He. The «Golden Fleet» consists of 40—60 «treasure trove» baochuan, 117 meters long, 48 wide, and 200 escort ships of more modest size. The staff of the expedition is 27—28 thousand people.
A total of seven voyages, after which the ships are dismantled, the reports are destroyed. China adopts a strictly isolationist policy.
Meanwhile, the Jurchen from South Manchuria recall the past: at first they stop paying tribute to central China, then unite with Inner Mongolia and organize mass raids on the former metropolis. Moving farther south and west, they capture the last bastion of resistance – the island of Taiwan in 1683. Now China is named after the Manchurian dynasty and empire – Qing. Aliens try not to allow mixed marriages, but they do not oppose their culture to the local, and quickly become Chinese. By the beginning of the 19th century the population of Qing was 300 million people.
Chinese goods are in great demand in Europe, however, the Chinese recognize only silver and gold as payment, as well as Russian fur and Venetian glass. This approach to doing business is completely unhappy with the British, who bring into China from India a product that is becoming more and more popular among all segments of the population – opium. Sun-dried milky juice of immature bollocks of opium poppy contains morphine, codeine, narcotin and another 17 alkaloids. By 1830 the sales volume reaches 1500 tons, 35% of the population become drug addicts. The Chinese emperor introduces a ban on this simple happiness, after which his empire is attacked by the main drug dealer – Great Britain. China loses the war, pays a huge contribution, passes the winner to Hong Kong Island (formally rented for 99 years).
In 1851, the Taiping uprising is taking place, organized by the Chinese Christian Hun Xucuan. The idea is the expulsion of the Manchus, the foundation of the Taiping Kingdom of Heaven (Taiping Tian Guo), or, otherwise, the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Tranquility (or «Welfare»). The millionth Christian army of the Taiping is distinguished by its iron discipline, at the same time, by the humane attitude to the local population, the absence of robberies and cruelties. The basis of society in the occupied territories is a community of 25 families, other hierarchies and estates, as well as religions, are being eliminated.
After twelve years of this confrontation, marked by the emergence of new foci of insurgencies, the Second Opium War is taking place – approximately in the same scenario, and with a similar result. In everything there is both bad and good; for example, China is completely out of international isolation.
Hong Xiu-chuan, hardly from the very beginning of the Liberation campaign, withdraws from worldly affairs, gives himself up to prayers and meditations. Meanwhile, his generals continue to struggle, including, among themselves. Also, considering Europeans as brethren by faith, the Taiping can not figure out why those – English and French – turned against them with weapons. Recall, the army of the Kingdom of Heaven, categorically prohibits smoking opium and, moreover, zealously destroys everything connected with Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. Eventually, the besieged capital of the Taiping, Nanjing, disappears in a huge fire, Hong Xiu-suan commits suicide, his son, the young heir to the throne, ends his life on the block. The last units of the Heavenly Kingdom, after a desperate attempt to storm Peking, perish on August 16, 1868.
In total, during the Taiping uprising, 20 to 30 million people were killed. The Chinese authorities, up to the present day, are trying to limit the spread of Christianity. So, in 1900, during the uprising of theirs, the supporters of traditional beliefs, as a rule of Buddhism, destroyed almost all Christians of Beijing (the Chinese). At the same time, China occupies the forces of Germany, Russia, Japan, win, receive an indemnity of 450 million silver lans (ingot in 31 grams), open the Celestial world even more fully.
In 1908, the throne rises two-year-old Emperor Pu I. Three years later flashes the so-called. Wuchang Uprising, which, in the end, leads to the collapse of the Qing Empire and the proclamation of the Chinese Republic. Then Tibet and Mongolia depart from China.
Aisingoro Pu Yi, who was Henry, as the European teacher called him, and Xundi – «The Forsaken Emperor» – since 1932 the emperor of the puppet republic Manzhou-go, formed by the Japanese. In 1945, captured by a Soviet airborne near Mukden, was held in a prison camp near Khabarovsk, testified at the Tokyo trial as a witness. Returned to China, 9 years re-educated through the system of Mao Zedong, then released. He worked in Beijing, first in the botanical garden, then modest archivist in the national library
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1. Compass Lo-Pan, the tool of the ancient method of correctly determining the state of things, in all senses. Feng Shui (lit. – «wind and water»), the science that has gone through the ages determines, in particular, with the help of an appropriate compass, which sectors in the house correspond to the energies of the head of the family, mistress, children, where to spend leisure, or to work. The simplest – the South, the zone of glory, should abound in red, lights, heat. Water symbols are forbidden in it, it is not recommended to place figures of birds of prey, pictures of battles, weapons themselves, blue, black, purple… So in all sectors, with some reservations and amendments. This is only a science, there is no religious component in it. The school of the form pays less attention to the location of the room relative to the magnetic lines of the Earth and regulates a number of simple things. On the person should not be directed sharp edges, edges of overlappings, floors, etc., beds should be placed head to the capital wall, double beds – to provide independent their departure in both directions. You can not sleep with your feet to the door, sit with your back to the exit. Mirror should in no case «look» at the bed, etc., etc.
2. Banner or coat of arms with the motto, the symbol of Taipin’s «Heavenly Kingdom.»
3. The first running paper money in the world, promissory notes-banknotes of the Chao, the Song dynasty, the 11th century. The circulation of the banknote is limited to a time interval of three years.
Ancient Rome from Octavian Augustus
A little earlier than the beginning of our era. Octavian Augustus and Marcus Antonius divide Rome into the East and the West. Mark falls under the influence of Cleopatra, who does not mind becoming the queen of Rome itself, gets involved in the war with the Senate and Octavian Augustus. Alternating feasts with military preparations, he misses the blows of the metropolis, and, in the end, commits suicide. The charms of the thirty-nine-year-old Cleopatra do not work for the winner, the heiress of the pharaohs has to follow the example of Antony. She has four children; seventeen-year-old Caesarion, the son of Caesar, by order of Augustus, killed, two twins from Antony are brought up by Augustus’s sister, nothing is known about the fate of the fourth.
The emperor Tiberius, stepson and heir of Augustus, is allegedly strangled personally by his great-nephew, his successor, during an attack of illness. Having risen to the summit of power, Caligula builds bridges from ships, luxurious floating palaces, deals with senators – and he is loved by the people for the lack of hypocrisy. Zarezan own bodyguards. The new emperor, Claudius is memorable for Messalina, who has become the nominal image of a lascivious wife. His next wife is Agrippina, the middle sister of Caligula, who already has the son of Nero. Her plot reaches its goal; Nero becomes emperor. However, his reign does not like the mother, who is going to lead to power the son of Claudius and Agrippina, Britannica. Nero in time feeds the opponent with poisoned mushrooms. The mother tries to poison, too, but she takes the invention of the eastern king, Mithradates Evpator, in time, an effective antidote. Unable to drown the mother during the staged shipwreck (in the past hobby of Agrippina – diving for sea sponges), Nero directs the text to order the naval officer to stab it.
Nero’s policy of reducing taxes brought him popular popularity. But, after the