Great Ming: The Jingtai Golden Age

The Jingtai period... This period is very difficult to write about. 1. During the Jingtai period, the Ming Dynasty was actually on the verge of collapse. The imperial power fears your fall. Internally, the empress dowager interfered in politics; externally, the court officials bleed people dry. After being suppressed by the four emperors Hongwu, Yongle, Renxuan, and others, the literati and officials were like springs. They were eager to challenge imperial power and seize control. 2. The practice of border troops receiving salaries without working and exploiting soldiers began during the Hongwu reign, but the situation was not too serious due to the presence of two great emperors, Hongwu and Yongle. However, Emperor Xuanzong's reign was short-lived, and his oppression was not as great as that of Emperors Hongwu and Yongle. The situation deteriorated from this point onward. 3. Economic problems were always the Ming Dynasty's Achilles' heel. The story of Emperor Yingzong checking the accounts may not be entirely untrue. Emperor Xuanzong also died after his last voyage to the Western Ocean, so there may be some issues involved. Therefore, if you want to sail the seas to the Western Ocean, the obstacles will be enormous. You could even say that if you have this idea and someone finds out, you might be finished. 4. History is like a little girl who can be dressed up however one pleases. Whether it's conspiracy theories or official history, the human heart is always complex. You'll be desperate about personnel appointments. The cabinet problems are serious, and the three Yangs may not be trustworthy (perhaps they were upright and selfless before Yongle, but what about after Yongle? People's hearts can change). As for Yu Qian at the end... I'll say something really unpleasant. Yu Qian's role is truly exaggerated by others. Whether the Tumu Crisis was real or fabricated, the event did not cause as much damage to the Ming Dynasty as some people imagine. Jingtai's real problem wasn't whether Esen came or not, but that he lacked the authority. The actual number of Ming soldiers lost at Tumu Fortress was at most tens of thousands, which was not considered a crippling loss for the Ming Dynasty at that time (this loss also includes those who deserted, scattered, etc.). Normally, even if Yexian had invaded, two months would have been enough time for the Ming Dynasty to mobilize sufficient troops to wipe them out. So the biggest problem isn't Esen, but power. Yu Qian is a very problematic person and should absolutely not be employed. According to official historical records, Yu Qian was a saint and a good person to ordinary people from the lower classes. But to the imperial power, he was the greatest evil. Not killing him was already a favor; they even dared to employ him. From a conspiracy theory perspective, Yu Qian should be killed as soon as possible, and given the chance, he should not be allowed to live. 5. The problems of merchants and border troops in the Jiangnan region and the north had a great chance of being salvaged after the Jingtai Emperor gained power. To put it bluntly, all the problems stemmed from the loss of imperial power. With enough military support, you could simply replace the entire court of civil and military officials. Why bother with all this roundabout stuff? During the more than 290 years of the Ming Dynasty, only the reigns of Hongwu, Yongle, Renzong, and Xuantong had a relatively complete imperial system. Emperor Yingzong also maintained independent imperial power in the early years of his reign. After the Tumu Crisis, imperial power was separated. Later Ming emperors were basically just figureheads. To be honest, writing about time travel to Jingtai is really difficult. Without any special abilities, an ordinary person like you couldn't stop Emperor Yingzong's restoration later on. There's no time for you to play it safe and develop stealthily. You don't have many people of your own, except for the eunuchs you brought from the Prince's mansion. If you have enough time, you can develop your own foundation. Using the vision of people from the future, they secretly develop commerce and military affairs among the people. Accumulate wealth over about ten years before starting to reorganize the army. Only after you have an army can you cleanse the court and begin reforms. It will take at least fifteen years to implement all of this. However, if you were Jingtai, you wouldn't have enough time.

Zhao Kuangyin was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guards, becoming the supreme commander of the imperial guards. In 960, during the turbulent period of the Later Zhou dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin falsely reported that the Northern Han and Khitan allied forces were advancing south, and led his troops north to resist them. At Chenqiao Post Station (45 li northeast of present-day Luoyang), Zhao Kuangyin's younger brother Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Pu, and others secretly plotted a coup. The generals placed a yellow robe on Zhao Kuangyin and enthroned him as emperor. Subsequently, Zhao Kuangyin led his troops back to Kaifeng, forced the young emperor of the Later Zhou, Chai Zongxun, to abdicate, changed the dynasty name to Song, and established the Song Dynasty. First, report the military situation, then seize command. History always repeats itself.

The historical records left by the Qing Dynasty speak volumes about Yu Qian's character. In the entire Ming Dynasty, only Zhang Juzheng was a true politician; Yu Qian didn't even deserve the title. They were all just after power.

Putting everything else aside, once the throne was secure, the empress dowager had to die; otherwise, they would be restless, and the border troops would also suffer. They were driven back to Tumu Fortress, and they lost with 20,000 against 200,000. There was definitely something wrong with the border troops. Selling arms had always been a source of income for the Ming Dynasty's border troops.

They said they had an army of 400,000, but they've actually lost less than 100,00

Zhu Qiyu, as long as you've transmigrated, you won't have a son. Everything you do will be changed back after you die.

You need to find a way to get rid of this internal power struggle "weapon," otherwise the Ming Dynasty will end up the same way. Once you solve the problem of court elections and the issue of becoming censors, you can find suitable candidates through the imperial examinations. Otherwise, the Ming Dynasty will eventually have to rely on eunuchs again. After the Song Dynasty, there shouldn't have been any more eunuch power. Those who pass the imperial examinations become censors first, constantly criticizing the emperor before doing anything else—no wonder things aren't going well.

When I saw that Tumubao had donated 400,000 yuan, I couldn't help but laugh.

Don't worry, with two completed books totaling over a million words as my guarantee, I definitely won't abandon the book. I'll keep writing no matter how the results are!

I particularly disliked Empress Wang; I abandoned the book the moment she became empress.