Sky Curtain: The opening scene explains the four major cases of the Ming Dynasty plus the early Ming

"Twenty-four million shi!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's roar echoed throughout the Fengtian Hall.

His eyes were red.

The grief that had just been washed away by the truth of "murdering the emperor and usurping the imperial edict" was now replaced by overwhelming rage.

He looked at the alarming numbers on the sky.

Looking at the grain that had been embezzled, it was enough to feed half of the Ming Dynasty's wealth.

His heart was breaking as if it were being stabbed.

That was the hard-earned money and grain he collected from the people, bit by bit.

That was the foundation he used to strengthen the army, enrich the country, and stabilize the world.

now.

Yet these termites devoured it so brazenly!

"Guo Huan!"

Zhu Yuanzhang gritted his teeth.

This name.

In future history books.

He will personally nail it to the pillar of shame.

Above the sky.

Zhu Dijun's voice carried a hint of solemnity.

"Family members, 24 million shi is just the tip of the iceberg in the Guo Huan case."

"As the investigation deepens..."

"This case has far-reaching implications."

"Officials below the rank of Vice Minister of the Six Ministries, including Zhao Mao, Minister of Rites, and Wang Huidi, Minister of Justice."

"And tens of thousands of officials across the country were also implicated!"

"This is no longer a simple case of embezzlement."

"This is a systemic case of collusion between officials and businessmen, spreading from the top down, from the central government to local levels!"

"This is, moreover, a fundamental blow to the economic lifeline of the Ming Empire!"

Modern live streaming room.

The comments section was flooded with messages.

"Tens of thousands of officials? My God!"

"This is practically treating the country like an ATM!"

"If Zhu Yuanzhang didn't kill them, who would he kill?"

"I think Zhu Yuanzhang was forced into becoming a tyrant. He wasn't a tyrant; he was forced into it!"

Zhu Dijun's gaze swept across the screen.

he knows.

The audience has begun to understand.

Understanding Zhu Yuanzhang's "ruthlessness".

Understand the "bitterness" behind that "ruthlessness".

"If the blank seal case is a loophole in the power structure, it could lead to a loss of control by the central government."

"Then the Guo Huan case represents the ultimate example of the abuse of power; it directly hollowed out the country's economy!"

"Let me analyze this for you."

"If the Guo Huan case is allowed to develop unchecked, it will not be stopped."

What will the Ming Dynasty face?

"First, a double collapse of fiscal and financial policies!"

"The 24 million shi of grain embezzled in the Guo Huan case accounted for 70% of the nation's annual revenue!"

"If this kind of corruption spreads, the central government's fiscal revenue will approach zero!"

"The national treasury will be completely empty!"

"What's worse is the Hongwu Baochao, which was the paper money issued by the Ming Dynasty at that time."

"The credit was already in jeopardy due to the serious over-issuance of credit."

"Once a financial crisis erupts, the paper money will become completely worthless!"

"What follows will be terrible inflation!"

"Grain prices could surge ten to twenty times!"

"To recreate the devastating situation of the late Yuan Dynasty, with its rampant inflation and widespread suffering!"

"Secondly, the complete disintegration of the social structure!"

"The essence of the Guo Huan case is collusion between officials and businessmen, and the annexation by powerful clans."

"If this behavior is allowed to continue, it will give rise to super-large landowning groups!"

"They will use their power to seize land recklessly and oppress the people."

"To recreate the scene of 'rich people annexing property while poor people were displaced' at the end of the Yuan Dynasty!"

"The tax burden will be increased at each level and passed on to the farmers at the bottom."

"The situation of 'the wealthy deceiving and the poor paying on their behalf' will inevitably trigger a large-scale popular uprising within five years!"

"At that time, class hatred will explode, and Zhu Yuanzhang's policy of 'suppressing powerful clans' will completely fail!"

"The gap between the rich and the poor will be even more acute than at the end of the Yuan Dynasty!"

"Third, the complete collapse of military border defenses!"

"Military settlements were an important component of the military garrison system of the Ming Dynasty."

"The Guo Huan case has already eroded the grain reserves of the military farms."

"If this corruption continues, the garrison system will completely collapse!"

"In the later years of the Hongwu reign, the Northern Yuan remained a huge threat to the border."

"Border troops without food or pay may defect, or even surrender to the enemy!"

"At that time, the border defenses will be breached, and smoke signals will rise everywhere!"

Zhu Dijun's voice was like an alarm bell.

"Family members, do you still think that Zhu Yuanzhang's handling of the Empty Seal Case and the Guo Huan Case was making a mountain out of a molehill, or that it was an act of tyranny?"

"No!"

His voice resounded through the heavens.

"From our perspective in the future, apart from the few who were wrongly accused."

"The vast majority of officials involved in the Guo Huan case and the Empty Seal case should be executed!"

"They are not innocent officials."

"They are the vermin that are hollowing out the foundations of the empire!"

"They are the culprits pushing the Ming Dynasty into the abyss!"

"If Zhu Yuanzhang had not used the bloodiest and most thorough methods to cleanse these malignant tumors in the early Hongwu period."

"Then the course of history for the Ming Dynasty will be completely altered!"

What is the most likely outcome?

"The Ming Dynasty may not have fallen in 1644."

"It will perish prematurely, before the end of the 15th century, that is, before the Hongzhi era!"

"At that time, there might be a division between the North and the South, with the South becoming a region ruled by large landowners and the North controlled by feudal princes or Mongol forces!"

"A replay of the chaotic period of numerous states and warlords vying for power before Zhu Yuanzhang's rise to power at the end of the Yuan Dynasty!"

"Furthermore, if the border army collapses, the Northern Yuan might be restored!"

"Chinese civilization will face a second 'Battle of Yamen'!"

In the eleventh year of the Hongwu reign, at the Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang's body trembled violently.

It wasn't because of anger.

Rather, it was because of a profound shock—a shock that was completely understood.

He looked up at the sky.

Looking at that eloquent junior.

Looking at his "tyranny," which was later condemned by posterity.

Peel them open one by one.

Revealing the bloody truth behind it all.

And so, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, a difficult choice had to be made.

He is not a tyrant.

He was simply someone who wanted to protect the empire he had built with his own hands.

To protect the common people behind him.

The lonely emperor, forced to transform himself into a butcher.

The fifteenth year of the Yongle reign.

A complex light flickered in Zhu Di's eyes.

He recalled the scene when his father, the emperor, personally oversaw the execution of corrupt officials outside the Meridian Gate.

At that time.

He only felt that his father was cold and ruthless.

now.

He then understood.

That's not being cold-hearted.

That was the deepest love an emperor could give for his country.

Modern live streaming room.

The comments section was completely captivated by Zhu Dijun's analysis.

"This is the real history!"

"This is what an emperor should be!"

"Zhu Yuanzhang, a truly great emperor throughout history, deserves this title!"

"I apologize to Emperor Taizu Gao for my previous ignorance!"

Zhu Dijun looked at the screen, which was filled with "apologies" and "understandings".

he knows.

My task is being completed step by step.

"So, family members."

"When we talk about history."

"Don't just look at appearances."

"Don't just listen to one side of the story."

"Furthermore, do not easily judge an emperor who sacrificed everything for his country and nation, even bearing the brunt of infamy!"

"Because, behind all that bloodshed..."

"Often, hidden within is a grand vision that you cannot imagine!"

"And a heavy burden that you cannot understand!"

"Zhu Yuanzhang".

"He is not a tyrant."

"He was the greatest founder of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Indeed, the loneliest of guardians!"