During the Chongzhen period, Zhao Hanchuan, a small official in the Ministry of Household Affairs, staged "workplace horror" every day: when counting military pay, it was found that the silver was doped with more lead than real silver, and when the "tea leaves" were checked, the box was full of Japanese knives. Colleagues "kindly" reminded: "The last one who was more serious was already serving as a war drum in Liaodong."
Spanish businessman Philip was equally depressed: he came to the Ming Dynasty with the latest matchlock gun, only to find that the customer was too poor to even pay the deposit - the court's "one whip method" had drained away the silver, and the princes were still frantically smuggling to evade taxes. To make matters worse, Spain, my hometown, went bankrupt due to the war, and even the silver-carrying ships were suspended.
When the two met in Ningyuan City: one was holding an abacus to calculate the gap in military pay, and the other was holding a ledger to collect the balance of weapons. Their eyes met, looking at each other with tears in their eyes.
Zhao Hanchuan: "Your war in Europe has left us with no money!"
Philip: "Your prince's corruption has prevented me from achieving my KPIs!"
The passing bandits enthusiastically solicited: "Do you want to join the gang? Food and accommodation will be provided, and sacrifices will be taken care of."
Warm reminder for this "Record of the Bankruptcy of Chongzhen Co., Ltd.": This story is derived from real history. Modern migrant workers should be careful when entering it, as it can easily arouse strong resonance.
