Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 335: The Qing court fools the people, height changes [Please subscribe]

"Tell me, what was the background before the establishment of the Xin Dynasty in later generations?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked calmly.

Empress Ma, Zhu Biao, Zhu Di, Zhu Xiongying and others also looked over curiously.

Liu Kuan said, "This story begins when the Manchus entered the country and seized control of the country. With a population of less than one million, they ruled over tens of millions of people, mostly Han Chinese, and therefore made guarding against the Han Chinese their top priority."

"To guard against the Han people, the Qing Dynasty not only completely inherited the Ming Dynasty's imperial examination system, which was based on the eight-legged essay, but also strengthened and improved it in the direction of solidifying the thinking of scholars."

"Wait a minute." Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but interrupt Liu Kuan. "Back then, when we incorporated the eight-legged essay into the imperial examination system, although we had the idea of ​​selecting loyal and patriotic people, it wasn't as... bad as you say, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't find a suitable adjective for the words, and finally could only use the word "bad" to describe it.

Liu Kuan said, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? I once said that after you, many Ming emperors made changes to the imperial examination system and content. Therefore, the imperial examinations in the middle and late Ming Dynasty were significantly different from those in the early Ming Dynasty. The most important difference was the increased emphasis on the eight-legged essay."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said, "Go on."

Liu Kuan said, "In addition to inheriting the imperial examination system based on the eight-legged essay, the Qing Dynasty also vigorously promoted Confucianism. In fact, Confucianism had already declined somewhat in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, and was not as popular as the later rise of the School of Mind."

"In the eyes of later generations, Confucianism's philosophy of mind is more enlightening than Neo-Confucianism. Some even believe that if it continues to develop, it may become the enlightenment thought of the modern industrial revolution, just like the Western Renaissance."

"Unfortunately, after the chaotic late Ming Dynasty, the School of Mind completely declined in China. It was later suppressed by the Qing court and Neo-Confucianism, and almost disappeared. Instead, it was absorbed by Japan, laying a certain ideological foundation for Japan's subsequent Meiji Restoration."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao and other princes could not help but look at each other.

Then Zhu Biao couldn't help asking, "Brother-in-law, what does the Meiji Restoration mean?"

Liu Kuan said: "Historically, Western countries have developed rapidly through the Industrial Revolution and have acquired strong national strength and military power. Even the emerging Bald Eagle Country is no exception."

"When these Western powers came to the East and invaded various countries, each country was touched and made some innovations and even reforms."

"Among them, Japan's reforms were the greatest and most successful. They overthrew the shogunate, helped the Meiji Emperor regain power, and used imperial power to carry out top-down modernization reforms. In just a few decades, Japan's national strength was greatly enhanced, even catching up with Western powers."

Old Zhu and others were surprised again when they heard this. They did not expect that Japan, which is now being manipulated by Ren Daming, would have such opportunities and courage in the future.

Liu Kuan continued, "Your Majesty, do you remember that I once played a video about the late Qing Dynasty Reform Movement? It showed Kang Youwei, Tan Sitong, and others who had seen the successful reforms of Japan and wanted to emulate them."

Hearing this, Zhu Biao could not help but say: "It seems that the School of Mind is indeed more likely to promote reform than the School of Principle."

Old Zhu didn't say anything - he attached more importance to the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues theory of Neo-Confucianism. After Liu Kuan came, his emphasis on this theory decreased, but he did not directly abandon the idea.

"In addition to promoting Neo-Confucianism, which tended to solidify class and ideological systems, the Qing dynasty also focused on basic education – they publicly promoted the importance of education, but the number of public and private schools they established was not as high as during the Ming dynasty."

"You have to understand that the population of the Ming Dynasty at its peak was only around 200 million, while the population of the Qing Dynasty was over 400 million."

"According to statistics and estimates by later generations, the Chinese literacy rate was only about 5% at the end of the Qing Dynasty, while the literacy rate in the Ming Dynasty was estimated to be between 10% and 30%."

Upon hearing this, whether it was Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, the concubines, or even the young royal family members who had just become sensible, they all showed an expression of pride.

Zhu Chong flattered Old Zhu directly, "It's all because of the great efforts of our father to establish official schools and promote education after the founding of the country. Only in this way can the achievements of our Ming Dynasty education be passed down to future generations!"

Old Zhu stroked his beard and said, "The highest is only 30%, which is nothing compared to the universal literacy in the future."

Zhu Tan also followed suit, "Thirty percent is something that happened later in history. In my opinion, in recent years, the emperor has not only vigorously established official schools, but also ordered the garrisons and local governments to establish adult literacy classes. By now, the literacy rate of the Ming people may have exceeded 30%!"

Old Zhu was originally pretending to be modest, but now he could no longer conceal the smug look on his face.

Zhu Biao, on the other hand, had a different focus and said, "The Qing Dynasty is so indifferent to education, it seems they really want to keep the people ignorant."

Liu Kuan praised, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is wise. This is the Qing court's concern. Besides ideological concerns, the Qing court was also worried that the Han people's numerical advantage would hinder the development of firearms."

Hindering the development of firearms?

Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, Zhu Di and others were all stunned when they heard this.

"During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, known as the Holy Ancestor, there was a Han Chinese man named Dai Zi who was interested in researching firearms and invented a chariot gun, which is considered the prototype of later repeating rifles and even machine guns."

"Kangxi appeared pleased, but in reality he shelved this firearm and refused to allow Dai Zi to continue researching it."

"Later, Dai Ziyin developed the mother-and-child sky rocket, which aroused the jealousy of Nan Huairen, a Western missionary serving as an official in the Qing court, and he framed him."

"Kangxi knew Dai Zi was framed, but he still exiled him to Shenyang to be enslaved by armored soldiers, where he died in poverty and illness."

Hearing this, Zhu Ying couldn't help but ask, "Isn't that Kangxi a fool? The Qing Dynasty also conquered the world by force, right? How could they not value firearms?"

Without Liu Kuan's explanation, Zhu Di said, "Brother, don't you understand? The Qing court is not unaware of this, but believes that the development of firearms will be detrimental to controlling the Han people."

Liu Kuan followed up on this, saying, "Your Highness the Prince of Yan is correct—both cavalry and archers require years of training, and nomadic peoples are naturally well-suited to training in horseback archery."

"A musketeer only needs two or three months of training to be ready for combat. Even a young man who has never fought in a war can easily kill people as long as he knows how to fire a musket."

"From this point of view, the Han people, with their large population, clearly had an advantage in the use of firearms, especially since there were many skilled craftsmen among them."

"So when the Qing dynasty's so-called sage emperor, Qianlong, came along, and after they had subdued almost all the hostile forces threatening the Qing both within and around it, they deliberately used propaganda to make people ignore the importance of firearms, instead claiming that the Qing dynasty conquered the world through cavalry and archery."

"In fact, if the Qing Dynasty had not acquired a large number of firearms and skilled craftsmen at the end of the Ming Dynasty, it would not have been able to occupy the Central Plains at all."

After a pause, Liu Kuan continued, "In addition, Emperor Qianlong had frequent correspondence with the French monarchs at the time. He knew that the Industrial Revolution was taking place in the West. He even saw many Western technological inventions through Western missionaries, such as high-powered telescopes, steam engines, and advanced textile machines."

"But he worried that the Han Chinese would find it difficult to control China's industrial development, so he deliberately labeled these technological creations as "curiosities" and kept them sealed away in the palace, or used them solely for his own enjoyment."

boom!
There was a muffled sound, and it was Old Zhu shaking his head and patting the armrest of the chair.

"This Qianlong was truly selfish and short-sighted—he only saw that the development of firearms and technology was detrimental to the Qing government's suppression of the Han people. Couldn't he see that Western countries were developing rapidly and might pose a threat to China in the future?"

Zhu Biao said, "I believe that Emperor Qianlong is not short-sighted, but extremely selfish. He chose to sacrifice China's future in exchange for the temporary stability of the Qing court."

Liu Kuan then revealed a mocking smile and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, you know that Qianlong's propaganda not only fooled Chinese scholars and ordinary people, but also fooled the emperors and ministers of the Qing Dynasty that followed."

"By the end of the Qing Dynasty, everyone from the emperor to the officials actually believed their ancestors conquered the world with bows and horses, and began to despise firearms and rely more on cavalry." "During the Opium Wars at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing was still using outdated muskets and cannons from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The muskets had an extremely high burst rate, and the cannons were often rusted and unusable."

"Later, they used tens of thousands of cavalry to attack the British and French armies, which were equipped with firearms, but were almost completely annihilated."

"After being defeated, they naturally had to bow to the Western Barbarians and sign various unequal treaties, ceding territory and paying silver as compensation to the Western Barbarians."

"The Qing Dynasty fought several major wars with Western tribes in the late Qing Dynasty, and the situation was roughly similar. Later, there was a major war with Japan, which also ended in defeat. The Qing Dynasty was forced to cede territory and pay compensation, and from then on, it was completely torn off the face of a great power."

"China became a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society – in order to maintain its rule, the Qing government not only satisfied the extravagant lifestyles of the powerful, high-ranking officials, and the landlord gentry, but also sought to curry favor with the Western powers, thus intensifying its oppression of the common people."

"Your Majesty lived during the chaotic late Yuan Dynasty, but the oppression of the common people was only from the Mongol nobles and the Han gentry and powerful people who aided and abetted the tyranny."

"But at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the people were oppressed not only by the Manchu nobles and the Han gentry who aided and abetted the tyranny, but also by the Western powers and even the Japanese. This shows how difficult life was for the people at the time."

Having said that, Liu Kuan has finally explained most of the background of the previous videos.

Zhu Yuanzhang recalled his experiences before joining the Red Turban Rebellion at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and lamented, "Under such circumstances, the people of the late Qing Dynasty were indeed more miserable than those of the late Yuan Dynasty."

Zhu Xiongying couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, how could the people of the late Qing Dynasty survive when life was so miserable? Even with a population of over 400 million?"

Liu Kuan said: "First, by the middle and late Qing Dynasty, American crops such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn had been basically popularized in China. The variety of food that people could grow increased significantly, and their ability to fight famine was stronger."

"Secondly, after five or six hundred years of hard work by the people during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the southwest has been further developed, and the resources of the northwest have been used more cleanly."

"You must be impressed by the early loess, Gobi, and deserts in Northwest China in some of the previous videos, right? Most of them were formed during the Qing Dynasty."

"These two factors allowed the Qing Dynasty to feed a population of 400 million. However, according to later research, the physical fitness of the Chinese people declined significantly during the Qing Dynasty, the most notable being a decrease in average height."

Average height decreases?

The Zhu family was surprised again. They didn't expect that this matter was related to height.

Liu Kuan was speaking freely, so he didn't hold back. He smiled slightly and said, "I've been here for five or six years, and I've actually found that the height of us Han people isn't short. Although I haven't done any statistics, I estimate it's around 1.7 meters."

"But by the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the average height of the Han people may have dropped to around 1.65 meters."

"In the late Qing Dynasty, the average height of Han Chinese was probably only a little over 1.6 meters, and women were only a little over 1.5 meters."

A little over 1.6 meters? A little over 1.5 meters?

Zhu Xiongying, Zhu Tan and others who have been or are still in the main hall naturally know what this data means.

As for Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, they also knew the concept of this data, and even Zhu Di knew it.

At this time, they looked at each other, and Zhu Ying and Zhu Di even stood up to feel their own height - both of them were nearly 1.8 meters tall, taller than Liu Kuan!
As for Zhu Yuanzhang's other princes, few of them were short.

Although ordinary people are not as tall as them, it is not difficult to find some who are over 1.7 meters tall.

Then they had a deeper understanding of what it meant for the average height of men in the country to drop to just over 1.6 meters.

At this time, the ten-year-old Ning Wang Zhu Quan asked: "Teacher, why did the average height become so short in the late Qing Dynasty?"

Liu Kuan sighed and said, "Remember what the teacher taught us about biology? A person's height is mainly determined by genetics and acquired growth."

"We Han people are definitely not short in stature – this is evident from the countless tall and powerful generals we saw during the Han and Tang dynasties."

"But if you don't eat well, even if you have the genes for growth, they won't work. Just like you, born into a royal family and well-fed, most of you naturally grow taller than your peers."

"Although the Qing Dynasty fed 400 million people, they were barely surviving and could not eat well or grow taller. As this continued, the people naturally became shorter and shorter, and their health became worse and worse. Later, they were even dubbed the 'Sick Man of East Asia' by the Western barbarians."

Sick Man of East Asia?

Upon hearing these four words, Zhu Ying, Zhu Di and other princes became inexplicably angry.

Zhu Ying shouted, "How dare you call us the sick man of East Asia? I'll lead my troops to defeat those Western barbarian kingdoms and see if they dare to call me that!"

Old Zhu calmed down and said, "Alright, what's the point of yelling now? Wait until you really hit me."

Then Old Zhu said, "The scene of the late Qing Dynasty will never happen in our Ming Dynasty. We already have American crops such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn. After two years of breeding and storage, we can promote their cultivation next year."

"After one or two hundred years, our Ming Dynasty will not only be able to feed 400 million people, but also ensure that they have enough food, warm clothes, and good health!"

Zhu Biao immediately stood up and said, "I will help you fulfill your great wish!"

Upon seeing this, Zhu Chong, Zhu Di, Zhu Xiongying and others also stood up and said, "Your sons (grandsons) are willing to help your father (grandfather) fulfill this great wish!"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "This ambition cannot be accomplished by one or two generations of our Zhu family. It will take several generations."

"Therefore, if you truly wish to help me fulfill this wish, you should spend more time and energy on educating your offspring, raising more outstanding children and fewer troublesome ones."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chong, Zhu Di and even Zhu Tan couldn't help but blush.

Especially Zhu Di - his lineage was the most spoiled by Liu Kuan, and there were many things in it that made Zhu Di upset.

After discussing this side topic, Old Zhu took the initiative to bring the conversation back to the main topic. He looked at Liu Kuan and asked, "The Qing Dynasty oppressed the people so much, so it must have fallen because the people rose up in rebellion, right?"

After watching the previous video, Lao Zhu knew that the Xin Dynasty in later generations cooperated with the so-called White Group to launch the Northern Expedition to deal with the warlords formed by the remnants of the Qing Dynasty, which means that the Qing Dynasty had already perished at that time.

This is also evidenced by the fact that people no longer wear braids.

In his opinion, it was probably a major uprising like the Red Turban Rebellion at the end of the Yuan Dynasty that brought down the Qing Dynasty.

　First update.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)