The Great Industrial Ming Dynasty Started from Beiping

Since Emperor Chenghua Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne of the Ming Dynasty, his governing style has been completely different from that of his father.

Zhu Jianshen adopted a more relaxed and moderate governance strategy, which greatly eased the tension between the palace and the cabinet and initially stabilized various unstable factors left over from the previous dynasty.

Compared with his father's strict policies, Emperor Chenghua's change not only made the atmosphere in the court more relaxed, but also bathed the entire Ming society in a new atmosphere.

His decision not only eased the relationship within the imperial court, but also injected new vitality into the Ming Dynasty, laying a solid foundation for the development of the second industrial revolution.

At the same time, Ming Dynasty's technological development was also changing with each passing day.

The role of the internal combustion engine has gradually attracted market attention. Both the Ming Dynasty Industrial Bureau system and local private businesses are increasing investment and research and development in this regard. The advent of the phonograph shocked the entire Ming Dynasty society, and people began to have a strong interest in this magical machine that could copy sounds.

Technological breakthroughs in the field of electromagnetism have also brought new development opportunities to Daming.

Driven by technology, some previously unreachable ideas have gradually become reality, and people's lives have become more convenient.

However, society is always full of contradictions and problems.

As the number of servants pouring into the mainland of Ming Dynasty continues to increase, and over the past hundred years, social conflicts have become increasingly prominent.

Emperor Chenghua did not turn a blind eye to this. He issued an edict, put forward the idea of ​​cultural identity, and extended the preferential treatment originally only given to foreign elite groups to most servants.

The implementation of this policy not only alleviated social conflicts, but also gave many servant children a sense of belonging. They began to be proud of the Ming Dynasty and contribute to the prosperity and stability of the Ming Dynasty.

Although the Ming Dynasty Industrial Bureau system is large in scale, with the development of the times, some problems have gradually been exposed.

Some factories have gradually fallen behind because they cannot keep up with the pace of market development, resulting in the emergence of many unemployed groups. Emperor Chenghua thought deeply about this and decided to separate the Workers' and People's Union Department and establish a special work scheduling department to ensure the re-employment of the unemployed.

At the same time, he also established a daily ration supply system to provide basic living security for the unemployed.

In addition, Emperor Chenghua also improved a series of social welfare systems such as the nursing home system, the orphanage system, and the employment system for the disabled, making the social security system of the Ming Dynasty more complete.

He relaxed restrictions on speech and allowed more voices to appear, but at the same time strengthened the revision of the Ming Code to protect the stability of the Ming court and the harmony of the people.

In terms of the social meritocracy system, Emperor Chenghua inherited and developed the practices of Zhu Gaochi's period.

He formally implemented the social meritocracy system, based on urban markets and large wells in the countryside, and with the recommendation of all walks of life in academia and business circles, he formulated various rules and regulations to standardize and supplement the local system of the imperial court.

The implementation of this system has enabled both cities and villages to start a new governance model, forming a two-tier governance model.

Emperor Chenghua himself also had certain talents and interests in art.

He likes painting and has personally created many paintings, such as "Multi-dimensional New Painting Landscape", "A Group of Harmony", "Good Omens of the Year", "Infinite Life Buddha", "View of Emperor Wenzong Sitting" and "Swallow" "wait.

Among them, "Swallow Picture" itself is the best-selling picture in the Ming Dynasty. It has been painted in countless ways and has been selling well for decades. It has become a picture enshrined in many people's homes.

In terms of natural disasters, when the Juyongguan earthquake occurred, people from all walks of life enthusiastically donated money. This trend gradually became a tradition in Ming Dynasty society. In terms of religion, the completion of the Tianzhu Fuxi Temple and the Juedao Mazu Temple also reflected the religious beliefs of the society at that time.

In academia, Wang Shouren summarized the various branches of the New Learning, launched his own Xinxue, and on the basis of two-tier Tongzhi, he explored an updated rural covenant model, which began to spread in the south. The spread of this academic thought injected new vitality into the development of Ming society.

At the same time, important results have also been achieved in the field of astronomy.

Astronomers observed the appearance of comets, an astronomical phenomenon that aroused widespread concern and discussion at the time. In terms of military affairs, the rebellions that occurred in the southern Tianzhu area and the Volga River were successfully suppressed by the Ming army, demonstrating the strong military strength of the Ming Dynasty.

In addition, Emperor Chenghua also established the first Dusi in the New World and began the formal direct governance of the Ming Dynasty in the New World.

The birth of the first city marked that the Ming population in this area had exceeded 200,000. This move not only strengthened the management and development of the New World, but also served as a point-to-point guide and laid a solid foundation for Ming Dynasty's future expansion in the New World.

In terms of politics, Emperor Chenghua adopted a relatively loose and decentralized governance approach.

In the middle and late Chenghua Dynasty, he did not see his ministers for a long time, and all executions were discussed by the cabinet.

Although this approach weakened the imperial power to a certain extent, it made the court's decision-making more scientific and democratic.

At the same time, Emperor Chenghua also gave birth to fourteen sons and six daughters. The growth and reproduction of these royal members not only strengthened the inheritance of Emperor Wenzong's bloodline, but also completely eliminated the ambitions of the branches of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong.

In terms of external relations, the Ming Dynasty's vassal system in the world encountered some challenges.

In the far west, some kingdoms did not accept the Ming Dynasty's vassal system.

The social conditions there are backward and ignorant, the streets are full of stench, and the castle is full of feces and urine. It is completely different from the level of development of the Ming Dynasty. Knowledge is extremely suppressed, religious rights are supreme, and the world is incompatible with the Ming Dynasty sects.

Faced with this situation, Ming Dynasty did not strengthen its ties with the West, but focused more on the development of the Tianzhu region and the New World. The choice of this strategy not only reflected the pragmatism of Ming Dynasty's foreign policy, but also reflected Ming Dynasty's profound understanding of its own development at that time.

Subsequently, Emperor Chenghua also strengthened the construction of the navy.

This move not only enhanced the Ming Dynasty's naval strength, but also provided security for overseas trade and civil exchange activities at that time.

After a hundred years of vicissitudes, the population of the mainland has been rising like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, and finally exceeded the 50 million mark.

Behind this prosperity is not only the innovation of agricultural technology - the use of chemical fertilizers, the popularization of agricultural machinery, but also the introduction of high-yielding crops, which have injected new vitality into this ancient land.

However, when the growth rate of population exceeds the growth rate of resources, per capita resources decline again, just like a shadow quietly falling on this prosperous land.

Scholars became uneasy. They worried that if this trend continued, the Ming Dynasty would face unprecedented challenges. And all this was seen by Emperor Chenghua and kept in mind.

This emperor didn't understand dark colors, and after years of planning, he finally played the role of the cabinet.

Therefore, Emperor Chenghua made up his mind to carry out an unprecedented reform - to inventory the land and population of the guards, and then increase the relocation of the descendants of the guards. This is a bold decision and a challenging one.

After all, under the large well system, the children of military households who lived a superior life, who would want to leave the familiar land, and military households were the strongest supporters of the imperial power.

Even under the impact of several ideological waves, the imperial power encountered challenges again and again, but the imperial power remained firm. When the new news came out, there was a lot of discussion in the court.

Some military households were firmly opposed. They were unwilling to leave the prosperous mainland and give up their existing lives; while other military households were in favor because they understood the court's approach and knew it was best for the future.

In this dispute, Emperor Chenghua showed his determination and wisdom.

He asked cabinet ministers to come forward in person to explain the purpose and significance of this policy, and at the same time promised to provide the most favorable policies and treatment to the relocated military households. Ultimately, the reform was successfully implemented.

The target of this reform is the New World.

That distant and unfamiliar place was included in the imperial court's planning schedule for the first time.

However, the New World is an existence that cannot be avoided in the hearts of the people.

In their view, although the island is desolate, it can at least be accepted by ordinary people; while the New World is completely different. It is an unknown world, full of danger and uncertainty.

However, Emperor Chenghua understood that if this reform was not carried out, the Ming Dynasty would face a greater crisis.

Therefore, he took various measures, including taking the blame on the cabinet and adopting radical policies in the name of the cabinet, to ensure the smooth progress of the immigration plan. Although these measures caused some controversy and dissatisfaction, in the end, they brought new vitality and hope to the Ming Dynasty.

Before this reform, the people generally maintained a moderately prosperous living standard.

Therefore, although they are dissatisfied with some policies, these dissatisfactions do not affect their daily lives. The cabinet took the blame for this reform and became the target of public criticism.

However, this also provides them with an outlet to vent their anger, resulting in fewer complaints in the market.

Ultimately, the reform was successful.

The immigration plan to the New World was successfully implemented, and some military households also successfully migrated to the New World. Although this process was full of challenges and difficulties, it also brought new hopes and opportunities to the Ming Dynasty.

In the 22nd year of Chenghua, Emperor Chenghua died.

The new emperor Hongzhi ascended the throne.

Emperor Hongzhi was frail and sick since he was a child, but he grew up smoothly with the help of medication. After ascending the throne, he was involved in political affairs, opened up his voice, strengthened the rights of each ministry to discuss matters in the court, and affected the power of the cabinet.

Unlike his father, Emperor Hongzhi strengthened the management of religion, greatly outlawed religious fields, and set strict regulations on the number of donations that people should make to religion, etc.

In addition, during the inventory process, legal punishments were imposed on illegal and criminal religions, and a large number of people were arrested.

At the same time, the supervision system was strengthened, and the power of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and other ministries was once again strengthened. Even the cabinet could not influence it. The flow of promoted personnel within the Metropolitan Procuratorate system was not consistent with other departments.

With the development of the supervision system, countless cases were uncovered, the dark atmosphere among the people was swept away, and the people applauded it.

For the various kingdoms in the far west, Emperor Hongzhi sent envoys to sign boundary-defining treaties with the Western countries through various means of coercion and inducement. The Western countries' own territories were recognized by the Ming Dynasty, and the lands outside the Western countries belonged to the Ming Dynasty vassal system. , and the treaty clearly stipulated that the New World belonged to the Ming Dynasty.

The ignorant and backward kings happily signed the treaty. Instead of being disappointed, they were overjoyed. They thought they had won the victory and had gained the right to trade with the Ming vassal states.

They say this is the victory of the Lord.

Subsequently, the official inspection system was expanded. The kings of overseas vassal states, the Xuanwei Division, and the Xuanfu Division all formulated an inspection system. They no longer adopted a free-ranging trend as in the past, and continued to deepen the Ming Dynasty vassal system.

The cabinet has stipulated the term of office. It is no longer the case that there were no regulations before. The introduction of the term of office at the same time finally strengthened the power of the cabinet and made it equal to that of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. There is no connection between the two sides.

The Huangzhuang Huangdian and the Palace Affairs Bureau system were standardized. The royal family's expenses and income were separated from the treasury, and a self-financing model was adopted. The Huangzhuang guaranteed the basic living needs of the royal family, while the Huangdian provided a superior life for the royal family.

When it was first introduced, the imperial power was mainly used to allocate materials, money and food, combined with local manpower and material resources, to build water conservancy reservoirs overseas and build a large number of roads, which provided guarantee for the economic development of Ming Dynasty overseas.

Emperor Hongzhi in his later years.

Successively implemented the reform of native land and return to flow in East Asia and Southeast Asia.

The chieftains of Yunnan, the Xuanwei Department of Myanmar, the Xuanwei Department of Laos, the Siamese vassal state, the Xuanfu Department of Chiang Rai, the Xuanfu Department of Chiang Mai, and the Xuanfu Department of Mefeng Liang all returned to their hometowns at the same time.

Because of the effect of penicillin, this emperor was the longest-serving emperor in the Ming Dynasty. After fifty years, his prince also died, and the emperor's grandson was designated as his successor.

By the time Emperor Hongzhi died, the Ming Dynasty had completed most of the transformation of the Nanyang region.

A new emperor ascends the throne.

A rebellion broke out in Nanyang, and the Ming army conquered it. The main reason why the locals could obtain Ming citizenship after returning to their native land was to quell the rebellion quickly and smoothly. In the past few years since the new emperor ascended the throne, the cabinet has been busy selecting officials and dividing industries. Save money and wait for big things.

Until the third year of Zhengde.

The young emperor appointed himself a general and went on an expedition against all odds.

When he arrived in Mancajia in person, the Ming army followed the cabinet's request and went all out to wipe out the rebels in advance, without giving the little emperor a chance to go to the battlefield. The little emperor was so angry that he jumped away.

Historical records.

The emperor led an army of 100,000 to personally conquer the area and killed sixteen levels of rebels.

Emperor Zhengde claimed that he had killed a man with his own hands, but no one believed it. Emperor Zhengde was very angry. After returning to the capital, he was unhappy and began to patrol the north, east and west.

The flag of the Ming Emperor once again fluttered in various border areas of the Ming Dynasty for a hundred years, arousing enthusiastic cheers from the people and soldiers in the border areas.

(End of the book) (End of this chapter)