Zhu Yuanzhang planted a time bomb, and the Ming Dynasty fell
The demise of the Ming Dynasty was caused by multiple factors, among which financial pressure was an important reason. It is necessary to suppress both the peasant army and the Houjin, and without sufficient financial resources, the country cannot maintain stability.
In addition, the clan management system of the Ming Dynasty was also one of the factors that led to its decline. Some people even call it "national nutrition pig", believing that this is one of the worst policies among the feudal dynasties in the past dynasties.
In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang followed the feudal king system of previous dynasties for Gong Wei**, and made all his sons vassal kings. These vassal kings were not only well treated, but also enjoyed great power, especially military power.
According to statistics, in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the total number of troops that the vassal king was able to control was more than 400,000! However, after the success of Ming Chengzu Zhu Dijing, the power of the vassal kings was greatly weakened, which was also a double-edged sword, although it consolidated the centralization of power, but also weakened the defense of the border areas, giving the later Nurhachi an opportunity.
Despite this, the clans of the Ming Dynasty still enjoyed generous treatment and various rewards. According to statistics, in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the total number of clans reached more than 300,000, and by the time of the Apocalypse, it had increased to more than 600,000.
The fixed salary of the prince is 10,000 koku per year, 2,000 koku for the prince of the county, 1,000 koku for the general of Zhenguo, and 800 koku for the general of the auxiliary state. The treatment of large and small Ming Dynasty clans adds up to an astronomical amount.
For the emperors of the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, their biggest problem was how to feed these imperial relatives. During the Jiajing period, the tax grain of the whole country was not enough for the vassal king to eat.
Sadly, the vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty continued to "plunder" endlessly despite their material abundance. They even dug into the corners of Lao Zhu's house to covet more land.
Among them, Zhu Changxun, the king of Fu, is the most famous, and he shamelessly asked for 40,000 hectares of land. These actions led to a significant reduction in the country's finances, while the feudal lords were happy.
The Henan region was the most concentrated place of the Ming Dynasty vassal kings, and it was also an important town for peasant uprisings. As a result, Zhu Changxun, the king of Fu, became the target of the peasant uprising. These vassal kings were selfish, and when the country encountered difficulties, they were unwilling to contribute to the country, but when the peasants revolted, they completed the rebel army, and finally ended up in a shameful end.