In recent years, there have been many negative evaluations of the Ming Dynasty. Some people even say that the Ming Dynasty was a three-no dynasty: no Ming monarch, no famous man, and no famous general. The meaning of the Ming Dynasty is that the kings of the Ming Dynasty are not good, the civil officials are not good, and the military generals are not good. Since nothing can be done, the Ming Dynasty is a dark mess.
Why do some people say that the Ming Dynasty was the worst dynasty in Chinese history? What do you think?
First of all, we can be sure that the statement that the dynasty was the worst dynasty is completely inaccurate. Since the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang has unified the land of China, and it has been nearly 300 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Regardless of governance or martial arts, at least it is much more powerful and majestic than the two Jins, and if you take 10,000 steps back, it is much stronger than the dozens of small countries that attacked each other in the five dynasties and ten countries. Whether it is economic, military, or political system, the Ming Dynasty can be said to be an existence in the history of mainland feudal society.
1. First of all, in terms of population economy, let's compare it with the Song Dynasty, which had the most powerful economic development. During the Song Dynasty's most populous period, there were 120 million people. The population of the middle and late Ming Dynasty reached 150 million at its peak. Although the calculation of the data is still controversial, it is not much different overall. The population is a data that reflects the economy at that time, so it seems that the Ming Dynasty was not bad in terms of population and economy.
2. Speaking of the military, many people say that the Ming Dynasty is also very weak militarily, so let's analyze it carefully. Internally, compared with the Qing Dynasty, was the Ming Dynasty weak? From the beginning to the end, the Qing Dynasty was beaten all over the ground looking for teeth, and it was only after the death of the Ming Dynasty that a large number of Ming generals surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, which effectively enhanced the Jurchen combat effectiveness. In terms of foreign affairs, the Ming Dynasty won several foreign wars without exception, Zhu Di's expedition to Vietnam, Wanli's expedition to Korea, and the naval battle of Liuluo Bay against the Netherlands all achieved final victories. Was the Ming Dynasty really weak militarily?
4. In terms of political system, the political system of the Ming Dynasty has been relatively complete and advanced after one or two hundred years of continuous trial and error and revision since the beginning of Hongwu. The system of selecting talents and the hierarchical authorization system of imperial power have all done relatively well. During the Wanli period, the emperor did not go to court for decades, and the military affairs were ignored, and with an effective political management system, the Ming Dynasty could operate normally for decades, and even achieved good economic development results. Just look at this, Da Ming is not the worst.
However, having said that, the 16 emperors of the Ming Dynasty also had their own strange hobbies, and the emperors who were more diligent than the Qing Dynasty may be really bad. Therefore, if you really want to explain the poor strength of the dynasty, it can only be said that the quality of the emperors is average.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the country was constantly suffering from internal and external troubles, and there were challenges from Western countries at sea, but at the end of the dynasty, Chongzhen still ordered the Ming Navy to launch many wars against the maritime armed forces of Britain and other countries, and won a complete victory, so that Western countries did not dare to run rampant in Chinese waters for hundreds of years, and during the Ming Dynasty, there was also a germ of capitalism in China, if the Ming Dynasty did not perish, with the development of capitalism, China would not have the later hundred years of shame. At the last moment of the country, Chongzhen refused the minister's suggestion to abandon Beijing and go south to Nanjing, and held on to the city of Beijing. How can such a dynasty be called the worst of them?