Essay on Literature and History: Li Jinglong in the Battle of Jingnan

The above passage is taken from the record of the beginning of the battle of Jingnan in Cheng Ancestral History of Ming Dynasty.

1399, that is, the first year, Judy, the prince of Yan, challenged his nephew to the imperial power in the name of removing the traitors Qi Taihe and Huang Zicheng.

It has been four years since that autumn. Judy, the prince of Yan, overthrew Zhu Yunwen, who ruled the whole Ming Dynasty. Such an outcome may not be expected by both parties.

Zhu Yunwen took over the throne from Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Emperor, in the name of his grandson. In the eyes of Ma Zhuang's uncles in Mazhuang, this young man is estimated to have little prestige and popularity. It is impossible for them to bow down sincerely.

Of course, Zhu Yunwen also knows this. Zhu Yunwen, who has been around Zhu Yuanzhang, is not weak. At the beginning of the succession, Zhu Jiazhong's ministers were tortured by him to commit suicide, abandon their children and abandon their children, crying. Even Judy, the prince of Yan, pretended to be ill to avoid disaster.

Although there are stories about Zhu Yunwen red man Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng, Zhu Yunwen's wrist is also unusual. It is a process for every emperor who wants to make a difference. It's just that Zhu Yunwen walked too big and too fast, and he met Judy, who has a great genius in his heart. Things didn't develop in the direction he expected.

At the beginning of Judy's uprising, the power of both sides was still controlled by the imperial court headed by Zhu Yunwen. Judy has only one Beiping city, but Zhu Yunwen has the power of the whole world.

Zhu Yunwen used Geng Bingwen, a veteran who fought all his life, as the commander-in-chief to conquer Judy. Maybe it's because we are so familiar with each other. Judy seized the weakness of Geng Bing's army and defeated Geng Bing's army with surprise attack tactics.

Although Geng Bingwen was defeated, the main force was not lost. Geng Bingwen later chose the defensive and guarding the city. Judy couldn't take advantage of this, so he had to retreat.

When Zhu Yunwen heard that Geng Bingwen was defeated, he was very anxious. Accept Tai Changqing Huang Zicheng's suggestion, take Li Wenzhong's son Cao Guogong Li Jinglong as the general, and take the post car to replace Geng Bingwen. History is moving in an irreversible direction.

Li Jinglong recorded this in Ming History:

Li Jinglong is good-looking and has a good temperament. When Zhu Yuanzhang was still alive, he was also very optimistic about him. I have participated in the training of the imperial court and the horse market. Looks like a generalist.

His father, Li Wenzhong, was a soldier in the early Ming Dynasty and a nephew of Zhu Yuanzhang. Because of this relationship, Li Jinglong was definitely valued and favored by the Ming royal family.

Zhu Yunwen trusted and expected Li Jinglong very much, which led him to lead 500,000 troops north to cut Yan. Before the army set out, Zhu Yunwen gave him a big gift, giving him the right to act cheaply. Ming history:

Therefore, in Jinglongdai, with Bingwen as the general, 500,000 soldiers were sent to the Northern Expedition. In view of Tong Tianxi's belt, the emperor's relatives are pushing the wheels to make everything cheaper.

Unfortunately, both Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunwen misjudged Li Jinglong. He is just a worthless son. The imperial army had many warriors, but he refused to cooperate with them. Causing a series of irreparable consequences.

Judy was overjoyed to hear that Li Jinglong had become a general. His views on Li Jinglong are very clear. That's just an ordinary person. It is impossible to fight a war. Judy can March south. He left Zhu Gaochi, the Prince, to stay in Peiping and visit Daning himself.

When Li Jinglong heard the news, he led an army to besiege Peiping and attack the nine gates of Peiping. Zhu Gaochi just sticks to its city. During this period, Qu Neng, the viceroy, almost broke the Zhangye Gate, but because he was taboo by Li Jinglong, he had to withdraw it and failed.

Li, who stood firm in Beiping City, defeated his men, and then fought Li Jinglong at Zhengcunba, and Li Jinglong was defeated. The imperial army left all kinds of materials and fled to the south. The defeated Li Jinglong fled to Texas before recovering his strength. It's already winter, and he decided to compete with Judy next year.

The next year, Judy attacked Datong again, and Li Jinglong came to the rescue, but when he arrived, Judy had already left. He can only return in vain.

For Li Jinglong's successive defeats, Zhu Yunwen did not think that the problem was Li Jinglong, but that his authority was not enough. Zhu Yunwen thinks it is necessary to increase Li Jinglong's authority. Therefore, he was granted the right of "special conquest" and rewarded Huang Yue with a bow and an arrow. Ming history records:

However, before the light of this honor dispersed, Li Jinglong suffered another crushing defeat, and hundreds of thousands of troops were lost. The Zhu Yunwen imperial court was no longer able to organize troops northward, and the two sides attacked and defended translocation.

Helpless, Zhu Yunwen recalled Li Jinglong from the front. Li Jinglong's ministers, such as Huang Zicheng, who once strongly recommended him, all wanted to eat his flesh and drink his blood, and advocated taking killing Li Jinglong as an example, but Zhu Yunwen always disagreed. Ming history records:

Huang Zicheng was ashamed and angry, and occupied the position of the Dragon King in Ban Chao. Please punish him to thank the world. Yan crossed the river with the emperor beside him. Fang Xiaoru invited JingLong to be punished. The emperor didn't ask.

Zhu Yunwen is a kind mountain to Li Jinglong. According to the nature, although Li Jinglong is incompetent, he should be bloody and serve Junen. If you can't be a commander, you can be a soldier and kill several enemies.

It's just that Li Jinglong never follows the routine. Every time I read about how it repaid the history of Zhu Yunwen, I was dumbfounded. Ming history records:

In a.d. 1402, the Yan army had captured the gate of Nanjing. Zhu Yunwen wanted to make peace and rule the river, and sent Li Jinglong and other ministers to negotiate, but Judy refused.

Then the siege began. Soon, Yan Junbing arrived at Jinchuan Gate. Li Jinglong and Gu Yi opened the door and surrendered. Welcome to the city. Nanjing fell. A fire broke out in the palace and Zhu Yunwen disappeared.

After the Yongle Emperor Judy ascended the throne, he became the first official to reward Li Jinglong for his contribution to the city. Ming history:

It's just that this honor did not last long. Emperor Yongle is not his. I don't trust Li Jinglong very much.

Since the second year of Yongle, Li Jinglong has been impeached continuously. It seems that all of a sudden, he is involved in all major cases. After many twists and turns, he and his brother Li Zengzhi's family were finally put under house arrest by Judy, and all their property was confiscated.

Then Li Jinglong was bloody. I fasted for ten days, but I did not die. He didn't die until the end of Yongle.

Li Jinglong is really "strange". Zhu Yuanzhang, a brilliant man, is very accurate in judging people, but he just can't see that this nephew is useless and thinks that he has a bright future. But what he doesn't know is that this man killed his lovely grandson.

Zhu Yunwen's trust in Li Jinglong is rare between emperors and courtiers. If they really make a career, maybe it's a good story.

Unfortunately, all kinds of records prove that this is just a joke. There is no doubt that the suspect does not have to show the temperament of the decision maker, but it also brings risks.

Zhu Yunwen and his trusted civil servants didn't see that Li Jinglong was just an embroidered pillow. A few military books on my back made several decision makers who didn't understand the soldiers fool and fainted. It is true that you met a handsome man, and you increased your trust. It led to the subsequent disaster.

It is not surprising that Zhu Yunwen still trusts Li Jinglong, as always, despite the disaster caused by Li Jinglong. You don't think Zhu Yunwen is a man without any wisdom.

Li Jinglong's life is also quite magical. He always occupies a favorable position and maximizes his own interests. Few people can see the shallowness behind his incredible.

This may be because of his father Li Wenzhong. Like a tiger, like a son However, history often proves that behind the tiger father, it may really be a dog. It's just that most people still ignore it selectively.

Judy is a person who can see through Li Jinglong at a glance, so he won't care too much about this person. Otherwise, we wouldn't let the courtiers attack Li Jinglong. Maybe this is Judy's own inspiration. It is really an eyesore to let an incompetent and willful villain occupy a high position.

It's just strange that in the end, people like Li Jinglong were only under house arrest all their lives, and one of the few died well. In addition to his contribution to the city, perhaps he also counted the branches of the royal family.

Of course, there is another idea, that is, Li Jinglong is Judy's undercover around Zhu Yunwen, otherwise Zhu Yunwen's army would not have been defeated so badly.

It seems reasonable to think of Li Jinglong's strange behavior. It is enough for him to kill back and forth several times for his own evidence, and being under house arrest for life is Chu's mercy.

Historical records are declarative words, and it is difficult to express the humanity and emotion behind them and what the facts are. Later generations can only try to figure it out through words. What was Li Jinglong like in that history?