Chapter 10: Class (Part 2)

Yang Rui wrote two characters on the blackboard: "Ice Age." He explained: "What does 'Ice Age' mean? It refers to a period when the entire Earth was covered by ice. This research was proposed by the Swiss scientist Agassiz—his name is quite long, so I am using the abbreviation here—around the year 1840, during the Xianfeng period. Later, it was suggested that the Earth has experienced four Ice Ages, a notion that has been accepted by the scientific community, and there is indeed solid evidence for this. For instance, many rock formations exhibit tilted layers, and the uniformity of this tilting is due to the movement of glaciers above them. When the Earth is completely covered by ice, it is generally referred to as the Great Ice Age, while a period when the Earth is not entirely covered by ice but experiences a drop in temperature is typically called the Little Ice Age. The most recent Little Ice Age occurred from the 13th century to the mid-17th century, with the coldest period between 1619 and 1650, marking the lowest temperatures in a millennium. Under such climatic conditions, the entire temperature in China was abnormal, and disasters were frequent. According to local chronicles, even the warmest regions, such as Guangdong, began to experience heavy snowfall."

After explaining the definition, Yang Rui continued to boast about the role of economics: "Although economics is not as intuitive a science as physics or chemistry, it is still a very important discipline. In this regard, it can be said to have the function of governing the country and benefiting the world. I will provide two examples here, and everyone will understand."

Therefore, it can be said that the economy is the foundation for the proper functioning of the entire nation; when the economy is sluggish, internal turmoil is inevitable. Yang Rui summarized: "What is the role of economics? It can adjust the investment and consumption of the entire society. For example, if rice is very expensive in Shanghai, merchants will transport rice there. Once the supply of rice reaches a certain level, the price will drop, and when it falls to the point where merchants incur losses, no one will transport rice anymore, leading to price stabilization. This process is akin to an invisible hand directing the market, which is why some refer to economic laws as an invisible hand. Economics is the science that studies this invisible hand."

At this point, Yang Rui wrote on the blackboard "1618 - 1648" and said: "Apart from natural disasters, there is another reason that exacerbated the economic problems of the Ming government, which is the Thirty Years' War in Europe. We need not concern ourselves with why Europe is at war; it is sufficient to know that the war affected the entire continent and lasted for thirty years. What we must understand is that Ming Dynasty's tea, silk, porcelain, and other goods have always been in high demand in Europe. Porcelain and silk were shipped in bulk to Europe, while ships laden with silver were sent back to the Ming Dynasty. However, with the outbreak of war in Europe, aside from the fighting, in 1636, the Dutch tulip market collapsed, triggering an economic crisis that spread throughout Europe and led to a tightening of currency. At the same time, in 1639, the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan issued the fifth "Sakoku Edict," prohibiting the flow of gold and silver to China. This means that silver from around the world was no longer flowing into China, resulting in soaring prices in China. Many merchants, seeing the rise in silver prices, took the opportunity to hoard silver. These factors ultimately led to a currency circulation crisis, resulting in a situation where there was grain but no money to buy it. This is the second reason that exacerbated the economic problems of the Ming government." This is the second reason that exacerbated the economic problems of the Ming government.

Yang Rui paused for a moment, allowing everyone to understand the data before continuing: "After reviewing the data, you may have questions, so I will first explain why during the reign of Emperor Shen Zong, the situation began to turn from loss to profit, as illustrated in the * charts * and * books *. This was due to changes in the tax law, specifically the implementation of the Single Whip Law by Zhang Juzheng, along with the reduction of unnecessary expenditures. However, why did the losses begin again during the Wanli period? Although Zhang Juzheng had left office, the Single Whip Law continued to be enforced. The primary reason for the losses was the three major military campaigns during the Wanli era, as warfare always incurs significant expenses. After Chongzhen ascended to the throne, he also aimed to revitalize the state. He started by eliminating Wei Zhongxian. According to some students' views, with the treacherous minister gone, the realm should be in a state of great governance. However, the actual situation was that the government still lacked funds. At this time, a minister suggested to Chongzhen that the postal stations could be abolished, which would save one thousand taels of silver annually. Chongzhen found this reasonable and agreed. Consequently, a number of postal station personnel were dismissed and returned home. Do you know who among those sent home was? At this time, a minister suggested to Chongzhen that the postal stations could be abolished, which would save one thousand taels of silver annually. Chongzhen found this reasonable and agreed. Consequently, a number of postal station personnel were dismissed and returned home. Do you know who among those sent home was? Li Hongji, also known as Li Zicheng.

Yang Ruidun paused, heightening everyone's anticipation before saying: "The first example I will present is the fall of the Ming Dynasty." As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere became even more chaotic; this example was rather provocative. In the hearts of these students, who subtly opposed the Qing and supported the Han, the fall of the Ming Dynasty was a matter of great regret. Yang Rui, being straightforward, asked the students what they and their peers believed to be the reasons for the fall of the Ming Dynasty, and then wrote the answers on one side of the blackboard. The students' opinions were mostly about official corruption, the incompetence of ministers, and the rebellions of insurgents, among other things. As for the reasons related to the Manchus, no one dared to mention them, yet in their hearts, they certainly regarded it as a significant factor.

At this point, Yang Rui and the other students digested the content he had presented, took out their teacups from their bags, sipped some tea, and it seemed that everyone was fully focused, without any distractions, which was very satisfying. He continued: "Originally, due to overspending and war, there was a lack of funds, followed by continuous natural disasters. Natural disasters required either financial aid for relief or funds to suppress rebellions, which further depleted the treasury. As if that were not enough, eventually even the Europeans and Japanese who used to send shiploads of silver to the Ming Dynasty every year stopped coming. He continued: "Originally, due to overspending and war, there was a lack of funds, followed by continuous natural disasters. Natural disasters required either financial aid for relief or funds to suppress rebellions, which further depleted the treasury. As if that were not enough, eventually even the Europeans and Japanese who used to send shiploads of silver to the Ming Dynasty every year stopped coming. Therefore, the finances of the Ming Dynasty collapsed, and ultimately, they could not control the rebellions and perished."

Yang Rui circled these reasons with chalk and then crossed them out. He solemnly stated: "The reasons you mentioned are merely superficial; the true reason for the fall of the Ming Dynasty was the economic decline, as it was the lack of funds that led to its demise. Why do I say this? Let me first present a set of data." Yang Rui wrote on the blackboard according to the data he organized last night from a book—actually, he downloaded it from a forum where he found it reasonable. "This is the financial situation of the Ming government," he said as he finished writing the data. He pointed to the first line of data and said: "This reflects the financial situation of the Ming government during the Jiajing period, where the annual deficit was approximately half of the annual revenue. This situation persisted until the reign of the Shenzong, after which conditions began to improve, resulting in annual surpluses. However, this changed again starting in the tenth year of the Wanli period, when the government began to incur annual deficits once more, albeit to a lesser extent than before, amounting to around five hundred thousand taels of silver each year. This deficit continued until the first year of the Chongzhen period, leading to significant consequences: the nearly ten million taels of silver accumulated during the Shenzong's reign were depleted, and there were widespread arrears in military salaries, with the military salaries for the border troops in Shaanxi being owed for over thirty months."

Immediately, there was a great uproar. Yang Rui was very pleased with this effect, smiled, and continued: "Of course, I cannot assume that the removal of Li Zicheng was the sole reason for his later invasion of Beijing and the fall of the Ming Dynasty. The rebellions in Shaanxi actually have multiple causes, with natural disasters being the most significant among them. But why were natural disasters so frequent during the Chongzhen period?"