The Ming Dynasty was the last dynasty in history to be ruled by the Han Chinese. ** When reading the "History of the Ming Dynasty", he made some comments on the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, thinking that the two emperors Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty were illiterate, and performed relatively well. And Ming Wuzong and Ming Yingzong are a slight bright spot among many emperors, and the others are difficult to praise for various reasons. Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di are almost recognized as Ming Jun, although there are also brutal acts, but the flaws are not hidden. Although Ming Wuzong is fond of pleasure, he also has the merits of Yingzhou's victory, killing Liu Jin, and pacifying King Ning, which is a little positive.
The crux of the problem lies in the evaluation of Zhu Qizhen of Ming Yingzong, why is there a positive evaluation of it?On the other hand, the controversial Emperor Jiajing, why was he condemned by ***?Let's find out.
One: **The evaluation of Ming Yingzong has certain limitations.
Ming Yingzong has several important historical resumes that are worth mentioning:
The Change of Civil Fort:
In this incident, Ming Yingzong led an army of 500,000 to conquer in person, but it led to a large number of Ming troops, almost all the military elites were lost, and Ming Yingzong himself became a prisoner.
The change of seizing the door: Ming Yingzong took advantage of Emperor Jingtai's serious illness to launch a change with Shi Heng, Xu Youzhen, Cao Jixiang and others to regain the throne. However, this led to a purge of the court, and many meritorious officials were purged, including Yu Qian in the defense of Beijing.
The rule of Tianshun: After cleaning up the court, Ming Yingzong reused virtuous ministers to achieve a temporary political clarity.
Abolition of the funeral system of palace concubines:
Ming Yingzong took the initiative to abolish the funeral of palace concubines.
Ming Yingzong was ridiculed for the Tumubao Incident and was considered to be the "Son of Heaven". *The evaluation of Ming Yingzong is also not high, but this evaluation happened during the Chongqing negotiations. ** It is believed that Zhu Qizhen left his younger brother in the capital, which is equivalent to leaving "insurance" for the Ming Dynasty, and even if the pro-conquest fails, there will be successors. **Before participating in the Chongqing negotiations, he used the example of Ming Yingzong to explain to everyone, hoping to emulate the behavior of Yu Qian and others in future struggles.
Therefore, there are certain limitations in evaluating Ming Yingzong's views. As for the historical evaluation of Ming Yingzong, it is also mixed because of his actions. Zhao Yi's evaluation is more pertinent, believing that the orthodox period of Ming Yingzong was the beginning of the Ming Dynasty's transition from prosperity to decline, and he assumed the main responsibility in the Tumubao Change, but there are also merits in some political achievements.
Two: ** Angrily reprimanded Emperor Jiajing.
In contrast, the evaluation of Emperor Jiajing is biased towards a negative one. He criticized Emperor Jiajing for "alchemy, mediocrity, and decay, sitting in the world for more than 40 years, just not doing things!."* Criticism of Jiajing's "20 years of not going to court but still firmly grasping the imperial power" emphasized that Emperor Jiajing would only control the courtiers and not participate in the governance of the country, causing great disasters to the country.
Emperor Jiajing's various behaviors, such as alchemy and cultivation, reuse of strict party, cracking down on virtuous people, large-scale construction projects, abuse of people's power, and lax defense of the north-south border, caused the country to fall into the predicament of serious party strife, disordered government programs, border troubles, frequent peasant uprisings, and empty treasury. What he left behind was a mediocre rule that made no real contribution to the Ming Dynasty.
In the long course of history, the Ming Dynasty under the rule of Emperor Jiajing left an indelible imprint, and the emperor did not do his job for 20 years, which led to a chaotic state of national politics and became a huge obstacle to the times. **The criticism of Emperor Jiajing is like a mirror of history, showing the inaction of this faint monarch.