When you meet a sheep, you are a hero, and when you meet a hero, you are a sheep.

- Han proverb

Dorji and Munch, father and son, have the heart to serve the country, but they are unable to save the country.

Dorji saw that in the political arena in the last years of the Great Yuan, except for a few people who had more political achievements, the rest only exacerbated the corruption of the officialdom and the suffering of the people. He listened to the Jiangxi and Fujian areas that Meng Ke brought home from outside, "When the envoy came, it was earth-shattering; When he was sent there, it was dark. The officials are all happy, but the people are crying and crying", and they understand in their hearts that the corruption of Dayuan is hopeless.

Human governance is powerless, and natural disasters are frequent.

After 1344, the whole country entered a period of frequent disasters. Natural disasters in Hebei, Shanxi and Henan were particularly severe. The Yellow River burst, famine continued, plague broke out, people were displaced, and starvation was everywhere. Most of the markets that have always been thriving are also threatened by hunger.

Yuan Huizong was worried all day.

Dorji suggested to the emperor that he invite the retired Tokhtar back to manage the economy.

Yuan Huizong had no choice but to re-employ the old minister to become the right prime minister of Zhongshu, hoping that with the help of his talents, he could restore the decline of the Great Yuan.

The detachment that is once again in battle is already facing a situation full of holes.

First of all, the financial crisis caused by the flooding of the Yellow River is very serious. The tax on water transportation and salt fell sharply, the financial revenue of the imperial court fell sharply, and the treasury gradually emptied.

Secondly, the river plague has led to social unrest. Ordinary people are living in dire straits. All kinds of contradictions have intensified unprecedentedly. National chaos is on the verge of eruption. Small-scale peasant uprisings occurred frequently, posing a major threat to the sea channel transportation on which the Great Yuan depended.

After receiving the holy decree from Yuan Huizong, Dao Erji immediately led troops to suppress it, but he returned to no avail and was reprimanded by Yuan Huizong.

The Great Yuan Dynasty, which had always been tough and invincible, had no choice but to appease them and join them.

Tokhtar is trying to turn the tide economically. His two major policies, the change of money and the use of Jialu to control the Yellow River, achieved short-term results for the time being, but in the long run, they dug the grave for the demise of the Great Yuan Dynasty.

Faced with a mess, Yuan Huizong angrily asked Tokh and Dorji: "You say that the world is peaceful, but now the Red Turban Army occupies half of the country. What good countermeasures did you come up with as the prime minister and the general of the army? ”

Tokhtar and Dorji were so ashamed that their faces were red and sweaty.

In order to clean up the mess, Tokhtar stepped up measures to guard against the Han on the one hand, and on the other hand, relied on the local landlords and wealthy to fight against the Red Turban Army, but he did not expect to cause the evil consequences of the warlord melee.

Yuan Huizong also gradually lost the vitality of the original diligent government, and began to pamper the ministers of Kangli.

In September 1352, Tokhtar and Dorji had no choice but to personally lead their troops south, and dealt a heavy blow to the Red Turban Army, which was in full swing.

Yuan Huizong was so happy for a while that he built an ancestral hall for the living Tokhtar in Wuding Prefecture (today's Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province), erected a monument of merit to Pingkou, and rewarded every meritorious general.

At this time, the matter of establishing the crown prince began to be brewed within the imperial court. Hama and others pushed the son of Queen Qi, a Korean man, to love you and know Lidara.

Detachment has always been upright, and he has a very good opinion of Hama and others, and he clearly expressed his disagreement.

Dorji privately persuaded Tokh to not be sharp enough to avoid offending the villain.

Tokhtar disagrees and insists on his own point of view.

Ha Ma was angry with Totoku, and took the opportunity to sow discord in front of Yuan Huizong, maliciously slandering Totoku, who shared the country's worries, and laid the groundwork for the civil strife in the palace.

In October 1354, Yuan Huizong again ordered Tokhtar and Dorji to lead troops to destroy the rebel army in the south. This time, the team was very large, including not only the Mongols and Han Chinese, but also the armies gathered in the Western Regions, Tibet, and Goryeo, and claimed to be a million people.

Hama took advantage of Totokh to go south to fight and was not in the imperial court, and repeatedly slandered in front of Yuan Huizong, framing Tokhtar and his younger brother for bad words and deeds.

Falling into a stuporous and suspicious manner, Yuan Huizong listened to Hama's words and ordered the reduction of Tokto's military power while he was fighting in front of the command, and also snubbed Doerji, who pleaded for Tokto.

Deeply influenced by the idea of loyalty to the monarch, Tokhtar resolutely obeyed the order after receiving the edict, and handed over the military power without saying a word. Their family was exiled to Huai'an Road, Yijinai Road (today's Ejina, Inner Mongolia), and Zhenxi Road in Yunnan.

In January 1356, while in exile in Yunnan, Tokhtar was killed by a false decree from Hama.

After Tokhtar was exiled and killed, Yuan Huizong completely lost his spiritual support and handed over the government to the crown prince. He was bewitched by Hama and indulged in tantra, and his voice was dogs and horses.

In 1356, Hama kicked his nose in the face and planned to ask Yuan Huizong to cede the imperial throne to the crown prince. Unexpectedly, this matter was stabbed to Yuan Huizong by his brother-in-law.

Yuan Huizong was furious and scolded: "My hair is not gray, my teeth are not falling, how can you bastard say that I am old?" ”

Yuan Huizong regretted that he had seen the wrong person and heard the wrong words, wronged the loyal ministers Tokhtar and Dorji, and ordered Hama, who had stabbed him deeply, away.

In 1358 and 1359, there were two consecutive years of civil war. The generals of the Red Turban Army, Potou Pan and Mr. Guan, led the rebel army to break through Shangdu and burned down all the royal palaces.

As a result of the peasant uprisings in various places, the transportation of water was cut off, and there was also a large-scale famine in most of the capitals, and as many as 100,000 people died of starvation.

The Yang Zhai king Aluhui Temur, who was stationed in Hala Horin, had an army of tens of thousands. He knew that the general trend of the country had gone, so he took the opportunity to raise an army and rebelled against the court by coercing other kings to rise up together.

Aluhui Temur approached Shangdu and sent a messenger to tell Yuan Huizong: "The ancestor handed over the world to you, why did you lose half of it?" Hurry up and take out the national seal and give it to me, and let me be the king of this country! ”

Yuan Huizong was half angry and immediately ordered Dorji to lead troops to quell the rebellion.

Dorji hesitated for a while, and then said: "Your Majesty, the old man is too old to fight......

Yuan Huizong was immediately displeased, and asked, "Aren't you willing to serve me?" ”

Dorji hurriedly replied, "The emperor misunderstood. When the country is in trouble, it is the responsibility of the husband. I want to recommend my son Meng Ke to lead troops to encircle and suppress King Yang Zhai. Munch is young and in his prime, and he should live up to the emperor's mission. ”

Yuan Huizong laughed happily at this time. So, he ordered Munch to lead the soldiers in place of his father to quell the rebellion of King Yang Zhai.

Munch was born in a family of generals and liked to fight since he was a child. He put down the rebellion of King Yangzhai without much effort, and captured Aluhui Temur to Dadu and put him to death, which was highly appreciated by Yuan Huizong.

One wave has just flattened, and another wave has risen.

Empress Qi and the crown prince gradually lost confidence in Yuan Huizong and had a different desire to replace him. Their mother and son teamed up to kill officials who opposed their claims, and relied on the eunuch Pu Buhua and the prime minister to drive out ministers such as Chen Zuren and Li Guofeng, who were outspoken and admonishing, and gradually took control of the imperial court.

At the same time, the two warlords of Chahan Temur and Polo Timur, who suppressed the Red Turban Army, fought on their own in order to compete for territory, causing trouble for the people of the Central Plains.

In 1363, Yuan Huizong's maternal uncle, Lao Sha, could not bear the framing of the crown prince and his party, and fled to Datong to join Polo Temur.

The crown prince and his party could not pursue the recourse, and asked the Yuanhui sect to send Meng Ke to crusade against Polo Temur.

Meng Ke explained to Yuan Huizong the pros and cons of the same room, and implored the emperor to think twice.

Yuan Huizong thought that what Munch said made sense, so he decided to stay put.

Under the pretext of upholding justice, Polo Temur twice sent troops to attack Dadu, first forcing Yuan Huizong to hand over Pu Buhua and Wei Sijian and killing them all, and then forcing Yuan Huizong to worship him as the right prime minister and drive away the crown prince.

Indignant, the crown prince fled to the camp of Timur in Taiyuan. At the instigation of Kukuo Temur, he established himself as the emperor of the Great Yuan.

For a time, the Great Yuan presented a split between the two imperial courts.

After Polo Timur came to power, he killed the traitors who instigated Yuan Huizong's lewd pleasures, drove out the Western monks in the palace, cut and eliminated the eunuchs, saved money and food, and did something for a while. Soon, he also began to lose his mind, degenerate himself, defile the harem, drink and kill people, and suffered several defeats when the crown prince's side came to attack Dadu.

Yuan Huizong found out that Polo Temur was an embroidered pillow and became dissatisfied with him.

Meng Ke and others suggested to Yuan Huizong that Polo Temur be assassinated.

One day in August 1365, Yuan Huizong asked Polo Temur to enter the palace to discuss state affairs, while he hid in the secret room and waited for Munch to make a move. They agreed to use the pigeon's bell as a code when the deed was done.

Unknown Polo Temur rushed into the palace, and just walked under the plum tree in front of the Yanchun Pavilion, he was stabbed to death by the killers led by Munch.

Hearing the loud pigeon bells, Yuan Huizong walked out of the secret room with great ambition. Sitting on the dragon chair, he commanded the immediate killing of Polo Timur's men, and at the same time asked Munch to put Polo Timur's head in a wooden box and send it to the crown prince of Taiyuan as a warning.

Soon, the crown prince, who was greatly shaken in his heart, returned to Dadu under the escort of Kuangkuo Temur, and sincerely pleaded with his father.

After all, blood is thicker than water, and father and son are a family. Yuan Huizong forgave the prince who had made a mistake and appointed the meritorious Kuokuo Timur as the left prime minister, and the old minister Bethsari as the right prime minister.

At this point, the battle at the court came to an end.

Not long after, Yuan Huizong named Kuokuo Temur as the king of Henan and sent him south to clear the Jianghuai Rebellion. Unexpectedly, Kuangkuo Temur fought with many warlords such as Li Siqi and Zhang Liangbi in Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi and other places.

Yuan Huizong suspected that Kuokuo Temur was rebellious and rebellious, and ordered the crown prince to lead the world's soldiers and horses, and Meng Ke, as a deputy general, went to crusade against Kuokuo Temur.

The warlord melee lasted until the eve of the fall of Dadu, which greatly depleted the vitality of the Great Yuan Dynasty.

Although Yuan Huizong is mediocre, he also understands very well that the national disaster is at the forefront. In 1367, he sent Munch to Jeju Island in Goryeo and ordered the secret construction of a palace for future evacuation.

During the period of civil strife in the Great Yuan, Zhu Yuanzhang sat in the south and successively flattened Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng and Fang Guozhen and other heroes one by one, and finally launched the Northern Expedition to "expel Hu Lu and restore China".

In August 1368, Dadu was embattled and was about to fall. Only then did Yuan Huizong reconcile with Kuokuo Temur. However, it was too late.

Yuan Huizong summoned the ministers, the concubines of the three palaces and the crown prince in the Qingning Palace, and officially announced the abandonment of Dadu and the relocation to Shangdu.

Tokhtar's son, the Privy Councillor, urged the emperor not to move, so as not to shake the morale of the army.

Yuan Huizong said: "Yesu has been defeated. Broad Temur is far away in Taiyuan. Where are the reinforcements to come to our aid? ”

Dorji knelt on the ground and wept bitterly: "The world was defeated by the ancestor (Kublai Khan). Your Majesty, you should defend to the death, how can you give up so easily! We are willing to lead the army and civilians of the capital out of the city to fight. I hope Your Majesty will stick to the capital! ”

Yuan Huizong sighed and said, "Today, we must not repeat the old mistake of the Great Song Dynasty Huizong and Qinzong being captured by foreign races!" ”

Dorji was so grief-stricken that he died when he returned home.

Yuan Huizong saw the real situation in the country on the way to the north, and said to Meng Ke with infinite emotion: "I haven't been out of Beijing all day, how do I know that the situation outside has reached such a point!" ”

After Meng Ke escorted Yuan Huizong to Shangdu, he invited his ministers to the emperor's residence day and night to discuss a good plan to restore the great cause, hoping to revitalize the Great Yuan Dynasty.

One day, several envoys of the Ming Dynasty came to Shangdu under the instructions of Zhu Yuanzhang and persuaded Yuan Huizong to abandon the darkness and surrender to the Ming Dynasty.

Yuan Huizong wrote a poem called "Answering the Lord" as an answer to Zhu Yuanzhang:

The envoy of Jinling crossed the river,

Thousands of miles of wind and smoke opened.

The king's anger sometimes rests on its own,

Divine grace is evident everywhere.

Faith and knowledge of the sea to the Lord,

I also like that there are talented people in Jiangnan.

Go back and be sincerely troubled to say,

The spring breeze came to Phoenix Terrace first.

In November 1368, Kuokuo Timur and Meng Ke lived up to the high hopes of Yuan Huizong and fought a beautiful victory against the Ming army at Handian (located in present-day Changzhi, Shanxi Province).

Yuan Huizong was carried away by this glorious victory, and ordered Kuokuo Temur to be crowned king of Qi, and authorized him and Meng Ke to command the army to prepare for the recovery of Dadu.

Kuokuo Temur and Munch were then defeated by the Ming army, and fled back with only 16 men.

Yuan Huizong suffered such a heavy setback, his fragile will was once again depressed, and his health deteriorated.

On New Year's Day in 1369, the ministers came to the palace to congratulate the emperor as usual.

Yuan Huizong refused to come out to meet the minister due to illness, which caused a lot of rumors. After that, he often said that he was sick and did not participate in court meetings, so that the court was in a situation where only discussions were not decided.

In July, Yuan Huizong decided to abandon Shangdu and move to Yingchang (also known as Luwangcheng, located in today's Keshiketeng Banner, Inner Mongolia), which was located further north and safer.

Munch advised him to return to Hara and Rin, the land of the Mongol dragons.

Yuan Huizong did not adopt it because of the shadow of the rebellion of Aluhui Timur, the king of Yangzhai.

After moving to Yingchang, Yuan Huizong's health became weaker and weaker, so he assigned Kuokuo Temur and Munch to assist the crown prince in managing the affairs of the country, while he himself was half-hidden and half-retired to recuperate.

On the morning of May 23, 1370, Yuan Huizong could not bear to discard the lamb left over from the banquet the previous night, and stubbornly refused to listen to Munch's persuasion, so he ate hot tea for breakfast.

Before noon, Yuan Huizong's abdominal pain was unbearable, and he was relieved of bloody dysentery.

The doctors used all kinds of drugs to no avail.

In the evening, Yuan Huizong died in Yingchang City at the age of 51.

Two days later, Yuan Huizong's son, Aiyu Zhili Dala, ascended the throne as Yuan Zhaozong with the support of Kuokuo Temur and Meng Ke. He ordered his father's Mongol Khan to be called Ukha Katu Khan (Mongolian for wise).

Yuan Huizong was versatile during his lifetime. He was a genius in architectural craft, mechanical engineering, poetry, etc. When he built the palace, he drew the house himself, and he personally cut the wood to build the palace, and asked the craftsmen to build it according to his drawings. When building the dragon boat, he also went out to draw samples himself. His self-made Wuyun car is also exquisite. Therefore, most people call Yuan Huizong "Luban Tianzi".

When the Ming army invaded Dadu, they captured the palace leak made by Yuan Huizong and presented it to Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, as a trophy.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at it for a while, and said contemptuously: "Ignore national affairs all day long and do some useless things." If he had set his mind on the great cause of the country, how could the country perish? ”

Zhu Yuanzhang ordered to destroy all the palace leaks made by Yuan Huizong.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang still politely gave him the title of Emperor Shun because Yuan Huizong was happy with Timur "knowing the destiny of heaven and retreating", but he was sternly rejected by Yuan Zhaozong.

Every evening, in the vast Mongolian steppe, Munch often wanders alone. With tears in his eyes, he recited Yuan Huizong's poem of nostalgia for his hometown Dadu, praying that he could return to his birthplace, Dadu:

O precious and magnificent capital city of mine, built of all kinds of treasures,

Comfortable summer and living in my upper capital of Kaiping Kuer City,

The summer camp of the ancient saints, my lost lama (golden lotus river) in the upper capital,

In that year of Wushen, when everything was withered and yellow, I lost the great power by mistake!

Nine colored treasures decorated into my magnificent capital,

But I can hold ninety-nine white horses, and I am all even,

Widely benefited me, the blessing of the two ways of politics and religion,

Called the Lord of the world, my pity name,

Rise early and look into the distance, the smoke is swirling,

Looking at the front and back, the scenery is pleasing to the eye,

Regardless of winter and summer, live worry-free and happy,

It is the treasure city capital established by Emperor Xue Chan (Kublai Khan)!

O vast and magnificent capital of my ancestors,

I have gathered together all my princes, prime ministers, and subjects,

Not listening to and ignoring the prime minister's words is my resentment,

Listening to the rebel Zhu brother officials is my ignorance!

Mistakenly killed the wise master of Tokhtar,

It is my sin to banish the Great Master.

Pity the reputation of the Emperor of my Lord of All!

It's a pity for the joy I enjoyed!

Emperor Xue Chan, who has divine power, built in many ways,

My great capital city where Fu Lu gathered!

It was taken over by the Han Zhu Ge officials!