In the same year that Zhu Yuanzhang massacred the heroes.

As the vigorous Guo Huan case continued to develop, another far-reaching event also happened in 1385 AD, the eighteenth year of Hongwu.

Xu Da, the greatest hero of the Ming Dynasty, passed away.

According to "Records of the Ming Dynasty", in the seventeenth year of Hongwu (1384), Xu Da contracted back gangrene while staying in Peiping, but he improved after practicing self-cultivation.

But in February of the following year (1385), his condition worsened and he died later.

When Xu Da was seriously ill, there were rumors that he could not eat goose meat because of back gangrene, but Zhu Yuanzhang specially ordered someone to send Xu Da a steamed goose.

Xu Da fell seriously ill and died after eating goose meat in tears.

Some scholars think this rumor is false and a pure fabrication. I personally think this is true.

Xu Da had his reasons for dying.

First of all, Xu Da’s unique military talent must be put to death.

In many battles before the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xu Da was able to win with a stick that Zhu Yuanzhang could not win. Xu Da was still able to win with a stick that Zhu Yuanzhang was unsure of.

It can be said that Xu Da basically had no experience of defeat.

From this point of view, Xu Da's existence is a potential threat to Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial power.

In other words, from a military perspective, Zhu Yuanzhang could not defeat Xu Da.

With such a powerful opponent by his side, Zhu Yuanzhang, as the emperor, would never feel at ease.

This worry was not particularly obvious before Zhu Yuanzhang founded the country.

However, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the identity of the monarch and his ministers was immediately clear. At this time, Xu Daze, who held military power, once again became a potential person.

There is only one way to eliminate this real threat.

Kill him!

Secondly, the second point is that Xu Da’s appeal in the military is unique.

Ever since Zhu Yuanzhang became independent in Dingyuan, Xu Da has followed him from a small soldier to a general. It can be said that among the Zhu family army, Xu Da's influence is second only to Zhu Yuanzhang. In terms of influence, he should rank third.

Li Wenzhong.

As for Chang Yuchun who has passed away, I personally think he can only be ranked fifth or even sixth.

This is mainly because Chang Yuchun has a fatal character flaw.

Good to kill.

This alone determines that it is difficult for him to win over people's hearts.

But Xu Da is different.

Because since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhu Yuanzhang rarely directly led troops to fight.

Whether before or after the founding of the People's Republic of China, many battles were personally directed by Xu Da.

What's more important is that Xu Da basically has no fatal weaknesses. Whether it is his military appeal, or his influence and deterrence in the army, he surpasses Zhu Yuanzhang.

From this point of view, Xu Da's influence is suspected to exceed that of Zhu Yuanzhang.

In other words, Xu Da has a certain element of superiority.

And often the stability of the army directly represents the stability of the imperial power.

As the emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang would never tolerate an outsider whose prestige and ability in the army exceeded him staying by his side.

There will be great uncertainty.

On a bad day, if one of your words makes the other party unhappy, and if the other party comes to capture the king with his troops, then he, the emperor who is the boss, will stop in an instant.

The third point is also the most important point.

Xu Da's ambition.

I don't think Xu Da, as a general, didn't have his own ambitions.

Personally, I feel that when a person lives in this world, he must have some purpose.

Either it’s a picture title, or it’s for profit.

This is human nature.

No one can escape.

Of course, I don't deny that there are people who don't want anything.

They are either experts from the outside world or they are useless snacks.

I won’t talk about the worldly masters. Such people often suffer serious blows, and then choose to retire and live a life like a dragon that never sees its end. Few people can see them when they go deep into the mountains.

The other type of people will be useless snacks.

Such people will never achieve great success.

It is even less possible to become a general.

But even if it is a useless snack, he will have his own ambitions, but he has no ability to obtain them, and his ambitions will be exhausted over time.

Xu Da, who is extremely capable as a coach and a general of a country, is definitely not this kind of person.

If a person has outstanding military exploits and extraordinary abilities, but doesn't want anything, that can only mean one thing.

This person hides greater ambitions.

His goal is greater, his vision is far-reaching, he is not satisfied with the small favor in front of him, and his goal is by no means limited to a certain aspect that is currently available.

But if you want your ambition to succeed, you can only endure the humiliation and bear the burden.

Here is a striking example for comparison.

Wang Jian.

Wang Jian's identity is basically the same as Xu Da's.

But Wang Jian's approach was completely different from Xu Da's.

Under the order of Qin Shihuang, Wang Jian led 60% of the country's troops to fight against the six kingdoms. When he attacked Chu, Wang Jian asked Qin Shihuang for farmland and manor five times. If you don't give it to me, I won't fight for you.

While annihilating the six kingdoms, Wang Jian also asked Qin Shihuang to make his son Wang Ben an official, otherwise the entire army would not advance further.

Even his subordinates couldn't stand Wang Jian's behavior. They thought that what Wang Jian did was too much and the King of Qin would not agree.

But what Wang Jian said woke everyone up.

His reason is: Those who are ministers of others can share adversity, but they can never share wealth and honor.

The reason why Wang Jian repeatedly asked Qin Shihuang for property, fame and fortune, and even resorted to blackmail to force Qin Shihuang, was actually telling Qin Shihuang that as long as I want things, I will never rebel.

This is the same as working for you. I work for you and you must pay me.

Otherwise, I would skip work immediately.

It was Wang Jian's almost shameless behavior that convinced Qin Shihuang, who was far away in Guanzhong.

In the end, Wang Jian retreated bravely after pacifying the Six Kingdoms, resolutely resigned from office, and was finally saved.

I don’t think Zhu Yuanzhang, who knows the art of war well, doesn’t understand this truth. Even if he really doesn’t understand it, Liu Ji, who was born in Houheixue, must also understand it, and he must have reminded Zhu Yuanzhang.

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xu Da's influence was relatively weak, deeply hidden and not very obvious.

But after the founding of the People's Republic of China, their identities immediately changed.

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the relationship between Zhu Yuanzhang and Xu Da was that of colleagues and comrades-in-arms, and they were close partners.

But after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the relationship between monarch and ministers immediately emerged.

At this time, the previous set of gameplay can no longer be played, and the jokes that can be made casually in the past can no longer be said casually.

As the emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang considered more about his absolute imperial power. At this time, Xu Da, who had too many threats and influence, became a major threat to Zhu Yuanzhang.

In the face of imperial power, even the relationship between father and son can be betrayed, let alone the relationship between monarch and minister.

In the face of hegemony, any seemingly solid relationship is nonsense.

At the same time as the identity changes, many psychological ideas will also change simultaneously.

At this time, Xu Da was still making great achievements, even commanding troops and horses, and his influence was also increasing.

But after every battle, Xu Da didn't want anything!

So what exactly does he want?

It is impossible for a person to have no plans.

This is not very realistic.

For Zhu Yuanzhang, who ruled absolutely exclusively with imperial power, Xu Da's aimless mentality would definitely arouse his suspicion.

Unfortunately, in 1385, when the Guo Huan case broke out, Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial rule was weakened to a certain extent. At this time, if Xu Da made a mistake and wanted to play the trick of rebelling and forcing the palace, he would only

I need to go to the army and shout so loudly, who is willing to follow me? Let's play a rebellion game together, and a group of people will definitely follow him!

In the end, the only unlucky person will be Zhu Yuanzhang himself.
To be continued...