The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 619: Marriage with Gustav II
The twelfth month of the first year of Guangde was the eve of the empire’s magnificent transformation.

The past year has been an extraordinary year for Da Qi, Liu Zhaosun, and everyone on this land.

In blood and fire, killing and forgiveness, rebellion and perseverance, and in one glorious victory after another, the empire completed its nirvana and rebirth.

Amidst internal and external difficulties, polarism evolved certain characteristics to adapt to the times, namely, while maintaining its utopian background, it organically combined with medieval slavery (the political system of the Ming and Qing dynasties) - later generations called it Eastern Qi-style polarism - the new system has shown extremely strong adaptability and expansion capabilities.

The civil unrest in Shenyang was put down, and the radical and conservative forces were completely destroyed.

From then on, the empire began to advance rapidly. For more than a century thereafter, there was no rival to the Great Qi on this blue planet.

The imperial army always showed a dimensionality reduction attack posture when facing all enemies, until 120 years later when Emperor Renzong of Qi Liu Ji encountered...
Back to the timeline of the first year of Guangde, the main forces of each corps entered the pass smoothly, crossed the Central Plains, approached the Yangtze River, experienced the Battle of Nanyang, the Battle of Jiangxia, the Battle of Jiujiang, the Battle of Zhenjiang, the Battle of Linchuan... They pushed forward all the way and completed the basic occupation of the nine provinces in the south of the Yangtze River at the turn of summer and autumn.

Of course, behind the glory lies endless suffering.

In an agricultural society where industrial development was not yet complete, the empire's protracted war (which had lasted for ten years) had exhausted all the manpower and material resources in various places.

Trillions of people have gained nothing but faith and pain.

The White Lotus Rebellion in Shandong, the famine in Liaodong, and the nearly repulsive Ming army in Huguang...

Fortunately, God blesses the Great Qi. In the multi-line battles against Zuo Liangyu, Zheng Sen, Zhang Zicheng and other forces, Liu Zhaosun and his empire miraculously survived again.

Polarism once again demonstrated its irreplaceable superiority.

To use a certain trope, the empire marched from one victory to another, winning endlessly.

Of course, whether he actually won or how much he won was unknown to Liu Zhaosun himself.

As the de facto ruler of Da Qi, the emperor was well aware of the current predicament.

North of the Yangtze River, the fish have been drained out and a huge amount of resources have been plundered. Food, manpower, minerals... are on the verge of collapse.

Fortunately, the southeast has been taken into our possession. With this milk cow, the poor economic conditions in Liaodong and Henan provinces will be greatly alleviated.

If the gains from conquering cities and seizing territories in the past were mostly negative assets, then the newly occupied fertile lands of Taicang, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Zhenjiang and Songjiang were completely cash cows and high-quality assets of the empire.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Ming court levied land taxes on Suzhou, Hangzhou, Taicang and other places, and the tax rate was more than ten times that of inland provinces.

The reason for heavy taxes on the southeast was not only Zhu Yuanzhang's revenge on Zhang Shicheng's forces, but most importantly, Suzhou and Hangzhou were indeed very rich.

How to use this cow?
Liu Zhaosun certainly would not be as short-sighted and narrow-minded as Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who only treated the southeast as a granary and silver vault and exploited it.

In the long-term plan, the major cities in the southeast (Taicang, Suzhou, and Songjiang) will become international trade centers.

This is similar to the status of London in the UK before and after the Industrial Revolution (Dongqi was much larger than the British Empire, so there had to be a city cluster to undertake the empire's global trade business, and no single city could afford it).

The caravans sent overseas by the various provinces of the Great Qi "legally obtained" various raw materials from all over the world, and they continuously converged on this southeastern city via sea routes.

The raw materials are processed into handicrafts and sold to the vast inland provinces, including Annan, Japan, etc.

In short, the Jiangnan urban agglomeration will radiate throughout Asia based on industry and commerce, instead of being used as the dynasty's dairy cow and continuing to be cruelly harvested - Liaodong, Indochina Peninsula, Korea and other places will become new grain-producing areas and new dairy cows, replacing the agricultural status of the southeast.

Although the ideal is lofty, the reality is still bleak.

At least at the end of the first year of Guangde, the economic situation of the empire was not optimistic at all.

As the year was coming to an end, the retired emperor, citing the fact that there were still starving people in the north and south, issued an edict that during the Spring Festival, banquets in the palace should be kept simple and the Lantern Festival lights should be discontinued.

The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month is the Lunar New Year's Eve.

The Emperor held a morning court in the Qianqing Palace and announced to the ministers of the Great Qi:
"Frugality and consideration for the people are virtues of a ruler. The Great Qi is just beginning, so rest and recuperation should be the foundation. Starting next year (the second year of Guangde), the regular Lantern Festival in the Forbidden City will be cancelled. Vassal states such as Annan, Korea, Ryukyu, Burma, and Siam (Thailand) will no longer be allowed to pay tribute to the Celestial Empire. Pearl fishing in Lianzhou, Guangdong (Note 1) will be suspended. I do not care for pearls and jade, but only for grain. Anyone who dares to use the pearl fishing as an excuse to cause trouble and violate the law, and disturb the people of Guangdong, will be skinned and displayed to the public!"

On the same day, Liu Zhaosun also issued an order that all former Ming palace maids in the Nanjing Forbidden City who had not yet been temporarily dismissed should be dismissed, together with the eunuchs from various departments who had been dismissed, a total of more than 1,300 people...

The Emperor Taishang was inspired and composed a poem:

The golden cup of wine contains the blood of thousands of people, and the jade plate of delicacies contains the fat of tens of thousands of people.

When the candle tears fall, the people's tears fall; when the singing is louder, the complaints are louder.

All officials were shocked when they heard this. Grand Secretary Zhang Pu fell to the ground, weeping bitterly:
"Your Majesty! There are only three thousand palace maids in the Southern Capital. These people serve the two palaces and manage the six bureaus, and it's still not enough. Our emperor only eats five kinds of food at a meal and wears only three sets of clothes for the four seasons. He is so frugal, but now he wants to dismiss the palace maids. How can we, the ministers, have the face to enjoy our salaries if we are just sitting there doing nothing?"

Zhang Pu's crying was so real that it quickly infected the ministers in the hall, and the Qianqing Palace was filled with cries.

Chief Instructor Moriti took the lead:
"I am willing to donate my humble fortune and reduce my salary to help overcome this difficult time and share the burden on our emperor!"

Dongguanzi immediately offered to donate 5,000 taels of silver - his savings over the years - and at the same time requested the retired emperor to reduce his monthly salary of 500 taels by half. If the request was not granted, he would kneel down and not get up.

The emperor was moved by him and shed tears of emotion.

Liu Zhaosun said that he could accept one thousand taels of silver as a donation, and the rest of the silver would be returned to Sen Ti, and his salary would remain unchanged in the future.

With Sen Ti taking the lead, other ministers followed suit and generously donated money and materials to the court.

Qiao Yiqi donated 8,000 taels of silver; Lu Xiangsheng donated 1,000 taels; Wang Huazhen donated 10,000 taels of silver; Qian Qianyi donated 20,000 taels... Wang Yingxiong, Du Yinxi, Chen Zizhuang, Jiang Dejing and others also donated.

Liu Zhaosun only collected one-third of each person's donation and strictly ordered that officials below the second rank were not allowed to donate, and those who violated the order would be dismissed from office.

It’s not that the emperor was kind-hearted. He knew very well that once the imperial edict left Nanjing, it would soon be distorted, just like the charitable donations in later generations, and become a local levy.

In the end, ordinary farmers will also be forced to show their love, which goes against the original intention.

~~
In view of Zhu Yuanzhang's harsh rule, Liu Zhaosun established the system of silver for maintaining integrity in the Great Qi Dynasty.

The salaries of officials at all levels in the Great Qi Dynasty were paid in a mixture of rice and silver notes.

The first and second ranks receive four taels of rice and six taels of banknotes; the third and fourth ranks receive half rice and half banknotes; the fifth and sixth ranks receive six taels of rice and four taels of banknotes; the seventh and eighth ranks receive eight taels of rice and two taels of banknotes.

In addition to enjoying basic salaries, imperial officials who made outstanding political achievements could also receive rewards, which was later called work performance.

Performance rewards are generally not given in the form of grain and silver notes, but instead are given as rewards such as Southeast Asian pepper, sumac, Western mechanical watches, whale oil, antique calligraphy and paintings, etc., which have collection and cash value.

The salary levels of imperial officials were several times higher than those of the previous Ming Dynasty.

Taking the prefect as an example, in the Ming Dynasty, a fourth-rank official was given 24 dan of rice, while in the Great Qi Dynasty, the salary of a Tongzhi (an official under the prefect) reached 80 dan.

While the amount of salary isn't the key factor in determining the integrity of officialdom, if we want officials to remain honest, we must at least ensure that their legal income is sufficient to support their families and guarantee a minimum level of dignity. Simply put, if you want the horse to run, you must feed it.

Otherwise, corruption will just become an instinct.

There were officials who were almost starving to death but remained loyal to the emperor.

In the two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, there was only one Hai Rui.

I would like to add that there is no corruption in Da Qi.

According to imperial decrees, officials from the central government to local governments were prohibited from purchasing in ordinary markets. Official purchases were undertaken by specialized chambers of commerce, and the head of these chambers of commerce was the emperor.

~~~~~
The palace gate had already been replaced with new door gods, couplets, and plaques, and the peach charms were newly painted, giving it a brand new look.

On New Year's Eve, the retired emperor held a family dinner in the Qianqing Palace as usual, feasting with his family and old subordinates to welcome the new year.

This habit has been maintained for almost twenty years.

The scale of this year's New Year's Eve family dinner was much lower than in previous years. Many dishes disappeared and more than half of the guests were gone.

Kang Yingqian is gone, Qiao Yiqi, Wang Huazhen, Mao Yuanyi, and Old Song are seriously ill, Jin Yinghe, Jin Dajiu, Yang Tong and others are also gone, and other civil and military officials are either stationed in other places or have lost the trust of the emperor.

The attendees, in addition to the family of the retired emperor, included military generals Deng Changxiong, Qi Jin, Zhao Lujiao, Pei Dahu, Wu Xiao, Lin Yu, and Wu Aheng; civil officials Wang Yingxiong, Lu Xiangsheng, Qian Qianyi, Senti, and Lu Demin; as well as the high priest Dongfang Zhu and Kang Yingqian's nephew Kang Jingxiu...
The number of people is more than half that of previous years.

The rows of large corner lanterns hanging outside the palace gate will not be hung this year because they consume too much oil.

The scenes of previous years with clusters of flowers, noisy voices, chattering and laughter, and firecrackers and fireworks have disappeared.

Soups, side dishes, snacks, fruit bowls, Su cakes, and abalones were all removed.
Not to mention the 40 items of cold dishes, hot dishes, and group dishes, the 20 items each of wine dishes and tea dishes, and the 108 items of steamed buns, side dishes, soups, porridge, and candied foods;

It's all gone.

Just the simplest of dishes.

The only dessert was sachima (shaqima), which Yang Qing'er, the concubine of Jin Yu, loved to eat in Kaiyuan.

Shaqima is a specialty snack of the Jianzhou Jurchens and is quite popular in Liaodong.

Both empresses dowagers were foodies. Sachima is simple to make, unlike the complicated and expensive Jiangnan pastries. It is made with only rock sugar, cream and white flour. It is shaped like glutinous rice and can be baked in an oven.

A group of old colleagues talked about the old days in Liaodong, and laughed out loud when they talked about the interesting parts.

The emperor looked at everyone and his eyes fell on Liu Kan.

Liu Kan grew up day by day and had already tied his hair last year.

Normally, after the hair is tied up, it is time to get married.

It's just that this year the retired emperor was busy campaigning in the south of the Yangtze River and had no time to intervene, so he had to let the two empress dowagers make preparations.

Liu Kan's two mothers, Empress Dowager Cisi Jin Yu Ji and Empress Dowager Dong Yang Qing'er, secretly began to choose a wife for the young emperor, that is, to choose a queen.

The Empress Dowager Cisi selected the eldest daughter of Pei Dahu, commander of the Imperial Guard, as the empress, and the Empress Dowager Dong selected the daughter of Wu Aheng, chief officer of the Imperial Navy, as the empress.

On the sixth day of the eighth month of the first year of Guangde, when the Imperial Astronomical Observatory had already begun selecting an auspicious date for the wedding (the eighth day of the tenth month of the first year of Guangde), and was only waiting for the retired emperor to finalize the candidate for the empress, Liu Zhaosun learned of this at the front line in Jiangnan and immediately stopped all preparations.

The reason given by Archpriest Francisco was:

(The Emperor's wedding) Within a year, only July is favorable, and the remaining months are unfavorable.

In other words, the emperor postponed his son's wedding by at least one year.

The emperor didn't really believe in things like changes in the weather and the solar terms.

Of course, these words of the high priest were just excuses.

After occupying Jiangnan, Liu Zhaosun became even more ambitious. He wanted Liu Kan to marry a European princess, but the specific princess was still uncertain.

In August, the Emperor gave this death order to his European ministers:

The Queen of the Great Qi must be born among the princesses of various European countries.

"Kan'er, your two mothers and I have instructed the Ministry of Rites to prepare for the wedding, and the candidates have been chosen."

The retired emperor looked at Liu Kan with sharp eyes.

Liu Kan quickly stood up and bowed to the Emperor, saying:

"I am busy preparing for the political reforms. As for marriage, it is a matter of my parents' wishes and the matchmaker's words. I will follow the arrangements of my father, the emperor, and my mother, the empress."

The Emperor smiled and said, "Reform is important, but my son's marriage is more important!"

"This girl is only fourteen years old. She is quiet and dignified, and loves to read and practice calligraphy. She has a broad forehead, a pleasant figure, a long white neck, round and straight shoulders, and a thick back... In short, she is a beauty, with a figure that can make fish sink to the bottom of the water and geese fall to the ground. Most importantly, she can fight on the battlefield and is skilled in archery and horsemanship..."

Hearing about the skilled archery and horsemanship, Jin Yuji coughed lightly and her face flushed slightly.

A group of civil and military officials looked over curiously, especially Deng Changxiong, Pei Dahu, Wu Aheng, and Xie Yang, whose daughters were waiting to be married and were also candidates for empress.

The Great Qi Dynasty learned from the lesson of the weakness of the imperial relatives in the former Ming Dynasty. The retired emperor once stipulated that the empress would not have to be selected from an ordinary family, and the ministers could also offer her as an offer.

Under the inspection of Francesco, Ginni and others.

The current King of Sweden, the seventh monarch of the Vasa dynasty, the eldest son of King Charles IX of Sweden, the outstanding military strategist and military reformer, and the daughter of Gustav II Adolf (English: Gustav II Adolf, commonly known as Gu Erye), came into their sight.

"Princess Christina of Sweden is the only legitimate surviving heir born to King Gustav II and the Queen. This woman might be a good match for Kan'er. She is the Queen of Da Qi."

The teacup in Liu Kan's hand fell.

"My son, don't get excited. Half a year ago, I sent an envoy to Sweden to propose marriage to Master Gu. I believe they are almost in Europe by now."

Note:
Pearl fishing in Guangdong refers to the harvesting of seawater pearls, a specialty of Hepu County. During the Ming Dynasty, Hepu County was under the jurisdiction of Lianzhou, a prefecture under the Guangdong Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office. Hepu pearls have been renowned since ancient times and have long been favored by the imperial family. On May 1th, the eighth year of the Jiajing reign, Emperor Shizong issued an edict declaring pearl fishing, and mining officially began on August th. This coincided with the flood season, with "high tides and severe flooding." By mid-December, over boatmen had died of illness, over had drowned, boats of various sizes had been damaged by storms, and boats were left adrift.

(End of this chapter)