Who killed the Ming Dynasty?

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Cilang's pen tip hovered over the last stroke of the character "准" in the memorial.

A drop of ink remained suspended, reflecting the distorted image of the coiled dragon on the imperial desk.

My gaze swept over the mountain of memorials piled on the desk—

Zuo Liangyu's troops requested 200,000 taels of silver as a reward for the army, while Liu Zeqing, the general of Huai'an, requested 150,000 taels of silver for the new recruits of the standard battalion to set off...

Seven out of ten are people demanding back pay.

"Bang!"

The cinnabar brush was slammed heavily against the edge of the Duan inkstone, splashing ink and staining half of the character "准" (zhun).

"Li Daban!"

Zhu Cilang's voice was filled with anger.

"The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is instructed to record this and issue an edict to the Ministry of War:"

"Anyone who acts without authorization from the Ministry of War, from the rank of Commander-in-Chief down, shall be treated as having forged an imperial edict, effective immediately."

"No one may advance troops without my decree."

Zhu Cilang knew perfectly well that these people's advance was a pretense; their real purpose was to demand silver.

The eunuch Li Chengfang quickly took out the "Silk Book" (a special book for recording the emperor's oral edicts).

He quickly took notes in the official script, bowed, took a few steps back, turned around, and hurried away.

Zhu Cilang abruptly stood up, his mind flashing with images of bandits roaming outside the capital and the iron hooves of the Jurchens beyond Shanhaiguan Pass.

There were also those rusty cannons in the armory.

"These warlords only know how to extort money. I would like to ask you, have you ever rendered any service on the battlefield?"

With a slap, the imperial desk trembled slightly.

"The bandits have not been quelled, the Jurchens have risen up again, and the imperial army is in disrepair."

"The cannons produced by the Cannon Casting Bureau are far from usable. How can we possibly suppress bandits and defend against invaders with such military equipment?"

His complaint had barely faded when the figure of a eunuch outside the hall suddenly burst into the backlight of the hall door, his voice panting:

"Your Majesty, a 'barbarian' has submitted a memorial requesting an audience."

"Barbarians?"

Zhu Cilang was suddenly taken aback.

Xu Guangqi and Matteo Ricci flashed through his mind instantly, and he instinctively felt a sense of vigilance.

These Westerners harbor ideas and schemes entirely different from those of the Chinese, and this should not be overlooked.

At the same time, a sense of curiosity also arose spontaneously:

What did they bring? Was it a spark to turn the tide, or a smoldering inferno?

"Present the memorial."

The eunuch raised both hands high and presented the memorial.

The chief eunuch, Han Zanzhou, who stood to the side, looked down at his nose and into his heart, like a clay sculpture.

Zhu Cilang took the memorial, his gaze fixed on the exotic embossed pattern on the cover:

"What kind of barbarian is this?"

"Your Majesty, this foreigner is a Jesuit from the Atlantic Kingdom, currently the abbot of the Nanjing Guardian Mountain Church, and his name is Bi Fangji."

"Host?"

Zhu Cilang chuckled inwardly; this eunuch clearly mistook him for a monk.

His gaze swept over the neatly written Chinese characters:

"My foreign minister, Bifangji, an Italian, has long admired Chinese teachings... and has prepared Western military equipment and methods..."

"I beseech Your Majesty to grant permission to build a hall in Nanjing to preach and educate the people, thus demonstrating Your Majesty's benevolent rule over distant lands."

Upon reading the word "armory," his fingers, which were tapping the table, suddenly stopped—

This was the key to solving his immediate problem.

However, when his gaze fell upon the four characters "Building a Church and Preaching," a cold, sharp smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

Indeed, after a powerful weapon, there is always a demand:

"Using techniques to change one's path?"

He could almost picture the Jesuits carrying Bibles as they traversed the state capital.

My eyes swept over the words and sentences:

"...emulate Western methods of mining...lift the maritime ban and allow trade...purchase Western firearms for defense and warfare..."

The three strategies, each word like a needle, precisely pierced the anxiety in his heart—

Lack of minerals, lack of money, and lack of powerful tools!

But the words "identify mineral veins" and "connect with western merchants" on the paper stung his eyes. Mineral veins are the lifeblood of the nation; how could outsiders be allowed to spy on them?

Zhu Cilang held the memorial, pondered for a moment, and then crossed it out with his vermilion brush:

"A decree was issued to the Court of State Ceremonial, ordering the barbarian to immediately submit his/her household registration and enter the palace."

The eunuch accepted the order and left.

The palace returned to its deep silence.

Han Zanzhou, standing beneath the coiled dragon pillar, stood with his hands tucked into his sleeves, frozen as stone.

Suddenly—

"Announcement—The Western Jesuit missionary, Francis Xavier, has come to pay his respects—"

The sound pierced through the clouds and split the rocks, startling the sparrows perched under the eaves.

Soon, footsteps approached from afar.

Gao Mengji, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, bowed and led a person into the hall.

Gao Mengji was dressed in a dark blue official robe.

Another figure pierced through the sunlight streaming into the palace, gradually becoming visible:

Wearing a silk Taoist robe with a Western-style stiff collar, a silver cross emblem is hidden among the robe, and a gentle smile hangs beneath a thick beard.

He rushed into the hall and prostrated himself in worship:

"The Jesuit monk Bi Fangji from the Far West wishes His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming a long and prosperous life."

Beneath the wide sleeves of Zhu Cilang's bright yellow robe, his fingers were slightly raised:

"Rise!"

Bi Fangji stood up and calmly responded.

After the three strategies were presented, half an hour had passed.

Zhu Cilang pointed his finger towards the southeast coast:

"I have made up my mind to promote trade with the Western barbarians and increase the profits of maritime trade."

"Immediately dispatch treasure ships to the Western Ocean, and establish new Maritime Trade Offices in Quanzhou and Songjiang. Merchants from all countries must strictly abide by the Ming Code."

With a wave of his wide sleeves, he pointed to the Songjiang River:

"From now on, porcelain, silk, and fragrant tea can all be exchanged for grain, iron, and copper ore, without having to be limited to silver."

"Your Majesty is wise! However—"

Bi Fangji suddenly took half a step forward and continued loudly:

"Identifying mineral veins to ensure sufficient military supplies and purchasing Western-made firearms to aid in both offense and defense are of paramount importance."

"The Portuguese of Macau are skilled at casting giant cannons; their 'Red Barbarian Cannons' have a range of up to five li. If we obtain such powerful weapons, how can we not annihilate the bandits and prevent the Jurchens from surrendering?"

"Red Barbarian Cannons?"

Zhu Cilang sneered inwardly.

Memories of the past in Macau instantly flooded my mind—

During the Jiajing era, the Portuguese, under the pretense of drying tribute goods, landed on the shore and, after bribing officials, refused to leave.

Although the annual income was 20,000 taels of silver, and the Xiangshan County government was still keeping an eye on things from the north, it was still a thorn in the side of the imperial court.

Zhu Cilang saw through Bi Fangji's thoughts and decisively stopped him:

"I will arrange the identification of mineral veins to supply the military; you need not worry about it."

He tapped on the map of Liaodong.

"The Ministry of Works is ordered to procure twenty Portuguese cannons, cast in bronze, with each cannonball weighing eighteen pounds."

"Each gate is equipped with a four-wheeled iron-armored cart and two hundred lead bullets."

Zhu Cilang paused, and the hall fell silent for a moment before he suddenly asked:

"How much should be reported for the labor and materials of this batch of military equipment?"

The moment the question, "How much should we quote for labor and materials?" left his mouth, Han Zanzhou's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

Gao Mengji's pupils constricted sharply, as if he had heard something earth-shattering.

Zhu Cilang, however, remained ashen-faced.

He knew that his act of bypassing the six ministries and directly asking for prices had already made Gao Mengji's spine stiff and made Han Zanzhou hold his breath.

It is beneath an emperor's dignity to negotiate prices. Since Emperor Taizu abolished the position of prime minister, there has never been a case of an emperor personally negotiating prices with foreign merchants.

The war was urgent, the national treasury was empty, and extraordinary measures had to be taken in extraordinary times.

Today, Zhu Cilang insisted on asking in person:

Let's see what the value of these Western firearms really is.

The Ming Dynasty was short of copper but desperately needed precision artillery.

The bronze Hongyi cannon, due to its superior barrel craftsmanship, had a range and accuracy far exceeding that of iron cannons.

It is lightweight and portable (weighing about 1,000 kilograms), and the rapid heat dissipation of copper greatly reduces the risk of internal combustion.

Although iron cannons are heavy (3,000 to 5,000 catties), they can be produced domestically, so they specialize in purchasing bronze cannons with superior performance.