How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 26 Mr. Sun, you should be the leader of the Donglin Party! (Please add to your favorites and vote with monthly tickets)
On the 24th day of the tenth month of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, the air in the Wenhua Hall was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. Zhu Youjian sat upright behind his desk, reviewing memorials. He was dressed in plain clothes, and on the desk was a huanghuali wood thermos cup with a cup of tea that was still warm.

The palace gates opened slightly, and Xu Yingyuan, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, bowed and led the way, followed by an elderly man in plain clothes, Sun Chengzong. He was not wearing official robes, only a blue cloth robe, his hair and beard were all white, but his back was as straight as a pine tree, and his steps were steady. When they reached the Emperor, Sun Chengzong solemnly bowed: "This old minister, Sun Chengzong, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Mr. Sun, please rise." Emperor Chongzhen's voice was gentle. "Please take a seat."

Xu Yingyuan personally brought over the brocade stools, and Sun Chengzong thanked him and sat down, but his eyes remained lowered.

Emperor Chongzhen carefully observed his elder brother's tutor. Sun Chengzong's face appeared more weathered than he remembered, yet the resolute spirit between his brows remained undiminished. In his previous life, Chongzhen had always believed him to be the leader of the Donglin Party, only to later learn that he had been mistakenly identified as a member of the Donglin Party due to his advocacy of justice. The true leaders of the Donglin Party, on the contrary, were unwilling to associate with him.

Perhaps it is because of the existence of this "true gentleman" that those "hypocrites" have nowhere to hide?
"Sir, do you know why I summoned you alone?" Chongzhen asked bluntly.

Sun Chengzong pondered for a moment, then said frankly, "This old minister is foolish and dares not presume to guess Your Majesty's intentions."

Emperor Chongzhen chuckled and tapped the table lightly with his fingertips: "Sir, there is no need for formalities. I have summoned you today to hear your views on the Battle of Jizhou."

Sun Chengzong looked up, his eyes blazing: "Your Majesty's personal campaign this time, defeating Shubunde and recovering Daning, is truly a great feat. However..." He paused, as if considering his words, "This old minister dares to speak frankly, the slaughter was excessive, and I fear that it may cause the Kharachin tribes to completely side with Jianzhou."

A glint of light flashed in Chongzhen's eyes: "Does the gentleman think that I should adopt a policy of appeasement?"

“The best strategy is to combine both force and kindness,” Sun Chengzong said in a deep voice. “Although the Kharachin are unruly, if we can use rewards and incentives to subdue them, they may be able to work for us and resist Jianzhou together.”

“Sir, you are mistaken.” Chongzhen shook his head, his voice suddenly turning cold. “Rewards are never as effective as punishments; gold is never as useful as a knife! What the Ming Dynasty can give the Doyan and Kharachin is nothing more than market rewards; but what Jianzhou can give them is slaughter and extermination! If I do not take advantage of the defeat of Shubu’s invasion to raze Daming, they will lead the way for Jianzhou in the future, bypassing Jizhou and heading straight for the capital!”

Sun Chengzong was taken aback, his brow furrowing slightly. Although he knew the Mongol tribes were fickle, he still harbored the illusion of "using barbarians to control barbarians." Chongzhen's words, however, contained not a trace of such illusion; they were cruel, and perhaps not wrong.
"Does the gentleman know the recent movements of the Kharachin?" Chongzhen sneered. "They even sold out Ligdan Khan of Chahar. Don't they just follow whoever has the sharpest sword? If I don't slaughter Daming, do I wait for them to lead the Jianzhou cavalry south?"

Sun Chengzong remained silent. Indeed, the Mongol tribes only recognized might. Even Ligdan Khan, who held the legitimacy of the Northern Yuan, was betrayed by the Kharachin tribe. Why should the Ming Dynasty risk the Kharachin tribe's extermination by the Jianzhou Jurchens to pledge allegiance?

However, this young emperor's bloodlust was indeed a bit too strong.

Seeing his silence, Chongzhen softened his tone slightly: "Not only the Mongols, but also Korea cannot be relied upon. No matter how grateful they were to the Ming Dynasty in the past, now under the Jianzhou Jurchen sword, they can only bow their heads and submit. If there are still people in Korea who remember the kindness of the Ming Dynasty..." His gaze was sharp as a sword, "that will have to wait until our Ming army lands and 'invite' their king to a coastal island for 'protection'!"

Sun Chengzong was startled. Judging from the young emperor's words, he still wanted to harm the King of Joseon?
"Sir, do you know how my Great Ming Dynasty can be revitalized?" Emperor Chongzhen suddenly asked himself, answering, "The Ming army is not fully paid; when fully paid, it is invincible!"

He suddenly stood up and walked to the hanging map of the Nine Border Garrisons and Thirteen Towns. His finger heavily traced the map of Jizhou, Xuanfu, and Datong: "The Nine Border Garrisons and Thirteen Towns have 590,000 soldiers. If they were all fully fed and paid, how difficult would it be to pacify Liaodong? But what I saw in Jizhou were exhausted soldiers guarding the Great Wall on empty stomachs! With such soldiers, let alone pacifying Liaodong, they themselves are about to rebel!"

Sun Chengzong's expression was grave. How could he not know the hardships faced by the border troops? But the imperial treasury was already riddled with problems; where would the silver come from to make up for the arrears in pay?
Emperor Chongzhen saw his doubt and sneered, "Are you thinking that the court is short of money?"

Sun Chengzong smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty is wise. The annual revenue of the Taicang granary is only six million taels of silver, while the annual military expenses of the nine border regions exceed eight million taels of silver. This does not even include the Beijing garrison, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the troops in various provinces..."

"Therefore!" Chongzhen abruptly interrupted him, "Before the nine border regions are fully paid, do not talk about pacifying Liaodong! And do not advance towards Shenyang again!" He pointed heavily at Jinzhou, "Liaodong garrison, just guard your existing territory!"

Sun Chengzong was taken aback upon hearing this. The emperor's words clearly indicated that he wanted to abandon the campaign, and even... implied that he wanted to abandon Jinzhou!
Does the Emperor approve of Wang Zaijin's proposal?

After a moment of silence, Chongzhen suddenly changed the subject: "Sir, do you know how to ensure that the nine border regions receive full pay?"

Sun Chengzong pondered for a moment and said, "Shrink the land, collect back taxes; reform the salt tax, crack down on smuggling; dismiss redundant officials, practice frugality and care for the people..." "What you say, sir, is all old news," Chongzhen shook his head, "Who will do these things? Who will do them?"

Sun Chengzong was taken aback.

"Sir, you are a gentleman, and a gentleman does not form factions." Chongzhen stared at him, emphasizing each word. "Yet, many officials in the court are forming cliques for personal gain! How can you, alone, implement these policies to increase revenue and reduce expenditure? How can you help me rectify the court?"

Sun Chengzong remained silent. Throughout his life, he upheld the principle of "a gentleman does not form factions," yet this very principle repeatedly subjected him to exclusion. During the Tianqi reign, he was suppressed by the eunuch faction for upholding justice; now that the eunuch faction was being suppressed and the Donglin Party was on the verge of a resurgence, had those "pure stream" scholars from the Jiangnan gentry ever truly accepted him?
Emperor Chongzhen suddenly leaned down and said in a very low voice, "Sir, I wish to appoint you to the cabinet as a Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall."

Sun Chengzong looked up abruptly, a look of shock flashing in his eyes.

"But," Chongzhen said with sharp eyes, "if you truly wish to accomplish great things, you must take up the banner of the Donglin Party!"

Sun Chengzong shuddered, a look of struggle appearing on his aged face. He had spent his life upholding the principle of "not forming factions," yet now the emperor wanted him... to actively form one?
Seeing his hesitation, Chongzhen slowly said, "Sir, the Donglin Party is no longer what it used to be. Its current leader is merely a mouthpiece for the wealthy gentry of Jiangnan, spouting benevolence and righteousness while being corrupt and incompetent. If you do not step in to rectify this, the Donglin Party will likely be even worse than the eunuch faction!"
Although the eunuch faction is greedy, they still know to share some with me. The Donglin faction, however, doesn't need to openly embezzle, nor are they willing to go to great lengths to amass wealth for me! But without money, what will happen to the Nine Garrisons? What will happen to Northern Zhili? If the Nine Garrisons continue to starve like this, it's only a matter of time before the Jurchens breach the walls. Once the Jurchens breach the walls, the very heart of Northern Zhili will be wiped out, including Sun Yat-sen's hometown.
Mr. Sun, it's understandable that the Donglin faction in Jiangnan is unhappy that we must use the money from Jiangnan to protect our hometown in Beizhili.

Sun Chengzong took a deep breath, suddenly stood up, and solemnly bowed: "This old minister...is willing to reform the Donglin Party for Your Majesty!"

Emperor Chongzhen smiled slightly and personally helped him up: "Good! Tomorrow I will instruct the Grand Secretariat to recommend you for a position in the cabinet. As for the Donglin Party... you must take on your responsibilities as soon as possible! Also, there might be some troublemakers at the court assembly on the first day of the eleventh month, so Mr. Sun, you should be prepared!"

As soon as Sun Chengzong's figure disappeared at the end of the Wenhua Hall corridor, Chongzhen raised his chin to Xu Yingyuan: "Summon Tian Ergeng and Xu Xianchun."

Xu Yingyuan felt a chill run down his spine: "Your Majesty, these two are Wei Zhongxian's trusted confidants, responsible for numerous bloody incidents in the imperial prison..."

"I know." Chongzhen stroked the rim of the huanghuali thermos, a cold glint in his eyes. "It is precisely because they are vicious dogs that bite without barking that they are needed. If I were to throw them out to appease public anger simply because they offended too many people on behalf of Wei Zhongxian, wouldn't all the henchmen of the Embroidered Uniform Guard be living in fear? Who would be willing to do their job diligently in the future?"
Moreover, Wei Zhongxian was ultimately the late emperor's dog; they were both working for him. Therefore, I must protect them!

When Xu Yingyuan heard Chongzhen's explanation, he felt a warmth in his heart—this emperor was still very loyal to his "own people"!
Half an hour later, Tian Ergeng and Xu Xianchun knelt trembling on the cold gold bricks. Although their master, Wei Zhongxian, was still the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and had even been granted the title of Duke and a pardon from death, everyone knew that he had lost power and was being slowly purged by the new emperor. As Wei Zhongxian's lackeys, they probably couldn't escape being purged as well.

"Do you know why I spared your heads?" Emperor Chongzhen's voice drifted down from the throne, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Tian Ergeng's Adam's apple bobbed: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, we deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

"Damn it?" Chongzhen chuckled and suddenly threw two memorials in front of the two men. "Look at these memorials impeaching you. They're enough to make you suffer ten deaths by a thousand cuts."

Tian Ergeng opened the book with trembling hands—an imperial censor accused him of "torturing Yang Lian by scraping his bones with an iron brush"; a supervising secretary revealed that Xu Xianchun "drenched prisoners with boiling water for his own amusement in the imperial prison." The words on the paper, in black and white, were all blood debts.

"But I don't think you deserve to die." Chongzhen's tone suddenly changed. "Because you are the lackeys who do this kind of dirty work! You are the villains for the imperial family. What kind of logic is there that you should die for doing a good job?"

Tian Ergeng and Xu Xianchun looked up abruptly, their eyes flashing with unbelievable ecstasy.

Emperor Chongzhen strode to the two men, his black boots stopping in front of Tian Ergeng's eyes: "However, from now on, the swords of the Embroidered Uniform Guard can only be drawn for me. If you can do that, you are my loyal hounds; if you can't..." He leaned down and lowered his voice, "I will make you experience all seventy-two punishments of the Imperial Prison before you die. Not because of how many heinous things you have done, but because you disobeyed me!"

Tian Ergeng and Xu Xianchun kowtowed deeply together: "Your Majesty, we are willing to give our lives for you!"

(End of this chapter)