How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 285 Oh no! The Emperor is trying to steal our money! (Fourth update, please vote!)

The autumn wind of the fifth year of the Chongzhen reign swept across the outskirts of Beijing, carrying a chill. On the grand drill ground of the Beijing garrison, banners were densely packed, yet utterly silent. Thirty thousand soldiers of the Imperial Guard (with another twenty thousand not in Beijing) stood in formation, like a silent forest of swords and spears.

Emperor Chongzhen, dressed in a crisp military uniform with a scarlet cloak over it, stood on a high platform made of yellow earth. Gao Guiying, clad in dark armor, stood half a step behind him, her hand on her waist sword, her sharp gaze sweeping across the surroundings. Cao Huachun stood respectfully to his side. Minister of War Wang Zaijin, Vice Minister Li Banghua, Duke of Dingguo Xu Yunzhen, Prince of Qin Zhu Cunshu, and other high-ranking officials and nobles stood to one side of the viewing platform, their expressions varied.

Below the stage, generals such as Sun Yingyuan, commander of the central army, Zhou Yuji, commander of the left army, and Li Changgen, commander of the rear army, stood solemnly with their hands on their swords, behind them a dark and endless army formation.

There was no lengthy ceremony. Chongzhen took a step forward, his gaze slowly sweeping over the countless young and dark-skinned faces below the stage.

"Soldiers!"

With just one sound, the breaths of tens of thousands of people in the entire training ground seemed to pause for a moment.

"The nation is in dire straits, and the treasury is empty, as everyone knows!" He went straight to the point without any attempt to conceal it. "The northern lands have suffered a major disaster, and the court's funds are nearly exhausted."

These words made Wang Zaijin, Li Banghua, and others on the viewing platform tense up. The King of Qin subconsciously clenched his sleeves.

"But!" Chongzhen's voice suddenly rose, resolute and firm, "No matter how difficult the court is, I will never owe a single penny to the brave warriors who die for the country!"

He waved his hand and said, "Pay wages!"

The order was given like a landslide. Generals Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji, and Li Changgen simultaneously turned to face their respective ranks and shouted sternly, "By imperial decree! Distribute the pay!"

The officers, including guerrillas, garrison commanders, and centurions, who were already prepared, immediately led their personal guards, carrying heavy wooden boxes, and strode into the ranks. When the boxes were opened, they didn't contain strung-together copper coins, but rather piles full of newly minted silver ingots. Each ingot was roughly the same size, gleaming heavily with a white light in the overcast sky. Upon closer inspection, the inscription "Imperial Silver Shop, Pure Silver One Tael" was clearly stamped on them.

The officers personally placed silver ingots, one by one, into the hands of each soldier. There was no commotion, only the dull thud of the ingots hitting their palms and the soldiers' increasingly heavy breathing. Many soldiers received the silver, instinctively squeezing it tightly, feeling its cold hardness, their faces showing a mixture of disbelief and excitement. This was real, genuine official silver, one tael each! Not those adulterated or counterfeit coins!

The entire process was so solemn it was almost suffocating. Emperor Chongzhen, on the high platform, simply watched silently. The officials and nobles observing, however, were filled with dread. How much silver must have cost? And it was just being distributed like that?
After the pay was distributed, the three generals returned to the front of the platform, clasped their hands in a respectful bow, and then Li Changgen suddenly turned around, facing the entire army. He gathered his strength and spoke in a booming voice: "Soldiers of the three armies! We thank Heaven for its grace!"

"Eat the Emperor's food! Wear the Emperor's clothes! Obey the Emperor's orders! Be willing to die for His Majesty!"

The roar of thirty thousand men coalesced into a sonic wave that soared into the sky, making everyone's eardrums tingle. After one roar, another followed, three times in a row, the dust on the drill ground seemingly stirred up by the sound. That fierce and courageous aura, rolled out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, swept over them, making the civil officials pale and sending chills down the spines of nobles like the Prince of Qin and the Duke of Dingguo.

Emperor Chongzhen raised his hand, and his voice abruptly stopped.

His gaze swept over the countless pairs of excited eyes staring at him from below the stage, and he spoke slowly, his voice deep and resonant:

"My good sons! Rise!"

With a "whoosh," 30,000 soldiers rose to their feet, the sound of their armor rubbing together like a tidal wave.

"You've received the silver! This is the salary I've painstakingly saved, squeezed from the imperial treasury, to give you!"

"The world is in turmoil! There is a disaster in the north, the people are suffering, and the court is in trouble. I know this!"

"But you are different!" His voice suddenly became sharp. "You are my soldiers! You are the pillars of the Ming Dynasty, the golden beams that hold up the sky! The Jurchen Tartars are eyeing us covetously from the outside, and there are unworthy men stirring up trouble within! We rely on you to defend against foreign aggression, quell internal strife, and protect our borders and people!"

He paused for a moment, his gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping over the reviewing stand, where the officials and nobles all subconsciously lowered their heads.

"Things are tough right now! Money is tight, and food is scarce! But I tell you, and I tell the people of the world!" He raised his voice, with an unwavering conviction, "As long as we, the ruler and his ministers, are of one mind, the soldiers fight with their lives, and we unite as one, forging ahead bravely, there is no obstacle we cannot overcome! Natural disasters are not to be feared! Man-made calamities are not to be afraid of! And foreign enemies are nothing but paper tigers!"

"Remember the silver you received today! Remember the oath you swore today! I assure you, as long as you do not betray me, I will never betray you!"

He took a deep breath and roared with all his might, "Follow me, grit your teeth and get through this! From now on, there will be silver! There will be food! There will definitely be a peaceful and prosperous world!"

"May the Great Ming Dynasty be victorious!"

"Long live! Long live! Long live!" The response was even more fervent, and the atmosphere in the entire training ground reached its peak.

On the viewing platform, Wang Zaijin and Li Banghua exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock and a hint of worry in each other's eyes. Duke Dingguo, Xu Yunzhen, secretly wiped the cold sweat from his brow. Prince Qin, Zhu Cunshu, twitched his facial muscles, struggling to maintain his composure.

Emperor Chongzhen said no more, turned around, and strode down the platform, surrounded by Gao Guiying and Cao Huachun.

That night, the newly completed Prince Qin's Mansion in western Beijing was brightly lit. The mansion was extremely luxurious, with artificial hills made of Taihu stones, white marble railings, and glazed tiles that shimmered coolly in the moonlight. However, inside the secluded "Listening to the Rain Pavilion" in the rear garden, a completely different scene unfolded.

Prince Zhu Cunxu of Qin hosted a gathering of several princes and dukes who had taken up their fiefs in the capital, including Prince Lu, Prince Lu, Prince Zhao, and Prince De. The table was laden with delicacies and fine wine, but no one touched their chopsticks. The music and music had long since been dismissed, and the maids had been waved away, leaving only a few trusted eunuchs to stand guard at a distance.

The eldest prince, Lu, spoke first, his voice trembling: "My brothers... you all saw what happened at the drill ground today, didn't you? His Majesty... he's really emptying the coffers for those warriors!" He looked around, lowering his voice, "Next, next... will it be our turn?"

Prince Lu sighed and replied, "Who says otherwise! It's all over the palace that the Emperor has emptied his private treasury and has to pawn palace items to raise funds! We are members of the imperial family and have received the Emperor's favor for generations. Now that the court is in such a predicament, if... if we don't contribute a single penny, I'm afraid..." He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present understood.

King Zhao frowned, looking worried: "Willing to donate voluntarily? How much is the limit? If we donate this time, what about next time? Won't it become a habit? Besides, if we flaunt our wealth and the Emperor thinks we have mountains of gold and silver, will we ever have a peaceful life again?"

King De nodded repeatedly: "Brother King Zhao is right! This is a bottomless pit!"

Prince Qin, Zhu Cunxu, who had been silent all along, slowly put down his teacup. He held the highest position among the princes and had the closest relationship with Emperor Chongzhen. He surveyed the crowd and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, did you hear the shouts of those thirty thousand fierce soldiers on the training ground today? 'Eat the Emperor's food, obey the Emperor's words!'"

He paused, his voice growing deeper: "Right now, the north is in complete chaos. The fact that His Majesty can stabilize the capital garrison is the pillar of strength! It's our shield! If the capital falls, will the mountains of gold and silver we've accumulated be enough for the rebels to plunder, or enough for the Eastern barbarians to carry away?"

Seeing the change in everyone's expression, he continued, "If the skin is gone, where will the hair attach? Why don't we... jointly submit a memorial to the throne, voluntarily donate to help with the military expenses, and make it a round number... one million taels! This will help the Emperor get through this difficult time for now, and also show the determination of us, the descendants of the Zhu family, to share weal and woe with the country!"

One million taels! The princes gasped, their hearts aching. But considering the murderous atmosphere on the training ground during the day, and the words of the Prince of Qin, there seemed to be no better choice. After a long silence, the Prince of Lu spoke first, his voice hoarse, "Then... let's do as Brother Prince Qin says..." The others nodded with difficulty. A gathering that should have been a joyous occasion ended hastily amidst gloom and despair.

……

Almost simultaneously, in another equally luxurious villa in western Beijing, the atmosphere was equally somber. This was a private residence of Grand Secretary Huang Liji. Among those present were no princes, but rather the highest echelons of the Ming Dynasty's civil service: Grand Secretary Huang Liji (Beizhili), Second Grand Secretary Shi Fenglai (Zhejiang), Minister of War Wang Zaijin (Nanzhili), Vice Minister Li Banghua (Jiangxi), as well as Right Vice Minister of Rites Qian Qianyi (Jiangsu), Grand Secretary Sun Chengzong (Beizhili), Vice Minister of Revenue Hou Xun (Henan), and even Duke Yansheng Kong Yinzhi (Shandong). The tea was fine, yet no one offered any commentary.

Grand Secretary Huang Lijie broke the silence first, speaking urgently: "Colleagues! The situation has become so critical! The north is almost in ruins, and the grain transport has been interrupted! If we want to provide emergency relief, what other options are there besides immediately imposing additional disaster relief funds on the provinces of Southern Zhili, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Huguang? Are we really going to just stand by and watch the situation spiral out of control?"

Sun Chengzong, his hair and beard completely white, looked solemn: "What the Grand Secretary says is absolutely right! We must act decisively and issue an imperial edict immediately to send additional troops to the southeast to relieve this urgent crisis! Delay will only lead to unforeseen changes!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Qian Qianyi gave him a disapproving look—Huang Lijie is a eunuch! How can you, a leader of the Donglin Party, share the same views as the prime minister of the eunuch party?
"Absolutely not! Absolutely not!" Shi Fenglai (Zhejiang), the second-in-command of the eunuch faction, immediately objected loudly, his face turning red. "Grand Secretary! Lord Zhisheng, the South has also suffered from floods this year, and the people's livelihood is already extremely difficult! To impose additional taxes at this time is tantamount to draining the pond to catch all the fish, which will surely lead to the people's rebellion and cause a great disaster!"

Qian Qianyi (Jiangsu) added excitedly, “What Cunmei (Shi Fenglai) said makes sense! Moreover, if the proposal to increase levies is adopted, it will surely be promoted by us southern officials from our hometowns! At that time, how will we face the elders of Jiangnan? This proposal is absolutely unacceptable!”

These words earned him a glare from Sun Chengzong—"Aren't you going to put on an act, Qian Muzhai? Why are you saying the same thing as Shi Feng? That Shi guy is a member of the eunuch faction!"
Hou Xun (from Henan), also a prominent figure in the Donglin Party, rolled his eyes and said, "Mu Zhai, what are you saying? The people of Henan can't survive. If you, the Southern Zhili, don't shed some blood, what will happen if the starving people of Henan rebel?"

The starving people in Henan haven't rebelled yet, but they've already started eating at his house! Now he can't collect rent and has to use his savings to feed the disaster victims.
Now, the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty finally stopped factional strife and instead began regional struggles. Northern officials demanded that the South bleed money to save the North, while Southern officials desperately protected their hometowns and avoided the burden.

Wang Zaijin was from Southern Zhili, but having long held the position of Minister of War, he knew all too well that the Imperial Guard was a loyal force cultivated by Emperor Chongzhen himself! Therefore, he inclined towards sending more troops, but was acutely aware of the gravity of the matter. He slowly said, “The disputes among you gentlemen are all for the sake of the nation. However, we must consider… if the court fails to come up with a concrete solution in a prolonged period, will His Majesty send eunuchs to lead the Imperial Guard south to raise funds and provisions?”

These words shocked everyone present. Southern officials, especially Shi Fenglai and Qian Qianyi, turned deathly pale. Compared to the imperial decree for additional levies implemented by local officials, the emperor directly dispatching eunuchs with troops to "raise funds" was a true disaster!

The extra levies were for ordinary people. But with the eunuchs leading the imperial guards south, it's hard to say who they'd ask for money from.
The study fell into a deathly silence.

……

In the West Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Chongzhen listened to Cao Huachun's secret report without any expression on his face.

"Did the King of Qin and his men raise one million taels?" he asked softly.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The joint memorial submitted by several princes has been handed over."

"What about the civil officials? Have they reached a conclusion after their argument?"

"Your Majesty, not yet... However, it seems that Chief Minister Huang intends to request an Imperial Conference to discuss... the matter of dispatching additional troops to the southeast."

Emperor Chongzhen walked up to the map of the Ming Dynasty, gently pointed his finger at the locations of Southern Zhili and Zhejiang, exhaled, and thought to himself: Everything comes from the barrel of a gun!

"Tell Huang Lijie that at tomorrow's imperial conference, I will personally discuss with them how to use the silver and grain from the southeast, while focusing on the urgent needs of the north!"

(End of this chapter)