Yes, you have a strong point there. There is no doubt that during the Tang Dynasty and Heian Jidai -- the level of trade and sciences exploration between Japan and China was at all all time high (nothing in modern period parallels this period of unprecedented Sino-Japanese entente). As during that time, it was considered that China and Japan were considered One; there used to be a ritual wherein the Emperor of China would send an Imperial envoy to the Emperor of Japan, who would then send one back to return the same auspicious regards. During those days, the Tang Dynasty Period and the Heian Jidai, the lips of the Emperor of China was close to the ear of the Emperor of Japan.
That's how close we were.
That's a bit exaggerated, but ok.
Yes, the Koreans owe their collective existence as an independent power to the Chinese, honestly. Hideyoshi's forces had the Korean king begging the Court of Ming to come to his aid, literally most of Korea was already under Japanese control.
The thing is it took both of you to combine forces to make a stalemate in Korea. So exhaustive was the war that Ming China was bankrupted due to the cost of the war with Japan. While Japan had , too, exhausted its coffers . But the Imjin War was a didactic experience as it showed the Bakufu at the time on the effective military strategy in fighting foreign armies, instead of just regional clan wars. The Imjin Wars had saw to the , literally, decimation of the entire Korean Armies under the Japanese.
If it was not for China (Ming Dynasty), Korea should have been colonized by Japan as early as the 16th century.
I give you guys credit tho. Come on, 2 vs 1. lol.
The Korean Navy at the time was miles ahead of Japan, which is why you lost in the first place, Ming helped, but it was the Korean navy cutting off supplies and destroying transports. The Koreans had decades of experience fighting the Wako pirates, their cannon ships were real warships rather than the Japanese ships which were more transport than anything else.
Ming China's finances had already collapse by that time, the Silver trade of Japan, but especially Spain, as well as the first paper currency completely destroyed Chinese economy, and inflation was at an all time high, so much so, that the same situation, more or less, in the Spanish empire, turned Spain into a minor power from the king of Euorpe at the time.
The Japanese ground force was far and away the most feared fighters in Asia at the time though, centuries of fighting experience and the brilliance of the Daimyos who commanded made Japan the ground force at the time. Had it not been for the navy, I'm sure Korea would have fallen regardless. The Chinese force sent was not particularly strong, they were just the border forces, who while battle hardened, were undisciplined, and essentially unpaid.
Can you elaborate ? I'd like to know your view on the matter, actually.
Consider a college education, when I finished it was by no means the end. I had to go through about a year of training before I was any good, and even then I still require constant studying to even now and all the way to my retirement.
School gives you the tools to learn, not the tools to work.
The bureaucrats has different jobs, they learn from experience of the higher ranking officials and others, the first in Keju, doesn't give you a leading position, it gives you a position in the government, where you can rise base on your accomplishment.
Keju gives you a chance, whether you can take that chance is up to you.
This is essentially the same as it is today, but with more emphasis on, on the job training, rather than in school.
One example is the Ming Prime minister, he was experienced in pretty much all the fields, and Keju proved his memory, his creativity, and his competence as an intellectual. 严嵩 the PM in question, was so good, all his work can be considered master pieces, yet he never writes any drafts. Exaggerated probably, but it still proves his worth.
Keju gave him the chance to shine, and prestige. It by no means made him a PM. Him being an expert in all things by the age of 63, made him the PM.
Where is india in this ranking？
