What is the significance of the so-called "protecting the country by the emperor" in the Ming Dynasty?

The so-called son of heaven protects the country, but it is a joke. Only the Ming Dynasty put the capital in the most dangerous place. Facts have also proved that this is unreliable. Of course, we can't deny the advantages of putting the capital in Beijing. Let me talk about the pros and cons of this.

Let's talk about the advantages first.

1. Beijing was rebuilt on the basis of the Yuan Dynasty. This symbolizes that Daming has replaced Dayuan as the heir of the orthodox world.

The circumference of the Yuan Dynasty Metropolitan Wall is about 60 Li, which is a rectangle longer from north to south than from east to west. When Xu Da led the troops to pacify the Yuan Dynasty, he asked whether to continue the pursuit. Zhu Yuanzhang's order is to stick to aid Korea and not advocate going north. In order to shorten the defense line, Xu Da abandoned the northern wall of Yuandadu in Jiandemen and Anzhenmen, and built a new wall in Deshengmen and Andingmen in Nanwuli.

In order to make room for the front of the temple, Judy of Ming Taizu demolished the south wall of Yuan Dynasty Capital on Chang 'an Avenue, and rebuilt the new Jingnan wall on Zhengyangmen Line in South Erli, leaving the east and west walls unchanged.

The city of Beijing was constantly built and expanded by emperors. The political and cultural foundation of the whole country has been laid. Becoming the national capital is qualified and very important. This is Beijing's greatest advantage.

Second, Beijing has obvious geographical advantages.

For the Ming dynasty, the greatest danger came from the north, so the Duoyan Sanwei and the Great Wall were set up on the northern border for reinforcement and defense. Moreover, the Great Wall is hoarding elite troops on all nine sides, so as long as it does not die, there is little threat from Beijing. In addition, the communication of the Grand Canal waterway and the strong control of the Yellow River flood. It must be said that the most successful period of harnessing the Yellow River was the Yuan Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty. Pan Jixun appeared in the Ming Dynasty, which really managed the flood of the Yellow River under the conditions at that time, making water transportation very convenient. Shi Jing's material supply and transshipment are smooth. This is material security.

Beijing is a "prosperous land" with a solid foundation. Ming Chengzu thought that Beiping had good geomantic omen, which made his emperor Judy run in Beiping for more than 20 years, with a solid foundation, while Nanjing was full of adherents of past dynasties, with unstable people's hearts. Therefore, it is better to return to Beiping, the base camp. In the first month of the first year of Yongle, Li Zhigang, the minister of rites, paid an audience with the emperor and said, "Emperors of all ages, either put on cloth to pacify the world or joined the Grand Union from foreign princes, all promoted their posts and offered sacrifices to heaven wherever they went. I am eager to see the chief secretary of Beiping. It is appropriate for the emperor to carry Xinghua, and according to the Taizu Gaozong capital system, it is established as Kyoto. "

This was also an important factor in proposing to move the capital at that time.

Then let me see what are the shortcomings of Beijing.

First, surrounded by powerful enemies, without a strong military foundation, they are vulnerable to threats.

Although Emperor Yongle was a man of great talent and general ideas. He proposed to start five northern expeditions to Mobei in Beijing to eliminate hidden dangers in the north and lay the foundation for long-term stability. In Judy's view, Jinghua is the center of the world. "Countries extend in all directions and the roads are suitable." Sun Chengze, a beginner in the late Ming and Qing Dynasties, described Beijing in Tianfu Guangji, saying, "Yanji is really a metropolis in the world, crossing the Central Plains and controlling the desert outside."

However, with the decline of national strength, Beijing's regional advantage has become a disadvantage.

Second, it is the loss of many words and three flavors. Duoyan Sanwei is three tribes of Mongolians in the northeast of China, including Duoyan Sanwei, Taining Sanwei and Fuyu Sanwei, also known as Infinite Ha Sanwei. This military force has also become a new force in the battle of Jingnan. "Ming History" records that Zhu Quan, the king of Ning at that time, "took 80,000 pieces of armor and 6,000 wagons, all of whom belonged to cavalry who were brave and good at fighting". Special mention is made here of the Duoyan Sanwei cavalry managed by Zhu Quan. Judy wanted these cavalry, so she entered Daning City in Zhu Quan on the grounds of being open-minded. Zhu Quan was finally captured alive and placed under house arrest.

Having such an army eventually overthrew the Zhu Yunwen regime. But Judy didn't really deal with them. When they saw Judy's northern expedition again and again, attacking Tatars and Walla people, they still had panic in their hearts. They knew that once the Tatars and Walla were wiped out by the Ming Dynasty, they might be next. So it brought Daming a major trouble. Third, the change of the Great Wall strategy in Ming Dynasty.

Originally, the Ming Great Wall was used for defense and early warning, but the premise was that the area north of the Great Wall was still occupied by the Ming army. The problem is that too many troops have caused desertification and ecological deterioration in the area north of the Great Wall, and it is impossible to survive in the later period. Therefore, a large number of people moved back to the Great Wall in the south, making the weak Great Wall the only barrier, which also caused the northern nationalities to constantly cross the Great Wall and advance towards Beijing. This passive defense mode eventually led to the complete destruction of Daming. It is also the biggest drawback of Daming Capital in Beijing.

Summary: The operation mode of the Ming Emperor guarding the whole country and the two-Beijing system was caused by the emperor's personal preference, military deployment and subsequent compulsory dependence. Whether it is good or bad, it is a historical choice.