Video Clip: Opening Inventory of the Ten Emperors

Chapter 187 Why Xu Da Can Die Well

In November of the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang made a great meritorious official.

Xu Da was awarded the title of Wei Guogong, ranking second among the six dukes, second only to Li Shanchang, the Duke of Korea, with five thousand stones, the most among all heroes.

In February of the 18th year of Hongwu, Xu Da died of illness at the age of 54.

Zhu Yuanzhang posthumously granted Xu Da the title of King of Zhongshan, bestowed the Yin of Zhongshan on his burial, and enjoyed the Taimiao and the Temple of Portraits of Heroes, all ranking first.

Zhu Yuanzhang slaughtered all the heroes of the founding of the country, but he was lenient with Xu Da. The reasons are as follows:
24. Loyalty: When Zhu Yuanzhang returned to his hometown to recruit soldiers, Xu Da readily accepted the call and became one of the [-] Huaixi generals under Zhu Yuanzhang's command.

When Zhu Yuanzhang was taken hostage by Sun Deya's army, Xu Da was willing to exchange himself for Zhu Yuanzhang as a hostage, so he had the grace of saving Zhu Yuanzhang's life.

Afterwards, with Zhu Yuanzhang, he destroyed Chen Youliang, captured Zhang Shicheng, led an army of 25 to conquer Dadu, and conquered the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

[-]. High achievements without cutting down: work hard but be modest and prudent and do not boast of yourself.

Xu Da, the king of Zhongshan, is serious and strategic, and his achievements are high. He has never been surpassed by his famous assistant since ancient times.

Therefore, after death, you can "reward your descendants and be honored and favored by the world."

Zhu Yuanzhang also praised him for "not restraining and not cutting down".

[-]. No greed: "Women have nothing to love, treasures have nothing to take, integrity is flawless, the sun and the moon shine brightly, and the general (that is, Xu Da) is only one person!"

[-]. The benevolence of the tiger general: Xu Da "does not slaughter the city, and does not kill when he is surrendered." Zhu Yuanzhang once praised him in front of the generals: "It is only for the benefit of the country that you will not kill people indiscriminately. Your descendants will really be blessed."

Fifth, maintain awe: Xu Da knows that being with a king is like being with a tiger, so he can show awe of Zhu Yuanzhang everywhere.

It is said that because his chess skills were higher than Zhu Yuanzhang's, he deliberately lost every game.

After Zhu Yuanzhang knew about it, he ordered him to give it a go.

Xu Da won a game and turned the chess pieces into the words "Long Live". Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed and gave him Mochou Lake.

According to "Think Tank", after Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor, he once got Xu Da drunk, and ordered his servant to send Xu Da to the palace where he lived when he proclaimed King Wu.When Xu Da woke up in the middle of the night and found out where he lived, he immediately got up and "went down to Danchi, bowed to the north again, and came out after three kowtows." Zhu Yuanzhang "heard it, great joy."

Among the five factors, I humbly believe that the fifth is the key.

Xu Da died well, which was not easy.

So, why can Xu Da rank first among the generals under Zhu Yuanzhang's command?

In the 13th year of Yuan Zhizheng, Zhu Yuanzhang returned to his hometown to recruit soldiers. Xu Da, who was 22 years old, came to apply for the army, and he and Zhu Yuanzhang had an intersection since then.

Zhu Yuanzhang is four years older than Xu Da.

In the winter of this year, Zhu Yuanzhang led the Huaixi 24 generals to leave Haozhou, and Xu Da was one of them.

In the fifteenth year from Yuan to Zhengzheng, Guo Zixing captured Sun Deya in Hezhou, and Sun Deya's followers also arrested Zhu Yuanzhang. Xu Da stepped forward, risked himself, and went to Sun Deya's barracks in exchange for Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang was deeply moved, and he trusted and reused Xu Da even more.

In March of the 16th year of Yuan Zhizheng, after Zhu Yuanzhang led his army to capture Jinling, he immediately sent Xu Da to attack Zhenjiang. Before departure, Zhu Yuanzhang told Xu Da that soldiers were strictly prohibited from burning, killing and looting. , people live as usual.

After that, Xu Da successively led his troops to capture Changzhou, Yixing, Ningguo Road and other places.

In July of the 18th year of Yuan Zhizheng, Guo Tianjue, the third son of Guo Zixing, was executed for treason.

In November, Zhu Yuanzhang personally conquered Wuzhou, let Xu Da stay in Yingtian, and entrusted his rear to Xu Da, which shows Zhu Yuanzhang's trust in him.

At that time, Shao Rong was in command of Guo Zixing's old department, and he was the same political officer as Zhu Yuanzhang in Pingzhang, Jiangnan Province.

When Zhu Yuanzhang was in charge of Wuzhou, Xu Da sent Yu Tonghai to capture Chizhou, which prevented Chen Youliang's general Zhao Pusheng from entering Taiping and Yingtian. Zhu Yuanzhang promoted Xu Da to the general of Fengguo after hearing the news, and Xu Da's strategy and combat effectiveness were thus It can be seen.

In May of the 20th year of Yuan Zhizheng, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun set up an ambush on Jiuhua Mountain according to the strategy formulated by Zhu Yuanzhang, and successfully blocked Chen Youliang's attack on Chizhou. Xu Da and Chang Yuchun cooperated tacitly and successfully carried out Zhu Yuanzhang's operation Strategy.

In the following battles, the cooperation of the three will be repeated many times until Chang Yuchun's death.

In May of this year, Chen Youliang went eastward to attack Yingtian in a big way. Zhu Yuanzhang asked Xu Da to lead his troops to line up in the Yuhuatai area outside the south gate. Among all the troops, Xu Da was closest to the gate of Yingtian, which once again showed the Zhu Yuanzhang trusted him.

In August of the 21st year of Yuan Zhizheng, Zhu Yuanzhang led Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and other generals to conquer Chen Youliang, and soon captured his capital Jiangzhou. Then Zhu Yuanzhang took command of Jiangzhou and asked Xu Da to lead his army to advance to Wuchang.

In the 22nd year of Yuan Zhizheng, rebellions broke out frequently in Zhu Yuanzhang's territory. Zhang Shicheng and Chen Youliang also took the opportunity to launch an attack. Shao Rong, Xu Da, and Chang Yuchun led the army to suppress the rebellion and defend.

In August of this year, Shao Rong was convicted and executed for attempting to murder Zhu Yuanzhang, and Xu Da's position in the army rose to the first place.

Although Tang He participated in the uprising earlier than Xu Da, he was stationed in Changzhou from the 17th year of the Yuan Dynasty to the 26th year of the Yuan Dynasty. During this period, he asked Zhu Yuanzhang for instructions and did not get a satisfactory answer. He was drunk Then he complained: "My town is like sitting on the ridge of a roof. If you look left, you will be left, and if you look right, you will be right."

On the other hand, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun have been leading the main force to attack the city and conquer the land, and they are fighting everywhere. Their military strategy, combat experience, quick understanding and execution ability of Zhu Yuanzhang's military strategy, and ability to adapt to changes on the battlefield are far superior to other generals. General Ren is the most authored, Ping Zhang Shao Rong, You Cheng Xu Da and Yu Chun are the three; and Rong You is a veteran general who is good at fighting."

Compared with Chang Yuchun, Xu Da is superior in strategy and is a handsome talent, while Chang Yuchun is Zhu Yuanzhang's number one fierce general. The two talents are brave and similar, and both Taizu relied heavily on them. In the spring, they dared to go deep, but Dayu was good at strategy."

Xu Da has a strong thirst for knowledge and is familiar with the ancient art of war. He has developed superb commanding skills and a keen sense of smell in perennial battles, and can seize fleeting opportunities. , Talking about the ancient art of war", "On the day of returning to the court, you can give up your bicycle, extend your courtesy to Confucian scholars, and talk about it all day long, just like Yongyong".

In March of the 23rd year of Yuan Zhizheng, Zhu Yuanzhang led Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and others to go north to Anfeng to rescue King Xiaoming. After Anfeng was captured, Zhu Yuanzhang returned to Yingtian, and Xu Da and Chang Yuchun attacked Zuo Junbi in Luzhou.

At the end of June, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Xu Da and Chang Yuchun to return from Luzhou to help Hongdu.

Xu Da and Chang Yuchun returned to Yingtian without stopping, and then rushed to Hongdu immediately. On July 21, they fought a decisive battle with Chen Youliang at Poyang Lake.

At that time, Chen Youliang occupied the upper reaches, and had a large number of troops and tall buildings and ships, while Zhu Yuanzhang's warships were small, which was not conducive to attacking upwards. ", defeated Chen Youliang's forward, captured a huge boat, and boosted morale.

Xu Da may have been seriously injured in this battle. Zhu Yuanzhang sent him back to Yingtian to defend against Zhang Shicheng's attack. It was not until March of the following year that Xu Da led the army again.

Xu Da firmly obeyed Zhu Yuanzhang's command. As long as Zhu Yuanzhang ordered, he would rush forward desperately regardless of personal safety, without the slightest hesitation. Perhaps this is what moved Zhu Yuanzhang.

In the first month of the 24th year of Yuan Zhizheng, Zhu Yuanzhang called himself King Wu and appointed Xu Da as Zuo Xiangguo, under Li Shanchang.

Soon, Zhu Yuanzhang carried out a new reorganization of the team under his command, established a strict hierarchy and affiliation, and ordered orders and prohibitions, which laid a solid foundation for future campaigns. The smooth progress of these tasks is inseparable from Xu Da's full support.

In October of the 25th year of Yuan Zhizheng, Zhu Yuanzhang sent Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and others to attack Zhang Shicheng.

Zhu Yuanzhang divided the campaign to eliminate Zhang Shicheng into three steps: capture Huaidong, then send troops to Huzhou and Hangzhou, and finally besiege Pingjiang.

Zhu Yuanzhang commanded in Yingtian.

Zhang Shicheng sent troops to spy on the Jiangyin Water Village in an attempt to induce Xu Da to disperse his troops. Zhu Yuanzhang went to investigate in person and ordered Xu Da to send Liao Yongzhong to lead a small force to strengthen the defense of Jiangyin.

After Xu Da conquered Taizhou, he took advantage of the victory to send troops to Xinghua and Gaoyou. Zhu Yuanzhang worried that Xu Da was too deep and could not cope with the generals, so he hurriedly ordered him to return to Taizhou to restrain the troops from all walks of life.

In August of the 26th year of Yuan Zhizheng, Zhu Yuanzhang appointed Xu Da as the general and Chang Yuchun as the deputy general. He commanded 20 troops and began to attack the western Zhejiang area occupied by Zhang Shicheng. Don't destroy your hut, don't create mounds.

Zhu Yuanzhang decided to attack Huzhou and Hangzhou first, and made a plan himself.

Xu Da and Chang Yuchun acted according to the plan and besieged Huzhou, and Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Li Wenzhong to attack Hangzhou.

After capturing Huzhou and Hangzhou, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Xu Da to lead his troops to besiege Zhang Shicheng's capital, Pingjiang, using the method of locking the city proposed by the Confucian scholar Ye Duixin four years ago.

In September of the 26th year of Yuan Zhizheng, teachers of Xu Da and Chang Yuchun responded to Tian, ​​and Zhu Yuanzhang named Li Shanchang the Duke of Xuan, Xu Da the Duke of Xin, and Chang Yuchun the Duke of E.

In October of this year, Zhu Yuanzhang formulated the Northern Expedition strategy of cutting off the wings first, and then going straight to the enemy's heart: "Take Shandong first, remove its shield; turn to Henan, cut off its wings; pull out Tongguan and defend it, according to its household threshold.

The situation of the world is under my control, and then I enter the capital of Yuandu, and then I will be alone and helpless, and I can overcome it without a fight.

Once the capital is conquered, the drum travels to the west, and Yunzhong (Datong, Shanxi), Taiyuan and Guanlong can be swept down."

Subsequently, Zhu Yuanzhang appointed Xu Da as the general who conquered captives, Chang Yuchun as the deputy general, commanded 25 troops, and started the Northern Expedition.

After the army set off, Zhu Yuanzhang issued the "Edict to the Central Plains" drafted by Song Liandai, proposing: "Expel the barbarians, restore China, set up guidelines and disciplines, and rescue the people of Sri Lanka", and told the people: "When the soldiers arrive, the people should not avoid it. My order is solemn, and there is no crime in the slightest."

Xu Da has always been strict in restraining his troops, with strict discipline, and the people's lives will not be disturbed in the cities he went to. He is Zhu Yuanzhang's best choice for the leader of the Northern Expedition.

In the spring, you can't go down to the city without slaughter, and don't disturb as far as you can. The Taizu ordered the generals to be strict and disciplined, and those who conquer the attack and gain the body of a general are better than the generals.

Although Xu Da was a tiger general, he had a benevolent heart. He led his troops to capture many cities. The order in the city was as usual, and the people lived in peace. Well feast, the people are not bitter soldiers."

After Yizhou guard general Wang Xuan and his son surrendered, Zhu Yuanzhang sent someone to secretly remind Xu Da that Wang Xuan and his son held both ends and did not really surrender.Soon, Wang Xuan and his son surrendered and rebelled, which shows that Zhu Yuanzhang's intelligence gathering ability is very powerful.

However, with the smooth progress of the Northern Expedition, Yingtian was getting farther and farther away from the front line. Although Zhu Yuanzhang still sent people to tell Xu Da his judgment, he also gave Xu Da more power to make decisions on the fly.

Soldiers are difficult and far away, adapt to changing circumstances, especially in generals."

In May of the first year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang came to Bianliang to arrange the next stage of strategic deployment. Xu Da suggested to take advantage of the victory and go straight to Dadu. Zhu Yuanzhang agreed and added: "The northern land is flat and open, which is conducive to riding and fighting. Don't be unprepared." .

It is advisable to choose Pianxi, raise elite soldiers as the vanguard, and generals to supervise the land and water divisions. After that, they will go to Shandong to pay for the millet. From Ye to Zhao, turn to Linqing and go north, and go straight to the capital of Yuan."

The meaning of this sentence is: the northern plain is vast, which is conducive to the Mongolian cavalry to fight, so you must not be unprepared.Generals should be sent to lead the elite as the vanguard, and the generals will lead the troops to follow, advance by land and water, use food from Shandong to supply military supplies, go straight from Linzhang to Qinghai, turn from Linqing to the north, and take Yuandu directly.

In August, after Xu Da led his army into Dadu, he ordered the gates of the palace to be closed, and the treasury, books, and treasures sealed up, and commanded Zhang Huan to lead a thousand soldiers to guard it. Zhang Huan was Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial guard.

Xu Dagong does not boast, does not covet women's sex and money, is upright and upright, which is also one of the reasons why he is trusted by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Xu Da is cautious and prudent, abides by his duty, and never exceeds the etiquette of monarchs and ministers.Although he said one thing in the army, but in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da was respectful and cautious, as if he couldn't speak.

Zhu Yuanzhang called him a commoner brother, but Xu Da became more and more respectful.

Zhu Yuanzhang once told Xu Da calmly that he would give Xu Da the old mansion, which was the palace where Zhu Yuanzhang lived when he was king of Wu, but Xu Da resolutely refused, "The world is not yet settled, and the ministers dare to take home as their home. count?".

Once, Zhu Yuanzhang got Xu Da drunk and had him carried to the old mansion. After Xu Da woke up, he "went down in shock, fell down and called for death."

Moreover, Xu Da is good at comforting his subordinates, sharing joys and sorrows with the soldiers, and all the soldiers are unwilling to die, so they are invincible in every attack.

In December of the first year of Hongwu, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun fought against Yuan army general Wang Baobao for the first time, and they won a complete victory. Wang Baobao fled in a hurry with only [-] cavalry.

In July of the second year of Hongwu, Chang Yuchun suddenly fell ill and died.

In the first month of the third year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang divided his troops into two groups, appointed Xu Da as the general who conquered the captives, led Deng Yu and other generals to attack Wang Baobao, and Li Wenzhong was the left deputy general to pursue Emperor Yuanshun.

In April, Xu Da defeated Wang Baobao again in Shen'eryu. Wang Baobao was left with only a few people, and fled northward with his wife and belt.

In the first month of the fifth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang sent 15 troops, divided into three groups, appointed Xu Da as the general who conquered captives, and led Lan Yu and other generals to lead the Central Route Army in the northern expedition.

Wang Baobao kept fleeing and retreating, stretching the supply line of the Central Route Army, and consuming the strength of the soldiers of the Ming Army. Sapphire was the vanguard, chasing all the way, entering the ambush circle of the Yuan Army in the north of Hang'ai Ling. camp.

This time the Northern Expedition failed, Zhu Yuanzhang summed up his experience and lessons, accumulated strength, and did not send troops to the Northern Expedition for a long time. This was Xu Da's last large-scale command of the Northern Expedition.

Afterwards, Zhu Yuanzhang sent Xu Da to stay in the north for a long time. After Yan Wang Zhu Di took over Beiping, he must have benefited a lot from his father-in-law.

After Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne, some meritorious officials did not act arrogantly and recklessly, but Xu Da was strict with himself, cautious and low-key, and never took credit for himself.

Xu Da kept his own law and kept himself clean.

When Hu Weiyong was prime minister, he wanted to make friends with Xu Da, but Xu Da ignored it, so Hu Weiyong bribed Xu Da's gatekeeper, Fushou, and Xu Da just reminded Zhu Yuanzhang that Hu Weiyong was not suitable to be prime minister.

Xu Da did not make friends with important court officials in private, he was loyal and firmly supported Zhu Yuanzhang's decision, and did not pose a threat to the imperial power. This may be the fundamental reason why Zhu Yuanzhang can rest assured that he will lead the army for a long time.

(End of this chapter)