The Battle of Yingzhou is the most bizarre war in Chinese history. This is a question that many readers are quite concerned about. Now, let’s learn about it together with the editor of History Encyclopedia!
Before specifying Emperor Wuzong Zhu Houzhao, it is necessary to first clarify the Battle of Yingzhou. There are too many controversies about the Battle of Yingzhou. This article will analyze the three major controversies of the Battle of Yingzhou based on historical materials such as “Ming History”, “Records of Emperor Wu Zongyi”, and “Mingshan Cang”.
Has the number of enemy kills been maliciously smeared
First, let’s take a look at the record in the “Annals of Emperor Wu Zongyi” about the achievements of the Battle of Yingzhou:
It was a battle where the heads of the captured soldiers were beheaded at level 16, and our army had 52 dead and 563 seriously injured
In the Battle of Yingzhou, Mongolia lost 16 people, the Ming army lost 52 people, and 563 people were seriously injured! Many people immediately jumped up upon seeing this set of data. According to records, there were over 50000 Mongolian cavalry, and the Ming army gathered elite troops from the Xuanda, Liaodong, and Yansui regions. Zhu Houzhao personally led the troops, with only a small increase in strength. More than 100000 people from both sides fought each other for five days and five nights before these few heads finally erupted? The Chronicles of Emperor Wu Zongyi: Isn’t this treating people as fools? It must be that later civil officials maliciously erased the achievements of the Battle of Yingzhou and deliberately smeared Zhu Houzhao.
Let’s first talk about the “Annals of Emperor Wu Zongyi”. This is the part about Zhu Houzhao in the “Annals of Ming Dynasty”. It was completed in the fourth year of Jiajing, and Yang Tinghe and Jiang Mian were appointed as the chief executives. There are a lot of records about Zhu Houzhao’s absurd behavior in it. Because Jiajing and Yang Tinghe were not fond of Zhu Houzhao, it has always been considered by many people as intentionally smearing him.
So is the record of the Battle of Yingzhou in the “Annals of Emperor Wu Zongyi” really a low-level smear? The answer is negative.
The phrase ‘beheading the heads of the barbarians at level 16’ refers to the fact that the Ming army reported 16 heads when reporting their military achievements, but it does not mean that the army only killed 16 people! Let’s take a look at a few examples.
The emperor said, ‘The court ordered the generals to raise their troops for three years to conquer Korea for the island barbarians, and all their achievements were fully restored. Along with the national tree, we won more than 1600 heads of state before and after, and our achievements are worthy of praise. Our troops should also plan to report to the temple and declare victory to appease the spirits of our ancestors.’ – “Record of Emperor Shenzong Xian
During the Wanli period, the famous general Li Rusong fought in Korea for three years. After experiencing several major battles such as the Battle of Pyongyang, the Battle of Bitigan, the Battle of Nanping, the Battle of Busan, and the Battle of Luliang, he finally forced the Japanese pirates to flee the Korean Peninsula, and only “won more than 1600 heads of state.” Emperor Wanli believed that “great merit” was a great achievement, and he had to pay tribute to his ancestors and console their spirits in the temple.
And just a few months before the Battle of Yingzhou, there was also a major battle, recorded as follows:
It is strange to have captured twenty fortresses, killed 3749 captives, and looted 23500 livestock. There were 381 officials killed or injured, and only nine levels of captured captives
It is clearly recorded here that ‘3749 prisoners were killed’ and ‘only nine levels of captured heads were obtained’. So the number of heads captured and the number of enemies killed are not equal. On the contrary, there is a huge gap between the two. In history, those who could use enemy heads to “build the capital view” were often in annihilation battles, while in encounter battles or pursuit battles, they had no intention of considering their heads. The battles of Yingzhou were all encounters, and the two sides fought fiercely without a single annihilation battle.
Xun met Lu Yu in Xiu Nu Village, supervised the army’s infantry battle, and Lu Nan followed Yingzhou
This is the first day that General Wang Xun of Datong led his troops to take the initiative to search for the Mongolians. The two sides met in Xiunu Village, where the Mongolians were cavalry and Wang Xun was infantry. In a slight battle, the Mongolian cavalry fled far away with minimal casualties. This encounter drove the Mongolian cavalry towards the direction of Yingzhou.
Encountered the enemy at Wulizhai in the north of Yingzhou City, fought dozens of times, and suffered considerable casualties. “” At dusk, the enemy retreated by the east mountain, but still divided their troops to surround Xun and others in the north
On the second day, Wang Xun encountered Mongolian cavalry again in the north of Yingzhou City. The two sides fought until evening, and the Mongols surrounded Wang Xun. On the third day, due to heavy fog, the Mongols voluntarily lifted the siege, and Wang Xun withdrew to Yingzhou City. Although both sides suffered significant casualties in this battle, they withdrew calmly and did not have the opportunity to harvest their heads.
Xun and his companions left the city and encountered Jianzi Village, where they engaged in a fierce battle
This is the the fourth day, the two sides “fought” in Jianzi Village, and the battle situation was quite tragic. It was also Wang Xun who formed an array with infantry, and the Mongolian cavalry took turns to attack. Then, according to the previous deployment, Zhu Houzhao mobilized all armies to encircle Jianzi Village, and he himself led the army from Yanghe to encircle the Mongolian cavalry.
However, the situation was not as optimistic as Zhu Houzhao had anticipated. Although the army arrived, they were unable to form a encirclement for a long time. It was not until the evening when the Mongols retreated and the Ming army joined forces that the encirclement fell through. The next day, Zhu Houzhao personally supervised the battle.
Lu came to attack. He commanded all the generals to defend him, and from Chen to You, he fought for over a hundred battles. However, Lu retreated
From Chenshi (8-9 in the morning) to Youshi (5 or 6 in the evening), the battle lasted for hundreds of rounds, and the outcome was “Lu Naitui”, a “retreat” rather than a “defeat”, so it is unlikely to win a large number of heads.
In summary, the records about the first level in the “Annals of Emperor Wu Zongyi” are reliable and there is no malicious smearing. As for the actual results of the battle, it is difficult to infer without records. However, the strategic goal of the Battle of Yingzhou has been achieved, and this is considered a success.
02 Zhu Houzhao’s Role in the Battle of Yingzhou
When the Battle of Yingzhou broke out, Zhu Houzhao was 27 years old. Many people regarded this battle as the most glorious moment of Zhu Houzhao’s life, and also promoted his wise martial arts and military talent. So what is the reality?
According to various historical records, the Ming army that participated in the Battle of Yingzhou was not only the local garrison of Xuanfu and Datong, but also elite troops mobilized from Liaodong, Yansui, and other places. “Yansui was also transferred to participate in the general Hang Xiong, and Liaodong was transferred to participate in the general Xiao Zi.” It is obvious that this was a planned large-scale military operation, and it was not as many people thought. Zhu Houzhao was playful and wanted to satisfy the addiction of the general, so he went to Xuanfu and happened to encounter the invasion of the Little Prince. He took up command temporarily and directed this great war.
The “Huangming Jingshi Wenbian” records a memorial by Wang Qiong titled “To pacify local affairs in order to deal with foreign affairs”. During Wang Qiong’s tenure as the Minister of War, the memorial detailed the strategy and process of the Zhengde Dynasty in dealing with the Mongols, including the Battle of Yingzhou.
Twelve years ago, the Mongols would harass the border every year, and the Ming army was exhausted from dealing with it.
In two years, if the stationed soldiers do not fight, the cost of wealth and resources will not be greater than this. They will waste a huge amount of money and not have the opportunity to fight against the invaders
However, in the 11th year of Zhengde, the Ming Army learned in advance that the Mongols had arrived in Weining Haizi, and predicted the direction of their harassment. The Ministry of War made strict planning, selecting elite generals from regimental exercises to enrich the front line of Xuanda, and secretly gathering Liaodong elite soldiers and Yansui elite soldiers to ambush, opening their pockets to wait for the Mongols.
In October of that year (the eleventh year of the Zhengde reign), a large number of bandits invaded Yaopiantoguan, and the generals joined forces to kill them, thus achieving a victory in the west. The bandits had been invading for more than a hundred years and had only suffered this defeat, which was enough to demonstrate the power of China
With the prestige of the victory in Zhenxi, the Ministry of War planned a larger military operation in the twelve years of Zhengde. The troops in Liaodong and Yansui increased instead of decreasing, and the generals from both places were ordered to lead troops for reinforcement. Everything was planned properly, and the Ministry of War reported it to Zhu Houzhao, who agreed. Soon after, he “secretly” slipped to the front line of Xuanfu, took over command, and began to lead the following major war.
The process of the great war has been mentioned earlier, so I will not elaborate further. I will only mention Wang Qiong’s summary of the corresponding state war in his memorial.
Good luck driving in Yanghe. The invaders have entered Yingzhou, and the Liaodong army is already in Yanghe. We are waiting to report the delay, and the Commander in Chief of Datong is also in Yanghe. Although Hang Xiong and others encountered a battle, they did not achieve a great victory. What a pity
This passage reveals two pieces of information. First, Wang Qiong believes that Yingzhou “did not achieve a great victory, it is regrettable”. The Ministry of War made such a big plan, and although it repelled the Mongols, it did not achieve the expected results, which is very regrettable; The second Wang Qiong always said “late”, which meant that Yanghe’s rescue was late. From the first day when Wang Xun met the Mongolian cavalry to the battle in Jianzi Village on the fourth day, the Liaodong elite soldiers gathered in Yanghe didn’t set out until they lost the opportunity to encircle the Mongolian cavalry. Even if Wang Xun hadn’t resisted the beating, the Wang Xun’s army might have been destroyed before the army arrived. In addition, the Ming army used the tactic of “adding oil” to encircle the Mongolian cavalry. Wang Xun lured the Mongolian cavalry into besieging areas such as Luobao and Weiyuan, but found that they could not complete the encirclement before deploying the Yanghe army, which clearly lacked foresight.
So what is the reason for the delay in Yanghe’s reinforcements? Wang Qiong did not explicitly state it, but simply pointed out that “driving in Yanghe is fortunate”. Zhu Houzhao himself was in Yanghe, and regardless of Zhu Houzhao’s considerations at the time, he was slow in the final battle and did not form a encirclement.
In the Battle of Yingzhou, many people also paid attention to one point:
I am in Yuhe, personally beheading the leader of the enemy
Zhu Houzhao personally went into battle and killed one person! A glorious image of leading by example and charging forward is born, but the actual situation is not like this.
The Battle of Yingzhou was very difficult for the Ming army. After Zhu Houzhao arrived at the front line, he immediately set up a camp centered around Chengyu. The next day, the Mongolians attacked the main camp and “Chengyu fell several times”, almost breaking through Zhu Houzhao’s Chengyu. If they were to break through, it would inevitably be another “civil engineering rebellion”. Therefore, Zhu Houzhao’s move was brave and daring, but very risky. Fortunately, the emperor was on the side and the soldiers fought with their lives to repel the Mongolians, saving Zhu Houzhao. Only then did Zhu Houzhao have the opportunity to “pick up a missing head”.
In summary, the overall planning of the Battle of Yingzhou was the work of the Ministry of War. Zhu Houzhao picked the peach, and due to the constantly changing battlefield information, he failed to respond in a timely manner, resulting in the failure to achieve the expected results. However, Zhu Houzhao still demonstrated the vigor and vitality that a young emperor should have.
The significance of the Battle of Yingzhou in 2003
It’s a border violation in the later years, but I dare not venture in
The History of Ming Dynasty records that after the Battle of Yingzhou, although the Mongolians still committed border violations, they dared not go too deep. This shows that the Battle of Yingzhou scared and injured the Mongolians, which is also why many people believe that the Battle of Yingzhou was a “great victory”. So what is the actual situation?
The amount of losses suffered by the Mongols in the Battle of Yingzhou is not mentioned in the literature records of both the Ming Dynasty and the Mongols, so it is difficult to speculate. However, it may be an exaggeration to say that the Mongols were injured in the Battle of Yingzhou.
The Battle of Yingzhou lasted for 5 days, and on the 6th day, the Mongols retreated. Zhu Houzhao led his army to pursue them, but they encountered strong winds, black fog, and dark days. They happened to encounter strong winds, flying sand and stones, and the day turned into night. They had to return home, but the Mongols did not return home because on the 7th day, they received battle reports:
Lu invaded places such as Jiuquan Gou and Nihoer. Then Lu returned to the west of Wanglin City, as well as places such as Daoerzhuang, Wosanjia, and Chuanqingshan
The Mongolians not only did not “go home”, but also invaded other parts of the border. This shows that the Mongolians did not suffer any injuries in this battle, otherwise they would not have had the intention to seize other places.
Since there are no injuries or bone movements, why are you afraid to go deep?
In fact, it is recorded in the “Famous Mountain Collection: Tartars” as follows:
Although the Houlu invaded the border at a young age, it was rare for Prince Da Ba Gong to die
The “Mingshan Cang” is a biographical historical book compiled by He Qiaoyuan during the Wanli period. The “Ming History” cites this record, but changes the phrase “the death of Prince Ranhan’s Eight Arches” to “he dare not enter the world”. I cannot understand what “the death of Prince Ranhan’s Eight Arches” actually means, but it mentions the key information “the death of the prince”. The Little Prince, Dayan Khan of Mongolia, the leader of the unification of southern Mongolia and the revival of Mongolia, passed away during the Battle of Yingzhou. There is no historical record of how he died. His death meant a redistribution of power in Mongolia, which should be the main reason why Mongolians were afraid to enter.
However, we still need to attach great importance to the historical significance of the Battle of Yingzhou, as stated in Wang Qiong’s memorial. Previously, facing harassment from the Mongols, the Ming Dynasty suffered losses and was defeated. However, in a series of military actions in the 11th and 12th years of the Zhengde reign, it dealt a blow to the arrogance of the Mongols and “extended the power of China”. In short, the border defense of the Zhengde dynasty was much better than that of the later Jiajing dynasty. During the Gengxu Incident in Jiajing, the Mongolians once again came to the outskirts of Beijing to show off their strength. Zhu Houzhao and Yan Song’s courtiers only dared to stand firm and clear the field, like shrinking turtles. Compared to this, Zhu Houzhao’s bloodline aura of Taizu and Chengzu was noticeably stronger.
During his leisure time in the Battle of Yingzhou, Zhu Houzhao also visited the wooden pagoda in Yingxian and left a plaque reading “Wonders of the World”.
He did not go to court, relied heavily on eunuchs, and implemented espionage rule, but he gave the Ming Dynasty a revival atmosphere
