These two founding generals of the Ming Dynasty died well. They were granted the title of duke during their lifetime and became king after their death. Why didn’t Zhu Yuanzhang kill them?

It is said that "a cunning rabbit will be cooked by a running dog". The founding emperors all loved to kill the founding heroes, especially the founding generals who had heavy troops. Among these founding emperors, Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty was the most popular, but really Is that so? Or will he be blackmailed by future generations?

Many people think that Zhu Yuanzhang killed Lan Yu and implicated Chang Yuchun, so Zhu Yuanzhang was a tyrant.

But why don’t people talk about Zhu Yuanzhang’s number one general Xu Da? And what about the No. 2 general Tang He? The two men had extremely high prestige in the army, accounting for almost half of the entire Ming Dynasty. However, Zhu Yuanzhang had great trust in the two of them. Even when Hu Weiyong framed and wrongfully accused Xu Da, Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him. Let's talk about this. What are the abilities of these two people?

The most important figure in the founding of the Ming Dynasty - Xu Da

I always feel that Xu Da is like the banana peel in "Young and Dangerous"

When Guo Zixing launched an act of righteousness, Tang He from Haozhou led more than 10 warriors to participate. At Tang He's invitation, Zhu Yuanzhang also joined Guo Zixing's ministry. In the thirteenth year of Zhizheng (1353), Zhu Yuanzhang returned to his hometown to recruit troops on Guo Zixing's order, and Xu Da happily resigned. From then on, his military career began.

Guo Zixing did not get along with Sun Deya and others who were involved in the incident. Zhao Junyong and Peng Da, who occupied Xuzhou (now part of Jiangsu), were defeated and defected to Haozhou. Soon, Zhao and Peng became kings, and Guo Zixing was controlled by them and was almost killed. Zhu Yuanzhang saw that it was difficult to achieve great things in Haozhou, so in the autumn of the 14th year of Zhizheng (1354), he led 24 generals such as Xu Da and Tang He to leave Haozhou, march south to Dingyuan, and capture Chuzhou (now Chuxian County, Anhui Province). Xu Da charged into the battle and showed his courage.

From then on, Xu Da began his journey of conquest, basically achieving victory in all battles. The only defeat in Xu Da's life was to Wang Baobao of the Yuan Dynasty. For this failure , posterity has always been controversial, was it intentional or was it beyond our power? But what is very strange is why Xu Da, a natural commander, is excluded from the list of famous generals in the past.

In the first year of Hongwu (1368), they invaded Dadu (now Beijing) and the Yuan Dynasty fell. After that, troops were sent out year after year to attack the remaining forces of the Yuan Dynasty. He was promoted to Prime Minister You and was granted the title of Duke of Wei. He was cautious, good at running the army, and established immortal meritorious deeds throughout his life as a soldier.

After Xu Da's death, Zhu Yuanzhang went to the funeral in person to express his sorrow. He listed him as the first hero of the founding of the country, posthumously named him King of Zhongshan, posthumously named Wuning, and gave him the title of king for three generations. He was buried in the shadow of Zhongshan and made a Shinto inscription. Zhu Yuanzhang once praised him and said: "He follows orders and prohibits them. He does not take credit or be arrogant, does not covet women's wealth, handles problems impartially, and makes no mistakes. There is only one person with this virtue in the world, Xu Da."

So what does Xu Da have? What achievements were so highly praised by the "tyrant" Zhu Yuanzhang?

Xu Da was brave and resourceful throughout his life. He made outstanding contributions in war and border construction. He was praised as the "Great Wall" by Zhu Yuanzhang. He speaks less but thinks deeply. In the army, military orders are not changed once they are issued. All the generals obeyed his orders with awe and fear, but in front of Taizu, they were respectful and cautious, as if they dared not speak. He is good at comforting the soldiers and shares the joys and sorrows with his subordinates. The soldiers are all grateful for his kindness and willing to repay his kindness and do their best. Therefore, the soldiers can defeat the enemy wherever they go. It was also able to strictly control the troops and conquered two metropolitan areas, three provincial capitals, and more than 100 prefectures and counties. The markets were safe and the people were not suffering from the war.

"History of the Ming Dynasty": Taizu of the Ming Dynasty fought hard from Chuyang and conquered the four directions. Although it was said that it was given by heaven, it was beyond the power of the two kings. Zhongshan is prudent and resourceful, and his achievements are unrivaled. His famous assistants have never been surpassed since ancient times. Kaiping was able to conquer the front and attack the enemy, and he was sure to conquer everything he faced, but his wisdom and bravery were not at the foot of Zhongshan. However, he was loyal and humble, good at holding on to his merits, and he was awarded the title of hero. The body is dependent on the sun and the moon, and the talisman is cut on the tin earth. If you are two kings, you can be said to be extremely prosperous. Gu Zhongshan rewarded his descendants, and they were honored and favored in the world; but when Kai Pingtian did not miss the New Year, his descendants also declined again and again. No matter how valuable the horse is, the food may reward you with pleasure. What’s the reason? Taizu once said to the generals: "If a general does not kill people rashly, it will only benefit the country. Your descendants will actually benefit from it." Believe it or not, this can serve as a lesson for generals.

Zheng Guanying: In ancient times, the so-called generals were called Confucian generals, great generals, talented generals, and war generals. Han Xin, Feng Yi, Wang Meng, He Ruobi, Li Jing, Guo Ziyi, Cao Bin, Xu Dachou are all generals.

Regarding what Ye Shi said, the cause of Xu Da’s death was that he could not eat goose. In the end, Zhu Yuanzhang specially sent him a steamed goose to eat, but he died after eating it. It was really a big joke. According to the current situation, , most allergic, allergies don’t kill you immediately!

Tang He should be the second contributor to the founding of the Ming Dynasty

Tang He was born in 1326 in a poor peasant family in Guzhuang Village, Zhongli, Haozhou. He and Zhu Yuanzhang were not only fellow villagers , and grew up on a side street. (Next time I travel, I will see that Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, and Tang He appeared in a village. Let me know!)

In 1352 (the twelfth year of Zhizheng), Tang He led more than a dozen warriors to join Guo Zixing's Red Scarf Army. He was awarded the title of Qianhu for his bravery in combat. Tang He wrote a letter to his childhood friend Zhu Yuanzhang, inviting him to join the rebellion in Huangjue Temple. Someone knows the contents of this letter and wants to report it. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang defected to Guo Zixing's Red Scarf Army. After Zhu Yuanzhang joined the army, he was promoted to the post of governor due to his merit, and his rank was above Tang He.

In the spring of 1378 (the eleventh year of Hongwu), Tang and Jin were granted the title of Duke Xin, with an annual salary of three thousand dan, and they participated in discussions on military and state affairs.

In 1388 (the 21st year of Hongwu), Zhu Yuanzhang was already old and did not want his generals to command the army for a long time, but he had not publicly taken any measures. Tang He had an insight into Zhu Yuanzhang's true intention, so he looked for an opportunity and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "I am old and can no longer command the army on the battlefield. I hope to return to my hometown and find a place for my future death." After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was very excited. In order to be happy, Tang He was relieved of his military power and began to build a mansion for Tang He in Fengyang, the central capital.

At that time, Japanese pirates often harassed the coastal area. Zhu Yuanzhang summoned Tang He and said to him: "Although you are old, please come and accompany me!" After Tang He visited the field, he decided to 59 cities were built along the coast of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. One year later (1389, the 22nd year of Hongwu), the city was finally completed. Tang He returned to Beijing and resumed his duties, and Fengyang's new house was built. Tang He took his wife and children to bid farewell to the emperor. Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy and gave him three hundred taels of gold, two thousand taels of platinum, three thousand ingots of paper yarn, and more than 40 sets of colorful coins. He also gave his wife Hu the same number of items. , and issued edicts and commendations, no one among the meritorious officials could compare with him. From then on, Tang He went to Beijing to see him once a year.

On the first day of the first lunar month in 1390 (the 23rd year of Hongwu), when Tang He went to the capital to pay New Year's greetings to Zhu Yuanzhang, he fell ill and could not speak. Zhu Yuanzhang visited him in person today, and after sighing for a long time, asked him to return to his hometown. When Tang He was a little better, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered someone to take him to the capital, let him enter the inner hall by car, held a banquet to express his condolences, showed great care, and gave him gold, cloth, imperial meals, French wine, etc.

In 1394 (the twenty-seventh year of Hongwu), Tang He's condition worsened day by day and he could no longer stand. Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to see Tang He, so he ordered him to go there by car. Zhu Yuanzhang touched him with his hands and talked with him in detail about his hometown and the difficulties of raising troops in recent years. Tang He could no longer answer and just kept kowtowing. When Zhu Yuanzhang saw this, he burst into tears and gave generous gifts of gold and cloth as funeral expenses.

In the eighth month of the lunar calendar in the summer of 1395 (the twenty-eighth year of Hongwu), Tang He died of illness at the age of seventy. Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict and named Tang He the King of Dongou, with the posthumous title of Xiangwu.

"History of the Ming Dynasty·Biographies of Tang He": Tang He was more respectful and cautious in his later years. He did not dare to leak a word of the discussions about state affairs he heard when he entered the court. He had more than a hundred concubines, and after he fell ill, he used money to send them all away. Most of the rewards he received from the court were distributed to the folks in his hometown. Tang He always seemed very happy whenever he saw his old friends in Bu Yi. At that time, many senior generals such as dukes and marquises were convicted of treason and few were spared. However, Tang He only enjoyed the blessing of old age and died with fame.

It can be said that Zhu Yuanzhang’s ability to conquer the world is not only related to his own abilities, but also has something to do with these two childhood friends. Maybe God really wanted Zhu Yuanzhang to become emperor and gave birth to a loyal Xu Da. Not satisfied yet, here comes the loyal Tang He. Both of them are great commanders and have almost no defeats in their entire life. With their merits and abilities, especially Xu Da, they are ranked among the famous generals in ancient China. Top ten, no problem, Tang Hebuji can also be in the top twenty.

Both of them died a good death. Among the founding generals in ancient times, there were very few people who were crowned kings after their death, let alone Zhu Yuanzhang.