How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 254 As long as the real estate market in western Beijing is booming, the Ming Dynasty will be saved!

Emperor Chongzhen picked up Wu Weiye's memorial and initially just casually flipped through it. But as he read on, his fingers, which were tapping the table, slowed down, and his gaze fixed on it.

Wu Weiye was indeed a shrewd man. His memorial didn't waste time on grand theories of national strength; every sentence was practical: how to obtain funds, how to recruit manpower, and how to win hearts and minds. The memorial was clearly written:
"By imperial decree, the development of western Beijing is of paramount importance. City walls must be built, gates must be set up, and elite troops from the Beijing Garrison must be stationed to strictly check those entering and leaving. No one other than members of the imperial family, nobles, ministers or merchants permitted by imperial decree, and their families and servants shall be allowed to pass."

Upon seeing this, Chongzhen inwardly exclaimed in approval. A high wall could create a safe and secure haven of wealth in this chaotic world. Security was what those princes and nobles were most willing to pay the highest price for.

“In the most scenic spot of the Western Hills, a piece of land shall be set aside to build the ‘Fragrant Hills Villa’ as a temporary palace for His Majesty to stay during his tours. The princes and nobles of the land may choose a site nearby to build their mansions, so that they may be close to His Majesty’s face and enjoy boundless honor.”

Emperor Chongzhen's eyes twitched slightly. This stroke of the pen had truly hit the nail on the head. By including the imperial palace there, western Beijing would no longer be an ordinary residence, but rather a "neighbor of the imperial gardens." The prestige and security of being neighbors with the emperor held a fatal attraction for those vassal kings. Moreover, I could conveniently build a detached palace in Fragrant Hills. Fragrant Hills—that's a wonderful place, far from that detestable Coal Hill.
"Please establish the 'Western Capital Official School,' and invite renowned Confucian scholars to teach classics, history, and practical knowledge. In particular, allow the sons of princes, princes, meritorious officials, and the sons of meritorious imperial merchants to enroll, so that they may study together, make progress, and form childhood friendships."

Emperor Chongzhen inwardly cheered. This was a prime school district property! Allowing the next generation of imperial descendants and noble children to study together from a young age, forging bonds, was laying the groundwork for connections in the court decades later. Those wealthy merchants and powerful figures would fight tooth and nail to secure a foothold in western Beijing so their descendants could benefit from this incredible opportunity.

"I request that the Directorate of Ceremonial or the Hanlin Academy regularly host the 'Xiangshan Literary Gathering' and the 'Spring and Autumn Archery Ceremony' at the Xiangshan Villa. Your Majesty may attend frequently to demonstrate your support. This will gather the best talents from all over the country to discuss classics and history, practice riding and archery, and show the spirit of our Great Ming Dynasty that values ​​both literature and military prowess."

"Brilliant!" Chongzhen thought to himself. This was no longer a rigid residence, but rather a hub for cultural and sports activities. Regular high-end gatherings, with the emperor making occasional appearances, were not merely for entertainment, but for establishing a sense of identity and a social circle.

As expected of the successor to Donglin, he's a master of forming cliques!

"Apart from the residences of princes, dukes, and meritorious officials, only three hundred land deeds were issued to imperial merchants in western Beijing. They were built according to regulations, and those who bought them first could choose plots with good feng shui."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded. Things are valued for their rarity, so now he wasn't worried about them not coming to snatch them.

"In addition, in western Beijing, academies, banks, antique markets, textile factories, restaurants, and so on should be fully prepared so that people living there can enjoy all the good things in the world without leaving the city."

Emperor Chongzhen thought to himself: This is taking care of all the top-notch aspects of clothing, food, housing, and transportation, only selling the most expensive items, not the best ones.

But as he read through the memorial, Chongzhen felt it wasn't enough. He picked up his vermilion brush and added a line of commentary in the blank space of the document:
"Therefore, a new provision shall be added: the establishment of the 'Jingxi Xingye Hall.' This hall is not established to amass wealth, but to revitalize and generate it. It shall be permitted to widely absorb the enormous funds of princes, nobles, maritime merchants, and imperial merchants, without any restrictions. Any business that benefits the national economy and people's livelihood and can generate substantial profits, whether reported by the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Works, or proposed by wealthy merchants, can be placed in the project pool after being reviewed and approved by the Xingye Hall, allowing investors to choose which projects to invest in. Profits and losses are borne by the investors themselves, and the imperial court will provide credit and endorsement. This will transform the nation's dead money into living water, flowing into the main channels of the national economy and people's livelihood."

Furthermore, we can emulate the wisdom of the ancients and use future profits to solve current difficulties—for example, if we need to wage war against the barbarians in the future, we can use the land and prisoners of war that will be recovered in Liaodong as collateral to issue "Pacifying the Barbarians Bonds" and "Conquest of the East Certificates," raising funds from the Xingye Hall. In this way, if I need to wage war, I will have a more flexible source of revenue, less pressure to increase taxes, and the interests of the people will be closely linked to the rise and fall of the nation.

After finishing writing, he put down his pen, pondering in his mind. If this "Xingye Hall" were built, it wouldn't just be a money-making pit, but a means to turn lead into gold. It would unearth the silver buried in the cellars of those nobles and wealthy people, and guide it to where the country needed it most. For their own profit, they would care more than anyone else about whether the canal transport was smooth and whether the workshops were efficient.

If a major war were to break out in the future, perhaps we wouldn't have to rely solely on the depleted national treasury and the extra taxes that incurred the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. Instead, we could issue national bonds, or even attract venture capital for the war. There is so much arable land in the Northeast that can be cultivated. We could invest money, and if we win the war, we could redistribute the land and then ask Liu Yueying if this business was worthwhile.

Just then, two urgent reports, one from Shaanxi and the other from Liaodong, were brought in by a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, almost running. They were like two buckets of cold water poured over him.

Prince Zhu Gongxiao of Zhou stood in the courtyard of the Yan'an government office, his robe stained with mud and blackened blood. He had just finished dealing with a mess.

The rioters were not starving people, but the soldiers guarding the city.

A few starving soldiers stormed the granary of the Prince of Han's residence in an attempt to seize grain. The captain in charge couldn't control the situation and had no choice but to personally lead the Prince's guards to the scene.

The situation had spiraled out of control. One of the rioting officers, brandishing his saber, roared, "The prince's granaries are overflowing! Why must soldiers starve to death?!"

When King Zhou arrived, the minor official in charge of the granary had already been slashed and was bleeding on the ground.

Without saying much, he ordered his guards to fire arrows, felling three of the leading soldiers and stabilizing the situation. Blood splattered on the earthen walls of the warehouse, the stench of blood mixed with the smell of dust assaulting the nostrils.

The stench of blood in the air hadn't yet dissipated. He looked up at the sky; it was a dusky yellow. Not darkness, but locusts swarming in, darkening the sky.

The seedlings in the fields had long been eaten. The people squatted at their doorsteps, staring blankly, too exhausted even to cry.

A trusted aide quickly brought over a sealed letter. "Your Highness, it's from the capital."

Prince Zhou returned to his room and looked at the contents by the light of the oil lamp. It was a secret edict from Emperor Chongzhen, along with the "Outline of the Western Beijing Planning".

At first, he frowned. Upon seeing the words "Fragrant Hills Villa" and "Western Beijing Official School," a surge of anger rushed to his head.

"The officials in the capital! All they do is engage in these empty formalities! People in Shaanxi are practically eating each other!" He almost threw the memorial to the ground.

But he suppressed his anger and looked down. When he saw the "Xingye Hall" added by Chongzhen, especially the clause "to use the land to be recovered in Liaodong as collateral to issue bonds for suppressing the enemy," he suddenly stood up, and the movement was so big that he knocked over the chair behind him.

He paced back and forth on the cold brick floor, breathing rapidly.

"Wonderful! Your Majesty is wise! This is truly... like removing a wound to heal a poison!" he murmured to himself, his eyes filled with both hope and heavy worry. His mind raced, calculating:

The Qin and Han princely mansions... these princely mansions have more than a million taels of silver buried in their cellars! It's all dead money! If it could be invested in "Xingye Hall," it would be like fresh water!

If the princes leave Shaanxi, the stored grain will definitely be released, which will be perfect for disaster relief!

With thousands of idle mouths in a prince's mansion, how much grain will Shaanxi save after he leaves!
But then his expression became even more serious.

“But before these princes leave…” he stared at the flickering lamplight, “they will probably intensify their efforts to plunder the land to raise enough money for their journey. The resentment among the people of Shaanxi will likely erupt like a volcano…”

The heavy burden of appeasement and suppression, and the eternal infamy, will all fall on his shoulders.

He took a deep breath, sat back down at his desk, laid out paper, ground ink, and began writing a secret memorial. His handwriting was sometimes hurried, sometimes heavy.

He not only explained in detail the three benefits of "using dead money, releasing stored grain, and reducing population," but also directly predicted the turmoil that would be encountered during implementation, and made a solemn pledge:

"I will personally go to the various vassal states to persuade them and bring this matter to fruition. If any unrest occurs during this process, I will suppress it with all my might! I will bear all the blame! I only hope that this plan will succeed as soon as possible, so as to relieve Your Majesty's worries and find a way to survive for the people of Shaanxi!"

He finished writing, stamped it, and sealed it. He walked into the courtyard; the night wind was biting.

"Pain is inevitable... but a short pain is worse than a long one."

……

Shenyang Khan Palace.

Having returned triumphantly from Korea, Huang Taiji sat at the head of the table, listening to Fan Wencheng's report.

"Your Majesty, the clearing of the rebels' property in the eight prefectures of Joseon has been completed. A total of 73,000 hectares of land belonging to the rebels have been confiscated and converted into government land. This year's autumn harvest is expected to increase by more than 150,000 shi."

Huang Taiji slightly raised his eyelids and hummed in agreement.

Fan Wencheng continued, "Two new Korean firearms battalions have been formed, equipped with two thousand muskets. Forty-seven skilled artillerymen who have been captured or surrendered have all been incorporated into the Pyongyang Gun and Artillery Range."

Dorgon then stepped forward: "Great Khan, the fortresses and strongholds in Yaozhou and Haizhou in southern Liaodong have been reinforced. More than twenty new cannons of various types, including the Red-Coated Cannon and the Frankish Cannon, have been cast and deployed. Furthermore, according to urgent reports from scouts, the Ming army is frequently moving around the areas of Fuzhou and Xiuyan City, with laborers gathering in large numbers, as if they are rushing to repair a type of Western-style bastion."

Huang Taiji stood up and walked slowly to the huge map. He picked up a command arrow and planted it heavily in the location of Jinzhou in western Liaoning.

"Most of the grain was transported to southern Liaoning. Dorgon."

"The minister is here."

"Before the autumn harvest, you, Ajige, and Dodo will lead 40,000 troops, with your forces aimed directly at Jinzhou. There's no need for a direct assault, but you must surround it like an iron barrel." He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "You must dig many trenches, establish numerous camps, and create the impression of a long-term siege, determined to win."

Dorgon understood immediately: "The Khan's intention... is to force Chongzhen to continuously transfer troops and supplies from within the Great Wall, thus exhausting his strength?"

"Indeed." Huang Taiji's lips curled into a cold smile. "Jinzhou is the gateway to Liaoxi and the shield of Shanhaiguan. He will never sit idly by. I want to see how much silver and how many elite troops he can pour into this bottomless pit of Liaoxi!"

Next, he moved the command arrow to the Fuzhou area in southern Liaoning.

"Dai Shan".

“Your old minister is here,” replied the eldest prince, Daishan.

"You will be stationed in Liaonan. Tell the generals at the front to change their strategy from a direct assault to a harassment campaign against Huang Degong in Fuzhou and Mao Wenlong in Xiuyan. Send more elite cavalry to cut off their supply lines, burn their farms, and exhaust their troops and civilians."

He turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping over the princes and nobles under his command.

"Liaoxi is all bluster, sucking their blood and flesh; Liaonan is constantly bleeding them dry, binding their hands and feet. Isn't that brat Chongzhen trying to set up some 'Xingye Hall' in western Beijing to raise money for war?" Huang Taiji's voice was laced with sarcasm. "I'd like to see whether he can amass wealth faster, or I can drain it faster! All banners, return to your posts and intensify your training. We'll set out as soon as the autumn harvest is ready. Disperse!"

(End of this chapter)