Zhu Kai, King of Suzhuang: One Gansu Province and two Suwangfus watched the Ming Dynasty turn from aggressive to conservative
Foreword: In Chengguan District, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, bustling crowds of people pass by a magnificent gate every day. This gate is currently the only physical object of the Ming Dynasty Prince's Mansion that remains in China. There is also a lobby inside, which is also a relic from that time, but ordinary people like me cannot enter to visit. This palace is naturally the Prince Su's Palace in Lanzhou during the Ming Dynasty.
The first Su Wang, Zhu Kai, was the fourteenth son of Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. His joining the vassal played a great role in promoting the cultural development of Lanzhou and even Gansu. It is said that when there is social fire during the Spring Festival in Yuzhong and Lanzhou areas, the land boats and boatmen for the performance were brought by King Su.
But what many people don’t know is that there is also a Prince Su’s Mansion in Zhangye, west of Lanzhou. The two Prince Su's Palaces in Gansu Province actually witnessed the Ming Dynasty's transition from pioneering and enterprising in the Taizu era to gradually turning conservative.
Zhu Kai was born on September 27, the ninth year of Hongwu (AD 1376), to his mother Gao. In the first month of the eleventh year of Hongwu (AD 1378), Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang granted the title of king for the second time, and 3-year-old Zhu Lai was registered as the King of Han. The ignorant Han King Zhu Kai did not know that in the following years, Mu Ying, Lan Yu and others continued to manage the northwest frontier, allowing the Ming Dynasty's national border to make great strides towards the west.
Therefore, by the 24th year of Hongwu (1391 AD), Zhu Yuanzhang had even begun to consider moving the capital to Xi'an. Under this situation, for Zhu Yuanzhang who pursued the policy of "prince guarding the border", Zhu Lai's title of King of Han was already somewhat out of date. In May of that year, Zhu Kai led his five younger brothers to Linqing, Shandong Province to receive special military training. And his palace guard was named Ganzhou Middle Guard, which meant that the title of King of Han was about to expire.
In March of the 25th year of Hongwu (AD 1392), King Zhu Kai of Han changed his title to King Su, and the country was named Ganzhou (today's Zhangye, Gansu). Although Crown Prince Zhu Biao died suddenly one month later, Zhu Yuanzhang's plan to move the capital was shelved, but it had no impact on King Su. In the first month of the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu (AD 1393), Su Wang Zhu Kai and several younger brothers set out from Nanjing to Fengguo. This time the princes rushed to the feudal clan in a hurry, which was clearly to make way for the "Blue Jade Case" one month later.
Therefore, since the garrison troops of various Shaanxi guards had not gathered at that time, King Su could only temporarily station in Pingliang. Pingliang is located in the eastern part of Gansu Province and is the golden triangle at the intersection of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia. In July of that year, the Ganzhou Left Guard Command Division was established. The avant-garde of the government army, which suffered a heavy blow in the "Lanyu Case", and its pardoned guilty soldiers were sent to Ganzhou to accept the leadership of King Su in order to make atonement for their crimes. In April of the 28th year of Hongwu (AD 1395), all Ganzhou officers and soldiers in the city were assigned to Ganzhou's right guard. At this point, the three guards of Prince Su's Mansion have been assembled.
In June of the 28th year of Hongwu, Su Wang Zhu Kai, who had been in Pingliang for two years, officially returned to Ganzhou. Of course, he had completed his life-long mission in Zhu Lai, Pingliang. After the "Lanyu Case", the original policy of marriage between princes and noble daughters was suspended, so Princess Su's concubine Sun was the daughter of the little-known commander Sun Jida.
After King Su arrived in the feudal state of Ganzhou, he had extremely independent jurisdiction over the local military and political power. According to Zhu Yuanzhang's edict to King Su to establish the vassal state, Zhu Lai's responsibilities were to "manage the military and political affairs of the Shaanxi Xingdu Division and Ganzhou." Shaanxi Xingdusi was an administrative division established in the Hexi Corridor in the Ming Dynasty, and its administrative seat was located in Ganzhou. Yijinai (today's Ejina Banner, located at the westernmost end of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, connected to Alxa Right Banner to the southeast, and adjacent to Gansu Province to the west and southwest) is rich in water and grass, connected to the Hexi Corridor, and is the main route for the Mongols to go south. The Ming Dynasty established the Weiyuan Qianhu Guard Station, Weilu Guard and Baichengzi Qianhu Guard Station here, which were connected to the old city and became the base for the Ming army to conquer Mongolia.
The "Mingshan Zang·Fans Divide" states that King Su "crossed the river to the west to lead Zhangye and Jiuquan counties, sealed the west of Jiayu, and protected the countries in the western region." "Mingshan Zang" was written by He Qiaoyuan, a Jinshi scholar in the 14th year of Wanli Dynasty and the right minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Industry in the Chongzhen Dynasty. It has high reference and utilization value for understanding and studying the history of the Ming Dynasty.
Judging from this record, Zhu Yuanzhang had great expectations for his son, and the task of protecting and developing large areas of Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang was placed on the shoulders of King Su. Even at that time when Li Jinglong, the second-generation noble Cao Guogong, was rectifying the guards and horses of Shaanxi, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty also specifically told the Shaanxi Xingdu Division's five guards of Ganzhou and the guards of Suzhou, Shangan, Yongchang, Xining, and Liangzhou to be responsible for their horses. King Su was responsible for rectifying the situation and asked him not to interfere.
And King Su’s performance did indeed live up to his old father’s expectations. When Lan Yu conquered Handong before, although the local chief Ha Zan fled, he never returned. After Zhu Kai became a vassal, he showed both kindness and power. Ha Zan sent Fanseng Sarjiazangbu to Ganzhou to ask for an audience with King Su, and begged to surrender to the imperial court.
Therefore, at the request of King Su, the Ming Dynasty established the Anding Guard Command and Envoy in March of the 29th year of Hongwu (AD 1396). Ha Zan was given 58 bronze seals, and his officials were assigned the same status as the guards in the interior (Anding Guard was located 1,500 kilometers southwest of Ganzhou and belonged to Tubo during the Tang Dynasty). Later, the Anding Guards played an extremely important role in the political, military, and economic aspects of northwest China during the Ming Dynasty.
In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, when facing the invading barbarians, the imperial officers and soldiers would either remain motionless or run away with their heads in their hands. But during the Hongwu period, the picture was completely reversed. For example, in the 29th year of Hongwu (AD 1396), the guards of Prince Su's Mansion were ordered to patrol the border. Upon hearing the news, the thieves and bandits such as the praying sun and the beggar slaves fled to Hamili (ie Hami). (Today's Tuolaihe), the false king Sahu Shijia fled to Duogong (that is, Duogan, located in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau). It can be said that the appearance of King Su made the bandits frightened. We can also see the old emperor's reassurance and satisfaction with his son in Zhu Yuanzhang's edict to King Su the following year:
After Zhu Yuanzhang's death, the newly succeeded emperor's grandson Zhu Yunwen launched a campaign against the border guard prince A harsh reckoning. In this chilling environment, King Su asked Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen to move inland, and was allowed to move from Ganzhou to Lanzhou. King Su moved inland, which greatly reduced the influence of the Ming Dynasty in the northwest. In order to reduce the vassal status, Zhu Yunwen really ignored his grandfather's ambition to expand the territory.
In June of the fourth year of Jianwen, King Zhu Di of Yan, who succeeded in the Jingnan campaign, ascended the throne in Nanjing and proclaimed himself emperor. In September of that year, Zhu Kai traveled all the way from Lanzhou (called Lan County in this fashion) to Nanjing to pay homage to the new emperor. When King Su came, he naturally paid a certificate of surrender to his fourth brother. In October of that year, the Ganzhou left guard among the three guards of King Su was taken back to the imperial court.
Although King Su moved inland, he still had a certain influence in the northwest outer vassals. In the sixth year of Yongle (AD 1408), Bieshi Bali and Hami paid tribute to King Su with horses. For this reason, Zhu Lai received a stern warning from Zhu Di that "there is no diplomacy among ministers."
In the seventh year of Yongle (AD 1409), King Rinpoche Rinchen Begye, the preceptor of the Kingdom of Pili Gongwa, presented gifts to Zhu Xi, which once again aroused Zhu Di's suspicion. Fortunately, King Su learned his lesson this time and reported to Zhu Di in time, so he did not cause more trouble. But Emperor Yongle still gave the book to his younger brother and did not forget to beat him.
Bili Gongwa Temple is the main temple of the Zhigong branch of the Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Four years later, Zhu Di promoted it to the hereditary king of Bili Gongwa Chan, which shows its Status sensitivity. Since then, King Su has been cautious and cautious, which is why he has the reputation of "respectful nature and good at literature".
On December 20, the seventeenth year of Yongle (AD 1419), Zhu Mei died at the age of 44. After the news reached Beijing, Zhu Di stopped attending court for three days and gave him the posthumous title of Zhuang. The posthumous title is to be strict and respectful to the people and call it Zhuang, and to be powerful but not fierce is called Zhuang. It is a good posthumous title.
Zhu Xi Cemetery is located in Huangjiazhuang Village, Laizibao Township, Yuzhong County, Gansu Province today. The cemetery buildings have long since disappeared, and its tomb has long been stolen. The tomb has a blue brick arch structure, with five tomb chambers and two stone gates at the front and back. It is an important material for studying the tomb system of vassal kings in the Ming Dynasty. From the perspective of Feng Shui, the location of King Su's tomb is "with the head resting on the peaks (flat peaks), the feet stepping on the jade belt (Yuanchuan River), sitting north to south, and arranged in sequence."
Chunhua Ge Tie is the earliest calligraphy calligraphy collection in my country that collects calligraphy ink from various calligraphy schools. It is known as the crown of Chinese calligraphy and "the ancestor of Cong Tie".
When King Su entered the vassal state, Zhu Yuanzhang gave his son a copy of Song rubbings "Chunhua Pavilion Notes". Since then, this "Chunhua Pavilion Notes" has become the treasure of Prince Su's mansion.
During the Wanli period, Zhu Shenyao, the then king of Su, invited two masters of engraving, Wen Ruyu from Suzhou and Zhang Yingzhao from Kangxi, Henan, to copy and engrave the rubbings on Fuping Stone (Fuping Moyu, Fuping, Shaanxi Province). County specialties). This huge project lasted seven years and was finally completed after Zhu Shenyao's son Zhu Shihong succeeded to the throne. 142 Fuping stones were used. Zhu Shihong excitedly wrote a postscript for it himself and praised it for being "not the least bit dissatisfied with the old and the new". Even when Japan published the "Fa Tie Da Series", the missing pages were filled in with the Chun Hua Ge Tie.
Unfortunately, Zhu Shihong's end was not good. In the winter of the 16th year of Chongzhen (AD 1643), Li Zicheng's rebel army captured Lanzhou, and Zhu Shihong, as the last King Su, was killed by the rebel army. Princess Yan committed suicide by hitting the stone monument in anger. This monument is also known as the "Blue Blood Monument" and is currently located in the Jintianguan Stele Pavilion of the Workers' Cultural Palace in Lanzhou City.
King Suzhuang only had one son and one daughter. The eldest daughter was granted the title of Princess Chongxin, while the eldest son Zhu Fanyan was not yet granted the title. It was not until September of the 22nd year of Yongle (AD 1424) that 19-year-old Zhu Fanyan attacked King Su.
The generation of Su Wang is: "The support and tribute are true, the Jin gentry knows the loyalty, the rays of light are among the lucky ones, and the admonitions are always prosperous." The son of King Suzhuang is the generation next to the character "火" (桡). He is the same generation as Zhu Gaochi, Renzong of the Ming Dynasty, but not the same generation as Zhu Zhanji, Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty.
In December of the eighth year of Tianshun (AD 1464), Su Wang Zhu Fanyan died at the age of 57, and was given the posthumous title Kang. In May of the fourth year of Chenghua (AD 1468), Zhu Lupi, the king of Xunyang, the eldest son of King Sukang, attacked King Su. In the fifteenth year of Chenghua (AD 1479), Su Wang Zhu Lupi passed away at the age of 59, and was given the posthumous title Jian. In June of the 23rd year of Chenghua (AD 1487), King Sujian's eldest son Zhu Gongzao, King of Fenchuan, attacked and granted the title of King Su.
Judging from the above raids, the inheritance of Prince Su's Mansion is in order and there seems to be nothing dangerous about it. But in fact, from Suzhuang King Zhu Mei, to Sukang King Zhu Fanyan, and to Sujian King Zhu Lupi, they were all single-passers. The fourth generation Su King Zhu Gongzao was already 31 years old when he attacked the throne, and he only had one son, Zhu Zhenyu. It can be said that Prince Su's Mansion, which has been passed down for nearly a hundred years, has always been dancing on the tightrope of single transmission. After the death of other royal families, there are still collateral lines that can inherit the throne, such as the Prince of Qin's Palace, the Prince of Zhou's Palace, the Prince of Chu's Palace, the Prince of Shu's Palace, etc. But if the Su family has no heirs, the country will be eliminated.
Fortunately, Zhu Gongzao lived until the fifteenth year of Jiajing's reign before his death. At the age of 80, he overcame his eldest son Zhu Zhenyu and his grandson Zhu Bihuan, and gave him the posthumous title Gong. His second grandson Zhu Bihuan attacked Feng Su. king. The key is that Prince Su Gong has given birth to 6 sons, so Prince Su's palace does not have to worry about leaving the country without any sons.
Ganzhou Suwangfu is located in the southwest of Ganzhou City. It was originally built by General Pingqiang and Gansu Chief Military Officer Song Sheng. In the 26th year of Hongwu, Cao Guogong Li Jinglong took the seal of Pingqiang General and continued to plan for King Su to vassal Ganzhou. In the 28th year of Hongwu's reign, the palace was completed, and Li Jinglong personally went to Pingliang to welcome King Su's enthronement.
In addition to the palace, King Su also had a large number of farms and grass lakes in Ganzhou, Gaotai, Linze and other places. He also had the Ganzhou Qunhu Qianhu Station in Guyuan, Ningxia, which was responsible for the husbandry of horses in the palace. . After King Su moved inland, the palace was not abandoned. When some officials even wanted to change the palace to Dusi Yamen, they encountered strong opposition from the second Su Wang, Zhu Fanyan.
According to current research, the scope of Ganzhou Suwangfu is west of the Wangfu Cross on Xianfu South Street, Ganzhou District, Zhangye City, north of the Fuzhou Cross on Qingnian West Street, and between Laodong South Street and the small cross of West Street East, in the area from Renmin West Street to the south of the West Street Grand Cross. Today's County House Street in Ganzhou District of Zhangye was first called Wangfu Street. It was not until the middle of the Qing Dynasty that the name of Zhangye County Street was changed because the Zhangye County Office was located here.
Today, there are still eight houses from the Ming and Qing Dynasties on the site of Prince Zhangyesu's Mansion, located in the kindergarten 100 meters west of Funan Street, Ganzhou District.
It is a group of bungalows with aisles running from north to south, with a total of four buildings in two rows. It is basically well preserved and is the only ancient building left on the site of Prince Su's Mansion.
Conclusion: The "Jingnan War" that took place between Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen and King Yan Zhu Di greatly affected the national policy of the Ming Dynasty. During the Hongwu period, the high-spirited kings of Liao and Su in the eastern and northwest areas of Liaoning moved inward one after another, marking the transformation of the Ming Dynasty from an enterprising empire that opened up territories to one that was stable (unhealthy), persistent (thoughtful), and progressive (progressive). Conservative dynasty.
Later, under the control of the civil servant group, Emperor Yingzong was captured by the Mongols in a Tumu fort near Gyeonggi. During the Wu Zong Dynasty, Liu Liu and Liu Qi's uprising swept across the entire north, which was almost a preview of Li Zicheng's uprising in the future. But without the 9,000-year-old Chongzhen Dynasty, the country fell. If the Ming Taizu was buried underground, I don’t know what to think.