How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 170 Let's do it! At worst, I'll just eat more soft rice! (Please subscribe, please vote!)

The warm pavilion of Qianqing Palace was brightly lit.

Emperor Chongzhen leaned back on his throne, holding a rosewood thermos filled with goji berries, his eyes fixed on the map spread out on the large table. The place called Da Ning was circled sharply in red ink.

Ministers Sun Chuanting, Yang Sichang, and Hong Chengchou sat upright on embroidered stools at the lower end of the table. Wang Chengen huddled in the shadows in a corner, looking like a clay or wooden sculpture.

"What do you think of Li Hongji's preemptive strike strategy?" Chongzhen asked, his voice a little hoarse, rubbing his aching lower back. Last night, he and Liu Yueying had... cough, more like, they had intimate exchanges three times! Receiving a million taels of dowry, wouldn't he have to put in a lot of effort? This life of luxury isn't easy!

After finishing all the work, I still had to listen to Liu Yueying's report on the progress of the "Da Ming Europa Trade Company"... I was really exhausted.

Yang Sichang stood up first, bowed deeply, and said, "Your Majesty, I believe this is absolutely unacceptable!"

He spoke rapidly, his voice tinged with anxiety. "Send several thousand elite troops, thousands of miles beyond the Great Wall, to raid the heavily fortified Da Ning of the Tartars? This is a desperate gamble! A cardinal sin in military strategy! Commander Li is brave, but he is still young and inexperienced in battle. How can we trust him so easily?"

He listed the problems on his fingers: "First, what about the supply lines? Each person has two horses, and the amount of provisions they can carry is limited. If they are intercepted, they will fall into chaos without a fight! Second, they are unfamiliar with the roads. If they encounter an ambush or get lost, the entire army will be wiped out! Third, even if we reach Da Ning, what if we encounter the main force of the Jurchens? Then... then the elite cavalry that our Great Ming Dynasty has spent hundreds of thousands of people's hard-earned money to train will all be lost, Your Majesty!"

He spoke with such fervor that his mustache bristled. But in his heart, Chongzhen thought to himself: The people's hard-earned money? That's my very lifeblood…

"In my opinion, it is best to maintain a defensive posture. We should firmly hold the passes of Jizhou and Xuanfu, dig deep trenches and build high walls, and wait for the Jurchen army to tire itself out. We can then find an opportunity to counterattack when the Jurchen army is exhausted. This is the most foolproof strategy!"

Sun Chuanting waited until Yang Sichang finished speaking before slowly rising. His face was solemn. He first bowed to Emperor Chongzhen, then turned to Yang Sichang.

"What Vice Minister Yang says is a wise and sound principle for governing the country." He set the tone first, then immediately changed the subject. "But in the current situation, can we really hold on?"

He walked to the map and pointed heavily at Daning. "Why does Huang Taiji want to manage Daning? This is a thorn he's planted between Liaoxi and Jizhou! If he can establish a foothold here and stockpile enough grain, he can bypass Shanhaiguan, contact the Mongols to the west, and attack Xuanda; to the south, he can directly attack the northern border of Jizhou, making our thousand-mile defense line ablaze with war!"

He turned to Emperor Chongzhen, his gaze intense: "Your Majesty! The brilliance of Li Hongji's plan lies in the word 'first'! By striking him before he has a firm foothold, we can catch him off guard! Even if we fail to capture Daming, burning his grain supplies, disrupting his deployment, and blunting his morale will still be a great achievement! If we win this battle, it will buy the court at least a year to prepare the border defenses! This risk is worth taking!"

Hong Chengchou remained silent. At this moment, Emperor Chongzhen's gaze swept over him: "Minister Hong, what do you have to say?"

Hong Chengchou stood up and bowed even deeper. He spoke slowly with a Fujian accent so that others could understand him.

"Your Majesty, Minister Sun's words are a brilliant strategic insight. Grand Secretary Yang's concerns are a practical tactical consideration."

He paused, as if carefully choosing his words. "This strategy does indeed have a sliver of hope for victory. If the opportunity is seized accurately and a swift in-and-out maneuver is executed, it might produce remarkable results. However, the difficulties are piling up like mountains."

"When selecting generals, they must possess great courage and resourcefulness. Too few troops are useless, too many are a burden. For routes, we need guides who are extremely familiar with the geography of the frontier to avoid the enemy's strength and strike their weaknesses. For support, we need to deploy troops along the Great Wall in advance so that we can launch a rescue at any time. For retreat, we must leave a way out and arrange for a rearguard..."

He laid out his points one by one, and the atmosphere in the warm chamber grew increasingly heavy. Each point was a difficult problem. Finally, he concluded, "This is no ordinary war; it's a high-stakes gamble. If we win, everything will be fine. But if we lose..."

He didn't say the rest aloud, but everyone present understood. Losing the bet meant hundreds of thousands of taels of silver—no, it meant the Dragon Essence Emperor's blood—all gone down the drain!

The warm pavilion was eerily quiet. This matter, concerning the essence of the dragon and the blood of the emperor, required the approval of Emperor Chongzhen.

Emperor Chongzhen leaned back and closed his eyes. His fingers tapped unconsciously on the rosewood armrest.

He was doing some mental calculations.

Three thousand elite cavalrymen, each with two horses. The horses must be the finest warhorses, costing at least forty taels each, totaling two hundred and forty thousand taels. The soldiers' armor, weapons, and muskets, a single set, would cost several dozen taels, adding up to another hundred thousand taels. Then there's the cost of food and supplies for the men and horses, losses on the road, and rewards and compensation…

All things considered, if this trip ends in failure, it would probably cost five or six hundred thousand taels of silver.

Five or six hundred thousand taels... Liu Yueying's dowry was only enough to make a mess of things twice!

He reached out and picked up a secret document from the desk—it was sent by Cui Chengxiu, the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, saying that there were two merchant brothers on the Zhejiang coast named Yang Liu and Yang Qi, who had a beautiful sister and wanted to send her to the palace to serve Emperor Chongzhen… The dowry had already been negotiated to be 600,000 taels!

Emperor Chongzhen abruptly opened his eyes and sat up straight. The hesitation and weariness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a resolute determination—for the Ming Dynasty, what couldn't he sacrifice? At worst, he'd die from exhaustion!

"Alright," Chongzhen said, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable force. The three ministers immediately straightened up, their eyes all turning to him.

Chongzhen didn't look at them; his eyes were still fixed on Daming on the map.

“What you have said makes sense. I understand Yang Qing’s concerns. I also know Sun Qing’s good intentions. The difficulties that Hong Qing pointed out are all very relevant.”

He paused, then finally lifted his finger from the map and pressed it heavily onto the imperial desk!
"But we can't just wait to be beaten in this battle! If Huang Taiji can drive his thorn into Daning, I can pull it out!"

His gaze swept over the three men. "Silver? My imperial treasury still has some reserves. As for soldiers, choose the best from the Xinjing garrison! And the finest armor and firearms!"

His tone softened, but the weight of his words increased: "Go down and, following this approach, produce a detailed plan for me. Who to select as general, how many troops and provisions to provide, which route to take, when to attack, and when to provide support—discuss all of these in detail, and discuss them boldly!"

His gaze finally settled on Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou. "Don't be afraid of spending money, and don't be afraid of dying. In war, how can there be no deaths? As long as the deaths are worthwhile!"

He leaned forward, lowered his voice, and said, word by word, "Go and do it with confidence. I will take care of everything!"

Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes, and a flicker of fervor ignited by this weighty responsibility. They both bowed in unison: "Your subjects obey the decree! We will certainly do our utmost!"

Yang Sichang's lips moved slightly. He naturally knew what the young emperor wanted to do, but seeing Chongzhen's resolute expression, he finally let out a low sigh and bowed to accept the order.

This emperor truly works tirelessly day and night for the country and its people!

At that very moment, thousands of miles away in Liaodong, in the city of Shenyang, in the Khan's Palace.

The Great Khan Huang Taiji sat steadily in his tiger-skin chair, his body robust and his face serene. But his narrow eyes were squinted, and when they occasionally opened, the light within them sent chills down one's spine. Fan Wencheng, Ning Wanwo, and Bao Chengxian, the Han Chinese advisors, stood respectfully below. The young Dorgon, his hand on his sword hilt, stood a little further away, his face filled with eager anticipation.

“Mr. Fan,” Huang Taiji began slowly, his voice low but suffocating, “what’s been happening in the Southern Dynasty lately? What new tricks has that young emperor come up with this time?”

Fan Wencheng quickly stepped forward, bowed, and replied, "Reporting to the Great Khan, Emperor Chongzhen of the Southern Dynasty is currently preoccupied with the Beijing Garrison, training his new army. In addition... there are some rumors circulating in the city that he is looking for a merchant's daughter surnamed Yang from Zhejiang, hoping to bring her into the palace and make a lot of money." His words were vague, but the meaning was clear.

Bao Chengxian followed up, his voice tinged with puzzlement: "The Great Khan is wise. The Southern Dynasty's rulers and ministers, besides making money, have also been busy with border defenses. It's just... their methods are a bit strange. Spies have reported that the Liaodong frontier, Jizhou garrison, and even the troops in Korea are all frantically building a strange fortress. It's not square or round, but has several sharp corners, like a starfish or a millstone. The Han people call it a 'bastion,' saying it has five 'corner platforms.' It's very eerie and looks difficult to attack."

Huang Taiji's face darkened slightly upon hearing this, but he quickly regained his composure. He cursed inwardly: "He uses women's money to build up his own 'turtle shell' and then uses it to bail me out! That Chongzhen is truly spineless!" But he couldn't voice these thoughts openly. He was the Khan of a nation; how could he appear to care about such a life of luxury? "Hmph, I'm a true man, I will never follow his example!"

He cleared his throat, his words laced with sarcasm: "Hmph! That little Chongzhen is all he's capable of! All talk and no action, easily fooled by those poor scholars, all he does is hide away and fix weird and wonderful things! He'll never amount to anything!"

He turned to look at Ning Wanwo, his tone becoming serious: "Mr. Ning, how's Hudun Rabbit doing? Is he behaving himself?"

Ning Wan stroked his sparse beard and said with a sinister smile, "Don't worry, Great Khan. That Huduntu is a leopard that can't change its spots. Lately, he's been coaxed and appeased by people from both our side and the Southern Dynasty, and he's lost his way again, forgetting how he was beaten before. I heard he's dreaming of unifying Mongolia and bringing glory to his ancestors. He's gathering troops and planning to attack the Tumed tribe to take back Guihua City."

"Oh?" Huang Taiji's eyes lit up, and a cold smile appeared on his lips. "Let him fight! Let him crash and burn! Guihua City... Hmph, even if he gets lucky and takes it, that lucrative place, do you think he can sit there comfortably? Sooner or later it will be meat in our mouths!"

He glanced around before finally fixing his gaze on Dorgon, his tone becoming deep and steady: "Fourteenth Brother, the situation in Daning is our lifeline! I'm confident in entrusting it to you. But remember, now is not the time to show off. We must build strong fortifications, stockpile grain, and delay our military campaigns! We must act as if we want to live a down-to-earth life and do business."

He paused, then gave more detailed instructions: "From that group of captured Korean lackeys, pick a few literate, decent-looking, and quick-witted men, and release them back, or send them directly to the Ming army to deliver messages. Tell them that our Great Jin doesn't want to go south to fight, but only hopes to do some business peacefully on the border, and asks the Celestial Empire to open trade, so that everyone can live in peace... The more pitiful and sincere you make it sound, the better!"

Although Dorgon was hot-tempered, he admired the cunning of this little brother and immediately puffed out his chest and replied, "Your Majesty, I understand! We must make Da Ning as impregnable as an iron barrel, and also make the Southern Dynasty think that we have no ill intentions!"

Huang Taiji nodded in satisfaction, a triumphant gleam on his face. "Good! We'll lull them all into a false sense of security! The Southern Dynasty thinks we're only interested in making money, and the Tiger Mound Rabbit thinks we're held back by the Southern Dynasty. They're all dreaming big!" He suddenly stood up, his aura exploding: "When we're ready, with ample supplies and a strong army, we'll see whether their fortified castles are stronger, or our warriors' swords are stronger! Whether their dreams last longer, or our iron cavalry's horses have longer legs!"

The men below bowed in unison, and Fan Wencheng, Ning Wanwo, and a few others quickly shouted, "The Great Khan is wise! This move is sound and will surely lead to great success!"

Dorgon gripped the sword handle tightly—the Great Khan was going to put him in charge this time. The "Lord" of Da Ning! If managed well, he could have his own base of operations!

(End of this chapter)