When mentioning Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, his fierce and cruel side is always widely discussed. He treats his heroes very harshly, almost like an enemy.
But for the enemy generals who surrendered, especially Chen Youliang's son, Zhu Yuanzhang's leniency was shocking.
So how did Zhu Yuanzhang treat the descendants of enemy generals? Isn't he worried about future troubles?
The struggle between Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang.
In the peasant uprising in the last years of the Yuan Dynasty, the heroes competed against each other, among which Zhu Yuanzhang, Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng became the three most powerful forces.
There is a profound contradiction between Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang.
Zhu Yuanzhang planned to conquer the Central Plains north and overthrow the rule of the Yuan Dynasty; Chen Youliang, on the other hand, focused on self-preservation and remained vigilant against Zhu Yuanzhang, who clearly expressed his opposition to the Yuan.
In 1360, Chen Youliang occupied Hunan and Hubei, proclaiming himself King of Han, and at the same time, a third force, Zhang Shicheng, also rose to control the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
This made Zhu Yuanzhang face the flanking attack of Zhang and Chen's armies in Jiangnan, and the situation was very dangerous.
Zhu Yuanzhang was worried that Chen Youliang would join forces with Zhang Shicheng, so he decided to start a decisive battle with Chen Youliang.
In this battle, Chen Youliang underestimated the enemy because of his self-esteem of his strong troops, and ordered all the warships to be connected in chains, intending to show his military strength.
But this is giving Zhu Yuanzhang a chance.
The northeast wind helped Zhu Yuanzhang on Poyang Lake, and he sent 7 small boats full of straw to rush to the main fleet of ** after igniting them.
In an instant, the fire spread, and more than 100 of Chen Youliang's huge ships were burned. Chen Youliang was defeated and retreated without a fight, and the great victory at Poyang Lake strengthened Zhu Yuanzhang's prestige.
Despite the defeat, Chen Youliang was still unwilling and led a heavy army again. The two sides launched a 100-mile-long water battle on Poyang Lake, and the battle was fierce. After all, Chen Youliang was defeated, seriously wounded in the battle, and died soon after.
Why did Zhu Yuanzhang leave Chen Li?
After the Battle of Poyang Lake, Chen Youliang's subordinates set up his son Chen Li to succeed him and defend Wuchang. At this time, Chen Li was only a 14-year-old boy.
In the first month of 1372, Zhu Yuanzhang personally led an army to attack Wuchang. The situation facing Chen Li is extremely unfavorable, and the destruction of the city seems to be just around the corner. When Zhu Yuanzhang's army pressed the border, the young Chen Li had to choose to surrender.
According to common sense, Zhu Yuanzhang should wantonly kill all the Chen family at this moment and completely eliminate future troubles. In general, the new Lord.
Orphans of enemy countries are often merciless, and executions are often used to prevent future threats.
However, to everyone's expectations, Zhu Yuanzhang was tolerant of Chen Li, not only did not execute him, but named him Guidehou. This is in stark contrast to the brutal image of Zhu Yuanzhang later.
There are two main reasons behind this: First, Zhu Yuanzhang hopes to create an image of a benevolent and generous king.
He has just completed the reunification of the country and needs to stabilize the people's minds. The indiscriminate killing of innocent people will undoubtedly arouse popular dissatisfaction and can easily arouse hostility.
By releasing Chen Li, Zhu Yuanzhang can show his tolerance and benevolence and appease people's hearts.
Secondly, Zhu Yuanzhang hopes to avoid the trouble that Chen Li may cause in the future.
Chen Youliang had many subordinates, and if Chen Li were to be executed, it might inspire sympathy and even rebellion. Leaving Chen Li a way to survive can weaken their willingness to rebel.
Through such means, Zhu Yuanzhang hopes to avoid future troubles.
However, the young Chen Li was dissatisfied, and when facing Zhu Yuanzhang, he often showed disrespect, and his words and deeds also showed dissatisfaction.
As time passed, Chen Li's existence made Zhu Yuanzhang feel extremely unhappy.
An ignorant young emperor is moving around under his supervision, and if one day he is instigated to cause a catastrophe, it will be more than worth the loss.
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to take measures to send Chen Li far away to another country to prevent future troubles.
Chen Li's life in Goryeo.
In 1372, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the 22-year-old Chen Li to be sent to the distant eastern country of Goryeo along with another deceased monarch, Mingsheng.
Goryeo was located on the Korean Peninsula, far away from Nanjing, and placing Chen Li so far away that he could supervise him for a long time. Zhu Yuanzhang also sent envoys to express condolences many times, asking Goryeo to treat Chen Li well, so as not to worry about him.
When he first arrived in Goryeo, Chen Li was treated very well. The king of Goryeo personally received him, named him "King Chen", and arranged for him to be escorted by an army, and his living conditions were very superior.
However, the good times were short-lived, and the Goryeo Dynasty was soon overthrown by a rebellion led by Yi Sung-gye, and the new ruler's attitude towards Chen Li took a sharp turn for the worse.
The new king directly stripped Chen Li of all his power and treatment, deposed him as a commoner, and provided him with only some food and land to support himself.
From a nobleman who was enshrined as an emperor to a farmer, Chen Li's change in circumstances is shocking.
He used to live a well-to-do life, but he didn't know anything about working in the fields. Initially, his hands were covered with blisters, which later turned into calluses.
But in order to survive, Chen Li had to work hard in the fields.
Life in a foreign country is difficult. He spent a difficult time in Goryeo and eventually died in a foreign country at the age of 45.
Despite his tragic plight in Goryeo, his son, Tan Myung Sun, married a local woman and had children, and his descendants were integrated into the Korean nation.
Today, there are many families in South Korea with the surname Chan who claim to be descendants of Chan. These Koreans with the surname Chan are located in Seoul, Busan, and other places, and have become an important surname in Korean society.
After the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, these South Korean families surnamed Chen have returned to China to find their roots, claiming to trace their ancestors. They went to Chen Youliang's hometown of Jiangxi and held a grand event to announce their recognition of their ancestors and their return to their ancestors in a high-profile manner.
Although it is impossible to fully confirm their blood relationship, Chen Li's descendants did thrive.
Conclusion. Zhu Yuanzhang not only showed benevolence and tolerance in handling the issue of Chen Li, but also embodied his political foresight. Although Chen Youliang was his great enemy, he did not put Chen Li to death, but moved him away as a way to eliminate the potential threat.
This practice not only demonstrates benevolence, but also takes into account the overall situation, and provides a reference for future generations of rulers to govern the country.
Zhu Yuanzhang's approach combines benevolence and vigilance, and adopts an open-minded and inclusive attitude to resolve the crisis, which embodies the concept of governing the country of "benevolence and peace of mind".