What is the ending of Qi Jiguang? This is a question that many readers are concerned about. Next, let’s learn about it together with all the readers and give you a reference.
Qi Jiguang was a famous anti Japanese general in the Ming Dynasty, but he did not receive the mourning and honor he deserved after his death. In his later years, he was impeached and dismissed from office. It is said that during the Wanli period, three months before the death of Qi Jiguang, a censor believed that Qi Jiguang was very talented and submitted a memorial requesting Ming Emperor Shenzong to reappoint Qi Jiguang, which angered Long Yan. This censor was scolded by Emperor Wanli and was also fined three months’ salary.
Although Qi Jiguang died with resentment, he was still very lucky compared to other generals of the same period. His good friend Yu Dayou was also a highly talented, idealistic, and ambitious general in the Ming Dynasty, but he struggled to achieve his ambitions throughout his life and was repeatedly impeached; Another Ming Dynasty general, Tang Kekuan, was impeached and imprisoned. After being released from prison, he was sent to guard the frontier and eventually died as a guest in a foreign land; And the generals under Qi Jiguang were also subjected to various forms of rejection.
The Ming Dynasty’s disdain for generals began roughly during the Hongwu period. Perhaps learning from the historical lessons of the later Tang Dynasty’s feudal separatism, the Ming Dynasty has always tended to prioritize literature over martial arts. There is a significant difference in the thinking and problem-solving approaches between civil officials and military commanders. Influenced by the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, civil officials advocate the “doctrine of the mean” and tend to maintain stability, believing that once force is used, it is a failure. But after years of training, most of the generals are very brave and full of vitality. For generals, if someone invades my territory, they will drive out the invaders.
Generals charge forward on the battlefield, solely focused on defeating the enemy. In addition, most generals have a low level of education, unlike civil servants who are required to read the Four Books and Five Classics, so they do not consider the Confucian teachings spoken by civil servants. The civil service group, on the other hand, believes that those military commanders are all reckless and know nothing but how to use their fists. Therefore, if the generals make quick decisions and pursue after their victories, the civil officials will say in front of the Saints that they are eager for quick success and quick benefits, and have courage but no strategy; If the generals remain inactive and observe the situation, the civil officials will say in front of the emperor that the generals are greedy and afraid of death, timid and cowardly.
Therefore, the civil servant group and the generals were mutually disdainful and engaged in both overt and covert struggles. However, due to the Ming Dynasty’s emphasis on literature, the situation of the generals could not be much better. A group of Ming Dynasty generals, including Qi Jiguang, although possessing talents and aspirations, faced numerous obstacles and difficulties in their execution. However, there is one exception, although he is often impeached, his official position remains unchanged, in other words, no one can overthrow him. Who is this person? Why can he stand firm in such a big environment?
This person is the famous anti Japanese general Liu Xian. During the same period as Qi Jiguang in the Ming Dynasty, some generals were demoted to official positions; Or have received disciplinary action; Or he may have been framed to death, but Liu Xian did not. Did the civil service group at that time not impeach him? Or was he particularly favored by the court at that time? Actually, none of them. The reason was that at that time, Sichuan had a serious problem with the “barbarians” and the war lasted for a long time. Liu Xian, as the main general, if he were to be taken down, looking at the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, there would be no suitable person to replace him anymore; Therefore, Liu Xian, who was responsible for suppressing the “barbarians” in Sichuan, was impeached during an era when military commanders were not valued, but he was never demoted and his official position remained unchanged.
In fact, the Ming Dynasty’s practice of underestimating military commanders was very harmful; In the mid to late Ming Dynasty, Japanese pirates were rampant, which was the result of the Ming Dynasty’s disregard for military commanders. Therefore, for a country, both civil and military are very important, and we must not favor one over the other, otherwise it will be very detrimental to the stable development of the country.