How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 209 The Great Jin Dynasty was won by its bondservants! (First Update)
The summer of the fourth year of the Tiancong reign was unbearably hot. The artisan camp outside Daning City was no longer bustling with activity. All that could be heard were the sounds that sent chills down one's spine—not the casting of cannons, nor the forging of swords and spears, but a more eerie commotion.

Fan Yongdou stood on the steps of his small courtyard, his eyelids drooping, watching his subordinates take a roster and call out names from piles of emaciated bondmen. The air was thick with the stench of sweat and an unmasked sense of lingering fear.

"Zhao Si!" The manager's voice was a little high-pitched.

Zhao Si, who was limping, shuddered and scrambled out of the crowd, forcing a smile: "Sir, I'm here!"

The foreman glanced at him sideways, his voice icy: "You brat, your skills are mediocre, and you're not very agile. Staying in the artisan camp is just a waste of your time. There's an order from above to conscript strong soldiers to serve the royal army. You're assigned to the trench-filling team under young master Murima of the Bordered Yellow Banner!"

"Fill...fill the trench?" Zhao Si's smile froze. He knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "Master! Master Fan! Please have mercy...this servant can still work, can watch the material yard..."

Fan Yongdou didn't even lift his eyelids, only waving his hand. A retainer of Suwan Guwalgiya stepped forward and kicked Zhao Si in the shoulder: "You dog slave, what nonsense are you spouting! Young Master Murima has honored you by making you the captain of the trench-filling team, in charge of a hundred men. It's a miracle that your ancestors' graves are emitting auspicious smoke!"

Captain? In charge of a hundred men? Zhao Si was stunned. In charge of a hundred men? That's an official position! He quickly kowtowed again: "Thank you for your grace, sir! Thank you for your grace, young master Mulima!"

Ao Bai's younger brother, Mulima—a fifteen-year-old boy with a face full of scars—pretended to be an adult and grunted, "Do a good job, and if you make a contribution, I'll promote you to a higher rank!"

After he finished speaking, Zhao Si was pulled up and a broken wooden plaque was shoved into his head, on which the character "肆" (si) was scrawled crookedly in charcoal. Touching the plaque, and thinking of "raising the flag," a surge of evil energy rose in Zhao Si's mind: "Damn it, I'll risk it! If I'm lucky enough to survive, maybe I can really raise the flag!"

Kim Seong-in was lucky. Because he was literate and his health hadn't deteriorated, when Fan Yong-dou reported him, he commented, "This kid is quite clever."

And so, Kim Song-in was assigned to work for the fifteen-year-old Murima. After asking him a few questions, he began working for Sony. His duties included registering the names of the "bondservant battalion," recording the distribution of provisions, and, when on the battlefield, having to communicate with the Ming army in Chinese.

Jin Chengren's hands were cold when he took the booklet and brush. He looked at the bondservants being driven below, no different from livestock. The way Zhao Si, limping, shouted at his men, stung his eyes—they were already at the trench-filling team's door, what were they still struggling for? Would struggling save them from death?
He sighed deeply and muttered to the old clerk beside him, "They drive us to be the vanguard, using Han against Han, promising us a meager reward if we succeed... This is what Guanzi meant by 'profit from a single point.' The path to life and the gate to death hang in the balance; it's truly cruel!"

The old clerk glanced at him in fear, then lowered his head and whispered, "Brother Jin, accept your fate. In the Great Jin Dynasty, the life of a bondservant is no longer a life!"

Fan Wencheng and Fan Wencai, the two brothers, were also bondservants—big bondservants, they were still bondservants! At this moment, they were kneeling on the floor tiles of the main hall where Huang Taiji was.

“Mr. Fan,” Huang Taiji said in a calm but suffocating tone, “you often say that governing Han lands should be done using Han laws, and winning the hearts of Han people should be done with benevolent policies. But now is an extraordinary time, and extraordinary things must be done. Tomorrow’s battle formation will determine the fate of the nation. Someone needs to set an example for the army.”

Fan Wencheng's heart sank: "This servant is willing to set an example, this servant is willing to die for the Great Jin!"

His brother Fan Wencai was trembling, but at this moment he had to bite the bullet and "dedicate himself": "Great Khan, this servant is also willing to die for the Great Khan!"

"Good!" Huang Taiji clapped his hands. "You two are indeed good servants of my Great Jin Kingdom!" He seemed a little moved. "Outsiders only know that the Eight Banners Heavenly Soldiers of my Great Jin are invincible, but how could they know that those who truly risk their lives for the Great Jin Kingdom are you good bondservants and good servants! How many people are there in the Eight Banners Heavenly Soldiers? How can they withstand round after round of attrition? Isn't it you bondservants who fill the gaps wave after wave? Among my Eight Banners, which noble family with a certain status doesn't have a family-born bondservant guard? Which of those Beile who have entered the Eight Banners doesn't have hundreds of bondservant guards? When a real battle breaks out, isn't it always the servants who go first and the masters who follow?"

The "household bondservants" that Huang Taiji mentioned were actually the Later Jin version of "household guards." Most of the Later Jin nobles below the Great Khan Huang Taiji had some of these, and they were considered their core military force! Half to one-third of the famous White Armor Army came from these "household bondservants"!
Every time the Later Jin launched a military campaign, these "household bondservants" were always there to charge into battle or escort other bondservants to their deaths!

It can be said that without the help of the bondservant soldiers, the Later Jin Eight Banners army could have exhausted the Chongzhen Emperor through a war of attrition that lasted for more than a decade, without him even needing to "study abroad" in later generations.

Although Fan Wencheng and Fan Wencai were originally recruited as bondsers, their current status by Huang Taiji's side is absolutely no lower than that of any household servant.

Now, when they hear Huang Taiji praising the "baoyi" (traitors), they are all deeply moved.

Seeing that it was about time, Huang Taiji nodded slightly to the two men and said, "I appoint you two as vanguard officers of the 'Boat People's Battalion' to lead the surrendered bondservants in the charge!"

Those who voluntarily surrendered to the Later Jin and became its servants were bondservant. Their status was certainly lower than that of born bondservant families, but much better than bondservant families captured by Jin Chengren or Zhao Si. They were usually not made to fill the trenches, but rather to launch the first wave of attacks after the common soldiers (like Zhao Si and Jin Chengren) had finished filling the trenches.
Although the mission was quite dangerous, the Fan brothers were still very grateful!
Huang Taiji, on the other hand, adopted the demeanor of a caring master: "Remember to lead from the front. If you can be the first to scale the walls, it will be a great achievement! After the mission is accomplished, you two will be promoted to the banner, and from then on, you will be part of the Plain Yellow Banner Han Army!" Fan Wencai trembled, and Fan Wencheng kowtowed heavily: "Your humble brother, we are deeply grateful for the Great Khan's grace. We would give our lives for you, but we can never repay even a fraction of it!"

The next day, the drill ground was packed with soldiers carrying wooden shields and short spears. Zhao Si stood at the front of the ranks, his limp and tattered clothes making him look somewhat comical. Kim Song-in huddled behind Murima's horse, wishing he could shrink into a ball and hide.

Huang Taiji ascended the high platform, not wearing heavy armor, but only a brocade robe.

"Warriors of the Great Jin! Lackeys!" His voice carried on the bugle, "We are gathered here today for your chance to be freed from slavery and bring glory to your ancestors!"

He paused, letting the horn sound carry far.

"Behind the Great Wall lies the capital of the Ming Dynasty! Mountains of gold and silver, and an inexhaustible supply of grain—all of it is yours!"

"I swear to Heaven! Anyone who dares to charge forward will be rewarded! The first to scale the city wall will have their flag raised and be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver! Anyone who cowers and retreats will be executed on the spot!"

"Fan Wencheng, Fan Wencai!"

"The slave is here!"

"I appoint you two as vanguard officers; can you set a good example?"

Fan Wencheng shouted at the top of his lungs, "Your humble servant brothers are willing to die for you! We will be the first to scale the walls of Beijing!"

Seeing that the two were working well together, Huang Taiji roared, "Good! Men! Let's fight for our future!"

"Long live! Long live!" Amidst the chaotic shouts, the column set off. The Fan brothers rode at the front on their skinny horses, their faces deathly pale. Zhao Si limped along, urging his men on. Jin Chengren followed silently, his pen moving across the paper as if scribbling on flesh.

The line of people, like a long, gray snake, slowly made its way towards the southern Great Wall.

Ten days later.

Thirty li north of Qiangzi Ridge, Black Pine Ridge
Li Guo was embedded like a stone in the pile of rocks on the mountain ridge, his body covered with camouflage made of withered grass. He slowly put down the brass telescope in his hand, the tube of which gleamed in the afternoon sun, and a few small characters were engraved on the lens: "Tribute from the Liu Family of Yuehai".

"Damn it, they really came," he muttered under his breath.

He shrank back and made a few clean and efficient gestures to his deputy lying beside him: "Look closely. The enemy cavalry is a large army, carrying the Bordered Yellow Banner and the dragon flag. Huang Taiji's central army is inside. The vanguard... damn it, they're all unarmored bondsers, a huge, endless mass. The elite slave cavalry are in the rear."

The deputy looked grave and nodded to indicate that he understood.

Li Guo raised his telescope again, the lens locked onto the golden dragon banner in the middle of the procession, and licked his chapped lips.

"Huang Taiji's banner, you old monkey... The Emperor has been waiting for you."

He put away his binoculars and slid down the hillside like a lynx. Moments later, a fast horse galloped out of the valley and sped away towards the Stone Box Camp.

(End of this chapter)