Video Clip: Top 10 Women in Power

Liu Bowen in the inventory looks so ordinary, which is different from people's expectations.

After Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor, he once said in an imperial edict to Liu Ji: "Attack Wancheng, pull out Jiujiang, Furao County, lower Hongdu, take Wuchang, Pingchu Prefecture, Erduo Liyan." It was also recognized by Zhu Yuanzhang.

However, Liu Ji's greatest contribution to Zhu Yuanzhang's career was the strategy of "first Han and then Zhou".

At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang’s regime was surrounded by Zhou established by Zhang Shicheng to the east, Chen Youliang’s Han Dynasty to the west, Xiaoming King Han Lin’er to the north, and Fujian mountainous areas to the south, controlled by Chen Youding who was loyal to the Yuan Dynasty.

If Zhu Yuanzhang wants to become an emperor, the biggest threat comes from Zhang Shicheng and Chen Youliang.

At that time, the general idea was to take Zhang Shicheng first, because Zhang Shicheng was weak and located in the fertile Yangtze River Delta.

However, Liu Ji proposed a completely different idea.

He said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "We have two enemy countries. Chen Youliang lives in the west, and Zhang Shicheng lives in the east. Youliang occupies Rao, Jiu, Jing, Xiang and other places, almost half of the world; and Shicheng only has the west of Zhejiang. The land is not far from Kuaiji in the south and Huaiyang in the north, which is comparable to your power.

However, Shicheng is cunning in his heart, and he disobeys Yuan Chaoyang. He is a miser-like enemy and will not do anything.Chen Youliang killed his monarch and coerced his subordinates, and the hearts of the people were dissatisfied.He was brave and resourceless, not afraid of death, and easily pushed his people to the battlefield to die. After several battles, the strength of the people was exhausted.

With these points, Chen Youliang's Han Kingdom could easily be conquered.

To catch wild animals, one must first catch the fierce ones; to catch thieves, one must first catch the strong ones.

Today's plan is to attack Han first.The territory of the Han Dynasty is vast, and after you seize it, you will be able to dominate the world. "

Liu Ji pointed out: [-]. Zhang Shicheng is a miser-like enemy, not as ambitious as Chen Youliang;

[-]. Chen Youliang's land is vast and powerful, but he is not in the right position, and the number of soldiers is exhausted, and he is unpopular.Therefore, if you want to start a war, you have to attack Chen Youliang's Han Kingdom first. Once you win, the world will basically be at your fingertips.

It should be said that this strategic analysis was crucial to Zhu Yuanzhang's subsequent victory.

Judging from the fact that Suzhou City alone had been besieged for nearly a year when Zhu Yuanzhang destroyed Zhang Shicheng, although Zhang Shicheng was relatively weak, he could not easily capture it.

Moreover, once Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhang Shicheng start a war, Chen Youliang will inevitably take advantage of the gap to go east, then Zhu Yuanzhang will fall into a situation of fighting on two fronts.On the contrary, since Zhang Shicheng's younger brother Zhang Shide was captured and killed by Zhu Yuanzhang, there were basically no enterprising generals in Zhang Shicheng's regime.

The younger brother Zhang Shixin and his son-in-law Pan Yuanshao, who were in charge of administrative affairs, were irresponsible, greedy for money and lustful, and had no intention of expanding the sphere of influence of the Zhang regime.

Therefore, Liu Ji's suggestion of "taking Chen Youliang first" basically established the military strategy for the next five years, and the successful implementation of this strategy finally enabled Zhu Yuanzhang to obtain a vast land from Wuchang in the west to Suzhou in the east.

Of course, as an important strategist in the army, Liu Ji often proposes some very effective strategies for every major battle.

For example, the Battle of Poyang Lake can be said to be the last battle in the battle between Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang.

At that time, both sides put their main forces into the battlefield, and Chen Youliang even brought his family members, horses, and supplies to the ship.

In the 23rd year of Zhizheng, Chen Youliang besieged Hongzhou City, which opened the curtain of this battle.

Hongzhou defender Zhu Wenzheng is Zhu Yuanzhang's nephew, and led the defenders to resist tenaciously.

On August 29, the main force of Zhu Yuanzhang's army and Chen Youliang's army who came to aid met in Poyang Lake, and the fierce fighting lasted for four days.

During the four days, Chen Youliang's army lost a lot. Chen's younger brothers Chen Youren, Chen Yougui and general Chen Pulue died in battle one after another. Zhu Yuanzhang's army casualties were by no means small.

Wang Shizhen recorded: "Taizu's boat master fought the enemy in Poyang Lake, and the outcome was undecided. Taizu was really worried and afraid at that time." Confidence to win.

At this time, Liu Ji proposed the strategy of "moving to the mouth of the lake", that is, to move all the warships to the mouth of the lake, block the waterway from Poyang Lake to the Yangtze River, and close the door to beat the dogs.

On September [-], Zhu Yuanzhang's warships raised lanterns at the tail and sailed towards the mouth of Poyang Lake one after another. Poyang Lake became a pocket for Chen Youliang's army.

Obviously, Chen Youliang's giant ship was far less flexible and useful than Zhu Yuanzhang's warship on the relatively narrow water surface of the lake mouth. Therefore, Chen Youliang still failed to break through the lake mouth.

Some of Chen Youliang's generals advocated abandoning the boat and returning to Wuchang by land.

Due to disagreement, quarrels broke out within the Han army, and defections ensued.What's more terrible is that the two sides have been at loggerheads for a long time, and Chen Youliang's army has eaten up all the food, and Zhu Wenzheng burned all the [-] ships that robbed the food.

It is conceivable that Chen Youliang's army, which was short of food, finally broke out of the embarrassment.In the end, Chen Youliang was shot in the head in the fierce battle and died.

Because of Liu Ji's role in Zhu Yuanzhang's expanding entrepreneurial process, he is very popular with Zhu Yuanzhang.

It is said that every time Zhu Yuanzhang summoned Liu Ji, he would always talk in secret, often for an hour or two.

However, in September of the first year of Wu, Xu Da conquered Suzhou and captured Zhang Shicheng.

The role of a group of advisers in the army has also changed.

As early as the previous year, Liu Ji was awarded the post of Taishi Ling, who presided over the revision of the new dynasty's calendar.

In November of the first year of Wu, the new calendar was promulgated.

The strategy of the past is no longer necessary for Zhu Yuanzhang. From now on, Liu Ji, 57, only needs to follow the rules.

Generally, the founding heroes of a dynasty, either keep a low profile and enjoy their old age, or are arrogant and unrestrained, and are eventually killed.

However, Liu Ji's dilemma and dilemma in his later years are still rare.

Zhu Yuanzhang once compared Liu Ji to Zhang Liang of Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty, so later generations compared Zhang Liang with Liu Ji.

Wang Shizhen said: "Some people compare Liu Ji to Zhang Liang. Liu Ji is indeed worthy of Zhang Liang in terms of strategy, but when it comes to the integrity of being an official or not being an official, he is far behind."

Wang Shizhen believed that Liu Ji was an official in the Yuan Dynasty in his early years, and later turned to help Zhu Yuanzhang to destroy the Yuan Dynasty, which was a big disadvantage.

As a hero in the Han Dynasty, Zhang Liang only asked for the title of "Marquis of Liu" and was satisfied. Then he concentrated on Taoism, wise and wise, and became a fairy in the legend, but Liu Ji did not retreat bravely. Throwing in a snare, and wild elephants were killed for their ivory, could it be that he was really loyal to the court and neglected to protect himself?
Liu Ji could not be a remnant of the Yuan Dynasty with peace of mind, but willingly supported Zhu Yuanzhang. Judging from the Confucian standard of "loyal ministers do not serve two masters", it is indeed easy to attract criticism.

What's more, he was a Jinshi in the Yuan Dynasty.

Zhao Yi, a historian of the Qing Dynasty, once noticed that most of the officials who died in the late Yuan Dynasty were Jinshi, and cited 16 people as examples.

However, Liu Ji, as a Jinshi of the Yuan Dynasty, went to assist Zhu Yuanzhang's army, who was regarded as a "thief", and may have to bear more pressure.

In fact, before Wang Shizhen, someone had already criticized Liu Ji for this.

Liu Dingzhi, a man of the Ming Dynasty, wrote a preface to his collection of poems by Zi Rang, a native of his country, and said: "Zi Rang was a Juren in the Yuan Dynasty.

His poems and prose, I feel that there is a sense of wonder, and his mind is still the same as before.

Later, this person climbed the dragon and attached the phoenix, and compared himself to Liu Wencheng, but his poetry and prose at this time were very bad, and his former pride was gone. "

Obviously, the person Liu Dingzhi is criticizing here is Liu Ji himself.Liu Dingzhi noticed the changes in the style of Liu Ji's poems and prose before and after, which is indeed profound.

"Liu Ji was in the shogunate, worked together with Shi Mo Yisun in adversity, was treated by Shi Mo as a confidant, and was eager to serve the court.

The poems he wrote at this time are full of ups and downs and very heroic, which makes people eager to read it, as if they are rolling up their sleeves and want to have a big fight with him.

Later, Liu Ji met Taizu, strategized, was made an earl, and became a hero for the founding of the country. It can be said that he has achieved great success.

However, in his poems and essays of this period, he repeatedly lamented poverty, illness and old age, and his former pride disappeared. "

In his later years, Liu Ji, why did he lament his poverty and lament his old age, without any pride?Is it really the guilt brought about by Liu Ji's "betrayal" as people have speculated?
However, when we look at Liu Ji assisting Zhu Yuanzhang in strategizing, it is hard to imagine that he is really suffering from a sense of guilt.

According to historical records, Liu Gene's mother passed away and he went back to his hometown to attend the funeral. He often preached to the villagers that Zhu Yuanzhang was the real son of heaven. When a rebellion broke out in Chuzhou, he immediately led the army to put down the rebellion.

How much nostalgia can he have for the old dynasty?The real reason behind Liu Ji's lament in his later years should be because he was constantly excluded by the Huaiyou Group and Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicion in the early years of Hongwu.

When Liu Ji was awarded the position of Yushi Zhongcheng in the first year of Hongwu, he was still a little high-spirited.

Li Bin committed the crime of corruption in the capital of Zhongshu Province.

Li Bin is the personal of Li Shanchang, the left prime minister of Zhongshu Province, so Li Shanchang asked Liu Ji to slow down Li Bin's prison.

Liu Ji insisted on investigating and handling, and sent someone to report to Zhu Yuanzhang who was far away in Bianliang.

Li Shanchang filed a complaint in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, saying that Liu Ji was "dedicated".

For an autocratic monarch, the indulgence of his subjects is naturally intolerable, and Taizu's favor for Liu Ji began to be compromised.The next thing happened was that Liu Ji's alchemy seemed to be no longer effective.

In August, there was a severe drought.Liu Jijin said: "There are tens of thousands of wives and wives of the soldiers who died in battle. They live in separate camps, and the yin is stagnant; after the death of the craftsman, the corpses have not been collected; Zhang Shicheng's soldiers are all incorporated into the military households.

These three points have dry weather, so drought occurs. "Zhu Yuanzhang adopted Liu Ji's suggestion and dealt with them properly. Unexpectedly, ten days later, there would still be severe drought. So far, Liu Ji had to pack up and return to his hometown in Qingtian.

However, Liu Ji was the founding father of the country after all, and Zhu Yuanzhang did not do it all at once.

Only three months later, Liu Ji was recalled to the capital again.

In the third year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang named a hero.Liu Ji was only named Bo Chengyi.

The subtle thing is that at this time Zhu Yuanzhang is no longer obedient to Liu Ji.

For example, Zhu Yuanzhang was dissatisfied with Li Shanchang, and wanted to change Yang Xian, Wang Guangyang or Hu Weiyong as ministers, and consulted Liu Ji for advice.

Liu Ji pointed out the shortcomings of each of them one by one based on the facts, and believed that the three of them were not suitable to be prime ministers.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang later appointed Yang Xian, Wang Guangyang, and Hu Weiyong successively as prime ministers.What Liu Ji said reached the ears of the three of them, obviously offending them.

Among them, Hu Weiyong was a member of the Huaiyou Group; although Wang Guangyang was from Gaoyou, Jiangsu, he lived in Taiping in his early years, and met Zhu Yuanzhang who came across the river here, and began to make a fortune.It can be seen that Liu Ji's life after the founding of the Ming Dynasty was indeed very depressing.

This is the real reason why Liu Ji mourns his old age and laments his poverty.

Bowen's lamentation works are by no means moaning out of no reason, and if you think about it according to reason, it is easy to understand his unspeakable concealment.I think that when he rebelled with the Taizu, he planned, decided and opened up the big strategy and emergency at the nineteenth.

At that time, if they parted ways, took in a group of heroes, and went on their own, who would rule the world in Yuzhong that day?It's a pity that I have spent so much effort to marry someone, and finally the revolution succeeded, and the Ming Empire was established. What did I get?
It's just an empty title of Boss of Sincerity, some sporadic rewards of gold, jade, millet and silk.

Compared with Ming Zu, who was rich all over the world, was king in the south, lived and killed, gathered in one body, it is not a world of difference.

In addition, Ming Zu was jealous and bloodthirsty, and repeatedly set up large prisons. The few implicated thousands of people, and the many tens of thousands.

Seeing the old friends around me, killing each other, clan by clan, and fluff, maybe one day they will kill themselves!He is also a person of high merit, it is not good to leave, and it is not good not to leave.

Sometimes when the Lord of the Ming Dynasty was happy, Zhong Shanchen would visit and hold a night banquet in the Forbidden Palace, and he would have to wipe away his tears secretly, force a smile on his face, serve the banquet and chant poems, and go to join in the fun and make fun of the excitement.The unspeakable pain of this old age, I think few people can know it!

For a master of suspicion like Zhu Yuanzhang, Liu Ji is indeed "it's not good to leave, and it's not good not to go."Returning to his hometown to live in seclusion, playing chess and drinking, and enjoying his old age peacefully has become a luxury for Liu Ji.

Soon, Liu Ji was framed by Hu Weiyong for suggesting the establishment of the Tanyang Inspection Department in Qingtian.

Hu Weiyong said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Tanyang is a royal place. Liu Ji wanted to occupy it as his own cemetery. The people disagreed, so he asked to set up an inspection department to drive the people away."

This framing really hit Zhu Yuanzhang's heart, and also scared the old Liu Ji from his hometown to Nanjing, and never dared to go home again.

When he was sick, Hu Weiyong sent a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.After taking the medicine, he felt stagnant in his stomach, probably because of Hu Weiyong's poisonous hands.

It wasn't until he was seriously ill that Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang sent Liu Ji back to his hometown with a paper.

On April [-]th in the eighth year of Hongwu, Liu Ji died at home.

It is said that it is nonsense to file the bones and ashes before his death. In fact, he was buried on Xiashan Mountain in his hometown.

Among the founding ministers in the early Ming Dynasty, Liu Jiwen was not as good as Li Shanchang, and Wu was not as good as Xu Da. This is from a political point of view.Even if you take literary talent as an example, apart from singing with Shi Moyisun in the early years,
Liu Ji is just one of those outstanding talents in Zhu Yuanzhang's group, very ordinary.

Looking at the history, we can see those names in Zhu Yuanzhang's group: Sun Yan, Tao An, Wang Guangyang, Yang Xian, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Zhang Yi, Hu Chen... none of them are mediocre, they are all like Liu There is no distinction between Zhongbo, so some people say that if Zhu Yuanzhang's enemies are politically sensible people, they must be jealous of Zhu Yuanzhang's huge talent pool.

However, with the passage of time, due to various reasons, these people either died early or had political problems, which made Liu Ji stand out.

Take Wang Guangyang as an example. He was ranked ahead of Liu Ji when he was named a hero in the third year of Hongwu. Until August 12, Zhu Yuanzhang still cared about him in the edict to him, but Wang Guangyang was demoted to death soon because of something. The reputation goes with it.

Liu Bowen lived for more than seven and a half years after entering the Ming Dynasty. During this not too long time, he was granted titles several times and sent back to his hometown several times.

From his experience of being repelled for the first time, it can be seen that "companion" is indeed a job with a high risk factor.

Liu Bowen was full of melancholy because of his undying desire for fame and fame, so his subsequent release was more like a kind of self-exile.

This is not only because of the fierce strife among colleagues in the early Ming Dynasty, and the power struggle between different factions has reached a feverish level, but also because he has a deeper understanding of "sacred will is unpredictable" and is full of fear of living under the leadership of the hero. Knowing that only keeping a low profile is the way to self-preservation.

However, Liu Bowen is a scholar after all. Even though he feels that the person in front of him who has shared adversity with him is becoming more and more elusive, he still has to cautiously perform his duty as a Confucian in the process of repeated release and recall.

He advised Zhu Yuanzhang, "After the frost and snow, there must be a sunny spring. Now that the country's prestige has been established, it is better to be lenient with less aid." The general Wang Baobao of the Yuan Dynasty, who fled to Beimo, could not underestimate the enemy, and unfortunately he was right. The famous general Xu Da almost wiped out his entire army in the battle of chasing Wang Baobao.

Liu Bowen, who is worried, slanderous and ridiculed, is planning to die in his hometown, but he is good at divination, but he doesn't know that his destiny is not in his own hands.

Liu Bowen, who lived in seclusion, tried his best to wash away his lead, acting like an illiterate old farmer, and did not associate with local officials.

He knew that there was a pair of heavenly eyes watching his every move.

"I'm still hidden in the mountains, but I drink and play chess, and I don't talk about my merits. The eunuchs can't see me, and I serve as a savage.

Jifang washed his feet, ordered Congzi to lead into the hut, and ordered to cook millet and rice.The order said: "A certain Qingtian county also." Ji was startled, thanked the people for going, and never saw each other again. "

Because the parents and officials in their hometown could not see Liu Bowen, they changed into casual clothes and asked to see him. Of course, Liu Bowen, who was washing his feet, could not refuse the guests who came to the door. , claiming to be a small citizen, immediately retreated.

Something happened to Liu Bowen who was so careful.

The situation and mood were bad, and Liu Bowen's condition worsened. In the seventh year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang knew that he was seriously ill, so he gave him back to the field. On April [-] of this year, Liu Bowen died at home.

There have always been three different theories about the cause of Liu Bowen's death: one is that he was poisoned to death by Prime Minister Hu Weiyong; the other is that Zhu Yuanzhang was the mastermind of poisoning Liu Bowen; the third is that he died of illness.Compared with the cause of Liu Bowen's death, Taizu's attitude before and after Liu Bowen's death is more intriguing.

The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang killed the think tank was not only because of some deviations in his identity, but also because it was rumored in the world that he was a supernatural being, and that the think tank was doomed for generations to come.

There are many reasons: Although Liu Bowen is regarded as a "counselor" or even a "warlock", he even considers himself a "Confucian". However, to his dismay, Zhu Yuanzhang is more willing to regard him as a "counselor" and a "warlock" .

In a discussion about who is the great Confucianism today, Zhu Yuanzhang once said contemptuously, how can people like Song Lian and Liu Bowen deserve to be called "great Confucianists"?
Under the merciless blow of reality, has Liu Bowen's dream of "Confucianist" and "Emperor's teacher" finally shattered?We don't know where to start.What we only know is that, on his deathbed, he warned his descendants not to be officials...