China's Most Brutal Purge: 40,000 Officials Killed in a Single Year (1380)

In 1380, a single breakfast ended — and forty thousand lives followed. This is the story of ancient empires at their most ruthless: a beggar who became emperor, then systematically destroyed everyone around him to stay that way. The Hongwu Emperor didn't just purge his enemies. He purged competence itself. He purged loyalty. He purged the very officials who built his dynasty — and he wrote it all down and handed it to every household in China. Ancient empires weren't brought down by foreign invaders. They were hollowed out from within by fear dressed as justice. At Shadows of Dynasties, we go inside the moments that ancient empires tried to erase. Subscribe now — every week we pull back the curtain on the decisions that shaped ancient empires and changed the world forever. Drop your thoughts in the comments. Your perspective genuinely shapes what this channel covers next.