CONQUESTS AND PURGES - THE HONGWU EMPEROR'S BRUTAL REIGN

[@Binary84]

Hongwu's excessive killing of his most trusted & capable general was the main reason why Emperor Jianwen was successfully deposed by his uncle because there wasnt any capable generals left to thwart future rebellion. Kind of ironic that Hongwu's purge of his generals was meant to secure his grandson's future had the opposite intended effect.

[@xcjsmith5310]

Probably he doesn’t trust his employee, it is the same everywhere even today. You need to have faith in your employee, in this case, the employee is being killed rather than being fired or forced to resign

[@nilanjanchanda597]

Karma effect

[@henryyip1]

This is KZbin after all where western lies and propaganda profligates, watch with a pinch of salt

[@jrwolf4955]

他是曾经是沦为乞丐的穷人，对腐败问题是零容忍，几波大屠杀，死的更多的是地方豪族和文官，虽然残忍也导致无官可用，促进了恢复科举。 孙子和儿子先后得位后，恢复了一些旧臣的福利，导致政策不完整

[@friktogurg9242]

I think westerners may not understand the full context of what he (zhu) was facing at the time. Not to say he was all great, like what the video said, he buried his concubines alive when he died.

[@micahistory]

dude you have no idea how much I appreciate this channel. The fact that I can spend an hour learning about the life of one of China's most important emperors despite knowing nothing about him before and now having more knowledge than the average person is really amazing. Great job and keep making more of these bangers

[@afraz3203]

Hi

[@afraz3203]

Hi

[@afraz3203]

Hi

[@micahistory]

hi

[@History_of_China]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it :)

[@scy_long]

When the world needed him most he has returned, and brought with him the most ardent of knowledge!

[@georgepatton93]

I noticed a trend in Chinese history that is summarized in a quotethat generally goes, when the hunt is over, hunting dogs are no longer needed

[@ElBandito]

Zhu should have taken a lesson from Zhao Kuangyin, the founder of Song Dynasty when dealing with his veterans.

[@sinchuong8351]

Yup, like Han Xin of the Han dynasty

[@Squared_Table]

CGPGrey rules for rulers

[@friktogurg9242]

Yes, almost every first emperor for each dynasty does this.

[@LauftFafa]

the pattern in china goes as , someone unify the realm , the dynasty grow corrupt , lose wars , enuchs control everything , poors revolt , a new dynasty is born repeat even the Yuan had this and their enuchs almost became dominant if not purged thanks to a bipolarity of its khans some pro chinese way some pro mongolian ways .

[@nont18411]

51:57 Tang He: “You can’t fire me. I quit.”

[@IreneSalmakis]

I'm so happy to see that you're doing a Míng Dynasty series.

[@AndrewTheMandrew531]

I’m very happy to see you back, and over an hour! Much research and effort must’ve been put into this video. If you keep making them, I’ll keep watching!

[@ben-taobeneton3945]

Thank you again for this educational lesson. 🙏 I learn more from this channel than I have in school.

[@Dataism]

23:03 i don't know why but this is kind of poetic. The first European power the chinese tried to reach were the romans. and the last time a Roman state would talk to china is here.

[@justinianthegreat1444]

Zhu Yuanzhang trying not to copy Liu Bang: I M P O S S I B L E

[@Darth_Enigma]

Your pronunciation of words and names is absolutely impeccable, I hope to become as good as you in the future. Also, I love how well you articulate, and your presentation is amazing.

[@MrBoliao98]

What makes your think this isn't a Chinese chap 😅

[@davidyoung2111]

Just found this channel & I LOVE IT! I'm a big Kings & Generals, Historymarche, The Great War, Baz Battles, Simple history fan & now this channel will be added.

[@History_of_China]

Thank you so much! Having spent hours enjoying their work, I feel honoured to be worthy of joining their ranks :)

[@LeechUFC]

Amazingly detailed video, keep up the good work HOC!

[@kkhoe]

This is such a good documentary. Props to even pronouncing the Mongol names so accurately. ❤

[@bigchungus4336]

Easy to lose your videos in the sea of garbage that is youtube, but I always remember this is the best channel to learn about chinese history in the English language. Kudos to you sir!

[@cretucristian7935]

Even it was a long video, I really enjoyed it, you have a talent for story telling. Too bad you post so rare.... Looking forward for the next episode 😃

[@History_of_China]

Thank you so much!

[@Silen_471]

I would love to see more videos about the ming dynasty 🙏

[@bigsaladofficial]

Another excellent video! Been waiting for this and you did not disappoint!! Looking forward to more of your coverage of the Ming dynasty

[@crimsonleg4237]

It's amazing that any general even bothered to serve these emperors, especially when founding a new dynasty, had they read about what happened to the other guys who did the same before them.

[@Steven-k8t]

they all thought it would be different with them, or some perhaps hoped to be able to remove the emperor 1st. " Walking with a king is like living with a tiger", which can turn on u at any time..

[@Mad_Rad]

glad to see you making videos again

[@History_of_China]

Thank you! I hope to one day dedicate more/most of my time to the channel :)

[@nicbahtin4774]

Hongwu:"Ming dynasty pu$$y got me acting unwise" as he makes another purge

[@dougdouglas2112]

Good stuff. Thanks. Liked & Subscribed

[@fallenfromgrace-ch9ox]

I have been waiting for this for months thanks man

[@History_of_China]

Thanks for your patience!

[@goksanatulvi2351]

Thanks!

[@History_of_China]

Thank you so much! Greatly appreciated!

[@AGS363]

Fun Fact: The location of the Jinyiwei headquarters is today occupied by the "Great Hall of the People", the ceremonial center of the people's republic.

[@jrwolf4955]

The Ming Dynasty rose from poverty and died in poverty

[@dbuyandelger]

1372 sounds like the classic feigned retreat. Only much larger distances

[@nariu7times328]

Your work is so enjoyable to watch. Thank you.

[@History_of_China]

I'm glad you enjoyed!

[@AbhyudayaSinh]

Very informative ❤❤

[@tommo9176]

would love a vid on the red turban rebellion~! But tbh, I'm just SO grateful for all your vids, I can only imagine the amount of work required for each one

[@podcastler]

if Amir timur and hongwu had met, it could have been the most epic event in history

[@zainmudassir2964]

Clash of the Titans

[@aii_penguin9096]

Awesome as always

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@Replicaate]

The Emperor will receive us now!

[@the_kekromancer9779]

Welcome back my friend! Amazing and informative videos as always, do you plan on doing the Tang dynasty anytime soon?

[@History_of_China]

Thank you so much! I'm not quite sure. When I finish the Ming dynasty, I might return to the post 3-Kingdoms era and gradually move from there to the Yuan Dynatsy, that way I'll have covered from the 3 K to the 20th century :)

[@the_kekromancer9779]

@@History_of_China Whatever way you choose i will be watching all of it anyways, i really do appreciate everything that you are doing a lot! You are almost singlehandedly responsible for getting me into chinese history.

[@mingthan7028]

Power indeed can change people's heart

[@manic2360]

Excellent as always...

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@vilx1308]

Don't underestimate how davstating it is t him when he lost his qunne and crowned prince and it's influence

[@flux5039]

The Hongwu emperors purges was meant a downfall of powerful generals becoming incapable during the ming dynasty

[@friktogurg9242]

Explain?

[@losmuajxiong6113]

Great job, big fan ❤

[@History_of_China]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!

[@VienNguyenlam]

There is always a time passage. Once we can enter, we can go to the future or the past at will. Insufficient technology is the biggest barrier, preventing us from entering the available time channel.😊 Going to the past is obvious. But we can only change it, from the moment we return. That means there is a past, existing parallel to the existing past. Going back to the past to learn about history is the most interesting thing.

[@santiagodelpilar6701]

Why I read "The Honourable Emperor's Brutal Reign"?

[@peperoniii]

Would love to watch on Wu Zetian.

[@Gianf2121]

I hate to comment this because I love your videos, a lot, and I understand that it's hard to get pictures or anything related to the subject but... maybe try not to put AI images? It's a personal thing I suppose but it ruins the whole documentary for me. Again, I don't mean to be mean at all, just asking.

[@odenetheus]

Strong disagree

[@FlameQwert]

they also look really bad and are really inaccurate

[@odenetheus]

@@FlameQwert That, on the other hand, is a completely fair criticism of it. Now, I don't actually -watch- the videos, just listen to them, but I agree that imagery should not be misleading (but whether or not said images are AI-generated or not is entirely irrelevant)

[@Gianf2121]

@@odenetheus Same here, sometimes watch, sometimes listen, sometimes both to understand much better the subject. I just don't like AI at all here, it shouldn't be related to history at all

[@micahistory]

i agree

[@Finestnatural4567]

1:04:07 i know what was gonna happened to him he was gonna be overthrow by zhu di when i watch the history of china video about the eunuchs , the eunuchs gonna help zhu di overthrw jianwen emperor

[@GarvitRathi-h1u]

He has returned !!!!

[@markusforsberg6741]

Hallo how far have you come with the Jianwen video documentary halfway there will it be relesed late next week in the weekend.?:)

[@History_of_China]

Hey Markus! I got delayed in the production but I'm making progress. I'm thinking mid-December :)

[@markusforsberg6741]

​@@History_of_China mid december so it might be relesed late next week or the week before christmas day.:)

[@julaki1274]

wake up babe, hour long History of Chona video dropped

[@dulio3240]

Dont forget Cheapest Emperor. He paid the lowest salary and ensure the latter centuries are plagued with corruption

[@Nom_AnorVSJedi]

Compare and contrast the careers of Zhu Yuanzhang and Timur the Lame. Why so similar. Who had the better military?

[@ElBandito]

On land, Timur. On water, Yuanzhang.

[@sanzhang-tx1zm]

Zhu Yuanzhang was a beggar emperor. He had no aristocratic status in feudal society and became emperor by himself. He definitely has unparalleled personality charm, leadership, and strong military command capabilities. If Zhu Yuanzhang had existed in the Northern Song Dynasty, Mongolia would not have risen at all. Because there were too many internal fights throughout the Song Dynasty, and too many of our own people harmed our own people. There is no powerful iron-blooded emperor

[@jrwolf4955]

He is not a cripple. I call him the Flash because he was defeated many times, but he managed to escape every time and would not be caught. The Yuan Dynasty died in civil strife, and the army fighting against the Ming Dynasty was left with only the remnants of the civil strife. By the time they reorganized their forces and made a comeback, the Ming Dynasty had already built a powerful regular army.

[@jrwolf4955]

@@ElBanditothe Firearms were first used by the Mongols in warfare, and were later used by the Ming army to fight against Mongolian cavalry.

[@helloicanseeu2]

tyty amazing detail reading of china history, which young people were never given the chance to study properly in modern institutions

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@DKWTS69]

Excellently presented and scripted, I have a personal request for you to create a series based on 7 warring state period of china 🙌🏻❤

[@History_of_China]

Thank you! I haven't dived into pre-imperial China for the time being, but I hope to do it in the future :)

[@Ellesar925]

They drank one day, but Zhu Yuanzhan did not spare his sword the next😓

[@hashashii]

Hell yeah

[@KVP424]

The speed of Ming push to Khanbaliq seems really fast for pre mechanization army. Were there any battle or do these city just surrender when Ming force arrive?

[@TempAcct-e6k]

Every single time a Chinese Dynasty “lost” the Mandate of Heaven, a gigantic number of Chinese soldiers would immediately defect to the next dynasty. Most of the Yuan army defected when it was clear the Yuan had lost their mandate from heaven, just like how most of the Ming army defected to the Qing when it was clear the Ming had lost their mandate from heaven

[@ElBandito]

The Yuan Dynasty was already mired in decades long internal strife, as well as climate change related disasters, and as a result there were few capable and loyal generals left to oppose the Ming. The cities were basically left alone to fend for themselves, which means surrender was the best option.

[@wykamix358]

Hour Long video on the later reign of one ruler 😩

[@History_of_China]

Thanks for the donation! Hope you enjoyed :)

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

love your videos i really do, but *please don't use AI images.* Not only are they jarring, but they are also inaccurate and instruments of theft.

[@History_of_China]

Thanks for your feedback! I've taken notice and will address this in my next post :)

[@AquaTomMovies]

Thank you so much

[@thekinghass]

Let's go

[@purplepunch4904]

pleaseeee continue covering the Ming emperors

[@History_of_China]

I absolutely will! Jianwen emperor coming up :)

[@HungTChauKien]

Waiting for Zhu Di - Yongle empire.

[@History_of_China]

I'll talk about him a bit in my next video on the Jianwen emperor (from the opponent's side). But I will make a dedicated Yongle video after that!

[@dadidodadidos9641]

The soundtrack is brilliant. Where could it be played?

[@History_of_China]

I'm glad you enjoy it! The music credits are in the description, I believe you should find all/most of the tracks on KZbin

[@leozeng8412]

nice video!!

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@CARL_093]

A harsh ruler who centralised government and reformed the ailing agricultural system of China, Hongwu ruthlessly dealt with any dissent at his court, executing thousands during his many purges

[@danielinciongtungol9338]

This is true but the problem is that while he dealt with the eunuchs, sadly his descendants relied on the eunuchs too much to consolidate their power.

[@theironlemon_4156]

Great video. KZbin doing the classic and not recommending even though I’m subbed. Stupid algorithm.

[@History_of_China]

Thank you!

[@brianliew5901]

Mao Zedong closely resembles Zhu Yanchang in similar rise to power.

[@YuuSHiiiN]

39:20 I just have a quick question regarding Mu Ying's sacking of Karakorum and its aftermath. According to another podcast series(the Kings and Generals one), Mu Ying was ambushed by the Mongols on the steppes when marching back to MIng territory after destroying Karakorum and took quite a beating. How true is this? Or is it just another western propagandized Chinese history.

[@History_of_China]

That's a good question, and I'm not quite sure to be honest. I did not find that information in my research (I found very little detail on Mu Ying's expedition). It's definitely not impossible, though, and would make sense given the Mongols had returned to ambush/raiding tactics. It would be intersting to find the source which mentions this!

[@Finestnatural4567]

First 1 hour video of your channel

[@History_of_China]

Absolutely! But it might be the last as well. Even though I love going deep into detail, it does slow down the flow of the channel as it reduces the frequency of videos...

[@LauftFafa]

why is feng sheng look cheeky ?

[@MrBoliao98]

What happen to the tale of mooncakes? Cos the Mid Autumn just passed.

[@History_of_China]

Good point! The tale is most likely pure fiction, but it's a great story :)

[@tzufbb]

Highly recommended movies about the Jin Yi Wei 1980年由杜琪峰执导的电影《碧水寒山夺命金》，片中由丁亮饰演锦衣卫，追捕由刘松仁饰演的主角流浪刀客路天君。 1992年由徐克执导的电影《新龙门客栈》，片中便有描述锦衣卫捉拿嫌犯的过程，以及介绍东厂发明与改良的新式兵器。 2002年台湾相声瓦舍的冯翊纲、宋少卿、黄士伟有“东厂仅一位”的相声作品。 2004年由无线电视制作的电视剧《血荐轩辕》，讲述锦衣卫与东厂的斗争，主角郑少秋饰演锦衣卫镇抚司。 2006年由中国制作的电视剧《朱元璋》剧中大虎、二虎皆为锦衣卫。 2008年台湾相声瓦舍推出“公公彻夜未眠”的相声作品。 2010年亦有甄子丹主演的同名电影《锦衣卫》推出。 2011年由无线电视制作的电视剧《洪武三十二》中，主角谢天华及徐子珊皆饰演锦衣卫。 2011年亦有由上海唐人电影制作有限公司制作的电视剧《怪侠一枝梅》中，主角霍建华、萧正楠及廖启智皆饰演锦衣卫。 2011年12月由徐克、张之亮导演的电影《龙门飞甲》。 2014年张震主演的电影《绣春刀》中，张震、王千源及李东学均饰演锦衣卫。 2014年 由导演罗永昌执导，甄子丹、黄圣依、王宝强、任达华主演的《冰封：重生之门》。该片讲述明朝嘉靖期间“一英三杰”贺英、龙、虎、獒四个锦衣卫因天竺“时空金球”的神力传送到现代。 2015年由无线电视制作的电视剧《刀下留人》中，以明宪宗成化年间为时代背景，当中有涉及锦衣卫的情节。 2015年由东映制作有限公司和海润影视制作的电视剧《超级大英雄》中，两名由胡洋和谢孟伟所饰演的锦衣卫在追杀由汪东城所饰演的禁卫军时,意外穿越时空来到21世纪的现代社会，开始了一段不一样的生活经历。 2016年由中国内地制作的电视剧《六扇门》讲述明朝中叶时京城衙门六扇门、锦衣卫、东厂及明朝皇室之间各方面的权力斗争。 2016年由无线电视制作以不死人与僵尸为题材的电视剧《僵》中，九名不死人皆为锦衣卫。 2018年由无线电视制作的电视剧─古装侦探武打喜剧《翻生武林》中，讲述东厂提督掌管住一班武功高强的锦衣卫，无法无天，剧情轻松搞笑。 2019年由爱奇艺和芒果TV播出的中国大陆古装悬疑剧《锦衣之下》，故事背景为明朝，蓝色狮的同名小说改编。

[@T0XICGRIEFER666]

Can you do a video on how Buddhism spread into China 😊

[@History_of_China]

Interesting! I'll make a note of that :)

[@tyrannicalgod6064]

I love Chinese history

[@pablosilva5443]

So the current times is the PING DYNASTY

[@CaptainGrimes1]

The Great Xi

[@AnonymousL16]

9:30 music?

[@History_of_China]

This is a famous ancient piece called "Autumn Moon over the Han Palace". It is played on the erhu in this rendition.

[@zainmudassir2964]

Tough leadership

[@tzufbb]

Chasing the Mongols out needs to be more accurate. Even though Khublai agreed to the gradual cultural and political integration of the Yuan dynasty, the main reason that Mongols were not subdued is quite apparent: the Mongol elite always saw the Grasslands steeps as their center and orientation, so it is not that surprising that the central leadership would eventually regroup and deal significant defeats again the Ming Dynasty such as in the Battle of Tu mu. The Crisis of the Tumu Fortress (simplified Chinese: 土木堡之变; traditional Chinese: 土木堡之變), also known as the Tumu Crisis (simplified Chinese: 土木之变; traditional Chinese: 土木之變; Mongolian: Тумугийн тулалдаан), or the Jisi Incident (simplified Chinese: 己巳之变; traditional Chinese: 己巳之變), was a frontier conflict between the Northern Yuan and Ming dynasties. The Oirat ruler of the Northern Yuan, Esen, captured the Emperor Yingzong of Ming on September 1, 1449.[1]

[@axelNodvon2047]

That is later on

[@tzufbb]

@@axelNodvon2047 even so it proves my point and the claim of many sinologists

[@yeshichophel5428]

When it comes to purges, Chinese emperors were way more brutal than mongol and manchu emperors

[@thesupertaco1934]

We get if your trying to justify the genocides well let me tell you something the manchus and mongols killed millions in their invasions these purges killed thousands

[@GuangGao-qn8oj]

Just a few examples to show how brutal Northern nomads emperors are. Li Yuanhao（李元昊）, the emperor of Western Xia, killed his wife and mother for imperial power. The Jin people, the predecessors of the Manchus, boiled Emperor Huizong of Song （宋徽宗）into lamp oil and made his skull into a skull cup. The Manchu emperor carried out large-scale massacres in Yangzhou, Jiangyin, Jiading and other places. （扬州十日、嘉定三屠、江阴八十一日）In particular, the residents of Jiangyin city were massacred just because they resisted changing to wearing Manchu clothing and shaving Manchu hairstyles. In the end, only about fifty people in the entire city survived.

[@thesupertaco1934]

@GuangGao-qn8oj fr i cant belive """"people"""" like this are trying to justify barbarians

[@gaconc1]

Ming Chinese castrated and kidnapped Zheng He the muslim Chinese naval explorer

[@zzss-e8h]

😂郑和佛教徒

[@peterasp1968]

Why is he not called Emperor Hongwu ?

[@History_of_China]

If you're asking about the word order (the Hongwu emperor vs Emperor Hongwu), it's because Hongwu is not his name, it rather describes the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang: he is the emperor that reigned over the 'Hongwu' era (hence, the Hongwu emperor). You might still see such wording as "Emperor Hongwu" (I have myself used this style in my Qing videos) for the sake of simplicity, but strictly speaking it's not really correct. I'm planning on making a video explaining the naming of Chinese emperors (as Zhu Yuanzhang is also called Ming Taizu (i.e. Taizu of Ming), and has multiple other posthumous names!).

[@peterasp1968]

@@History_of_China Oh !!! Thanks for informing.

[@peterasp1968]

And also the Japanese copied the same system so that we have the Meiji,Taisho and Showa periods etc. Am I correct ?

[@History_of_China]

@@peterasp1968 To some extent, yes. Meiji, Taisho and Showa are era names, but in this case they are also the posthumous names given to the emperors that ruled during them :) Though I'm not an expert on this topic!

[@peterasp1968]

@@History_of_China You are a good enough expert for me.

[@dmqb9311]

thanks for this! Wish you had a different way than Paypal to say thanks. (Paypal and I broke up)

[@History_of_China]

Thank you! I'm looking into Patreon but still undecided

[@dmqb9311]

@@History_of_China OK :) any chance that you could do a video about Sima Yi, as an individual?

[@CARL_093]

👍👍

[@abdo4250]

"babe wake up"

[@duhtoolazy6776]

Man is a professional CK3 player but unfortunately his heir sucked.

[@byhyew]

He was recorded to be harsh because the aristocrats wrote the history. There's no other emperor who started as low as the Hongwu Emperor, being a beggar and then common foot soldier. He remained a man of the people even as he became the most powerful person on the planet. Honoring the advice of his first wife and always put the interest of the commoners before that of the aristocrats. That's the only reason he was remembered as "harsh".

[@friktogurg9242]

Perhaps....but as the video says, he did bury his concubines alive with him when he died.

[@AndrewTheMandrew531]

The aristocrats by the authority of the Emperor. You believe the aristocrats would be allowed to speak of a previous emperor of the same dynasty without much pushback?

[@cjyoung4080]

Should've just sent them out to conquer other lands... if only they had implemented roman strategies and expanded.

[@AtifHieder]

从文化精神上说，汉人文明已经趋向于保守，没有汉唐时期的开拓精神了 从物质层面上说，当时中国北方因为战乱人口非常稀少，不支持向外扩张

[@sanzhang-tx1zm]

People are tired of war Especially the civil war After it is over, everyone just wants to recuperate and build their country well enough In addition, the historical authenticity of Rome needs to be studied, because too few relevant historical relics have been unearthed.

[@shinsenshogun900]

Why are you Romaboos content with repeating how the Republic imploded, do you all wish to emulate Caesar's legendary troubles with his fellow Romans?

[@the_feedle]

I really loved this video and I long awaited it. But, and I am sorry to say that, AI illustrations ruin everything. From double pillars to this weird blurr everywhere, AI just feels off

[@History_of_China]

Noted! Thanks for your input.

[@willumpfirst904]

Ming dynasty was so weak lmao, even its peak power it was losing to mongols, but that said no dynasty could defeat the mongols other than the manchu qing.

[@massalleh5255]

But Ming Dynasty was the one who brought down the Mongol dynasty?

[@massalleh5255]

Tang Dynasty also colonised parts of Mongolia no?

[@willumpfirst904]

@@massalleh5255 sure but the yuan was able to conquer 2-3x the land size probs of what ming could. Also Ming lost plenty of battles especially notable one when (I forgot which battle) but an expedition was sent with hundreds of thousands of Ming vs 10k mongols and the Ming emeperor was captured.

[@willumpfirst904]

@@massalleh5255 idk if they did colonize parts of Mongolia but they did annex modern day Xinjiang so I’ll give them that.

[@massalleh5255]

@@willumpfirst904 They did

[@HistoryChina-94]

The video about the Hongwu Emperor is impressive! The way you present the conquests and purges is very vivid. The high quality images and sound help viewers visualize that chaotic period better.