubles and internal destruction, and the finances were tight. The local gentry in the south were busy with smuggling, doing business with Li Zicheng and the Eight Banners, and trying desperately to make money.

As for the prosperity of the country, it has nothing to do with them.

The Zhu family fell and the Aisin-Gioro family came.

Everyone just changes their clothes and can continue to be an official and make money.

This has been the case throughout the ages.