Answer all parts of the question that follows. a) Identify TWO methods that China used to expand its empire after the fall of the Ming dynasty. b) Identify ONE way in which the Songhay Empire used religion to legitimize its rule. c) Explain TWO techniques implemented by the Aztec Empire to generate revenue and to consolidate its power.

A) One method that China used to expand its empire after the fall of the Ming Dynasty was the use of their military. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty rose, where regional leaders were permitted the right to control captured territories and the founding emperors organized and led armies. The dynasty depended on the military for protection and expansion. They aggressively conquered lands across an eighty-year period, expanding defensively for security reasons. Their aggressive attitude helped them conquer a large amount of land.

    Another method that China used to expand its empire after the fall of the Ming Dynasty was their tolerance for the local people's diverse cultures. Even though they were aggressive in their stance, they generally did not seek to assimilate the locals into Chinese culture, respecting Mongolian, Tibetan, and Muslim cultures of the region. Over time, it expanded China's reach and added a small but crucial minority of non-Chinese people to the empire's population.

B) The Songhay empire was located south of the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, meaning that its culture was based on a mixture of West African traditions, but Islam still stood as the law of the land and came before everything else. The government system was based on Sharia law, where strict rules and regulations were taken from the Qur'an. The emperor utilized loyal Muslim governors and town chiefs to control the five provinces of the empire. In 1468, Timbuktu, a trading post for salt and gold, was added to the Songhai Empire as the center of Islamic faith in Africa.

C) One technique implemented by the Aztec Empire to generate revenue and consolidate power was through tributes from the conquered regions. Tributes were regularly collected as a collaborative effort by the members of an alliance. Tributes usually consisted of items such as warrior costumes, shields, tropical feathers, copal incense, paper, food, and animal products. Official tribute collectors, also known as calpixque, were located in the conquered provinces to oversee the payments and make sure that the tributes were paid. Regions that failed to pay the tributes were severely punished.

    Another technique the Aztecs utilized to generate revenue and consolidate power was taxation over their citizens. With the exception of priests, nobles, minors, orphans, invalids, and beggars, the empire required a payment to be made to them from everyone else. Merchants paid taxes on the goods that they sold, artisans paid taxes based on the value of their products, and barrios paid taxes through their crop production. Failure to pay these taxes resulted in slavery or property confiscation.