Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

Chapter 40: Did the Ming Dynasty perish at the hands of the Jurchens?

"I am rather curious to see what Zhu Yuanzhang will choose."

Li Shimin held reservations about the conspiracy of the civil official group that Tianmu mentioned. Although the imperial examination system had developed to some extent, powerful families still occupied most of the seats in the court. Although these people occasionally fought for power and profit, the survival of their own families was their primary concern. No power or status? No problem, I still have my family. Therefore, the civil officials at this time were not yet so ruthless.

Although Li Shimin also felt sorry for Zhu Yuanzhang's life experiences, especially his relationship with Empress Ma, he couldn't imagine how he would react if Empress Zhangsun passed away. However, as an emperor, and a "founding emperor" like Zhu Yuanzhang, the sudden death of the successor he had painstakingly nurtured was a major blow not only to Zhu Yuanzhang as his father, but also to the entire country.

Fang Xuanling stroked his beard: "I believe Zhu Yuanzhang had only two options."

"Firstly, there is the matter of choosing another crown prince. Previously, the Heavenly Screen mentioned a person, Zhu Di, who founded the Yongle Reign. Zhu Di is very likely the son of Zhu Yuanzhang, otherwise the Heavenly Screen would not have listed the two together before."

"Secondly..."

Fang Xuanling paused, clearly thinking the possibility was extremely small, "It is to establish Zhu Biao's son as the heir apparent."

"That's not very likely, but it's not impossible if it's Zhu Yuanzhang."

Du Ruhui chimed in, "If it were any other emperor, they would have chosen a younger, stronger, and more capable heir."

"Judging from the account of Zhu Yuanzhang's deeds as told in the Heavenly Curtain, he valued family ties highly, and especially cherished his eldest son."

"It is only right and proper to establish a crown prince."

In my opinion, the Ming Dynasty's eventual demise was also due to the fault of the civil service. The Donglin Party was constantly embroiled in factional strife, and even when the Jurchens invaded, they were still fighting amongst themselves.

After the Qing army entered the pass, the Southern Ming court was practically a replica of the Southern Song Dynasty, no, it was even worse than the Southern Song Dynasty. It was constantly fighting among itself, otherwise how could it have allowed the foreign invaders to gain such an advantage?

Ironically, the Ming Dynasty overthrew the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, only to be replaced by the Jurchen Qing Dynasty, finding itself caught in the middle.

Follow-up comment: Just like the Song Dynasty, the difference is that the Southern Song Dynasty withstood the first wave of Jin attacks, while the Southern Ming Dynasty did not want to resist or fight at all.

Follow-up comment: The Qing army never thought they could unify the country. They thought they could at most divide the country along the Yangtze River like the Jin dynasty. In the end, they succeeded in swallowing the elephant.

Therefore, it is often said that the Shun dynasty destroyed the Ming dynasty, while the Qing dynasty destroyed both the Shun and Southern Ming, thus gaining a great advantage.

Foreign races have invaded and taken over the Central Plains?!

Twice!

Liu Che kicked the imperial desk in front of him away, yelling, "Did you see that?!"

"Foreign races, again foreign races! Those barbarians have actually invaded and ruled the Central Plains!!"

"You also say that my war against the Xiongnu is a waste of national strength."

"If we don't fight, the Han Dynasty will fall into the hands of foreign tribes, just like in later generations."

"I would rather bear the infamy of posterity than let the Xiongnu be completely wiped out, so that this scourge may be eradicated for the sake of the Han Dynasty and for future generations!!!"

Liu Che no longer cares about his posthumous reputation; it's already ruined, so what does it matter? Now, Liu Che only has one thing on his mind: to crush the Xiongnu!

Qin Emperor Ying Zheng frowned. Could it be that later generations could actually allow a foreign barbarian to take over the world?

Then, a surge of intense anger welled up inside him; such a thing was clearly unimaginable to him.

At most, foreign tribes could only take advantage of the Central Plains' vulnerability to launch surprise attacks and plunder, just like the Quanrong scourge during the Western Zhou Dynasty. However, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, even though the states were constantly at war, they never took foreign tribes seriously. The borders of the Chinese land were too long, and the Hu people came and went like the wind, constantly harassing the country. Mosquito bites may not hurt, but they are annoying, and you have to suck blood every time!

Therefore, after unifying the world, Qin Shi Huang gathered able-bodied men and connected the old Great Walls of Qin, Yan, and Zhao to prevent the Xiongnu from constantly invading. If it weren't for concerns about food and logistics, Ying Zheng would have sent a large army to directly attack the Xiongnu's main camp long ago. However, it seems that the Xiongnu must be destroyed now. Ying Zheng exudes a murderous aura and must nip the danger in the bud before the Xiongnu become too powerful.

In the twentieth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang held a victory report in his hand, his face grim and uncertain. Feng Sheng, who was fighting in the north, brought a battle report that the Yuan general Nahachu had surrendered and the entire Jurchen territory had submitted. This news should have been a joyous occasion, as the northeast was now pacified and there was no longer a major threat to the north of the Ming Dynasty. However, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were fixed on the word "Jurchen" on the victory report. After the Yuan Dynasty destroyed the Jin Dynasty, the Jurchens were divided into three parts. The Jurchens in the Central Plains were classified as the third class—Han people—by the Yuan Dynasty, and most of them changed their surnames and became Han people. The Jurchens in the northwest were assimilated into the Mongol ethnic group.

The remaining Jurchens in Northeast China retreated to the Songhua River basin and returned to their previous life of fishing, hunting, and semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral living.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, in order to avoid war and oppression by the Jurchen people, Ahachu and Menggetemur led their people on a large-scale southward migration from the Songhua River basin to the Changbai Mountain area, becoming the ancestors of the later Jianzhou Jurchens and the direct ancestors of the Qing Dynasty imperial family.

Zhu Yuanzhang originally thought that the biggest opponent of the Ming Dynasty was the Mongols, and that the Jurchens were already lost and swept into the dustbin of history. Who would have thought that the Jurchens would eventually win the world?

He could accept the demise of the Ming Dynasty, even if it was replaced by the Shun Dynasty as the sky said, it would still be a Han Chinese dynasty.

However, he could not accept that the Ming Dynasty was eventually replaced by a foreign regime. Zhu Yuanzhang had personally experienced this and witnessed the lives of Han people under a foreign regime, living in dire straits, worse off than a dog of a foreign noble.

Which unfilial descendant allowed the Jurchens to become so powerful during his reign?!

Zhu Yuanzhang clutched the victory report tightly, his eyes blazing with increasing murderous intent. "Urgent dispatch! Send orders to Feng Sheng, Fu Youde, and Lan Yu!"

"Plowing through the fields and sweeping away the enemy's lair, regardless of losses,"

"I do not want to see another Jurchen person remaining in the Northeast!!!"

In the eleventh year of the Chongzhen reign, the Later Jin had already changed its name to the Qing Dynasty a few years earlier, and the Ming Dynasty's civil and military officials still referred to them as the Jiannu. The Later Jin's offensive intensified, and they raided the area many times. Fortunately, the rebel leader Li Zicheng had been wiped out, leaving only remnants to roam around. It was expected that they would be completely captured soon. Zhang Xianzhong had already surrendered, and although there were small uprisings in other places, they could not cause any real trouble.

Zhu Youjian, acting as if possessed, pointed at the sky and roared at his ministers, "The sky says the Jurchens have taken this empire! Didn't you all tell me the Jurchens couldn't cause any trouble?"

"Isn't the Ming Dynasty thriving and its national power growing stronger every day?"

Zhu Youjian kept asking questions, his suspicions about these officials growing stronger than ever before. He was already suspicious, but now he was even more suspicious of these officials. They must have something to hide, and perhaps some of them had already turned to the Jurchens. He had to have the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard keep a close watch on them. Zhu Youjian made up his mind that at this moment, he could not trust anyone.

As people from all dynasties were horrified that a foreign race had twice seized power, the scene on the sky suddenly turned yellowish-brown, and the stench of blood rushed through the sky, mixed with the sounds of horses' hooves, shouts of killing, and wails of agony.

The stench of blood gradually solidified into four large, scarlet characters: "The Wuyin Rebellion!!!"