Great Ming

Biodata

Geography and Important Locations

Government and Institutions

Imperial Authority

The emperor ascended the throne as a child, when Zhu Wushi dominated the government through Dragon Guard Manor. He subsequently built up the Eastern Depot to counter Zhu Wushi, then supported the Western Depot against the Eastern Depot. Following Zhu Wushi’s and Cao Zhengchun’s deaths, he believed imperial authority had finally been consolidated, although the Jinyiwei and Lin Lang had become increasingly powerful 45 279.

The emperor also applied this balancing policy to the Jianghu. He wanted rival sects strong enough to restrain one another, but not strong enough to threaten the Zhu Imperial Family 200 266.

Principal Institutions

Lin Lang’s Position

• Imperial Preceptor and deterrent: Lin Lang saves the capital from Jinlun Fawang and becomes central to Great Ming’s security and expansion 282 332.
• Authority over military policy: The emperor mobilizes against Great Song on Lin Lang’s instructions, despite initially questioning the timing 439.
• Influence beyond official rank: By the later story, the emperor openly acknowledges that Lin Lang’s contributions exceed his own and those of his ministers 510.
• Permanent recognition: The emperor erects a statue of Lin Lang and declares that Great Ming will forever honor him as its Sage Teacher, seeking to preserve his protection and influence 560.

Martial World

Court Policy

• Suppression without nationwide upheaval: Cao Zhengchun considers destroying every sect at once impractical because domestic chaos would invite invasion, particularly from Mongol Yuan and Great Liao 121.
• Using sects against sects: The Eastern Depot supports the Sun Moon Holy Cult as a means of managing the Jianghu through a martial organization 200.
• Recruitment into state service: Lin Lang recruits poisoned martial artists into the Jinyiwei after defeating Zhao Min’s forces at Qingliang Temple 109.
• Imperial co-option: The emperor accepts a proposal to offer the Sun Moon Holy Cult’s leader the title Martial Arts Alliance Leader of All Under Heaven, hoping to bring the cult into imperial service 210.
• Confiscation and enforcement: After Northern Shaolin’s destruction, Lin Lang orders investigations of monasteries, arrests of wanted monks, and seizure of unregistered temple land 266.

Changing Balance of Power

Military

Strengths and Limitations

• Firearms: Great Ming’s firearms are initially described as more powerful than those of other countries and a foundation of its hold on the Central Plains 255.
• Explosive weapons: During the counteroffensive against Mongol Yuan, its new black, explosive projectiles can destroy tents and stone city walls 336.
• Red-Coat Cannons: Lin Lang cites these weapons when threatening a seaborne landing against Goguryeo 342.
• Cavalry disadvantage: Despite its large army, Great Ming initially lacks cavalry comparable to Mongol Yuan’s mounted archers. Firearms prove less effective against mobile cavalry than the emperor expected 278 301 304.
• Command vulnerability: Powerful martial artists can assassinate generals even when they cannot defeat entire armies. Court eunuchs therefore supervise frontier commanders while also protecting them 266.
• Reform: After the Mongol Yuan invasion, the emperor orders armored cavalry training. Lin Lang later argues that further campaigns require equipment, compensation for casualties, and administration of conquered territory—not merely grain and horses 304 378.

Economy and Trade

Revenue and Financial Pressure

• Tax barriers: Heavy taxes imposed by both Great Ming and Great Song restrict trade and keep many Song goods expensive in Great Ming 126.
• Temple wealth: Tax-exempt monasteries hold tens of thousands of mu of unregistered land. Confiscation offers the court land, sale proceeds, and future tax revenue 266.
• Treasury shortages: The emperor sometimes draws on the imperial family’s private treasury, while local authorities solicit donations from gentry 266.
• Limits on expansion: By the time Great Ming’s territory reaches ten times its original size, insufficient money and grain force further western campaigns to be postponed 522.

Maritime Commerce

• Official restriction: Only official ships are permitted to sail overseas; private voyages are prohibited 126.
• Protected evasion: The Giant Whale Gang ignores the restriction with Dragon Guard Manor’s backing and support from trading houses connected to officials and nobles 126.
• Recorded returns: Three treasure ships return each month, each bringing at least 300,000 taels in revenue 126.
• Overseas administration: After Nihon’s conquest, tribute merchant ships also carry rotating Great Ming officials between Nihon and the Central Plains 490.

History

Internal Consolidation and the Mongol Yuan Invasion

The emperor’s struggle to control rival court organizations coincided with the destruction or absorption of many Jianghu factions. The Sun Moon Holy Cult’s expansion reduced independent martial opposition, while Lin Lang rebuilt the Jinyiwei’s authority 199 200 279.

A rebellion by the Prince of Pingnan and the Ten Frontier Garrison Commanders created an opportunity for Mongol Yuan to invade. With border forces displaced, Mongol Yuan cavalry penetrated the heartland, and Jinlun Fawang led experts into the capital and Imperial Palace 277 278 279.

Lin Lang killed Jinlun Fawang and saved the capital. The emperor subsequently reported that Great Ming’s cavalry were pursuing the retreating invaders. With the Prince of Pingnan and the Ten Garrison Commanders dead, the court moved to reclaim their armies and confiscate their estates 282. Nevertheless, the invasion caused severe losses, and Mongol Yuan’s mobile cavalry escaped without being decisively destroyed 301.

Expansion

Recovery and Succession

Following its conquests, Great Ming’s territory was ten times its original size. Lin Lang advised retaining elite forces rather than unnecessarily large armies and prioritizing peaceful livelihoods and prosperity before cultural development 485 522.

The original emperor died after something went wrong with his cultivation, two years before the afterword’s events. His successor took the throne without resistance through Blackwood Cliff’s support. Instead of declaring a general amnesty, the new emperor reduced taxes throughout the realm, earning public respect 564.

National Fortune and Imperial Symbols

National Fortune and True Dragon Qi

• Territorial growth: Incorporating Nihon increases Great Ming’s national fortune and creates another opportunity for Lin Lang to gather True Dragon Qi 490.
• Imperial Jade Seal: Lin Lang draws True Dragon Qi from the seal when visiting the emperor 560.
• Prosperity: By the later story, national fortune has surged severalfold, accompanied by favorable weather, promising harvests, population growth, and peaceful livelihoods 558.
• Continued deterrence: Mu Yingxiong judges that Great Ming’s ruling position cannot be shaken while Lin Lang remains its Imperial Preceptor 562.

Imperial Regalia

Other Worlds

• Imperial ambition: After learning of connections between the Nine Realms, the emperor imagines extending Great Ming’s conquests into other worlds 551.
• Lin Lang’s restriction: Lin Lang later warns him against trying to rule those worlds 560.