How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 167 A Storm is Brewing (First Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets and Subscriptions)
In early March of the second year of the Chongzhen reign, Beijing was parched and extremely dry. The dust on the Nanyuan Grand Parade Ground was thick and heavy, and every movement of men and horses raised clouds of yellow dust.

As dawn broke, 50,000 newly formed soldiers of the Beijing Garrison filled the drill ground. Although the infantry was numerous, their ranks were still somewhat crooked. Fortunately, everyone was wearing the same new battle jackets, which made them look rather spirited in the morning light.

About ten percent of the troops were cavalry, and they looked quite elite. The cavalrymen not only wore cloth armor over their battle coats, but also had iron masks covering their faces, and wore gleaming iron helmets on their heads. They were fully equipped with weapons and saddles.

Emperor Chongzhen did not ride in his imperial carriage, but instead rode a tall horse presented as tribute from Hexi, dressed in sharp military attire. Generals such as Xu Qinian, Sun Yingyuan, Cao Wenzhao, and Zhou Yuji served as his guards. Sun Yuanhua, who oversaw the training of the Beijing garrison's artillery, also accompanied him, riding slowly along the drill ground. The young emperor pursed his lips, his face revealing neither joy nor anger, except for his eyes, which shone brightly and deeply as they swept across the military formation.

A gust of wind swept in, carrying yellow dust that made people squint. The drill ground was quiet, with only the soft rustling of horses' hooves on the loose soil.

The emperor observed carefully. Many of the young soldiers still had childish faces, and their grip on their guns was clumsy. There were also some seasoned veterans mixed in with the ranks, their eyes darting around, secretly sizing up this young emperor.

"The foundation is still too weak..." Emperor Chongzhen sighed inwardly. How he longed to train a fierce and powerful army! But time was of the essence, and funds and provisions were in dire need.

The twenty-odd newly cast bronze cannons in the arena were polished to a gleaming shine, serving as the showpiece. Looking at the infantry, seven out of ten still carried spears and broadswords, while only about thirty carried muskets. These muskets were a mixed bag; some were engraved with the characters "Foshan," brought from the south by Tian Ji; others bore foreign designs, acquired by Zheng Zhilong, Liu Xiang, and others from the sea. To even fire a single shot was a feat; to expect a volley was even more difficult.

Emperor Chongzhen reined in his horse and surveyed the scene. He knew the family's resources were meager, but this was all the capital he, Yang Sichang, Sun Chuanting, and others had scraped together by selling everything they owned.

"Soldiers!" The emperor cleared his throat, his voice not loud, but each word clear, "The court is currently facing difficulties, and I'm sorry to have made you all suffer!"

The drill ground was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard.

"But this suffering cannot be in vain!" Chongzhen's voice rose, carrying the sharp edge of youth. "Why are we toiling and eating dirt here? It's for our parents, wives, and children, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty! The barbarians think we have no one to rely on and repeatedly invade our borders! I refuse to believe in such evil!"

He waved his hand sharply: "We have few guns and cannons now, and we don't train enough! That's the truth! But we have the courage to not be afraid of death, and the determination to defend our country! From today onwards, train like there's no tomorrow! Sweat more in peacetime, bleed less in wartime! One day, we'll let the Tartars know that the Ming Dynasty's new army is not to be trifled with!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" The soldiers were slightly taken aback, then burst into a louder but uneven roar, kicking up dust. Many young soldiers blushed.

When Emperor Chongzhen arrived at the artillery position, he frowned slightly: "There are still too few cannons. With 50,000 troops, we need at least a hundred or so field cannons."

Sun Yuanhua, who was standing beside him, hurriedly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty is wise. The skilled craftsmen at the Beijing Garrison Artillery Factory are really insufficient. At most, they can only produce twelve or thirteen bronze cannons per month. With supplies for Jizhou, Xuanfu, Changping, Datong, and the aid to Korea, the allocation is often stretched thin."

He paused briefly, then continued, "I do have a temporary solution. The Tiger Crouching Cannon is lightweight. If it is mounted on a field gun carriage, although it cannot fire solid shot for long-range attacks, it can be filled with shrapnel to create a barrage within a hundred paces, making it as effective as a giant gun. If it can be mass-produced, it may alleviate the infantry's predicament of lacking accompanying firepower."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen's eyes lit up: "This is an excellent idea! Quickly build several gates to test it. If it proves effective, then proceed accordingly."

……

In the cavalry ranks, Li Hongji, his face taut, chanted slogans. He sat upright on his horse, but his eyes kept glancing at the young emperor out of the corner of his eye.

"This emperor is young, but he's got quite the nerve," Li Zicheng thought to himself. Having been through countless battles, he could tell at a glance that out of these 50,000 men, probably less than 15,000 could be considered veterans and elite troops. The rest were just newly recruited.

But he could also tell that this unit was different from any other government troops he had ever seen. They lacked that lifeless, stagnant atmosphere; instead, they possessed an… indescribable energy, like a burning fire within them. Especially the officers—their eyes shone with a light; they weren't just going through the motions.

He stole another glance at the emperor. The young emperor, mounted on his horse, stood ramrod straight, exuding an inexplicable air of heroism amidst the brightly dressed soldiers. Li Zicheng felt a sudden stirring in his heart. This emperor seemed quite different from the legendary figures who grew up deep within the palace.

……

After the inspection, Emperor Chongzhen did not linger and returned directly to the Forbidden City, where he summoned Sun Chuanting and Yang Sichang to the Qianqing Palace.

In the warm pavilion, Emperor Chongzhen took off his military uniform, changed back into his everyday clothes, and held a cup of warm goji berry tea in his hand.

"Minister Sun, Minister Yang, you are both aware of the situation." Chongzhen gently turned the huanghuali thermos in his hand. "We have assembled a number of soldiers. However, men alone are not enough; they must understand battle formations, know when to advance and retreat, and be familiar with tactics. As things stand, it is probably not feasible to send them out to fight the Jurchens." Sun Chuanting bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Training new soldiers cannot be accomplished overnight. The officers and soldiers at all levels rely mostly on bravery and lack strategy. This is indeed an urgent matter."

Yang Sichang continued, "I also believe that training generals is even more urgent than training soldiers. Without good generals, even a mighty army is like scattered sand."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, a resolute glint in his eyes: "I have been thinking about this for a long time, and I have a plan. I wish to establish a military academy in Tsinghua Garden!"

Both Sun Yang and his companion looked up, slightly surprised.

Chongzhen continued, "I've already decided on the name: 'Qinghua Military Academy'! I will be the principal! We won't hire those teachers who only know how to recite texts by rote! Summon Johann Adam Schall von Bell and those Portuguese officers we invited from Macau to teach the use of firearms! Let that bookworm Sun Yuanhua, who usually likes to think about firearms and fortification, come too! Anyone in the army with combat experience and a quick mind can give lectures! What we want to establish is an officer academy that can train real combat officers!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, and stood up and paced back and forth: "Start by teaching the most basic formations and commands, then move on to the use of firearms, the construction and defense of bastions, and the tactics of cavalry, artillery and infantry coordination! Not only must we teach how to fight, but we must also explain why we fight in this way! I refuse to believe that my Tsinghua University and my military academy cannot train a group of talented commanders and generals!"

Sun Chuanting and Yang Sichang exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat excited.

The idea of ​​setting up schools to train officers who are proficient in both literature and martial arts is good. It would be even better if officers could be trained to be proficient in both literature and martial arts.

This is the best strategy for strengthening the military and consolidating its foundation!
"Your Majesty is wise! This plan is excellent!"

Chongzhen nodded and smiled, "Then, this matter will be overseen by the fat old man, and you, Sun Baigu, will assist him. Draft the plan quickly! We don't have much time left!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

……

Around that time, in Liaodong, Shengjing.

Although spring had arrived, it was still cold outside the pass. Huang Taiji stood on a high point in the palace, watching the endless stream of carriages and people outside the city. That was the "harvest" that Amin and Mangultai had plundered from Korea.

There were many people and a lot of things. But Huang Taiji's face showed little joy.

Fan Wencheng whispered from the side, "Your Majesty, the spoils this time are quite substantial, which can alleviate our immediate crisis..."

Huang Taiji snorted and interrupted him: "Our thousands of warriors risked their lives to fight and emptied half of Korea, but is that comparable to the dowry of the Southern Dynasty emperor taking a pirate woman as a concubine?" His teeth were clenched so tightly that they were grinding, and his knuckles were white. "One million taels! Zhu Youjian sits in the Forbidden City, and taking a woman is worth more than how many bloody battles we fought!"

The princes' smiling faces gradually froze. Huang Taiji's gaze swept over them like a knife: "If we let him take in ten or eight more 'pirate queens' in three or five years, even if we plundered all of Korea and Mongolia, would we be able to fill this hole?"

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the delighted princes below, and his voice deepened: "Now that we've seized enough grain and slaves, the next step is for the Ming Dynasty!"

He walked to the map and pointed heavily to the line of the Great Wall south of the Mongolian grasslands: "Liaoxi and Jizhou are tough to conquer, it seems we still have to go west! The Mongol territory borders the Ming Dynasty for at least two thousand miles, there are plenty of passes!"

This city of Daning will be our main base for westward expansion. We must send more men, build high walls, and stockpile grain! We also need to gather the surrounding Mongol tribes and cultivate land there. Each banner should send some men to Daning, and all the captives from Korea should be equally distributed among the banners as bondservants, so they can work hard for our Great Jin! How much grain we can gather this autumn depends on how hard these Korean bondservants can work.”

Upon hearing that bondservants would be given out, the eyes of all the princes, both high and low, lit up.

Last year, the Great Jin Kingdom suffered a famine, and many bondservants from various families starved to death. With insufficient manpower for spring plowing, the availability of bondservants from Korea has truly relieved everyone's urgent needs!

(End of this chapter)