Sky Curtain: The opening scene explains the four major cases of the Ming Dynasty plus the early Ming

"Complete collapse within three to five years!"

Zhu Dijun's words were like a bombshell.

It instantly resounded in the ears of all time and space.

The chat in modern live streams was momentarily stunned.

"Holy crap, is it that serious?"

"Seriously? A stamping issue can bring down an empire?"

"Don't scare me, I'm not well-educated."

The eleventh year of the Hongwu reign.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes became incredibly deep.

he knows.

This younger person is telling the truth.

He looked at Zhu Biao beside him.

"Biao'er, you tell us."

"If this trend of empty seals were to prevail throughout the world..."

"Where will our Great Ming Dynasty go from here?"

Zhu Biao's face was pale.

He looked up at the sky and recalled the ruthless methods his father had used to handle the Empty Seal Case.

At that time.

He only felt that his father was too strict.

now.

Only then did he truly feel it.

Behind those strict requirements lies a profound consideration.

He took a deep breath.

"Father, if the wind of the empty seal does not cease..."

"Local officials can arbitrarily falsify accounts."

"All that is under the Ministry of Revenue's control is fraudulent."

"If this continues, the national treasury will inevitably become empty."

"Military pay is running out, border defenses are unstable, and internal strife is rampant..."

Zhu Biao's voice trembled slightly.

The more he spoke, the paler his face became.

He finally understood.

That's not making a mountain out of a molehill.

That was an imperial incurable disease that could only be eradicated through bloodshed.

Above the sky.

Zhu Dijun's voice rang out again.

He was like an anatomist holding a scalpel.

Every lesion in the "empty seal case" is clearly displayed.

"Family members, what you see is just the tip of the iceberg."

"Let me give you a detailed analysis."

"What consequences will there be if the blank seal case is left unchecked?"

"The first and most direct consequence was the collapse of the fiscal system!"

"The Ming Dynasty was a vast empire."

Every year, the entire country needs to send massive amounts of money and grain to the imperial court.

"These funds and provisions support the massive bureaucratic system and keep the army of millions running."

"What does it mean if local officials can arbitrarily falsify tax accounts?"

"This means that the financial data held by the Ministry of Revenue will be completely distorted!"

"The central government will completely lose control over local finances!"

"During the Hongwu era, the annual revenue of the Ming Dynasty was approximately 30 million shi of grain."

"If all regions follow suit with blank printing, the central government might actually collect less than half of what it was!"

"The national treasury will be depleted at a visible rate!"

"And if the national treasury dries up, who will be the most direct victims?"

"It's the army!"

"During the Hongwu reign, a million-strong army was maintained to guard the borders and quell internal rebellions."

"Once military pay is cut off, soldiers on the frontier will go hungry and naked."

What awaits the Ming Dynasty?

"It's a mutiny in the border troops! It's internal strife erupting everywhere!"

Can an empire that can't even support its army still be called an empire?

Zhu Dijun's tone carried a chilling undertone.

"Secondly, there is the complete collapse of the authority of the law!"

"The Great Ming Code was personally revised by Emperor Taizu and implemented with iron-fisted methods as the fundamental law of the empire."

"It defines the duties of officials and regulates social order."

"But when 'stamping blank documents' becomes the norm, and is even regarded as a 'convenient' and 'efficient' method."

"The Great Ming Code will become nothing but waste paper!"

"When cheating can be 'legalized,' when rules can be trampled on at will."

"Then from the six central ministries to the local county governments."

"The methods of cheating will constantly 'innovate,' forming a corrupt subculture!"

"At that time, the censors of the Censorate will also be involved."

"The oversight system will become completely defunct!"

"What chaos would an empire without laws and regulations be like?"

"Finally, and most fatally, centralized power became a mere shell of its former self!"

"Zhu Yuanzhang was one of the emperors in history who emphasized centralized power the most."

"He established the Three Offices and abolished the position of Chancellor in order to firmly grasp power in his hands."

"But what if local officials have the power to 'legally' falsify accounts?"

"Then the provincial governor and prefect, these high-ranking local officials, will become too powerful!"

"They will become veritable 'local tyrants'!"

"The imperial court is unable to grasp the true state of public sentiment, and its decrees cannot even leave Nanjing!"

"Different regions were divided into warlord areas, with numerous regional military governors, repeating the chaos of the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, and even the chaotic wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty."

"This is the future that Zhu Yuanzhang saw when facing the 'Empty Seal Case'!"

He's not making a mountain out of a molehill.

"He swiftly and decisively extinguished a systemic crisis that could have overturned the very foundation of the empire!"

"He is not a tyrant."

"He is an Imperial Night's Watchman who, in order to save the Ming Dynasty, had to harden his heart!"

The fifteenth year of the Yongle reign.

Zhu Di's fists were clenched tightly.

He looked up at the sky.

now.

He finally understood his father completely.

I now understand why my father used such bloody methods.

He went to purge those officials who, in his view, had only made "minor mistakes."

That was no small mistake.

That was a deadly cancer that could bring the entire Ming Dynasty to its doom.

"Father..."

He murmured softly.

His eyes were filled with admiration and a hint of indescribable sorrow.

Modern live streaming room.

The tone of the comments has completely changed.

"Holy crap, this is terrifying to think about!"

"Seriously, if what the anchor says is true, then Zhu Yuanzhang's killings were entirely justified!"

"This isn't murder, this is surgery!"

"So this is the truth behind the title of 'tyrant'!"

"I retract my previous statement; Zhu Yuanzhang was awesome!"

"This is practically predicting how every dynasty will die and then striking in advance!"

Zhu Dijun's gaze swept over the boiling barrage of comments.

he knows.

My goal is being achieved step by step.

"The Empty Seal Case was a battle to defend the foundation of the empire."

"So next, we'll talk about the Guo Huan case."

"It is a desperate counterattack against the empire's economic lifeline!"

"The eighteenth year of Hongwu, which is 1385 AD."

"A Vice Minister of Revenue named Guo Huan was exposed for committing a shocking crime."

"He colluded with twelve officials from the provincial administration."

"The amount embezzled from taxes and grain reached a staggering 24 million shi!"

"Family members, what does 24 million koku mean?"

"That was almost equivalent to half of the nation's annual revenue at the time!"

Above the sky.

The scene changes again.

An image of a gloomy-faced official emerges.

Behind him.

It was a mountain of gold and silver treasures.

And countless apathetic people.

The eleventh year of the Hongwu reign.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned ashen.

Twenty-four million koku!

That's equivalent to half of the nation's annual income!

He slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne.

"brute!"

"These bookworms!"

"We worked so hard, crawling out of a pile of dead bodies."

"Is this all so that these corrupt officials can empty our coffers?!"

His anger.

At this moment.

It was ignited once again.