How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 299 Feudalism and Bureaucracy

When He Fengsheng put down his teacup, the bottom of the cup touched the rosewood tabletop with a soft "click".

He sat in a private room of the "Wangjiang Pavilion" teahouse in Wuchang, with the window facing the Hanyangmen Wharf. Several prominent gentry from Huguang were also sitting in the room, all with weary faces and lingering fear in their eyes.

They suffered heavy losses in the "battle for silver and grain" a few days ago.

No one expected that the Emperor, without a word, had united the eight princes of Huguang into one force. The "Eight Princes' Estate" opened, offering high interest rates, and people flocked to deposit their money, almost breaking down the door. The silver supply in the market tightened immediately. Then, grain ships from the various princes docked one after another, and the price of rice plummeted like a torn sack.

Those who followed Minister He in hoarding grain, those with weak foundations, like the owner of Zhou's Rice Shop, have already hanged themselves. Even those with strong foundations have suffered significant losses and weakened their vitality.

"They're here." Qian Wenwang, standing beside him, lowered his voice and pointed out the window.

Everyone perked up and crowded to the window to look outside.

On the Yangtze River, several large official ships were slowly approaching the dock. The flags on the ships were not the common military flags, but rather a kind of xiezhi flag, exuding the fierce spirit unique to the borderlands. On the bow of the lead ship stood a tall general in full armor. Although his face was not visible, his body was as straight as a pine tree, radiating an extraordinary aura.

"It's Qin Liangyu, the White-Spear Soldiers from Shizhu have arrived," He Fengsheng murmured, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy old eyes.

He grasped at this straw as if it were a lifeline.

In Huguang, the gentry had money and land, and their words carried weight, but they lacked military power (the chieftains of Huguang were mostly located in the Pianyuan area, with limited strength and little common interest with the gentry of the Jianghan Plain and Dongting Lake Plain). When the emperor arrived with his troops and won over the local princes, they were easily defeated.

But Sichuan was different. The Tusi (chieftains) of Sichuan were very powerful! They were true local emperors who held the reins of power and could sit at the table and eat. Especially Qin Liangyu, whose White-Spear Soldiers were very capable and whose word was law in Sichuan.

"If Commander Qin can hold on..." Qian Wenwang's tone was filled with hope, "and prevent the Emperor's new policies in Sichuan from being implemented, then perhaps our Huguang region will still have some room to catch up."

He Fengsheng didn't reply, but stared intently at the dock. He understood that if even a powerful figure like Qin Liangyu, with her elite troops, bowed to the Emperor, the gentry of Huguang would likely only be able to feign compliance, overreact, or resign.
Therefore, this is no longer just a matter for Sichuan, but also affects the future of everyone in Hubei and Hunan provinces.

……

Once the planks were securely in place, Qin Liangyu stepped off the boat.

Her feet trod on the bluestone slabs of Wuchang Wharf, her gaze sweeping across the surroundings like lightning.

Li Banghua, the Vice Minister of War, led several officials to greet her, exchanging polite pleasantries. Qin Liangyu returned the greeting with clasped hands, but her mind was not on these formalities at all.

Her entire attention was drawn to the soldiers standing guard on both sides of the dock.

These soldiers were completely different from the battalion and garrison soldiers she usually saw. They stood ramrod straight, like nails driven into the ground. They wore brand-new red cotton armor, their muskets on their shoulders were polished to a shine, and the short swords under the muzzles gleamed coldly.

What's most chilling is their gaze. It's not numbness, nor the cunning of seasoned soldiers, but a quiet vigilance, their eyes like knives, carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible, murderous intent.

Qin Liangyu's heart skipped a beat.

Is this the Emperor's personal guard? I'd heard the Beijing garrison had changed, but I didn't expect them to be this elite. Just their stance and the murderous aura they exude seem to surpass even her most elite White-Spear Soldiers by a degree.

She couldn't help but abandon the slight carelessness that had arisen from the politeness of the officials from Huguang. It seemed that this young emperor was even more ruthless than the rumors suggested.

……

On the city tower of Hanyang Gate, Emperor Chongzhen stood there with his hands behind his back, dressed in a blue satin robe.

Gao Guiying, Gao Yigong, Li Hongji, and Li Guo, his trusted generals, followed behind him, all dressed in ordinary clothes, watching the procession entering the city from the dock.

The White-Spear Soldiers marched in two columns, their steps not particularly orderly, but steady. Most of the soldiers were lean and dark-skinned, carrying distinctive white wooden spears with hooks at the tips. They wore homespun uniforms and little to no armor, except for a few leaders who wore leather armor.

"Your Majesty, is this the infamous White-Spear Soldiers who are renowned throughout the Southwest?" Li Hongji looked at them for a while, then curled his lip. "I think they're nothing special. Their formation is haphazard, and I haven't seen many firearms. If we took them to flat ground, we could bombard them with cannons for a few rounds, then charge with our cavalry, and they'd be running for their lives."

Li Guo nodded in agreement: "Hongji is right. They look fierce, but that's only because they have the advantage of the high mountains and dense forests. If they really went into battle, they wouldn't be a match for our new army."

Gao Guiying shook her head slightly, observing more closely: "You can't say that. Shizhu is a place with many mountains and little farmland, and it's very poor. It's not easy to train such a force. Look at those soldiers, they walk with a steady gait and have a fierce look in their eyes. They are veterans who have seen blood. The chieftains of Sichuan should not be underestimated."

Gao Yigong added, "What the sister says makes sense. If we really want to launch a campaign, the mountain roads of Sichuan will be a huge challenge for us." Chongzhen listened to his generals' discussion, his face expressionless. Only when the column was almost past did he speak, his voice calm yet weighty:

"This is where the feudal system was strong."

He turned around and looked at his generals: "The Gao family in the Hetao region also maintains about ten thousand cavalry, doesn't it? The Ma family of Shizhu is the same. They use the people, wealth, and resources of the local area to support their own troops. And they really put their hearts into it, which is why they are so strong."

He changed the subject, his tone turning cold: "But our Great Ming Dynasty, sitting in the land of fish and rice like Huguang, how much can the imperial court actually get its hands on all year round? Just over a million taels of silver and a few hundred thousand shi of rice! This amount of money and grain is barely enough to support 20,000 elite soldiers."

"If this trend doesn't change, the country will never have a peaceful day."

Li Hongji and the others exchanged glances and fell silent. They understood the Emperor's meaning. What the Emperor wanted to remove was not just a few chieftains, but the rotten bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty.

……

The atmosphere in the main hall of the Chu King's mansion was very heavy.

After finishing his speech, Governor-General Zhu Xieyuan of Sichuan had beads of sweat on his forehead. He recounted Sichuan's difficulties over and over again: the acreage listed in the registers was over 100 million mu, but that was far too inflated; the actual amount of land taxable was at most 30 million mu. The tax rate wasn't high, but from the Wanli era until now, with the suppression of Yang Yinglong in Bozhou, the battles against She Chongming in Yongning, and the suppression of Xi Bangyan in Shuixi, one war after another had been fought, leaving the people exhausted and the region still recovering.

"Your Majesty," Zhu Xieyuan said, his tone emphasizing the last part, with a hint of pleading and a touch of threat, "Sichuan is in dire straits. If taxes are increased at this time, I fear... I fear that the officials will force the people to rebel, the people will become unstable, and another great upheaval will occur, repeating the mistakes of the past!"

Emperor Chongzhen sat at the head of the table, paying no attention to Governor-General Zhu's words; his attention was entirely focused on the tall and plump Qin Liangyu.

Qin Liangyu sat at the lower end, eyes downcast, like a statue. But when she heard the words "repeating the same mistakes," her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. The words, though seemingly gentle, carried a threat to the Emperor, using the possibility of another rebellion as leverage. She felt that Governor Zhu's words had gone too far.

Emperor Chongzhen did not respond to the topic of raising taxes, but instead asked about other matters: "How is the aftermath of the war in the southwest, in Shuixi and Yongning, going?"

Zhu Xieyuan quickly composed himself and replied, "Your Majesty, we are currently trying to appease them. However, the situation in those two places is complicated, and the local chieftains' power is deeply entrenched. If we want to achieve long-term stability, we must vigorously implement the 'reform of local chieftains and direct administration,' establish prefectures and counties, and send officials to govern them to eliminate future troubles."

The moment the words "reform the local chieftain system" were uttered, Qin Liangyu's hand holding the teacup froze. Although her face remained calm, her back unconsciously straightened. This was a sword hanging over the heads of all the chieftains.

The hall fell silent immediately.

Suddenly, Emperor Chongzhen chuckled softly, breaking the silence.

Why must we conform to the mainstream?

His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a stone thrown into water. Zhu Xieyuan was stunned, and Qin Liangyu couldn't help but look up as well.

Chongzhen's gaze swept over the two men, finally settling on Qin Liangyu: "Shizhu is a Tusi (chieftain), but how many White-Spear Soldiers has Commander Qin provided to the court? They obey orders year after year, utterly loyal. If Shizhu were also turned into an ordinary county, like Huguang," he paused, his tone tinged with sarcasm, "how much grain and salary could it pay to the court each year? And how many soldiers could it support?"

Zhu Xieyuan opened his mouth, but no words came out. He couldn't gauge the Emperor's intentions.

Emperor Chongzhen stopped looking at him and said directly to Qin Liangyu, "My mind is made up. Yongning has just been pacified, and it's just sitting there empty anyway. I will bestow the title of Pacification Commissioner of Shizhu upon Qin Liangyu to show the court's magnanimity and trust in loyal and virtuous officials!"

These words came out like a bolt from the blue.

Even Qin Liangyu, who had weathered many storms, couldn't help but be shaken to her core at this moment, and she abruptly stood up. An additional fiefdom? This reward was too great! So great that she couldn't believe it for a moment.

Zhu Xieyuan was also stunned. This was completely unexpected. Weren't they going to increase taxes? Why were they granting Qin Liangyu more territory instead?

Ignoring their commotion, Chongzhen continued calmly, “As for Shuixi, it is a larger and more chaotic area. I think it can be designated as Qianzhou, and the Jin prince can be reassigned there. Following the old system of the Taizu Emperor, a prince will be stationed to guard the border, becoming a border prince! It will be governed jointly by the Jin prince and officials sent by the court.”

He glanced at Zhu Xieyuan, then at Qin Liangyu, whose face was flushed with excitement, and spoke in a steady and powerful voice:
"With this arrangement, Yongning will be guarded by a loyal and capable general like Commander Qin, and Shuixi will be protected by a prince from the Ming Dynasty. With one local official and one regional governor, the southwest can be kept at peace for decades."

"Zhu Qing, Qin Shuai, what do you think of this method?"

The two people below the hall, one a high-ranking official and the other a powerful local chieftain, were stunned by this grand scheme that was both imaginative and intricately linked, and remained speechless for a long time.

Emperor Chongzhen was not in a hurry. He picked up the teacup beside him and gently blew on the goji berries floating on the surface of the water.

(End of this chapter)