Ming Dynasty: Is a mere unruly commoner rebelling against heaven?

Chapter 79: Launching Announcement

This book will be available for purchase tomorrow at 12:00 AM, which is tonight after midnight.

Before it goes live, I want to chat with all of you readers and esteemed patrons.

After waiting for so long, this opportunity has finally arrived.

From the very beginning, this book has been met with constant criticism.

Actually, the target audience for this book is very clear. So clear that just a glance at my introduction will tell you whether this book suits your taste.

I just wanted to write a simple, straightforward, and fast-paced power fantasy.

There are many books on Qidian that are slow-paced, logically sound, and have sophisticated hype points. I enjoy reading them too.

But I hope my book can give readers a sense of satisfaction in the shortest amount of time.

To make readers feel that the time they spend on my book is well worth it.

I think the highest praise for this book is: "This is a qualified power fantasy."

Every time I see such comments in the comments section, I feel genuinely happy from the bottom of my heart.

My original intention for writing this book remains clear: this is a simple and direct power fantasy.

All plots serve to create the most satisfying hype points, and everything else must give way to it.

I firmly remember this and dare not waver in the slightest.

So, whatever the pace of this book is before it goes live, it will be the same after it goes live.

How satisfying it is to write before it goes live, it will be the same after it goes live.

At least, I personally think my plot is still very satisfying.

Because when I'm thinking about the plot, I get so excited that I tremble.

This book has no literary pursuits, nor any historical baggage.

It is just a diversion for readers to relax their minds and bodies during their daily busy studies and work.

Has this book achieved this?

Looking at the comments section filled with the word "satisfying," I think I have achieved it.

In the upcoming paid chapters, I will continue to persist as always, all for the sake of writing the most satisfying plot.

I know that many readers don't comment, don't vote, just quietly read and subscribe.

The voices of these silent readers will not be reflected in the comments, but only in the subscription and follow-up reading data.

I am very grateful to the readers who support me in the comments section, and I will not forget the readers who silently follow along.

These are my bread and butter. As long as the follow-up reading and subscription data don't drop, it doesn't matter how fiercely the comments section criticizes.

Many books that were released at the same time as mine are not brainless, not simplistic, have logic, and are in line with historical facts.

But with everyone's support, this book still made it onto the Sanjiang list.

This is an unexpected surprise, and it still feels like a dream.

So I firmly believe that this book has a market, that there are readers who love to read it, and that there are readers who are willing to pay for subscriptions.

I only serve readers who are willing to pay and am responsible to them.

So I have to emphasize again that this is a simple and direct power fantasy.

At the same time, I would also like to respond to the two points that have been criticized the most.

The first point is that I whitewashed Emperor Yingzong of Ming, Zhu Qizhen.

To be honest, whether Zhu Qizhen was a wise ruler or a foolish ruler,

I don't care at all.

I mentioned before that this book has no literary pursuits or any sense of historical responsibility.

I am just a novelist. Even if I whitewash Zhu Qizhen, he won't crawl out of the ground and reward me with the position of a historian.

I only care about whether my subsequent plot can continue the style of the previous text and firmly implement the word "satisfying."

And in the subsequent plot that is so satisfying that my scalp tingles, there is a part about the Tumu Crisis.

And the premise that this part of the plot can be satisfying

is that the Tumu Crisis was a mutiny launched by civil officials, border generals, the empress's family, and internal and external collusion, rather than a simple military defeat.

Of course, Zhu Qizhen's ability to be deceived by civil officials and border generals is also his own problem.

My purpose in writing about the Tumu Crisis is that simple.

It is precisely because of this major premise that I mentioned it more in the previous text.

Because the history of the Tumu Crisis, whether viewed from the "History of Ming," "Veritable Records of Ming," "Guo Que," or the "Tianhuang Yudie" circulating on the Internet, does not make sense logically.

According to the currently circulating version, then I think also Esen is more satisfying than the protagonist of this book.

If Genghis Khan came, he would only be qualified to lead the horse for also Esen.

So in the subsequent plot, I can only serve my plot and adopt another version of the Tumu Crisis. Everyone can just enjoy it after reading it and don't take it seriously.

If you really want to read history, you should still read historical books.

As for whether to believe it or not, it's up to your own judgment.

You readers shouldn't be too serious when reading historical novels.

History is like a little girl who can be dressed up by anyone.

How historical events are and how historical figures are all depends on what later generations need them to be.

It's just because of some need that historical figures are pulled out, dressed up, and put on stage to entertain guests.

Different positions, different needs.

It's just a pastime anyway. Everyone can just watch and have fun. There's no need to make a fuss about it.

The second point is about the silver tael problem in the mid-Ming Dynasty.

Many comments are saying that the amount of silver taels confiscated from the homes of Ming Dynasty officials is too small. Each official should have embezzled tens of thousands of taels.

Oh my god!

The Ming Dynasty has been short of gold and silver since its founding.

The scope of silver use is very small. More than 90% of the Ming Dynasty people used copper coins.

Otherwise, after Zhu Yuanzhang founded the country, he wouldn't have collected taxes in kind.

The salaries given to officials would not have been issued according to the amount of rice.

I mentioned in the text that in the entire first year of the Hongzhi era, the court only collected 50,000 taels of gold and silver in autumn taxes, and the rest were all in kind.

In the eighteenth year of Hongzhi, after Emperor Wuzong of Ming, Zhu Houzhao, ascended the throne, he went to the Ministry of Revenue to ask for silver to bury Zhu Youtang, but the Ministry of Revenue's Taicang silver only had one million taels.

It was only during the Chenghua period that Zhu Jianshen made some silver, so that after Zhu Youtang ascended the throne, Taicang silver still had three to four million taels.

The first large influx of silver into the Ming Dynasty did not occur until after the opening of the sea during the Longqing period.

After the opening of the sea during the Longqing period, the official record of silver flowing into the Ming Dynasty was 340 million taels.

Including embezzlement and smuggling, I think this number will not be less than 600 million taels.

So Ming Dynasty officials had a lot of silver, and they had to wait until after the Longqing period.

Zhang Juzheng also began to implement the Single Whip Law and the silver standard after having a sufficient amount of silver.

By the tenth year of Wanli, the annual tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty Ministry of Revenue's Taicang silver was 4.08 million taels of silver, and the income of the inner treasury was more than one million taels.

At this time, all taxes collected were silver.

Before this, in the forty-fourth year of Jiajing, Yan Song and Yan Shifan and his son were raided.

A total of 30,000 taels of gold and 2.5 million taels of silver were confiscated, which was enough to write a "Tianshui Iceberg Record."

And the first year of Hongzhi was more than seventy years earlier than the forty-fourth year of Jiajing.

Compared with the present and the 1950s, the silver in the first year of Hongzhi must have been more valuable.

Even if officials embezzled to death, they shouldn't have been able to embezzle much.

Then before the opening of the sea during the Longqing period, was there any place in the Ming Dynasty with a huge amount of silver?

Yes!

But it is definitely not in the hands of Beijing officials, but in the hands of Jiangnan smuggling groups and gentry landlords.

This is another, even more explosive plot.

This launching announcement has been so long-winded.

Actually, I didn't want to make any explanations, but there have been many comments on these two issues, so I have to express myself.

If there is any offense, I sincerely apologize.

This is the first time for a newbie to launch a book, and I feel uneasy.

Before it goes live, I still want to ask for the first subscription and the full subscription.

If the bosses who want to raise the book can open a self-subscription, that would be even better.

Tomorrow's launch, crazy updates!

Tomorrow at 12:05 AM, I will upload six chapters in one go, large chapters of 4,000 words, totaling 24,000 words!

If the first subscription exceeds 1,000 on the same day, two more large chapters of 4,000 words will be added!

If the first subscription exceeds 2,000 on the same day, two more large chapters of 4,000 words will be added!

If the first subscription exceeds 3,000, then...

That's it.

I only have 40,000 words of manuscript.

And with the current results, it is impossible to exceed 3,000 first subscriptions. I will be happy if I can get 1,000.

If there are 2,000 first subscriptions, and my manuscript is squeezed dry, then I will be so happy that I will fly.

So tomorrow, don't feel sorry for me, don't pity me, please squeeze my manuscript dry!

After the launch, there will still be two updates every day, but they are all chapters of 3,000 words, which is equivalent to updating 6,000 words every day.

If I really can't write it, I will update two chapters of 2,000 words.

At least 4,000 words are guaranteed to be updated every day.

Because I really can't write this book quickly. Many times when I'm writing, I delete the words that I think are nonsense in the front.

I just want to use the fewest words to explain everything, and then start to be satisfying.

This way, I will be satisfying to write, and the readers will be satisfying to read.

Unknowingly, the launching announcement has been written so many words.

As expected of a newbie, I have no experience in launching a book. I was just busy chatting and forgot to do the most important thing.

After the launch, please ask for monthly tickets, please ask for evaluation tickets, and also ask for rewards and comments.

Finally, thank you to some readers.

Thank you to the boss who only steals hearts but not bodies, thank you to the boss Moe? Xiao Wu?

These are the first and second on the book friend list, and they both cast four monthly tickets.

Thank you to the boss Yan Guiwang, this is the monthly ticket gold master of this month.

Thank you to the boss Zhuxian% fans, this is the first boss to cast a monthly ticket.

Thank you to the boss who overturned the car, Little Fox, this is the first boss to cast a recommendation ticket.

Thank you to the boss Feiyuntian, who cast a total of 138 recommendation tickets.

Thank you to the boss who is a man in wolf's skin, who casts a recommendation ticket for this book every day. I can see him every day.

Thank you to the boss who is too naive and will be hurt, the first to reward this book with 100 Qidian coins.

Thank you to the boss Simple Silver, thank you to the boss Shenwu V Emperor, thank you to the boss Book Friend 20230903073047310, thank you to the boss A. Zhang Shen Song.

Thank you to the four bosses who rewarded 100 Qidian coins.

There are also three bosses who rewarded 2 Qidian coins, but because the background does not show the order, they are listed together.

Thank you to the boss Zhi Gao Hengxing, thank you to the boss Long Ziyan, thank you to the boss Wang's Pride A.

Thank you to the three bosses who rewarded 2 Qidian coins.

Thank you to all the bosses who follow along.

Thank you to all the readers who see here.

See you tomorrow.