The Most Atrocious Emperor

Emperor Hong Wu (1328-1398) is said to be the most atrocious Emperor. His reign was the Ming dynasty which ruled China for nearly 300 years. Before becoming Emperor, he was a general in the army winning many battles. As he got older, his habits were said to be full of suspicion, cruelty, and irrationality. He made his court resemble that of the Mongols instead of removing Mongol influence. His leadership was authoritarian. Although he has left a deep mark in history, the name of that king still has a "black stain" that is difficult to erase for thousands of years.

It is said that the most atrocious Emperor gave top power to his sons out of fear of Mongol invasion so that they could take the lead in military armies. This is a way for him to cling to absolute power. In 1380, when Prime Minister Hu Weiyong tried to overthrow him, he was killed along with 30,000 people. He removed his position, leaving six ministries working directly under him. But the ministers had no authority to advise him and he directly controlled the empire. The Song Emperors felt the warlords were the most dangerous group in China. But Hong Wu, having driven out the Mongols, believes that the scholars are the most lethal group. Although he knew that a successful government largely depended on Confucian scholars, he needed to rehabilitate them to restore traditional Chinese values. He imparted education and training to scholars. He took over their position and power by using heavy bamboo as a form of punishment in the court. Scholars were beaten to death even for making mistakes. He often felt that scholars were only important and should serve under the Emperor and this attitude led many scholars to leave their official careers. This is one of the interesting facts about the Emperors of ancient China.