Wind Who Is Higher Than Gao - Biography of Yuqian

Author: Qian Guilian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: Yu Qian, a native of Ming Qiantang (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang), styled Tingyi, and styled Jie'an. He passed the imperial examination during the Yongle era and was appointed as a censor in the early Xuan De era. He once accompanied the Xuanzong Emperor in suppressing the rebellion of Prince Huozhao Zhu Gaoxiu. When he was sent to inspect Jiangxi, his fame spread far and wide. In the fifth year (1430), he was appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and served as the governor of Henan and Shanxi. In the eleventh year of the Zhengtong era (1446), he was imprisoned and sentenced to death due to the persecution by Wang Zhen and others. Later, he was reinstated after the officials and people of the two provinces, as well as the prince, petitioned for his return. In the fourteenth year, during the Battle of Tumu, the Ming Emperor Yingzong was captured by the Oirat. He strongly opposed the proposal to retreat south and insisted on holding firm, eventually becoming the Minister of War. After the enthronement of the Daizong Emperor, he reorganized the military defenses, deployed troops to key positions, personally supervised the battles, led 220,000 troops to form battle lines outside the nine gates of Beijing, and defeated the Oirat army. He was promoted to the position of Shao Bao and appointed as the Chief Military Commissioner. Yesian, holding the Emperor Yingzong hostage, demanded peace. He prioritized the state over the monarch and refused. Yesian, finding no opportunity to exploit, was forced to release the Emperor Yingzong. After the Emperor Yingzong returned, he still believed that peace negotiations were unreliable. He selected elite imperial troops to form ten garrison units for training and dispatched troops to garrison the borders, ensuring peace. At that time, the court and the country were in turmoil, yet he alone managed the military mobilizations, making decisions that were perfectly timed and issued commands with clarity. His orders, even written on a single piece of paper, were obeyed without hesitation across vast distances. He was devoted to the nation, forgot his own safety, never spoke of his achievements, lived frugally, and lived in a modest home that barely sheltered him from the elements. However, his rigid and upright nature made him the target of envy. In the first year of the Tianshun era (1457), after the Emperor Yingzong's restoration, Shi Heng and others falsely accused him of plotting to place the son of Prince Xiang on the throne, leading to his execution. In the early years of the Chenghua era, he was posthumously reinstated and given a state funeral. In the second year of the Hongzhi era (1489), he was posthumously honored as Su Ming Mi. In the Wanli era, his posthumous title was changed to Zhong Su. He left behind the "Collected Works of Yu Zhong Su."