In the past, whether it was Apocalypse or Wanli, a bowl of water was leveled, and the wealth of the south was used to support the generals of the north. This was originally the practice of all dynasties, royal methods, and balanced strategies, so there was naturally no problem.

But by the end of the Ming Dynasty, there was a big change.

During the Hongwu and Yongle years, the main threat to the north was the Mongolian tribes. With the two emperors' expeditions in successive years, the Mongol Empire was defeated into the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and from the Northern Yuan Dynasty it was defeated into the Oara and Tatars. Finally, with the invasion of some Mongolian tribes

After surrendering, the Mongols who once roamed the Eurasian continent became robbers and bandits on the northern border of the Ming Dynasty, and they are no longer as powerful as they used to be.

But in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, with the Tumubao Incident, the Ming Dynasty's 100,000-strong army was wiped out. The elite soldiers in the north were severely weakened, and the new frontier soldiers who were quickly formed were mixed and weak in combat power. From then on, the border troubles in the north were

It became more and more serious. When border troubles were serious, money, food and troops were needed. As a result, Ming Dynasty's military expenditure also increased year by year. At that time, Ming Dynasty, as a country with abundant resources and beautiful scenery, could still support it.

In the late Ming Dynasty, with the three great campaigns of Wanli, the Ming Dynasty's elite army suffered more and more serious losses. The Ming Dynasty soldiers who used to be able to defeat the Mongolian Empire turned into lambs to be slaughtered. Their combat power can be said to be

The emperor's courtiers were shocked. In order to maintain suppression of Mongolia, military expenditures accounted for most of the Ming Dynasty's tax revenue. At this time, the Ming Dynasty had already shown signs of decline.

At this time, the border troubles in the north had not been eliminated, and another tiger with fangs appeared in the northeast. With the Battle of Saarhu, the elites of the northern Ming Dynasty suffered heavy losses. Generals such as Jun Song were killed on the spot.

To deal with the increasingly powerful Hou Jin, the Ming Dynasty had to start operating the defense lines in Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan. At this time, the Ming Dynasty's military expenditure finally reached its peak. The two defense lines in the north and northeast were like two bottomless pits, constantly devouring the Ming Dynasty.

Annual tax income.

The soldiers in the north fought bloody battles to defend their hometown, but the wealthy wealthy households in the south paid hard-earned wealth, but received no direct benefits. In this way, they used their income to fill the gap of the Ming Dynasty every year.

No one is willing to face the abyss of military spending, and the conflicts are becoming more and more intense.

Finally, the southern plutocrats came up with a good way, which was to support their own power in the court, use their power to fight against the imperial power, and resist the imperial power from using their wealth to build the northern border defense.

The south of the Ming Dynasty was stable and all industries were prosperous. It was much easier for scholars to obtain honors than those in the north, and their power in the court became stronger and stronger. Soon, the Donglin Party, relying on the support of the wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River, entered the stage of history.

, they resolutely defended the interests of the South, resisted the imperial power to levy mineral taxes and commercial taxes, restricted the use of troops and built defenses in the North, and when their power was at its strongest, there was the odd case of local governments and counties being in arrears with taxes for several years.

thing.

The use of troops in the north is at a critical moment. As long as it survives this catastrophe like Wanli and relies on national power to suppress the rebellion, the Ming Dynasty will regain stability.

The Ming Dynasty lost an army and could quickly recruit a larger army. But Nurhachi could never fight the second Battle of Sarhu. This was a fact that everyone in the court knew, and this was also their

Even though he was defeated, he was still disdainful of Donglu.

But without a second march, as the most powerful empire in the world, the Ming Dynasty could not produce enough wealth to support such a war related to the fate of the country. This was the tragedy of the Ming Dynasty and the helplessness of the dynasty's demise.

The empire is about to fall and the national power is declining. No one knows it better than these ministers. In this era, they are the only ones who are the historical controllers of the collapse of a dynasty, and the others are just witnesses. But even at the critical moment of life and death, there are all kinds of constraints

, a court with all kinds of helplessness, a court that gathers such a group of elites from all over the world, but it cannot be changed.

The failure of the imperial power in this political struggle was the key to the demise of the Ming Dynasty and the inevitable defeat of the Donglin Party.

Whether it was to maintain the majesty of the imperial power or to accumulate strength, Tianqi had to raise his butcher knife to the wealthy families in the south. He forged the sharpest blade, that of Wei Zhongxian, and it was this blade that defeated the invincible Dong

The Lin Party scared off the disobedient and disrespectful local tycoons, cut off the wealth from the wealthy households in the south, and maintained the increasingly corrupt North of the Ming Dynasty.

The emperor still controls the world, and the imperial power does not allow provocation. This is Jiajing.

The emperor still controls the world, and the imperial power does not allow control. This is Wanli.

The emperor still controls the world, and the imperial power does not allow failure. This is the apocalypse.

But with the early death of Tianqi, Chongzhen, who had no foundation, ascended to the throne of imperial power. He needed power, majesty, and the power to help him realize the resurgence of the Ming Dynasty.

Wei Zhongxian, who has overwhelming power in the government and the public, is the best candidate for him to establish his majesty. Once Wei Zhongxian falls, the power void left by him is the best choice for Chongzhen to expand his power. As for the power that can revive the Ming Dynasty, there is no better one in the world than the Donglin Party.

candidate.

In this way, Chongzhen, who had a high self-esteem, successfully tripped Wei Zhongxian, gained power, and gained a firm foothold. What he had to do next was to lead the talented people of the Donglin Party to use the wealth of the south to realize the resurgence of the Ming Dynasty.

Chongzhen’s great achievements.

If he can really control the Donglin Party, then he will undoubtedly succeed. Whether it is the resurgence of the Ming Dynasty or the beginning of the Chongzhen era, it will all be realized in his hands.

However, he failed. The Donglin Party was not the defender of the imperial power, but the protector of the interests of the wealthy plutocrats in Jiangnan.

As a seventeen-year-old boy, he has done very well. Unfortunately, he thinks everything is too wonderful and is too confident in himself.

Young people's ideas are always idealistic.

Now the Donglin Party not only failed to improve the situation of the Ming Dynasty, but because of Wei Zhongxian's overthrow, they successfully took control of the government. With power, they vowed to help Chongzhen realize the resurgence of the Ming Dynasty on the one hand, but on the other hand they were poaching the corners of the empire.

Reducing taxes in the south further worsened the Ming Dynasty's tax revenue.

Nowadays, there are constant natural disasters in the north, and the border defenses are riddled with holes. It is a time when money and food are urgently needed, but the wealthy wealthy households in the south have no intention of sharing the country's worries. Without Wei Zhongxian's suppression, they will never cut their own throats again.

Meat went to mend the wounds in the north. The situation of the Ming Dynasty not only did not improve in the hands of Chongzhen, but also took a sharp turn for the worse.

The plutocrats in the southeast were left with nothing to lose, and the soldiers and people in the northwest were starving. The imperial power was no longer the one who controlled power and balanced the power, but became a battlefield where two forces fought.

The South gritted its teeth and refused to let go, and Chongzhen had no way to solve the problem of money and food. Both sides could wait, but the hungry people who were already chewing tree bark and eating soil could not wait any longer. The generals in the northwest have become dissatisfied with the decline in recent years.

, at this time, some people finally couldn't bear it anymore and no longer waited, but fought for it.

The refugees became bandits, killing officials and attacking the city. Countless hungry people finally collapsed in this struggle, staring with green eyes, and began to seek survival.

From then on, the northwest generals were divided into two factions, one was the conservative faction who were loyal to the Ming Dynasty and did not want to be rebellious officials and traitors, and the other was the radical faction that relied on violent means to strive for interests.

When Wei Zhongxian said that the Northwest Generals were in chaos, he was referring to the division of the Northwest Generals. (Personal conjecture, purely fictional.)
Chapter completed!