When it comes to the Yuan Dynasty, people will think of "Mongolian Army", "Powerful", "Expedition to Europe" and "the most powerful country in Chinese history". Yes, at the peak of the Yuan Dynasty, Europe was almost unified. The Mongolian army's westward expedition swept Hungary and other countries, and the Mongolian horse's iron hoof had set foot on the land of Venice. Its territory includes the Sea of Japan, Tianshan Mountain, Lake Baikal and South China Sea, and it is the largest dynasty in Chinese history.

In Europe at that time, talk about the "Mongolian" color change. However, like the unprecedented military expansion of the Mongolian army, its destruction speed is unique. The world of Zhou was 8 years, and the world of Han was 4 years. Even the incompetent and famous Song Dynasty had a national history of 3 years, while the regime of Yuan Dynasty lasted only 98 years. In contrast, it is like a fleeting meteor in the historical sky.

recalling the glorious past, Temujin once said to his sons with great pride, "wherever the whip points, it will become Mongolian pastures!" Unexpectedly, it was this sentence that made the Yuan Dynasty and "ruined" it.

1. "Buy banknotes with banknotes". Under the severe inflation, there is no difference between yuan banknotes and paper.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there was a folk poem widely circulated: open the door to the big yuan, and the traitors have exclusive rights. The river was flooded, the new banknotes were printed in large numbers, the currency was devalued rapidly, and the people were not talking about life, resulting in the Red Turban Rebellion million people uprising. Taxes and levies are onerous and harsh, the criminal law is too heavy, and the people are complaining. People eat people, and money buys money. I have never seen it. The thief is an official, the official is a thief, and he is a fool. Alas, it is pitiful.

This poem reveals the main factors that led to the demise of the Yuan Dynasty. "Talk nonsense" and "change money", among which "change money" as a country's economic policy is related to the rise and fall of the country, and its importance is self-evident. Judging from this poem, the yuan government's policy of "changing money" is obviously a failure, so where did it fail?

during the northern song dynasty, the world's earliest paper money, jiaozi, appeared. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Jiaozi was widely used, and it played a decisive role in the commercial activities of the Southern Song society. After Mongolia went south to destroy the Song and Jin Dynasties, it also learned from this practice of using paper money. First, the Mongolian army's westward expedition opened the trade market in China and Europe, with frequent international transactions, convenient carrying and low transportation cost, which made it an irresistible trend to replace the traditional metal currency. Secondly, the Yuan government paid more attention to commerce. At that time, there was a special class in the Yuan society-Wotuo. They are businessmen protected by the government, and of course they will only be held by the nobility.

Kublai Khan acceded to the throne, and after completing centralization, he issued the first edition of paper banknotes in the Yuan Dynasty-Zhong Tong banknotes. The standard of central banknotes is silver, and every two passes of central banknotes are roughly equivalent to one or two pieces of silver. On the one hand, the yuan government used the central banknotes in exchange for jiaozi and huizi among the people, and on the other hand, as the main currency in circulation, it gradually replaced silver and gold and became the foreign credit currency of the yuan government.

Kyle Polo recorded in his "Notes on the East" that this kind of currency was widely popular in the places under the jurisdiction of the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty, and even high-ranking ministers dared not use it. Those who refused to use it would be put to death. Wherever China businessmen go, they use this currency for shopping, which is also widely welcomed by foreigners because of its convenience.

because of its good credit and the strength of the yuan government. In the early Yuan Dynasty, however, the unified banknotes in China played a very good role in restoring the postwar economy and maintaining the stability of the social environment. However, the Mongolian-Yuan regime is a country built on horseback, and their main economic source is relying on "military expansion", that is, "fighting to support wars".

when the Mongolian army went south to destroy the southern song dynasty, it won the battle, but the cost of the army was huge. In order to make up for this huge vacancy, the Yuan government printed more than 1.4 million ingots of "China Unified Notes". A huge amount of central banknotes has emerged in the market, which has caused the banknotes in the hands of ordinary people to depreciate rapidly. In the past, money of the same denomination could buy a family's daily rations, but now it may only be enough for half a day.

In addition, the high-level corruption in the Yuan Dynasty was serious, and Ren Pingzhang's political official Ahema privately made a huge amount of "Zhong Tong Chao". Not only that, he also collected most of the gold and silver in the country, making "Zhong Tong Chao" the only currency in circulation. This "child's play" approach made the phenomenon of inflation in the Yuan Dynasty society increasingly serious, the market price soared, and the people complained bitterly.

The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty tried to change this situation, but all achieved little. At the end of Kublai Khan's rule, the military expansion activities of the Yuan Dynasty basically stopped, the burden of national income was all accumulated on the shoulders of the people, and the currency devaluation accelerated. By the time Yuan Shundi was in power, inflation was basically out of control, and only 3 coins were worth one or two pieces of silver, which was 15 times higher than that in the early Yuan Dynasty.

The currency issued by the Yuan government is becoming less and less valuable. It is no wonder that the people send out the feeling that "money buys money, why have you ever seen it?" Second, corruption prevailed in the Yuan Dynasty, and the Empire State Building was hollowed out.

In the Yuan Dynasty, social corruption became a common practice. During the reign of Emperor Chengzong, Yuan Chengzong, who was fed up with it, vigorously rectified the bureaucracy and found out more than 18, corrupt officials. This number is simply incredible. In fact, the corruption of Yuan people can be seen from the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Mongolia is a nation on horseback. When Temujin led the Mongolian army south, there was no rear army. What if the army needs food supplies? Rob! Run to a nearby village to snatch food and money to replenish the army. After they entered the Central Plains, this "grabbing" atmosphere still existed.

The aforementioned "Ahema" who made banknotes privately was always taken seriously during Kublai Khan's reign and held power for 19 years. Kublai Khan praised his great talent! What great talent? Collect money and be talented! Ahema repeatedly increased taxes, controlled foreign trade and "filled the state treasury". So the royal family got so much money, was it used to build the country? No, they use it to splurge on enjoyment.

When Yuan Wuzong was in China, there was a plague of locusts. Officials in Zhongshu Province advised: "The plague of locusts is prevalent in China, and the people can't sustain it. Please ask your majesty to remove their taxes." Emperor Wu zong was furious: "how can the capital be spectacular without watchtowers?" Let's build the turret first! " Emperor Wuzong spent 8.2 million ingots during his one-year reign, while Yuan Ting earned only 2.8 million ingots a year. Among them, the rare birds and beasts raised by Emperor Wuzong in the harem need more than 13 thousand ingots a year just for feeding. However, after Injong came to the top, he squandered more and more, spending as much as 2 million ingots a year.

In addition, emperors lavished rewards, and official positions were "freely awarded". Emperor Wuzong once gave more than 88 officials at will, and the emperors' rewards also included fields, mansions, gold and silver, handmaiden and so on. Treating official positions like this is a joke, which leads to "selling officials and titles" becoming the norm. Many people get official positions through the back door, bribery, etc., and then they make a lot of money after they reach high positions. The tax in Yuan Dynasty is nearly 1 times higher than that in Song Dynasty! The people are miserable.

Up and down, Mongolian officials dominate the country. They arbitrarily occupy the fields of the Han people and turn them into pastures. Since ancient times, the pillar economy in the Central Plains has been the agricultural economy, which undoubtedly caused great damage to the social structure at that time. In addition, at the end of Kublai Khan's rule, the military expansion basically stopped, and the national income was basically taken from the people.

In the face of harsh taxes, people live in dire straits all day. People who have lost their fields have become refugees, precarious, and more tenants of landlords, enduring the oppression of landlords and making ends meet. In the Yuan Dynasty, there was even a business of "buying and selling people", and it was legal! These people are called "drivers" and the price is similar to that of cattle.

Under this social atmosphere, the troops of the Yuan Dynasty also "rotted" quickly. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, when Zhu Yuanzhang gathered the banner of righteousness, he once sighed: "How can the Yuan Army, which has always been called the teacher of tigers and wolves, be so easy to fight?" The Empire State Building has been hollowed out by these termites, and it can no longer withstand the wind and rain. Third, people are divided into four classes, resisting "Sinicization", and peace is out of the question

During the Yuan Dynasty, the Yuan government divided people into four classes: Mongolians, Semu people, Han people and southerners. Semu people are the collective names of ethnic minorities other than Han people and Mongolian ancients, while Nanren people are adherents of the Southern Song Dynasty. In order to maintain the rule, such a hierarchy is strict and cannot be overstepped. Mongols, even if they are only children, can hold important positions, but no matter how talented they are, Han people and southerners can't get rid of the shackles of "serfs".

Ye Ziqi, a beginner in the Ming Dynasty, once commented on this: "The only way to govern the world is to be fair. The public is yue hu's family, and the private is more courageous. This ancient sage regarded the world as one family and China as one person. Since the yuan dynasty was mixed. Generally speaking, they are all from the north to China.

At the beginning of the establishment of political power, Mongolians did not know how to govern this huge Central Plains, but with the assistance of ministers such as Yelu Chucai, they gradually stepped into the "right path". In Mongolian high-level, there is a high level of Chinese culture, but they learn Chinese culture not for "learning", but to maintain their own rule and enslave the Han people through Chinese culture. For example, Kublai Khan will also change "Great Mongolia" to "Yuan", learn from the Han people to rebuild the capital and follow the administrative system of the previous dynasty.

Although there are these signs, it does not mean that they have been "sinicized". They always have an indelible sense of alienation from Chinese culture, just like learning a new language, just for the convenience of communication, which does not mean love. In fact, the religion that Mongols believe in is Lamaism, and they have shaped Temujin as the "wheel king", not as the "son of heaven" as the Han people do.

Cultural alienation is more serious, which makes there always an insurmountable gap between Yuan people and Han people. They will never become a family, so there is no way to talk about "the place where Mongolia and Han people are at peace." Conclusion

History is always strikingly similar. Throughout the history of our dynasty, when a regime comes to an end, there will always be these problems: corruption, the decline of people's livelihood, the unpopularity of the people, the sharp decline in the combat effectiveness of the army, and the rampant traitors. The Yuan Dynasty, as an empire famous for its military in the history of our country, fell apart in less than a hundred years, still because it was unpopular. "The world is not under one person, but under all people", which is an eternal truth.