In the year of 1424, the Ming Dynasty was in the prosperous era of Yongle, but Zhu Di, the Yongle Emperor who was close to his prime, experienced the most tortuous and bizarre experience in his life in this year.
This is not only a failed expedition, but also a major turmoil related to the prosperity and decline of the Ming Dynasty. The secret transportation after the death of a generation of emperors, countless stories are hidden under the surging undercurrent of these 12 days.
When the heat of August was still raging in the north, the residents of Yongle City suddenly saw that the army that had not been seen for a long time since leaving in April had returned to the capital in a mighty way.
Only this time, Emperor Yongle on a white horse could no longer be seen in the team.
The expedition, which began in April and lasted five months, was originally launched by Zhu Di, the Yongle Emperor, to warn the Mongol forces on the frontier. After the Battle of Jingyan that year, Zhu Di ascended the throne and defeated the Mongol army. Since then, the Mongols have been harassing the border region unabated.
Whenever the people had just settled down and repaired their strengths, the nomadic cavalry would suddenly attack, loot the grain and grass, and burn the villages. Although the ** people in the capital have long been accustomed to it, every time he sees the people fleeing from the frontier, Zhu Di still feels uneasy.
That year, the Mongol leader Arutai led his troops to raid the border, and Zhu Di was determined to completely solve this worry and personally led a large army to conquer Mongolia.
This time, you must arrest Arutai for me before you can stop! Before leaving, Zhu Di sternly ordered in front of the whole army.
However, to everyone's surprise, Zhu Di was already 64 years old at this time. Years of war have made him sick, and at this moment, the old emperor is actually at the end of his power.
In mid-April, Zhu Di personally led an army of 100,000 from the capital, which was also the largest expedition since his accession to the throne. In order to supervise the morale of the army and urge the transportation of grain and grass, this time Zhu Di even sat in the barracks in person.
In the middle of the court, Emperor Yongle also ordered the crown prince Zhu Gaochi to be in charge of the country before leaving. Zhu Gaochi is Zhu Di's eldest son, who is fashionable and young, only in his early 30s. Zhu Di's arrangement seems to be revealing the position of the heir to the hundred officials.
But in fact, there is another person who is really looking forward to Zhu Di's death - Zhu Gaoxu, the second son of Emperor Yongle.
Zhu Gaoxu made great achievements in the Battle of Jingjing, and was once reused and loved by Zhu Di. His father had intended to depose Zhu Gaochi and make him the crown prince. This made Zhu Gaochu always eyeing the throne and jealous of his brother Zhu Gaochi, who was not very liked by his father.
At this time, there was also the crown prince's henchman and vanguard, the young ** Jin Youzi.
Jin Youzi grew up in the palace with the crown prince Zhu Gaochi since he was a child, and the two were like brothers. He is thoughtful and courageous, and has always been relied on by Zhu Gaochi. Now that he is going out with the army, he is also on the order of the prince, and he must always keep an eye on Zhu Di's every move.
Along the way, the army marched for three full months, but there was still no trace of Arutai. It turned out that the Mongol leader had already received the news and had fled.
However, during this long march, Zhu Di's physical condition deteriorated. He was already old and frail, coupled with months of running and tiring, and finally suddenly fell seriously ill in mid-July.
At night that day, Zhu Di suddenly fainted on the ground in the barracks on the march. The doctors who urgently called him immediately treated him, and after a night, Zhu Di's condition did not improve, but became like a vegetative person, unconscious.
Your Majesty, he has been. No more. The head doctor diagnosed.
As soon as these words came out, the ministers suddenly changed their faces. They realized that the Yongle Emperor was about to die.
Why is it good to be a minister? ”
If Your Majesty dies here, the morale of the army will be weakened! ”
All the ministers showed expressions of panic and confusion. At this moment, they are still deep in the military camp on the border. Once the news of the emperor's death broke, the consequences were unimaginable.
At this moment, Ma Yun, the personal guard who had been following Zhu Di's left and right, spoke: "The news of Your Majesty's death cannot be spread out of the military camp, let alone let the kings of the capital know, otherwise it will definitely cause chaos in the struggle for the throne." ”
All the ministers were stunned, and they all understood the deep meaning of Ma Yun's words.
Ma Yun immediately summoned the old ministers Yang Rong and Jin Youzi. After the three of them discussed, they decided to keep the funeral secret on the spot, and first secretly transported Zhu Di's body back to the capital for safety.
His Majesty has a will, and he will use the crown prince Zhu Gaochi to supervise the country. We must send this news back to the capital as soon as possible. Ma Yun instructed Jin Youzi.
Jin Youzi immediately received the order, galloped back to Beijing through the night, and secretly informed Zhu Gaochi of the news of the death of Emperor Yongle.
At the same time, Ma Yun and Yang Rong are faced with the serious problem of how to preserve the emperor's remains.
It was the height of summer, and there was no snow to hide during the march. After careful consideration, Yang Rong came up with a brilliant plan.
His Majesty's body can be transported in tea tin buckets. Yang Rong proposed, "Don't the soldiers in our army always have teapots and lunch boxes made of tin, as long as they are collected and re-melted into tin, they can be made into large wooden barrels to hold His Majesty's body." Tin containers can be closed tightly and protected against corrosion. In this way, His Majesty can be safely transported back to Beijing. ”
Ma Yun was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately ordered all the tin to be confiscated and ordered the craftsmen to process it into a large wooden barrel.
That night, Zhu Di's body was sealed in a tin barrel. In order to keep it secret, Jack Ma also quietly executed these craftsmen who knew about it.
Early the next morning, the indifferent soldiers handed over their lunch boxes and tea sets as ordered, ** thinking that these were all prepared for the transportation of the body of their own emperor.
At the same time, the crown prince Zhu Gaochi received an urgent report from Jin Youzi and learned the news that his father had died.
It was at this juncture that the power of the second son Zhu Gaoxu also began to move.
As early as when he learned that Zhu Di was ill, Zhu Gaoxu realized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He secretly contacted his henchmen and prepared to seize power and ascend the throne when Zhu Di died.
And the various layouts of Ma Yun and others are precisely to preemptively stabilize Zhu Gaochi's throne.
At the end of July, Ma Yun and Yang Rong led a large army to escort Zhu Di's coffin back to Beijing.
In order to avoid people's eyes, they deliberately arranged someone in the team to pretend to be "Zhu Di", and there were still people who ate to the tin bucket every day, and announced to the outside world that Emperor Yongle was still in command in the army, and everything was as usual.
And Jin Youzi, who was the first to return to the capital, began to arrange in the capital before Zhu Gaochu was aware of it, so as to stabilize the situation and support Zhu Gaochi's accession to the throne.
In mid-August, Ma Yun and others finally quietly transported Zhu Di's coffin back to the capital after 12 days.
33 days later, the capital officially announced the death of Zhu Di and the accession of the crown prince Zhu Gaochi.
Zhu Gaoxu, who had missed the opportunity, was powerless to return to heaven after all, so he could only accept this result in anger.
Thanks to the resourcefulness and decisive judgment of Ma Yun and other courtiers, Zhu Gaochi finally ascended the throne steadily and won a smooth succession for the Ming Dynasty.
And the secret transportation of Zhu Di's coffin in those 12 days has also become a legendary anecdote in the history of the Ming Dynasty.
Every time I think of the scene of the old emperor sleeping in a tin bucket, many people and soldiers can't help but miss and sigh in their hearts - their Yongle Emperor, after all, still failed to fulfill his last wish, and personally exterminated the group of Mongolian barbarians who were suffering on the frontier.
Zhu Di's last expedition ended in failure. However, what is hidden behind the history is the resourcefulness and loyalty of the courtiers in difficult times.
It is precisely because of their decisive response at the critical moment that they won a stable succession to the throne for the Ming Dynasty. The details of these 12 days have become the last legend of the founding lord of the Ming Dynasty.