How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 287 This is going to uproot us! (Sixth update)
The night in Beijing is pitch black.

In the villa west of Beijing, where Grand Secretary Huang Lijie resided, the study door was tightly closed, and the lights were dimly lit. The windows were shut, and the curtains were drawn tightly.

Huang Lijie sat in the main seat, tapping his fingers on the tea table. The Vice Minister Shi Fenglai sat opposite him, constantly wiping away sweat. Minister of War Wang Zaijin, Vice Minister Li Banghua, Minister of Rites Qian Qianyi, Grand Secretary and Left Censor-in-Chief Sun Chengzong, Minister of Revenue Bi Ziyan, and Vice Minister Hou Xun—these high-ranking officials, all dressed in red and purple robes, crowded into the room.

No one spoke first.

The events of the day were still vivid in their minds. The Emperor's gaze and words were like knives, piercing everyone's hearts.

"The Southern Tour..." Qian Qianyi's throat was dry, and his voice trembled like a broken gong, "The Emperor... he's trying to uproot our lineage!"

He looked at everyone, his face pale: "If His Majesty leads the Imperial Guard down there under the guise of investigating official lands and reforming taxes... can the tens of millions of acres of official lands, school lands, and hidden lands in Southern Zhili still be protected? At that time, if some members of the imperial family and eunuchs are sent down to act as 'second landlords,' His Majesty will directly control the purse strings and the grain purse strings!"

He took a breath and lowered his voice even further: "That's millions of bushels of grain, tens of millions of people! In the future, will the imperial court need us local gentry to collect taxes? The emperor himself can collect them!"

The situation Qian Qianyi described was already showing signs of things. Many estates belonging to princes from Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong who had been summoned to Beijing were distributed to their generals and lieutenants, who acted as "second landlords."

In addition, many members of the imperial clan of the Prince of Dai, who were deposed in earlier years, were also allocated official land in Southern Zhili and now live there.

The former faced less resistance, since it involved Wangzhuang itself, harming the original headman's interests. The latter, however, faced much greater resistance; the entire Southern Zhili province resisted, and in the end, most of Zhu Yuanzhang's descendants were settled in Fengyang Prefecture. Many of them were allocated land in Huaibei, which was frequently flooded.

But if Chongzhen really led an army of 20,000 to 30,000 south, who in the Southern Zhili region could stop him?

Sun Chengzong sighed heavily: "What Muzhai said is by no means alarmist. If Jiangnan is conquered, this method will surely be extended to the north. Beizhili, Shandong, Shanxi... all the gentry in the country will become fish on a chopping block. At that time, the imperial power will be absolute, and how can we talk about 'governing the country together with the gentry'?"

Bi Ziyan, who was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, thought even deeper: "If the Emperor holds such an independent source of revenue, the Ministry of Revenue will be nothing more than a figurehead. The Imperial Treasury and the Imperial Estates will become the real court. What use will we be then?"

Wang Zaijin, who had remained silent until now, raised his head, his eyes sharp: "Don't forget the new imperial army! His Majesty has raised tens of thousands of fierce soldiers with the income from the Tianjin port and the Maritime Trade Office. If he were to acquire the wealth of Jiangnan, how many soldiers could he train? These soldiers will only obey His Majesty's orders!"

The room became even quieter, with only heavy breathing heard.

The same fear temporarily bound these officials from the North and South, along with the eunuch faction and the Donglin Party, who usually fought each other to the death, together. Because this time, the emperor intended to eradicate these civil officials and scholars from their very roots!

"We must advise him! We must keep the Emperor in the capital!" Huang Lijie finally spoke, his voice hoarse.

"How can we persuade him?" Shi Fenglai said with a wry smile. "His mind is made up. Trying to persuade him by talking about ancestral laws and the people's hearts in the capital will probably not change his mind."

Sun Chengzong narrowed his old eyes and lowered his voice: "I'm afraid there's only one reason—the Jurchens!"

He looked at the crowd: "The north is suffering from a great disaster, and the people are destitute. This is the perfect time for the enemy cavalry to take advantage of the situation. Your Majesty is the ruler of the empire, the foundation of the nation. How can you lightly leave the capital at this time and disregard the safety of the nine border regions? If the enemy cavalry breach the gates and the capital falls, we will all become sinners for all eternity!"

That sounds very respectable.

Everyone's eyes lit up. That's right, using border security as an excuse—that's a matter of great principle!

"Good!" Huang Lijie made the decision. "Use this as a pretext to contact the censors, officials, and governors of the nine border regions, and submit memorials for days on end! We must create enough momentum to make the Emperor back down!"

A silent operation to thwart the emperor's southern tour was set in this dark room.

The western warm pavilion of the Qianqing Palace was brightly lit.

Emperor Chongzhen sat on his imperial couch, looking down at the three people below.

Governor-General Lu Xiangshan of Jiliao looked travel-worn, as if he had just returned from Shanhaiguan. Governor-General Sun Chuanting of Xuanfu, Datong, and Southern Mongolia had a dark complexion, indicating he had been busy traveling these past few days. Empress Dowager Sutai of the Chahan tribe, dressed in a Mongolian robe, had a look in her eyes that was both uneasy and expectant.

"I summoned you here because it is of great importance," Emperor Chongzhen said bluntly and calmly. "I am going on a southern tour."

The three men were startled and looked up at the emperor.

"This great flood has devastated the north, and the court... is out of money." Chongzhen said bluntly, "If we want to survive, we must address the root causes. The official lands and taxes in Southern Zhili must be sorted out. My trip here is to obtain money and grain from Southern Zhili. Only with money and grain can the Ming Dynasty survive."

Lu Xiang-sheng frowned: "Your Majesty, the enemy's intentions are unpredictable, especially in Liaodong..."

Sun Chuanting was also deeply worried: "Your Majesty, the southern desert has only recently been pacified, and the people's hearts are not yet won over..."

Emperor Chongzhen raised his hand to stop them: "I understand your concerns."

He stood up and walked to the huge map. "The strategy is the same old one—attack from the east and the west!" He pointed to Liaodong and Xuanda. "Jiandou is in Liaodong, and Boya is in the south of the Gobi Desert. They need to cooperate with each other, and we don't need to worry too much about the gains or losses of a single city or place. The core is to wear down the Jurchens and protect our base. Strongholds like Lushun, Hulutao, and Kaiping cannot be lost."

He turned around and glanced at the three men: "As for money and provisions, I have prepared them for you."

Lu Xiang-sheng and Sun Chuanting's eyes narrowed.

"In Tianjin, the 'Beiyang Granary' holds enough grain to sustain you for a year. Half of it will be allocated to the Jiliao region. The rest can be used for disaster relief," Chongzhen said confidently. "In addition, Prince Qin and his men just 'donated' one million taels of silver, which will be prioritized for your salaries and travel expenses. If that's not enough, I have more! Su Tai, don't worry about Kaiping; it won't be lost."

These words were like a reassuring pill, putting the two governors at ease. With grain and money in hand, they felt less anxious.

Su Tai quickly stood up: "Your Majesty's grace is boundless; the Chahan tribe is willing to serve you to the death!"

Chongzhen nodded and looked at Sun Chuanting: "Boya, it is of utmost importance that Empress Dowager Sutai and Prince Zhongyi are stationed in Kaiping to pacify the tribes in southern Mongolia. You must rely on them well."

“Your subject understands!” Sun Chuanting bowed and said.

“Jian Dou,” Chongzhen said to Lu Xiangshan, “Liaoxi and Liaonan are still in a stalemate… Remember one thing: Jinzhou, no matter what, we must not take it. Even if the Jurchens give it up, we must not occupy it! It’s a dead end!”

"Your Majesty, I understand!" Lu Xiang-sheng said. "I will move the capital to Hulutao Fortress as soon as possible and personally oversee it!"

Finally, Emperor Chongzhen looked at them and said calmly, "During my southern tour, the military affairs in the north will be decided by you as needed! I trust you!"

That's a very strong statement.

Lu Xiang-sheng and Sun Chuanting knelt down with a thud, their voices choked with emotion: "Your Majesty, we... will do our utmost to protect the northern border and ensure Your Majesty's safety!"

Su Tai also bowed his head deeply.

Chongzhen helped them up: "Go. Hurry up and make the arrangements. Huang Taiji will not let go of this opportunity that Heaven has given him."

Shenyang, Qingning Palace.

Huang Taiji beamed with joy as he held the secret report delivered by his spies.

"Good! Good for Chongzhen! Heaven is truly helping us!"

He handed the secret report to Fan Wencheng: "Mr. Fan, take a look! Emperor Chongzhen is going on a southern tour! The civil officials of the Ming Dynasty are all opposing it, and it's complete chaos!"

Fan Wencheng finished reading, stroked his beard, and smiled: "Your Majesty is blessed! The Ming Dynasty is beset by internal and external troubles. Chongzhen's trip is tantamount to cutting off his own arm. Our army can seize this opportunity to launch a major southward offensive!"

At this moment, a Goshha rushed in and presented an urgent report: "Great Khan, urgent report from Mangultai, the garrison general of Hanyang!"

Huang Taiji took it and saw that it was a document from the eight prefectures of North Korea requesting tax reductions due to flooding.

His face instantly darkened, and he slammed the urgent report onto the table: "Reduction or exemption? Not a single grain of rice can be spared!"

He stared at Fan Wencheng, Dorgon, and the others: "Tell Mangultai! Korea is the granary of my Great Jin! Now that the Ming Dynasty is preoccupied with its own problems, it is the time for me to accumulate strength! Make sure that even if the Koreans have to resort to cannibalism, they must pay me every single grain of spring tax and autumn grain! Anyone who dares to disobey will be massacred to establish my authority!"

"twitter!"

Huang Taiji walked to the map, his finger sweeping across the Liaoxi Corridor, full of pride: "Order all banners to intensify preparations for war! Once that brat Chongzhen is gone, I will be the emperor. Even if we can't break through Shanhaiguan Pass on the day we march west, we will still be able to take over Guandong and Monan. A situation of the Northern and Southern Dynasties will definitely be achieved."

Huang Taiji is still relatively "conservative" this time, and he is still not very daring to charge the Great Wall, but it seems that he has the land outside the Great Wall under his control.

The night in Beijing is getting colder.

One memorial after another was submitted to the Office of Transmission from various government offices, all with similar contents: the situation with the enemy was urgent, and the Emperor should not move lightly.

In the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Chongzhen looked at the summaries of memorials compiled by Cao Huachun and Xu Yingyuan, his face expressionless.

"The more enthusiastically they jump, the better," he said in a low voice.

He knew that the real storm was just beginning. And he had to face it head-on.

(End of this chapter)