Among the founding fathers of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Da was one of the founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty, and with the help of Zhu Yuanzhang, he conquered the north and south many times and established the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. However, he ended up with a tragic death, and the cause of his death has been controversial.
After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, Xu Da was trusted and appreciated by Zhu Yuanzhang for his outstanding contributions. However, as time passed, Zhu Yuanzhang began to have doubts about the heroes, fearing that their power would threaten his dominance. As a result, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered a purge of some heroes to weaken their power. He had great achievements in his life, but in the end he suffered a tragic death. So, what is the real cause of Xu Da's death?
There is a legend that Xu Da was framed and killed by Zhu Yuanzhang. According to the records in the wild history, after Xu Da fell ill, Zhu Yuanzhang knew that he had back sores and could not eat hair, but deliberately gave him roast goose to eat. Roast goose is believed to be a kind of hair product, and after eating, it will trigger the release of toxins in the body, resulting in Xu Da's poisoning death. Therefore, some people believe that Xu Da was framed to death by Zhu Yuanzhang.
At the same time, Yeshi also listed the reasons why Zhu Yuanzhang did this. First of all, Xu Dagong is a master, and only Zhu Yuanzhang can control a fierce general like him. After Zhu Yuanzhang's death, his son could not restrain Xu Da, so he needed to get rid of him. Secondly, Zhu Yuanzhang was suspicious and worried that Xu Da would rebel or cause trouble to his successor, so he decided to kill him in advance to eliminate future troubles.
However, such a reason, which may seem reasonable on the surface, is in fact very untenable. First of all, this incident is not recorded in the official history, and there is no mention of Zhu Yuanzhang's statement that he gave Xu Da a roast goose. Secondly, Zhu Yuanzhang has always trusted Xu Da, and Zhu Yuanzhang is in good health, so there is no need to take such actions compared to Xu Da. Historical records show that Xu Da was seriously overdrawn due to his long-term campaign, and soon fell ill, and he was unable to **, and finally died in the seventeenth year of Hongwu. Therefore, Xu Da was not framed to death by Zhu Yuanzhang.
As for the real cause of Xu Da's death, there are many theories in history. "History of the Ming Dynasty" records that Xu Da died of deterioration of his condition, and according to the record of "Jian Sheng Yewen" written by Xu Zhenqing in the wild history, Xu Da was poisoned by Zhu Yuanzhang. There are other records that Xu Da was unable to eat goose due to illness, and Zhu Yuanzhang gave him steamed goose to eat, and Xu Da died after eating. There are many theories about the cause of Xu Da's death in history.
However, why is there such a statement? On the one hand, it may be because Xu Da was a very good general, and his prestige and status were very high at that time, which made it difficult for people to accept that his death was due to illness rather than being **. On the other hand, it may be because Zhu Yuanzhang was a highly controversial figure, and he implemented many cruel policies during his reign, so it is easy to believe that he would kill his own heroes.
No matter which way you say it, Xu Da, as a founding father, has made great achievements for Ming Taizu. However, the death of his heroic figure caused controversy. According to the records in "The Biography of Xu Da in the History of the Ming Dynasty", Xu Da should have died of dorsal gangrene, and the claim that he died from eating roast goose is groundless. However, this kind of saying about Zhu Yuanzhang's ruthlessness is widely circulated among the people.
In any case, the cause of Xu Da's death has always been controversial. His legacy and loyalty will always be remembered. He was one of the important figures of the Ming Dynasty and left an indelible mark on Chinese history. Regardless of the cause of his death, his name will live on forever. In the history of China, many of the heroes of the founding of the People's Republic of China failed to die well, which reflects the cruelty of the political atmosphere at that time. Either way, it can't change Xu Da's status and contributions as a founding father.