Is Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang a wise emperor? why

Human nature is complex, especially the thoughts of ancient emperors. Even the most favored ministers cannot predict the Holy Will at all times. It is said that the Holy Will is unpredictable. Zhu Yuanzhang, who was born as a commoner, lived a poor life since he was a child. He had seen all kinds of life and had a taste of the warmth and warmth of human nature. Therefore, he should be the emperor who best understands the hardships of people's lives, which can be seen from his absolutely zero-tolerance attitude towards corruption. However, it does not mean that Zhu Yuanzhang cares about the sufferings of the people and that Zhu Tianzhang is a wise king. This would seem very one-sided. Because Zhu Yuanzhang's life experience as a child made him endure hardships, he understood that it was not easy for him to be a common man. After he came to power, he implemented a policy of light taxes and low taxes to benefit the people. The long-term wars before the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty led to a sharp decrease in the social population and a large number of refugees with no fixed homes. Zhu Yuanzhang implemented the policy of immigration to farmland, that is, moving some residents from more populous areas to sparsely populated areas, and also distributed farmland free of charge. Cattle and seeds are given to the common people, so that the common people can quickly develop farming and settle down as soon as possible.

In addition, Zhu Yuanzhang also encouraged people to open up wasteland in large quantities and plant cash crops, ensuring that those who opened up wasteland would always own the land. And it’s tax-free for three years. Zhu Yuanzhang also attached great importance to agricultural infrastructure such as water conservancy, and established welfare homes. Those who had no livelihood were provided with food on a monthly basis. If poor families were unable to bury the deceased, the Ming court subsidized funeral expenses. In short, Zhu Yuanzhang quickly won the hearts and minds of the people by formulating and implementing a series of policies. People solved their food problem, and economic and social development were relatively stable. Zhu Yuanzhang was relatively kind to the common people, and he could be said to be an emperor who loved his people like a son. Let's take a look at what Zhu Yuanzhang thinks of officials?

Officials in the Ming Dynasty, like local county magistrates, received 7 shi and 5 dou of rice per month, while the first-rank officials in the court received 87 shi of rice per month. In other words, with such a salary, these Ming Dynasty officials had no problem with food and clothing, but it was obviously impossible to earn more and live a luxurious life, let alone become rich. Because the salary in the Ming Dynasty was a bit shabby, it indirectly led to the gradual popularity of corrupt officials in the Ming Dynasty, but Zhu Yuanzhang hated corrupt officials the most.

Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that anyone with a total amount of corruption of 60 taels of silver should be beheaded. In order to punish corruption, Zhu Yuanzhang invented a variety of shocking criminal laws, the most famous of which is the "peeling last grass" Pi Zang Temple specially set up in the Yamen. Let's take a look at Zhu Yuanzhang's confrontation with the founding father of the Ming Dynasty in 1380 AD. , Ming Taizu punished Prime Minister Hu Weiyong for "treason and immorality". This was the "Hu Party" case that shocked the government and the opposition. There were many people implicated in this case and executed, such as the censor Chen Ning and Zhongcheng Tujie. More than 30,000 people were executed in the "Hu Party" case.

In 1393 AD, another case of rebellion by a minister came out. This time the minister killed by Zhu Yuanzhang was Lan Yu. According to Zhu Yuanzhang, he was classified as a "Blue Party", and the "Blue Party" case was a waste of time. Over the years, a basketful of famous generals were executed due to implication, and all the heroes and generals who followed Zhu Yuanzhang to fight for the world were slaughtered with a few hands. Whether it is the Lan Yu case or the Hu Weiyong case, it shows that Zhu Yuanzhang did not trust his ministers and was afraid that others would try to seize the Zhu family's power. It also reflects Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicious character. Is Zhu Yuanzhang considered a wise king?

Zhu Yuanzhang was a complex man. He overthrew the decadent regime that made the people miserable in the late Yuan Dynasty and established the Ming Dynasty. Under his rule, ordinary people generally lived and worked in peace and contentment, and society developed rapidly and stably. Leave him alone. He is "cruel and murderous" towards the heroes and heroes, because the common people are the foundation of a country, and since he can make the common people live a good life, then he deserves the title of Mingjun.