How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 258 Clear the main road, occupy both flanks, develop southern Liaoning, and defend Huludao.
On May 30th of the fourth year of the Chongzhen reign, it was still dark.

In Yihai Hall of Tsinghua University, it is so quiet that you can hear your own heartbeat.

Emperor Chongzhen stood with his hands behind his back in front of the map that occupied most of the wall, staring at it motionless for a long time.

His eyes were fixed on a single point on the map—Jinzhou.

The room was cool, but his heart was burning like a fire.

The images of those two crushing defeats replayed in his mind. Although they hadn't happened in his lifetime yet, those bloody lessons seemed to be etched into his very bones.

How did Hong Chengchou's 130,000 troops disappear?

He stared at the line on the map stretching from Ningyuan to Jinzhou. Over a hundred li—could they really build fortifications step by step? No matter how many camps they constructed, once the troops were divided, they would scatter. The army would finally reach the walls of Jinzhou, exhausted and weary, their retreat easily cut off. The Eight Banners cavalry were no pushovers. How could they possibly win in open battle?
The result was total annihilation. The last bit of capital of the Ming Dynasty was thrown away.

There was another incident... The troops sent to aid Jinzhou advanced from both the east and west, intending to attack the enemy attacking Jinzhou from both sides, but what was the result?
The Western Route Army was firmly blocked at Tashan and could only watch helplessly as Jinzhou fell. The Eastern Route Army, fearing being trapped in the enemy's ambush, hesitated to advance, ultimately resulting in a disastrous outcome: failing to relieve Jinzhou, they themselves were surrounded and annihilated.

Thinking about all this, Chongzhen's palms became sweaty.

"Jinzhou... Jinzhou..." he muttered to himself, as if he were arguing with himself. "It looks like a city, but it's actually a trap!"

He finally understood. Jinzhou was strategically located at the forefront, exposed on three sides. To defend it, you had to constantly flood it with food and troops. Once besieged, the city's food supplies would eventually run out. Then, would you offer aid or not?

To rescue them, a large army would have to march out of the pass on a long journey to attack the well-rested Eight Banners troops. Wouldn't that turn into a preemptive offensive? The attacking side would have to fight in open battle. But if they could win in open battle, why bother defending Jinzhou? Wouldn't it be better to just march directly to Shenyang?
We have to defend the city precisely because we can't win!

But this city is too easy to besiege. Once it's besieged, we have to break the siege, and to break the siege, we have to fight in open battle...

This isn't defending the city; it's sticking your neck into someone's noose!
His fingers abruptly moved away from Jinzhou and swiped southwest.

Gourd set!
This is the place! It's by the sea and has a port.

The Beiyang Fleet's ships can approach directly. Supplies, provisions, and troops can all be transported by sea. The Jurchen cavalry cannot cut off this route!

Look again at the mountains behind Jinzhou, the valley of the upper reaches of the Xiaoling River. The terrain is treacherous. If we deploy a detachment there and build a fortified village according to the mountain's shape, the Jurchens will have a hard time taking advantage of it.

On one side is Hulutao Port and the vast sea, and on the other side is the rugged mountains of western Liaoning—this is called making way for the main road and occupying both sides!
If Huang Taiji dares to advance further after occupying Jinzhou, he will surely be beaten!

If he stays in Jinzhou and doesn't come, taking this empty city won't be of much use; the rest will still be a war of attrition.

But time... is on the side of the Ming Dynasty!
Of course, the weaker party cannot simply take the beating.

His gaze drifted eastward, across the Liao River, and landed on the mountainous area in southern Liaoning.

Now Mao Wenlong and Huang Degong have already established themselves there... their strategy of "three campaigns south of the Yangtze River, four defenses of Linjiang" can be put to use. Let them expand their territory, but don't rush to attack Liaoyang or Shenyang. Instead, let them move eastward, continuing to "occupy the mountains and rule the land," squeezing towards the Yalu River and threatening the passage between Shenyang and Korea. This will coordinate with the Ming army in western Liaoning... a coordinated effort from the east and west.

Furthermore, we should gather together righteous individuals in Korea who are loyal to the Ming Dynasty and form an organization to "oppose the Jin and restore the dynasty"...

What should we name it? Heaven and Earth Society? That doesn't quite fit. Hmm... let's call it "Loyal and Righteous Party" then.

Just as I was thinking about the crucial point, I heard soft footsteps.

Fang Huazheng entered with a bow and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Governor Lu Xiangsheng and General Sun Zushou have arrived and are waiting outside the hall."

Emperor Chongzhen took a deep breath, collected his thoughts, and his face returned to its usual calm.

"Bring them in."

……

Lu Xiang-sheng and Sun Zu-shou entered the hall one after the other, bowing respectfully.

Emperor Chongzhen didn't beat around the bush. Pointing to Jinzhou on the map, he asked directly, "My two ministers, Jinzhou is besieged. What do you think we should do?"

Lu Xiang-sheng hesitated for a moment before cautiously speaking, "Your Majesty, Jinzhou is the gateway to Liaoxi and cannot be easily abandoned. We should find a prudent method to gradually take it down, which may lift the siege."

Sun Zushou put it more directly: "Your Majesty and Governor Lu will do as you say. If we are to save Jinzhou, I am willing to be the vanguard!"

Chongzhen understood what they meant. He would stick to the old approach: figuring out how to save them.

Emperor Chongzhen shook his head, walked to the map, and pointed heavily at Jinzhou.

"You all think that defending Jinzhou is like fighting a defensive battle?" He shook his head repeatedly. "No! Defending Jinzhou is actually like fighting a field battle, and it's the weaker side attacking while the stronger side defends... Attacking the strong with the weak is bound to result in defeat!" Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng and Sun Zu-shou were both stunned and looked up at the emperor.

Chongzhen traced the dotted line from Ningyuan to Jinzhou with his finger: "How long can the grain stored in Jinzhou last? Half a year? A year? What will happen when it runs out? Will our army come to our aid or not?"

He asked and answered himself, his tone turning somber: "If they come to our aid, our army will surely march out of the pass! After a long march, our men and horses will be exhausted. When we reach the walls of Jinzhou, we will be able to attack an out-of-stretched enemy! At that time, the roles of offense and defense will be reversed! I will become the attacker, and Huang Taiji will become the defender. We were already outmatched, and now we have to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out! How can we possibly fight this battle?"

Lu Xiang-sheng, a man knowledgeable in military affairs, paled upon hearing this. He had been focused solely on rescuing the enemy, failing to grasp this crucial aspect. Now, with the emperor's insight revealed, he broke out in a cold sweat.

Sun Zushou also figured it out, and his fists clenched involuntarily.

"Therefore, Jinzhou cannot be defended! We must not use weak troops to relieve the siege or engage in open battle with a strong enemy... that would be suicide!" Chongzhen said decisively.

His finger decisively moved away from Jinzhou, first pointing to Hulutao Port, then to the mountainous area upstream of Xiaoling River, and finally focusing on southern Liaoning.

"My mind is made up! Abandon Jinzhou and consolidate our forces!"

"Our main force is stationed along the line from Hulutao to Tashan and Ningyuan, backed by maritime transport, ready to move at any time!"

"The detachment is holding the Xiaoling River Valley, building fortifications against the mountains, and resisting step by step!"

"The troops of Mao Wenlong and Huang Degong in southern Liaoning are actively expanding eastward, approaching the Yalu River! I will also support the 'Loyalty Party' of Korea, to ignite a fire in the backyard of the enemy chieftain!"

His gaze swept over the two men, his voice steady and powerful: "Defend Liaoxi, attack Liaonan. If they attack the west, we will attack the east. And vice versa. This will make them unable to attend to both ends and exhausted. In summary, it is the seventeen-character policy of 'open up the main road, occupy both flanks, develop Liaonan, and defend Huludao'!"

Lu Xiang-sheng listened, his eyes growing brighter and brighter. He finally understood the emperor's overall strategy; this was a game of chess with far-sighted vision! He bowed deeply, his voice filled with excitement: "Your Majesty is wise! This strategy is far-sighted; if implemented, the situation in Liaodong will surely be transformed!"

Sun Zushou, his blood boiling, shouted, "Your Majesty! I understand! This method is excellent! It will make the Tartars run themselves ragged!"

Emperor Chongzhen looked at his two beloved generals and nodded.

"Lu Xiang-sheng".

"Chen is here!"

"I hereby appoint you as the Commander-in-Chief of Jiliao, overseeing the overall situation in western and southern Liaoning, stationed at Shanhaiguan, and to make good use of these seventeen-character policies for me!"

"Your subject... would gladly die ten thousand times over!" Lu Xiang-sheng bowed deeply.

"Sun Zushou".

"Your subordinate is here!" Sun Zushou straightened his back.

"I hereby appoint you as the General Commander of Liaodong, commanding the Imperial New Army and the elite troops of Jizhou. You shall immediately garrison Hulutao! Make it an impregnable fortress, a nail driven into western Liaoning by land and sea!"

"This humble general obeys the order! I will certainly not fail in my mission!" Sun Zushou's voice boomed like a bell.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at Lu Xiangshan and suddenly asked, "Jiandou, tell me, what is the most difficult thing about implementing this policy?"

Lu Xiang-sheng thought for a moment, then said frankly with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, the most difficult thing is not the use of troops, but... abandoning Jinzhou. This move will inevitably invite criticism from the court and the public, and impeachments from censors and upright officials will likely come like snowflakes. I... fear I will become the target of everyone's criticism."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded heavily, a complex smile on his face, a smile that held both helplessness and resolve.

"I know. How can those censors who only know empty talk know the life and death of the soldiers on the front lines? How can they know the importance of the country and its people?"

He walked up to Lu Xiang-sheng, his voice low but carrying an undeniable power:
"How can matters of war be discussed in the imperial court with everyone talking at once? That will only make things worse!"

"Rest assured, I will issue a special decree for you and Zu Dashou to abandon Jinzhou. I will decide everything! If anyone impeaches you for this in the future, I will bear all the blame! I am not afraid of being criticized, I only want victory!" Chongzhen suddenly smiled, "Because I know that history is written by the victors! I will write history, so the history books will definitely say good things about me!"

"Just go ahead and do it! Create a new situation for me in Liaodong!"

Hearing these resounding words, Lu Xiang-sheng's heart surged, and his eyes welled up with tears. He bowed deeply once more, his voice choked with emotion, yet utterly resolute:

"Your Majesty trusts me so much, I... can only repay your kindness with my life!"

Emperor Chongzhen patted him on the shoulder and said nothing more.

He turned and looked at the huge map again, his gaze passing over Jinzhou and reaching the wider Liaodong land.

(End of this chapter)