The Great Ming Assessment Storm

1. Tragic moments: Those "monarchs, ministers and generals" who are destined to fail to achieve perfection 1. Zhu Youjian-the subjugated king who hanged himself in Meishan Worked hard but was trapped in a "death situation". He ascended the throne at the age of seventeen and eradicated Wei Zhongxian. The government and the public once thought that ZTE was possible. But what we are facing is a broken ship full of holes - internal and external troubles, an empty treasury, and hundreds of officials pushing the blame. When the enemy approached the city, he refused to move south due to his character weaknesses such as "discussing without making a decision" and "not being defeated due to his good reputation". In the end, he died for his country, but he could not save the day. Before he died, he wrote on his clothes, "Let the thieves split my corpse, but do not hurt any of the people." - Tragic, but powerless. 2. Yu Qian - a loyal minister who tried to turn the tide but died unjustly After the "Tumubao Incident", the Ming army lost all its elites, the emperor was captured, and people in the capital were panicked. Yu Qian, as a civil servant, took up the banner of Beijing's defense war and forcefully pulled Ming Dynasty back from the edge of the cliff. However, after the "Second Gate Incident", he was unjustly killed on the charge of "treason". When the house was ransacked, there was nothing left in the house except the python robe and sword given by Zhu Qiyu. "Don't be afraid of your bones being shattered into pieces, you must leave your innocence in the world" - he did it, but this innocence was ultimately no match for political liquidation. 3. Yuan Chonghuan - The Tragic Great Wall of Liaodong As a civil servant, he took on the heavy responsibility of border defense. Although the heroic words of pacifying Liao in five years were not fully realized, the great victories of Ningyuan and Ningjin actually blocked the iron hoof of Hou Jin. However, there were controversies such as "killing Mao Wenlong without permission" and "retreating the enemy under the capital city", coupled with Chongzhen's suspicious character, and he was eventually executed for "collaborating with the enemy". The people competed for his meat, but who knew he was the last Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty? 4. Fang Xiaoru and Zhang Juzheng - the "hardness" and "tenacity" of a dynasty · Fang Xiaoru: Zhu Di usurped the throne and ordered him to draft an edict of accession to the throne. He wore sackcloth and wore mourning, his cries echoed throughout the hall, and he wrote the four words "Yan Thief Usurps the Throne" with his pen. Zhu Di was angry and killed his ten tribes (nine tribes plus disciples), a total of more than 800 people. What he upholds is the "rigor" of the righteousness of the monarch and his ministers. · Zhang Juzheng: Single-handedly extend the life of the dynasty for ten years. The test-taking method and the whipping method have revitalized the already shaky finances. However, after his death, his house was confiscated and liquidated, his eldest son committed suicide, and his family was exiled. Passionate, but ultimately wrong. What he adheres to is the "toughness" of reform and strengthening. 2. Tens of thousands of conflicts: the "dead knot" of a dynasty 1. The "strangled" reforms Zhang Juzheng's Wanli New Deal was originally the last chance for the Ming Dynasty to renew its life. The method of examination is used to rectify the administration of officials, the method of whip is used to straighten out the finances, and the land is cleared to crack down on powerful people. But as soon as he died, the reform was completely abolished by the counterattack of the bureaucracy. People die and political power ceases to exist - this is the most profound dilemma in the history of China's reform. 2. The "internal strife" that destroyed the Great Wall The party strives for effective governance. Donglin Party, Zhejiang Party, Chu Party, Qi Party, Xuan Party, Kun Party... You sing and I will appear. Not thinking about how to save the country, but thinking about how to bring down the other party. Chongzhen reigned for seventeen years and had fifty cabinet chiefs and assistants - could such a Ming Dynasty survive? 3. The "money bag" that was dragged down The Ming Dynasty was never able to effectively tax the wealthy industrial and commercial class. The silk, porcelain, and tea trade in the south of the Yangtze River made merchants extremely rich, but the majority of taxes still fell on poor farmers. Although the one-whip law changed the physical tax to silver taels, the burden on the people increased rather than decreased due to the additional levy of "fire consumption" and the exploitation of subordinate officials. A vicious cycle until it collapses. 4. The indulged "parasite" Zhu Yuanzhang divided the clan, his original intention was to "fanping the country". But by the end of the Ming Dynasty, the clan's population had swelled to nearly 200,000, consuming nearly half of the national treasury's revenue every year. These "Tianhuang nobles" cannot take the imperial examination, do business, or farm, and can only lie on the side of the country and suck blood. The grain output of Henan and Shanxi provinces is not enough to support the clans in their respective provinces. 5. The "Little Ice Age" in the late Ming Dynasty God is not helping either. The late Ming Dynasty coincided with the Little Ice Age, when temperatures plummeted and droughts, floods, locusts, and freezes occurred one after another. Shaanxi has been experiencing severe drought for four consecutive years. People eat grass roots, peel tree bark, and even exchange seeds for food. The imperial court could not spend money for disaster relief, so it could only send "three additional rates" - Liao rates, suppression rates, and Lian rates. Civil uprisings broke out everywhere, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong... An empire was attacked from both inside and outside, and was dragged to death. 6. Zhu Yunwen - an indecisive and kind Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen was merciful to his uncles. After cutting the feudal clan for a long time, I felt lonely. King Zhu Di of Yan raised troops to "pacify Jingnan", and he told the frontline generals "Don't let me bear the name of killing my uncle" - as a result, Zhu Di was close to death several times, but he survived because of these words. In the end, the city of Nanjing was destroyed, the palace was on fire, and Emperor Jianwen did not know where he ended up. His ending became the biggest unsolved case in the Ming Dynasty. 3. Conclusion Each of these "difficult feelings" is like a thorn in the hearts of those who like the Ming Dynasty. It's not that Ming Dynasty didn't have a chance, it's that when the opportunity came, no one could seize it. It's not that there are no capable ministers, it's that capable ministers often do not end well. It's not that there is no reform, it's that reforms are always strangled by vested interests. "The beginning is a bowl, the ending is a tree." Zhu Yuanzhang rose from a beggar to an emperor, and his beginning was the humblest starting point in the world; Chongzhen hanged himself on an old locust tree in Meishan, and his ending was the most tragic ending in the world. Three hundred years of foundation, success is at the bottom and failure is at the bottom. This is probably the cruelest part of history - you watch it step by step towards the abyss, but you know that everything is already doomed. What "The Storm of Ming Dynasty's Entrance Examination" is about is that in front of this doomed abyss, there is still a person settling accounts. Sixteen thousand three hundred acres. He sharpened the knife first. #New book on shelves##Book review activity##One sentence short comment activity##History##History of the Ming Dynasty#