prosperous age

The financial crisis at the end of the Ming Dynasty was one of the core reasons for the dynasty's demise. Its essence was a systemic, structural, and institutional financial collapse, manifested as insufficient revenue to cover expenditures, depletion of tax revenue, loss of control over management, and a severe imbalance in wealth distribution.

In later textbooks, the most frequently discussed topic was the issue of the Ming Dynasty's imperial family.

Zhu Yuanzhang enfeoffed members of the imperial clan, stipulating that members of the imperial family could not engage in production, take the imperial examinations, or serve as officials, and that they would rely entirely on state stipends for sustenance.

By the end of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial clan population had swelled to nearly one million, and the stipends for the imperial clan in provinces such as Shanxi and Henan alone far exceeded the local fiscal revenue.

Some even say that Zonglu's expenditures once accounted for nearly 30% or even half of the national fiscal expenditures.

While it's true that members of the imperial family consumed a significant portion of the Ming Dynasty's fiscal expenditure, the stipends for imperial family members were effectively capped during the Wanli era, and no further increases were permitted.

Moreover, the expenses for the Ming Dynasty's imperial family were actually greater than those for the Manchus' Eight Banners descendants.

Then came land annexation and a shrinking tax base. Imperial relatives, officials, and gentry used their tax-exempt privileges to annex large amounts of land, resulting in a situation where "there was land but no one paid taxes, while there was no land but taxes were levied."

According to the "General History of Chinese Finance", during the mid-to-late Wanli period, the total taxable land area in the country was only about 400 million hectares, far lower than the 850 million hectares at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.

Large amounts of arable land have been concealed, resulting in a significant reduction in the country's actual tax revenue.

Furthermore, military expenditures surged. In response to the threat from the Later Jin (Qing) in Liaodong and domestic peasant uprisings, the Ming court levied additional taxes on "Liaodong Tax," "Suppression Tax," and "Training Tax," collectively known as the "Three Taxes."

At the end of the Chongzhen reign, the total amount of the three taxes exceeded 20 million taels, more than three times the normal tax revenue, while military expenditures consistently accounted for more than 70% of the total fiscal expenditure.

Finally, there was the impact of natural disasters during the Little Ice Age. From 1580 to 1640, the world was in the "Little Ice Age," and North China and Northwest China suffered from consecutive years of severe drought, locust plagues, and frequent epidemics.

The severe drought during the Chongzhen reign lasted for 17 years, causing a sharp drop in grain production, soaring grain prices, and a large number of farmers to flee their homes, further reducing the tax base.

In such a hostile environment, the fiscal system became rigid and corrupt, bureaucratic corruption was rampant, "ghost employees" and "withholding military pay" were common, the Ministry of Revenue's accounts were in disarray, and a large amount of state-owned assets were lost.

Well, actually, these problems have always existed.

This trend began to gradually emerge from the mid-Ming Dynasty onwards.

Because they only see the situation domestically, while ignoring the situation abroad.

During the Wanli era, with the reform of the tax and labor service system, such as the "Single Whip Law," taxes were generally collected in silver, and the national fiscal system gradually shifted to a silver standard.

However, China's domestic silver mines have limited production, with an annual output of less than 30 taels, while fiscal demand is huge. In the mid-Wanli period alone, the annual demand for silver was about 2000 million taels, and the huge gap relied on the import of silver from overseas.

Through ports such as Yuegang in Fujian and Guangzhou in Guangdong, China exported goods such as silk and porcelain to the Americas and Japan, in exchange for large amounts of silver.

It is estimated that at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the amount of silver flowing into the country each year accounted for one-third of the global production.

If everything could continue, the Ming Dynasty would still be able to receive enough silver to maintain its operation and alleviate its financial crisis.

However, starting in the 1630s, the Thirty Years' War broke out in Europe, which severely disrupted Atlantic trade. Spain's exports of silver from the Americas were blocked, and all silver mine output was prioritized to meet the needs of the European war effort.

Meanwhile, the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan closed the country in 1633, cutting off the legal export of silver.

The simultaneous problems with the two major channels for silver inflow into the Ming Dynasty led to a sharp decrease in global silver inflows, resulting in deflation, insufficient money supply, and falling prices within the Ming Dynasty.

If taxes were still primarily in kind, the impact on ordinary people would be relatively small. However, at this time, the tax system of the Ming Dynasty had changed, and taxes were now collected in silver.

The increased actual tax burden led to the rapid collapse of the small-scale peasant economy, directly causing a large number of farmers to go bankrupt and become vagrants, which further affected social stability.

Fiscal revenues shrank due to a shortage of silver, leaving the imperial court unable to pay military salaries and provide disaster relief, which exacerbated social unrest.

Well, internal and external troubles erupted almost simultaneously during the Chongzhen era, creating a resonance that ultimately destroyed what was once the most powerful empire in history.

The Ming Dynasty was like a target that was accidentally hit.

At this time, Europe was gradually falling into turmoil. From the struggle for national interests to religious conflicts, as well as the continuous pressure from the Ottoman Empire in the east, Europeans were already carrying out large-scale military expansion and preparations for war while the Ming Dynasty was still enjoying peace and prosperity.

"Will those artillery pieces fully meet the army's needs?"

Greenwich Palace, London, England.

Queen Elizabeth II received British military commanders here, who had tested the cannons that Earl Robert had brought back from the Ming Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, we have tested those cannons several times, and they have all met the capabilities we need."

We've discussed that if we can purchase in large quantities, it's a perfectly feasible solution.

Although the distance is considerable, we have limited capacity to manufacture our own artillery, and France and the Holy Roman Empire have recently tightened their control over the export of firearms.

We are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain the required quantity.

A naval officer in uniform spoke on behalf of the military.

This trade involved weapons purchased with the Queen's personal funds, so naturally they were given priority to the Royal Navy.

Moreover, at that time, Britain did not have an army in the strict sense.

Do we need more artillery?

"The Queen asked."

In fact, the Queen didn't care whether the cannons came from the Ming Dynasty or the Ottoman Empire.

However, she found the state of industrial output in Britain at that time unbearable.

Wealth is being created too slowly.

However, there was nothing she could do. Since Britain had not acquired silver mines in the Americas, they could only watch as Spain continuously transported massive amounts of silver back from its overseas colonies.

At this moment, the Queen felt immense envy for the Ming Emperor, who was thousands of miles away.

She already had a clear understanding of the strength of the Ming Dynasty from Robert's introduction.

The Ming Dynasty had a huge population, far exceeding the total population of all of Europe.

In Robert's words, the vast landmass extended beyond the land of Europe.

She could hardly imagine how powerful such a huge country must be.

It can only be said that it was fortunate that the Ming Dynasty was too far away from them, otherwise the threat might have been even greater than that of the Ottoman Empire.

However, the Ottoman Empire was far inferior to the Ming Dynasty in both population and land area.

Even so, it kept European countries from taking any chances.

The power of the Ottoman Empire was something that later generations of Chinese could not even imagine.

In fact, during this period, if there was any country that was qualified to challenge the Ming Dynasty, it was only the Ottoman Empire.

As for the so-called developed Western countries of later generations, they were just little brothers and were not worthy of being mentioned.

Well, Spain is barely acceptable.

It wasn't Spain's national strength and military power, but rather its financial resources, that allowed it to barely gain a foothold in the public eye.

"Earl Robert, convert the goods you brought back into cash as soon as possible, and then prepare to travel to the Ming Dynasty again."

This time, we need to purchase more artillery.

The Royal Navy selected its best warships to escort the convoy.

Queen Elizabeth made her decision in a very short time.

Gold and silver stored in a warehouse are just a pile of metal lumps.

But if we switch to artillery, that would truly enhance national strength. "Foreign Minister, how are the negotiations with Oldenbahnefelt going?"

After discussing military matters, the Queen turned her attention to diplomacy.

Negotiations between British diplomats and the Dutch rebels have been going on long enough.

This is an exchange of interests: Britain is willing to provide assistance in exchange for the benefits the Netherlands is willing to reciprocate.

At the same time, if the Netherlands could successfully break away from Spanish rule, it would also weaken its rival, achieving three goals at once.

The cooperation with the Dutch has actually been going on for a long time.

Initially, the British negotiated with William Orange, the governor of the province of Holland, but he was assassinated last year.

Although Spain denies that it was responsible, other European countries tend to believe that it was the work of assassins sent by Spain.

The assassination of a key leader of the Dutch Rebellion caused some setbacks in their negotiations.

Negotiations between the two countries only resumed after the Netherlands sent John van Oldenbarnefeldt, another important leader of the Dutch rebels.

"Your Majesty, William has pledged that as long as our country can provide them with military assistance, including sending troops, allocating funds and supplies."

In exchange, Britain gained control of two port cities in the Netherlands, Fliessingen and Brill, which were used as strongholds to defend against Spanish attacks.

However, I must remind Your Majesty that once the agreement is signed, in the eyes of the Spanish, it might mean war.

After briefly explaining the content of the negotiations, the Foreign Minister still offered a friendly reminder.

Gaining access to ports in the Netherlands has been a long-held dream of Britain.

Britain is an island nation, and it has long taken steps to acquire land in Europe.

The Hundred Years' War between England and France from 1337 to 1453 was a significant effort by England to acquire and retain land on the European continent through military action.

The Plantagenet dynasty of England had vast territories in France since the 12th century, including Aquitaine, Gascony, and Normandy.

By the early 14th century, these territories had become a major obstacle to the unification process of the French monarchy.

Britain wanted to maintain or even expand its territory in France, while France was committed to expelling British troops and recovering lost land.

In 1328, the Capetian dynasty of France died out, and King Edward III of England, by virtue of his maternal lineage and status as the grandson of Philip IV, claimed the right to inherit the French throne.

However, based on the Salic Law, the French nobles excluded women from the right of succession and supported a member of the Valois family to ascend the throne as Philip VI.

Edward III then formally declared himself King of France in 1337, which became the direct trigger for the war.

Ultimately, the British kings only acquired a small amount of coastal land, which was insufficient to satisfy their need for land on the European continent. Therefore, they hoped to use the blood ties formed by marriage and kinship to control France, a traditional power in Europe.

The King of Spain once wanted to marry Elizabeth, with a similar idea, just as he had forcibly ascended the throne as King of Portugal based on blood ties.

"Send the draft to me as soon as possible."

Queen Elizabeth simply remarked that she now envied the emperor in the far East even more, even though, according to Robert, that emperor seemed to be lame.

Although she once said she would not marry, if she could marry the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, wouldn't her descendants also be able to rule that vast country?

Of course, this is just wishful thinking.

Emperor Wanli sent people to congratulate him on his wedding.

He made Robert talk about the grand ceremony many times.

The entire city was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and Ming officials escorted the Empress from the city's main gate into the palace.

That door was a passageway that only the emperor could enter and exit; it was not allowed to be opened under normal circumstances.

It was daytime in London, but nighttime in the Ming Dynasty on the other side of the world.

Although Wei Guangde influenced a part of history, those who were destined to enter the palace would eventually do so.

Perhaps, this is destiny.

Tonight, Emperor Wanli did not stay in the Empress's palace, but instead rested at Consort De's residence.

Lying on the chaise lounge, he opened his mouth to eat the peeled grapes that Consort De had put to his lips. Suddenly, he couldn't help but feel an itch in his nose and sneezed.

"Is Your Majesty feeling unwell?"

Consort De, who was peeling grapes for the emperor, immediately asked, "Should we summon the imperial physician to examine His Majesty?"

"No need, I just suddenly felt an itch in my nose. I'm fine, no need to call the imperial physician."

The Wanli Emperor immediately spoke.

Consort De was naturally the most favored concubine of Emperor Wanli, and later generations referred to her as Consort Zheng.

However, at this time, she had just been promoted from Consort Shu to Consort De.

Her moment of glory came on the fifth day of the first month of the fourteenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign when she gave birth to the third son of the emperor, Zhu Changxun. After being conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort, her status was second only to the Empress.

Zheng was quick-witted, beautiful, and lively, which won her the most favor from the Wanli Emperor.

In truth, she was a femme fatale.

However, Wei Guangde, with his limited historical knowledge, naturally wouldn't have known that.

Moreover, since the Empress had given birth to a prince early on, he was already the rightful Crown Prince. Given the Ming Dynasty's system of distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate sons, Prince Fu could only remain Prince Fu and had no right to challenge for the Crown Prince's throne.

"Your Majesty seems to have a worried look in your eyes. I urge Your Majesty to take care of your health and not worry too much about the affairs of state."

At this point, Consort De stopped talking about summoning the imperial physician and started discussing other topics.

When the Wanli Emperor entered today, he noticed that the emperor's eyes were not right, as if he had something on his mind.

Could it be that Emperor Wanli really had some worries in his heart?
He was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty; what could possibly stump him?

But Emperor Wanli actually had something on his mind.

Just as the Ming Dynasty was about to subdue the western barbarians of Luzon and seek to conquer the eastern continent, news came from Palembang that a month ago, Palembang's government troops and Aceh's army had clashed.

Both sides used firearms, and the battle was extremely fierce.

Well, at this time, the Wanli Emperor was not worried about the situation in Sumatra.

In the afternoon, the Ministry of War sent a letter to Burma, ordering the West Sea Fleet to support Old Port.

At this time, the South China Sea Fleet had important matters to attend to, so naturally they could not afford to be distracted.

When the news reached the emperor, his opinion was quite different.

In the past, which of the surrounding foreign states dared to disrespect the Ming Dynasty?

Apart from Mongolia in the north, the world was at peace.

However, after Wei Guangde became the Grand Secretary, although the Ming Dynasty seemed to be winning victory after victory in its campaigns in the south and north, he always felt that something was wrong.

It seems that the Ming Dynasty's enemies, or rather, potential enemies, are constantly increasing.

Especially at sea, news from the west has been constant. (End of Chapter)