How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 234 Grain Coupons, Deploying Troops

Winter came early and fiercely in the third year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign. Just into November, Beijing was eerily cold, with northerly winds whipping up snowflakes that stung one's face.

Behind the Hall of Literary Glory lies the Hall of Reflection, which possesses a more scholarly atmosphere and is more secluded than the Hall of Supreme Harmony. This is where the Emperor speaks intimately with his close advisors; it lacks the grandeur of the main hall. The underfloor heating is strong, and the windows and doors are tightly shut, keeping out the chill from outside. Inside, candlelight illuminates several delicate dishes on a rosewood table, a pot of warm Jinhua wine, and a freshly roasted, fragrant sweet potato.

Emperor Chongzhen, dressed in a dark blue robe with subtle patterns, sat in the main seat. Prince Qin, Zhu Cunshu, and Prince Zhou, Zhu Gongxiao, sat below him, their attire also simple. Each of the three had a wine cup in front of them, their demeanor less formal than that of a court assembly and more like that of elders chatting casually at home.

Emperor Chongzhen picked up the wine pot and personally poured wine for his two uncles. The amber-colored wine poured into the cups, releasing a mellow aroma. "It's cold today, let's have a few drinks to warm ourselves up and have some heartfelt words," he said calmly, but his brows were furrowed with an unresolved gravity.

The King of Qin quickly held the cup with both hands and said repeatedly, "Your Majesty has bestowed wine upon me; I am deeply grateful." The King of Zhou also bowed to express his gratitude, his expression respectful yet thoughtful.

After downing a cup of wine, Chongzhen put down the cup, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the warm rim of the cup. "Wine can warm the body," he said, his voice lowering, "but it can't warm the thousands of miles of scorched earth in Shaanxi, much less save the starving people who are exchanging children to eat."

Upon hearing this, the King of Qin's face immediately fell. He put down his wine cup and sighed, "Your Majesty, mentioning this is like a knife twisting in my heart. During my years in Shaanxi, I saw it with my own eyes, oh, I heard it with my own ears... It was horrible, so horrible! This year it's especially bad. I heard that in northern Shaanxi, people are already... they're already eating each other!" As he spoke, his voice trembled with tears.

King Zhou looked alarmed upon hearing this. Although he knew the disaster was severe, he hadn't expected it to reach this point. "Your Majesty," he suggested carefully, "a natural disaster is a warning. Shouldn't we pray more sincerely, asking Heaven to send rain to reassure the people?"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded slightly, then shook his head. "The matter of praying for rain will be handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Observatory. Master Zhang from Longhu Mountain will also be coming to the capital soon to preside over the ritual. However," he looked sharply at Prince Zhou, "the will of Heaven is unpredictable, but human efforts can be made. I invited you here today, Uncle Prince, to discuss a more practical and urgent matter—how to ensure that the million people of Shaanxi can survive this winter and live to see the famine next spring."

"This requires great courage and decisiveness, and it will likely affect the interests of many people and attract gossip. But if it succeeds, it will save countless lives and benefit the country. After much thought, I believe that this matter must be presided over by a virtuous elder of the imperial family like you, my uncle."

Prince Zhu Gongxiao immediately stood up, bowed respectfully, and said solemnly, "Your Majesty trusts me greatly, how dare I not do my utmost! Please give me your instructions, Your Majesty, I will gladly die for you!"

Emperor Chongzhen asked him to sit down and personally poured him a full glass of wine. Then, he picked up a roasted sweet potato from the table and weighed it in his hand. "Uncle, Prince Qin, look," he said, showing the sweet potato to the two of them, "it's like right now, the three of us only have this one sweet potato. How should we divide it so that no one starves and there's no chaos?"

The King of Qin blurted out, "I'm not hungry! Your Majesty and my uncle can eat!"

Emperor Chongzhen glanced at him and said indifferently, "This is neither the way of a ruler nor a way to survive. Say it again."

After a moment's hesitation, Prince Zhou reached out and took the sweet potato, carefully breaking it into three pieces of varying sizes. He presented the largest piece to Emperor Chongzhen, kept the middle piece for himself, and offered the smallest to Prince Qin. "Your Majesty's fate rests on the shoulders of the nation; you should take care of your health and eat the larger piece. Prince Qin and I will share the rest. Though it is little, it will provide some sustenance until things turn around."

Emperor Chongzhen looked at the three sweet potatoes on the table and smiled slightly. "Uncle Wang's method of distribution is already quite effective. However," his voice suddenly turned heavy, "Shaanxi is not just about three people sharing one sweet potato; it's about millions of starving people sharing an almost empty granary! To prevent chaos and death, 'distribution' alone is not enough; we need 'control'! We need a set of regulations that can be communicated from top to bottom and that ensures orders are strictly enforced!"

The two princes looked as if they were listening attentively to the emperor's instructions.

Chongzhen, with piercing eyes, said, enunciating each word clearly:
"My mind is made up. The 'grain coupon' system will be implemented!"

"Grain coupons?" King Zhou and King Qin asked almost simultaneously, their faces filled with confusion.

"Yes, grain coupons!" Chongzhen said with certainty. "This method is complicated in some ways, and simple in others. I have already drafted the specific regulations, and I will show them to you for your consideration later."

He's very familiar with this method! In his previous life, he was born in the 1960s, and by the time food coupons were phased out, he had already started a family and established a career.

"First, we need to know how many people there are. How many military and civilian households are there in Shaanxi right now? The Yellow Register is a mess! So, Uncle Wang, the first thing you should do when you go is to work with local officials in the name of the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan and the Imperial Envoy to re-register the households! Whether they are military households, civilian households, or refugees who have fled famine, as long as they are still in Shaanxi, they must be registered! Of course, we should prioritize the disaster areas in northern Shaanxi and the towns along the border. We can postpone the statistics for the Guanzhong Plain."

"Only after being registered are you issued 'grain coupons.' These grain coupons are the vouchers for buying grain. They are issued monthly, and you can use them to buy a fixed amount of cheap grain at the government-run grain stations. In areas where grain rations are controlled, you can't buy a single grain of rice without a coupon!"

Prince Zhou listened carefully, his eyes gradually brightening. Having managed affairs of the Prince's Palace before, he immediately understood the key point: "Your Majesty's intention... is to use these grain coupons to control both people and grain? To prevent those hiding unregistered persons and troublemakers from taking advantage of the situation?"

"Exactly!" Chongzhen gave him an approving look. "The second thing is to control the grain supply. If you only have ration coupons but no grain, they're just a piece of waste paper."

His expression turned cold.

"All the royal estates, official fields, military farms, and grain stored in the princely mansions of Shaanxi will be uniformly allocated by you, the imperial commissioner! Remember, this empire belongs to the Zhu family! Therefore, we must be prepared to take action against our own people!"

"That's not enough. How much grain have those gentry, wealthy households, and major grain merchants in the disaster area hoarded? They must be made to sell their surplus grain to the government at the official price! Anyone who dares to disobey, hoard grain, or open a black market..."

Chongzhen's voice carried a ruthless edge: "Treat him as aiding the enemy, execute him immediately without pardon!" At this moment, Chongzhen's gaze turned to Prince Qin, Zhu Cunshu. The Prince Qin, startled, immediately declared: "Your Majesty, rest assured! Although I have left Shaanxi, the Qin princes still possess estates and fields. I will immediately write to them, instructing them to fully cooperate with Uncle Zhou, without hesitation! All grain will be handed over to the Imperial Commissioner's office for allocation!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, his expression softening slightly. He then looked at Prince Zhou.

“There is a third matter. When this method is implemented, there will definitely be people who are unwilling to be subject to this control.” Chongzhen’s tone softened a bit. “For these people, we will not force them to stay. We can issue a public notice that the government will issue travel permits to those who are willing to leave Shaanxi to make a living on their own.”

He paused for a moment, then added meaningfully, "Even if they have to go to Hetao to seek refuge with that Gao Yingxiang... let them go!"

King Zhou was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Your Majesty means... to release those restless, unruly people? And keep only the obedient citizens who are willing to live peacefully? In this way, the internal pressure will be less?"

"Uncle Wang understands immediately!" Chongzhen finally showed a genuine smile. "The purpose of this is to include the people in the disaster-stricken areas and military regions of Shaanxi in this 'food ration' system. Everyone will be registered, and their food rations will be fixed. Although they may not have enough to eat, they won't starve to death. As long as they don't starve, people's hearts will not be in turmoil!"

He concluded, his voice calm yet carrying an unwavering conviction.

"In that case, what fertile ground would there be for new figures like Gao Yingxiang and Wang Jiayin to emerge? Rebellions are born of starvation. If people don't starve to death, how can there be uprisings? If Shaanxi doesn't descend into chaos, what earth-shattering feats could Gao Yingxiang accomplish in the Hetao region? He would simply be offered amnesty as a commander or regional commander, or be annihilated!"

Prince Zhu Gongxiao of Zhou finally understood. He stood up again, straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply to Emperor Chongzhen.

"Your Majesty's wisdom is profound. This is not only a good solution for the emergency, but also a way to consolidate the foundation! Your subject... understands! When I go to Shaanxi, I will do my utmost to implement this policy! Even if there are a thousand difficulties and dangers, I will never fail Your Majesty's trust!"

Emperor Chongzhen looked at him, and a hint of relief finally appeared in his eyes. He also stood up and personally helped Prince Zhou to his feet.

"Good! I am very pleased that you have such determination, Uncle! I entrust the chaos in Shaanxi and the safety of the Northwest of the Ming Dynasty to you! If there is any obstruction, you may act first and report later!"

Just then, a series of hurried yet light footsteps came from outside the study. Wang Chengen, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, bowed and quickly entered, holding a sealed document in his hands.

"Your Majesty, a military report from the Datong Commander-in-Chief Sun's office, delivered with urgent dispatch from six hundred li away."

The slight relief on Chongzhen's face vanished instantly. He took the military report, peeled off the sealing wax, and quickly scanned it. His brow furrowed slightly, but quickly smoothed out again.

He handed the military report to King Zhou. King Zhou and King Qin read it together.

"Your subject, Sun Chuanting, respectfully reports: Your subject and Cao Wenzhao's troops have completed their assembly at Huangshabao, gathering 20,000 elite infantry and cavalry, with provisions and weapons fully prepared. The Mongol chieftain Abatai remains entrenched in Guihua City, his movements unclear, but our army is ready and our morale is high. Empress Dowager Sutai and Prince Zhongyi are also in the army, ready to be escorted at any time to Guihua City to announce the Ming Dynasty's investiture and to pacify the Mongol tribes..."

On the wasteland outside Datong Town, the sky was overcast. The north wind swirled sand and dust, making the military flags flutter and thud against the armor.

The ranks were already lined up, waiting silently. The wind carried a chill, but the murderous aura emanating from the ranks was colder than the wind.

Sun Chuanting, clad in mountain-patterned armor and wearing a bullfighting coat over it, stood on a small earthen mound, his face serious, carefully surveying the ranks below. Cao Wenzhao stood beside him, his hand on his waist sword, his beard bristling, his eyes gleaming with eagerness for battle.

The ranks were now neatly arranged, a stark contrast to the previous formations that relied heavily on wagon battalions. Five infantry battalions stood firmly in the front squares. At the very front were densely packed long spears, their tips gleaming coldly; between the spears and on either side were firearmsmen with muskets. Although the cold weather made lighting the matchlocks difficult, they were all trained and maintained their ready-to-fire stances. A few shield and swordsmen were scattered in key positions, prepared for close combat. Most striking were the six wheeled cannons at the rear of each battalion, their muzzles all pointing north.

Ten thousand cavalrymen were positioned on both sides. On the left were the Ming Dynasty iron cavalry led by Cao Wenzhao, both men and horses clad in armor, moving silently. On the right were more than four thousand Mongol cavalrymen, dressed in fur robes, carrying the wild spirit of the steppe people—though not particularly skilled in combat. They were former troops recruited by Empress Dowager Sutai under the guise of the "handsome and refined" Mongol prince Altan.

In the central military region, in a sturdy carriage, Empress Dowager Sutai tightly embraced her youngest son, Prince Zhongyi, who was wrapped in a sable fur coat. She gazed southeast, her eyes filled with both anticipation of returning home and an inexplicable worry.

Sun Chuanting took a deep breath, drew his sword sharply, pointed it north, and his voice echoed throughout the ranks:

"Brothers! Abatai has occupied Guihua City, and southern Mongolia is in turmoil! This battle is to take Guihua and pacify southern Mongolia! Merit and reward are within reach!"

"May the Great Ming Dynasty be victorious!" Cao Wenzhao shouted, raising his sword.

Instantly, the roar of 20,000 soldiers resounded like thunder: "Victory! Victory!"

The bugles sounded, the war drums beat. The troops began to move north like a flood. The infantry marched in orderly steps, the artillery chuckled, and the cavalry spread out to the sides. Queen Dowager Sutai's carriage also moved, joining the northward torrent.
(End of this chapter)