How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 174 Fortress against Fortress, Cannon against Cannon (Fourth Update)
In late June of the second year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, Shenyang was sweltering and without a breath of wind. Inside the main hall of the Khan's Palace, the brocade dragon banner hung low, motionless.

The princes and ministers stood in their assigned places, silent except for the incessant chirping of cicadas outside the hall. The air seemed to freeze, pressing down on everyone's chest.

Dorgon and Dodo knelt in the center of the hall, their helmets removed and placed beside them. Dorgon's face was still covered in the dust of his journey, his lips were pressed tightly together, and his narrow eyes were filled with barely suppressed resentment. Dodo, being younger, could not hide his feelings on his face; his cheeks were clenched so tightly that he seemed to want to jump up and kill someone.

Huang Taiji sat upright in his tiger-skin chair, his robust body ramrod straight, his face revealing neither joy nor anger. Only Fan Wencheng, who was nearby, noticed that the Khan's fingers, gripping the armrests, had turned white.

"Speak," Huang Taiji said, his voice low but like a stone thrown into stagnant water. "What exactly happened in Da Ning?"

Dorgon took a breath and kowtowed. "Your Majesty, I am incompetent! Please punish me!" He straightened up and recounted the details of the battle. How he sent Tashhai across the river to scout the way, how they were ambushed on the riverbank... But what he described in the most detail were the two deadly new weapons.

"The first thing," Dorgon's throat was dry, "was the short guns used by the southern barbarian cavalry! They didn't need matchlocks, they just fired as soon as you raised your hand! Aobai... Aobashiku, he charged too close, trying to tear their formation apart with heavy arrows, and as a result, there was a burst of rapid fire like popping beans on the other side, and a bloody hole opened in his chest, and he fell off his horse on the spot... The bannermen who escaped said that the gunfire was rapid and crisp, and it was fired within a dozen paces, and our men didn't have time to react at all."

A suppressed gasp filled the hall. The Eight Banners warriors, relying on their thick armor, would often charge within ten or twenty paces before drawing their bows and firing arrows, a single shot capable of piercing iron armor. Now that the Ming army possessed these short guns that didn't require matchlocks, weren't they a perfect counter to this "close-range" killing move?
A heavy arrow might hit but not pierce armor, and even if it does, it might not be fatal. But a musket shot at point-blank range that hits is guaranteed to kill or severely injure!

Before everyone could process this, Dorgon dropped an even more shocking bombshell: "The second thing is those wheeled cannons! Mounted on two light wheels, a single mule can pull them at breakneck speed, faster than our armored wagons! And there are many of them; we saw more than twenty on the Liao River battlefield. They're a bright yellow color, like they're cast in bronze..."

Huang Taiji's pupils contracted. Bronze cannons? That's extremely expensive!
"These 'wheeled cannons' don't fire solid shot, they fire shrapnel!" Dorgon's voice was hoarse. "With a muffled thud, iron pellets sweep over like a torrential downpour, leaving nowhere to hide within dozens of paces! They're also lightweight, allowing them to move alongside infantry and cavalry. The other day, my brother's Mongols were ambushed on the riverbank, and in the blink of an eye, they were targeted by more than a dozen of these cannons... If the Ming army were to concentrate dozens of these light cannons in one place, wouldn't my Eight Banners' heavily armored soldiers' charge... wouldn't they become live targets, offering themselves up to be swept by iron pellets?"

Dodo couldn't help but interject, "Fourteenth Brother has done his best! It's really the firearms of the southern barbarians..."

"Shut up!" Huang Taiji snapped, his gaze like a knife slicing through Dorgon's neck. Dorgon shrank back, not daring to utter another word. But Huang Taiji's heart was bleeding: short guns without matchlocks were specifically designed to break close-range mounted archery; lightweight and swift wheeled cannons were perfect for countering heavily armored charges. This young emperor of the Southern Dynasty was hitting his weak points with every move! But these short guns and bronze cannons must be incredibly expensive, right? That young emperor was certainly living off his wife's money!

The hall was deathly silent. The princes of each banner all wore grim expressions. The general of the Bordered Yellow Banner had bloodshot eyes; Ao Bai was a renowned warrior in their banner, and he had been killed by a type of firearm they had never heard of before!

Second Prince Amin couldn't hold back any longer. He had a fiery temper and had never been one to submit to Huang Taiji's control. He sneered, "What a big show! After all this commotion, you've only been scared out of your wits by a few broken cannons from those southern barbarians? Dorgon, you've fought alongside the Khan before, how can you be so useless!"

He turned to Huang Taiji and shouted, "Great Khan! If you ask me, these southern barbarians only have these novelties! Our Eight Banners warriors rely on strong bows and fast horses, and on the courage of real swords and spears! Instead of figuring out how to deal with a few cannons, why don't we do something bigger!"

He waved his hand as if to sweep away the bad luck before him: "Let's go back to Korea! Last time we only plundered around the two capitals of Korea! This time we can go deep into the northern part of Korea and plunder another 200,000 people to make bondservants! With the population of our Eight Banners' Niru increased, our army will naturally be strong and powerful. What are we afraid of if they have a few cannons?"

The other young princes nodded in agreement. Capturing people was a tangible benefit; once distributed among the various banners, everyone could profit.

The eldest prince, Daishan, squinted and slowly began to speak: "Brother Amin's words are the wise way to govern a country. Moreover..." He drew out the word and glanced at Huang Taiji, "When our father Khan was alive, our Great Jin Dynasty did the same thing."

These words were very insidious. On the surface, they praised Amin, but subtly they were attacking Huang Taiji's true intentions, pointing out that his policies of learning from the Southern Dynasties and using Han Chinese methods after his ascension to the throne were flawed. They argued that things should be changed back, and the Eight Banners should be greatly strengthened!
Huang Taiji's face remained expressionless, but he knew exactly what was going on. Amin wanted to use this opportunity to expand his power, while Daishan was waiting to see him make a fool of himself. His most important task right now was to stabilize the situation and suppress the restlessness caused by the recent defeat.

Huang Taiji cleared his throat, and the hall immediately fell silent.

“What Prince Amin said is not without reason.” His tone was calm and unwavering. “The Eight Banners are the foundation, but the population is indeed crucial. Now that the Southern Dynasty is powerful, we must first strengthen ourselves.”

He paused for a moment, as if making a decision: "Alright! It shall be so. This winter, we shall launch another expedition against Korea! Target: plunder 200,000 men! Each banner shall be allocated 25,000 bondservant aha, according to the old practice!"

Upon hearing this, Daishan, Amin, and the others were taken aback, but then their eyes lit up with joy. They hadn't expected Huang Taiji to agree so readily.

Before they could finish celebrating, Huang Taiji abruptly changed the subject, slamming his finger heavily on the huge map behind him, pointing to a place called "Da Ning".

"But the benefits from Korea are merely side profits! The life and death of our Great Jin depends on the war against the Ming! The Ming army is no longer what it used to be; the Three Feudatories of Liaoxi are not easy to conquer, and the Jizhou Garrison seems to be heavily fortified. Daming is a major stronghold for our Great Jin's westward expansion! If this place is lost, our westward expansion will be cut off, and the Mongol tribes will become disaffected!" He raised his voice, with an undeniable determination: "Daning must be defended! And it must be defended like an iron barrel. We can no longer leave it wide open. We must build fortresses, cast cannons, and fight the southern barbarians fortress against fortress, cannon against cannon! In the past, the various banners took turns defending the area, with different responsibilities, which caused problems! From today onwards, the position of 'Daning Garrison General' is established, with a government office and command over all banner soldiers, troops, farmland, and Mongol affairs in the area!"

Everyone held their breath, waiting to see who would be given this crucial position.

Huang Taiji's gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on his son, Hauge: "Hauge! I hereby appoint you as the garrison general of Da Ning, to oversee the entire situation!"

Hauge was taken aback, then overjoyed, and stepped forward to kneel down: "Your subject obeys! I will certainly not fail Father Khan's trust!"

Huang Taiji wasn't finished. He looked at Dorgon, whose face was ashen, and said, "Dorgon, you are familiar with the situation in Liaoxi. I'll have you serve under Hauge as his deputy and help him guard the area! You'll have to redeem yourself through meritorious service!"

The atmosphere in the hall immediately became strange. Making the Khan's eldest son the chief minister and the recently defeated fourteenth brother the deputy? This was clearly a way to utilize Dorgon's abilities while also keeping an eye on Hauge, thus consolidating power!

Dorgon breathed a sigh of relief. He was responsible for losing Aobai, and Huang Taiji's desire to cut off several of his brothers' military units was also reasonable. But this time, he was only being asked to assist Hauge, which was quite lenient. Dorgon quickly replied, "Your subject...accepts the decree."

Daishan and Amin exchanged a glance, both seeing the apprehension in each other's eyes. Huang Taiji's move was shrewd. He used the promise of conquering the court to silence them, and then quickly seized military power in Da Ning into the hands of his own faction.

Huang Taiji gave everyone no time to react and then ordered, "Ning Wanwo!"

“Your servant is here!” Ning Wanwo quickly stepped forward.

"You are in charge to have Fan Yongdou and his men spare no expense to bring back the craftsmen and blueprints for the 'wheeled cannon' from the Southern Dynasty! And they must also figure out how to make that short gun that doesn't use a matchlock!"

"Whoo!"

"Fan Wencheng!"

"The slave is here!"

"Go to the southern grasslands again and coax Tiger Mound Rabbit Khan. Tell him that I am angry because of the southern barbarians' invasion of Daning. This autumn, I will launch a major campaign against Jizhou and invite him to lead his troops south!"

"Slave understands!"

Orders were issued swiftly and decisively. The previously somewhat scattered discussion was instantly brought together into a cohesive and clear-cut consensus.

The meeting adjourned, and the princes, each with their own thoughts, left the hall.

Huang Taiji sat alone in his chair, staring at the dot of Daming on the map, and let out a long sigh. He knew that compromising with those princes today was a last resort. And binding Hauge and Dorgon together was an even riskier move—his son Hauge was no match for Dorgon! But it was the best way to maintain balance at the moment.

He reluctantly accepted the partition of the Korean population in exchange for control over the Da Ning region. But the thought of those bronze-cast wheeled cannons weighed on his heart: Just how much of a life was this Southern Dynasty emperor living off?
This battle, with fortresses against fortresses and cannons against cannons, was not an easy one for the Jin Dynasty to fight!

However, if they didn't do that, the Ming army would frequently raid in and commit massacres, making it impossible to maintain Daming as a major stronghold for westward expansion.
Outside the palace, Dorgon walked briskly, with Dodo close behind, indignantly saying, "Fourteenth Brother! The Great Khan clearly doesn't trust us! He's letting that bastard Hauge ride roughshod over us..."

Dorgon abruptly stopped, turned around and glared at Dodo, his eyes so dark they could drip water: "Shut up! Words bring trouble! From now on in Da Ning, keep your tail between your legs... Remember, stay out of the way and eat more!"

(End of this chapter)