Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed the establishment of the Ming Dynasty in Nanjing on the fourth day of the first month of the first year of Hongwu in 1368, proclaimed himself emperor, and set the first year as Hongwu. Subsequently, he appointed Xu Da as the general of the conquest and asked him to lead the Ming army's northern expedition.
The Ming army led by Xu Da was invincible, and it only took a few months to break through the capital of Emperor Yuan Shun, and Emperor Yuan Shun had no choice but to flee to Shangdu with his concubine.
The fall of Dadu marked the end of Meng Yuan's rule in the Central Plains, and also meant that the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, which had been lost for 400 years, were reclaimed.
Although Meng Yuan's reign in the Central Plains was only more than 80 years, he was plagued by uprisings, and was called "Tyrannical Yuan" by the rebel army because of his brutal and unpopular ruling methods.
Zhu Yuanzhang has been full of hatred for Meng Yuan since he was a child, and he was once a member of the resistance. However, after overthrowing the Yuan Dynasty, he repeatedly affirmed the legitimacy of the Yuan Dynasty and criticized the Meng Yuan
Why is that?
The story of Zhu Yuanzhang's portrait tells us that it was not easy to recognize dynastic orthodoxy. However, regardless of the historical context, it is essential to recognize and defend one's own lineage.
Therefore, we need to carefully study the origin and development of Chinese orthodoxy in order to better understand and protect our cultural heritage. At the same time, we also need to learn the wisdom of Emperor Wen of Sui and find our own orthodoxy by finding another way**.
In this way, we can protect our cultural heritage while also winning the respect and recognition of society.
Zhu Yuanzhang faced the same problem as Emperor Wen of Sui: how to explain the history of China for more than 90 years, because the Southern Song Dynasty had been destroyed by the Yuan Dynasty. He said in the "Edict of Dengji" that the fortunes of the Song Dynasty had been exhausted, and God favored him, and he inherited the legacy of his ancestors and became the ruler of China.
In addition, he also had the intention of implicating himself with the Han and Song regimes, because the orthodoxy after the Yuan Dynasty should be the Han and Song courts of Han Lin'er, the king of the Ming Dynasty, who denied the legitimacy of the Yuan Dynasty and claimed that their court was the successor of the orthodoxy of the Zhao and Song dynasties.
Under the Han and Song courts, he was once named King of Wu, and adopted the dragon and phoenix chronology of the Han and Song courts, indicating that he obeyed the orders of the Han and Song courts.
The separatist forces at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and now the King of Wu of the Great Song Dynasty has become the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, so how should we view the Han and Song courts? If you admit it, then how should you treat King Xiao Ming?
In addition, if we recognize the Yuan Dynasty as orthodox, then the other rebel armies that rebelled against the Yuan Dynasty are no longer legitimate, which can morally weaken the position of other separatist forces, and at the same time make the generals and soldiers from the Red Turban Army agree with our rule, and prevent them from using the Red Turban Army to cause trouble.
Zhu Yuanzhang is not a legal member of the Red Turban Army, so for him who once participated in the Red Turban Army, how to explain that he is also a thief? There is a clear contradiction in this rhetoric.
However, this is only Zhu Yuanzhang's superficial consideration, in fact, he is thoughtful, and it is by no means so simple.
Acknowledging the territory of the Yuan Dynasty would also facilitate the unification of the Ming Dynasty, and more importantly, Zhu Yuanzhang's goal was not to restore the homeland of the Song and Han dynasties, but to the territory of the Mongol Empire.
After all, when the text was transmitted, it even reached Chagatai, but no one paid attention to it at that time. In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang also encountered a problem, that is, the four-class system implemented by the Mongol Yuan Dynasty made the status of the Han people in the south higher than that of the southerners in the north, which made the northern region have a serious identity crisis with the Ming Dynasty established by Zhu Yuanzhang.
Although Zhu Yuanzhang hated the Yuan Dynasty, he still had to recognize the legitimacy of the Yuan Dynasty. This is because during the coexistence of the Liao, Jin, and Song dynasties, the identity of the Han and southern people in the north was very intense, and the Yuan Dynasty was a witness to this history.
Acknowledging the legitimacy of the Yuan Dynasty was beneficial to Zhu Yuanzhang, as it met the needs of his rule and secured his throne.