Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 86: Lessons from a Lost Nation

“Dad~!”

“Dad~!”

"Grandpa~!"

"Grandpa~!"

"Your Majesty!" Seeing that Emperor Yongle was in a trance and almost fell, the surrounding princes, Prince Han, Monk Daoyan, Zhu Zhanhe, Zhu Zhanji and others hurried forward to support him.

"It's okay! I can still hold on!" Emperor Yongle supported the table in front of the small couch with his hands and said weakly.

Emperor Yongle looked up and saw his children and grandchildren, all looking at him nervously. Perhaps it was because he had been alone for too long, but somehow, Emperor Yongle suddenly felt a long-lost sense of intimacy and comfort, and it made him want to burst into tears!

After resting for a while with his hands on the table, Emperor Yongle relieved the tension in his heart and continued to carefully read the thick memorial in his hand.

The glaring words come into view one by one!

The Ming Dynasty's Fall: The Dynasty's Lifespan Limit—Six Hundred and a Half!

Theory of the Fall of the Ming Dynasty Part Two: The Ming Dynasty’s National Fortune is Exhausted—Five Dragons in One Dynasty!
Three Essays on the Fall of the Ming Dynasty: The People's Land Loss - Land Annexation!
Four Essays on the Fall of the Ming Dynasty: There is not enough food in the world—too many people and too little land!
Five Essays on the Fall of the Ming Dynasty: Currency Devaluation Across the World—Lack of Purchasing Power for the People!

Six chapters on the fall of the Ming Dynasty: the system of vassal kings—the reform of vassal kings!
Seven Essays on the Fall of the Ming Dynasty: Emphasis on Civilian Officials Over Military Officials - Factional Struggles among Civil Officials!
Eight chapters on the fall of the Ming Dynasty: The army is out of control - corruption and lack of pay!
Nine articles on the fall of the Ming Dynasty: Eunuchs' monopoly of power - the harem's interference in politics!
Ten Essays on the Fall of the Ming Dynasty: Foreign Invasion - Unification of the Grassland!
The eleventh chapter on the fall of the Ming Dynasty: The emperor is incompetent and neglects state affairs!
The final chapter of the theory of the fall of the Ming Dynasty: the fall of the country by destiny!
There are thirteen articles in total, and each one made Emperor Yongle's eyes bloodshot, his head dizzy, and his heart bleeding!

In the end, Emperor Yongle himself didn't know how he finished reading these thirteen articles on the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

"Grandpa, you have to hold on. If something happens to you, how are we going to solve these problems?!" The same words were spoken to Emperor Yongle, but they were equally effective.

Zhu Zhanhe went straight to his grandfather, Emperor Yongle, and said this loudly!
It seemed that this sentence gave Emperor Yongle great motivation. He actually opened his eyes, but his red and bloodshot eyes and trembling hands showed that he could not control his heart.

"Where did it come from?!" Yongle's hoarse voice rang out the question he wanted to know most at the moment.

"Grandpa, this is what I wrote!" Zhu Zhanhe raised his head and looked at his grandfather in front of him who seemed ready to choose someone to devour, and said calmly.

"You wrote it?!" Emperor Yongle stared at his grandson in front of him, his face full of disbelief!
"When my grandson was writing, my father watched it from the beginning!" Zhu Zhanhe would not lie on this issue. After all, the current Emperor Yongle seemed to be questioning the author, but in fact he was determining the scope of the killing!

"How can you know these questions?! Second brother?!" Emperor Yongle still didn't believe it, so he turned to look at Prince Han.

"Father, when He'er was writing, I watched him the whole time, word for word!" Prince Han said in a low voice, but still firmly! "How did you know?" Emperor Yongle continued to ask.

"To answer grandpa's question, history books! I have been familiar with history books since I was young. These questions are all in history books!" Zhu Zhanhe calmly gave his answer!
"History books?!" Emperor Yongle was incredulous, his eyes full of confusion. "I've read history books too, so why haven't I seen the contents of your memorial?"
The prince and others standing by had also read history books, so they were all confused and waiting for Zhu Zhanhe's explanation.

“Since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, Chinese history books are vast and boundless. Most people have only read one-tenth or one-twelfth of them. Of course, I have only read a part of them.

But when I read history books, I just made some more summaries than others, so the content I summarized is different from others! Zhu Zhanhe told everyone that he was just good at summarizing. You can't say that you read the summary of your previous life!
"Then tell me, what else have you concluded?" Emperor Yongle looked at Zhu Zhanhe doubtfully, wanting to test him further! Little did he know that Zhu Zhanhe's next words would leave him dumbfounded!

"Then let me show you my ugliness." Zhu Zhanhe knew that this was a test from Emperor Yongle, so he spoke without hesitation.

"Grandpa! Uncle! Dad! Master! Since ancient times, every dynasty in China has learned from the lessons of the previous dynasty's demise!

But why, despite all the measures taken by various dynasties, were they still unable to stop the march towards destruction? Let's examine them one by one!
The Shang Dynasty was the first to conquer the world through military force, and its military prowess was unquestionable! The final years of the Shang dynasty were characterized by frequent expansionist campaigns, which significantly eroded the nation's strength. Taking advantage of the Shang's lack of national strength, the Zhou clan allied with other vassal states to attack the Shang. The Shang assembled numerous captives and slaves to resist, but these captives, eager for the Shang's demise, defected when war broke out. Thus, the Shang, which had lasted for over 500 years, perished virtually overnight.

After the Zhou Dynasty gained control of the world, it reflected on the lessons of the Shang Dynasty's demise. They adopted a new strategy, allowing the vassal states to expand their territory while they concentrated their forces at home, commanding the vassal states in the name of the Son of Heaven. Initially, this model seemed perfect, as the Zhou royal family possessed sufficient military resources and was untouchable. However, as the vassal states gradually granted more and more fiefs, the Zhou royal family was forced to continuously divide up the central territory. This gradually led to the vassal states becoming increasingly powerful, while the Zhou emperor became increasingly weak, eventually becoming a mere figurehead. Ultimately, the Zhou Dynasty was conquered by the Qin Dynasty.

After conquering the world, the Qin Dynasty reflected on the lessons of the Zhou Dynasty's demise. To this end, Qin Shi Huang implemented numerous measures (standardizing the wheel gauge, writing system, weights and measures, and defending against the Xiongnu) to ensure a clear and coherent internal and external arrangements. Qin Shi Huang felt that the feudal system was no longer suitable for the newly formed Qin Dynasty. Thus, a centralized system was introduced. Since the feudal lords were unreliable, he simply centralized power in the emperor's hands, assigning officials to manage the lower levels. This seemed ideal, but the emperor underestimated the officials' loyalty. They thought, "You pay me a salary, and I'll do my work. Is this a small salary worth my life?" Consequently, when the country faced its fate, the officials either surrendered or defected, and only a few survived the empire. Ultimately, the Qin Dynasty fell under the tide of rebellion.

When Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, conquered the world, he once again reflected on the lessons of the Qin Dynasty's fall, concluding that officials were less reliable than his own people. He therefore enfeoffed all his sons as kings, figuring that even if the empire fell into chaos, true power would still be in his own hands, ensuring that the empire would not be lost. However, he seemed to have underestimated the people's desire for power. Shortly after his death, friction between imperial power and separatist forces erupted, known in history as the Rebellion of the Seven Kings. This rebellion further strengthened and consolidated the centralization of power. While no major rebellions by the princes occurred, the throne was seized by his relatives.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the emperor distrusted everyone, from ministers to relatives, suspecting them of ill-intentions. After careful consideration, he concluded that only the eunuchs around him were reliable. Little did he know that eunuchs, once in power, could wreak havoc. During the reign of Emperor Ling, the Ten Eunuchs roiled the country, ultimately leading to widespread rebellion. Unable to control the situation, the court was forced to delegate power to the local authorities. The local vassal states, upon gaining power, quickly recruited troops and quelled the rebellion. As the saying goes, it's easy to gain power, but difficult to delegate. While the rebellion was quelled, the warlords grew stronger, and ultimately, even the emperor became a puppet, a mere figurehead.

The Sima family subsequently usurped the Cao regime and established the Jin Dynasty. Early on, perhaps fearing a weakening of their rule, the Sima family liberally distributed fiefdoms, following the Han dynasty's pattern. However, retribution soon followed, culminating in the Rebellion of the Eight Princes, which devastated the Jin Dynasty. Eventually, a surge of foreign invaders, the Five Barbarians, and the subsequent destruction of the Western Jin Dynasty, ushered in the chaotic Southern and Northern Dynasties period, which lasted for over a hundred years.

It wasn't until the Sui Dynasty that the chaotic period ended and unified China again. Learning from the previous dynasty's experience, the Sui Dynasty instituted an imperial examination system to divide the power of the established aristocracy. This, however, significantly offended these entrenched nobles. During the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui, he drastically depleted national resources, sparking widespread resentment among the people and ultimately being overthrown by various forces.

The Later Tang Dynasty succeeded the Sui Dynasty. Drawing upon the lessons of the previous dynasty, the Tang even instituted a new system: the Jiedushi (military governor). In its early years, the Tang Dynasty flourished, attracting tribute from all nations. However, the Jiedushi's power eventually grew too great, leading to a rebellion against the emperor. The emperor was driven from the capital, subsequently rebuked by Huang Chao, and ultimately usurped by Zhu Wen, usurping power. This marked the beginning of a period of profound chaos known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

It wasn't until Zhao Kuangyin ascended the throne and established the Song Dynasty that order was gradually restored. The Song dynasty, once again learning from the lessons of previous dynasties, believed that military generals had too much power and were difficult to control. Thus, a policy of prioritizing civil officials over military officials became prevalent throughout the Song Dynasty. Ultimately, the military generals didn't rebel, but were ultimately destroyed by foreign invaders.

After the Yuan Dynasty came to power, it divided the people into different classes, each receiving different treatment. Under this unequal rule, various contradictions soon emerged, and it was eventually overthrown by my great-grandfather.

After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, we once again learned from the previous experience and lessons. This time, we put the focus on the foreign races. For this reason, the capital was moved to the front line of defense against foreign races! Grandpa even launched a series of conquests!
But how long can the Ming Dynasty hold on? " Zhu Zhanhe turned his head and looked at the stunned crowd beside him, and asked in a deep voice.

(End of this chapter)