How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 268 The Account of the Southern Mongolian People's Court

At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month in the fourth year of the Chongzhen reign, a cold wind was blowing in western Beijing, but it could not suppress the bustling noise at the construction site.

Empress Dowager Sutai sat in her carriage, which bounced along the newly compacted dirt road. She had been ordered by Emperor Chongzhen to temporarily leave the large tribute procession and travel lightly to Beijing ahead of everyone else. The noise outside made her lift the curtain, and one glance was enough to make her gasp for breath.

Before her stretched a seemingly endless construction site, teeming with people like ants, their shouts deafening. Further away, thick smoke billowed from brick and tile kilns, turning half the sky gray. The sounds of craftsmen's hammers and chisels, the foremen's shouts, and the neighing of mules and horses blended into a deafening cacophony that made her ears ring.

She also saw that outside Tsinghua University, a fortress stood tall, like a guardian deity protecting the Ming emperor's palace. The cannons mounted on the fortress were terrifying to look at; even the bravest Mongolian warriors would have to keep their distance.

What immense power this is! On the grasslands, the most formidable force is the galloping cavalry, whose hooves can flatten tribes, yet they are utterly helpless against this Great Wall rising from the flat ground.

The current Ming emperor not only has the manpower and resources to build cities from scratch, but also powerful cannons and muskets...

She instinctively tightened her grip on Altan's small hand in her arms, so tight it hurt the child a little. At that moment, she felt incredibly lucky to have been chosen by the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty and become the mother of the ruler of the southern grasslands.

……

Yihaitang was built within the high walls of Tsinghua Garden, finally offering some peace and quiet. Emperor Chongzhen, wearing a sable cloak, was already standing in front of a sand table more than ten feet long, waiting for Su Tai.

The charcoal brazier in the hall was burning brightly, dispelling the chill, but it couldn't dispel the immense shock in Su Tai's heart.

"You must be tired from your journey." Chongzhen didn't turn around, but called her name gently. This made Su Tai feel a sense of warmth.

Before Su Tai could even bow, Chongzhen pointed to a spot on the sand table marked with a small flag: "See that? At the foot of Fragrant Hills, I've reserved a good place for you and your son. The Prince of Loyalty's Mansion is built there, nestled against the mountain and facing the water, so it won't be too cold in winter. From now on, you and Altan can come south for the winter, and return to Kaiping when spring arrives and the flowers bloom."

Su Tai felt a warmth in her heart, realizing that the emperor still held a place for her in his heart.

"Your Majesty..." Her throat was a little dry, a thousand words stuck in her chest, but in the end, they all turned into the simplest sentence: "This... how much silver will this cost, and how many people will be needed..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she had misspoke; what kind of question was that?
Emperor Chongzhen didn't care. He smiled and said, "It's nothing more than money and manpower. Since it's for you and your son, it should naturally be the best."

He does indeed have money now. Many princes from Shaanxi, Shandong, Henan, and Shanxi have come to the capital to purchase properties, and the market in western Beijing is visibly improving.

Meanwhile, development in Tianjin was in full swing—the more prosperous western Beijing became, the more enthusiastic people were about investing in Tianjin. After all, the people brought in from western Beijing, from princes to laborers, all needed food, drink, and necessities. Goods were most conveniently transported by sea, and as the gateway to Beijing, it was hard for Tianjin not to be bustling.

The money and manpower gathered in Beijing, along with the supplies transported from Tianjin, combined to form an indescribably powerful force.

Emperor Chongzhen's finger then slid to the other end of the sand table, pointing to a grassland marked "Kaiping": "Sutai, this is the foundation for you and your son. I have already issued an edict to the Ministry of Works to allocate 500,000 taels of silver from the imperial treasury in the spring for the major renovation of Kaiping City. The city walls must be built of stone, the prince's mansion must be magnificent, and the official market must be bustling. For the next few hundred years, Altan and his descendants will be the masters of Kaiping, the masters of the southern desert!"

Five hundred thousand taels! To build a city... all for her and Altan!
Sutai felt her heart pounding, and a tremendous sense of security and relief suddenly gripped her. She seemed to see a city, even more magnificent and sturdy than Guihua City and Chahanhot, rising on the southern grasslands, becoming the foundation for her son Altan's descendants.

And in this world, only Emperor Chongzhen could give her and Altan this new Kaiping city!

The legacy of Ligdan Khan, the pride of the Golden Family—none of it mattered before Emperor Chongzhen's imperial favor. Su Tai understood: clinging tightly to the Ming Emperor was the only, and most promising, way to survive for her, her son, and indeed the entire Chahan tribe!
Sun Chuanting, Wei Zhongxian, and Yuan Chonghuan stood at the back, exchanging glances—the Emperor's ability to paint a rosy picture was truly something they couldn't match. The Prince of Xiangshan's mansion and the 500,000 taels of silver for Kaiping City were, at the moment, just empty promises…

Queen Mother Sutai took a deep breath, lifted her bewildered son Altan slightly higher so he could also "see" the land on the sand table that represented the future, and then, in an extremely devout tone, clearly stated:
"Your Majesty's grace is something my son and I... can never repay, even with our lives!"

Chongzhen looked at Altan, who was being lifted up, with a smile... It must be said that Hudun Tu Khan's son was quite handsome and even resembled Cilang a bit. However, he had a serious expression and was frowning as he stared at the sand table, looking like a sulky little adult, like a "little leader".

...Su Tai spent the night at the guesthouse in Tsinghua Garden. The noise from the construction site outside her window didn't stop all night; the sounds of tamping earth, horses' hooves, and shouts mingled together, keeping her awake. Altan, who was sleeping soundly in her arms, stared at the ceiling, pondering repeatedly—five hundred thousand taels for city wall construction, the Xiangshan Prince's Mansion, the eternal garrison of Kaiping...Emperor Chongzhen's kindness was something she could never repay in several lifetimes!

Just after Chen Shi (7-9 AM), she entered Yihai Hall again. The charcoal brazier was burning brightly, and in front of the sand table, besides Chongzhen, Wei Zhongxian, Sun Chuanting, and Yuan Chonghuan were already standing solemnly waiting. Chongzhen was dressed in a black casual robe today, holding a thin wooden stick in his hand, pointing at the southern desert region on the sand table, seemingly having discussed things with the three of them for a while.

"Did you rest well?" Chongzhen asked first, then the tip of his stick traced the territory of the Tumed tribe. "Yesterday we talked about the general direction of the vassal state system. Today we need to decide on the details—especially how to proceed with the two paths of tributary system and garrison system."

"The fiefdoms are divided into four ranks: Prince, Duke, General of Zhenshuo, and Lieutenant of Anbei." The wooden stick was struck heavily on the spot in Kaiping. "Altan is enfeoffed as the Loyal and Righteous Mongol King, governing southern Mongolia. Below him are Dukes, Generals, and Lieutenants. In addition, I also plan to implement a 'transfer of audiences' system in northern Mongolia..."

Emperor Chongzhen tapped the edge of the sand table with a wooden stick: "The princes and their eldest sons will be divided into two groups, taking turns to come to the capital to pay homage. Each of them will stay in the capital for a few months before returning to their fiefdoms, and then another group will come. I will also grant them residences in the capital, and their children can enter the Imperial Academy to learn Han etiquette."

He then pointed to the place where small tribes gathered: "The General of Zhenshuo, the Lieutenant of Anbei, and their successors take turns to report to the Prince of Zhongyi's Mansion in Kaiping. Their underage sons are to stay in Kaiping for a long time, and the Prince's Mansion will arrange their education."

Su Tai was a little confused. Did the Emperor intend to take control of all the tribal leaders in Southern Mongolia? Then she and Altan... wait, it seems that they, mother and son, also have to come to the capital and stay with the Emperor!
Seeing that Su Tai hadn't spoken, Wei Zhongxian chimed in, "Excellent! With the leaders themselves residing in the capital and Kaiping, the tribes below will naturally behave themselves."

Sun Chuanting frowned: "The southern desert is over a thousand miles from the capital. Traveling there and back to pay homage is extremely expensive, and the various tribes may harbor resentment."

“Therefore, we need to station troops in the southern desert.” Chongzhen’s staff slammed against the Yanshan Mountains. “I have already designated the Baimachuan and Heigukou valleys outside Kaiping City as military camps for agricultural settlements.”

He then pointed to the Tumochuan Plain: "The water and grass here are good. We can set up military settlements, relocate displaced people to cultivate the land, and supply the grain produced to Kaiping and the garrison. Combining soldiers and civilians is the long-term solution."

Yuan Chonghuan interjected, “It is certainly important for the court to establish military farms in southern Mongolia, but southern Mongolia is ultimately the territory of the Loyal and Righteous King.” He turned to Su Tai, “The iron cavalry of the Chahan tribe under the Empress Dowager’s command is famous throughout the grasslands. If they are trained with the Ming army’s firearms and training manuals, they will surely become the backbone of southern Mongolia.”

Emperor Chongzhen nodded: "I will allocate 100,000 taels from the imperial treasury to help you train a royal cavalry force. Start with 5,000 men, equipped with 50 general cannons and 3,000 three-barreled muskets. Have Commander Sun select some instructors from Xuanfu to help you train them."

He looked intently at Su Tai, "But this army must be directly under the command of the Loyal Prince's Palace, and you must personally control it. It cannot be handed over to anyone else."

Su Tai was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately bowed, replying, "This concubine... will certainly keep this elite force firmly under your control, Your Majesty!"

The meeting lasted until noon, and the detailed rules were finally finalized. Yuan Chonghuan presented the draft "Regulations for the Southern Desert Feudal States" and read them aloud, clause by clause:

"First, the princes and their heirs shall take turns coming to the capital to pay homage to the emperor, with a limit of one hundred attendants, and they shall reside in the capital in rotation to serve the emperor."

II. Generals and lieutenants take turns guarding Kaiping, and the boundary markers of the pastureland are jointly determined by the Xuanda Governor's Office and the Prince of Zhongyi's Mansion.

Third, the imperial court established military settlements and cultivated land in the Tumed River and the Yanshan Valley…

As Su Tai gazed at the dense array of flags on the sand table, he vaguely felt as if a vast net had already enveloped the southern desert. The threads of the net were the system of audience with the emperor, the military camps and agricultural settlements, and the imperial cavalry, while the one pulling the net was none other than the Ming emperor before him, wielding a wooden stick.

As everyone else left, Chongzhen kept Su Tai behind.

"Sutai, do you know why I insist on implementing the system of court audiences?" He paused, "If you put the eagle of the grasslands into a golden cage, it will eventually lose its sharp claws to peck people—the court audiences, the garrison, and the iron cavalry are this golden cage!"

Su Tai knelt down deeply: "My concubine and son... are willing to guard this golden cage for Your Majesty."

(End of this chapter)