Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"The slaves from Huguang have escaped to the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area?"

"Were there any reports along the way? What were the local officials doing?"

When the news reached the imperial court, Zhu Youjian was immediately furious, or rather, he used the opportunity to vent his anger.

Last year, in order to regain power, Han Kuang pointed out to him that the only areas actually controlled by the imperial court were Beizhili and the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area.

Now it seems that this was indeed the case. Such a big thing was not reported at all along the way until the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area discovered it and urgently transmitted the news.

Han Kuang looked tense, but inwardly he was overjoyed.

If he hadn't pointed out the court's actual control to the emperor last year, he would definitely have been the one to take the blame for this.

Now that the emperor was prepared, he would not punish him severely. He said to the emperor:

“There are many servants in the Macheng area, and several major families have three or four thousand servants each.”

"Two years ago, a slave revolt almost broke out in the area because of rumors of the release of slaves."

"Given the current situation, it's possible that the servants, having failed to cause trouble, have resorted to fleeing and going into exile."

Zhu Youjian said angrily:

"Setting a limit on the number of slaves and releasing surplus slaves was a policy established two years ago. Has Macheng not implemented it?"

"You are the Grand Secretary, what do you think we should do about this?"

Han Kuang did not offer a solution, but instead suggested:
“Li Changgeng, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was from Macheng. After learning about the court’s policy, he released the slaves.”

“We can summon him to an audience and inquire about this matter in detail.”

Zhu Youjian immediately ordered Li Changgeng to come to court. Li Changgeng, having received prior notice, knew this day would come. Upon meeting the emperor, he said:

"After the court restricted the number of slaves, I and my relatives in my hometown strictly followed the court's restrictions."

"However, some families appear to be freeing their slaves, but in reality they are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant."

“They nominally freed the slaves to work as laborers, but in reality they did not provide them with a livelihood, and they still had to depend on them.”

“Last year, many incidents occurred in the countryside due to the release of slaves. Those who went to the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area this time are likely to be people who escaped.”

Zhu Youjian remained silent upon hearing this, knowing that implementing policies was not so simple.

He asked Li Changgeng:

"Then tell me, what should be done about the slaves in Macheng?"

What should we do about this?

Li Changgeng immediately suggested:
"I believe that a new district can be established in Macheng, modeled after Suzhou and Songjiang, and various industrial parks can be built."

“Once employees have jobs, they naturally don’t need to depend on others.”

“Macheng could also establish an employment association to require all companies to comply with relevant policies.”

That's utter nonsense. The imperial court doesn't have the resources to build another new district, nor would it be possible to build one in Macheng.

Zhu Youjian looked at him and said:

“We can consider building an industrial park and see what advantageous products Macheng has.”

"But more importantly, we need to send troops, send the new army to suppress the resistance, and urge the release of slaves."

"Minister Li, you are from Macheng and know the area best. I hereby appoint you as Imperial Commissioner to specifically handle the issue of slaves in Macheng and the entire Huguang region."

"We must earnestly implement the court's policies and release the surplus slaves. Moreover, we must provide them with a way out and find ways to resettle them."

This gave Li Changgeng a headache, knowing it was definitely going to be a tough job.

Moreover, given the upcoming leadership transition in August, if he cannot resolve the situation before June, he will likely miss out on the position of prime minister.

He was reluctant to leave the capital at this time, but the emperor's order had come, and he had no choice but to obey.

"Your Majesty is wise beyond reproach. I will certainly carry out the court's policies in Macheng and urge the release of slaves."

Zhu Youjian nodded and then gave further instructions:
"I will send Huang Degong to transfer a large contingent of new troops there, and then he will stay in Huguang to help train the local new troops."

"Don't be lenient with those who break the law and disobey orders; clean up the area thoroughly."

"I've heard that some families, with their thousands of servants, claim to be powerful and disregard the imperial court."

"This time, let them see why the Imperial Army was able to defeat the Jurchens and what kind of fighting power it possesses."

This was an idea he had before the new year: to rely on the army to forcibly subdue the local people.

He had been somewhat hesitant about the impact of his previous actions, but now that trouble had broken out in Huguang, he immediately dispatched his troops.

If any local forces dare to resist, he wouldn't hesitate to slaughter countless people.

Li Changgeng felt a chill run down his spine, immediately realizing that the emperor was serious. The current emperor didn't care about peace and stability, nor did he care about public opinion—

The newspapers were all controlled by the emperor, and voices that were not in his favor could not be heard at all.

He was powerless to change the emperor's actions, and even worried that if he abandoned his post, the emperor would send a cruel official to unleash a bloodbath.

Unwilling to see his hometown slaughtered, he immediately petitioned the emperor to control the new army and to send a guard.

Otherwise, if the troops march through like a comb, the region may descend into chaos.

Zhu Youjian valued him highly and knew the dangers of an army going out of control, so he agreed to the request and ordered Li Changgeng to take command of the new army.

However, he decided in his heart to incorporate Hubei into the Southern Garrison Command and have Xiang Junqing send the Imperial Guards there.

This incident made him realize that it was somewhat inappropriate to previously include Huguang (Hubei and Hunan) under the Southwest Garrison Command. After the separation of Huguang, Hubei could be separated into its own territory.

Thinking about this matter, Zhu Youjian then said to Han Kuang:
"Previously, Han Qing said that he would use the implementation of the imperial court's policies to make minor judgments on local officials."

"I think this policy of freeing slaves can be included in the plan and will be discussed at the end of the year."

"I wish that the number of slaves, citizens, foreigners, and so on in each prefecture and county be reported."

"This large-scale compilation of the Yellow Register requires relevant statistics."

Han Kuang responded verbally, having long anticipated that the emperor would use this as an excuse to make a fuss, and was well prepared to focus his attention on the affairs of the servants.

What he didn't expect was that the emperor mentioned again the creation of the Yellow Registers and emphasized strengthening statistics.

According to the timeline, this year is the final year for the large-scale compilation of the Yellow Register, and he needs to give an explanation for this matter.

In particular, the creation of high-standard farmland, which was mentioned before the Lunar New Year, needs to be finalized during the compilation of the Yellow Register.

This made him feel worried again, as he felt that it was becoming increasingly difficult to be an official under the current emperor.
-
After discussing some political matters, Zhu Youjian brought up academics again, asking Han Kuang:
"How do you think of the article about the contradictions that I presented earlier?"

"Any insights or reflections?"

Han Kuang, considering the emperor's intentions, praised:
"Your Majesty's article is thought-provoking and no less profound than the theories of the ancient philosophers."

"I believe that all officials and students should read and study this paper."

Zhu Youjian wasn't looking for flattery, but rather wanted him to use the viewpoints in the article to solve the problem. He asked him:
"This article is not only dialectics, but also a methodology for solving problems, and a theory for understanding and transforming the world."

"Tell me first, what is the main contradiction facing the Ming Dynasty right now, and how should it be resolved?"

This question left Han Kuang speechless, unsure how to even begin to discuss it.

Understanding this article had already taken him a lot of effort, and now that the emperor wanted to use it, he was completely clueless.

Li Changgeng and others did the same, offering no response to the emperor's words.

Zhu Youjian sighed inwardly upon seeing this, but he was not discouraged and patiently guided the boy:
"You can't pinpoint the main contradiction now, but you should know about the main contradiction from the past, right?"

"What problems has the imperial court been primarily addressing in the past few years?"

They could all answer that, Han Kuang said:

"Previously, the court mainly focused on border affairs, resolving issues such as the She'an Rebellion and the Jurchen Rebellion." "The main contradiction at that time should be said to be the contradiction between the Ming Dynasty and the Jurchens."

Zhu Youjian nodded approvingly and praised:

"That's a good understanding; it grasps the main contradiction."

"Conflicts are universal and can never be completely resolved."

"We cannot try to do everything at once; we should focus on the main contradictions and solve the most important problems."

"The Jurchen rebellion threatening the capital was the main problem before. Therefore, the court devoted most of its resources to solving this problem."

"After the Jurchens were driven out of Liaodong, their threat to the capital was resolved, and what remained was only a minor problem, which was reduced to a secondary contradiction."

"So what is the new primary contradiction? Which problem should the imperial court focus its efforts on resolving next?"

This is to determine the direction for the next step and give the ministers a clear objective.

Zhu Youjian had already realized that the court's strategy was somewhat chaotic after the expulsion of the Jurchens.

Some wanted to continue the war and urged the court to attack Annam.

Some focused on domestic affairs, wanting to reform the bureaucracy and solve financial difficulties.

These things are all correct and necessary.

However, there must be a general direction so that the court officials understand the court's purpose. All of the court's strategies must also revolve around this goal.

Zhu Youjian pondered the history he had learned and decided to analyze it using the method of contradictions, thus identifying the principal contradiction.

Every few years thereafter, we need to redefine the rules and resolve the difficulties encountered one by one.

Under his earnest guidance, Han Kuang and others finally understood the emperor's purpose: to determine the next major policy direction.

This made Han Kuang momentarily regretful, feeling that he hadn't paid enough attention to the emperor's writings. If he had truly understood them, he would never have been speechless when the emperor asked him questions.

Now he could only try to answer according to the emperor's previous policies:
"The Emperor once said: The task of the court for the next ten years or so is to quell rebellions and provide disaster relief."

"The work of suppressing rebellions has been basically completed after the suppression of the She-An Rebellion and the Jian-Lu Rebellion."

"The next task for the imperial court is disaster relief."

"The principal contradiction...the principal contradiction..."

I've said it several times, but I don't know how to say it.

He was not very familiar with the emperor's way of speaking.

Zhu Youjian took the initiative to speak, addressing the assembled officials:
"The main contradiction for the foreseeable future is the contradiction between the people's need for food and the food shortage."

"Or to be more precise, it is the contradiction between the rapidly growing population of the Ming Dynasty and the insufficient arable land."

“Famine, civil unrest, slave revolts, and so on all stem from this.”

"The Ming Dynasty had too many people but not enough arable land, which led to food shortages and various contradictions."

"Therefore, the main contradiction in the Ming Dynasty at present is the contradiction between manpower and land."

"It played a major, leading, and decisive role in the various contradictions of the Ming Dynasty."

"Once the conflict between people and land is resolved, many other conflicts will be easily solved!"

These words were like a wake-up call, resonating with many people.

Han Kuang and others pondered the emperor's various actions and gained some understanding of the various measures he promoted.

Li Changgeng, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, said:
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. The main contradiction facing the Ming Dynasty right now is the contradiction between manpower and land."

"With arable land comes stable property, and with stable property comes people's peace of mind."

"Without land, one is likely to become a vagrant or a slave."

"If the imperial court wants to provide disaster relief, it must resolve the conflict between population and land resources."

Zhu Youjian nodded approvingly upon hearing his words, and then asked:
"Has the Ministry of Revenue estimated the population data? How many households and how many people does the Ming Dynasty currently have?"

This matter has been ongoing. In addition to compiling a large number of household registers, the Salt Administration also made estimates based on salt data.

Ultimately, based on national salt data, as well as Shaanxi immigration data and household registration differences, the estimate of over nine million households and over fifty million people in the Ming Dynasty's Yellow Register was completely inaccurate and should be at least three times inflated.

Li Changgeng said:

"The number of households is difficult to estimate because some families have not separated into individual households."

"According to the Salt Administration Bureau's estimate, the number of people is approximately 150 to 200 million."

"When the imperial court provides disaster relief, it must use this data; otherwise, it will be a drop in the ocean."

Zhu Youjian was already satisfied with this figure.

Because later estimates were similar, the population of the late Ming Dynasty was approximately 1.5-2 million.

More specific figures are not available; the Ming Dynasty court currently lacks the capacity to do so.

He asked Li Changgeng:

How much arable land did the Ming Dynasty have?

"With 400 million mu of high-standard farmland, plus other farmland, can we reach 800 million mu?"

Li Changgeng replied:
"There should be 800 million mu, but due to frequent natural disasters, the maximum yield that can be maintained is only 400 million mu."

"The Ministry of Revenue will strive to increase the amount of high-standard farmland and provide more food."

Zhu Youjian praised the Ministry of Revenue's efforts and then addressed his ministers:

"Let's assume the highest estimate of 800 million mu. If each person has five mu of land, how many people could that be distributed to?"

The problem was so simple that someone immediately calculated that, based on 800 million mu (approximately 53 million hectares), it would amount to 160 million people.

Zhu Youjian said:
"This is the agricultural population that the Ming Dynasty can support, and it is the upper limit under ideal conditions."

"In reality, due to the uneven distribution of land, many farmers have less than five mu of land, and the grain they harvest is barely enough to make a living."

"Even without natural disasters, the population that the land of the Ming Dynasty can support has now reached its limit."

“It’s not that we can’t increase it further, but that would lead to widespread poverty and more people struggling to make ends meet.”

“There will also be great difficulties in consuming fuels and oils in addition to food.”

"The population of the Ming Dynasty has now reached its limit."

This is his understanding, and also a reality.

The population of 1.5-2 million in the late Ming Dynasty had reached the upper limit of the entire agricultural era in China.

After the Qing Dynasty exceeded this limit, farmers throughout China fell into widespread poverty.

Moreover, the reduction in forest coverage caused by activities such as land reclamation and firewood collection has brought great disaster to the ecosystem.

Zhu Youjian did not want to fall into that situation, so he wanted to limit the population.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty's current population is already quite large, enough to support the rise of a great power.

At their peak, the US and the Soviet Union had populations of only two or three hundred million.

The surplus population needs to be relocated overseas or driven into industry and commerce.

The agricultural population cannot be increased further, otherwise it will fall into widespread poverty.

(Population comparison between the US and the USSR, in millions) (End of this chapter)