Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2357: Fortunately in Nanjing (Twenty-four) Where are the great powers?

Accepting Japan's sending of "envoys to Ming Dynasty" was undoubtedly a major event from Japan's perspective, and it deserved the attention of the entire country's ruling class. However, for the Ming Dynasty today, it was just a small matter that could be decided by a conversation between the emperor and the prime minister.

Thanks to Zhou Gongdan and the First Emperor, China was politically precocious in the world at that time - and too mature. China had an excellent foundation, vast territory, a huge clan, cultural integration, and centralized power. Everything made it naturally and inevitably become the "Heavenly Kingdom" that the surrounding foreign countries both admired and feared.

Look at the major European countries at that time, whose situation was better than that of the Ming Dynasty?

Let's first talk about the number one enemy that the Ming Dynasty will most likely face on land in the future, Tsarist Russia. It has only been a hundred years since Tsarist Russia got rid of the "Tatar shackles". In the 1602th year of Wanli, that is, in AD, Tsarist Russia's political structure was not stable. The aristocracy played an important role in the political arena, and the authority of the Tsar had not yet been fully established. The nobles often had considerable autonomy and influence.

At this time, Ivan IV, also known as "The Terrible", had died and his son Fyodor succeeded him. However, since Fyodor was frail and had no interest in politics, state affairs were mainly handled by his confidant Boris Godunov. During Godunov's regency, the power struggle among the nobles became increasingly fierce, laying the groundwork for the subsequent political turmoil.

Of course, Tsarist Russia had already begun its pace of external expansion around 1602. For example, Tsarist Russia once sent troops to invade the Khanate of Khiva in Central Asia. Although this invasion ended in failure, it had already demonstrated Tsarist Russia's ambition for external expansion.

Gao Youshi had a hunch or speculation that as the Ming Dynasty's power expanded westward to the limit of its ruling power before the advent of railways, Burihatu, who was expelled westward to Central Asia by the Ming Dynasty, would inevitably come into conflict with Tsarist Russia.

In the early stages of the conflict, relying on Buzhihatu's abilities, the Chahar tribe should have been able to gain a certain advantage, but he would die one day. After his death, unless the Chahar tribe could produce one or even several generations of "holy kings", Tsarist Russia would be able to rely on the advancement of Western firearms to gradually make up for its disadvantages until it completely completed the conquest of Central Asia - unless this process took too long, resulting in the construction of railways, and the Ming Dynasty's power continued to expand westward along the railways.

However, that had little to do with the Chahar tribe. Because by that time, the protagonists of the confrontation had changed to the Ming Dynasty and Tsarist Russia. Of course, the premise of all this is that the Chahar tribe still maintained its nomadic tradition, and did not go all the way south to break through Persia and reach the Indian Ocean, and at the same time, its political wisdom exploded and actually opened the ocean age from then on - Gao Youshi felt that this was really unlikely.

Back to Tsarist Russia, of course, its opponents were not just Chahar, and its expansion direction was far more than Central Asia. It had many conflicts with neighboring countries. For example, the conflict with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was particularly fierce during this period. The two sides had and would continue to fight many wars for territory and influence. These conflicts would not only consume the national strength of Tsarist Russia, but also exacerbate its internal political turmoil.

In terms of economic and political systems, serfdom was gradually developing in Tsarist Russia around 1602. In order to increase their wealth and power, the nobles began to buy and occupy serfs in large numbers. This system not only exacerbated social contradictions, but also restricted the development of the Tsarist Russian economy. It has to be said that the political and economic systems of Tsarist Russia were indeed very backward, as they were still practicing serfdom in the th century and would continue for another years.

Due to wars, natural disasters and the exploitation of the nobles, the Russian Empire faced serious economic difficulties during this period. Problems such as financial exhaustion, heavy taxes and peasant uprisings emerged one after another, which seriously shook the foundation of the Russian Empire's rule.

As for religion, Tsarist Russia was still deeply influenced by Eastern Orthodoxy during this period. Religion always played an important role in the political, economic and social life of Tsarist Russia. The nobles often used religion to consolidate their ruling position, while the people sought spiritual sustenance and comfort through religion.

Other things such as culture did not have a significant impact on Tsarist Russia at that time, so we will not discuss them for now.

In short, in the 1602th year of the Wanli reign, that is, around , Russia was in a period of political turmoil, military expansion, and economic difficulties. Its influence had already crossed the Ural Mountains to the east, and the farthest end of its tentacles could even connect with the various tribes of the Oirat.

However, just as the Ming Dynasty could only rely on moving the Ordos tribe to Qihe to control the northwestern region of the former Oirat tribes, Tsarist Russia was also unable to invest much strength here.

For the time being - Gao Yousi meant within the possible period of his regency - there might be tentacle-level conflicts between the Ming Dynasty and Tsarist Russia, but since the forces that both sides can invest are far from enough, it is unlikely that a serious conflict will break out.

Let’s look at the early colonial powers. Let’s start with the Spanish-Portuguese colonial empire (the King of Spain continued to serve as the King of Portugal, forming a personal union). At this time, Philip II, who said “the world is not enough for me”, had passed away, and he was succeeded by the mediocre and incompetent Philip III.

On the surface, the Spanish-Portuguese Empire was still glorious at this time. Spain occupied most of the Americas from Mexico in the north to Peru in the south, and the vast amount of gold and silver provided it with a steady stream of financial resources for its conquests.
Portugal occupied Brazil in the Americas and established numerous coastal colonial cities or colonial outposts in Africa and Asia. It basically controlled the "Ming-Nanjiang Economic System" and sold most of the high-end goods such as silk, porcelain, spices (spices mainly came from Southeast Asia controlled by Beijing), tea, etc. from the Indian Ocean to West Asia and Europe, making huge profits.

However, under the prosperous times, crises were lurking everywhere. The Spanish-Portuguese Empire (hereinafter referred to as Spain) faced many difficulties in Europe, especially war and economic difficulties, which can be summarized as follows:

First of all, there was the dilemma of war. In the Anglo-Spanish War, in 1588, the Spanish Armada was attacked by the British Navy in the English Channel and was ultimately defeated. Although this battle did not immediately replace Spain's maritime power with Britain as some later accounts have stated, it did shake Spain's position as the hegemon of the sea, and it also marked the beginning of the decline of the Spanish Empire.

At almost the same time, Dutch nobles and officials launched an uprising due to dissatisfaction with the Spanish royal family's tax policy and the Inquisition. After a long war, the Dutch provinces established the Union of Utrecht in 1581 and declared independence from Spain. Spain spent a lot of manpower and material resources in this war, but ultimately failed to maintain its rule over the Netherlands.

Especially now, between 1601 and 1604, the Spanish army laid siege to the "rebellious" Dutch-held fortress of Ostend, and although they eventually captured the city, it came at a heavy cost. The city was completely destroyed and it became a huge burden on Spanish finances.

At the same time, Spain and France also broke out in many wars, and the two sides continued to compete for territory and hegemony. These wars further weakened Spain's strength.

The first problem Spain faced was the fiscal deficit caused by overexpansion. Spain's colonial expansion in the Americas brought a lot of wealth, but also brought huge military and administrative expenses. Over time, these expenses gradually exceeded Spain's fiscal capacity, resulting in a deepening fiscal deficit.

The huge amount of gold and silver shipped back from the American colonies made the Spanish royal family feel that they had unlimited money. On the other hand, it also led to a continuous increase in the domestic money supply in Spain, which, together with the royal family's currency devaluation policy, accelerated inflation. This not only damaged Spain's economic stability, but also weakened the competitiveness of Spanish products in the international market, resulting in various industries in Spain not only failing to benefit, but becoming increasingly desolate.

According to Gao Gongshi's past life, by the middle of the 17th century, Spain would experience a severe economic recession and population decline. This was mainly due to losses caused by poor harvests, plague, smallpox, war, and foreign emigration. These problems further exacerbated Spain's economic difficulties. At the same time, Spain spent a lot on the management and defense of its colonies, but these investments did not bring corresponding returns. The colonies were just beginning to be built, their markets were limited, and they were under competitive pressure from other European countries. In addition, the prohibition of non-Spanish immigration to Spanish Latin America also restricted the economic development of the colonies.

To sum it up simply, the wars and economic difficulties that Spain faced in Europe were one of the important reasons for the decline of its empire. As a Catholic country that was pious to the point of being exemplary, and a great power ruled by the Habsburg family, it was almost impossible for Spain to extricate itself from the wars for hegemony in Europe. Therefore, it was inevitable that it would continue to bleed itself until it was ultimately powerless to recover.

Of course, this might be a good thing for Gao Youshi or the Ming Dynasty. Especially when their own industries were becoming increasingly weak, Spain had already begun to import firearms from southern Xinjiang, which made Gao Youshi quite happy - not because of how much money he could make, but because when this trade route was established, Gao Youshi could always maintain the level of firearms development in southern Xinjiang. Even if he passed away in the future, the development of firearms in southern Xinjiang and even in the Ming Dynasty would not lag behind the West.

Gao Youshi never thought that Europe’s strength in the next few hundred years would come from any political system. Their strength comes from demand!
Because the strength of the major countries was not much different, they competed with each other in industry, and even fought each other almost all the time. As a result, they chased each other, which led to industrial progress and the update of firearms. As they fought internally, they also fought externally. When they fought, they suddenly realized that - hey, why are you so weak? So the colonial era began.

In the final analysis, it is not that China’s system is backward, but that China is simply too powerful in its known world and has almost no real, comprehensive competitors, so it has lost the need to make rapid progress!
Some people may ask, wasn't Mongolia always considered a strong enemy by the Ming Dynasty? Wasn't the Ming Dynasty eventually replaced by the Qing Dynasty? How can you say there were no competitors?

Mongolia can indeed threaten the border with fast horses and strong bows, but can it really be compared with the Ming Dynasty? The Qing Dynasty did replace the Ming Dynasty, but it was an internal uprising that destroyed the Ming Dynasty, and the main force that destroyed the Southern Ming Dynasty was the Ming army that defected to the Qing Dynasty. In the final analysis, the demise of the Ming Dynasty was actually suicide, not murder!
Let me ask you a simple question: Among all the great unified dynasties in China, was there any one that was destroyed by foreign enemies when the country was on the rise and when internal conflicts were not significant? Not a single one.

A country is built on virtue, not on danger. This saying is true in Chinese history, as long as you understand the "virtue" here correctly. This "virtue" is not morality, but internal harmony. China, which is internally harmonious, has never feared any external enemies, because its foundation is so good - vast territory, great clans, cultural unity, and centralized power.

It is born and destined to be a leading country!
Since we are talking about leading countries, let's take a look at Britain, which has "led" the world for more than 200 years in the original history. At this time, England had not yet dramatically "shared a monarch" with Scotland, let alone "unification", and its conquest of Ireland was only half completed.

At this time, England continued to be ruled by the last queen of the Tudor dynasty, the "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth I. Due to competition with Spain and the Netherlands in religion, industry and other aspects, as well as the losses caused by the war, England was also in a mess.

When the Ming Dynasty was deeply troubled by the Little Ice Age, Europe also entered the Little Ice Age. The cooling climate had a negative impact on agricultural production, with grain output decreasing and prices rising.

The food problem was particularly severe in England, where the demand for food increased dramatically due to a rapidly growing population. This led to food shortages and a general decline in people's living standards.

Due to the need for colonization, factory handicrafts in Europe had begun to develop rapidly in the late 16th century, but English artisans faced competition from countries such as the Netherlands. The large number of individual artisans who could not compete with large-scale production became unemployed, exacerbating the poverty problem in English cities.

Faced with the problem of poverty, the English government revised and promulgated a series of poor laws, trying to alleviate poverty through taxation and relief measures, but these measures had limited effects and many extremely poor people still did not receive effective assistance.

The religious situation in England was still complex and changing in 1602. During the reign of Elizabeth I, the position of the Church of England (Anglican) was strengthened, but religious divisions and conflicts still existed.

As for external expansion, England also coveted the gains made by the Spanish and Portuguese empires at this time, but it would take another 5-6 years to achieve significant results. For example, in 1607, England established its first permanent overseas colony in Jamestown, Virginia, marking the initial expansion of England's colonies in North America.

In Asia, the East India Company arrived in Surat on the west coast of the Indian peninsula in 1608, established its first trading point, and set up a factory in Mussulipadam on the Ebony Coast of the Bay of Bengal to engage in profit-making activities.

Gao Fusi is currently unable to reach America, especially the east coast of North America, which is completely out of reach. However, if the British want to land in the Bay of Bengal and start colonizing India as they did in history, Gao Fusi can do so.

At that time, the European colonial powers' delivery capabilities were just so-so. As long as there was no significant military generation gap, they would still give in when they should. Some people may say that it was easy for Britain to fight against the Qing Dynasty. Did the British army at that time have a generation gap advantage?

What we are saying is, is there a possibility that the tens of thousands of "old brothers from Guangxi" in the early days of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had weapons and equipment that were not as good as those of the Qing Dynasty, but they still achieved a military record that was generations ahead of the Qing army - until the Tianjing Incident.

A country's virtue lies in its virtue, not in its dangers. When a regime devotes all its energy to internal consumption, no matter whether it is the Qing Dynasty or the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, it will immediately show its military weakness that will leave people stunned.

Unfortunately, it was not until 1949 that this kind of "morality" was restored. Coincidentally, after China restored this kind of "morality", it immediately faced a life-and-death test. The top Western military forces that seemed almost like heavenly soldiers and generals encountered this Chinese army after the restoration of "morality" in North Korea, and finally stopped at the 38th parallel and could not cross the red line even a step.

Why did Gao Youshi always regard dealing with the internal problems of the Ming Dynasty as the most important thing, and did not hesitate to use huge forces in foreign wars? Because China, which has handled its internal affairs well, has huge forces to mobilize, and as long as the commander follows the rules and does not make stupid mistakes, there is no way he can lose in a crushing situation!
Since China’s most obvious advantage lies in its size, I will take good care of my body and then use my size to crush you!

Not convinced? Don’t be dissatisfied!

This is how the Ming Dynasty viewed Japan at that time. Gao Youshi also viewed the so-called "great powers" in the future in the West with this mentality!
As long as I open my eyes, know how far the Western countries have come, and keep up with the military...there are no great powers in the world! ——
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PS: This chapter is the end of Chapter 291, "Lucky Nanjing", and the end of the entire super-long volume "Three Major Expeditions". The next volume will really be the last one. If some readers hadn't insisted that I finish writing it in detail, I would only need three chapters to end it.

In fact, this book doesn't bring much financial gain. I dare say that for most authors, they should have stopped publishing their books long ago, or even put them on the shelves. But I said, if someone reads, I will write. Making money is important, but fulfilling a promise is more important.