How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 210 The Silver of the Ming Dynasty VS The Lackeys of the Later Jin Dynasty (Seeking Subscriptions)
The fog in front of Qiangziling Pass slowly dissipated, and the sun shone brightly on the valley, also shining on the large "Ming" character flag on the pass wall, which had a hole in it but was still firmly nailed on.

The valley below the wall was now eerily silent. You Shiwei stood in the watchtower, his hand on his sword, squinting as he peered out. His face was expressionless, but in his mind he was calculating the Emperor's plan to "lure the enemy deep into his territory."

"They're here," a guard whispered.

In the distance, the flags of the Later Jin army began to wave.

Then, the shield carts slowly moved out like tortoises. Thick wooden planks were covered with soaked cowhide, and behind each cart were seven or eight bondservants, hunched over and pushing with all their might. Through the gaps between the carts were even more bondservants carrying sacks of earth and bundles of firewood, their eyes numb. Further back were the Han Chinese bannermen, supervised by several officers wearing warm hats, slowly advancing.

You Shiwei remained silent, his gaze fixed intently. The Ming soldiers on the ramparts held their breath, the only sound the fluttering of the flags in the wind.

Zhao Si, a bondservant pushing a cart, was pounding in his chest. The cart wheels crunched over the gravel. "Hurry up! What are you dawdling for!" came the harsh shouts of the Tartar supervisors behind him. Zhao Si shuddered and quickly lowered his head.

The shield-cart convoy slowly moved to a point about two hundred paces from the wall. Suddenly, with a "crack," the left wheel of the lead cart lurched, causing the entire cart to tilt and the person pushing it to fall over. "A trap! A trap!" Before the exclamation had even faded, several more shield-carts plunged into the trap and became stuck. The convoy immediately descended into chaos, carts jammed together, people jostling against each other.

"Stop! The Tartar's wooden tortoise is stuck!" the lookout shouted excitedly.

A cold glint flashed in You Shiwei's eyes, and he ordered in a deep voice, "Tell the commander! The artillery squad, give them a good beating!"

The command flag waved, and at the artillery positions behind, Sun Yuanhua, dressed in a blue robe, stood solemnly, surrounded by a dozen or so carefully selected students from the artillery department of the military academy. The six "12-jin sky-piercing cannons" gleamed black. "Target area, A3 to C6! Load explosive shells!" Sun Yuanhua gave the order, and the students deftly began loading.

"Cannon number one, ready!"

"Cannon number two, ready!"

……

Sun Yuanhua, observing through his binoculars, shouted: "Fire, cannon number one!"

The command flag was waved down.

"Boom!"

With a muffled thud, the cannon recoiled violently. A black dot shot into the air, arcing as it crashed down.

"boom--!"

The shell landed and exploded about ten paces to the right rear of a stationary shield vehicle, and shrapnel tore off several protective covers.

"The impact point is fifteen paces to the right! Each cannon should adjust accordingly, lower by half a degree, and move to the left by a quarter of an hour! Fire!" Sun Yuanhua's cannon firing skills were truly excellent, and he quickly reported the parameters.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The five cannons roared in succession. Five exploding shells whistled as they crashed into the canyon.

Zhao Si was busy working on the car when he heard the sound and looked up.

The black dot magnified rapidly in his pupils.

"boom!"

A shell struck the wooden shield of the adjacent vehicle squarely, exploding violently! Wood chips and bits of leather flew wildly with the blast wave. Zhao Si felt a tremendous force hit him, his ears rang, and he instantly went deaf.

Two more shells landed and exploded in the densest part of the crowd.

"Boom!"

Shrapnel and iron filings swept across the crowd like water being poured out. Even those not directly hit were thrown about by the shockwave.

The place, which was just crowded with people, was suddenly empty, leaving only a mess and screams.

"Good heavens!" One of the guards, seeing that his companion was only half-dead, ran back in terror.

"Stop him!" shouted the Han army flag officer in charge of the battle, and then shot down the deserter with an arrow.

The remaining moat-filling soldiers had no choice but to grit their teeth, carry the earthen mounds from the shield carts, and continue forward, intending to fill the shallow moat in front of the Qiangziling Pass.

You Shiwei saw it clearly: "Musketeers, fire!"

The musketeers, who had been waiting in ambush, calmly pulled the triggers, and volleys of gunfire erupted. Lead bullets rained down on the Later Jin soldiers, who had lost the protection of their shield carts and were now in complete disarray.

The Later Jin's first offensive collapsed in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Corpses lay strewn about and the wreckage of broken shield carts lay scattered before the walls.

However, the true essence of the Later Jin – the Eight Banners officials – did not suffer any losses.

……

On a distant high slope, Huang Taiji lowered his binoculars, his expression calm.

Haug watched from the side, his eyes twitching: "Damn it, Ming dogs' cannons are too fierce! Especially that damned thing that blooms..."

Huang Taiji turned his head sharply, his icy gaze sweeping over Hauge: "Fierce? I see now! The Ming army relies on nothing but artillery fire. Especially those exploding shells, one of them is probably worth dozens of taels of silver!"

He paused, his tone growing even colder: "One shield cart for a few cannonballs! Ten servants for a few pounds of gunpowder! I want to see whether that brat Chongzhen has more silver or more of my bondservants!" Huang Taiji raised his whip and ordered: "Bring two more teams of shield cart bondservants! A war of attrition, exhaust their ammunition!"

"Whoo!"

With the new banners raised, another batch of shield carts were driven out of the Later Jin army ranks, and more bondservants were whipped like livestock to fill the gaps at the front.

Zhao Si huddled in a shell crater, trembling like a leaf. He had been thrown into the air by the blast wave, barely escaping with his life; his ears were still ringing. Beside him lay blood-stained sacks of earth and broken bundles of firewood, and half a torso, wearing the same tattered coat—it was Wang Laoqi, his roommate. Zhao Si felt a wave of nausea and vomited violently.

A Tartar supervisor ran over, cursing in broken Chinese, and lashed out with his whip, forcing Zhao Si to join the new column and continue filling the trenches. Zhao Si's eyes were vacant as he moved like a walking corpse.

A little further away, Kim Sung-in, the author of the Sony Newton document, squatted behind a rock, his hands trembling so much that he could barely write.

Looking at the hellish scene and listening to the incessant screams, he found it difficult to put pen to paper. This wasn't war; it was clearly suicide... How could they win by throwing their lives away like this? He looked up at the silent fortified walls in the distance, and a new thought began to form in his mind about the "Great Ming Fatherland."

Fan Wencheng, mounted on his horse, stood at the front of the Han army's archers, his face pale. As the vanguard officer, he was supposed to lead the surrendered Han soldiers in the first wave of attack after the trenches were filled—although the trenches weren't completely filled, it was enough to send one wave.

However, the sound of the Ming army's muskets had not diminished, and the passage ahead was somewhat narrow. Fan Wencheng also witnessed many Han Chinese bondservants like himself falling like wheat being harvested under the terrifying barrage of artillery fire.

These bondservantes, their lives were lost just like that? A chilling sense of shared sorrow rose from the depths of his heart.

But Fan Wencheng had no way out. He drew his sword, forced himself to remain calm, and shouted to the restless troops behind him, "What's the panic! The trench-filling team is almost clearing a passage! Follow me and charge up the wall! Everyone who breaks through will be rewarded!"

Before he could finish speaking, another volley of musket fire erupted from the Ming army's wall, hitting the bannermen who had just finished filling the trenches and retreated. The bullets whizzed past, startling several Han bannermen who ducked their necks in fear.

Fan Wencheng gritted his teeth, raised his knife, and charged forward: "Now! Charge with me!"

He knew the Great Khan was watching! Whether he could be the first to ascend the mountain was another matter, but he absolutely could not show the slightest fear or sympathy for the bondservant servants below. He had to send them to their deaths without hesitation!
That way, the master will think he is a useful servant!
……

Inside the warm pavilion of Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Chongzhen sat on his imperial couch, with account books spread out before him. Wei Zhongxian and Wang Chengen stood below him with their hands at their sides, while Liu Yueying sat on an embroidered stool with her head slightly bowed.

“Your Majesty,” Wang Chengen reported softly, “the Imperial Treasury currently has more than 2.17 million taels of silver available for immediate use. This servant has checked and there is not a single tael missing.”

Emperor Chongzhen grunted in acknowledgment and tapped the ledger lightly with his knuckles: "More than two million taels... lying in the treasury, they're just lifeless things."

Wei Zhongxian quickly bowed and smiled, "Your Majesty is wise. Only when silver circulates can it generate more profit."

Liu Yueying said softly, "Your Majesty, nowadays, there are more and more maritime merchants coming and going in various places around the capital, especially Tongzhou and Tianjin. If the capital is managed properly, the interest can indeed be considerable."

Just then, a young eunuch hurriedly walked to the palace gate and whispered a few words to the eunuch guarding the gate.

Upon seeing this, Wang Chengen quickly walked over. After hearing the report, his expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. He turned around and walked back to Chongzhen's side, leaning down and whispering, "Your Majesty, urgent news from Qiangzi Ridge! General You reports that our army has won its first battle, using the new 'sky-piercing cannons' to retake the enemy's offensive. Countless enemy soldiers have been killed, and our casualties are minimal."

After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen showed no joy on his face, only nodding faintly and saying, "I understand."

Wang Chengen was somewhat surprised by the emperor's indifferent reaction, but he still stepped aside.

Emperor Chongzhen's gaze returned to Wei Zhongxian, and he said calmly, "Wei, the Grand Eunuch."

"The servant is here."

"Go and do something." Chongzhen's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable power. "Find a few capable people and spread the news. Say that... the losses at Qiangziling have been heavy, the wall is in imminent danger, and the Jurchen cavalry will soon be at the gates of Beijing."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen trembled and looked up abruptly, exclaiming, "Your Majesty! This...this is good news! Why spread such unsettling rumors? If the capital falls into chaos, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Emperor Chongzhen glanced at Wang Chengen, but did not immediately respond. Instead, he picked up the rosewood cup beside him and gently blew away the foam.

"Wang Daban," Chongzhen's voice remained calm, "think about it, if all the wealthy people in Beijing thought the Jurchens were about to invade, what would they do?"

Wang Chengen was taken aback: "Naturally... they panicked and tried to escape..."

"When fleeing, one needs travel expenses. What can't be taken with you?" Chongzhen took a sip of tea and put down the wooden cup.

“It’s…real estate, land, and other immovable properties…” Wang Chengen seemed to understand a little.

“Not bad.” Chongzhen’s gaze swept over Wei Zhongxian and Liu Yueying, and finally landed on Wang Chengen’s face. “Only when they feel that Beijing is about to collapse will they be in a hurry to sell off the houses and land they can’t take with them at low prices like they’re throwing away junk.”

He paused, his tone revealing a cold calculation: "Because the Jurchens are coming, the houses inside Beijing and the land outside the city will keep falling."

Wei Zhongxian immediately bowed, a knowing smile on his face: "Your Majesty is wise! This old servant will take care of it immediately, and will ensure that this news spreads throughout the entire capital overnight!"

Liu Yueying also rose and curtsied, saying, "Your Majesty's strategic planning is truly admirable. In this way, the time has come to buy in large quantities."

Wang Chengen finally understood, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. He lowered his head in shame and awe, saying, "This servant...this servant was foolish. Your Majesty's wisdom and foresight are far beyond my reach."

Emperor Chongzhen picked up the account book again, sighed softly, as if defending his "heartlessness": "This war is about fighting the Jurchen slaves and the Ming Dynasty's silver. Which one can withstand the drain more? So, I have to fight while harvesting some blood to recoup my losses!"

(End of this chapter)