Zhu Chao accompanied me to watch short videos

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang had returned to Huangjue Temple to concentrate on studying.

A former good friend invited him to join the rebel army of Bozhou Marshal Guo Zixing.

It is worth mentioning that this person’s name was not recorded in the official historical materials of the Ming Dynasty. Although many people believed it was Tang He, neither the "Ming Shilu" nor the unearthed epitaphs mentioned this incident.

In short, this mysterious figure whose name has been lost in history books invited Zhu Yuanzhang, who was 25 years old at the time, to join the rebel army.

Before Zhu Chongba could agree, he was reported to the government. He had no choice but to seek refuge with Guo Zixing and gave himself a resounding new name - Zhu Yuanzhang.

After Zhu Yuanzhang joined Guo Zixing's army, he quickly rose to prominence, married Guo Zixing's adopted daughter Ma Xiuying, and recruited a group of his own troops.

These people were all the founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty in the future, such as Li Shanchang and other Huaixi civil officials, as well as Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and other capable generals. In 1355 AD, Guo Zixing died, and Zhu Yuanzhang and Du Zun seized the Golden Collar from the Yuan army and got the ticket to compete for the world.

The strongest among the rebel forces at that time were Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng. Chen Youliang was arrogant, while Zhang Shicheng was short-tempered.

Zhu Yuanzhang adopted the strategy of "building high walls, storing up food, and slowly claiming the throne". He successively defeated Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng, swept across the south of the Yangtze River, launched a northern expedition, and proclaimed himself emperor in 1368, establishing the Ming Dynasty, driving Emperor Shundi of the Yuan Dynasty out of the Central Plains, and gradually unified China.

After Zhu Yuanzhang's death, his grandson Zhu Yunwen succeeded to the throne and changed the reign title to Jianwen. He implemented Confucian rule based on his grandfather's pioneering work. In his later years, Zhu Yuanzhang purged meritorious officials and killed half of the court to pave the way for the young grandson.

However, after Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, he turned his attention to the most powerful vassal king at the time - Zhu Yuanzhang's fourth son, Prince of Yan Zhu Di.

In 1398 AD, Prince of Yan Zhu Di launched a rebellion under the banner of "clearing the imperial court and pacifying internal turmoil". He used a corner of his fiefdom Beiping to challenge his nephew Emperor Jianwen, who ruled the entire country. This is known in history as the "Battle of Jingnan".

After four years of bloody fighting, Zhu Di finally arrived at the city of Nanjing in 4 AD.

Duke Cao Li Jinglong and Prince Gu Zhu Tan opened the Jinchuan Gate in Nanjing, and a raging fire broke out in the Nanjing Imperial Palace. Emperor Jianwen disappeared in the sea of ​​fire, and his whereabouts became the first mystery in Ming history.

Zhu Di ascended the throne and changed the reign title to Yongle, abolished the Jianwen era name, and carried out a brutal purge of civil servants loyal to Emperor Jianwen, such as Fang Xiaoru, Huang Zicheng, and Qi Tai.

At the same time, Zhu Di gradually eliminated the military power of the royal family princes and improved their material treatment, turning them into wealthy idlers who could no longer pose a threat to the throne.

After Zhu Di ascended the throne with great ambition, he upgraded his fiefdom Beiping to BJ, sent Zheng He to the West to expand tribute trade and promote the prestige of the Ming Dynasty. He ordered the compilation of the "Yongle Encyclopedia", which consists of 10 volumes and contains 7,000 to 8,000 books. It is the largest category of books in ancient China.

After achieving some success in cultural diplomacy, Zhu Di set his sights on the borders beyond the Ming Dynasty. As early as the Jianwen period, the Annan Li family usurped the throne, and Chen Tianping, a descendant of the former Annan king, defected to the Ming Dynasty.

After Zhu Di ascended the throne, he sent people to escort Chen Tianping back to the country. Unexpectedly, they were intercepted and killed by the Li family on the way. The Ming envoys were also killed. Zhu Di was furious and ordered an attack on Annan. On the grounds that the Chen family had no descendants, Annan was incorporated into the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

However, Annan had a complex terrain with rocky mountains and water, and the Ming army was exhausted from dealing with it. Two years after Zhu Di's death, Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty ordered the abandonment of Annan.

In 1407, the Tatars of the northern desert invaded the border. Zhu Di sent Qiu Fu, Duke of Qi, to lead a large army to the north, but he did not expect that the whole army would be annihilated. Zhu Di then personally led the army and defeated the Tatars of the northern desert.

In 1424, Zhu Di died during his fifth northern expedition at the age of 65. His posthumous name was Taizong.

After Zhu Di's death, the Ming Dynasty shifted from expanding territory to maintaining the status quo. Zhu Di's sons and grandsons, Ming Renzong and Ming Xuanzong, drastically reduced the governing principles of the Yongle period, implemented a policy of recuperation and encouragement of agriculture and sericulture, which is known in history as the "Renxuan Reign."

Ming Renzong died suddenly after only 10 months in office. Ming Xuanzong reigned for 10 years and died young at the age of 38, leaving behind the 9-year-old Crown Prince Zhu Qizhen, who became Ming Yingzong.

In the early days of Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen's reign, he was protected by his grandmother, the Empress Dowager Zhang, and appointed the "Three Yangs" (Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and Yang Pu) as famous ministers, and the political atmosphere was relatively clear.

However, the Ming army's four expeditions to Luchuan consumed a large amount of manpower and financial resources, leaving the northern defense empty. With the death of the Empress Dowager and the "Three Yangs", the eunuch Wang Zhen monopolized power, oppressed loyal officials, and made the court a mess.

In 1449, Zhu Qizhen, despite everyone's opposition, personally led an expedition against the Oirat Mongols. As a result, his entire army was wiped out in Tumu Fortress and Zhu Qizhen was captured. The Ming Dynasty encountered the biggest crisis since its founding.

The Minister of War Yu Qian stepped forward and supported Zhu Qiyu to ascend the throne, respected Zhu Qizhen as the emperor from afar, and defeated Yesen in the defense of BJ, so that the Ming Dynasty did not repeat the Jingkang Incident.

However, Zhu Qiyu wanted to leave the throne to his son and did not want to bring Zhu Qizhen back, nor did he want Zhu Qizhen's son to be the crown prince. At the request of his ministers, Zhu Qiyu reluctantly brought Zhu Qizhen back from Wala and placed him under house arrest in the Nan Palace.

He also demoted his eldest nephew Zhu Jianji to a commoner. In order to replace the crown prince, Zhu Qiyu used both soft and hard tactics, bribed ministers, and suspended opponents. After much difficulty, he made his own son the crown prince, but he did not expect that the child would soon die.

In 1457, Zhu Qiyu was seriously ill. Shi Heng and Cao Jixiang launched the coup d'état, supported Zhu Qizhen to restore the throne, and changed the reign title to Tianshun.

Zhu Qizhen unjustly killed Yu Qian, abolished Zhu Qiyu's imperial title, forced all of Zhu Qiyu's concubines to be buried alive with him, and sent people to destroy the tomb of Zhu Qiyu's queen. Later, Zhu Qizhen regretted his favoritism towards Shi Heng and others, and liquidated them all.

Before his death, he abolished the system of burying people alive with the dead that had been in place for nearly a hundred years. However, the Ming Dynasty was already facing internal and external troubles, with uprisings by refugees in various places.

Zhu Jianshen, the succeeding Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty, appointed famous ministers such as Li Xian and Shang Lu, rehabilitated Yu Qian's unjust imprisonment, posthumously conferred the title of Emperor Jing on Zhu Qiyu, and at the same time inspected officials, provided relief to the common people, resettled refugees, put down rebellions, and brought new vitality to the Ming Dynasty.

However, Zhu Jianshen favored Concubine Wan, who was 17 years older than him, and obeyed her every word, which led to criticism from later generations. In 1487, Concubine Wan died of illness, and Zhu Jianshen died of excessive grief.

Zhu Youtang, who was 18 years old at the time, ascended the throne and was known in history as Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Youtang was the most devoted emperor in Chinese history. He married only one woman in his life and gave birth to a naughty son, Zhu Houzhao.

Zhu Youtang was very diligent during his reign and appointed wise ministers such as Liu Jian. However, he doted on his son Zhu Houzhao. Thus, the most playful emperor in history came into being.

In 1505, Zhu Houzhao, the 15-year-old Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty, ascended the throne. He may be the most controversial emperor in Ming history. In traditional views, he favored eunuchs, did not work properly, lived in the Leopard Room instead of the palace, and was a mighty general instead of an emperor, which was exactly the configuration of a tyrant.

However, such an emperor who seemed to be doing nothing actually defeated Dayan Khan of Tatar in the Battle of Yingzhou, making the Tatars dare not invade the border for several years.

Zhu Houzhao's life of playing games came to an abrupt end when he was 31. In 1521, Emperor Wuzong Zhu Houzhao of the Ming Dynasty died of illness due to drowning, and his cousin Zhu Houcong ascended the throne and changed the reign to Jiajing.

In contrast to his cousin, Jiajing's reign was the second longest in the Ming Dynasty, lasting 45 years.

His grandson, Emperor Wanli Zhu Yijun, reigned for 48 years, and together with Emperor Longqing Zhu Zaihou who reigned for 6 years in between, three generations of grandparents and grandchildren ruled the Ming Dynasty for 100 years. It was a century of great changes.

The political struggle in the temple became increasingly fierce. From Liu Jin to Yan Song's rebellious rule, from Zhang Juzheng's reforms to the struggle for the foundation of the country, one wonderful power struggle after another was staged.

Outside the imperial court, Japanese pirates were rampant on the southeastern coast, smuggling was rampant, and the Tatars turned the tables and fought all the way to the outskirts of Beijing.

Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou wiped out the Japanese pirates, the maritime ban was lifted during the Longqing period, and tribute was imposed on Anda, which solved the border problems that had plagued the Ming Dynasty for decades. A large amount of silver entered China, giving rise to a developed commercial economy and civic culture.

Zhang Juzheng implemented the Single Whip System, replacing various taxes in kind with silver. This not only solved the Ming Dynasty's financial problems, but also created conditions for the further development of industry and commerce.

However, after Zhang Juzheng's death, Emperor Wanli neglected state affairs for a long time, allowing party struggles to intensify, which laid the seeds of his own destruction.

In 1592, the Ming army returned from Korea. After seven years of war, the Ming Dynasty assisted Korea and thwarted Japan's ambition to invade. Wanli issued an edict to pacify Japan, saying: "The people of the country are vast, and the public is obedient and not in trouble. Those who jump around and clownishly will be killed no matter how strong they are."

The Wanli Korean War was the last glory of the Ming Dynasty. From then on, the Ming Dynasty slowly slid into the abyss of destruction, and the Jianzhou Jurchens in the northeast were about to rise.

In 1616, Nurhaci unified most of the Jurchens and established a kingdom called the Great Jin, which was historically known as the Later Jin. Two years later, Nurhaci attacked the Ming Dynasty and fought a decisive battle with the Ming army at Sarhu. The Ming army was completely annihilated, and the death knell was about to ring.

Soon after, Emperor Wanli passed away, and Crown Prince Zhu Changluo ascended the throne. He died mysteriously less than a month after taking office, and Emperor Tianqi Zhu Youxiao ascended the throne. The court was divided into two factions, one was the eunuch party headed by Wei Zhongxian, and the other was the Donglin Party, which considered itself to be a clean party.

Wei Zhongxian relied on the emperor's trust to persecute the Donglin Party, causing chaos in the court and intensifying the factional struggle. Although Wei Zhongxian later fell, the root of the factional struggle continued to spread to the Southern Ming Dynasty.

In 1627, Emperor Tianqi Zhu Youxiao died of illness, and Prince Xin Zhu Youjian succeeded to the throne and changed the reign title to Chongzhen.

Wei Zhongxian and the Ke family were liquidated. However, the Ming Dynasty was already in trouble both internally and externally, with corrupt officials, an empty treasury, civil unrest in the northwest, and an increasingly deteriorating situation in Liaodong.

Emperor Chongzhen invited Yuan Chonghuan, who had been driven out by Wei Zhongxian, back to defend Liao. He also vigorously purged the eunuch party, but this not only failed to bring a new look to the court, but intensified the party struggle.

Soon, the Qing army bypassed the Ningjin defense line, took the route through Mongolia, and fought all the way to BJ. Chongzhen was furious and sentenced Yuan Chonghuan to death. However, after Yuan Chonghuan's death, the situation in Liaodong became even worse.

Emperor Chongzhen was suspicious by nature and was extremely jealous of both civil and military officials. Although he worked diligently, he could not change the situation in which corrupt officials were rampant and the people were living in poverty and displaced.

In 1642, the Ming army was defeated in the Battle of Songjin, and the Ming army was no longer able to fight in Liaodong. In 1644, Li Zicheng invaded Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself, and the Ming Dynasty fell.

[Qing Dynasty: Understand the history of China's last feudal dynasty in one go - Trivia about the Qing Dynasty]

The Qing Dynasty was the last feudal dynasty in Chinese history and also one of the most controversial feudal dynasties.

Some say it laid the foundation for a unified multi-ethnic country, while others say it was the culprit for China's lag behind the West. So, how did the Qing Dynasty go from prosperity to decline?

From the establishment of the Later Jin Dynasty by Nurhaci in 1616 to the abdication of the Qing emperor in 1912, the Qing Dynasty had a total history of 296 years. This video will let us understand the turbulent history of the Qing Dynasty in one go.

During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming army accidentally killed Juechang'an and Taksi of the Jianzhou Jurchen tribe while suppressing a rebellion among the Jurchen tribes in the northeast. They were the grandfather and father of Nurhaci, the founder of the Qing Dynasty.

Nurhaci inherited his father's and grandfather's positions, raised an army with 13 sets of armor, defeated Nikan Wailan who killed his father, and gradually unified the Jurchen tribes.

In 1616, Nurhaci founded a new dynasty and called himself Khan, and named it Great Jin, which was historically known as the Later Jin. He declared the "Seven Great Hates" and started a rebellion against the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty sent 10 troops to suppress the rebellion, but was defeated miserably in the Battle of Sarhu.

Nurhaci captured cities one after another, and Sun Chengzong built the Ningjin Defense Line, temporarily alleviating the crisis.

In 1626, Nurhaci was defeated by Yuan Chonghuan when attacking Ningyuan and died of illness soon after. After Huang Taiji ascended the throne, he appointed Han officials, implemented feudal policies, annexed the Mongolian tribes, and solved the worries.

In 1636, Huang Taiji proclaimed himself emperor and changed the country's name to Qing. Six years later, Huang Taiji won the Battle of Songjin, laying the foundation for his rule in the Central Plains.

Soon, Huang Taiji died of illness. Since he did not designate an heir during his lifetime, the royal family and nobles elected Fulin, who was only 6 years old, to succeed him, and Dorgon served as regent.

In 1644, Li Zicheng invaded the north of Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself, and the Ming Dynasty fell. Wu Sangui was forced by Li Zicheng to surrender to the Qing army.

Dorgon led the Qing army into the pass, and in the Battle of Shanhaiguan, Li Zicheng was defeated by the Qing army and retreated westward. Dorgon welcomed the young emperor and entered the Forbidden City.

In addition to the Qing Dynasty, there were also the Dashun regime of Li Zicheng, the Dashi regime of Zhang Xianzhong, and the Hongguang regime of the Southern Ming Dynasty. Dorgon ordered the implementation of policies such as shaving the hair and changing clothes, enclosing land and surrendering, which led to an anti-Qing wave across the country.

However, under the suppression of the Qing army, the Hongguang Emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty opened the city and surrendered, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong died in the battle, and the Longwu regime of the Southern Ming Dynasty continued to support the Ming Dynasty royal family to resist the Qing Dynasty.

Zhang Xianzhong and the remaining troops of Li Zicheng successively united with the Southern Ming to resist the Qing army. In 1650, Dorgon died, and Emperor Shunzhi took power, liquidated Dorgon, reduced enclosure, relaxed the law of fugitives, and eased social conflicts.

In order to win over Han officials, he even married a Han woman, Dong Efei, into the palace, and married his sister, Princess Heshuo, to Wu Sangui's son, Wu Yingxiong. In 1659, Wu Sangui conquered Yunnan, and the Yongli regime of the Southern Ming fled to Burma.

Except for Zheng Chenggong, the anti-Qing forces in the whole country were basically pacified by the Qing army. In 1661, Zheng Chenggong crossed the sea to recover Taiwan, and Wu Sangui entered Burma and killed Emperor Yongli.

At this point, the Southern Ming Dynasty was destroyed.