Jianwen Emperor - Reign

Reign

See also: Jingnan Campaign

The Jianwen era (1398 – 1402) was short.

Upon the advice of his Confucian scholars, he continued his grandfather's policy of restraining the court eunuchs and began clawing back territory and forces from his uncles. Over the course of 1399, he demoted or arrested several and prompted the suicide of one.

Reacting to this, the Prince of Yan Zhu Di captured and coöpted the Prince of Ning Zhu Quan – between the two of them, he now possessed the bulk of the empire's large northern army. He also won the support of several Mongolian tribes by torching his brother's capital at Daning and evacuating the province. Feigning sickness and madness, Zhu Di succeeded in convincing the Jianwen Emperor to release the three sons of his held hostage in Nanjing: almost immediately upon their arrival, the emperor attempted to arrest Zhu Di himself and the prince launched the Jingnan Campaign against the court.

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