Chapter 521: Ritual Law Cannot Be a Stumbling Block for New Policies

When the state began to lose order, even the lives of the top level of the hereditary official class were not very good. For example, the Daoist priest asked the Taicang for two million taels of silver. This silver was to be used to repair the imperial palace. It took several years, and finally, twenty thousand taels were obtained. The Emperor lived like this, so one can imagine how the Great Ming Princes lived.

Since the Daoist priest's branch entered the main clan and began to cut clan stipends, until the end of the Ming Dynasty, the only one who lived a life of luxury was the Fu Prince.

The Fu Prince's luxury was due to the special care of the Wanli Emperor. The Wanli Emperor, who did not attend court or approve memorials for thirty years, was not that he didn't look at any memorials. The Fu Prince's memorials entered the palace in the morning and had a reply in the afternoon. The Wanli Emperor was responsive to all the Fu Prince's requests.

This indulgence was the Wanli Emperor's means of fighting for the country's foundation with the court officials. Fighting for the country's foundation was fighting for the candidate for the Crown Prince, which was done deliberately.

Because of the convenience of the Emperor's timely reply to the Fu Prince's memorials, after such convenience, the treacherous people from all sides would flock to the Fu Prince's door, hoping that the Fu Prince would submit memorials and handle things on their behalf. In this way, the Fu Prince became the actual Crown Prince.

This was not a brilliant or glorious means for the Wanli Emperor to force the court officials to accept the Fu Prince as the Crown Prince. And this convenience quickly made the treacherous people from all sides flock to the Fu Prince's door to do evil.

This bizarre logic of government affairs, where ministers had to go to the Fu Prince to submit memorials, lasted for twelve years.

In the twenty-ninth year of Wanli, the Wanli Emperor, who had fought for fifteen years and finally failed to win the battle for the country's foundation, had to issue an edict to enfeoff the eldest son Zhu Changluo as Crown Prince, and Zhu Changxun as Fu Prince. The following year, Zhu Changxun married. According to reason, he should have gone to his fief immediately after marriage, but the Wanli Emperor used the excuse that the Fu Prince's Mansion was not yet built, letting the Fu Prince stay in the capital.

The battle for the country's foundation after enfeoffing the Crown Prince did not completely come to an end. After the Fu Prince's Mansion was built, the Wanli Emperor still did not allow the Fu Prince to go to his fief. The struggle continued. For another twelve years, until the forty-second year of Wanli, the Fu Prince Zhu Changxun finally left the capital to go to his fief. During these twelve years, the Crown Prince Zhu Changluo's position was not stable for a single day.

The battle for the country's foundation, the first fifteen years were bright knives and guns, and the subsequent two "Demon Book Cases" and "Court Attack Cases" in the thirteen years were the continuation of the battle for the country's foundation. Throughout the Wanli reign, after Zhang Juzheng left, the Wanli Emperor spent nearly twenty-eight years tearing with the court officials for the sake of the Crown Prince with a sulky attitude. In the end, the Wanli Emperor still failed to let his beloved son become the Crown Prince.

The Wanli Emperor was sulking and making a scene, and the court officials also followed suit, as if they were fighting, making the entire Great Ming a mess and still not stopping. It seemed that the ritual law of establishing the eldest son was more important than the world's society.

Establishing the eldest son seemed to be bigger than the sky. The entire court was in a mess. The Emperor was absurd, and the ministers were also absurd. This ritual law was also alienated by the court officials and became a tool for struggle, and the struggle was meaningless. Whether the Emperor or the ministers won or lost, the final loser was Great Ming.

State affairs were treated as family affairs, and family affairs were completely left to their own temperaments, without regard for the world becoming what it was because of this nonsense. And after Zhang Juzheng's "seeking glory and getting humiliation," there were no more upright officials in the court.

The court officials were just fighting with the Emperor.

Zhu Yijun did not agree to let the Ministry of Rites manage the Royal Institute of Technology, which was tearing a piece of meat off the Ministry of Rites' power, but it had to be done.

Wan Shihe, a Minister of Rites with such a flexible body, was rare. If ritual law was greater than heaven, and they made trouble to cut the Institute of Technology, then the Institute of Technology, independent of the Ministry of Rites, was part of the imperial power. If they wanted to cut it, that was the court officials reaching out to the Inner Office. Naturally, there was the Directorate of Ceremonial to fight with the court officials.

At least until the results of a series of great political philosophical debates such as "On Contradictions" were truly accepted by everyone, sub-disciplinary governance became a common cognition, productivity improvement became a universal pursuit, and the distinction between the monarch, father, state, and teacher could be made—one is one, two is two—more bluntly, the day Great Ming's imperial system came to an end, the Royal Institute of Technology would have completed its historical mission and could be renamed the Great Ming Institute of Technology.

The Five Classics Doctors were responsible for the enrollment of science and technology students. The entire Royal Institute of Technology was very lively. The three-year system and the 60-silver tuition fee were enough to make countless people flinch, but because of the interest-free student loan, 90% of the students in the Institute of Technology were publicly funded, and less than 10% were self-funded.

The liveliness of the Institute of Technology had nothing to do with the Minister of Rites, Wan Shihe. Even though the Emperor specially summoned Wan Shihe and explained the reasons, Wan Shihe was still obsessed with the affiliation of the Institute of Technology. This was a good opportunity to leave a name in history, and Wan Shihe wanted to concurrently serve as the libationer.

The Emperor said a lot, but Wan Shihe listened and listened, and finally understood. In fact, it was just one sentence: there were too many cheap Confucian scholars in Great Ming!

It was indeed inappropriate to completely hand over the control of the Royal Institute of Technology to the Ministry of Rites. If it were really completely managed by the Ministry of Rites, it wouldn't take a few months for the Institute of Technology to be no different from the Imperial College, and the content taught would become the Four Books and Five Classics.

Wan Shihe's ritual law was: Is ritual law an unchangeable thing? It is a flexible ritual law, a ritual law that is new every day, new every day, and new every day, a ritual law based on the fact that the world is changing every moment, a ritual law that reforms and innovates in the face of new situations. This is completely different from the cheap Confucian scholars' restoration of the ancient and the ritual law of the Three Dynasties.

"If I had known about today's situation, I should have followed Viceroy Pan to the Hetao to govern the Yellow River, instead of suffering this kind of bird anger in the court!" Shen Li walked in from the door, looking at Wan Shihe, and was furious. As Great Ming's most firm imperial party, Wan Shihe did not fight for reason and passed the court discussion in the Zhao Wenhua Hall.

The Royal Institute of Technology was completely under the management of the Inner Office and the Royal Institute of Physical Research, which made Shen Li full of fire. This fire did not come from the Emperor, but from the officials of the capital and the nagging public opinion.

The Ministry of Rites was severely mocked, especially Wan Shihe himself.

"Drink tea, drink tea, all you know is drinking tea! Now the whole capital is mocking our Ministry of Rites, saying that our Ministry of Rites is just flattering, and as a result, we encountered such a big thing, and in the end, our Ministry of Rites was still cleanly picked out!" Shen Li looked at Wan Shihe's calm appearance and became even more angry.

"The Emperor has the Emperor's considerations." Wan Shihe said with some helplessness: "Now that On Contradictions and others are not yet mainstream, and restorationist Confucian scholars are all over Great Ming, the Lecture Hall, the Physical Research Institute, and the Institute of Technology are all out of this consideration, so they are not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites. You have the ability, you have a big temper, why don't you ask the Emperor to put the Lecture Hall under the Ministry of Rites?"

Wan Shihe was really good at debating. One sentence blocked the Vice Minister of Rites, Shen Li, and he couldn't refute it. The special status of the Lecture Hall determined that the Lecture Hall would not be within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites. Even the cheap Confucian scholars didn't dare to question this point. These were all topics that could not be touched.

Now Wan Shihe used the precedent of the Lecture Hall to block Shen Li's mouth, and Shen Li really didn't know how to refute it.

"You are reasonable, you can speak well, why don't I see you convincing the Emperor!" Shen Li flicked his sleeves and sat down: "I, Shen Li, have never flattered in my life, let alone curried favor. I only know how to be humble, I don't know how to meet the Emperor's desires, and I don't know how to bow down to others as a dog!"

Shen Li's words were not boasting. He was a Jinshi in the forty-fourth year of Jiajing, a Shujishi, and was granted the position of reviewer. He was from Guide Prefecture, Henan, and was a fellow villager of Gao Gong. The year he became a Jinshi, Gao Gong was the chief examiner. With the dual identity of chief examiner and fellow villager, Shen Li should have bowed down to Gao Gong long ago, but he didn't.

Shen Li had always kept Gao Gong at a distance. At that time, the Jin Party had already become a climate, and the Jin Party relied on Gao Gong.

After becoming a Jinshi, everyone went to the Quanjin Guild Hall to become Gao Gong's disciples, but Shen Li didn't go on the grounds that he had private matters.

Shen Li had no private matters; he just didn't want to go, and didn't want to be a dog for others.

Shen Li's upright spirit soon brought him a heavy blow. Just after being granted the position, he went to the local area to accompany Pan Jixun to govern the water. It wasn't until Zhu Yijun studied in the Eastern Palace that Shen Li returned to the capital and became a lecturer in the Eastern Palace, becoming a reviewer through the lecture, and soon became a left assistant and reader scholar after the Wanli Emperor ascended the throne.

Shen Li and Wang Jiaping were in the same list. When Wang Jiaping was still suffering in the miasma of Guangdong, Shen Li had already been promoted rapidly because of the old officials of the latent residence. In the ninth year of Wanli, he became the Vice Minister of Rites.

The latent residence, after the Emperor ascended the throne, the promotion speed of the old officials of the latent residence was faster than that of the same period. This was the convention of all dynasties.

Shen Li was not Gao Gong's disciple, not a Jin Party member, nor a Chu Party member. He didn't get along with Shen Shixing, thinking Shen Shixing was too muddy, and he didn't get along with Shen Yiguan, who thought Shen Li was clearly lucky but still labeled himself as an upright official.

Shen Li and Pan Jixun governed the water and repaired the Yellow River embankment together, protecting one side. When Pan Jixun gave up his promotion to the capital and went to Suiyuan, Shen Li also wanted to go. Because he was a lucky official from the latent residence, there were many criticisms in the court. Shen Li wanted to go to Suiyuan to govern the water, and he was scolded by people pointing at his spine every day, which made him uncomfortable.

Pan Jixun persuaded Shen Li to let Shen Li watch the wind direction of the court in the court. If Zhang Juzheng really retired, there might be a big storm in the court. Pan Jixun had no one in the court and needed someone to be a guide. Shen Li was finally persuaded.

As a result, just after the New Year, he was full of bird anger!

"Don't blame me for speaking harshly. The words in the streets are even worse! I don't know how to say them! It's hard to speak, it's humiliating to the literati!" Shen Li was still complaining. The noise in the streets was nothing more than Wan Shihe being like a dog, running around for the Emperor for so many years, and in the end, he was kicked away! It was simply ridiculous. I don't know how Wan Shihe continued to stay in the position of Minister of Rites. How shameful!

Wan Shihe was still sitting very steadily.

Wan Shihe looked at Shen Li and said: "Shen, Vice Minister, don't blame me for speaking harshly. The ritual law cannot be a stumbling block for the Great Ming new policy. This is what I absolutely do not allow. If you are not convinced, wait until you become a hall official before correcting it."

"I didn't mean that!" Shen Li slapped the table and stood up, then sat down angrily: "You don't know good people! I am speaking up for you. The words in the streets are too ugly."

Shen Li was not opposed to the style of the Ministry of Rites of "meeting the Emperor's desires." Great Ming was not without such precedents. As early as the Yongle years, the Minister of Rites, Hu Ying, was the one who would wash the ground for the Emperor when the Emperor said something. This was always the case until the Zhengtong years.

There was Hu Ying before, and Liu Ji after.

This Liu Ji was nicknamed "Liu Cotton." Faced with overwhelming impeachments, Liu Ji was always like cotton—unafraid of being "fluffed." The more this cotton was fluffed, the more it puffed up. Liu Ji was no different; faced with impeachments from both inside and outside the court, he had never been afraid. The Ministry of Rites he led was dedicated to cleaning up after the Emperor; whatever the Emperor wanted to do, Liu Ji agreed.

Liu Ji later entered the cabinet as a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion. From the fourteenth year of Chenghua to the fifth year of Hongzhi, Liu Ji was the Chief Grand Secretary of the cabinet. In the fifth year of Hongzhi, the Xiaozong Emperor enfeoffed the two notorious brothers of Empress Zhang as Earls and ordered the Chief Grand Secretary of the cabinet, Liu Ji, to draft the edict. Liu Ji refused. What kind of goods were those two? Who in the capital didn't know?

The Xiaozong Emperor saw that Liu Ji, the Chief Grand Secretary, did not agree, so he sent an inner official to let Liu Ji voluntarily resign. Only then did Liu Ji leave.

People worked for the Emperor, and in exchange, they got power and trust. You, Wan Shihe, were harmonious in everything, running around for His Majesty and the new policy, busy for so long, but in the end, for such a big thing as the Royal Institute of Technology, the Emperor threw you, Wan Shihe, aside and did it alone! What is this?

Examination Method, land measurement, rectifying school administration—none of them threw Zhang Juzheng aside; engineer battalion, official factory group construction—none of them threw Wang Chonggu aside; strengthening the army, Capital Battalion, naval forces—none of them threw Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou and Chen Lin aside;

When it came to cultural and educational new policies, His Majesty finally threw you, Wan Shihe, aside. What is this?

Shen Li sighed and said: "It's burning your eyebrows, and you are still drinking tea here. I don't know what to say about you. Today has passed, and you have to resign directly? How can you be an official in the court?"

Wan Shihe still smiled and said: "I thought Shen, Vice Minister, intended to let ritual law be a stumbling block for the new policy. The last one who did this was Lu Shusheng. Now he can only drink tea at home in the Western Earth City and cannot drink tea in the Ministry of Rites or Zhao Wenhua Hall."

"What the Emperor gives is mine. What the Emperor doesn't give, I cannot grab."

Wan Shihe and Wang Zhigao made a choice at the critical moment. Wang Zhigao chose to resign, and Wan Shihe chose to stay. From that moment on, he knew his situation and his function. For years, he deeply knew that his power came entirely from the Emperor, so he accepted what the Emperor gave him, and he could not fight for what the Emperor didn't give.

"Do you know what they call you?!" Shen Li was so angry that his face turned red. Today the Institute of Technology opened for classes. If Wan Shihe didn't do anything today, he would have to roll home tomorrow. Wan Shihe himself might not be shameless, but those cheap Confucian scholars would attack him in groups and tear Wan Shihe apart.

This meant that Wan Shihe lost the Emperor's favor. An imperial party that lost the Emperor's favor would have been dead long ago.

The streets called Wan Shihe "Wan Soft Bone," which was a humiliating nickname. Shen Li was in the Ministry of Rites, and he knew Wan Shihe was not a soft bone. Wan Shihe also had a backbone and persistence. Shen Li knew it clearly.

"Then Shen, Vice Minister, is the Chief Minister of Rites. In the future, the affairs of the Ministry of Rites will be up to you." Wan Shihe was still calm. The resignation memorial had already been written. After today, he would have no face to stay in the Zhao Wenhua Hall, so he simply resigned directly, which could be considered a retreat in the face of difficulty.

It was the Emperor who didn't want him, not that he betrayed the Emperor.

Wan Shihe considered himself to have served as Minister of Rites for so many years, and he was worthy of the world, worthy of the monarch, worthy of the people, and even more worthy of himself. This is loyalty. Wan Shihe considered himself a sycophant, but also a loyal minister.

Now it was his turn to be the price of the new policy. At this moment, Wan Shihe's mood was very calm. This calmness came from the fact that he did not regret it.

Shen Li finally didn't say the words. The streets all said Wan Shihe was a good dog, but Shen Li and Wan Shihe were partners, and Wan Shihe was not a dog, but a scholar-official with integrity.

"Someone from the palace! Someone from the palace!" The secretary ran in from the door in a hurry and said: "Just now, the little eunuch came to pass the news, Feng Bao led the imperial order to come to the Ministry of Rites to announce the edict!"

Feng Bao came very quickly. The Ministry of Rites had already made preparations to receive the edict. The officials of the Ministry of Rites were all guessing the content of the imperial edict. It was mostly that Wan Shihe's struggle for the governance of the Royal Institute of Technology made the Emperor dissatisfied, so the reprimanding edict arrived.

"Minister of Rites Wan Shihe, receive the edict." Feng Bao came to the Ministry of Rites and let two little eunuchs open the imperial edict.

"Minister Wan Shihe receives the edict." Wan Shihe flicked his sleeves and knelt before the imperial edict. Feng Bao moved aside. The court officials knelt to the Emperor, not to him.

Feng Bao raised his voice and said loudly: "By the order of the Emperor, the edict says:"

"I, having inherited the world from the emperors of old, must establish words and pass down teachings to bequeath to my descendants. Since you entered the court and devoted yourself to assisting me, cultural education has flourished. Among those of old who studied the classics to apply them to practical use, none have surpassed you. Now, I confer upon you the title of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Central Polarity. You shall enter the Grand Secretariat to participate in the handling of state affairs, concurrently oversee all matters of the Imperial Institute of Technology, and serve as the libationer of the Institute. You must carefully remember what was said in our face-to-face deliberations. This is the imperial decree."

"Chief Minister, receive the edict. Later, His Highness the

Shen Li was a bit dazed. Hadn't His Majesty already issued a clear decree forbidding the Ministry of Rites from managing the affairs of the Institute of Technology? Why was Wan Shihe going to the Institute of Technology?

Shen Li soon understood: Wan Shihe had entered the Grand Secretariat. Wan Shihe had become a Grand Secretary of the Hall of Central Polarity, meaning he was leading the affairs of the Institute of Technology as a Grand Secretary, not as the Minister of Rites. His Majesty had not abandoned Wan Shihe; he had abandoned the Ministry of Rites!

The "base Confucian" turned out to be me!

Shen Li was instantly so angry that his face turned red!

"Your subject kowtows and thanks the imperial grace." Wan Shihe bowed respectfully and then took the piece of paper. If the commoners were to give the Emperor a nickname, it would surely be "Iron Rooster."

This was an edict for entering the Grand Secretariat, yet His Majesty wanted to take back the silk to reuse it, giving only this piece of paper!

But this piece of paper was exceptionally important to Wan Shihe. He could take back his memorial requesting retirement; now, he had entered the Grand Secretariat!

"Eunuch Feng, please stay a moment." Wan Shihe hurried two steps and whispered briefly to Feng Bao, asking why His Majesty had suddenly changed his decision.

Feng Bao explained that, in truth, His Majesty had always intended this. Summoning Wan Shihe a few days ago to discuss the rules and regulations of the Institute of Technology was with the intention of having Wan Shihe concurrently lead it as a Grand Secretary. If he had truly wanted to abandon Wan Shihe, why would he have summoned him to ask questions?

Only then did Wan Shihe realize that one becomes confused when one's own interests are at stake. He was a victim of his own perspective and had completely failed to realize that His Majesty's summons and careful questioning were for the purpose of having him concurrently lead the Institute.

In the Great Ming officialdom, everyone is the same; everyone wants to advance. Those who don't want to advance wouldn't become officials. But when it involves their own vital interests, no one can maintain absolute reason and rationality.

Wan Shihe soon headed to the Imperial Institute of Technology with Prince De, Zhu Zaiyu. Only the officials of the Ministry of Rites remained, wailing in grief. What His Majesty had abandoned was not Wan Shihe, but the Ministry of Rites!

For the officials of the Ministry of Rites, they now deeply understood that saying: there are truly too many base Confucians in the Great Ming! If there weren't so many base Confucians, why would His Majesty be so wary?!

Now it was Shen Li's turn to feel the same pain. He could not defy the Emperor; that would be inconsistent with the flexible ritual laws practiced by the Ministry of Rites. At this moment, he could only curse the base Confucians and then be scolded by the commoners behind his back.

Wan Shihe rode his carriage to the Imperial Institute of Technology. After communicating with Zhu Zaiyu, he became convinced that the first libationer of the Imperial Institute of Technology could be none other than himself.

Because Zhu Zaiyu was not skilled at communicating with people, nor was he skilled at administration.

The Imperial Academy of Sciences was staffed by Doctors of the Five Classics; the number of people was small, so they could still manage. But at this Imperial Institute of Technology, the first enrollment reached a scale of a thousand people, and Zhu Zaiyu was truly somewhat helpless.

Zhu Zaiyu was not skilled at dealing with people; he was skilled at dealing with the unknown world. As for worldly power, he did not have that many ambitions. Mainly, Zhu Zaiyu had grown up under the restrictions on vassal princes in the Great Ming. Regarding managing a large institute and the application of administrative power, Zhu Zaiyu was not skilled.

The Emperor had long been clear about Zhu Zaiyu's shortcomings in this regard, but the court officials knew nothing of this. Therefore, Wan Shihe did not know that the Emperor had long since prepared for him to enter the Grand Secretariat and then concurrently lead the Institute. Back when Wang Chonggu submitted the memorial on using labor as relief to settle the vagrants, Zhu Yijun had also let Wang Chonggu enter the Grand Secretariat to preside over the official factory affairs.

The Emperor was the Chancellor of the Imperial Institute of Technology, meaning the head of the institute. All the students of technology were disciples of the Son of Heaven, but Zhu Yijun was busy with a thousand tasks and truly did not have the energy to manage the Institute of Technology in detail. Zhu Yijun was not lazy; he was very diligent, but human energy is limited.

Wan Shihe revealed a relaxed smile. Now, the streets and alleys of the capital would no longer gossip about him, saying he was "Wan the Soft-Boned" and had been ruthlessly abandoned by the Emperor.

Regarding the general affairs of the Imperial Institute of Technology, Zhu Zaiyu was truly not up to the task, and the Great Ming's Doctors of the Five Classics had no interest in these things. Moreover, to prevent the emergence of academic factions, the Institute of Technology had to have the intervention of administrative power, rather than letting it grow wild.

Overall, the libationer of the Institute of Technology could be none other than Wan Shihe. If Wan Shihe could have maintained absolute rationality, he would have long since clearly perceived this point and would not have been so panicked and uneasy.

Besides the Imperial Institute of Technology opening its doors for enrollment and beginning classes, another top priority for the Great Ming was the imperial examinations of the eleventh year of Wanli. It was once again the season for the metropolitan and palace examinations. Since the autumn and winter of last year, the scholars coming to the capital to take the exams had already gathered in the capital.

The Ministry of Rites announced the content of the metropolitan examination. The scholars complained incessantly about the scope of the examination. They said the classics were still just scratching the surface, but the requirements for mathematics were becoming higher and higher. Mathematics had already reached the level of differential and integral calculus, and the mutual calculations of differentials and integrals, mainly applied to the calculation of irregular farmland.

The scholars in the capital wailed in despair.

Zhu Yijun gave his vermilion approval to the examination questions, and the Three Classics Printing House began working overtime to print them. After being sealed, they would be sent to the Examination Hall to prepare for the triennial imperial examination. At the same time, the Ministry of Rites completed the compilation of a new volume of the "Records of Overseas Tributary States." This time, they compiled the records for Peru.

The Great Ming's new policies had entered their eleventh year. Eleven years of reform had brought all the benefits that should have come, but the problems that should have emerged had also not been lacking. The intense reforms had caused huge turmoil in society. The Great Ming, an agricultural nation under a small-scale peasant economy, actually had a very weak capacity to bear risks, much like a peasant household on the verge of bankruptcy.

This weakness was very intuitive, like a string that might snap at any moment.

For example, there was a string that could not be more conspicuous, and that was the inflow of silver.

The Great Ming needed sufficient silver to promote development, and the Great Ming's speed of development was extremely rapid. This created a dilemma: the more silver that flowed in, the more the Great Ming lacked silver, as all the goods produced needed silver to act as a channel.

The Great Ming was poor in silver and relied entirely on overseas sources. Once Philip II died, or if Spain changed its national policy and stopped importing silver to the Great Ming, the Great Ming would lose a major pillar of silver inflow. Relying solely on silver from Japan would be completely insufficient for the Great Ming's needs.

The Ministry of Revenue supported the campaign against Luchuan in the southwest, and supported it extremely strongly, because only by pacifying the Toungoo Dynasty could the stability of Yunnan copper be guaranteed. The Ministry of Revenue agreed to the development of Suiyuan, and even invested heavily to build the Suiyuan post roads and Suiyuan mining industry, not hesitating to go into debt for the sake of silver security. The court officials' attitude toward Japan was completely unanimous, also based on the urgent need for silver.

The Peru volume described in detail the super-large silver mountain controlled by Spain in Peru, the wealthy mountain city of Potosí. Potosí meant "wealthy." The wealthy mountain city was the largest city in the New World because the Potosí silver mountain was the world's largest silver mine. An entire mountain was silver, and its silver grade reached as high as 40%. One hundred catties of ore contained forty catties of silver, whereas Fujian had 43 mines, yet the annual silver production was no more than 100,000 taels.

The Great Ming's gaze turned toward this silver mountain controlled by Spain. In the memorial accompanying the "Records of Overseas Tributary States," the Ministry of Rites even stated bluntly: only by completely controlling the wealthy silver mountain could the Great Ming's silver security be guaranteed; completely controlling the wealthy silver mountain was the prerequisite for the Great Ming to transform from a small-scale peasant economy to a commodity economy.

Bai Yin from Japan alone was far from enough, even when added to the Womagang mines and the silver inflow from the Nanyang.

And the only way to obtain this silver mountain was through military conquest.

Likewise, the Great Ming had to consider whether it needed to change the status quo, namely the basic direction of obtaining large amounts of silver through commodity advantages.

(End of chapter)