Chapter 4 [Most successful and ruthless usurper] -2

Tie Xuan arranges a "surrender plan".He sent strong men to install large iron plates on the top of the round arch of the city gate, and made the guards cry, "Jinan City is about to be flooded, we are going to die!" Instead of guarding the city as an envoy, he knelt down at King Yan's camp and begged for surrender: "There are treacherous officials in the court who slander you, which made you risk your life and fight to the death. You are the son of Emperor Gao. We are all subjects of Emperor Gao. You surrender. But we Jinan people don't practice military revolution, and we are afraid of being killed by the soldiers when we see the army pressing down on the border. Please retreat ten miles and enter the city alone. We welcome you!"

Yan Wang Zhu Di didn't know what it was, and was overjoyed when he heard the words.After several days of expedition, Yan's soldiers were exhausted. If the city of Jinan surrendered, they would be able to cut off the north and south and occupy the entire Central Plains.Therefore, Zhu Di hurriedly ordered the sergeants to move the camp and retreat. He rode a high horse with a big yellow canopy, and only brought a few horsemen as guards. He crossed the moat bridge and entered the city to prepare for surrender. The city gates are wide open.The Ming army guarding the city gathered on the city wall and looked down.As soon as Yan Wang Zhu Di entered the city gate, all the soldiers shouted "A thousand years old!" The big iron lever that had been placed on the arch of the gate came crashing down.Fortunately, Zhu Di was lucky, and the iron plate fell a few tenths of a second earlier, hitting the head of King Yan's horse.King Yan rolled to the ground, his face paled in shock. The guards around him hurriedly replaced him with a new horse, and the group turned their horses and ran out.The Jinan guards hurriedly pulled the pontoon bridge over the moat, but unfortunately the bridge was heavy for a long time, and after a lot of effort, they could only pull it up to a height of more than one meter. Zhu Di and a group of guards galloped away on horseback.

Furious, Zhu Di attacked the city again.Tie Xuan fell on the top of the wall and scolded Zhu Di for being a traitor.King Yan was furious, and moved several cannons to bombard the city.At the critical juncture, Tie Xuan personally wrote the God Tablet of Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor Gao, and hung it above the four cities.Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's divine tablet, Yan soldiers dared not use shelling again, and Jinan City was preserved. During the stalemate, Tie Xuan often made surprises and sent brave soldiers to protrude from the city day and night, harassing and attacking the Yan soldiers, making this group of exhausted troops helpless and many of them were killed.

Zhu Di was very angry and had nothing to do.The monk Daoyan persuaded him that the veterans of the Yan Bing Division were tired and should return to Peiping to make another move.Zhu Di listened to the persuasion, and the teacher returned to Peiping. Tie Xuan and Ming general Sheng Yong pursued the victory and regained Dezhou and other places, greatly boosting their military power. Emperor Jianwen issued an edict to promote Tiexuan as Minister of the Ministry of War (Qi and Qin had resigned at that time) to assist Sheng Yong in preparing for the Northern Expedition of the Yan Army. In October 1400, Emperor Jianwen issued an edict ordering General Sheng Yong to lead the Northern Expedition of the Yan forces.The deputy general Wu Jie marched into Dingzhou, and the governor Xu Kai and others stationed in Cangzhou.

In November, King Zhu Di of Yan heard that Sheng Yong was marching towards Beiping, so he wanted to pre-emptively attack Cangzhou, and feared that the Ming army would be prepared, so he threatened to attack the Ming army in Liaodong. When the generals of the Yan army heard that they were going to fight in Liaodong again in the cold, they were all depressed.Traveling to Tongzhou, Zhang Yu, Zhu Neng and others will enter the account and persuade the King of Yan: "Now that the enemy is facing us, we have sent troops to expedition to the bitter cold land in Liaodong. The soldiers are separated, and I am afraid that the division will not be good."

Zhu Diping went to the others and said to the two generals: "Now the Ming general Sheng Yong is stationed in Dezhou, Wu Jie and Pingan are guarding Dingzhou, Xu Kai and Tao Ming are building a solid city in Cangzhou, leaning on each other as horns. We will go out now. In fact, it is going to surprise Cangzhou. The walls of Dezhou and Dingzhou are thick, and they must not be captured. Cangzhou City has been collapsing for a long time, and now the weather is freezing. The Ming army must be very slow in building the city walls. We must attack!" When the two generals heard the words, they suddenly realized.

When Yan soldiers arrived in Tianjin and passed Zhigu, Zhu Di suddenly ordered the army to turn southward.Most of the Yan soldiers went in without knowing it, and asked one after another: "Didn't we march to the east to conquer Liao? Why did we march to the south?" Zhu Di, the king of Yan, pretended to be a ghost, with a mysterious face, and replied, "I saw two white lights at night, coming from the northeast. Pointing to the southwest, divination a hexagram, the hexagram image means 'going south with great auspiciousness'".So he commanded the Yan soldiers to march in a hurry, traveling three hundred miles a day and night, and arrived at the city of Cangzhou at dawn.

Ming general Xu Kai has been hearing spies that Zhu Di led troops to fight Liaodong, so he is urging Ming soldiers to carry stones and plaster to build the city.The Yan soldiers rushed to the city, and the Ming army only realized the enemy's arrival. Most of the soldiers trembled and were so frightened that they didn't even have time to put on their armor. Regardless of fatigue, Yan soldiers ascended the city with thin flesh, and soon fell into the city. Xu Kai and other generals fled in a hurry, but were intercepted by Yan soldiers who had been ambushing on the way. Several generals were captured alive. More than 10,000 Ming soldiers were beheaded by the Yan army. The tens of thousands of Ming soldiers who surrendered were all buried alive by Yan general Tan Yuan.

At the end of 1400, Zhu Di ordered the Yan soldiers stationed in Zhigu to take a large ship to the north, full of seized luggage and property.He personally led the army south along the river, stationed troops in Guantao, plundered famous names, and burned countless Ming troops.Soon, King Yan led his army to Wenshang to plunder Jining.Ming generals Sheng Yong and Tie Xuan avoided their sharp edge, followed behind and set up camp in Dongchang.As soon as Sun Lin, the vanguard general of the Ming army arrived at Huakou, he was attacked and defeated by the Yan army, and Sun Lin was defeated. The Yan army gathered in Dongchang, ready to attack the Ming army.

When Sheng Yong and Tie Xuan heard that the Yan army was approaching, they hurriedly slaughtered cattle to reward the soldiers, vowed to inspire the crowd, and did enough "ideological work" to prepare for a decisive battle against the city. Due to the repeated victories of the Yan soldiers, they have the heart to underestimate the enemy.Seeing the Ming army marching out of the city, the Yan soldiers rushed forward.The firearms and poisonous crossbows that the Ming army had ambushed for a long time were fired at once, and the Yan army suffered many casualties.At this time, the Ming general Ping An led his Ming army to kill again, joined forces with Sheng Yong, and the two sides fought.

Zhu Di, the king of Yan, repeated his old trick. He rushed to Zuoye with his fine horse, and broke into the backbone of the Ming army.The Ming army gathered heavily and surrounded Zhu Di several times, surrounding the King of Yan every day.Fortunately, Yan general Zhu Neng and others led powerful troops to attack the northeast corner of the Ming army's position in turn, so that Sheng Yong and others withdrew the soldiers from the southwest corner to attack and intercept, and the Ming army that surrounded King Yan slowed down a little. Zhu Neng led his fine cavalry into the formation and fought to the death to protect Zhu Di from the encirclement.General Zhang Yu of Yan didn't know that King Yan had withdrawn safely, so he desperately rushed into the Ming army's formation to seek the savior, but finally exhausted, he was chopped into several pieces by the Ming army with their men and horses. The Ming army took advantage of the victory to attack and beheaded more than 10,000 Yan soldiers.The Yan army was defeated, and the Ming army followed and chased, killing tens of thousands of Yan troops. In this battle, if there had been no edict from Emperor Jianwen not to harm King Yan, Zhu Di would have lost ten more lives. "It's a battle, the king of Yan is in danger, and the generals are ordered, and no one dares to increase the edge."Zhu Di himself had to behave cheaply, and stood up in every battle, and fought hand-to-hand with the Ming army.In addition, he himself is proficient in cavalry and archery. Every time the Yan soldiers are defeated, he often rides one at the rear and shoots arrows, killing and wounding hundreds of pursuers, so that the troops can escape safely.With this kind of unfair competition, Ming soldiers and generals have no choice but to admit that they are unlucky and look at others with sighs. On the way to escape, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Di's son, rushed to help in time to repel Sheng Yong's pursuers.Soon, Yan general Zhu Lu and others also arrived, and they all joined forces, and the troops were slightly reorganized.Hearing the defeat of General Zhang Yu, the King of Yan wept bitterly, and sighed: "Victory and defeat are common things, and there is nothing to worry about. In difficult times, it is very sad to lose this good assistant!" , posthumously named Duke Rong and King Hejian. In the first month of the spring of the third year of Jianwen (February 1401), the news of the great victory in Dongchang came. Emperor Jianwen was overjoyed and went to the Taimiao to worship his ancestors. In the Fifth Battle of Jiahe, King Zhu Di of Yan returned to Beiping, wrote a sacrificial tribute in person, mourned Zhang Yu and other fallen soldiers, and took off his robes and burned them in front of everyone. To know the heart!" This kind of performance of buying people's hearts is very effective, and the fathers, brothers and children of the Yan army officers and soldiers all wept with emotion. After the "memorial service", Zhu Di gathered the soldiers again, summed up the reasons for the defeat in the Dongchang Battle, and said to the soldiers: "In the past few battles, our Yan army was sure to win every battle. In the battle of Dongchang, we retreated immediately after receiving the battle, so we gave up all our previous achievements. You are desperate, so you can survive ten thousand deaths. It is said that those who are not afraid of death will live! From now on, don't underestimate the enemy. Do not retreat, offenders will be killed without mercy!" The Yan army went out again, second to Baoding. At that time, 200,000 troops of Ming army Sheng Yong and his troops were stationed in Dezhou, and Wu Jie and Ping'an raised their troops out of Zhending. The general of the Yan army suggested to gather heavy troops to capture Dingzhou first.Zhu Di said no. "Field battles are easy, but siege is difficult. Today Shengyong gathers in Dezhou, Wu Jie and Pingan are stationed in Zhending, and they are horns. Before the siege is over, the two Ming armies join forces to help. A strong city is in front, and a strong enemy is in the back. It's hard to judge. It's really more than 200 miles away from Dezhou. Among our troops, the enemy will come out to fight, and if one of them is taken, the rest of the enemy will be defeated." The generals were puzzled, and asked again: "Our army is sandwiched between two enemies. What should we do if they attack from the back?" Zhu Di said: "A hundred miles away, the situation is irrelevant. The two armies are close to each other, and victory or defeat is in the breath. Although a hundred steps cannot save each other, let alone two hundred miles!" In April, the Yan army attacked the Hutuo River.Zhu Di often sent sentry rangers around Zhending and Dingzhou to confuse the Ming army. Soon, the detectives reported that Zhu Di and Sheng Yong led their troops to camp in Jiahe and safely stationed in Shanjiaqiao.Zhu Di led his troops across the river from Chenjiadu to meet them, forty miles away from the Ming army. In previous battles, it was mostly Yan Wang Zhu Di who sent out surprise troops and attacked suddenly.This battle is really a fairplay. The two sides set up formations on the banks of the Jiahe River, each fully prepared. Zhu Di still looked carefree and nonchalant. He rode out of the battle with only three entourages behind him. He was not in a hurry and rode to a place tens of meters in front of the Sheng Yongming army to observe carefully.What caught Zhu Di's eyes was the neat and orderly formation of Sheng Yong's Ming army, as well as the jet trains, giant guns and strong crossbows beside the formation.If other Yan generals were attacking the formation, not to mention four people, it would be four hundred people. If the Ming army gave an order and fired their crossbows furiously, those who came would definitely turn into hedgehogs immediately.King Yan came by himself, and the Ming general still obeyed Emperor Jianwen's edict of "not to harm my uncle", and watched Zhu Di wandering past the front of the formation as if he was inspecting his troops.It wasn't until Zhu Di swept past that Sheng Yong sent people to chase them down, but they were all shot down by the archer-savvy prince. King Yan returned to the formation, and waved his hand to signal for more than 10,000 steps to ride forward, approaching the left wing of Sheng Yong's Ming army.The Ming army raised huge and tough shields (similar to today's riot shields) to resist the Yan army's arrow blades.Unexpectedly, the Yan soldiers had already prepared for the shield formation. They had prepared large spears six or seven feet long in advance, with iron nails running across the end, and barbs at the end of the nails, so that the second row of Yan soldiers stood still and threw javelins at The Ming army's shield formation hurled violently, and then swarmed forward and pulled it back. In this way, the Ming army would definitely get up and try to break free. All of a sudden, many flaws and gaps were exposed in the shield formation, and the rest of the Yan soldiers with short soldiers just took advantage of it. And entered, killing and wounding many Ming soldiers.Unable to resist, the Ming army abandoned their shields and retreated one after another, while the Yan soldiers ravaged the formation. Yan general Tan Yuan saw that the left wing of the Ming army was in chaos, and immediately led his subordinates to take advantage of the situation and make great efforts.Unexpectedly, the Ming general Zhuang De came rushing in from the oblique stab, and led the crowd to fight to the death, filling the gap in the left formation of the Ming army.At the same time, they killed Yan general Tan Yuan and hundreds of his men.Yan generals Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu (sons of Zhang Yu) also marched forward.Zhu Di himself relied on the fact that the southern soldiers did not dare to shoot arrows or spears at him, so he led a group of powerful cavalry to protrude from the back of the Ming army's formation, straight through the front of the formation, and joined Zhu Neng's army, like a sharp knife, stabbing the Ming army through. Feeling cold.The firearms and crossbows prepared at the beginning were too late to launch, and the Ming army was in a mess, and everything was in chaos.During the melee, Zhuang De, who had just killed Yan general Tan Yuan, was beheaded by the Yan soldiers. Moreover, "Zhang Zaoqi", the most valiant role model in the Ming army, was also killed in battle.This man was a tall and fit soldier, and every time he rushed to the battle, he would go up first with the soap flag in his hand. The Yan army was very afraid of this man, and called him "Zao Qi Zhang".Although he was stabbed countless times with swords in the chaotic battle, "Zhang Zaoqi" still "holds the Zaoqi flag and will not serve him" when he is dying. The two sides fought fiercely for a whole day, and in the evening, they gathered their troops and returned to their camps. In order to delay Sheng Yong's Ming army in an attempt to wipe it out, Zhu Di took more than ten riders to the Ming camp and "settled" overnight.At dawn, when everyone opened their eyes, they suddenly saw Sheng Yong's Ming soldiers on the left and right.The guards on the left and right implored King Yan to leave quickly, but Zhu Di remained calm, said "Don't be afraid", arranged his clothes and armor very calmly, and then got on his horse. "When the sun rises, lead the horn of the horse, pass through the enemy camp, and go calmly. The generals (Ming Army) look at each other, and no one dares to shoot an arrow." This scene is completely the most provocative and least convincing movie scene in contemporary martial arts romance films. One can think of its heroic and heroic demeanor under the rising sun, and one can lament that Emperor Jianwen "don't hurt the emperor" Uncle's stupidity. After Zhu Di, the King of Yan, returned to the camp, he ordered the generals to say: "Tan Yuan's counterattack was too early yesterday, so he could not succeed. Although the enemy army was defeated for a while, they still had the fighting spirit. Only by dying of their lives can they wipe out the enemy in one fell swoop. Today, the two armies In battle, you must keep your formations in order. I will lead the fine riders to gallop between the formations. Once you see a gap that the enemy can take advantage of, you will charge with all your strength. The two formations are equal, and the brave will win today. The battle depends on the bravery of your generals!" The two sides resumed fighting.Sheng Yong's Ming army was in the southwest, and Zhu Diyan's army was in the northeast.Zhu Di not only supervised the battle, but also led a group of surprise soldiers to attack back and forth, left and right.From Chenshi to Weishi, the two armies won and lost each other, retreating and advancing suddenly, and it was really hard to tell the winner for a while.Since they had been starving and fighting to the death, the soldiers on both sides were extremely exhausted, and each sat on the ground to breathe and rest.Suddenly, the northeast wind blew up, the dust rose into the sky, the gravel hit the face, and no one could be seen at a distance, and the soldiers on both sides were blinded by the blowing.Most of the Ming soldiers were from the south, and they had rarely seen such sandstorms. Coupled with the strong wind blowing in front of them, they were panicked and at a loss.The Yan soldiers took advantage of the wind and shouted to attack. Zhu Di sent the left and right wings of the reserve team forward together, and the sound of the drums shook the sky and the earth.Sheng Yong's Ming army was defeated, and they threw down their weapons and fled. After the great victory in Dongchang, the Ming army led by Sheng Yong was paralyzed and underestimated the enemy from top to bottom. All the soldiers were dressed in splendid robes and covered with seized gold and silver buckles. Feast and drink." In this defeat, the Ming army threw things while running to escape, and the former "trophies" became the "captures" of the enemy. "The king of Yan returned to the camp after the battle, his face was covered with dust, and the generals couldn't recognize him. Hearing the voice, he began to advance." It can be seen how hard the battle was. In the sixth battle of the Great War, Emperor Jianwen became more and more worried because of successive defeats in the Battle of Hutuohe. "I ordered Qitai and Huang Zicheng to go outside, ordering Si to join his family to thank the Yan people." In fact, just for show, Emperor Jianwen sent two more people to recruit soldiers outside the capital. In May of the third year of Jianwen (1401), Ming general Wu Jie set off from Zhending to lead his troops, intending to join forces with Sheng Yong.Just eighty miles away, news of Sheng Yong's defeat came, and Wu Jie hurriedly led his army to retreat to Zhending. Yan Wang Zhu Di is really good at knowing generals.He said: "Wu Jie is like sticking to Yingcheng, which is the best policy; if the army goes out and returns immediately, avoiding me and not fighting, it is the middle policy; if he comes to seek war, then the worst policy is also. I predict that he will come up with the worst policy, and it will be broken." In order to lure Wu Jie's army to attack, King Yan ordered the sergeants to go out of the camp to search for food, but the number of miles was limited and they could not be too far away from the camp.At the same time, he sent soldiers to disguise themselves as ordinary people, fled into Zhending City with a baby in their arms, and reported that "Yan soldiers scattered to search for food, and the camp was unprepared." Wu Jie really took the bait.He believed that the Yan army had won new victories and was full of ambition, so he wanted to cover up his surprise with light divisions, and led his army from Zhending City to the Hutuo River, seventy miles away from the Yan army. King Yan was overjoyed when he heard that the army had left the city.It was evening, and Zhu Di urged the soldiers to cross the river.All the generals persuaded him to cross again in the morning, but the King of Yan refused to allow it: "Don't miss this opportunity. If you wait a little longer, he will retreat and defend Zhending. The city is strong and food is sufficient, and it will be difficult to attack." The cavalry of the Yan army crossed together from the upper stream, the river was blocked, and the water in the lower stream was shallow. A large number of Yan army infantry also took the opportunity to rush across and wade across the river. Because it was getting late, fearing that the Ming army would escape, King Yan led dozens of horsemen to "force the enemy to camp", so that the Ming army soldiers could see his appearance and restrain the opponent. Early in the morning, the Ming general Wu Jie and others lined up a square formation in the southwest, and the troops were strictly waiting. Seeing Wu Jie's square formation, Zhu Di, who was old in the army, laughed and said to the generals: "The square formation is surrounded by enemies, how can it win! I attack one corner with sentinels, and if one corner is defeated, the rest will collapse by itself! "Therefore, Zhu Di first sent soldiers to shout a feint attack from three sides, and his own masters and teachers stormed the northeast corner of Wu Jie's phalanx. The Yan generals fought bravely to be the first, supervising the battle with great effort. Zhu Di, King of Yan, resorted to the trick behind the enemy again, and led a group of people to gallop along the bank of the Hutuo River, bypassing the formation of the Ming army and rushing in, shouting for strength.The arrows of the Ming army rained down like rain, and arrows piled up like hedgehog hairs on the banner held by the guards of King Yan.Even so, most of the soldiers of the Yan army were killed and wounded, but Yan Wang Zhu Di himself was not hit by an arrow. The Ming general Ping An set up a watchtower several feet high in the middle of the formation, and climbed up to watch the situation of the Yan army.Seeing the name of General Ping'an's flag, Yan Wang Zhu Di knew that this person was the courage of the Ming army, so he personally led his troops to the watchtower.Seeing Zhu Di coming on horseback with a gun, Pingan couldn't help but panic, jumped off in a hurry, and rode away to escape.Just when a strong wind suddenly rose, the houses were pulled down and the trees were uprooted. The Yan army took advantage of it, and Wu Jie's Ming army was defeated.It was really strange that there was another strong wind in early summer, and the god of fate once again favored Zhu Di at a critical moment.Zhu Di's troops flocked in all directions, and the Ming army was beheaded by more than 60,000 ranks.Wu Jie and others led the remnants of the army to retreat to ensure the truth. So far, the battle of Hutuo River ended with King Yan's victory again. The final victory leading to the imperial capital. After the victory of Yan Bing this time, many counties and counties in Hebei surrendered, and Shunde, Guangping, Daming and other places were all attached to Yan.Zhu Di wrote to Emperor Jianwen, asking the court to call back Wu Jie, Ping'an, and Sheng Yong, and both sides to strike. Emperor Jianwen showed the letter of King Yan to his ministers. Fang Xiaoru came up with an idea and said: "Our armies are still gathering. The Yan army has been guarding the place for a long time. The summer is hot and rainy, and it will be exhausted without fighting. Now, the generals in Liaodong should be ordered to enter Shanhaiguan as an emergency. , to attack Yongping, it is really determined that the generals will cross the Lugou Bridge and attack Beiping. The Yan army will return to the army in a hurry to defend the lair, and our army will chase after it, and it will succeed in one fell swoop. An edict was issued to forgive his crimes, so that his deployment has been slack for a long time and the morale of the army has been scattered." Therefore, Emperor Jianwen sent Dali Shaoqing Xue (Shangshan Xiapin) to enter the Yan camp with an edict, pardoning the father and son of Yan and the officers and men of the Yan army for their crimes, and returning to the king, not to pre-empt the military administration, and return to the country to stop the army. Xue (up to the next level) sees Zhu Di.Zhu Di asked Emperor Jianwen what to teach.Xue (Shangshanxiapin) said: "The emperor said that as long as His Royal Highness releases his armor in the morning and comes to pay a visit to Xiaoling, the army will be ready to march in the evening." Zhu Di was furious when he heard the words: "Huh! Even a three-foot boy can't be fooled by this." The soldiers of King Yan clamored in the tent, threatening to kill the emperor's envoy one after another.After Zhu Di finished his red face, he turned pale again. "There are only a few treacherous ministers, Xue (upper mountain low-rank) envoy of the emperor, don't act rashly!" Then, he took Xue (upper mountain low-rank) to observe shooting in the camp, showing off his power and showing his strength. Before leaving, he said to Xue (Shangshanxiapin): "You return, thank the emperor for the old minister... But the treacherous minister is still there, the army has not yet returned, and the ministers and soldiers are suspicious and unwilling to disperse. I hope the emperor will punish the traitors." , Scattered the soldiers of the world, and the ministers, father and son rode back to the palace alone, and only His Majesty ordered them." Like Zhu Di, he doesn't take hard and soft things.Jianwen Junchen had to think of a way. During the period when the Yan army was stationed in Daming, Ming generals Wu Jie and Pingan sent troops to cut off the Beiping grain and grass transportation line.Zhu Di reciprocated and sent 6,000 light cavalry to gallop around Xuzhou and Peixian, disguised as the southern army, and planted willow branches in the north as a secret signal, shot past the Ming army's defenses, went straight into Jining's warehouses, and burned the Ming army's grain reserves.Then, Zhu Di secretly sent troops to sneak into Shahe and Peixian counties, burning tens of thousands of grain ships of the Ming army, turning countless military equipment into ashes, and the river was extremely hot. As a result, food and payment in Dezhou were cut off, and the capital was shaken. The Ming general Ping An Zai Ding was unwilling to be lonely, and prepared to take the initiative to attack Peiping.He led his army to camp in Pingcun, fifty miles away from Beiping, and often sent troops to harass Yan soldiers.Zhu Gaochi, the prince of Yan, sent an envoy to ask the king of Yan for help. Zhu Di sent General Liu Jiang back in the dark, carrying dozens of cannons, and immediately ignited the cannons outside the city. Yan soldiers in the city rushed out, and the two sides attacked.It's sure to go safely. During this period, Fang Xiaoru also proposed to Emperor Jianwen to oppose the father and son of King Yan—send envoys to Beiping, and bestow Emperor Zhu Gaochi, the son of Yan, with a personal edict, "If you return to the court, Xu Ru will be king."Huang Yan, the eunuch in Beiping City, was at odds with Zhu Gaochi. When he saw the court messenger coming, he immediately sent someone to report to King Yan that "the son will rebel."Zhu Di hesitated, and asked another son, Zhu Gaoxu, for advice.Zhu Gaoxu replied: "The son has a very good relationship with the grandson (Emperor Jianwen)." Several people were discussing how to get rid of the "betrayed father" son, Zhu Gaochi had sent someone to send the tightly bound envoys of Emperor Jianwen and the unopened edict to Zhu Di's camp. King Zhu Di of Yan was both surprised and delighted. After reading the letter, he sighed, "Kill my son!" In August 1401, Ming general Sheng Yong ordered Datong defender Fang Zhao to lead troops into Zijing Pass, harass the counties in Baoding, and garrison troops in Xishuizhai, Yi County.Xishui Village is located in the midst of thousands of mountains. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. You can spy on Beiping and move with your camera. When Zhu Di heard the news, he knew that Baoding was a county of Guji, and if Baoding was lost, Beiping would be in danger, so the Yan army led the division. The Yan army crossed the Hutuo River and arrived at Wan County, where they added troops to guard Baoding.On the march, Zhu Di also sent 30,000 elite cavalry to attack the large amount of food and salaries sent by Ming general Wu Jie to Fang Zhao, and besieged Xishui Village. Wu Jie sent people to help, and when he was about to reach Jinshui Village, he was ambushed by Yan soldiers and was defeated. The guards of Jinshui Village were horrified by this and fled together with Zhending soldiers.In this battle, the Yan army beheaded more than 10,000 ranks, and the Ming army fell off the cliff and died nearly 10,000 people. Except for Fang Zhao, many senior generals were captured alive. After the victory, the Yan army returned to Peiping. In December 1401, Emperor Jianwen sent his loyal son-in-law Captain Mei Yin to guard Huai'an, recruiting 400,000 troops to garrison Huai to strangle the Yan army. So far, Zhu Di, the king of Yan, raised his army for three years. Although he defeated the Ming army many times, he only gained land in Yongping, Daning, and Baoding.Although the Ming army suffered repeated setbacks, the distribution of troops was frequent and there were news of victories from time to time.The Ming army is a regular army supporting Zhengshuo, and its name is justifiable. From the overall situation, Zhu Di does not have any advantage in this fight.If the war drags on and on, Yan's soldiers are exhausted, and people's hearts are scattered, maybe a few generals will be killed and beheaded Zhu Di and his son in order to get rich. At the most critical moment, the eunuchs in Emperor Jianwen's palace helped Zhu Di a lot.Because Emperor Jianwen was very strict with his courtiers, many eunuchs harbored resentment.Emperor Jianwen obeyed the will of the old emperor Zhu Yuanzhang and strictly prevented eunuchs from interfering in politics, only treating them as slaves for cleaning.At the same time, Emperor Jianwen severely punished the eunuch leaders who went out to blackmail in the name of the emperor, making these men and women full of resentment, and sent people to Zhu Di one after another to express their favor, and "Jinling is empty" The news told the King of Yan that he suggested that the Yan army "advance quickly while taking advantage of the time". A word to wake up the dreamer!Zhu Di made up his mind to go straight to Jinling, preparing for a decisive battle with Emperor Jianwen Linjiang, fighting to the death. At the beginning of the fourth year of Jianwen (1402), Zhu Di raised his troops out of Peiping.The morale of the Yan army was high, and they first defeated the Ming soldiers in Gaocheng, beheading 4,000 soldiers, followed by breaking Hengshui, going down to Dong'e, and sinking Pei counties, and in Zou County, they defeated the Ming army with more than three logistics soldiers. Surround Xuzhou directly.The Ming soldiers in Xuzhou were terrified, and they dared not fight in the city.The Yan army bypassed Xuzhou and headed for Suzhou. The Yan army marched to the Feihe River, and the Ming general Ping An led an army of 40,000 to follow behind.After observing the terrain, Zhu Di judged: "There are many trees in the riverside area, and the enemy soldiers will definitely suspect that our army will set up an ambush. The Feihe River is flat and there are few trees. If you don't doubt it, you can set up an ambush." ​​With 20,000 elite soldiers under his own teacher, they took three days of rations and set up an ambush at the Feihe River.Before leaving, he ordered all the generals that as soon as the Yan soldiers started fighting with the enemy, he immediately ordered the soldiers who had not participated in the battle to hold up the torches along the way to scare the Ming army. The Ping An Ming army is approaching, and Zhu Di sent hundreds of Yan troops to meet them.When Yan Bing saw the Ming army, he pretended to be panic-stricken, dropped a large number of bags that looked like gold silk, turned his horse's head and fled, in order to lure the Ming army into the ambush circle.The soldiers of the Ming army got off their horses one after another, scrambling for the "goods" in the big bag.When I opened it, it was full of rotten grass.As a result, the Ming army's cavalry formation was a little chaotic.In the midst of the noise, they have entered the ambush circle of the Yan army. With the sound of a gong, the Yan soldiers jumped up, and the Ming army led by Ping'an knew that they had hit the trick, so they turned around and left.Ping'an led 3,000 cavalry to die on the north bank. Zhu Di, the king of Yan, blocked Ping'an's way with only dozens of cavalry.There is a Mongolian brave general named Huo Erhui under Ping'an, who was also a general under King Yan before.After serving the capital for several years, he was sent by Emperor Jianwen to serve as the main force under Ping'an.Huo Erhui recognized the face of King Yan, and ran towards Zhu Di with a long spear in his hand.Zhu Di's Yan general Tong Xin shot an arrow at Huo's ear ash's mount, and the Yan soldiers captured Huo's ash alive.Ha Santie Fungus, a trilogy of Huo Erhui, was also very brave. Seeing that the master was about to be captured, he immediately rode his horse to kill him, and was shot down by the Yan army and captured alive.Seeing this, the Ming army was terrified and left in defeat. That night, Zhu Di released Huo Erhui and others, and took these simple, loyal and brave Mongolians as his personal bodyguards.The generals advised him to be careful, but Zhu Di refused to listen.The northerners are simple and straightforward, and Zhu Di has seen this, so he has no doubts about the employment. Zhu Di sent his troops to Linhuai and smashed the logistics troops of the Ming army.Tie Xuan, Minister of the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty, led his troops to welcome him, but the Yan army was defeated in the battle. During the crisis, Zhu Di was lucky to be protected by Huo Erhui and other Mongolian guards, and he was not in any danger. (Huo ear ash repays kindness really quickly) In May 1402, the Ming general camped safely on the south bank of the small river, and the Yan army camped on the north bank of the river.After their respective preparations, the two sides fought in the early morning. During the scuffle, Ping An stabbed from the left to the right, and confronted Yan Wang Zhu Di in Beiban. At this time, Ping An also ignored the edict "Don't hurt my uncle", raised his spear and almost stabbed Zhu Di several times.No matter how good his skills were, Zhu Di panicked when he met someone who was serious about the opponent.Fortunately, Wang Qi, the commander of the Yan army's fan cavalry, arrived, and the leaping horse went straight to Ping'an, and Ping's mount stumbled again, and Zhu Di escaped with his life. The two sides fought all day, each with casualties.So the Ming army stationed in the south of the bridge, and the Yan army stationed in the north of the bridge, and they stalemate for several days.Soon, the Ming army ran out of food, and Yan soldiers took advantage of the time to attack.Just when Ming general Xu Hui's ancestral army arrived, the two sides fought again in Qi Meishan, "from noon to you, the outcome was even." During the chaotic battle, Yan generals Wang Zhen, Chen Wen, Li Bin and others were all killed in battle. The generals were terrified and advised Zhu Di: "Our army has been deep for a long time, the summer rains are continuous, the Huai soil is steaming and wet, and diseases frequently occur. , it is better to return to the east of the small river, rest the soldiers and horses, and then make plans." Zhu Di insisted on advancing. He said: "There is no retreat in the military! Now that our army is victorious, if we turn around and return north, the army's morale will immediately disintegrate!" Among them, only Yan general Zhu Neng stood firmly on the side of King Yan. I urge the generals to persevere again, and don't give up. The courtiers of Jianwen found out the news and knew that the Yan army was struggling, and the defeat had been revealed, so they advised Emperor Jianwen, saying: "The Yan army will soon be defeated, and the capital must not have unscrupulous generals." Wei Jingshi, in this way, there is only a lone army led by He Fu left in the Xiaohe battlefield to stand against the Yan army. During the confrontation between the two sides, Zhu Di, the king of Yan, ordered the sergeants to rest and reorganize, gave them property and bought the morale of the soldiers.Because of the fear of war, the Ming army often dug trenches and built fortifications. The sergeants had no breath day and night, exhausted manpower, and often had no physical strength when fighting. Due to lack of food for a long time, Ming general He Fu ordered to move the camp to Lingbi for food.At that time, the 60,000 cavalry of the Ping'an Division of the Ming Dynasty escorted a large number of grain transport vehicles to He Fuying.After Zhu Di found out the news, he sent more than 10,000 elite soldiers to stop Ping An's reinforcements, and sent Zhu Gaoxu to ambush in the forest, waiting for the Ming army to suddenly rush out to help when the two sides were exhausted after the scuffle. After the Yan Wang Zhu Di made arrangements, he led his division to fight against the enemy, and the cavalry on both wings fanned out to kill the reinforcements transported by the Ming Dynasty.Ping'an led the army to rush in and intercepted and killed more than a thousand Yan soldiers.Seeing this, Zhu Di hurriedly ordered the infantry to strike across the Ming army's formation and cut off its army.Ming general He Fu saw that the battle had already begun, so he also led his army out of the wall to fight, and joined forces with Ping An to attack the Yan army, and killed more than a thousand Yan soldiers, but the Yan army was small. Zhu Gaoxu saw that the two sides were fighting at about the same level, and while the Ming army was breathing, he suddenly led the Yan army to join the battle.He Fu and others were defeated, killing and injuring more than 10,000 people, and losing more than 3,000 horses. The Yan army received all the food and wages of the Ming army. After the Ming army led by He Fu fled into the camp, their eyes turned blue from hunger.The generals gathered to discuss matters and decided to break through the siege the next day. Hearing the sound of cannons, he opened the door and rushed out.Before dawn, Zhu Di had commanded the army to attack the Ming camp. The generals ascended first, and the soldiers followed.The Yan army fired three cannons, and the Ming army under He Fu mistook them for the cannons of their own barracks to break out of the siege, and rushed to push the barracks gate.The door plug could not be reached, the Ming army quarreled with each other, the men and horses fell into the trenches, and the deep trenches were full.The Yan soldiers took advantage of the momentum to attack, and the Ming army was completely defeated. In this battle, except for He Fu who escaped by chance, General Ping An and Chen Hui were all captured alive by the Yan army due to the inconvenience of riding horses in the camp.So far, the main force of the Ming army has almost lost more than half. Seeing Ping An being bound and taken into the big tent, King Zhu Di of Yan asked with a smile: "The battle of Feihe, the stallion didn't stand still, so why did you meet me?" Pingan loudly said: "Pricking Your Highness is like pulling a rotten ear!" Faced with such a loyal and unyielding man, Zhu Di himself had to admire: "Emperor Gao (Zhu Yuanzhang) is good at raising strong men!" (Ping'an, a native of Chuzhou, Anhui, with a small character of Bao'er. His father, Ping Ding, started an army from Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, and died in battle with General Chang Yuchun when he attacked Yuan Dadu. Ping'an was the adopted son of Zhu Yuanzhang. He was brave and good at fighting, and he was extremely powerful. He was a general Zhengyan defeated the Yan army many times. There was a brave general in the Yan army, Wang Zhen. Zhu Di often boasted to others, saying: "The generals are as brave as Wang Zhen, so nothing can be done!" All the armies. Therefore, when the Yan army saw that Ping'an was captured, the army cheered and shouted: "We are safe from now on!" Zhu Di sent the Ping'an weapon to Peiping in order to buy people's hearts. After he proclaimed himself emperor, he was still hypocritical Taking Ping An as the command envoy of the capital of Peking, he was soon reassigned the vacant post of the Governor of the Houfu (Minister of People and Armed Forces). In the seventh year of Yongle, Zhu Di inspected Beijing. Said: "Is Ping Baoer still alive?" Hearing the news, Ping'an knew that Zhu Di was still suspicious, so he committed suicide immediately. Zhu Di's tolerance on the outside and taboo on the inside can also be seen from this) Since then, the situation of the Ming army has taken a sharp turn for the worse.Originally, 100,000 Ming soldiers rushed to Jinan from Liaodong to join forces with Tie Xuan, but they were intercepted and killed by the Yan army when they reached Zhigu, and their master teacher Yang Wen was captured. It is mainly because Zhu Di made an appointment with Tatar soldiers to harass the border continuously and restrain the Ming army in Liaodong, which shows that Zhu Di is still a rebel who is suspected of "traitorism"). In June 1402, Yan soldiers arrived in Sizhou, and the defenders surrendered without a fight. Zhu Di led his troops on the north bank of the Huaihe River, and Ming general Sheng Yong had tens of thousands of troops on the south bank.Not long after, the Yan soldiers launched a surprise attack again. This group of northern soldiers who were accustomed to riding horses was able to send hundreds of people into the southern fleet in small boats to shoot cannons. Taking advantage of the victory, the Yan army conquered Xuyi on the same day and headed straight for Yangzhou. Yangzhou guard general Wang Li and others secretly sent money to King Yan, tied up Wang Bin, the supervisory censor in charge of Jianghuai, and opened the city gate to surrender. Then, Yan Bing surrendered to Gaoyou and Keyizhen.At this time, on the Yangtze River, huge boats with the banner of the King of Yan all over the place shuttled back and forth, and the sky was filled with flags and drums. In Jinling City, the ministers saw that the momentum had changed, and each had their own ulterior motives. They all asked for it in the name of defending the city, which made the capital even more empty. In desperation, Emperor Jianwen sent King Yan's cousin, Princess Qingcheng, into Yanying to ask for peace, and promised to cede the land, divide the north and south with King Yan, and draw the river to rule. Now that the matter has come to this point, of course Zhu Di will not do it, and politely refuses. Emperor Jianwen was anxious and asked Fang Xiaoru, "What can we do now?" Xiaoru, a scholar, could only reply: "The Yangtze River can serve as a million soldiers. The Jiangbei ship has been sent to burn. How can the Northern Division fly across?" In July, the Yan army assembled and attacked the Ming army at Puzikou.The Ming general Sheng Yong fought against the generals, but he also repelled the Yan army and won another temporary victory. At this point, Zhu Di wanted to negotiate peace with his nephew.It is estimated that the weather is so hot that Zhu Di himself can't stand it. After all, he has already won half of the country, and he wants to go back to Beiping to rest for a while before making plans.If Zhu Di returns to Peiping this time, what happens afterwards is really unpredictable.No one can tell whether he won a big victory or a big defeat. Besides, Jianwen's grandson is the heir of Zhengshuo, the moral power of the army and the people is extremely powerful, and it may suddenly cause the Yan army to fall like a mountain overnight. At the crucial point, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Di's son who was used to fighting, came with a new force. Seeing this, Zhu Di couldn't help but be overjoyed.He jumped up, wearing armor all over his body, stroking Zhu Gaoxu's back and said, "Mianzhi! Your son is so sick." The implication is that the right of inheritance should be passed on to Zhu Gaoxu.With this sentence, Zhu Gaoxu was determined to fight to the death as if he had been given a shot in the arm. Emperor Jianwen originally sent the governor Chen Xuan to lead an army to reinforce Sheng Yong, but Chen Xuan went straight across the river by boat and surrendered to Zhu Di. Therefore, Zhu Di pretended to be a ghost, sacrificed to the god of the river, and swore to cross the river.The Yan army's boats and boats are facing each other, the flags cover the sky, and the golden drum shakes.The weather was cloudless that day, and the water level was like a mirror. Although the Shengyong Navy sailed along the river for more than 200 miles, the Ming army was shocked to see the strength of the Yan army.Before the battle started, the Ming army had already lost psychologically. The Yan army forced the shore by boat, and first went straight to Shengyong's main camp.Sheng Yong's division collapsed, and the Yan army chased for dozens of miles.In the end, Sheng Yong was killed alone, and the rest of the soldiers disarmed and surrendered.There were so many boat divisions of the Ming army that they surrendered without a fight. So far, it can be seen that the military might of the Yan army is extraordinary. (After Sheng Yong escaped, Zhu Di captured Jinling and proclaimed himself emperor shortly after. Sheng Yong surrendered with the rest of the people and guarded Huai'an as ordered. Soon, Tie Xuan, Minister of War of Emperor Jianwen, was captured, and Zhu Di immediately ordered Sheng Yong to retire. Soon, Zhu Di So they sent people to falsely accuse Sheng Yong of "resentment and hope with different plans" and forced Sheng Yong to commit suicide. After Zhu Di raised his army, he won many battles, but he was defeated by Sheng Yong and Pingan many times, so he always held grudges in his heart.) After crossing the Yangtze River , The Yan army captured the important throat of Zhenjiang again, and went straight to Jinling to kill. At that time, there were originally tens of thousands of troops left behind in Fengyang, but the guards believed that Zhongdu should not be abandoned lightly, and they were determined to stick to Zhongdu.The son-in-law Mei Yin also has tens of thousands of soldiers in Huai'an, and because of the isolation of news, she doesn't know what to do. When Emperor Jianwen reached this point, he was panicked and melancholy, wandering around the palace every day.Soon, he asked Fang Xiaoru for advice. Fang Xiaoru is just a great Confucian, and military affairs are not his specialty at all.He could only catch Li Jinglong in the court and said: "Those who spoil His Majesty's affairs are also thieves." Emperor Jianwen asked to kill him.群臣班中共冲出十八人，都咬牙切齿，愤怒之下，争相上去拳打脚踢，差点把李景隆当众打死。 把李景隆暴打一顿，火气稍消，方孝孺出主意说：“城中尚有劲兵二十万，城高池深，粮食充足。应把城外居民尽驱入城，并把城外木材全部抢运入城，使得燕兵无攻城之具，日久就会自行撤离。” 建文帝从之。这一来，盛暑季节，老百姓毒日头下搬运巨木，饥渴劳苦，死者无数。大家为躲避拆毁自家房屋后运送房梁入城的苦差，许多人自己纵火烧屋，大火连日不息。 “屋漏偏遭连夜雨，船漏又遭顶头风。”好好的金陵城，东北角和西南角又无故崩塌，朝廷下忙派兵民抢修，怨天愁地，上下官民都昼夜不得休息。 惶急无计之下，建文帝一拨又一拨地派李景隆和诸位王爷出城，乞求燕王朱棣退兵，答应割地中分天下。朱棣当然不会退兵，一口咬定要逮捕“奸臣”，诸王个个碰了软钉子而回。 建文帝会群臣，当众恸哭。有人劝建文帝逃往蜀地，有人劝逃往浙江，有人劝逃往湖湘，意见纷纷，莫知所之。最早立议削藩的齐秦、黄子澄都早先出外“募兵”。至此，建文帝一筹莫展，天天长吁短叹，恨恨道：“事出汝辈，而今皆弃我去乎！” 燕王朱棣害怕四方勤王兵至，便派军队诸将日夜研究攻城计略，想尽快结束战斗。哨探侦知金川门是李景隆把守，朱棣便率先派军攻打。燕军一到，李景隆与谷王朱（左木右惠）马上大开城门投降。以兵部尚书茹瑺为首的数十个望风使舵的建文帝臣子也都纷纷投奔，叩请朱棣称帝。（李景隆是朱元璋重臣李文忠之子。李文忠是朱元璋亲外甥，连李景隆的名字都是朱元璋所起。此人相貌堂堂，“眉目疏秀，顾盼伟然”，其实是个绣花枕头美男子。他先前丢盔卸甲亡掉八十万军队，建文帝对其也没有加以诛杀。危难关头，他不仅不以死报，反而首先开城门投降朱棣，此人品性也真是至差至衰。朱棣即位后，李景隆得授“奉天辅运推诚宣力武臣”，增岁禄千石。朝廷每有大事，他还站在班首主持政议。为此，诸功臣皆不平。永乐二年，朱棣的兄弟周王告发李景隆在建文朝时强向自己索贿一事，不久，又有人告发他“蓄养亡命，谋为不轨”。毕竟姑表亲，朱棣不忍加罪，只是削夺他的勋号，以公爵身份归家停职。又过些时日，有大臣弹劾“李景隆在家坐受阁人伏谒如君臣礼，大不道；（李）增枝（景隆子）多立庄田，蓄童仆成千，意叵测。”朱棣这才下旨把李景隆父子连同家眷全部软禁，没收全部家财。老哥们耍赖皮闹绝食，十几天不死，也就又继续苟延残喘下去。寂寞荒凉之下，直到永乐末年才病死。）建文帝惶急，“逊国而去。”（建文帝逊国是中国历史一大谜团。官方所修正史也讲“宫中火起，帝不知所终。”但朱棣“遣中使出帝后尸于火中，越八日葬之”，自己单方面宣布建文帝已被烧死。但他称帝后，仍然不放心建文帝，怕这位侄子日后东山再起，派人四处寻找。大太监郑和自永乐三年起（公元1405年）数次下西洋，表面上是宣示大明国威，一路挥霍金银无数，实际上最重要的目的只有一个，就是为了探访建文帝下落。当然，七下西洋，诚为我中华征服海洋的壮举，据说美洲也是三宝太监首先发现，比哥伦布还要早。2007年是郑和下西洋602 周年，估计朱棣和臣下谁也没想到为了寻访一个小皇帝下落的“壮举” 会带出日后那么多大动静来）。 建文帝嫡孙袭统，居正朔之位，竟败于起兵反叛的藩王之手，实是中国历史上一个非常出人意料的结局。总结起来，建文帝失败原因不外如下： 第一，建文柔仁。燕兵将皆勇战骁勇之辈，建文帝竟于大战前下明诏“莫伤害朕之叔父”，不明之至，致使朱棣多次绝处逢生，假使明军在战场上能“擒贼先杀王”，燕军早就冰销败亡。 第二，黄子澄、齐泰、方孝孺皆书生，苍猝行削藩之计，不知兵事，没有什么大的战略眼光，以致于误已误国，最后招致灭族惨祸。 第三，单用一将统师军队。耿炳文一人统三十万军；李景隆两次败北，一战统五十万，一战统三十万；盛庸一人统二十万。明军“合天下之兵，握一人之手”。 反观朱棣，单旅孤城，利于战不利于守，利于合不利于分。如果当初下令山东、河北诸将各拥众数万，凭城坚守，年深日久，以叛臣贼子起兵的朱棣胜一仗败两仗，又一直逡巡在河北、山西狭窄地带，熬过一阵熬不过两阵，军队人心最终会轰然瓦解。 第四，建文帝彷徨不决，总在关键时刻犯致命错误。如果当时朝廷不招徐辉祖回金陵，而是让他留在原地与徐福合击燕军，很可能挽转整个战场形势，给已经是强弩之末的燕军以致命的最后打击。 另外，纵观整个龙虎斗过程，建文帝一方除盛庸、平安外有些智勇外，似乎没有什么特别突出的大师之才。这也要“归功”于朱元璋，因为所有有智有勇有力的名将早已连子孙都被株除干净，留下的全是三、四流将领，自然不是燕王朱棣的对手。 朱棣残杀建文臣子的倒行逆施朱棣入京后，立即揭榜（悬赏捉拿）黄子澄、齐秦、方孝孺、铁铉等建文帝臣子数十人，并清宫三日，诛杀宫人、女官以及内官无数，只留下一帮曾向他通过风报过信的没老二太监。他又迁建文帝母亲于懿文陵幽禁，杀掉建文帝三个兄弟。建文帝七岁太子朱文奎于乱中“不知所终”，肯定是被朱棣杀掉。另外的小儿子朱文圭当时才两岁，还在怀抱之中，朱棣先把这个小孩幽闭于广安宫，后来不知所终，想必也是被朱棣派人弄死以绝后患。（也有记载说朱文圭一直幽禁在凤阳，至明英宗时才放出，已经五十七岁，尚不能分辩马牛，完全被禁锢成一个痴呆）。 朱棣派人扑灭皇宫大火后，首先做的就是召文学博士方孝孺来起草自己的继位诏书（朱棣的谋士姚广孝曾在北平时对他讲，方孝孺是天下“读书种子，”绝不可杀）。 方孝孺乃建文帝耿耿忠臣，身穿衰桎白衣大哭于阙下。朱棣召其入殿，方孝孺也不施礼，依旧嚎哭不已。 朱棣劝说方孝孺：“我是效法周公辅佐成王啊。” 方孝孺止住哭声，厉声反问：“成王安在？” “他自焚而死！”朱棣答道。 方孝孺又问：“何不立成王之子？” 朱棣回答：“国赖长君”（意指他自己）方孝孺咄咄逼人，“何不立成王之弟？”（意思是建文帝几个弟弟都已成年），朱棣不得已，亲自下殿走到方孝孺面前，苦笑着说：“这些都是朕的家事啊，先生你不要为这些事费神。” 左右递过纸笔，朱棣说：“诏天下，非先生不可。” 方孝孺夺过诏纸，在上乱批数字，掷笔于地，边哭边骂道：“死即死耳，诏不可草！” 朱棣怒急，大声叫道：“怎能让你痛快一死，即死，难道你不怕我诛你九族吗？” 方孝孺大喝：“便诛十族又奈我何！” 此时，朱棣已皇位在座，顿呈残暴本性。他命卫士用大刀把方孝孺嘴唇割开，一直划裂到耳边。然后，命人逮捕其九族亲眷外加学生，凑成十族，共八百七十三人，依次碎剐杀戮于方孝孺面前。方孝孺忍泪不顾，最后被凌迟于聚宝门外，时年四十六。 方孝孺临刑前做绝命诗，曰：“天降乱离兮孰知其尤，奸臣得计兮谋国用犹。 忠臣发愤兮血泪交流，以此殉君兮抑又何求。呜呼哀哉，庶不我尤！“时至今日，几个号称笃信基督的“智识分子”肆口狂骂方孝儒的选择是漠视他人生命，这种歪论，真是歪曲时代和生命的价值观念，唐突古代仁人烈士。 建文帝兵部尚书铁铉被逮至京。朱棣坐于御座，铁铉背立殿廷，至死不转身面对朱棣。朱棣派人割掉铁铉耳鼻，在热锅中烧熟，然后硬塞入这位忠臣口中，问：“此肉甘甜否？” 铁铉历声回答：“忠臣孝子之肉，有何不甘！” 于是朱棣下令寸磔铁铉，这位忠臣至死骂不绝口。 怨恨之下，朱棣又把铁铉八十多岁的老父老母投放海南做苦役，虐杀其十来岁的两个儿子，并硬逼铁铉妻子杨氏和两个女儿入教坊司充当妓女，任由兵士蹂躏。 对建文帝刑部尚书暴昭，由于陛见抗骂，朱棣先去其齿，次断手足，以刀慢割脖项而死。 对礼部尚书陈迪，由于责问不屈，朱棣命卫士绑送他及其六个儿子一起至刑场凌迟。朱棣先派人割下陈迪儿子陈凤山的鼻子和舌头，塞进这位忠臣嘴里逼他下咽。陈迪虽为文士，至死不屈，怒骂而死。 对建文帝右副御史练子宁，也因殿上怒骂，朱棣命人先割掉其舌，此后寸磔而死，其宗族被杀者一百五十一人。 对建文帝兵部尚书齐秦，也是因其不屈，送刑场凌迟。 对太常卿黄子澄，也赤其三族，凌迟处死。 对建文帝监察御史高翔，因其丧服入见，朱棣命卫士杀之于殿上，没产诛族，又掘发高氏宗族墓地，焚骨抛尸，交杂狗骨马骨四散丢弃。 对建文帝监察御史王度，宗人府经历宋征、监察御史丁志、监察御史巨敬，朱棣皆施以族诛之刑。 建文帝大理寺丞刘端弃官逃去，被抓入殿。朱棣问：“练子宁、方孝孺是什么样的人？” 刘端笑答：“忠臣也！” 朱棣问：“汝逃，忠乎？” 刘端回答：“存身以图报耳！” 朱棣狼性大发，命人用刀割去刘端耳鼻，狞笑着问满头血污的刘端：“作如此面目，还成人否？” 刘端骂道：“我犹有忠臣孝子面目，九泉之下也有面目去见皇祖！” 朱棣狂怒，亲手用棍棒把刘端捶击而死。 除了多位建文帝忠臣自己或全家自杀外，朱棣虐杀建文帝忠臣及其家属共一万多人。历朝历代异姓相伐相杀，从未有这样惨屠对方官吏臣下的举动。因此，清初史家谷应秦这样叹道： “嗟乎！暴秦之法，罪止三族；强汉之律，不过五宗……世谓天道好还，而人命至重，遂可灭绝至此乎！” 话说回来，对建文忠臣杀则杀耳，杀之可成其千秋万世之名。王朝皇族更迭，诛杀前臣也不算太过份的罪行。“古者但有刑诛，从无玷染。”而朱棣秉承朱元璋老混蛋血脉中淫暴凶残的因子，把多位忠臣孝子的大好清白妻女送入教坊司（公家妓院）做性奴，每天受二十多精壮汉子轮奸，生下男丁当家奴，生下女孩长大后接着做妓女，死后便下旨“着抬出城门喂狗吃了”……——“此忠臣义士尤所为直发冲冠，椎胸而雪涕者也！”（谷应秦语）直到二十二年后，朱棣儿子明仁宗朱高炽继位，才下诏称：“建文诸臣家属在教坊司、锦衣卫、浣衣局及习匠、功臣家为奴者，悉宥为民。” 建文帝忠臣惟一善终者，只有魏国公徐辉祖一人。朱棣召见，徐辉祖不出一语。由于他是功臣徐达之子，家有免死的誓书铁券，其弟徐增寿又因想投降朱棣被建文帝杀掉，朱棣才免其一死，革其禄米，把他一直软禁在家。 残暴如此，坐稳龙椅后的朱棣很想又换张脸皮以“仁德”形象留诸后世