Chapter 34 Section Four: The Water Sinks Xiao Ming

Just when the war against Zhang Shicheng was going smoothly, Zhu Yuanzhang easily eliminated a burden by his side: Xiao Ming Wang Han Lin'er. After Zhu Yuanzhang crossed the river, he could develop calmly in the south only by the Red Scarf Army headed by Han Lin'er in the north resisting the Yuan army.Zhu Yuanzhang also repeatedly used Han Lin'er's name to support the legitimacy of his regime. After occupying eastern Zhejiang, Zhu Yuanzhang set up the banner of "the mountains and rivers are in the land of China, and the sun and the moon reopen the great Song Dynasty". Reopening the banner of the Great Song Dynasty".In this way, Zhu Yuanzhang can not only use the banner of King Xiaoming and the goal of restoring the Song Dynasty to command the sergeants and win over the masses, but also narrow his goals to avoid making big moves.

After the Peasant Army of the Great Song Dynasty was defeated in the north, King Xiao Ming settled in Anfeng, was attacked by Zhang Shicheng's troops, and asked Zhu Yuanzhang for help.Zhu Yuanzhang saw that King Xiao Ming was still useful and prepared to rescue him, but his subordinates expressed their opposition one after another. Everyone said: "If he is rescued, where will he be paid?" question.If you put it in Yingtian, you have to obey his restraints, isn't it very passive; if you don't put it in Yingtian, where should you put it?But in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, this was not a problem. He tried his best to send troops to rescue him, and then "set up a luan and an umbrella fan to welcome Chuzhou, created a palace to live in, changed his left and right eunuchs, and served him very generously" (Yu Ben "Records").That is to say, when passing through Chuzhou, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered to build a palace, left King Xiao Ming there, and provided generous support, but replaced all the eunuchs around him with his confidants, and strictly monitored him.Yang is respected, but in fact Han Lin'er has become Zhu Yuanzhang's prisoner.In this way, Zhu Yuanzhang completely controlled King Xiaoming in his own hands, and he could coerce the emperor to order the princes, and achieved a unique position among the various divisions of the Red Scarf Army in the world.

After that, King Xiao Ming became a tool in Zhu Yuanzhang's hands, and he could use it as he pleased.For example, in March of the ninth year of Longfeng (AD 1363), before the decisive battle with Chen Youliang, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered King Xiaoming to confer gifts on his three generations.His grandfather Zhu Chuyi was Doctor Guanglu and Wu Guogong; his father Zhu Wusi was Kaifu Yitong Sansi, Shangzhu State, Lu Junguo Important Affairs, Zhongshu Youchengxiang, Taiwei, and Wu Guogong.After the victory of the Battle of Poyang Lake, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to become king first to prepare for his enthronement in the future. He still made an official gift to himself in the name of King Xiao Ming.

It wasn't until the twenty-sixth year of Yuan Shundi Zhizheng (1366 A.D.) that the pacification of Zhang Shicheng was progressing very smoothly, and the world was no longer belonged to Zhu Yuanzhang, and Han Lin'er had no value for continuing to exist.Zhu Yuanzhang sent general Liao Yongzhong to pick up Han Lin'er by boat to the north, saying that he would welcome him to sit in the world.Han Lin'er bid farewell to Chuzhou, where she had lived idly for three years, and rushed to Yingtian excitedly.Even though he is an empty emperor, he has everything he needs, including concubines, court ladies, and eunuch guardians.When they arrived in the middle of the river, the big boat that Han Liner was on entered the water and gradually sank amidst the exclamation and wailing of the emperor and concubines.

After the "tragedy" happened, Zhu Yuanzhang "went into a rage" and immediately ordered Liao Yongzhong to be arrested, saying that he was not careful enough in handling affairs, which caused this "traffic accident" and he should be severely punished.Reluctantly, everyone interceded one after another, and Zhu Yuanzhang "reluctantly" spared him the death penalty, and ordered Liao Yongzhong to return to the front line in Suzhou to "take the blame" and make meritorious service.Later, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered a national funeral, hung filial banners all over Yingtian City, and stopped entertainment activities for a month.

However, from then on, Zhu Yuanzhang never mentioned that he was once Han Liner's subject. Even some steles erected in the past were all destroyed because Han Liner's year name was used, and all written and historical materials were wiped out. After Han Lin'er was eliminated, Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude towards the White Lotus Sect also took a 180-degree turn. Zhu Yuanzhang's department was originally an integral part of the White Lotus Rebellion.At the beginning of the uprising, he also made full use of the teachings of the White Lotus to mobilize the masses.However, as he developed independently, Zhu Yuanzhang increasingly downplayed the religious atmosphere of his team.Because he knows that religious fanaticism can only be used for a while, and it is difficult to last.

In the 12th year of Longfeng (AD 1366), the publication of the call to crusade against Zhang Shicheng in May was a major event in Zhu Yuanzhang's political career.In his campaign against Zhang Shicheng, Zhu Yuanzhang took the opportunity to denounce Zhang Shicheng and declared that the White Lotus Sect was a sorcery, accusing the believers of "mistaking the sorcery, not understanding the rhetoric of the verse, and believing in the true existence of Maitreya, hoping that he would rule the world and use Su Difficulties, gather for a party to burn incense... Once the evil words are done, the murderous schemes are carried out, burning the city walls, killing the soldiers... In the end, it will not be able to save the world and the people."

Zhu Yuanzhang also claimed that, long before he crossed the river, he had "saw the evil words, couldn't get things done, and was lucky, difficult and meritorious, so he led his troops across the river." , and completely discredited the role of the Red Turban Army of the Song Dynasty in covering his development and expansion of power in the Jiangnan area, and attributed his victory to the "spirit of the ancestors of heaven and earth" and its "power of generals." Abandoning the doctrine of the white lotus means converting to the disciples of Confucius.As the situation of seizing the world has become clear, Zhu Yuanzhang started the activity of respecting Confucius.In September of the second year of Longfeng, he went to Zhenjiang, and the first thing he went to visit the Confucius Temple as soon as he entered the city.In May of the sixth year of Longfeng, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the establishment of a Confucianism promotion department in Yingtian.

However, in order to make the best use of the remaining value of the White Lotus, Zhu Yuanzhang later decided to name his new dynasty "Da Ming".Because of the widespread dissemination of the White Lotus Sect, the birth of King Ming has become a well-known prophecy among the people.Han Shantong claimed to be the King of Ming, and Han Lin'er succeeded him as the King of Ming.Most of Zhu Yuanzhang's subordinates are believers of the White Lotus Sect.Zhu Yuanzhang used "Da Ming" from the classic "Da Amida Sutra" of the White Lotus Sect as the title of the new dynasty. First, it indicated the succession relationship between the new dynasty and King Xiao Ming, and second, it hinted to other coveted emperors that the "King Ming" had already been born. The bright world has arrived, and others don't have to dream about it anymore.

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang began to severely suppress Mingjiao and Bailianjiao.In the third year of Hongwu (1370 A.D.), Zhu Yuanzhang issued the edict "Forbidden Temple of Prostitution": "It is not allowed to paint the gods and the earth, and the Bailian Society, Mingzunjiao, Baiyunzong, witches and phoenixes to pray for the holy, and write spells and spells on water. Prohibition, heresy is not popular among the common people, and the people have no confusion." Later, Zhu Yuanzhang revised the "Law of the Ming Dynasty" to list Mingjiao and Bailianjiao as "heretics" and strictly prohibited them. "Daming Law" stipulates: "Anyone who falsely claims Maitreya Buddha, Bailianshe, Mingzunjiao, Baiyunzong and other associations should respond to heretical techniques, or hide images, burn incense and gather crowds, gather at night and disperse at dawn, pretend to do good deeds, and deceive people. People, the leader shall be strangled, and the follower shall each have a hundred sticks, and the flow shall be three thousand miles." "Anyone who creates prophecies, demon books, demon rumors, and rumors to confuse the public shall be executed. If a private demon book is hidden and will not be sent to the official, a stick shall be given. One hundred, three years." In the Ming Dynasty, the forces of the White Lotus Sect and the Ming Sect had been firmly suppressed.