On the history of Zhu Yuanzhang

The legendary story of Zhu Yuanzhang, the phoenix occupying the cave, is the story of Zhu Yuanzhang burying his parents, which has been circulated in Fengyang area for more than 600 years. One day at the end of Yuan Dynasty, a Cai Feng suddenly flew over Fengyang. After circling twice, it flew southwest and landed on a deserted beach. The news spread and people rushed there to watch. Peter said that at this moment, government officials patrolled by and saw a phoenix coming at them. They think the phoenix is a kind of divine bird, symbolizing good luck. If it can be caught and handed over to the emperor, it is that officials are not greedy for money and wealth falls from the sky! Thought of this, suddenly very happy, very happy, jump. Phoenix lowered its head, let out a long sound, spread its wings, soared into the sky and flew on the colorful clouds. Seeing the phoenix fly away, the onlookers dispersed in a hubbub. However, the people in the government kept their hands still where the phoenix fell and shouted at the government, "You dig with a spade quickly. Phoenix will not fall where there is no treasure. There must be treasure here! " He said he dug it first, and the official found a shovel to lift it. From morning till night, he got nothing. The official had to wave his sleeve and leave, leaving a big and deep hole. Soon, Zhu Yuanzhang's parents died one after another. At that time, he was a child, his parents were tenants, and he was poor all his life. When he died, he didn't even have a place to be buried. Zhu Yuanzhang and his second brother rolled up their parents' bodies with straw, put them on a wheelbarrow and buried them in the wasteland. Just arrived at the place where the phoenix landed and the government dug a hole, suddenly dark clouds were gathering, the wind roared, thunder and lightning flashed, and it rained cats and dogs. Unexpectedly, the body slipped into the into the pit, and they went to a big tree to shelter from the rain. After a while, the wind stopped raining. They were surprised when they walked in. The pit was not only razed to the ground by heavy rain, but also swept into a high mound by strong wind. People say this is an act of God, and it was buried by God. After Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor, he repeatedly considered opening a grave for reburial and personally went to Fengyang to choose the terrain. Later, he was persuaded by others that he won the world because his parents occupied the "treasure land" of "Phoenix Needle". If reburied, it will break the "land of feng shui", which will make the ancestors feel uneasy in it, and secondly, it will be unfavorable to Daming Mountain. Zhu Yuanzhang was convinced of this, so he ordered the mausoleum to be built at the original site, which is the ancestral mausoleum of Ming Chengzu. After his parents and eldest brother were buried, Zhu Yuanzhang separated from his older second brother and had to leave home to make a living elsewhere. Zhu Yuanzhang was alone and could hardly live. Seeing his pity, the kind neighbor Queen Mother sent some gifts to the abbot of a nearby temple to persuade them to accept Zhu Yuanzhang. She wanted Zhu Yuanzhang to become a monk and have ample food and clothing. For Zhu Yuanzhang, becoming a monk is a desperate choice. At first, Zhu Yuanzhang was not an ambitious man. There are also some legends or side notes about why Zhu Yuanzhang became a monk. Legend has it that after Zhu Yuanzhang was born, he never ate for some reason. One day, Emperor Chun (referring to Zhu Yuanzhang's father) saw a strange-looking monk sitting by the door on his way back from seeking medical treatment. Unexpectedly, the monk suddenly spoke and asked him, "Where is the benefactor going?" Huang Chun said, "I have a new son, but I can't eat." The monk said, "Never mind! By midnight tonight (23: 00 pm to early morning 1), he will naturally be able to eat. " After thanking the monk, Emperor Chun said that if it was as he said, he would accept the child as an apprentice. Huang Chun said that he would entertain the monk with tea when he came in, but when he came out, he found that he didn't know where he had gone. In the middle of the night, the monk's words came true and Zhu Yuanzhang could eat. There is also a legend that Zhu Yuanzhang was often ill when he was a baby. In order to raise children well at home, children are enclosed in temples according to local customs and let them become monks when they grow up. After Zhu Yuanzhang grew up, Zhu Yuanzhang's father allowed his son to become a monk, but the child's mother quit, so things were delayed and Zhu Yuanzhang did not enter the Buddha early. Unforeseen things happened, and then a plague broke out in the village. In desperation, Zhu Yuanzhang asked his second brother to agree to worship the monk as a teacher in his hometown Huangsi, and his neighbors helped him complete the ceremony. Both materials come from Tianhuang's jade mold. The temple Zhu Yuanzhang entered was called Jade huang temple, which was later renamed Huang Jue Temple. After Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor, in the sixteenth year of Hongwu (1383), Huang Jue Temple was rebuilt in the northeast of the original site 15, and it was renamed Da longxing temple. At that time, it was not easy to be a monk with food. When the famine also threatened the temple, the monks had no food to eat-"After living for less than two months, the temple owner closed the warehouse. Each for a living, floating clouds. " Zhu Yuanzhang stayed in the temple for less than 50 days and worked as a "pawn" for less than two months. Before he knew anything, he left the temple and traveled around. It was four years in Yuan Dynasty (1344), and Zhu Yuanzhang was only 17 years old. Wind, frost, rain and snow, jathyapple was frightened, the world was boundless, and his body was like a floating canopy. The barren mountain temple became his shelter, and he had to rely on the charity of others to make a living. As a traveling monk, Zhu Yuanzhang, like a beggar, can be said to have experienced hardships. Zhu Yuanzhang traveled all over the mountains and rivers west of Huaihe River and south of Henan, so it took him more than three years. Zhu Yuanzhang was in his early twenties at this time. In these three years, he has broadened his horizons, increased his life experience and honed his ability to survive in adversity. But Zhu Yuanzhang missed his hometown after all, so he returned to the ancestral temple. "Chronicle of the Imperial Dynasty" said: "(Zhu Yuanzhang) returned to the ancestral temple and realized that he was determined to study hard." After traveling abroad for three years, Zhu Yuanzhang returned to Huang Jue Temple and began to study hard. Blue lights and yellow rolls, he went out early and returned late, reading and chanting Buddha. During this period, Zhu Yuanzhang was determined to study hard. In addition to Buddhist scriptures, he also had extensive contact with various books. What he learned in those years in the temple became the main source of his book knowledge. Although Zhu Yuanzhang was just an ordinary monk at that time, his life in the temple was deified: when he lived in the temple, red light often flashed in the room at night, and when people approached, the red light disappeared, which surprised everyone. This is the first two months of his first visit to the temple. When he goes to the temple from other places, the situation will be even more mysterious. One day, a Taoist in red appeared in the northwest of the temple. He said, "There are good people in this temple." In other words, this temple will produce great people in the future. Legend has it that one day, when Zhu Yuanzhang was sweeping the floor and swept to the foot of the Buddha statue, he thought that his outstretched foot was in the way and casually said, "It's retracted!" Unexpectedly, the Buddha's feet really "shrank" back. Another time, the mouse ate the incense candle in front of the Buddha statue. Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry and thought, Buddha, why don't you care about anything? So with a stroke of a pen, five big characters were approved on the back of the Buddha statue: "Send to three thousand miles." In the evening, other monks in the temple had a dream that the Buddha in the temple was leaving. They asked strangely, "Why did you leave?" Buddha said, "The Lord sent three thousand Li." The next morning, the monks found the words on the back of the Buddha statue and asked who did it. Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Haha, that's my joke. I'll let him go now." Sure enough, in the evening, the monks dreamed that the Buddha came to thank them. Buddha has long known that Zhu Yuanzhang is the "master of the world". Zhu Yuanzhang stayed in the temple for another three years. If there is no accident, Zhu Yuanzhang, a monk, may continue to do it. With his cleverness and diligence, he may become a monk who is proficient in Buddhist scriptures and teaches all his life. However, in the eleventh year of Zheng Zheng (135 1), his life took a great turn, and a new world unfolded before his eyes. The devil did something, and a hero hiding in the grass embarked on his own entrepreneurial road. Zhu Yuanzhang joined the army to survive, but when he galloped on the battlefield, he found that he was not a weak man. He can not only command thousands of troops, but also control the fate of himself and many people. So, how did he embark on this road to success? However, the birthplace of Zhu Yuanzhang was gradually divided in various legends of the Ming Dynasty, forming the saying that Zhu Yuanzhang was born in Xuyi County. Sizhou-Erlang Temple (also known as the Land Temple), Hongluozhang, Yuelonggang and other place names can be found in Xuyi. It seems that both Zhou Hao Zhongli and Sizhou Xuyi want to win the glory of this "land of Longxing". There is an Anhui folk song called Fengyang Flower Drum, which is very popular. The song sings: Fengyang is a good place. There has been a famine for nine years since Zhu Yuanzhang was born ... The lyrics mean that Zhu Yuanzhang was born in Fengyang. So, was Zhu Yuanzhang born in Zhonghao, Haozhou or Xuyi, Sizhou? It turns out that in the Yuan Dynasty, Haozhou on Anfeng Road governed Zhongli, Dingyuan and Huaiyuan counties, Sizhou belonged to Huai 'an Road, and Sizhou governed Linhuai, Hongxian, Wuhe, Xuyi and Tianchang counties. At that time, Li Zhonghe and Xu Yi belonged to two countries, so they would not be confused. By the Ming Dynasty, things had changed. Because Li Zhong became emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to improve Li Zhong's position, so he promoted Li Zhong to Fengyang House (the seventh year of Hongwu 1374). Fengyang House governed five states and thirteen counties, including Fengyang County, Linhuai County, Huaiyuan County, Dingyuan County, Wuhe County and Hongxian County, including five states. Thus, in the Ming Dynasty, Zhou Hao and Si Yi both belonged to Fengyang House. Then, it is true that Emperor Zhu was born in Fengyang. No matter who was born in Xuyi or Zhongli, he never left Fengyang House. However, there is a problem that cannot be explained so far. According to Zhu Yuanzhang's own account, his father Zhu was sixty-four when he died, and Zhu Yuanzhang was seventeen at that time. So, when Zhu Yuanzhang was born, his father was 47 years old. But Zhu Yuanzhang also said that his father didn't come to Zhongli Dongxiang until he was fifty years old, so he had not been to Zhongli Dongxiang when Zhu Yuanzhang was born, and Zhu Yuanzhang's birthplace was not there. On the contrary, if Zhu Yuanzhang was indeed born in Li Dongxiang as recorded in the above-mentioned books, then Zhu was less than 50 years old when he moved here, but should be before 47 years old. Whether there is something wrong with Zhu Yuanzhang's memory or the historian's record is wrong has always been difficult to verify. A family with a poor family and difficult life may be displaced from place to place, move indefinitely, and remember the wrong time and place. However, since Zhu Yuanzhang's younger brothers Liu Chong and Chongqi were not from Xuyi, Zhu Yuanzhang was even less likely to be born in Xuyi. About the birth of Zhu Yuanzhang, various versions of myths and legends are dizzying. Then, there is another legend about the reason why the Zhu family gave birth to such a noble person-there is a Yangjiadun in Sizhou, and there is a soil nest under the pier. One day, Zhu Yuanzhang's grandfather was lying in it to have a rest after ploughing. At this time, two Taoist priests passed by. One of the masters pointed to the place where Grandpa Zhu Yuanzhang was lying and said, "When a person dies and is buried here, his descendants will become emperors." Another Taoist priest-the apprentice of the Taoist priest who spoke before-asked, "Why?" The Taoist replied, "It's warm here. If you plant dead branches here, leaves will surely grow in ten days. " At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang's grandfather suddenly stood up from the soil nest. The Taoist priest was surprised to see him and asked, "Did you hear what I just said?" Zhu Yuanzhang's grandfather pretended to be deaf and dumb, waved his head and said that he didn't know anything. So the Taoist planted a dead branch there and left. Zhu Yuanzhang's grandfather kept the Taoist priest's words in mind and waited for the dead branches to grow leaves day by day. Ten days passed, and the dead branches really grew leaves. But Zhu Yuanzhang's grandfather is very calculating. He didn't want others to know that this place was a treasure trove of geomantic omen, so he pulled out the dead branch with leaves and inserted another dead branch. Ten days later, two Taoist priests came to Tuwo again. Disciple found the dead branches inserted in the ground and asked in surprise, "Why don't you grow leaves?" The master pointed to Zhu Yuanzhang's grandfather and said, "This man must have pulled it out." Zhu Yuanzhang's grandfather saw it and admitted it. The Taoist priest said, "You are blessed. You should be buried here after you die. Your family will have a son of heaven. " So Zhu Yuanzhang's grandfather was buried there after his death. At the time of burial, a magical thing happened: the soil torn by myself became a grave. This Yangjiadun Fiona Fang Zhang Xu can still be found, and there is no vegetation so far. Interested readers can go and see for themselves. According to historical records and folklore, Zhu Yuanzhang was a clever boy when he was a child. However, some legends about him are too absurd. Ten years after Zhu Yuanzhang was born, the Zhujiajian family moved to Zhongli Xixiang, and then moved to Guzhuang Village, Taiping Township. There are also some anecdotes about Zhu Yuanzhang's childhood: Zhu Yuanzhang, like many poor children, lived by herding cattle for others. Once, I was so greedy that I killed my master's calf, and then everyone cooked it together. What to do after eating? Zhu Yuanzhang thought of a way: he put the leftover oxtail into the ground and lied to his master, saying, "The ground has cracked and the calf has sunk in!" " "The master ran and caught the cow's tail. As a result, the oxtail really went into the ground. When the master saw it, he reluctantly believed Zhu Yuanzhang's words and didn't let him pay for the calf. Zhu Yuanzhang often plays the game of worshipping the emperor when he is with his friends who are herding cattle. They made crowns out of spokes, barns out of broken boards and dragon chairs out of baskets. Then, everyone takes turns to be the "emperor", and the person sitting in the "dragon chair" accepts the "worship" of others. Strangely, however, while others were sitting on the basket, they all sat unsteadily and fell down after a few times, while Zhu Yuanzhang sat firmly. As soon as everyone saw it, they took Zhu Yuanzhang and offered him a "water" as a memorial. From then on, Zhu Yuanzhang became the little leader of the cowherd. Although these legends are inevitably attached or deified, it can still be seen that Zhu Yuanzhang was smarter and more naughty than ordinary children when he was a child.