Chapter 7 5. Stand out

On March 11th in the thirteenth year of Hongwu (1380), Zhu Di, king of Yan, led two guards with 5,770 soldiers and left Nanjing for his fief Beiping (now Beijing).This year Zhu Di was twenty-one years old. In the first month of this year, a major event that shocked the whole country happened.Hu Weiyong, the prime minister of the left, was killed for the crime of "secretly forming a small group, being a traitor, or perverting the law to benefit the people, or disrupting the government to frame the virtuous." Then just choose another competent person to replace Hu Weiyong.The result was not the case. Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the Zhongshu Province and changed the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion to the Five Armies Governor's Mansion.Obviously, this is a long-planned measure to eradicate powerful officials and centralize power to the emperor.Hu Weiyong's charges announced by Zhu Yuanzhang were nothing more than an excuse to take this action.Zhu Yuanzhang's eradication of powerful ministers and distribution of princes are all for the same purpose, that is, to maintain the exclusive status of the royal family surnamed Zhu.As the prince grew up and gradually became a vassal, Zhu Yuanzhang felt more and more that he could take measures against the powerful officials who threatened the emperor without any scruples.Conversely, after Hu Weiyong, a capable minister like Hu Weiyong, was killed, the burden on Zhu Di and the vassal kings became even heavier.

Zhu Di came to Beiping, an important town in the north, with the heavy responsibility of "strengthening the frontier defense and winging the royal family".It used to be the capital of the Yuan Empire and was called Dadu.The iron hooves of the Mongolian cavalry were once invincible in the world, and they surrendered wherever they went. Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan and his descendants set out from here to rule the vast territory.Mongols, Hans, and Semu people gather here, as well as Easterners and Westerners, with different skin colors, different languages, different clothing, and different customs. This was once a truly cosmopolitan city.Where is the Mongolian in fresh clothes and angry horses now?Where did the yellow-haired and blue-eyed man go?Even the Zaju dramas in Goulan House have lost their original buzz.Only the desolate imperial city palace still shows a majestic posture, and the spring willows beside the Taiye pool are still caressing the water surface coquettishly.Thirteen years have passed, and the winding red wall has finally ushered in its new owner.

Although it is no longer the center of national rule, it still occupies an important position in military and politics.The Mongols want to make a comeback, and here is the first target to covet.The rule of the Yuan Dynasty for nearly a hundred years still has a deep influence here, and the forces of nostalgia for the homeland are intertwined. On the surface, they bow their heads and hold their breath, but secretly they are still dissatisfied.Isn't it true that in the early years of Hongwu, there were still people expressing his thoughts of his homeland on the wall of the gate of Xizhimen Urn?Zhu Yuanzhang changed "Dadu" to "Beiping" in order to suppress the "wangqi" here.

As early as Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty abandoned Dadu and retreated northward beyond the Great Wall, he sent Kuokuo Timur, who was stationed in Taiyuan, to lead his army northward and counterattacked Dadu via Baoan (now Zhuolu). Expand the profile and return to the army of aid.In February of the second year of Hongwu, Prime Minister Yuan also led his army to attack Tongzhou, camped in Baihe, and then visited Dadu, defeating the Ming defenders.In June, he quickly took advantage of Mingshi's attack on Shaanxi, and then attacked Tongzhou, but was defeated by Chang Yuchun's return division.The Ming master took the opportunity to attack Kaiping. Emperor Yuan Shun went north again. The Ming army won a great victory and captured his prince Qingsheng and Pingzhang tripod alive. He won ten thousand soldiers, ten thousand vehicles, thirty thousand horses, and fifty thousand cattle. flat.The Ming army advanced to the northwest, and General Li Wenzhong led his army to Taiyuan. At the same time that Yuan generals Tuo Liebo and Kong Xing were ordered by Emperor Yuan Shun to attack Datong, the situation was very urgent.Li Wenzhong led his army north to rescue Datong and defeated the Yuan army.Tuolie was captured, and more than 10,000 of them surrendered. Kong Xing fled to Shaanxi and was killed by his generals.These were the first two attempts of the Yuan Dynasty to recover. Although both were defeated by the Ming army, the strength of the Yuan army was not eliminated.

The Ming army captured Qingyang in August of the second year of Hongwu. In December, Timur took Xu Da back to his army and attacked Lanzhou from Gansu. The Ming army fought hard.At the same time, Shuozhou (now Yuxian County, Hebei Province), Wuzhou (now Xuanhua), Yunzhou (now Datong) area, Yehuling (now Wanquanbei), Daxing (now Luanpingbei), etc., the northern frontier fortresses, are still in Yuan Dynasty. The army is entrenched.In this situation, Zhu Yuanzhang sent the Ming army to carry out the Northern Expedition again and again: In the third year of Hongwu, Xu Da was the general who conquered the captives, and Li Wenzhong, Feng Sheng, Deng Yu, Tang He and others were the deputy generals.Xu Da defeated Timur and captured 1,865 civil and military personnel under Wu Tan Wang, Ji Wang and Guo Gongzhang, more than 84,500 generals and soldiers, and captured 15,280 horses More than ten horses, Kuo Kuo and his wives fled north to Helin. Li Wenzhong took advantage of the funeral of Emperor Yuan Shun to conquer Yingchang, and captured Libala, concubines, palace people, kings and generals bought by the son of the Yuan clan. Equivalent to hundreds of people, Yuan Sijun Aiyou Zhili Dala led dozens of horses to escape.On the way back to his army, Li Wenzhong captured Yuan Guogong Wang Wenqing and others, and surrendered more than 50,000 soldiers and civilians. This Northern Expedition dealt a heavy blow to the Yuan Dynasty's forces near Serbia.

More than a year later, the forces of the Yuan Dynasty became more active in the near fortress.After the Ming army pacified Sichuan, in the fifth year of Hongwu, Xu Da, Li Wenzhong, and Feng Sheng were sent to lead a division of 150,000, and divided into three groups to make another northern expedition.In this Northern Expedition, the Ming army suffered setbacks and had a bad start.Xu Da's army on the middle road was defeated by Yuan, and tens of thousands of people died. Li Wenzhong, the army on the east road, was killed and injured, so he had to turn around. Only Feng Shenglue on the west road won a small victory.

In the following seven years, Zhu Yuanzhang gathered his troops and defended himself, and no longer easily marched north. However, the forces of the Yuan Dynasty invaded the south frequently.In the sixth year of Hongwu, Kouwu, Shuozhou (now Zhushanbei) and Hezhou in Ningxia (now Linxia, ​​Gansu) and other places.In the seventh year, Kou Baideng (today's east of Datong), Lanzhou;In the eleventh year, Aiyou Shili Dala died, and his son Togustimur succeeded to the throne, and the troubles were still endless.Faced with this situation, the Ming Dynasty stepped up military training, strictly guarded the border, and returned the Libala bought by the son of Aiyoushili Dala who was captured by Li Wenzhong in Yingchang in the sixth year of Hongwu. , to win over.At this time, Ming and Bei Yuan were almost at a stalemate. Although Bei Yuan went south to cause trouble, it could not cause a major threat to Ming.

This was the situation on the northern border when Zhu Di came to power. Probably Zhu Yuanzhang thought that Zhu Di was not mature enough, so he didn't let him take part in direct military operations immediately.In the year and the second year of his tenure, Zhu Yuanzhang launched two more Northern Expeditions.For the first time, in February of the thirteenth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang learned that the Duke of the Northern Yuan Dynasty was out of Huochi, and the Privy Council Aizu led more than ten thousand troops to Helin. Fearing that it would be a frontier trouble, he sent Muying, Hou Muying of Xiping, to conquer, and Muying went to Lingzhou (now Lingwu, Ningxia), the detectives knew that Tuohuochi and others had entered the army, so they led their troops to cross the Yellow River, passed Helan Mountain, crossed the desert, and marched westward. Capture all his parts and return.Muying also trained troops in Xiliang and attacked Yuan Liucheng King, capturing Liucheng King with a population of more than 1,300 and more than 3,000 horses.In the first month of the fourteenth year, Yuan Ping Zhang Nai'er entered Kou Yongping (Lulong, Hebei). Zhu Yuanzhang then ordered Xu Da and his left and right lieutenants Tang He and Fu Youde to march north, and at the same time ordered Mu Ying to go out of Gubeikou as a response.The Ming army left the fortress and attacked Huishan, the Ming army went north again, the Yuan army fled north, Fu Youde pursued, and captured Pingzhang Bie Libuhua, Taishi Wentong, etc. Muying went out of Gubeikou, captured the long fortress of Princess Mountain, and captured all four parts of Quanning And also.From then on, the Ming army came out in spring and returned in winter every year, and adopted a strategy of attacking and defending Bei Yuan.

Later, in the first month of the 20th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Song Guogong Feng Sheng to be the general, Ying Guogong Fu Youde and Yongchang Hou Lanyu as the left and right deputy generals and led 200,000 troops to conquer Beiyuan Naha.Naha Chu occupies the Liaohe River Basin and has more than 100,000 troops. It is one of the last important military forces in the Northern Yuan Dynasty.Under the strong pressure of the Ming army, Nahachu was forced to surrender.Beiyuan lost Liaodong, and its connection with North Korea was also severed, and its strength became weaker.In the twenty-first year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang took Yongchang Hou Lanyu as the general, Yanping Hou Tang Shengzong, Wuding Hou Guoying as the left and right deputy generals, and led 150,000 troops to "clear the desert".The Ming army went to Yuyuerhai, attacked Yuanzhu Tugustimur's camp, killed his Taiwei barbarian, and surrendered all of them. Tugustimur and others fled with only dozens of horses.The Ming army captured sixty-four people including his son Di Baonu, so the crown prince must have fifty-nine people including Concubine Tuoli, and Wu Wang Duo'er only had two thousand nine hundred and ninety-four people waiting.There are seventy-seven thousand thirty-seven men and women in chariots, and there are countless gold seals for books and books, as well as camels, horses, cattle, sheep and vehicles.The Ming army was victorious and returned.In the following year, Tugus Timur was killed by Yesu Timur, and Kun Timur was established as the master of the Yuan Dynasty. From then on, the Yuan Dynasty "subordinates scattered, and the descendants of the Yuan Dynasty became weaker" and could not recover.

It was in the 23rd year of Hongwu that Zhu Di officially stepped onto the military stage to show off his skills.In order to clear the desert, Zhu Yuanzhang prepared to go on another northern expedition.For this he made full preparations. On September 26th of the 22nd year of Hongwu, he ordered the commander of Henan Province and the guards of Zhili to intensify the training of sergeants, waiting for the order of conquest, and rewarded each sergeant with three coins.On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, he also ordered Dingyuanhou Wangbi to go to Shanxi, Xiongwuhou Zhouwu to Henan, and Quanninghou Sunke to Shaanxi to train troops and horses respectively, and to listen to Mobei at any time. 10,000 infantry officers and soldiers each are ready to be dispatched at any time.On the 22nd, he sent Gu Lige, Prime Minister of Rituals, and Huo'er Hudasun, the Sheren, to look outside the Great Wall for the traces of the main targets he wanted to attack - Prime Minister Gu Yuan, Taiwei Naier Buhua and others.In order to ensure sufficient horses for the expedition, in the first lunar month of the 23rd year, another batch of Wenqi quilts was ordered to be exchanged for horses in Mobei.

After everything was ready, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an order for the Northern Expedition. The commanders-in-chief of this Northern Expedition were Zhu Di, King of Yan, and Zhu Guo, King of Jin.They commanded the troops of Beiping and Shanxi respectively.Ying Guogong Fu Youde was appointed as the general before conquering captives, Nanxiong Hou Zhao Yong was appointed as the left deputy general, Huaiyuan Hou Cao Xing was appointed as the right deputy general, Dingyuan Hou Wang Bi was appointed as the left general, Quanning Marquis Sun Ke was appointed as the right general, All the generals, except Wang Bi, who was already in Shanxi and under the control of the King of Jin, were all in Beiping to train troops and horses under the control of the King of Yan.Then Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, to go to Shaanxi to train the army and horses. He also sent an envoy to order Sun Ke to lead the soldiers and horses trained by Geng Bingwen to follow Fu Youde in the north expedition. Sergeants followed the expedition and obeyed the restraint of King Yan.Under the command of the King of Jin, he also ordered Henan Capital to command the Envoy Division and the Zhongdu Left Guard Division to select 6,200 sergeants and 4,470 horses to march from Xiongwuhou Zhou Wu to Shanxi. At that time, among the princes who were located in the important northern town, Qin, Jin, and Yan were the oldest princes. Judging from the deployment of the Northern Expedition, Yan was undoubtedly in the most important position.Not only did King Yan control a large number of soldiers and horses, but also King Yan was the first to bear the brunt from the geographical locations of the two opposing sides.King Jin was on the sidelines, but the oldest King Qin didn't expect anything.If the records left to us in the current historical records were not deliberately deleted by historians, then it can be seen that Zhu Yuanzhang fully trusted and relied on Zhu Di. But the army did not set off immediately. Before the army set off, Zhu Yuanzhang first sent the capital censor Tiegusi Timur to the target of the conquest, so the prime minister of Yuan Dynasty bit him, Taiwei Naier Buhua, Zhiyuan Alu Timur and others sent a imperial edict.It is written in the book: The year before last, Tuogusi Timur traveled northward, and heard that it reached the north of Lingbei, and disaster happened unexpectedly.In the south of Helin, there is no news, so I tried to send envoys into the desert to search.Recently, I heard that where you and others are, Tie Gusi Timur, the censor of the reconstruction capital, went to tell you and others.The fate of the Yuan Dynasty has come to an end, and you and the others who led the scattered people have nowhere to return to in the grasslands. It is very difficult to survive, but those who dare not come to the south must mean that they have violated the frontier, so they are suspicious.And if Nayao (ha) came out, he killed and plundered more than 20,000 guards in Liaodong, and later surrendered, and was named a marquis, general and school, and all officials were rewarded.Why do I think it is hatred!But the border is quiet and the people are happy, which is a good thing.I have ordered the monk Guo Gong, ■ (Wo?) to know my intention because of Timur Pingzhang.Don't doubt it, you will come here with the crowd, and you will choose a good place to let you live in peace, and everyone will live, isn't it beautiful?If you are indecisive, you lose your opportunity, and when the army arrives, it may not be to your advantage.Prime Minister Hu Kechi, cowardly officials Alian Timur, Taiwei Duoyoubuhua, Duke Bo Lanxi, Situ Babald, Pingzhang Buyan Timur, Guilichi, Zhiyuan Tuohuan Dali Yachi , Bashan Bashibashi, Buyan Timur, Haciwu Shigui, Daozhaciertai, Niewutai, Luo Bubuhua, etc. all know my intention. This is called courtesy before soldiers.However, this imperial edict was part of Zhu Yuanzhang's measures to win over the old Yuan forces gently.Zhu Yuanzhang did not use force purely in his struggle against the forces of the old Yuan Dynasty, but always used both grace and power, both civil and military.And its soft policy is also quite effective.While preparing for the Northern Expedition, the former Yuan Pingzhang dispatched Du Timur, Zhiyuan Cage Tuerhui, and Nanahan to Xiliang to request surrender. Zhu Yuanzhang was afraid of this. It is far away, the trek is difficult, and it is inconvenient to go to Beijing, so we let him live in a place where water and grass are convenient.In the military and political ranks of the Ming Dynasty, there were many Tatar officials and Tatar troops. In addition to the Yuan general Nahachu who was named Marquis in the imperial edict, many Tatar officials also received preferential treatment.For example, at the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang bestowed hereditary orders on Shabuding, Commander of the Daning Guard, and Dieli Timur, Commander of the Tiance Guard, and gave Lumi and a house to live in Beijing.Shabuding was the prefect of the Yuanshu Academy, and Dieli Timur was the nephew of Yuan master Harazhang. They were all surrendered from the Luo (Luan?) River under the inspiration of the Ming Dynasty's Huairou policy. Before leaving the army, Zhu Yuanzhang was still worried. He sent someone to give an edict to the two kings of Jin and Yan, and introduced to them what he had learned from the surrendered enemy.The imperial edict says: When asked about Laihu, there are very few broken Hu, and there are only 5,000 riders, with a total of 10,000 family members. They are called horses.Taking advantage of the long line of water and grass, the army is heavily loaded, and it is very tiring to pursue.Today's descendant will try to serve as a high official with him, and he has been envoyed there.And Huang Huer was able to speak, because he had two minds, many who wanted to go south, and few who wanted to go north.And transport the food and salaries to the upper capital, and collect the mouth temperature in each process, and then wait for people to come, and know where they are. " Zhu Yuanzhang not only learned about the enemy's situation from Jiangren, but also sent Jiangren back as a lobbyist to disintegrate the enemy's will.In the end, he also made the deployment for the King of Yan to deliver the army rations first, and then go out after getting the information, which can be described as cautious. On the second day of March, King Zhu Di of Yan led an army from Beiping. The former general Ying Guogong Fu Youde, the left deputy general Nanxiong Hou Zhaoyong, and the right deputy general Huaiyuan Hou Cao Xing each led their subordinates to join the expedition.The army marched northward in a meandering manner, with spears like forests and flags covering the sun, billowing dust on the dry loess road.The terrain gets higher as you go north, and gradually into the mountains.The army went out of Gubeikou via Shunyi and Miyun, and pointed directly beyond the Great Wall.Gubeikou is located in the north-east of Beiping. It is an important pass leading to the outside of the Great Wall and a place where troops have always been used.The Taizu of the Liao Dynasty seized Shannan and went to Gubeikou first; Jin destroyed Liao and captured Yanjing, and fierce battles also took place at Gubeikou.After the death of Emperor Taiding of the Yuan Dynasty, the minister Yan Timur supported Yuan Wenzong, and the battle between Sa Dun and Shangdu soldiers also entered and exited from Gubeikou.It is located between Juyongguan Pass and Shanhaiguan Pass, standing side by side with Xifeng Pass, just like a major pass.Gubeikou is located in Miyun County, and its city is on the mountain. There are three hundred and ten steps on Thursday, and there are three gates. Outside the north gate of the city is Yangye Temple, a famous general in the Northern Song Dynasty.In the eleventh year of Hongwu's reign, the Qianhu Office was established here and troops were stationed here.Zhu Di led his army through the thousands of mountains in Gubeikou. How could he not arouse his heroic feelings.How many loyal ministers and martyrs have shed their blood here, and how many heroes and generals have shown their majesty here.Now, the young prince has also embarked on his mighty and majestic journey from this road. King Yan showed his military talent from the very beginning.He analyzed the situation of both the enemy and us, and decided to send troops to scout the enemy's movement first. He said to the generals: "I and the generals were ordered to raise troops in the desert and sweep away the barbarians. Now the barbarians have no city walls to live in. The land is open and thousands of miles away." A master must have eyes and ears, and if he is not in the right place, it will be difficult to succeed." The generals naturally agreed with him.The cavalry sent by the Ming army quickly found out the enemy's situation, and they reported that Naierbuhua was setting up camp in Yidu (later changed to Qinhushan).Zhu Di ordered the army to march towards Yidu.After going out of the fortress, although the terrain is getting higher and higher, it is gradually flat and open, and the blue sky and desert are even more desolate and tragic.The weather on the dam has always been unpredictable. During the march, the clouds suddenly covered the sky, and in a blink of an eye, the sky was full of snow.The snow fell harder and harder, and the generals wanted to stop their advance.King Yan thought that the snowy day was a good opportunity to march.He said: "It's snowing heavily in the sky, and the captives are not in danger. It is advisable to advance quickly by taking advantage of the snow." The use of troops is impermanent, and only surprises can win.Yan Wang's decision shows that he is well versed in this.Sure enough, when the Ming army arrived at Yidu, it was only a moraine away from the enemy camp, and the enemy didn't even realize that the Ming army was pressing by their side. One of King Yan's subordinates was named Guan Tong, a surrendered enemy general who had an old friendship with Nai'er Buhua.King Yan tried to take advantage of this relationship, so he sent Guan Tong to the enemy camp.When Naier didn't see it was his old friend Guantong, and didn't ask him why he came here, she hugged and cried.In a hurry, the Ming army had already surrounded Naier Buhua's camp. In a hurry, Naier Buhua and the generals planned to mount their horses and flee. Guan Tong warmly dissuaded him, telling him that this expedition is the commander of Yan Wang, there is no need Such horror.Nai'er didn't spend a long time hearing that King Yan was guarding Beiping, he was extremely brave, and liked to recruit heroes, and he listened to his old friend Guan Tong's advice, it must be good.The matter has come to this point, there is nothing to do, so I have to follow Guan Tong to see King Yan.The King of Yan was naturally very happy to see Guan Tong attracting Nai'er, so he couldn't help performing an old drama of "reducing the ranks to welcome each other" and hosting a banquet.After being drunk, Naer Buhua's mental defenses have been completely disintegrated.Naier Buhua's subordinates were overjoyed when they heard that the Lord General received preferential treatment from King Yan, and they didn't want to leave anymore.The King of Yan comforted Naier Buhua again, and sent someone to send him back to the camp. Before he reached the tent, he was recalled by the King of Yan to comfort him again. After going back and forth three times, not only was Naer Buhua's hostility gone. It disappeared completely, and even got a little impatient, and couldn't wait to express the sincerity of surrendering to King Yan.So all of Naierbuhua's generals, horses, camels, cattle and sheep belonged to King Yan.In this battle, the King of Yan didn't use a single soldier or a single arrow, but used force as his backing, and used tactics to win. This is what the art of war says about attacking the heart first, right?It took 29 days from the time King Yan left Beiping to the time Naier returned home without spending any money. This was a beautiful military operation.On the first day of the fourth lunar month, the good news of King Yan reached the capital, and Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed. He said to the officials: "The king of Yan is the one who clears the desert! I have no worries about going north." In fact, if you read this period of history carefully, you can't help but find that Shichen deliberately exaggerated, but some details were avoided. Tan Qian, the author of "Guoyan", said: "The history is attributed to the king of Yan, and I wish Fu Yinggong and others to join the conquest. This must be the strength of the generals, or it may be decorated by later generations." It is by no means speculative.You see, the former general Fu Youde, who was used to fighting for a long time on the battlefield, and others had nothing to do in this military operation, and they were almost like clay puppets. Isn't it strange?In addition, every time the Ming army dispatched an army to report a victory, there are specific numbers of kills and captures.However, the number of triumphant figures was missing this time, and it was only said that "all the tribes, horses, camels, cattle and sheep were collected", which was evasive, and there must be a secret.To put it simply, the gains are very small, and it is not humane. However, since then, all the Yuan armies that have attached themselves to Beiping have listened to the call of the King of Yan, and the power of the King of Yan has become stronger and stronger since then.In addition, King Jin, who went out of the fortress at the same time as King Yan this time, did not see any trace of the enemy.Although, for the nomadic and uncertain Mongolia, this is a common thing. It cannot be said that the King of Jin was ineffective in fighting, but after all, he returned without success. According to the system of the Ming Dynasty, after the military operations were completed, the army returned to the guard post, and the general handed over to the post office to grant the seal.Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the Ministry of Households to send people to transport 10,000 ingots of banknotes, and the king of Yan would reward the meritorious soldiers. Then he ordered the king of Jin to stay in Shanxi, Henan and the guards of the Jin government, stationed in Tiancheng, Baideng and other places to practice, and the king of Jin would come and go After raising the transfer, the Marquis of Dingyuan, Wang Bi, and others were all sent back to the capital; the king of Yan ordered the cavalry to stay in Shangdu or the Xinghe and Xingzhou areas, and the governor and the commander of the capital were sent to station. All were sent back to the capital; King Qi was ordered to lead the guards to return him to the feudal country, and the army and horses of the guards in Shandong were led by Lin Zhen, the commander of the capital, and still obeyed the restraint of King Yan.At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang gradually distrusted the generals in charge of the army, and he did not want them to stay outside for a long time. Once the task was completed, he would recall the capital and put it under his control. At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang also dealt with the surrendered Mengyuan soldiers. He ordered Fu Youde to move all the surrendered Naierbuhua tribes into the pass, and his generals were sent to the capital, and given the jackets and clothes. On the seventh day of the fourth lunar month in intercalary month, Naierbuhua waited for the former Yuan general and more than 200 subordinates to arrive at the capital to meet Zhu Yuanzhang. They presented four silver seals, three gold medals, eight hundred silver medals, and five iron medals issued by the Yuan Dynasty. Twenty-eight orders were given by He Yuanshi.Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Naier Buhua to command Tongzhi as the left-behind central guard, Alu Timur to command Tongzhi as the guard in Yanshan, biting him as the vice capital censor, and Hu Ge (also a guest) Chi as the right servant of the Ministry of Industry, each with a gift Banknotes, hats, gold belts, banknotes, and soon Naier Buhua and Alu Timur were promoted to command envoys.In Yihai, seventy-one people including Naierbuhua were given saddle horses.Ding Hai also bestowed 13,600 taels of platinum, 12,600 ingots of banknotes, 1,080 pieces of Wenxiu and silk, and 500 pieces of Luoyi to more than two hundred people including Naier Buhua and his subordinates. Fifty strikes.On the tenth day of the sixth lunar month, the capital of Beiping sent Niuer Gaisujia Sangchi, Alu Hui and other 707 households of Naierbuhua's subordinates and their families to Beijing, and ordered them to return Naierbuhua's family members and bestow summer clothes on them. People attacked.Zhu Yuanzhang also ordered Yang Ji, a doctor in the Ministry of Industry, to deliver 18,473 collars of summer clothes to Beiping and give them to 4,786 generals, sergeants and family members of Naierbuhua.In this battle against Naierbuhua, Baihu Huanger suddenly made meritorious service as a guide, so he was promoted to the hereditary commander of the guards in Yanshan Mountain. He received a salary according to his position but did not actually serve.But Zhu Yuanzhang was not completely at ease about surrendered generals like Naier Buhua.In March of the 26th year, Yimao asked Wei Guogong Xu Huizu to bring to King Yan in the imperial edict: "Alu Timur and Naier both have different aspirations, although they are sincere, it is difficult to guarantee their future. It is true that the barbarians are afraid of prestige and do not cherish virtue. Sure enough, people can be sent to Beijing for defense. The Hu people turn their backs on them, and they must not be unprepared. The tie is very heavy, if you want to use it to defend against the enemy, you will often make mistakes in the army, and you will have little to worry about." The great victory of this Northern Expedition shocked the whole country, and because it was the first time that the vassal king went on an expedition, he won a complete victory, which made people look at him with admiration.In April, Xinsi, all the palaces and all the civil and military departments in the world presented the "Heping captive table" to the emperor to praise the mighty virtue and martial arts of the emperor. The king of Yan was the protagonist of this military operation, and he was very honorable. The capital of Beiping and the army of Yan's army who joined the conquest also received generous rewards.In Jiashen, in the fourth month of leap, more than 24,600 people's banknotes and 726,750 ingots were awarded to the capital of Beiping and the guards and soldiers of Yanshan.Since then, the status of King Yan's Mansion has risen suddenly, and its strength and King Yan's bravery have gradually been accepted by people since then.Zhu Yuanzhang's successful civil and military strategies against Meng Yuan led a large number of officials, generals and schools to join him one after another.In order to cope with this situation, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the household department to transport 100,000 taels of platinum and 5,000 taels of Wenqi to Beiping in the second month of April, and 50,000 taels of platinum and 2,000 taels of Wenqi to Shanxi.They were collected and stored by Yanwangfu and Jinwangfu respectively for reward. Since the Northern Expedition, the status of King Yan has undergone subtle changes. As mentioned earlier, originally, King Yan was just an ordinary member of the kings.At least, its position is under Qin Wang and Jin Wang.Xi'an conferred by the King of Qin, Taiyuan conferred by the King of Jin, and Beiping conferred by the King of Yan, in the eyes of the people at that time, their importance descended in order.When Zhu Yuanzhang founded the country, he implemented the system of two capitals in the north and the south, taking Yingtian as Nanjing and Kaifeng as Beijing, but he always wanted to move the capital to Xi'an.Hu Ziqi, the censor, once wrote a letter saying that the world's shape is victorious, and Xi'an is the first to be the capital. The reason is that "according to the victory of Baier Heshan, it can tower the hopes of the princes, and the world is better than Guanzhong." The rest include Hedong, Bianliang, and Luoyang. , but Peiping was not among them.Later, Zhu Yuanzhang also said that "the mountains and rivers in the world are only the land of Qin, which is dangerous and solid." In the eyes of Zhu Yuanzhang and the people of the time, Beiping was just a place where the Hu people took advantage of their luck to prosper.Therefore, among the three kings of Qin, Jin and Yan, Zhu Yuanzhang was actually headed by King Qin. However, this view of Zhu Yuanzhang and others is an outdated concept. Leaving aside the physical geography situation, they did not estimate the major changes in the national political geography situation since the Song, Liao, and Jin Dynasties, especially the nearly one hundred years since the founding of the Yuan Dynasty.In short, this change is the shift of the political center to the northeast.If you look at the north, east and west of the pass, Beiping is the most important.We will discuss this further below.This fact is not based on the ideas of Zhu Yuanzhang and others. In the struggle between Ming and Bei Yuan in the early Ming Dynasty, the status of Beiping was revealed again.This is not only because of the transfer of the aforementioned political center, but also because the forces of the Yuan Dynasty withdrew from outside the Great Wall, successively centered on Shangdu and Yingchang. Putting Peiping in the first place to bear the brunt.In addition, the metropolis——Beiping was the ruling center, and the influence of the Yuan Dynasty was greater here than in other places. Therefore, strengthening the rule of Beiping became an effective means to cut off the old country of the Yuan Dynasty survivors and consolidate the Ming regime.At the same time, firmly controlling Beiping, the former capital, has a greater deterrent force against the Mongolian and Yuan forces outside the Great Wall than controlling other places, and it is also more attractive to those who attempt to surrender to the Ming Dynasty.All these things made the status of Beiping, and thus the status of King Yan, who made Beiping his feudal state, stand out greatly.And when history and reality called, Yan Wang Zhu Di lived up to this important task with his wisdom and courage, which ensured his own steady rise in status.What we are referring to is mainly strength and status. In terms of fame, he cannot surpass the second king of Qin and Jin.Why did the King of Qin not participate in the Northern Expedition? Was it because he served as the patriarchal order that he could not go on the expedition?unknown. As the kings stepped onto the military stage and showed their strength, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that the status of the royal family was more consolidated, which accelerated his pace of eliminating powerful officials and centralizing imperial power.Just two months after King Jin and King Yan succeeded in the Northern Expedition, Zhu Yuanzhang launched a big prison.Zhu Yuanzhang put Li Shanchang, the grand master of South Korea, to death on the pretext of Hu Weiyong's old case.Li Shanchang is Zhu Yuanzhang's fellow townsman (from Dingyuan, Anhui). Zhu Yuanzhang got his assistance shortly after the incident. He pre-planned the painting, took charge of the payment, and established the system. , Dr. Tejin Guanglu, Zuo Zhuguo, Taishi Zhongshu Zuo Prime Minister, granted the title of Han Gonggong, with a yearly salary of 4,000 shi, and hereditary descendants. He was awarded an iron coupon to avoid two deaths and one son.At that time, there were Xu Da, Chang Yuchunzi Chang Mao, Li Wenzhong, Feng Sheng, and Deng Yu, a total of six people, and Li Shanchang ranked first among all the princes. Zhu Yuanzhang compared him to Xiao He of the Han Dynasty, and Marry Princess Lin'an to his son.In the 13th year of Hongwu, after Hu Weiyong was killed for treason, Li Shanchang's status was not affected for a long time. However, in the 21st year of Hongwu, Lan Yu went to Yuerhai in the northern expedition, and it is said that he obtained evidence of Hu Weiyong's rebellion: fornication north yuan.At this point, due to the imperial censor's impeachment, Li Shanchang was actually beaten into the Hu party. He was accused of "knowing the conspiracy and not provoking it, being suspicious and watching the two ends of the heart, and treason". Minister".So Li Shanchang and more than 70 people from his wife, daughter, brother and nephew's family were executed together.At the same time, Lu Zhongning, Marquis of Ji'an, Marquis Tang Shengzong of Yan'an, Marquis Fei Ju of Pingliang, Marquis Zhao Yong of Nanxiong, Marquis Zheng Yuchun of Xingyang, Marquis Huang Bin of Yichun, Marquis Luju of Henan, etc. were also executed as Hu Party members. etc. are also pursued.In the second year of Li Shanchang's death, Wang Guoyong, a doctor of Yubu, raised doubts about Li Shanchang's prison. He said: Shanchang and His Majesty have the same heart, and they will die ten thousand times to win the world. The most honored ministers are the first.It is not yet known that the order wants to do something wrong, but it is absurd for those who claim that they want to assist Hu Weiyong. ... To make the good leader Zuo Weiyong become mediocre, not to be the number one minister, to be the king of the master country, to be the king and to accept the concubine, and Ningfu to add to today? ... If it is said that the celestial phenomena are about to change, the ministers should be killed in response to the celestial phenomena, especially not.The minister is afraid that the world will hear it, saying that merit is as good as it is long and so, and the four directions will disintegrate because of it.Now that the good master is dead, it is useless to speak, and I hope that your Majesty will warn you in the future. When Zhu Yuanzhang saw the memorial, he did not charge him with any crime. In fact, he knew very well that this was an unjust case. The growth of the prince prompted Zhu Yuanzhang to eradicate the powerful ministers, and the eradication of the powerful ministers prompted the prince to further grasp power. In February of the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu, Lan Yu, the Duke of Liang, was accused of treason, and his family was punished.Zhan Wei, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Fu Youwen, Minister of the Ministry of Households, Chang Sheng, the Founding Duke, Cao Zhen, the Marquis of Jingchuan, Zhang Yi, the Marquis of Heqing, Zhu Shou, the Marquis of Cage, Bo He Rong of Dongguan, Chen Huan, the Marquis of Puding, Cao Tai, the Marquis of Yining, Zhang Wen, the Marquis of Huining , Huaiyuan Hou Cao Xing, Xiliang Hou Puma, Zhiping Hou Hanxun, Quanning Hou Sun Ke, Shenyang Hou Chahan, Huixian Bo Sangjing, etc. were all killed by the Blue Party.In November of the twenty-seventh year of Hongwu, Fu Youde, the Duke of Ying, died without any charges. Sync with this: In February of the twenty-fourth year of Hongwu, the king of Qi led the guard cavalry to hunt in Kaiping, and in case of battle, he would join the battle with his own team.In May, the kings of Han, Wei, Gu, Qing, Ning, and Min practiced troops in Linqing.The guards were set up separately: Hanwang Ganzhou Central Guard, Wei Wang Guangning Central Guard, Gu King Xingzhou Central Guard, Qing King Ningxia Central Guard, Ning King Yingzhou Central Guard, and Min King Xihe Central Guard.In the first month of the twenty-fifth year, the kings of Jin, Yan, Chu, and Hunan entered the court, and Zhu Yuanzhang ordered them to "train generals and train soldiers every year, and watch the frontiers every week. They must make excellent weapons to consolidate the frontier."In February of the twenty-sixth year, he ordered the soldiers of Henan and Shanxi under the command of Feng Sheng, the king of Jin and Song Guogong, to go out of the fortress. Sheng, Fu Youde, the Duke of Ying, Chang Sheng, the Duke of the founding, Wang Bi, the Marquis of Dingxuan, and Sun Ke, the Marquis of Quanning, returned to Beijing. The general learned that he listened to King Jin's restraint.In March, Dai Wang led the guards out of the fortress, subject to the restraint of Jin Wang.On Bingchen in March, Feng Sheng, Duke of Song State, and Fu Youde, Duke of Ying State, were ordered to live in Beiping, Beiping.Beiping's generals and schools learned that they had listened to King Yan's restraint. "Every army should have some affairs, once it is reported to the court, once it is revealed to the king, it will be an order forever." Gengshen, the repatriation envoy to King Jin and King Yan: "All the divisions under the jurisdiction of the army are in charge of the army and horses. I heard that those who are small should be punished." Xinyou, Gengwu, Jiaxu, and Xi'an Right Guard were guards in Xi'an Central; Huashan Guard was changed to Xi'an Left Guard; Qinzhou Guard was changed to Xi'an Right Guard.In April of the 28th year, Jiashen also issued an edict to set up the five kings of Liao (Wei), Ning, Gu, Qing, and Su (Han) to guard and command the division.In the twenty-eighth year, King Su (formerly known as the King of Han) came to Ganzhou to manage the military affairs of the five provinces of Ganzhou, the capital of Shaanxi Province.For 30 years, the governor was ordered to store food, and in case of conquest, Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, followed.In the twenty-sixth year, Liao Wangzhi became a fan of Guangning, and Ning Wangquan became a fan of Daning.In the 30th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang asked them to "go to Ningxia, Hexi, and Chahannaoer from the west of Dongsheng, Datong and Kaiping of Xuanfu from the east of Dongsheng, Daning in the southeast, Liaodong in the east, the Yalu River in the north, The desert, from outside Yanmen Pass, reaches the Yellow River in the west, crosses the river to Chahannaoer, and reaches Zijing Pass in the east, Juyong Pass and Gubeikou in the east, and Shanhaiwei in the east. All soldiers and civilians cultivate land and do not allow livestock to be herded. In the field and in the mountains, listen to the king's son-in-law's herding horses and woodcutters, and camps from east to west. Because time is used to train troops to prevent bandits. Those who violate it will be judged. It is said in history that King Ning "carried 80,000 armors, raised 6,000 chariots, and belonged to Duoyan Sanwei Cavalry They are all brave and good at fighting," "known for their good strategy"; King Qing ordered the military affairs of the Qingyang, Ningxia, Yan'an, and Shoude guards in Ningxia, and Zhu Yuanzhang gave instructions to the kings' actions at any time. For example, in the twenty-sixth year In March, Yimao sent someone to say to the King of Yan: "Your guards and soldiers, every time you go hunting, you must choose thousands of horsemen and train them with strong perseverance, so that they will always be used to hard work, and they will not be timid in battle. In Jiaxu in March, when he heard that the Jin King's governor was building a city, he sent someone to reprimand him, criticizing him for "having no foresight", and asking him to "dispatch from the army today, and he must plan everything, and don't be a soldier in vain." In addition to training troops and defending the border, Zhu Yuanzhang assigned the tasks of building cities, farming and conscripting to the guards of the capitals, and they were also carried out through the vassal kings where they were located.For example, in the first lunar month of the 28th year, Zhu Yuanzhang sent an envoy to King Zhou to send 34,000 people from Henan to command the envoy's guard horse infantry army to build a city and farm in the north of Saibei; Jiayin sent an edict to King Jin to send to Shanxi The commander of the capital sent 26,600 officers and soldiers under the guard and horse infantry to build the city and farmland in the north of the Great Wall; Jiazi ordered the king of Yan to send the second capital of Beiping to command the commander and the capital of Liaodong to command the division's 7,000 fine cavalry and one infantry. Wan, ordered Zhou Xing to be the commander-in-chief, and together with the governors of the right army, Song Sheng, Liu Zhen, went to Sanwanwei and other places to arrest wild men, and his subordinate guards commanded Zhuang De, Jing Baoan, Zhang Yu, Lu Zhen and others. Order Cong Zheng. 洪武三十年正月乙丑，朱元璋命令肃王楧曰：“古者兵出于农，人无寒馁，有寇则操戈以战，无事则荷耒以耕。此良法也。今春气方和，宜及时督军屯种，遇有征伐，尔其率精兵与长兴侯耿炳文等进讨。”这时，在汉中府沔县发生了一场有千余人参加的造反，“陕蜀番民”也因而起事，朱元璋慌忙派长兴侯耿炳文、武定侯郭英，发陕西四川兵讨之。并对刚嗣秦王位不久的朱尚炳说：“尔宜练士卒，缮甲兵，时巡逻以备无虞，况尔年幼，当夙夜警惕无急。” 这样，不仅诸王的势力不断加强，而且军事经验也在不断增长，同时，无形中形成这样一种格局，即皇帝——诸王——都司卫所的格局。诸王成为代替皇帝直接控制地方军事力量的一个重要层次。这种格局是朱元璋削除权臣、加强皇室地位这一指导思想的必然结果。 洪武二十八年三月二十日，秦王朱■死，这时他年已四十。他是曾被朱元璋寄重的一位亲王，在辈分上仅次于太子朱标，因而朱元璋给其的谥文中说：“尔以年长者，首封于秦。”期于永保禄位，藩屏帝室。看来他有负所托。如前所说，在备御北边时，秦王并无突出表现，而且还屡有过失，因此一度被召还京师。所以谥文中又说：“夫何不良于德，竟殒厥身。”他的谥号竟是一个多有贬意的“愍”字。对他的死，朱元璋是很悲痛的，老年丧子，人同此心。但他的死却使朱棣的地位无形中又上升了，至少，朱棣又失掉一位竞争的对手。 洪武二十九年，二月二十三日，在边境上巡逻的骑兵发现在道路上有脱落遗失的车轮，宁王朱权马上将这一情况报告给了朱元璋，朱元璋认为这是蒙古骑兵仍在边境活动的证明，蒙古兵很有可能再次入寇边境。朱元璋说：“胡人多奸，示弱于人，此必设伏以诱我军，若出军追逐，恐堕其计。”于是命令燕王朱棣选精卒壮马奔赴大宁、全宁，沿河南北觇视胡兵，针对敌情，随时随地给予打击。同时，他要求周王朱■命其世子朱有燉，率领河南都司精锐，赴北平塞口巡逻。三月，燕王朱棣再次率师出塞北征。军行至彻彻儿山与蒙古军队发生战斗。蒙军首领孛林帖木儿等数十人被俘。明军乘胜追至兀良哈秃城，又与蒙军哈刺兀等发生战斗，明军再次取胜。这次北征历时很短，而且史籍记载十分简略，大概是战绩无足称道吧？ 不管怎么说，这次北征，再次给朱棣提供了展示其才能的机会。 洪武三十年。四月初三，朱元璋给晋王、燕王下了一道敕书，谕以“备边十事”： 其一曰，向者发往开平防边擒胡大小将校，宜遣人阅实明白，具籍以闻。是时塞草方青，胡人必顺水草而南，宜谨斥堠，广布置，务殚智虑，设法提防。每一堠用马二匹，而以三十堠为一路，计用六十匹。其相去或二十里，或三十里，则设一路，总十路则用马六百匹。其布置之法，则由内而外，其近里则二十里为一堠，计十堠。外则十五里为一堠，又计十堠。又外则十里为一堠，又计十堠。以此撙节一路，可望五百里，少有烽警，则无不先知矣。 其二曰，须选人领精骑或五六千或七八千，在百五十里至百里外一路潜伏，以侦望之，则可知彼虚实矣。 三曰，所设十路斥堠，每处为三十层，每层马二匹，东西相去二百里，广受所发防边将校。东五层内，西五层内，皆须在十层两向以候远望消息。仍令每堠垒炮积薪，务严备豫，昼则望烟，夜则望火，至加防慎，则彼之多寡亦可知矣。 四曰，王所统大军，除发去都督等员率领提备，其余护卫或一万，或二万，亲王率于附近屯所往来牧放，仍须被坚执锐，夙夜加谨。望远者，去王约三十里，不许顷刻有怠。王之队伍，常在斥堠以里，不宜久驻一处。东西南北往来莫测，又须趁逐水草，随营牧放以就孳焉。 其五曰，今年八月二十日晋王、燕王起程，九月一日，辽、宁、谷、代起程，务在约量程途，同至京师，朕别有议非面谕不可也。 其六曰，今年屯种自东胜至开平，开平至大宁、广宁，须五月，报禾苗长养何如，七月再报结实何如，十月又报所收子粒若于。一岁三报，不惟使朕知边储虚实，而屯军亦不至懈力矣。 其七曰，晋王、燕王宜督诸王并都司、行都司报知孳畜预战马数，必从行太仆亲点视稽验。自洪武二十三年至于今，通计所产驹若干，悉数以闻。 其八曰，京师发去江淮太仆寺孳生马及战马，八年之间数该七万。王督诸王及都司，行都司，以逐年领马之数，稽其原领月日，暨受马月日，条列具陈，仍令太仆寺督并，更加号令催督都司，行都司，毋容少怠。 其九曰，向者所发有罪大小将校，须悉心点视，立成队伍，其中有名到而人不至，及有病亡者，皆须明白具数以闻。 其十曰，不分大小官员并军校等，凡领骒马，验其关领月日，每年纳驹一匹。仍须审其孳产有无，不可一概征索。 特谕尔知，如敕奉行。 初九，朱元璋在给朱棣的信中说： 玉林、天城皆西北要地，非坚城池不可以守。今山西军已筑玉林城，其天城城宜令北平军士筑之。期今岁完。否则来年完之。毋促役以困其力也。 这时朱元璋仍念念不忘对蒙古的防御。不断地向诸王授以御敌方略。就在同一天，朱元璋又下令给晋王燕王说： 近钦天监奏，占天象当有胡兵入寇，朕以为不特天象可以征，以人事度之，胡人近有是谋。Why?前岁秋，山西塞外降胡逃归岭北，此数人居山西八年，安得不以中国虚实为胡人谋乎？此胡人入寇之端也。自今其令都司、行都司简阅步卒、骑兵、或三万或二万，常兼数万步卒，而骑兵每五百以一将领之。五百分为五队，每队领以一战将，而五将咸听一将之令，往来折冲，以据贼阵。步兵亦如骑兵之法，选将领之。严饬队伍与骑兵并进而夹攻。我马虽少，步兵则多，胡马虽多，彼无步卒。苟有侵犯，可与战矣。其深体联意毋忽。 这月，朱元璋又命燕王筑大同城。五月十八，朱元璋再次以天象示变敕谕晋燕代辽宁谷六王说： 验之历代天象若此者，边戍不宁，往往必验。今天象于往者正同，不可不慎也。其应虽非今岁，然二三岁间灼有寇边者。宜令军马东西布列，各守其地。今尔等所守地方，不下六千里，急遽难为聚会，每处军马多者不过一二万，而胡人之马计有十万。其不出则已，设若南行，马势必盛。自非机智深密昼夜熟算，孰能制之？兵法云“致人不致于人”，“多算胜，少算不胜，况无算乎”。吾今老矣，精力衰微，机思谋虑艰于运筹，尔等受封朔土，藩屏朝廷，若不深思远虑，倘或失机误事，非惟贻忧朕躬，尔等安危亦系于是，可不慎哉！ 吾今略与尔谋，或今岁或二三岁，大军未会，止是本护卫及都司行都司军马各守分地，多不过一二万，倘遇胡马十数万寇边，不宜与战，或收入壁垒，或据山谷险隘之处，夹以步兵，深伏以待之。彼见我不与之战，必四出钞掠，俟其骄怠分散，队伍不严，我以马步邀截要道，破之必矣。若一见胡马辄以三五千或一二万轻与之战，岂特不能胜之，必至失利。务在深藏设计，待彼肆意驰骋，则一鼓可擒其首将矣。 五月辛未，朱元璋再以天象受警告燕王、晋王及诸王： 今塞草丰茂，山后地高，夏无酷暑，宜用心为备。上天垂象，不可顷刻自安。尔其训练士马，控弦以备之，庶几无患。 这时，不仅驻于边境的所谓塞王发挥着越来越重要的作用，而且驻于内地的亲王也无不担当重任，如楚王朱桢湘王朱柏，都被命前往镇压西南古州地区少数民族的叛乱。晋王、燕王则不断率兵巡边。六月初十，朱元璋听说晋王、燕王又统军巡视边境，出开平数百里，便派人前往授以方略。He said: 近者人自塞上来，知尔兄弟统军深入。古人统兵，贵乎知己知彼。若能知彼又能知己，虽不能胜亦无凶危。不知己又不知彼，猝与敌遇，凶莫甚焉。且以知己言之。我朝自辽东至于甘肃，东西六千余里。可战之马仅得十万，京师、河南、山东三处马虽有之，若欲赴战，猝难收集。苟事势警急，北平外马悉数不过二万，若逢十万之骑，虽古名将亦难于野战。所以必欲知己，算我马数，如是纵有步军，但可夹马以助声势，若欲追北擒寇，则不能矣。 今尔等率数千马离开平三四百里，驻旷塞中，况无轻骑远侦，以知敌情。设使胡兵数万昼潜夜行，隐柳藏狄，猝然相遇，彼以数万，我以数千，何以当之若欲纵辔驰行，其将何以全军士哉？今吾马数少，止可去城三二十里，往来屯驻，远斥堠，谨烽燧，设信炮，猝有警急，一时可知。胡人上马，动计十万，兵势全备，若欲折冲鏖战，其孰可当？尔等不能深思熟虑，提兵远行，不与敌遇，则侥幸尔。设若遇之，岂不危哉！ 方今马少，全仰步军，必常附城垒。倘有不测，则可固守保全，以待授至，此上策也。 噫，吾起寒微，因天下之乱，不得已入行伍中，不二年从者如云，犹且听命于雄者。又二年，帅将士东渡大江，秣马厉兵于建业，以观天下之变。其诸雄皆放肆无籍之徒。虽曰无籍而元示不能驭。乃命中山武宁王，开平忠武王总兵四征，与群雄并驱。又不数十年，群雄殄灭，偃兵息民，当并驱之。时张士诚称王于姑苏，陈友定扼险于八闽，方国珍擅命于甄越，杜遵道、刘太保僭乱于中原，徐贞一、陈友谅相继僭号称尊于江汉。兵无纪律，同类相夷。元义兵李察罕多起河洛，刘大保莫能与敌，梁地遂平。察罕之兵径入齐鲁灭乱，毛氏之类渠帅，虽能婴城固守，及与察罕拒战，所在败北。察罕兵骄气盈，心诈志狂，所以卒殒于敌手。未久，察罕之甥王保保帅兵，一切作为蹈舅之谋，不能服众，以致部下声言效忠朝廷，请命加侏王保保。自是元内外衅生。首将擅兵于外，大臣异权于内，朕观是机，发兵讨之。自洪武元年，兵渡江淮，长驱齐鲁，席卷河南，遂入潼关。复遣大将由邺下趋真定，移营通州，元君弃城北归，而函蓟之区悉定矣。西入晋冀，晋冀乃平，兵渡河西，关中亦定，不三年而天下一统。 噫，吾用兵一世，指挥诸将，未尝败北，致伤军士，正欲养锐以观胡变，夫何诸将日请深入沙漠，不免疲兵于和林，此盖轻信无谋，以致伤生数万。今尔等又入旷塞，提兵远行，设若遇敌岂免凶危？自古及今胡虏为中国患久矣。历代守边之要，未尝不以先谋为急，故朕于北鄙之虑，尤加慎密。尔能听朕之训，明于事势，机无少懈，虽不能胜，彼亦不能为我边患，是良策也。善胜敌者胜于无形，尔其慎哉！ 三十一年三月十二，晋王朱病逝。朱元璋这时已经七十一岁了，对晋王的死非常悲痛，这是继秦王的死后对他的又一个打击。朱元璋对晋王比对秦王更加钟爱，晋王的谥册是这样写的： 朕曰惟先王之典，生有名，殁有谥，所以彰其德表其行也。曩者封建诸子，王尔于晋，为曩国藩屏，于兹有年。尔者因疾永逝。特遵古典，赐谥曰恭。呜呼，谥法者古今之公议，不可废也。尔其有知，服斯宠命。 这与称秦王“不良于德”，谥为“愍”真不可同日而语了。 为了给晋王作陵园，晋世子朱济熺向朱元璋请求民地一千一百余亩。朱元璋命其以八百亩为限。这样犹恐妨民，又命令所占田地以附近官地给予偿还，并根据被占地的多少，分别赐给钞币。朱元璋为表示对晋王的哀掉，辍朝三日。这些都与对秦王的态度大不相同。不久朱元璋便命济熺嗣了晋王之位。 秦王死后，晋燕二王成为北方的强藩。现在晋王也死了。燕王不仅成为诸王中年最长者，而且在实力上，其他诸王也无法与他相颉颃。燕王朱棣的地位在稳步上升，这不仅有他个人的努力，而且上天也给了他机会。He is lucky. 朱元璋的身心愈渐衰弱了，但边防的事仍让他心绪不宁。虽然长期以来，朱元璋并没有给骁勇的燕王以特殊的地位，但在秦、晋二王相继死去后，便不得不对燕王予以注目。四月初九，他再次颂敕书给燕王朱棣，他说： 迩闻近塞烽火数警，此胡虏之诈。彼欲我师出境，伏兵邀我也，不可堕其计中。烽起之处，人莫宜近，虽望远者，亦须去彼三二十里。今秋或有虏骑南行，不寇大宁，即袭开平。度其人马不下数万，岂可不为之虑？可西凉召都指挥庄德、张文杰、开平召刘真、宋晟二都督，辽东召武定侯郭英等会兵一处，辽王以都司及护卫马军悉数而出。北平、山西亦然。步军须十五万，布阵而待，令武定侯、刘都督宋都督翼于左，庄德、张文杰、都指挥陈用翼于右。尔与代、辽、宁、谷、五王居其中。彼此相护，首尾相救，使彼胡虏莫知端倪，则无不胜矣。兵法示饥而实饱，内精而外钝。尔其察之。 大约人到老年，滞于某事，朝思暮虑，不厌其烦，朱元璋也不能例外。五月初八，这个一向很少生病的老人病倒了。七十年的风雨坎坷、殚虑焦思，使得他太疲劳了，而这时仍然念念不忘北边的防御。他再次颁发敕文，要求边将辅助诸王加强边境的防守，他对左都督杨文说： 兵法有言，贰心不可以事上，疑志不可以应敌。为将者不可不知是也。朕子燕王在北平，北平中国之门户。今以尔为总兵，往北平参赞燕王，以北平都司，行都司并燕、谷、宁三府护卫，选练精锐马步军士随燕王往开平提备。一切号令，皆出自王，尔奉而行之。大小官军悉听节制。慎毋贰心而有疑者也。 在北方边防的实践中，他确认了北京为中国门户的地位，也确认了燕王在北方边防的主导地位。接着，他对武定侯郭英说： 朕有天下，胡虏远遁久矣。然萌蘖未殄，不可不防。今命尔为总兵，都督刘真、宋晟为之副，启辽王知之，以辽东都司并护卫各卫所步军除守城马军及原留一百存守斥堠，余皆选练精锐，统领随辽王至开平迤北，择险要屯驻提备。一切号令悉听燕王节制。 二十九，朱元璋再次敕令燕王提兵备边： 朕观成周之时，天下治矣。周公犹告成王曰“诘尔戎兵”，安不忘危之道也。今虽海内无事，然天象示戒，夷狄之患，岂可不防？朕之诸子，汝独才智，克堪其任。秦晋已薨，汝实为长，攘外安内，非汝而谁？已命杨文总北平都司、行都司马军，郭英总辽东都司并辽府护卫，悉听尔节制，尔其总率诸王，相机度势，周防边患，义安黎民，以答上天之心，以副吾付托之意。其敬慎之勿怠。 这是他发出的最后一道敕书了。闰五月乙酉，这位大明开国皇帝离开了人世。就在辞世这一天，他还像平常一样地处理政务。但他已感到病体不支，将不久于人世。于是他令内侍焚香祝天祷告上帝。他说：“寿年久近，国祚短长，子孙贤否，惟简在帝心，为生民福。”据说，在临终前他曾派人持符召燕王还京，但是燕王行至淮安，被当事者假借他的命令阻还。朱元璋在临终时还问左右，第四子来了没有。 南京城内外，漫天飘洒着细雨，正是禾苗盼望着的雨，它如同甘霖，降福给人间。朱元璋听到雨声，带着满意的笑容闭上了双眼。朱元璋生于艰危，起于闾里，不数年间便统有了全国，成为中国历史上一位杰出的皇帝。之所以能够如此，除社会给他提供了广阔的舞台外，全靠了他的超人的智慧和能力。真好像明人所称的“天纵神圣”。然而他虚心克己，不忘本分，直到死前不久，他还想到自己的父母和家乡。四月己丑，他祭享太庙完毕后，看见庙门外高大的桐梓树，对太常寺臣说：“往年来此，今不觉成林。”他又想起了祖宗家乡，说：“凤阳陵树当亦似此。”说着便落下泪来。不论在叱咤风云的战场，还是在金碧辉煌的宫殿，朱元璋的心始终没有忘掉养育他的家乡凤阳，没有忘记他所经历的坎坷与磨难，或许这也是他成功的一个原因吧。因为这种赤子之心诚无疑对他是一种约束，所以使他保持了较清醒的头脑，而不致于过度地放肆骄奢。在他统治的三十一年时间里，封建政治制度进一步完善了，中国封建社会进入了一个新的时期。然而他所开创的事业能否继续下去？怎样继续下去呢？让我们来揭开历史的这一页吧！