Regarding the food crisis in the late Ming Dynasty, it was a vicious circle. It cannot be simply attributed to the climate problem of the Little Ice Age. It is a relatively nonsense economic problem and a vicious political problem. It is entangled, unbroken, and it is still messy, and it turns out to be a fatal food crisis. On the surface, it is this food crisis that ultimately killed the Ming Empire.

We can take a look at the game between different characters: []

1. Jiangsu and Zhejiang rich man:

l What we want to plant is our own business. Who doesn’t know that growing mulberry, silkworm, cotton is better than growing grain! That’s more important! Of course, it’s a cash crop. If you grow grain, whoever likes to plant it will grow it. Anyway, we don’t have that interest! - Well, everyone doesn’t grow grain much anymore, and they have followed the trend and started an extroverted economy.

l As a result, the 30 Years of War in Europe. In 1618-1648, Europe was broken into pieces and threw some money on the battlefield. There was no money to buy "Made in China", but exports shrank. - OK, exports are not easy to do, so let's dump them, break the heads of each other, exports are exports, but I didn't expect that they would lose money after all, okay, maybe next year will be good. We can't give up the great cause of exports easily, right! But the silver hidden in the cellar cannot move around, we have to rely on this silver to survive the cold winter of exports!

2. Emperor Chongzhen:

l What should you guys like to tell me about it? Exports are not profitable, the country does not subsidize, and you are trying hard to grow economic crops. Isn’t this a fool! Only you guys like Songjiang cloth merchants can do this! ——You see, China’s exports have been underpriced, and even the emperor can’t control it. Made in China has always been a low-priced export.

l I said, don’t bury the silver in the cellar. If you pay taxes, you don’t pay, you consume, you don’t consume, what are you doing in the cellar? If you give it to me, I can help you withstand the Tartars. If you have money but don’t pay money, the imperial soldiers can’t afford it. The Tartars are so fierce, I can’t bear it! I warn you, just don’t pay taxes. When the Tartars come, all the silver in your cellar belongs to the Tartars. - Look, the emperor cannot share the results of exports, but instead bear the consequences of exports, which affects grain production because of exports. The emperor is cowardly. He can’t even draw 30, let alone the 17% VAT tax.

l Without money or food, the natural disasters during the Little Ice Age will starve people to death! The surplus grain of the emperor's family has long been empty. If there is no money or food, what can I do, a poor emperor? I have to close my eyes. If anyone who likes to rebel, rebel, I have no choice but to do it! - You see, the Ming Dynasty was a wealthy class (with the participation and sharing of civil servants) who plundered a large amount of resources and turned a large amount of resources into silver. These silvers were buried in the cellar and did not participate in circulation or contribute to the national treasury. Their only contribution was - one was deflation, because the rich man did not make money, he consciously reduced his consumption and investment; the other was to aggravate the food crisis. The food crisis was the last straw that crushed the Ming Empire.

3. Civilian:

l If you have an official, you have money, and if you have money, you will have no worries about food and clothing. As for the emperor's problems, I cannot control it. - The officialdom in the Ming Dynasty was ruined! As you know, the officialdom is easy to ruin, and it is like this from the past to the future.

l "Who do you speak for?" - Humph! The salary the emperor gave me is just a little dead salary. Of course, I speak for money. Whoever gives me more money will speak for whom I speak for.
Chapter completed!