Chapter 121 Section 15 "Pirate Gene" in Blood

Before and after the great changes in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen (AD 1644), the performance of the Ming Empire in almost all aspects was disappointing and even desperate. An autocratic system without supervision is a highly corrosive poison.It can be said that under the Great Tomorrow, everything that has anything to do with autocratic power immediately becomes ugly and grotesque.It corrodes the national character of the Chinese people, the efficiency of civil servants, and the combat effectiveness of the army. After more than two hundred years of autocratic rule aimed at eliminating the people's autonomy, the people of the Ming Dynasty became weak, smooth and indifferent.They focus all their attention on their "desires for food and drink" and are used to yielding to violence, injustice and authority, because they have two creeds, one is "it's better to die than live" and the other is "it doesn't matter whoever becomes the emperor" .Not many, therefore, were surprised when the Manchus burst into their urban districts, kneeling on both sides of the road to greet them, as they habitually called "obedient people."

We should not blame the people.The emperors of the Ming Dynasty spared no effort to eliminate any possibility of self-organization of the people, and the people had no minimum resistance in the face of organized violence.And those officials responsible for organizing the people, when the Manchurians came, their performance was far more disappointing than the people. The bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty were not capable and inefficient in handling government affairs and serving the people's livelihood.In terms of corruption, there are many tricks, and the agencies have exhausted them.The corruption at the end of Ming Dynasty was the highest in Chinese history. Almost all officials were overwhelmed by the wind of corruption and unscrupulous corruption. When the Manchurian cavalry appeared outside Beijing, most of the civil officials chose Watch out.

The state of the military is even more startling.At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the army totaled 3 million, which was the largest standing army in the world, but its combat effectiveness was very low.In the imperial court at the end of Ming Dynasty, there was a saying that "payment does not leave Beijing".When troops from all over the country came to Beijing to receive military expenses, they had to pay a kickback of 20% to 30% as usual.From this end alone, the corruption of the Ming army can be imagined.During the southward march of the Qing army, Nanming's army basically did not pose an effective obstacle to them.

Under the shadow of autocracy, the Ming Dynasty seemed to have lost its last hope.This empire has a vast territory and a large population, and the intelligence and ability of the people are quite outstanding.However, all resources, from material resources to manpower, lose their value as soon as they are controlled by government power and cannot play their due role.An autocratic system that has lost its self-control has the magical ability to turn metal into stone. Therefore, we can understand why Manchurians with a population of less than a million can conquer an empire with a population of nearly 100 million so smoothly, and why the listless Han army, once they surrendered to the Manchurians and became their eagle dogs, immediately became energetic. A hundred times, invincible.We can also understand why the Dutch think that the Chinese are a "soft and vulnerable" species.

Fortunately, the autocratic power of the Zhu Ming Dynasty did not extend to the sea.In this empire, to leave the coastline is to escape the corrosive system.Zheng Chenggong's masculinity, loyalty, and bravery are mainly based on the "pirate gene" in his blood. In other words, what Zheng Chenggong represents is a non-governmental force that opposes the government.It was precisely because he escaped the control of the government that he and his armed forces avoided being castrated by the authoritarian regime, and they were lucky enough to retain the simplicity, health and vitality of the man.