Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 145 The Problems of the Ming Dynasty Today (Part Two)
After Ni Yuanlu stepped back, Zhang Zhiji stepped forward and glanced at the crowd.

The young British heir was equally excited at that moment.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, but his voice still trembled slightly.

"The answer we finally found can be summed up in just eight words!"

He paused, speaking each word with as if he had used all his strength.

"The population is growing, but the land is insufficient to support them!"

The moment the words were spoken, a slight commotion arose in the hall.

Some seasoned and prudent officials frowned slightly, seemingly unconvinced by the answer.

In their view, the problems of the dynasty were numerous and complex, and could not be summarized in just eight words.
However, before they could think it through, Zhang Zhiji suddenly waved his hand.

The eunuchs standing nearby all tore down the white paper on the screen, revealing a huge chart in front of everyone.

"During the reign of Emperor Gaozu of Han, the empire was newly established, and the population was eighteen million."

Zhang Zhiji's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"By the time of Emperor Ping of Han, in just two hundred years, the population had reached over 57 million! That's more than tripled!"

"After the wars, by the time of Emperor Guangwu of Han, the population had dropped to just over 20 million."

"However, by the time of Emperor Huan of Han, in just over a hundred years, the population had once again climbed to over 56 million! More than double!"

……

He talked about everything from the Han Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, finally concluding at the end of the chart.

"During the Song Dynasty, when Emperor Taizong was on the throne, the population of the country exceeded 30 million."

"By the time of Emperor Huizong, a mere 130 years later, the population had already reached over 100 million! That's another threefold increase!"

Upon hearing the number ten million, some of the distracted officials were slightly drawn back to their senses, but others remained lost in thought.

"We examined the archives of various dynasties, including the Book of Han, the Tongdian, the Old Book of Tang, the Yongle Encyclopedia, and the Song Huiyao, and only after careful review did we arrive at this data!"

As he spoke, Zhang Zhiji's eyes burned with a fervent fire, and his voice reached its peak of passion.

He addressed all the officials with a question that everyone already knew the answer to.

"However, at the beginning of our Great Ming Dynasty, in the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu, there were records of a population of over sixty million!"

"To this day, the Yellow Register of our Great Ming Dynasty still shows more than 60 million!"

"May I ask you, my lords!" he shouted sternly, "After 234 years of peace and tranquility, is the population of our Great Ming Dynasty truly only a little over 60 million?!"

"Is this even possible?! Is this reasonable?!"

Of course it's unreasonable, everyone knows that, you don't need to shout it out loud.

Some people in the hall were now really getting into the swing of things, seriously trying to estimate the population of the Ming Dynasty at this time.

Did it double to 120 million? Or did it triple to 180 million?

Surely it can't be... 200 million?
The idea flashed through some people's minds, only to be rejected by them immediately.

Others, however, were weighing the purpose of this talk and calculating its relevance to their jobs and assets.

and so……

Is it really time to survey the land?

Should we distribute the land among the clan members first?

Should we wait and see? Once land is given away, it's hard to say what will happen in a few years.

Amidst this silence filled with everyone's own thoughts, a steady voice rang out.

"Your Majesty, I have a question."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw an official stand up. It was none other than Bi Ziyan, the former Minister of Revenue in Nanjing.

The old minister, at this moment, showed no sarcasm or opposition on his face, but rather a strong interest and curiosity.

"Young Master Zhang's argument, drawing lessons from history, is thought-provoking." He first politely cupped his hands in affirmation.

"But I believe that scholarship should be rigorous."

“In the early years of the dynasty, wars were frequent and people were displaced. Many fled the war and abandoned their household registration, so the population was relatively small.”

“Once the world is at peace, the households that have been hiding in the mountains and forests will return one after another. As a result, the estimated number of people who have increased in number may be too high when compared with the extreme values ​​of the two dynasties.”

Bi Ziyan's voice was calm and unhurried, and his reasoning was clear.

He bowed slightly and gave another salute: "But I still believe that this method is sufficient to be considered a masterpiece. However, in order to be rigorous, I have this question. May I ask, gentlemen, do you have any more convincing arguments?"

His gaze was intense, as if he were admiring a peerless piece of jade, eager to see its more perfect side.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhiji was not embarrassed by being refuted; instead, he breathed a sigh of relief and bowed slightly to Bi Ziyan.

"Minister Bi is absolutely right! We had the same thought!"

He gestured, and the eunuchs pulled down another piece of paper from the screen, revealing a new chart.

"This is a chart showing the population growth of the Ming Dynasty's imperial family, with data from the imperial genealogy records."

Zhang Zhiji said loudly: "Xu Guangqi, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, once submitted a proposal entitled 'Discussion on the Handling of the Imperial Clan's Investigation and Verification of Border Supplies'."

"It is said that during the Hongwu reign, there were only fifty-eight princes and officials of the rank of Prince of the First Rank. By the Yongle reign, there were one hundred and twenty-seven such officials, more than double the number in thirty years!"

"In the early years of the Longqing reign, 28,000 survived; in the 22nd year of the Wanli reign, 62,000 survived, which is more than double the number in another 30 years!"

"In the thirty-second year of the Wanli reign, no fewer than 80,000 remained, which is a third more than ten years later, and more than doubled in another thirty years!"

However, Bi Ziyan slowly shook his head.

"I have also read this memorial."

“In the past, a prince would receive a stipend for having a son. The General of the State would receive a stipend of 1,000 shi, and the Lieutenant of the State would receive a stipend of 400 shi.”

"Driven by profit, everyone has children, and reproduction is of utmost importance, to the point that some have hundreds of children."

"However, the fixed stipend system of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign stipulated that the number of imperial clansmen in various regions would be permanently fixed, which would inevitably curb this rampant proliferation. Using this as evidence may be biased."

Zhang Zhiji nodded and readily admitted, "Minister Bi is absolutely right."

"The growth of the imperial family only reflects the most extreme scenario, namely, the growth rate when the people have no worries about food and clothing, and even when childbirth is encouraged. It is certainly not a reliable indicator." After saying this, he took a step back with a hint of reluctance.

Just when everyone thought the argument was over.

Wu Kongjia took a step forward.

He first bowed towards the throne, then bowed to the officials, his movements meticulous.

"As Bi Butang said, the history books cannot be entirely trusted regarding population growth, nor can the imperial clan be relied upon."

"The most accurate method is to take the lives and livelihoods of ordinary people as an example, so as to find out the truth."

He raised his hand, and the white paper on the screen was pulled down by the eunuchs, revealing a new page to everyone.

There were no complicated curves, only lines of cold text and numbers filled in the table.

"This is a report on the population growth in the capital from the first year of the Tianqi reign to the present."

Wu Kongjia's tone was completely flat, as if he were reading from an account book that had nothing to do with him.

"We will mobilize our personnel to investigate the 681 midwives in the capital."

"Among them, a few who were literate had ledgers to keep track of their birth data over the years. Most who were illiterate could only verbally recount data from the last year or two."

"A total of 37,282 valid birth records were finally recorded."

“In the capital city with a population of one million, a couple would have about five children in their lifetime. However, half of them would either suffer difficult childbirth or die young.”

"Of the babies who eventually survived and grew up, more than 27,000 survived."

“We also visited 525 baojia shopkeepers in various wards and markets, and investigated the account books of 28 coffin shops and incense shops in the capital.”

"A total of 5,827 valid death data were obtained, and the average age of death of the people in the capital was calculated to be 45 years at that time."

"Based on this calculation, with a population of one million in the capital, the number of people who die each year is approximately 22,000."

Wu Kongjia paused, his cold gaze sweeping across the entire room.

"Therefore, according to this, the capital city has a population of one million. If we do not count the migration in and out of other places, the annual increase in the population is more than five thousand people."

He looked around and concluded.

"In other words, the population growth rate in the capital was about five per thousand per year."

After he finished speaking, Bi Ziyan let out a long sigh, his face full of admiration and respect.

"Such ingenious research is unheard of! Using livelihood to counter death planning, midwives to counter coffin shops... Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"

He cupped his hands in greeting to Wu Kongjia, then sat down without saying another word.

Wu Kongjia remained expressionless and continued, "So, what does a population increase of five per thousand mean for our Great Ming Dynasty?"

"In the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu, the country was at peace and the administration was efficient. At that time, the population of the country was assessed at sixty million, which should be considered reliable history."

"At that time, the world was still a land with a large population and a small population, and the population may have multiplied faster than it is in the capital today."

"However, for the sake of prudence, we still calculate the population growth at that time as five per thousand."

"So, from the twenty-sixth year of the Hongwu reign to today, two hundred and thirty-four years later, what is the population of my Great Ming Dynasty...?"

Everyone's attention was finally drawn to this.

Even the most thoughtful person would be drawn to this method of textual research, which is logically sound and progressively unfolds.

They stared intently at the screens, holding their breath.

Wu Kongjia slowly raised his hand and gently waved it.

Wow!

All screens simultaneously switch to the next page.

A new icon, a number so huge it's almost unbearable to look at, has appeared before everyone!
Wu Kongjia coldly uttered the final answer.

"One hundred and ninety-three million five hundred and forty thousand!"

The entire Hall of Supreme Harmony erupted in chaos!

No one cared about the breach of etiquette before the emperor anymore. All the shock, horror, and disbelief erupted at this moment, turning into a deafening roar that almost lifted the roof off the main hall!
"One hundred and ninety million?! This... how is this possible?!"

"It seems reasonable and well-founded, but... but this is just too shocking!"

"No! There are also disasters, wars, and plagues! How can it be calculated so simply!"

"Indeed! There are many cases of infanticide in the South. If children are born but not raised, how can the population be properly nourished?"

"If we already have 190 million today, what about a hundred years from now? 300 million? 400 million?!"

"Impossible! Where in the world is there so much land to support so many people!"

Wu Kongjia coldly observed the chaos before him, remaining silent, yet his heart was also filled with turbulent emotions.

Of the five, he was the only one from a merchant family who was most proficient in arithmetic.

When they first calculated this number, even they couldn't believe it.

It was he who personally spent an hour repeatedly verifying the result with an abacus before finally confirming it with trembling hands.

What's recorded in historical books of all dynasties is actually true!

Two hundred years of peace and prosperity can more than triple the population!
This secret, hidden in old books and overlooked by countless scholars, is now laid bare before everyone.

However... among so many intelligent people in the world, why was it only the young monarch on the throne who noticed it?
"Silence! Silence!"

The official in charge of etiquette shouted at the top of his lungs.

After a long while, the noise in the hall gradually subsided, but the varied expressions on their faces showed that the turmoil in their hearts was far from over.

Wu Kongjia remained expressionless, turned around, bowed deeply to the throne, and silently returned to the ranks.

His mission is complete.

Boulders dropped.

And this stagnant pool will therefore boil completely.

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)