Reatra wrote:Caraani wrote:
125.000.000 in 1500 est. That was the pop. of Ming in 1500, estimated.
500.000 is known as the usual number of troops raised by the Ming when they are threatened, and these units were usually lead by 20 experienced generals.
Anyway, the greatest problem is that the Ming after Zheng He stoped being interested in colonization and begun to close their borders to every foreigner.
As such, if you would open yourself to foreigners I propose for some kind of rebellion by the people against the rulling dinasty to depose the emperor and put a isolationist on the throne.The rebellion will come with the very popular Palace assassinations and Coup D'etat that in China used to be very normal when a ruler wasn't liked.This is just to make it harder for you to open up, not because I hate you, but because it is very very very ahistorical for the Chinese to do that, or to continue the colonizations after Zheng He's fleet was burnt by some mad Emperor.
These are the changes I propose to keep it just a bit more historical.
Well... China has historically,except for the Ming, been very outgoing and such. They WANT to have all of East Asia pay tribute, they WANT to trade with faraway "barbarians". If the Ming are to be the ones to bring Chinese culture and policies back to China... Then they would do that. The only reason they looked inward was because the bureaucrats said Xheng He bankrupted the Empire. Which he did the opposite of. If say... The Enuch's had much more control, than we would have no reason to look inward. Which isn't that hard to make up. Say the Yongle Emperor REALLY wanted to take advantage of India and Africa... Just (slowly) appoint more and more Enuch's and give them more and more "titles" (They were feudal, but for some reason I doubt how that works.). Then poof, China continues to expand in trade and colonization.
Honestly, it's not that hard to imagine, at all. Much more likely than Ming owning all of Tibet and most of Inner Mongolia and stuff.
Right now, you have a colonization bonus, by the way. Also, China and Rome had trade and diplomatic exchanges. The Chinese knew the Romans as "Da Qin", meaning "Great China". The Romans, in turn, knew them as "Sinae", which is where we get the word "Sino-" to denote Chinese participation. Ming maps have been found that still detail Europe as being owned by the Roman Empire. Also, China thought the capital of Da Qin was An-tu, believed to be Antioch.
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