The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Chapter 197 The three major reformers in ancient times

As the evening live broadcast time approaches, ancient people from all dynasties are also getting ready.

In particular, Zhang Juzheng, the first assistant of the Ming Dynasty, was waiting uneasily for the live broadcast.

When the Wandering Earth was being played on the marquee in the afternoon, although Zhang Juzheng was also watching, he was a little absent-minded and kept thinking about the live broadcast in the evening.

After all, not to mention the failure of the reform, even the family members were implicated, and there was no good end.

This left him at a loss as to whether he should ignore everyone's opposition and forcefully implement the reform.

Tonight's live broadcast is crucial. He hopes to find a solution and avoid the tragedy from happening again.

"Good evening everyone, I am the anchor Su Chen. Welcome everyone to watch the live broadcast on time."

As soon as the bell rang at seven o'clock in the evening, Su Chen met everyone on time.

Zhang Juzheng: Good evening, anchor. I have been waiting for you for a long time.

When Su Chen saw this, he smiled knowingly. It could be seen that Zhang Juzheng was quite anxious.

"Since Zhang Shoufu is so anxious, the anchor won't waste any more nonsense. Now let's talk about Zhang Shoufu's deeds."

"Zhang Shoufu's illustrious achievements made him, together with Shang Yang and Wang Anshi, one of the three major reformers in ancient China."

When the ancients from various dynasties saw this situation, they had no objections. It would be best if the anchor could start as early as possible.

It happens that many people are also very interested in Zhang Juzheng, especially the rulers of various dynasties. They also want to know what kind of legendary life Zhang Juzheng, the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty, had.

After all, Zhang Juzheng is very famous for his reforms, especially his whipping method, which deeply impressed emperors of all dynasties.

Now you can learn about Zhang Juzheng's specific deeds from the anchor's mouth, especially the specific details of Zhang Juzheng's reforms.

The rulers of various dynasties hoped to get some inspiration from Zhang Juzheng's reforms, which might be used in their dynasties.

"In 1525, the fourth year of Jiajing reign, Zhang Juzheng was born in the home of a scholar in Jingzhou."

"The ancestor Zhang Guanbao was a fellow villager of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. Because he followed Zhu Yuanzhang in the uprising and made many military exploits, he was named the head of a thousand households. He was later included in the military register and became a hereditary military household."

"Zhang Juzheng's great-grandfather Zhang Cheng lived in poverty although he had military status. His grandfather Zhang Zhen once served as a guard for the Prince of Liao's Palace in Jingzhou. His father Zhang Wenming was talented but failed in many tests and was just a failed scholar in the end."

Zhu Yuanzhang: Zhang Guanbao is very good. He gave birth to a good offspring for our Ming Dynasty, so he should be rewarded.

Ancestor Zhang Guanbao: I never expected that my old Zhang family would produce such a promising descendant.

Great-grandfather Zhang Cheng: I thought that my generation was ruined, but I never thought that future generations would really live up to their expectations.

Grandfather Zhang Zhen: Okay, okay, okay, our old Zhang family has a Qilin son, who will honor our ancestors.

Father Zhang Wenming: Although I am a failed scholar, my eldest son is the chief assistant of the Ming Dynasty. I have no regrets in this life.

"Zhang Juzheng's family background is relatively ordinary, but the legend about Zhang Juzheng's birth in later generations is more magical."

"According to records, Zhang Juzheng's mother, Mrs. Zhao, once saw a firelight in the house where she lived at night. The sky was very bright when the firelight shined upward. In an instant, a boy in green clothes about five or six years old slowly fell from the sky."

"Then I walked around Mrs. Zhao's bedside, and Mrs. Zhao became pregnant. It took a total of twelve months for the baby to be born."

"On the night Zhang Juzheng was born, his grandfather dreamed that a flood suddenly appeared and then overflowed into the Zhang family's courtyard."

"Zhang Juzheng's grandfather was shocked and asked his servant where the water came from. The servant told him that the water came from the home of the late Shaobao Zhang Chun."

"It happened that night Zhang Juzheng's great-grandfather also dreamed that the moon fell into the water tank, and then turned into a white turtle, floating in the ripples of light. Soon Zhang Juzheng was born."

"My great-grandfather believed that Bai Gui was this little great-grandson, so he named him Zhang Baigui, hoping that he would be able to honor his ancestors in the future."

Mrs. Zhao: This is indeed true. I didn't lie. The boy in Tsing Yi was probably Wenquxing who descended to earth. Otherwise, how could my son have been able to sit in the position of chief minister all the way? My son was Wenquxing who descended to earth.

Great-Grandfather: I just dreamed of seeing a white turtle, and my great-grandson was born right now. There must be no such coincidence. There must be some connection between the two. There is no doubt that the little great-grandson is the white turtle.

Ancient people from all dynasties looked at it with doubt, and for a while they didn't know whether it was true or false.

Scholars from all dynasties sneered at this and would not believe such absurd things at all.

They are all Confucian students. They don't talk about monsters and gods, and they never believe in such things.

These tricks are just to deceive the ignorant people, and it is impossible to deceive them.

Generally speaking, when compiling the deeds of emperors of various dynasties, they would record some strange things in Spring and Autumn style, so as to make the people believe that their emperors were not ordinary people, which would be more conducive to governance.

However, ordinary people in various dynasties firmly believed in this matter and thought it was normal for Zhang Juzheng to have these magical legends.

After all, being born into a family of failed scholars and then growing up to be the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty shows that Zhang Juzheng is extraordinary.

It is normal for an extraordinary person to have these visions when he is born.

After all, they often heard from scholars that any important person had a vision when he was born, and that person was destined to be extraordinary in his life.

"Zhang Juzheng was an extremely intelligent young man. He entered school at the age of five and was proficient in reading scriptures at the age of ten. He became a well-known child prodigy in Jingzhou Prefecture."

"In 1536, the fifteenth year of Jiajing, twelve-year-old Zhang Juzheng took part in the child examination."

"Li Shi'ao, the prefect of Jingzhou, had a dream. He dreamed that God asked him to give a jade seal to a child."

"He proctored the exam the next day. When he saw Zhang Juzheng, his heart skipped a beat and he decided that this was the person he was looking for in his dream."

"I excitedly told Zhang Juzheng that Bai Gui was not enough to be his name, and thought that Zhang Juzheng would definitely become the teacher of the current emperor in the future."

"And because I had received the mission from God, I changed Zhang Juzheng's original name from Bai Gui to Juzheng."

"He also told young Zhang Juzheng to have great ambitions since he was a child and to serve the country with loyalty when he grows up."

"So he recommended it to the academician Tian Xu, and Zhang Juzheng wrote the article "Ode to the Strange Children of Nanjun" on the spot, which was praised by the examiner and others."

Li Shi'ao: Haha, what are you talking about? I thought that Lord Chief Assistant was destined to be extraordinary, and I was right.

The day after he finished his dream, he saw Zhang Juzheng, who was only twelve years old, and he could tell at a glance that he would become a successful man in the future.

Now it seems that it is exactly what he expected.

When the person he liked rose through the ranks and became the most powerful chief minister of the Ming Dynasty, it was a wonderful feeling.

And speaking of it, it was he who gave the name Ju Zheng.

The reason for this name is that Zhang Juzheng hopes that when he grows up, he can serve the country loyally and behave upright.

Tian Xu: Zhang Shoufu's original song "Ode to the Strange Children of Nanjun" was really amazing. It's no wonder that Zhang Shoufu has achieved such great achievements.

At that time, the Jingzhou magistrate recommended Zhang Shoufu to him. He didn't quite believe how capable the young Zhang Shoufu was.

It wasn't until the song "Ode to the Wonderful Children of Nanjun" came out that he completely believed that there were child prodigies in the world.

The moment he composed this poem, he knew that Zhang Shoufu would be extraordinary in the future.

"In 1538, the seventeenth year of Jiajing, Zhang Juzheng participated in the Wuchang Township Examination and was highly praised by the examiner, Gu Dongqiao, governor of Huguang."

"Gu Dongqiao gave Zhang Juzheng his belt and money, and predicted that he would be able to wear a jade belt in the future, but Gu Dongqiao deliberately made Zhang Juzheng fail in order to temper him."

"In 1541, twenty years after Jiajing, the proud and proud Zhang Juzheng successfully passed the provincial examination and became a young scholar."

"Gu Dongqiao, the governor of Huguang, admired Zhang Juzheng very much and once told others that this son would be a talented general."

"He also told Zhang Juzheng that he hopes he can set up lofty ambitions and not just be a young man who became famous."

Gu Dongqiao: When I first met Zhang Shoufu, I knew that Zhang Shoufu had the talent of a general, and it was just as I expected.

At that time, Zhang Shoufu had not yet participated in the provincial examination, but he had already heard of Zhang Shoufu's name.

When Zhang Shoufu came to Wuchang to take part in the provincial examination, he specially called Zhang Shoufu to talk.

After some conversation, it turned out that the rumors were true, and Zhang Shouxu was indeed worthy of his reputation.

But he deeply understands that it is not a good thing for a young genius to become a scholar prematurely.

Even the best piece of rough jade needs to be polished before it can become a peerless treasure.

He was very fond of Zhang Shoufu and did not want the regret of hurting Zhongyong to reappear.

It was precisely with the intention of tempering Zhang Shoufu that he used some means to make Zhang Shoufu fail.

When Zhang Shoufu took part in the provincial examination for the second time, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Zhang Shoufu's talent was much higher than before.

At that time, he knew that his judgment was correct.

Precisely because of three years of training, Zhang Shoufu's achievements have reached a higher level.

"In 1547, the twenty-sixth year of Jiajing, -year-old Zhang Juzheng was selected as a Shujishi to enter the Hanlin Academy with excellent results."

"Xu Jie attached great importance to the knowledge of economic development and economic development. Under his guidance, Zhang Juzheng worked hard to study the laws and regulations of previous dynasties, which laid a solid foundation for him to enter the political stage in the future."

"In the early Ming Dynasty, in order to strengthen the autocratic monarchy, the prime minister was abolished and a cabinet was established, whose functions were equivalent to the emperor's secretarial office."

"The chief cabinet bachelor is called the chief assistant. When Zhang Juzheng entered the Hanlin Academy to study, a fierce political struggle was going on in the cabinet."

"There are only two bachelors in the cabinet, Xia Yan and Yan Song. They competed for the position of first assistant. After Xia Yan won the first assistant, he was slandered and killed by Yan Song. Yan Song was the first assistant in the cabinet."

"With regard to cabinet struggles, Zhang Juzheng gained an intuitive understanding of the court's political corruption and border deficiencies through several years of cold-eyed observation."

Xu Jie: Zhang Juzheng is indeed smart and studious, otherwise I wouldn’t focus on training him.

He was amazed at Zhang Juzheng's intelligence, and he was worthy of the name of a child prodigy.

He asked Zhang Juzheng to study the laws and regulations of the past dynasties. Zhang Juzheng could always memorize them in a short period of time and understand the intention behind each regulation and system.

Xia Yan: Yan Song, a shameless villain, stabs me in the back when he can't compete. It's really abominable.

In order to win the position of first assistant, he took great precautions against Yan Song and did not give his opponent the slightest chance.

Unexpectedly, he defeated his opponent, but was framed by his opponent in the end, leading to his unjust death.

But now that he knows it now, it's impossible to give Yan Song another chance.

Zhang Juzheng recalled that when he entered the Hanlin Academy, he happened to catch up with the cabinet struggle.

Xia Yan and Yan Song, two cabinet bachelors, fought to the death for the position of chief assistant.

In the end, Yan Song used slander to kill Xia Yan, who had already won the position of chief assistant.

Even the cabinet is like this, let alone other officials.

This shows how serious the political corruption in the court was at that time.

"In 1549, the twenty-eighth year of Jiajing, Zhang Juzheng was promoted to editor of the Hanlin Academy."

"During this period, he visited officials and inspected local people's sentiments. He was diligent in handling and analyzing government affairs. At the same time, he was appreciated by bachelor Xu Jie and others."

"In the same year, he wrote "On Current Affairs", which for the first time proposed political reforms including suppressing vassals, rectifying finances, purging officials, and repairing border equipment, and systematically expounded his ideas on reforming politics."

"However, "On Current Affairs" did not attract the attention of Emperor Jiajing. After that, Zhang Juzheng never submitted a memorial except for routine memorials during the Jiajing Dynasty."

Jiajing: The reason why I don't pay attention to "On Current Affairs" is because the reform proposals proposed by Zhang Juzheng are inappropriate for the times, and if you are not careful, it will cause chaos in the world.

Whether it is a vassal issue, a financial issue, a government issue, or a border issue, he naturally sees it clearly.

These were all major issues related to the Ming Dynasty, but he did not dare to act rashly.

Although Zhang Juzheng's ideas are good, they are not practical and can easily cause shock to both the government and the public.

Zhang Juzheng: When I knew that the memorial in Shang Dynasty did not attract the attention of Emperor Jiajing, I knew that the time for reform was not yet mature, and I needed to wait for the opportunity.

At that time, he wrote "On Current Affairs" to explain his reform proposals in the hope of gaining the emperor's favor.

But unfortunately, Emperor Jiajing was not interested at all and just put it on the shelf.

"In 1552, the thirty-first year of Jiajing, Zhang Juzheng's wife Gu passed away."

"At the same time, Zhang Juzheng's mentor Xu Jie was ostracized by Yan Song, the chief minister of the cabinet, and he himself was very frustrated in the officialdom."

"In 1554, the thirty-third year of Jiajing, Zhang Juzheng took leave of absence due to illness and left the capital to return to his hometown."

"During the three years after he returned home due to illness, Zhang Juzheng began to cultivate his moral character and travel around."

"During this period, Zhang Juzheng visited many scenic spots and historic sites, which made him discover the problem of "unequal land distribution, unemployment of the poor, and people suffering from annexation."

"All this made him feel moved by compassion, and his sense of responsibility made him return to politics."

Zhang Juzheng: Although I really want to display my ambition and reform the shortcomings faced by the Ming Dynasty, I don't have such an opportunity.

He always had his mentor Xu Jie as his backer in the court, and the two had a mutually prosperous relationship.

His mentor Xu Jie was squeezed out and suppressed by Yan Song, the chief minister of the cabinet. As his mentor's disciple, his official career would naturally not be good.

Seeing that there was no chance of being reused, he simply took sick leave and returned to his hometown to wait for the opportunity.

It was not that he did nothing in his three years in his hometown. Instead, he visited everywhere and observed people's livelihood.

It was through three years of visits and observations that he deeply understood the difficulties faced by the people.

The problem of land annexation has become increasingly serious, and many people have been forced to lose their land.

If this problem is not solved, the situation in Ming Dynasty will become more and more difficult, and it is likely to fall into turmoil.

"In 1557, the thirty-sixth year of Jiajing, Zhang Juzheng returned to the Hanlin Academy, but was only granted a small official position by the imperial court."

"In 1559, the thirty-eighth year of Jiajing, Xu Jie concurrently served as the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and Zhang Juzheng was put in charge of the affairs of the Imperial College, so that he could participate in the court's decision-making and dominate public opinion."

"In 1563, the nd year of Jiajing, Zhang Juzheng was recommended by Xu Jie to become an official in Prince Yu's palace. He took the opportunity to get to know Li Fang and other eunuchs."

"In 1566, the forty-fifth year of Jiajing, Ming Shizong Jiajing passed away."

"Xu Jie drafted the posthumous edict and led Zhang Juzheng to conspire with him. Soon Zhang Juzheng was promoted to the right minister of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy." When ancient people from various dynasties heard this, they knew that Zhang Juzheng was about to take off, and his official career was smooth from then on.

Zhang Juzheng's mentor Xu Jie established a firm foothold in the imperial court and served as the most important Minister of Rites, responsible for the appointment of officials.

As Xu Jie's disciple, Zhang Juzheng would naturally be put in high regard by Xu Jie.

Officials from all dynasties were extremely envious, and they also hoped to have a mentor who could promote and reuse them.

Look at how conscientious Zhang Juzheng's mentor is, and he will never forget his disciples.

First, Zhang Juzheng was given a position in the Imperial College, so that he could make many connections and pave the way for his future political career.

Later, Zhang Juzheng was introduced to King Yu, the future emperor, so that he could become familiar with the future emperor in advance.

In the end, when the imperial edict was drafted, Zhang Juzheng was recruited and promoted to Minister of Rites.

Just ask such a dedicated mentor, who wouldn’t want it?

"In 1567, the first year of Longqing, Zhang Juzheng, as a former minister of Prince Yu's palace, was promoted to the left minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the bachelor of Dongge, entered the cabinet, and participated in the government."

"There were a total of six cabinet bachelors in the first year of Longqing. Three of them retired early and returned home due to mediocre talents, academic performance, and political performance. So the remaining three, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng, gradually became the core of the cabinet."

"In April of the same year, Zhang Juzheng was appointed as the Minister of Rites and the Grand Bachelor of Wuyingdian. He finally gained the upper hand in the secret contest."

"In 1568, the second year of Longqing, the second year after Zhang Juzheng entered the cabinet, Xu Jie was forced to retire because his sons violated laws and disciplines, and his political enemy Gao Gong came to power and became the chief minister of the cabinet."

"Zhang Juzheng managed armaments and border defense affairs with the support of his chief minister Gao Gong. He recommended Xu Jie's disciple Qi Jiguang to host military training, which calmed down the Japanese pirates in the southeast and allowed border trade to develop."

Xu Jie: It’s really disturbing to have a cheating son.

This made him suspect that Yan Song was involved in this matter, just to bring him down.

He knew very well that Yan Song had been coveting the position of chief minister for a long time and always tried his best to remove him from power.

Zhang Juzheng: Once the teacher leaves, I will have to face Gao Gong’s rejection alone.

After Gao Gong squeezed out his mentor, he was the next person to be squeezed out.

The reason why Gao Gong put him in charge of armaments and border defense affairs was because he wanted him to make mistakes, so that he could be kicked out of the cabinet and take over the power alone.

At this time, Ming Dynasty's armament and border defense was a long-standing problem that no one could solve before.

In order to squeeze him out, Gao Gong threw the hot potato of military border defense to him.

Fortunately, he didn't let Gao Gong's conspiracy succeed.

Others didn't know it, but he still knew that his mentor's disciple Qi Jiguang had two skills.

So he recommended Qi Jiguang to quell the Japanese invaders. Fortunately, Qi Jiguang did not disappoint him.

"In 1570, the fourth year of Longqing, the Tatar (da) leader attacked Datong and attempted to proclaim himself emperor."

"The grandson of the Tatar leader brought more than ten people to request to surrender to the Ming Dynasty. Zhang Juzheng considered that this matter involved the diplomacy of the two countries."

"So he sent a letter to Wang Chonggu, the governor of Xuanda, requesting to be informed in detail about the Tatar leader Sun Tzu's surrender to the Ming Dynasty."

"It turns out that both the grandfather and grandson fell in love with a little girl and had a grudge in their hearts. This led to a scene of a lovelorn young man leaving home and joining the Han Dynasty."

"So Zhang Juzheng once again wrote to Wang Chonggu, the governor of Xuanda, asking him to properly resettle the grandson of the Tatar leader. After sending someone to inform the Tatar leader, Zhang Juzheng instructed Wang Chonggu and others to report to the emperor to accept the surrender."

"Many ministers in the court strongly opposed it, believing that the enemy's situation was unpredictable. As expected, the cavalry of the Tatar leader came to the northern border like black clouds over the city."

"Wang Chonggu, the governor of Xuanda, had already prepared for war under Zhang Juzheng's instructions and threatened him with his grandson. The Tatar leader was finally forced to compromise."

"Zhang Juzheng followed the trend and agreed to the request of the Tatar leader and sent his grandson back to his hometown. The Tatar leader kidnapped the rebel ministers of the Ming Dynasty and sent them to the Ming Dynasty court."

"The grandson of the Tatar leader returned to the Tatar tent wearing a red silk robe given by the Ming emperor. The Tatar leader was very moved when he saw it, and said that he would never invade Datong again, and decided to request tribute exchanges and live in friendship with the Ming Dynasty."

"Because of Zhang Juzheng's great contribution in this matter, he was named the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and concurrently served as the Crown Prince and Tutor."

"In 1571, the fifth year of Longqing's reign, Zhang Juzheng and his chief minister Gao Gong successfully persuaded the emperor to confer the title of King of Shunyi to the Tatar leader, and to open horse markets and trade with Tatars in three towns along the border."

"The consolidation of the northern border defense allowed Zhang Juzheng to turn his attention to domestic issues. Zhang Juzheng wrote three memorials to the emperor, in which he initially proposed the overall idea of ​​reform."

Zhang Juzheng: Speaking of which, I would also like to thank the Tatar leader for making such a fuss, otherwise I would not have achieved such a brilliant political achievement.

If he wants to realize his ideals and ambitions, but also always faces Gao Gong's plot, he needs to be promoted and gain power as soon as possible.

But if you want to reach a higher level, you need to have outstanding political achievements.

When he was at his wits' end, the Tatar leader gave him a perfect opportunity.

It was precisely because of his political achievements in quelling the Tatar rebellion that he was promoted to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and concurrently as the Crown Prince and Tutor.

After solving the border problem, his power became a little stronger, and he began to display his ideals and ambitions.

"In 1572, the sixth year of Longqing's reign, Zhang Juzheng, a bachelor, was promoted to the rank of Young Master by the imperial court."

"In May of the same year, Emperor Muzong of the Ming Dynasty passed away. Cabinet ministers Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng were ordered by Gu to assist the Prince of the East Palace. Then Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty Shenzong, who was only ten years old, succeeded to the throne."

"In order to prevent the eunuch Feng Baozhuan, the chief minister of etiquette, Bingbi, from being domineering, Gao Gong, the chief minister of the cabinet, secretly planned to eliminate Feng Bao."

"But Zhang Juzheng secretly leaked the news to Feng Bao, so the two jointly planned to exclude Gao Gong from the cabinet."

"Gao Gong's unbridled words touched the nerves of Wanli's biological mother, Empress Dowager Li. In addition, Feng Bao, the eunuch of the Bureau of Rites, Bingbi, was dissatisfied with Gao Gong and slandered Empress Dowager Li. Empress Dowager Li dismissed Gao Gong from office on the charge of dictatorship and abuse of power."

"In June of the same year, Zhang Juzheng naturally became the chief minister of the cabinet. Later, Zhang Juzheng joined Zuozhuguo and became a bachelor of Zhongji Palace."

Gao Gong: Telling people behind your back is really despicable.

Feng Bao: If you still want to eradicate me, I will eradicate you first.

Zhang Juzheng: In order to implement reforms as soon as possible, the biggest obstacle, Gao Gong, must be removed.

The problems in the Ming Dynasty were so deep that it was time to reform.

However, his reform measures are bound to be opposed by many people, especially the civil and military officials in the court.

In order to successfully implement reforms, he must take over the power and firmly hold the position of chief minister of the cabinet in his hands.

Moreover, Gao Gong is also the political enemy of his mentor. Regardless of whether he is public or private, he must get rid of Gao Gong.

"The young emperor Wanli rewarded Zhang Juzheng with gold coins and embroidered python bullfighting uniforms, and Zhang Juzheng also took the world as his own responsibility because of the emperor's trust."

"Zhang Juzheng persuaded Wanli to abide by the old system of his ancestors and regard teaching, caring for the wise, loving the people, and being frugal as urgent tasks. At the same time, he should respect the empress dowagers of the two palaces."

"At this time, the eunuch Feng Bao wanted to please the emperor's biological mother, the Empress Dowager Li, and hinted to Zhang Juzheng to ask him to propose the parallelism of the two palaces."

"So Zhang Juzheng decided that the title of Empress Muzong of the Ming Dynasty would be the Empress Dowager Rensheng, and the imperial concubine Li of Ming Muzong would be the Empress Dowager Cisheng."

"The Empress Dowager Cisheng moved to the Qianqing Palace to raise the emperor. Feng Bao was appointed for palace matters, and all the power of the court was given to Zhang Juzheng."

"After Zhang Juzheng assumed power as the chief minister of the cabinet, he focused on respecting sovereignty, rectifying official duties, clarifying rewards and punishments, and unifying orders."

Zhang Juzheng: The emperor is young, and with the support of the Queen Mother and Feng Bao, I can finally flex my muscles and start implementing reforms.

After getting rid of Gao Gong, he was able to serve as the chief assistant of the cabinet.

But this alone is not enough to implement reforms, and strong support is needed.

The emperor's biological mother, Queen Mother Li, and the eunuch Feng Bao, the eunuch Bingbi, were the two most powerful foreign aids.

With the strong support of these two people, he was finally able to realize his ideals and ambitions.

"After Zhang Juzheng became the chief minister of the cabinet and received the support of the Queen Mother and the eunuchs, he began to implement drastic reforms."

"The main reason is that the Ming Dynasty was facing a serious land crisis and financial crisis at that time, and it had reached the point where it had to reform."

"In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the situation of land annexation was quite serious."

"The most prominent manifestation is that the royal family, princes, relatives, and eunuchs use political privileges to seize large amounts of land from ordinary people by means of donation, begging, and seizure."

“About half of the taxable land in the country is occupied by large landowners who refuse to pay taxes, seriously affecting national revenue.”

“The nobles and big landowners were frantically plundering land, feudal exploitation was further intensified, and the peasants who rented official land were living an extremely miserable life.”

"There were two folk songs at that time, which can fully reflect how serious the land annexation was at that time."

"We will collect seven dou from an acre of official land. We will first send six dou to the imperial state, leaving only one dou for the wedding. I will be worried that people will come and grow old."

"It is not strange to pursue rent for the land, but to sell the official land to the people. The wealthy family gets the land and the people pay the rent, and every year the old rent settles new debts."

Zhang Juzheng: Land annexation has become a common practice, the court's taxes cannot be raised, and the people's lives are miserable. If we don't solve it, the Ming Dynasty will be in danger.

Land issues and financial issues are closely related, and the two complement each other.

The gentry class occupied a large amount of people's land through plunder and robbery.

Although these gentry class had a large amount of land, they did not pay taxes at all, which seriously affected the court's fiscal revenue.

The gentry class could not raise taxes, so the court could only impose taxes on the common people.

The people were already heavily taxed, and the taxes imposed by the court would only make the people's lives more and more miserable.

If this problem is not solved, the people will be forced to rebel sooner or later, and the Ming Dynasty will be in danger.

It was precisely because he realized this that he was so eager to implement reforms.

He knew that Daming could not wait any longer, otherwise the situation would only get worse and worse, and eventually there would be no way to recover.

“After the mid-Ming Dynasty, the government’s financial crisis gradually worsened.”

"During the Hongwu period, the summer and autumn taxes were 2473 million shi on rice and 471 million shi on wheat."

"In the early years of Zhengde, land was concentrated, taxes and servitude were uneven, the population was mobile, and local officials hid taxes. The imperial court collected 2216 million shi of rice and more than 462 million shi of wheat every year."

"After arriving in Jiajing, the tax revenue dropped to more than 1822 million shi on rice and 462 million shi on wheat."

"Tax revenue has dropped significantly, but the court's financial expenditure has increased day by day."

"Especially in the 29th year of Jiajing, the Mongolian Tatars invaded Beijing."

"As a result, the imperial court increased the number of soldiers, which led to a large increase in military expenditures."

"According to statistics from the Ministry of Household Affairs, in the 525th year of Jiajing, the amount of silver for each border reached 800 million taels, and more than 1300 million taels were needed for border repairs and relief. The two items totaled about million taels."

"At that time, the total tax, extra distribution, surplus salt sales, and other raids were only more than 900 million taels, which was a big difference."

"According to statistics from the Ministry of Household Affairs, at the end of the Long Qingyuan period, there were only 130 million taels of silver left in Taicang."

"The officials and soldiers should be paid 135 million taels of salary, 236 million taels of border wages, and 182 million taels of annual reissue. The total expenditure of the three items is 553 million taels."

"Based on the cash available at the time, it was only enough for three months of expenses."

"The grain stored in the Beijing warehouse is only enough to pay for the monthly rations of the officers and soldiers in Beijing for two years."

"There are many places to use silver, but the money in the treasury is far from enough. This is enough to show that the financial constraints of the imperial court have reached a terrible level."

"At this time, in the north, the Mongols and Jurchens often invaded the border fortresses, and in the south there were often rebellions."

"The Yellow River has burst its banks several times, flooding dozens of counties and districts at every turn, which requires a large amount of disaster relief funds."

Zhang Juzheng: The Ming Dynasty’s finances are seriously unable to make ends meet. If there is no reform to increase fiscal revenue, the Ming Dynasty will fall apart.

The court's tax revenue is decreasing day by day, but the necessary expenditures of the court are increasing day by day.

Due to serious land annexation and the inability to collect taxes from the land of the gentry class, the court's income dropped sharply.

The imperial court's income has decreased, but its expenditures have not.

On the contrary, the dual intensification of internal and external worries has led to a significant increase in fiscal expenditures.

When it is unable to make ends meet and no longer thinks of ways to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, the court will fall into a dangerous situation of having no money to spend.

The reason why the Queen Mother and Feng Bao strongly supported his reforms was precisely because the Ming Dynasty had reached a life-or-death situation and had to carry out reforms.

"Zhang Juzheng pointed out that the Ming Dynasty had five most prominent shortcomings at that time."

"First, the support from the clan puts a heavy burden on the dynasty."

"The second is that factional fighting has led to a lack of talent in the court."

"Third, Shen officials have too many redundant personnel, making it difficult for the court's decrees to be effectively implemented."

"Fourth, armaments are disorganized and border defenses are inadequate."

"Fifth, the imperial treasury is empty and the fiscal deficit has been running for a long time."

"So in 1573, the first year of Wanli, Zhang Juzheng aimed at the five major problems that existed in the Ming Dynasty. With the support of the young Emperor Wanli, the Empress Dowager Li in the harem, and the eunuch Feng Bao, the eunuch Bingbi, he carried out comprehensive reforms to solve the problems faced by the Ming Dynasty. The dilemma is called Zhang Juzheng’s reform in history.”

Zhang Juzheng: None of the five major shortcomings faced by the Ming Dynasty is easy to solve, but no matter how difficult it is, in order to continue the Ming Dynasty, to reduce the burden on the people, and to realize my ideals and ambitions, I must carry out reforms and never retreat.

He has come along the way and worked hard for so long to reach his current position just to fulfill his ambition.

It wouldn't be easy to get to this point, if he gave up.

He couldn't do it, and he wasn't willing to do it.

He secretly made up his mind to strengthen his beliefs and implement reforms no matter what.

When ancient people from all dynasties heard this, they all admired Zhang Juzheng very much.

The shortcomings faced by the Ming Dynasty are daunting, but Zhang Juzheng is able to carry out reforms to save the Ming Dynasty despite difficulties and obstacles, which everyone has to admire.

But the next step should be the specific content of Zhang Juzheng's reforms, which everyone is looking forward to, especially the emperors of each dynasty.

(End of this chapter)