How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 214 Chongzhen's One-Night City
In the summer of the third year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the heat was intense. At the entrance of the Deshengchang Money Exchange's main branch, a throng of people huddled together, the stench of sweat mingling with the restlessness of the crowd, the noise almost enough to lift the roof off. Silver was flowing out like water, and the manager, Zhao Dekun, trembled with worry as he calculated how long the meager reserves in the treasury could last.

"Slow down! Go and urge the master again!" he yelled at the steward, his voice hoarse.

As soon as the person in charge turned around, the crowd parted in two. Several guards in brown shirts and carrying embroidered spring knives entered first, and their glances quickly quieted the chaotic scene. Then, Wang Chengen, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, dressed in a long robe, strolled in unhurriedly.

Ignoring the piles of silver on the counter and the wailing depositors, Wang Chengen walked straight to Zhao Dekun, whose face was ashen. He pulled a document from his sleeve and slammed it onto the accounting table.

"Manager Zhao, it's still about the shareholding," Wang Chengen said in a low voice, but it made Zhao Dekun tremble. "Don't worry, His Majesty is reasonable. Business is based on mutual consent, and he won't issue an imperial decree. His Majesty is thinking of allowing the Imperial Bank to take a 20% stake in your Deshengchang. From now on, the lending and allocation of funds will be managed by the 'Capital Bank's Interbank Market.' We'll help you through this difficult time."

A scholar in a blue robe standing nearby, sent by the owner of the money exchange, forced a bow and said, "Eunuch Wang, this matter of investing is of fundamental importance. Please allow us to inform the owner before we discuss it further..."

Wang Chengen didn't even lift his eyelids.

Just then, a waiter tumbled into the back room, his hat askew, and cried out, "Manager! It's terrible! The messenger reports that... the Jurchen army has bypassed Shunyi City! They're pressing in from the west, and they're... they're almost at the foot of the capital!"

The room erupted in chaos. The scholar in the green robe nearly collapsed, his legs giving way. Zhao Dekun's abacus clattered to the floor, beads scattering everywhere. The last vestiges of color drained from his face. Shunyi, Shuangcheng—one a county town, the other a fortified town—held by General Sun Zushou of Jizhou, a military commander, was touted by the court as an impregnable defensive line. Had it really been bypassed?

The Jurchen cavalry will soon be rampaging outside the city?
Zhao Dekun suddenly turned to look at Wang Chengen, his lips trembling: "Eunuch Wang... are the conditions you just mentioned still valid?"

Wang Chengen's face remained expressionless, he only nodded slightly: "Your Majesty's words are golden."

"I'll sign! I'll put my fingerprint on it!" Zhao Dekun dared not hesitate any longer. His hand holding the pen trembled so badly that he was almost supported by a little eunuch as he pressed his fingerprint on the document.

Wang Chengen whispered something to one of the little fire-wielders. The little fire-wielder quickly ran out.

Before long, the noise from the street outside changed. Duke Yansheng, Kong Yinzhi, wearing an imperial robe and riding in a sedan chair carried by eight men, with a full entourage, stopped directly in front of Deshengchang.

Kong Yinzhi alighted from the sedan chair and was helped to stand on the high steps in front of the money shop. He cleared his throat and shouted with all his might:
"With the Holy Emperor on the throne, all spirits will protect him! What are you commoners panicking about!"

The crowd, stunned by the sight, stared longingly.

"By imperial decree, I hereby announce that from this day forward, Deshengchang silver notes can be exchanged for Imperial Estate notes, my Kong family's Lu Shengfeng notes, and His Highness Prince Qin Jinyuan notes! These three notes are accepted throughout the land! They are ten times more convenient than cumbersome silver! Their credit is jointly guaranteed by me, Prince Qin, and Imperial Estate!"

He paused, looking at the stunned crowd below: "Now that you've exchanged your money for silver, how are you going to run away with all that weight? Exchange it for banknotes, and you can just stuff them in your pocket and go! Banknotes from Huangzhuang, Lu Shengfeng, and Qin Jinyuan are recognized everywhere!"

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted in uproar. Yes, silver was heavy and cumbersome; you couldn't carry much of it. These silver notes were lighter, guaranteed by the Duke of Yansheng and the Prince of Qin, and the imperial estates belonged to the emperor…it seemed like a convenient way to escape!
Besides, Lu Shengfeng, from the Duke of Yansheng's family, runs the Kong family's bank! A two-thousand-year-old family... it won't fall!
The long queues for bank deposits were visibly easing. Many people started discussing whether they should just exchange their deposits for banknotes.

Seeing that the situation had stabilized, Wang Chengen turned around and left Deshengchang.

……

Inside the Yonghe Palace in the Forbidden City, even with an ice basin, it was still stuffy and hot.

Emperor Chongzhen, along with Wei Zhongxian and Liu Yueying, stood in front of a huge map of Shuntian Prefecture.

“Your Majesty,” Liu Yueying pointed to the area circled in red ink on the map, “with the arrival of the enemy police, the real estate and farmland in the city, especially in the southern part and near Tongzhou, have plummeted, losing at least 30%. Right now, the imperial estate notes, Lu notes, and Qin notes are easy to use, and wealthy refugees all accept them, making it the perfect time to take them over.”

Wei Zhongxian bent over and said in a sinister tone, "Your Majesty, this old servant is keeping an eye on things. Several noble families, as well as some old ministers and military families, are secretly selling off their properties. The market is in a state of panic."

At this moment, Wang Chengen hurried in, first reporting that Deshengchang had signed and sealed the document, then urgently said: "Your Majesty, the latest military report is that the Jurchen army has indeed bypassed Shunyi, and judging from the direction, it is heading towards Tongzhou and the capital! In a day or two at most, their troops will be at the city gates!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen's eyes lit up. Instead of being in a hurry, he ordered Wei Zhongxian and Wang Chengen: "The time has come! Get to work immediately and buy up everything for me! Real estate, estates, shops—if the price is right, don't hesitate, buy them all! It will be too late if we wait any longer!"

Wang Chengen was taken aback, his face showing urgency: "Your Majesty! The military situation is dire! The Jurchens will arrive in the blink of an eye. Shouldn't we discuss defending the city first? Sun Zushou couldn't stop us, so what's next..."

Emperor Chongzhen suddenly burst into laughter, got off the soft couch, and walked to the large map.

"Master, don't panic!" He pointed to the open space between Tongzhou and Beijing. "Huang Taiji thinks he's clever, going around Shunyi, but little does he know I've chosen a burial site for him! Right here, there'll be a fortified city for him to devour!"

Wei Zhongxian and Wang Chengen looked in the direction he was pointing, and saw a flat, empty area. Both of them looked puzzled.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at their expressions and smiled with great confidence.

“There’s no city now,” Chongzhen tapped the map with his knuckles, making a thumping sound, “but there will be tomorrow.”

He turned around, looked at his two trusted eunuchs, and said, word by word:

"I have already issued an imperial edict to Lu Xiang-sheng, the governor of Shuntian."

"Before sunset tomorrow, right here, I want to see a new city, three miles in circumference, capable of housing troops and setting up cannons, rise up!"

"I will make Huang Taiji smash his head against the walls of this 'One Night City' and bleed profusely!"

Wang Chengen and Wei Zhongxian were both stunned, staring at the emperor with their mouths agape, as if they hadn't understood what he was saying.

A city rose from the ground overnight?
How is that possible!
……

Almost simultaneously, in Tongzhou, at Zhangjiawan Port.

The summer night breeze, carrying moisture from the river, felt sticky on the skin. Yet, at this moment, the open space in the harbor felt surprisingly cool.

Too many people.

A dense, dark mass stretched as far as the eye could see. There were militiamen in their uniforms, but mostly laborers and boatmen in short clothes, along with some small business owners and artisans from the city. The crowd buzzed with discussion, the stench of sweat mingling together. They had been urgently summoned here by a series of orders from the government, their hearts pounding, unsure what trouble they were about to face.

Shuntian Governor Lu Xiang-sheng, not in his official robes but in a worn blue robe, stood atop a high pile of grain sacks. His face was thin, and he stood like a javelin. Several guards, holding torches, stood in a circle around him, the flickering flames illuminating his resolute face. "Quiet down!" a central officer shouted, his voice carrying slightly in the wind.

The crowd gradually quieted down, and countless eyes turned to Governor Lu on the high ground.

Lu Xiang-sheng scanned the faces below, some filled with fear, others with numbness, and still others with a hint of anticipation. He took a deep breath of the humid air and began to speak.

"Gentlemen, young and old! I am Lu Xiang-sheng!"

It was quiet down there.

"The Jurchens have bypassed Shunyi and are heading towards Tongzhou and then the capital! You must have all heard this!"

A commotion arose in the crowd, and panic spread like ripples.

"Are you scared?" Lu Xiang-sheng suddenly raised his voice and asked.

No one answered, but many eyes avoided eye contact.

"I'm afraid too!" Lu Xiang-sheng changed the subject. "The Tartars' horses are fast and their swords are heavy; who isn't afraid of death?"

These words struck a chord with the suffering man.

"But what good is being afraid?" Lu Xiang-sheng's voice suddenly rose, carrying a fierce edge. "When the Tartars come, will they spare your wife and children just because you're afraid? Will they stop taking your life-saving rations just because you cower?"

"will not!"

He was resolute.

"If you want to live, if you want your parents, wife and children to have a way to go, you have to stop those barbarian dogs!"

The crowd was eerily quiet, with only the crackling of torches breaking the silence.

"Now, His Majesty has given us the opportunity to fight off the Tartars!" Lu Xiang-sheng waved his arm sharply, pointing northwest, "Between Tongzhou and the capital, there's a place called Balizhuang!"

"His Majesty has decreed! A city must be built in Balizhuang overnight! A castle that the Tartars can smash their heads open!"

These words were like a bolt from the blue, causing an uproar below. A city rising overnight? Had Governor Lu gone mad with anxiety?
Before the murmurs could grow louder, Lu Xiang-sheng roared, "This isn't suicide! It's fighting for your life, and it's also making money!"

He waved his hand to the side. Several soldiers carried over two heavy wooden crates and placed them with a clang in front of the grain sacks. The crates were opened, and in the firelight, neatly stacked official silver ingots were revealed, a dazzling white expanse that made one's eyes dizzy.

The crowd fell silent instantly, with only heavy breathing remaining.

"See it clearly?" Lu Xiang-sheng pointed at the silver. "His Majesty said he won't use us for nothing!"

"Those with strength, ram the earth and build walls! Two taels of silver a day!"

"Those with carts and horses, transport stones and timber stakes! Three taels a day!"

"Skilled carpenters and stonemasons will get double the wages, four taels!"

"We'll make sure everyone has enough to eat! The work we do is to build a lifeline for ourselves and for the capital city behind us!"

The crowd erupted in a frenzy! Two taels of silver! That's more than you could earn in two months normally! And meals were included!

"Governor Lu! Is this true?"

"They'll really give you money?"

"Damn it! Let's fight the Tartars to the death!"

Lu Xiang-sheng looked at the excited crowd below and knew the time was right. He raised his hand again to quell the commotion.

"The silver is here! But you have to work hard and be quick! The Tartars won't wait for anyone!"

He suddenly drew his sword from its sheath, the gleaming tip pointing directly at Balizhuang in the northwest.

"If you're a real man, come with me!"

"Go to Balizhuang and build a grave for the Tartars!"

"The Emperor is watching us from the capital! Don't let the Emperor, our parents, and the children laugh at us!"

"Go!"

Lu Xiang-sheng jumped off the grain sack and mounted his horse. His personal guards lifted the silver chest and shouted orders to the detachment.

The crowd surged like a burst dam, following the banner bearing the character "Lu" and the silver-boxed carts, shouting and rushing towards Balizhuang. The long line of torches moved swiftly through the darkness, looking like a vast army.

No, this is a large army, a large army of laborers!
That night, in the wilderness of Balizhuang, no one was destined to sleep.

(End of this chapter)