When all things wither, I have only the fragrance, and the flower center is golden and the millet belt is slightly yellow.
Don’t talk about embarrassing things, the cold dew wind clears the earth and smells sweet.
——The Ming Xia Emperor Ming Sheng's "Osmanthus Poems"
01. Overview
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, many heroes rose up, including a general of the Red Turban Army , called Ming Yuzhen. This person entangled thousands of people and gathered near Qingshan to rebel against the Yuan Dynasty. Later, he adopted the suggestion of Marshal Yang Han of the rebel army, captured Chongqing, defeated Quanzhedu, and captured Hamatu alive. Xu Shouhui was overjoyed when he learned about it and appointed him as the envoy to Liangjiang Province in Guangxi and to participate in the political affairs of Longshu and Sichuan Provinces. At this point, Ming Yuzhen has established a firm foothold in Sichuan. In 1362, with the support of his subordinates, he proclaimed himself emperor in Chongqing and named his country Daxia. He took it as his mission to fight against the Yuan Dynasty and restore the rule of the Han Dynasty.
In 1366, Ming Yuzhen died, and the ten-year-old Crown Prince Mingsheng ascended the throne as Emperor Kaixi. Because of his young age, he was heard together with his mother Peng. But after all, the orphans and widowed mother had no experience in politics, and some veterans of the previous dynasty were self-reliant on their military exploits and did not take Ming Sheng seriously at all. Therefore, the internal affairs of the Mingxia Dynasty were in chaos. In 1371, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Tang He to lead his army to attack Badi. The Ming Xia army could not resist it and had to surrender. Because he surrendered voluntarily, Zhu Yuanzhang did not embarrass Ming Sheng, but instead made him Marquis of Guiyi and later moved him to live in North Korea.
Mingsheng is young and weak, and he listens to his subordinates in everything. He is different from Meng Chang, so he should be exempted from the ritual of lying on the ground to punish his sins.
——Zhu Yuanzhang
02. Exiled to North Korea and achieved a different life.
Then the question arises. After Mingsheng surrendered, he lived in the capital. Why did he go to North Korea again? It turns out that Mingsheng was indeed very disciplined at first. But he had a friend, the son of the rebel leader Chen Youliang, named Chen Li. The latter is unhappy and often complains. Mingsheng heard a lot, and it was inevitable that he would complain. When Zhu Yuanzhang found out, he said, since you are not destined to be emperor and are not willing to be my Ming subjects, then go to Goryeo. Unexpectedly, the former emperor, who was mistreated in China, became very popular after running to North Korea.
According to the book "Records of the Yi Dynasty of Joseon", in 1372, Mingsheng and his tribe moved to North Korea. Ming Sheng's mother, Mrs. Peng, had a high emotional intelligence. She went to King Gongmin of Goryeo, Wang Zhuan, and respectfully presented a dragon robe worn by Ming Yuzhen. The latter was overjoyed and gave Mingsheng Yan'an and Baichuan counties as food towns. Later, Goryeo general Li Chenggui replaced Wang Zhuan and established the Joseon Dynasty. I don’t know why, but he also liked Ming Sheng very much, and specially gave the daughter of King Yin Xi, the chief minister of Goryeo, to Ming Sheng as his wife.
On the 18th day of the third intercalary month in the fourth year of Jianwen, Li Fangyuan, Taizong of the Li Dynasty, gave Mingsheng some land.
——Records of Emperor Taizong of the Li Dynasty, Volume 1, Yiwei in the third month of the year
03. The Ming Xia deposed crown prince who cheated, and now has more than 40,000 descendants.
According to the "History of Goryeo" compiled by Zheng Linzhi, Mingsheng had two advantages that made him particularly attractive. The first is his talent. This person is familiar with the Book of Songs and has done a lot of research on the poetry of the Tang Dynasty. So he wrote poems at every turn, and then read them to the point where his head was shaking. In addition, he was only a teenager at the time, the age when flowers blossomed, so he immediately captured the hearts of many North Korean girls. The second advantage is that he served as emperor. Although the time was short, the temperament and vision were still there. In addition, my eloquence is good, so my life is very smooth.
According to historical records, when Ming Sheng died in 1393, Li Chenggui asked his eldest son Ming Yi to inherit the title of Ming Sheng. The latter is quite capable. Up to now, most of Ming Sheng's descendants are in South Korea, and their number has exceeded 40,000. Every April, these descendants of the Ming family go to Chongqing to worship their ancestors. Someone once ridiculed Mingsheng on the Internet, saying that he occupied South Korea in another way.