How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 169 Chongzhen: Zicheng, from now on, call me "Principal"! (Please subscribe and vote!)
Tsinghua University, Yihai Hall.

The enormous map of Shanhaiguan on the ground seemed to bring the strategic passes and fortifications thousands of miles away right before their eyes. Cities, mountains, and rivers were clearly marked with wooden blocks and small flags. Emperor Chongzhen, dressed in ordinary clothes, sat behind a sandalwood screen. Sun Chuanting and Yang Sichang stood on either side of him, not daring to breathe loudly.

Sun Chuanting, the Right Vice Minister of War and Assistant Commander of the Capital Garrison, turned slightly to the side and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, three rounds of testing have already been conducted. They are all officers and platoon leaders who are literate and have some resourcefulness."

Emperor Chongzhen hummed in acknowledgment, his gaze piercing through the gap in the screen to fall upon the somewhat uneasy officer outside, dressed in a brand-new indigo uniform. "The next one, is it Li Hongji?"

“Yes,” Sun Chuanting replied. “This man had the merit of beheading the traitor Wang in battle in Shanxi, but he was wild and a troublemaker.”

Emperor Chongzhen remained silent. He noticed that the chief examiner, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Shaanxi who had come to the capital a few days earlier to report on his duties, was nodding slightly to Li Hongji.

Hong Chengchou, speaking in a somewhat strained Fujian-accented Mandarin, said, "Commander Li, let the simulation begin. You lead 100,000 infantry and cavalry from the capital, and your vanguard has already reached the west of Shanhaiguan. Military orders: Recapture Shanhaiguan and attack Liaodong. I, Hong Chengchou, am stationed at Shanhaiguan with 40,000 troops, and there are elite reinforcements outside the pass that can rush to our aid at any time. The pass is fortified and impregnable. What strategy do you have to break through it? Please deploy your troops."

This question was, of course, set by Emperor Chongzhen himself, specifically to test Li Zicheng!

Li Hongji stared at the map, sweat already beading on his broad forehead!

He gestured with his finger towards the fortress and the continuous mountain range to the north, muttering, "Go head-on against this number one pass under heaven? Even if we threw 100,000 men in, we probably wouldn't make a sound... There are reinforcements outside the pass. If I were stuck at the foot of the city, wouldn't I become dumpling filling?"

Upon hearing his words, Chongzhen thought to himself: "No way? The Battle of Shanhai Pass, that was the 'big question' that stumped you last time!"
"I've got it!" Li Hongji suddenly looked up, pointing his finger to the north of the map: "Governor Hong! I will not change the order, but we must change our tactics! I will absolutely not launch a full-scale attack on Shanhaiguan!"

"My strategy is: open up the main roads and occupy the high walls!"

"Firstly, we will send a detachment of several thousand troops, spread out banners, and make noise day and night to launch a feigned attack on the pass, thus keeping your forty thousand garrison troops occupied and preventing you from making any move."

"Secondly, I will personally lead the main force, without marching, directly northward, to seize the high ground along the Great Wall in the Yanshan Mountains, such as Jiaoshan and Shoushan! We will build fortifications from the high ground, set up cannons, and see everything that is happening below! If you dare to send troops out, I can ambush them halfway!"

"Thirdly, the crucial move: immediately dispatch a detachment of elite cavalry northwards through the Great Wall pass to seize control of Daning City! Taking Daning will cut off the vital passage of the Liaoxi Corridor! At that time, our main force will occupy the high ground, while our flanking force will hold Daning, like a pair of pincers. Not only will the logistics of your reinforcements from beyond the Great Wall be threatened, but we will also maintain a route that allows us to maneuver to the vast plains beyond the Liao River. The balance of power will shift dramatically! Are you worried that I will launch a surprise attack from Daning to cut off your rear, or do you dare to send your entire force out of the Great Wall to attack my stronghold?"

Hong Chengchou's previously calm face revealed a hint of genuine surprise. He pondered for a moment, then began moving the chess pieces representing reinforcements: "Excellent. If that's the case, I will not stand idly by and watch Daming fall. I will order the reinforcements from outside the pass to divide their forces and advance swiftly to contest Daming with you. At the same time, the garrison at Shanhaiguan can also seize the opportunity to attack your still-unstable mountain strongholds."

The two men traded blows on the map. Li Hongji's responses were still somewhat clumsy, but his fierce determination to seize the initiative on the battlefield made Hong Chengchou increasingly alarmed as he analyzed the situation. It also made Emperor Chongzhen, watching from behind the screen, increasingly optimistic—although neither of them had much practical experience and were only theoretically strategizing. However, the "Battle of Yishan Stone" scenario was a real battle that had not yet occurred, making it extremely valuable for reference.

Li Zicheng's solution this time can be described as almost perfect!
If he had fought that way historically, it's questionable whether Dorgon would have even been able to enter the pass. It's a pity that history doesn't know Wu Sangui surrendered to the Jurchens—that shows his lack of political acumen. Otherwise, it's easy to guess. If Wu Sangui hadn't already secured a new allegiance, how could he have possibly relied on the tiny territory of Shanhaiguan to fight against the Shun dynasty, which had almost conquered the entire country?

The simulation ended, and the situation remained deadlocked. Hong Chengchou looked towards the screen and said in a steady voice, "Your Majesty, Commander Li's strategy is a masterful grasp of battlefield tactics, turning a passive situation into an active one. Only someone with a deep understanding of geography and a thorough grasp of the situation could pull it off."

Behind the screen, Emperor Chongzhen was quite satisfied. This Li Hongji was indeed a genius military strategist, worthy of being nurtured. However, he still needed to find a way to win him over as one of the Ming Dynasty's own people.

He took a deep breath and gestured to Wang Chengen beside him.

Wang Chengen's high-pitched voice rang out: "Governor Hong, Commander Li. His Majesty has decreed that another bureau be set up."

Two more eunuchs carried in an even larger map, which was unfurled with a clatter, showing the winding Great Wall defense line from Jizhou to Xuanfu.

Chongzhen's voice came from behind the screen: "Minister Hong, Commander Li. The previous test was on attacking fortified positions; now the test is on defending. You two will both be assigned to the defending side."

"Suppose that the Jurchen Khan Huang Taiji personally led the main force of the Eight Banners, allied with the Mongols, and did not come from Liaoxi, but instead took a detour of a thousand miles and appeared outside the border wall of Jibei."

"Our forces are limited, and our defensive lines are long. If we prepare for everything, we will be vulnerable everywhere. What strategies do you two have to ensure the safety of the capital?"

This is using the "Battle of Jisi" to test Li Zicheng!
Hong Chengchou pondered for a moment before speaking first: "Your Majesty, my strategy lies in 'focusing on key defenses, establishing in-depth early warning systems, and holding firm while awaiting reinforcements.' Firstly, based on the terrain and enemy situation, identify the key passes where the enemy is most likely to break through, such as Da'an Pass and Longjing Pass, and preposition elite troops there, reinforcing them with firearms. Secondly, widely dispatch scouts to the border regions to contact loyal Mongol tribes, striving to ascertain the enemy's main attack direction as soon as possible."

Thirdly, once a pass is breached, do not rush into open battle. Order the defending troops to retreat to the nearest fortified prefecture or county city, such as Zunhua or Santunying, to create layers of obstruction and wear down the enemy's advance. At the same time, send urgent dispatches to the elite troops of Xuanda and Liaozhen to come to the aid of the emperor and converge on the capital region, ultimately encircling the enemy who has penetrated deep into the city.

Emperor Chongzhen nodded. This method was sound and the right way to proceed.

I can't say I'll win, but I won't lose too badly either.

It was Li Hongji's turn. He stared at the map, his eyes like knives, as if he wanted to scrape a layer of skin off the Great Wall. "Your Majesty," he said, "Minister Hong's method is perfect. But I think it's too slow! If we wait for the enemy to break through, and then retreat layer by layer, the people along the way will suffer, the capital will be shaken, and the morale of the army will probably collapse!"

He pointed heavily at the area between Liaoxi and Daning, his voice filled with a fierce edge: "My stupid method is: before he even arrives, I'll go and beat him up first!"

"Huang Taiji is going to detour through Mongolia, and Daning is the place he must occupy! He's currently busy transporting troops, grain, and smuggling slaves to Daning! We can't just stand by and watch him turn Daning into an impregnable fortress!"

"I request to lead an elite force, not many, just three to five thousand elite cavalry will suffice! Each person will have two horses, and be fully equipped with fire arrows and thunderbolts. We will find a way out from Jibei and sneak out. We will then march directly on Daning!"

"Once we get there, we won't engage his garrison head-on. Instead, we'll target his weak points: burn the grain and fodder he just brought in! Disrupt the bondservant servants he's settling in! Attack his small caravans! Turn the area around Daming upside down so he can't prepare in peace!"

"He's like a mosquito, biting him so badly he can't sleep! This will buy us a lot of time to reinforce our border walls, deploy our troops, and make the most of our time!"

Hong Chengchou listened, his brows furrowing deeply. This wasn't just an adventure; it was a desperate gamble! Several thousand elite cavalrymen had penetrated deep behind enemy lines, isolated and without reinforcements. A single misstep could lead to total annihilation. This Li Hongji was far too audacious!

Silence stretched on for a longer time behind the screen. Finally, Chongzhen's voice rang out again, deeper than before, as if every word had been carefully weighed: "A swift attack on Daming... a preemptive strike... the two ministers' strategies, one steady and one unconventional, I understand."

As he spoke, Chongzhen glanced at Wang Chengen beside him.

Wang Chengen understood and clapped his hands lightly. The eunuchs standing on both sides immediately stepped forward and slowly moved the heavy sandalwood screen aside.

The Chongzhen Emperor, seated upright in his chair, appeared before Li Hongji without any obstruction. In the candlelight, the young emperor's face was clearly visible, his gaze piercing as he fixed his gaze upon Li Hongji.

Li Hongji's heart trembled violently. Almost instinctively, he knelt down with a thud, touching his head to the ground, and cried out, "This humble general, Li Hongji, pays his respects to Your Majesty!" His voice trembled slightly with excitement. He had finally seen the Emperor's face, and at such close range.

Chongzhen was also carefully observing this notorious bandit leader who had forced him to "climb the tree" in his previous life. He saw that the bandit leader was burly, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, a high forehead, a full beard, and an unyielding fierceness between his brows.

Emperor Chongzhen spoke again, his voice gentle: "Li Hongji."

"The general is here!"

"Your two strategic maneuvers today demonstrated a perfect blend of orthodox and unorthodox tactics for attacking strongholds, and your defensive strategies were exceptionally courageous. Although your actions were risky, your spirit was commendable and aligns well with my desire to strengthen our military and take the initiative." Chongzhen paused, his gaze sweeping over Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting, and others before finally returning to Li Hongji. "I hereby grant you permission to pass the Tsinghua University entrance examination."

He got into Tsinghua University!
Li Hongji suddenly looked up, staring at the emperor in disbelief, then quickly lowered his head again.

Emperor Chongzhen gave a faint smile: "From this day forward, you will be the first student of my Tsinghua Military Academy, my student! I hope you will uphold your duties as a subject, study diligently and practice hard, and one day become a pillar of the nation, so as not to disappoint me!"

"This humble general... student Li Hongji thanks Your Majesty for your divine grace! I will certainly devote myself to the utmost loyalty and sacrifice my life to repay Your Majesty's kindness!" Li Hongji kowtowed again, his voice choked with emotion. This feeling of ascending to heaven made his blood boil.

"Rise," Chongzhen waved his hand. "The regulations will be issued tomorrow. Prepare well. I will personally teach the first lesson at the Military Academy. Also, from now on, don't address me as Your Majesty; it's too formal. Just call me Principal!"

(End of this chapter)