How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 104 Huang Taiji: How could Emperor Chongzhen be so wicked! (24th update)
Outside Shengjing City, the official road was full of potholes and dust.

A worn-out blue cloth mule cart creaked along in the early spring chill. Inside, Fan Yongdou, his brow furrowed, gazed out at the parched, yellow earth. The spring drought was severe; the ground was cracked and gaping. A few scattered bondservants, their backs hunched, dug along the ridges, hoping to find some rotten roots to eat.

"Sigh..." Fan Yongdou sighed heavily, his voice tinged with exhaustion. He had just come from Daning City, intending to take advantage of the disaster in the Great Jin Dynasty to make a fortune by trading grain, but who knew that Xuanfu Town would be struck by such a sudden disaster.

Wei Zhongxian! That eunuch! He actually set fire to Xuanfu Town!

Wang Dengku, his longtime partner, was a wealthy merchant in Xuanfu with a substantial fortune. However, Wei Zhongxian, short of funds to quell a rebellion, confiscated Wang Dengku's main business and mansion in Xuanfu without hesitation! Gold, silver, valuables, grain, cloth… it's said the confiscation filled over a hundred large carts! This was even more ruthless than banditry!
Even more damning was that after robbing the money, Wei Zhongxian immediately accused Wang Dengku of "colluding with the enemy and betraying the country"! Yes, they were colluding with the enemy, but everyone was doing it! Was Wei Zhongxian himself clean? His nephew Wei Liangqing, and the heads of the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard—which of them hadn't taken bribes? Without their tacit approval, could the business have grown so large? Why didn't Wei Zhongxian eliminate his nephew first?
"What utter nonsense about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism! He's just robbing people!" Fan Yongdou's heart bled with hatred. The wealth he had painstakingly accumulated over half a lifetime, along with his two businesses in Xuanfu and Zhangjiakou, had all been uprooted by that eunuch Wei Zhongxian! His employees and family members were all arrested and imprisoned in the eunuch prison, on a terrifying charge—"colluding with Zhu Chunchen to plot rebellion!"
Treason…colluding with Zhu Chunchen? Fan Yongdou felt a chill run down his spine. He had business dealings with the Duke of Cheng's mansion, which had been smooth sailing thanks to Zhu Chunchen's protection. How could this be treason? Wei Zhongxian was trying to murder him for his wealth! Fan Yongdou was completely numb, half heartbroken for his family's fortune, half terrified of the executioner's blade.

Sitting opposite him, Hou Xingguo looked ashen-faced, his eyes darting around. He was filled with anxiety and frustration.

Wei Zhongxian… Father Wei… He’s actually gotten up again!

Who could have imagined? A eunuch leader who was driven out of the capital by the new emperor ran to the harsh land of Xuanfu, not only did he not die, but he also led the Qing army and the common soldiers of Xuanfu Town to use Hudun Tu Khan of the Chahan tribe as a punching bag and won a great victory! This achievement was enough to turn his life around!

Hou Xingguo was filled with regret! All his and Wei Liangqing's frantic efforts were utterly useless! If only they had just laid down their heads and played dead, they could have turned the tables now!
What to do now? Does Hou Xingguo still dare to go back to Beijing? That bastard Wei Liangqing, if he finds out he's gone back, he'll definitely kill him to silence him! But if he doesn't go back... how can he move all his houses, shops, and land in Beijing, Tongzhou, and Tianjin, all the gold, silver, and valuables he's hiding?

"Sigh..." Hou Xingguo also sighed, full of anxiety.

Just then, the mule cart suddenly stopped. From outside came shouts in broken Manchu.

Fan Yongdou's heart tightened, and he lifted the carriage curtain. Several Manchu soldiers of the Bordered Blue Banner blocked the carriage; they were emaciated and had fierce eyes.

"What's going on?" Fan Yongdou asked, trying to remain calm, in broken Manchu. He pulled out an ebony token engraved with Manchu script. "I am a spy sent to the Ming Dynasty by the Great Khan. Fan Wencheng, the Imperial Secretary, knows me! I have important business to report to the city!"

The leading man, who looked like a Niru Ejen, glanced at the token, grinned, revealing yellow teeth. He suddenly reached out and slapped Fan Yongdou hard across the face!

"Han dogs! Don't try to scare us with Fan Zhangjing!" Na'ezhen spat and shouted viciously, "Enter the city? Fine! Hand over all the gold and silver and divide it up! We're starving guarding the city gates, and you fat sheep from the Ming Dynasty think you can just walk in for free?"

The slap made Fan Yongdou see stars, and half his face burned. He covered his face, looking at the fierce Eight Banner soldiers before him, his heart sinking. He understood; the Great Jin Kingdom… was also nearing starvation. Even the elite guards at the city gates had begun openly looting!

An hour later.

Side hall of the Shenyang Khan Palace.

Fan Yongdou, with half his face swollen, followed cautiously behind Fan Wencheng. Fan Wencheng hurried along, explaining in a low voice:
"Master Fan, you've been frightened. Your men don't know the rules; I'll report this to the Great Khan and punish them severely. Alas... last year there was a severe drought beyond the Great Wall, and the winter was unusually cold, yet snow fell very little... spring came without a drop of rain, and a famine loomed. The bannermen... are having a tough time. But don't worry," Fan Wencheng paused, his tone firm, "with the Great Khan's wisdom and the unity of the entire Jin Dynasty, we'll get through this! Once we recover, we'll go to the Ming Dynasty to 'hunt for grain,' what obstacle can't we overcome?"

Hearing this, Fan Yongdou felt even more uncertain. After hesitating for a moment, he lowered his voice and asked, "Mr. Fan... what if... we can't get our hands on it anymore?"

"Can't get it?" Fan Wencheng was taken aback, then chuckled. "How could that be? The Ming Dynasty is so vast and so wealthy..."

"Mr. Fan, please take a look at this." Without saying much, Fan Yongdou carefully took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to him with both hands. This had flowed from Ningyuan to Fan Yongdou's hands. These days, people all over Ningyuan, Shanhaiguan, and Santunying had been talking about this.

Fan Wencheng took it with a puzzled look, unfolded it and saw that the title was "A Strategy to Establish the Three Feudatories in Liaodong to Secure the Border", and the author was Niu Jinxing, the top scholar in the provincial examination and the top scholar in the palace examination in the year of Wuchen!
At first, he didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just empty talk from a scholar. But as he read on, his expression changed. Especially when he saw the line, "In the past, Shi Chaoyi was betrayed and abandoned by his followers, and ultimately met his end. Who knows if Huang Taiji won't become the Shi Chaoyi of today?" Fan Wencheng's heart trembled—he had met his match! This Niu Jinxing's abilities were no less than his own!
He took a deep breath, suppressing his shock: "This plan... is cunning. However, the Great Khan is a man of great talent and will surely have a solution. Master Fan, rest assured, come with me to see the Great Khan."

In another side hall of the Khan's palace, the atmosphere was even more solemn. Huang Taiji sat upright on a large chair covered with leopard skin, his face calm. He had listened to Fan Wencheng's report and had also finished reading the policy essay.

The hall was silent, with only the soft crackling of the charcoal fire.

Huang Taiji's hand holding the policy essay appeared calm, but when his gaze swept over that piercing statement again—"Huang Taiji, how can we know that he is not the next Shi Chaoyi?"—a surge of anger and chill ran through his entire body!

You, Chongzhen! You, Niu Jinxing!

This isn't a policy essay for the imperial examinations! It's clearly a vicious scheme aimed at Huang Taiji and the Great Jin Kingdom! Insidious!

By shrinking the Liaoxi defense line and abandoning vast tracts of land, they would only defend the three isolated cities of Ningyuan, Jinzhou, and Lushun. The wasted resources in Liaoxi would be redirected to defend Jizhou and Changping, ensuring the Great Wall was firmly held, leaving the Jin warriors with nothing to plunder. This would starve and suffocate the Jin!

What's even more hateful is that mention of "Shi Chaoyi"! Niu Jinxing and Chongzhen are blatantly sowing discord! They're implying that Huang Taiji will be betrayed by his subordinates! Their intentions are sinister!

Huang Taiji's heart was in turmoil, and he wished he could immediately gather the elite Eight Banners troops, storm into the pass, and tear that little emperor and that damned top scholar to pieces!

But he maintained a dignified and calm demeanor; he couldn't afford to lose his composure.

He slowly put down his strategy essay and glanced at his trusted advisors below him—Gao Hongzhong, Bao Chengxian, and Fan Wencheng.

"Speak," Huang Taiji said calmly. "The young emperor of Ming selected this essay as the top scholar and even posted it. What... does he mean by this? Will he actually implement the 'Three Feudatories' policy?"

Gao Hongzhong reacted quickly, stroking his beard, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes, and stepped forward, saying, "Great Khan! The Ming Emperor's move is insidious! If the 'Three Feudatories' policy succeeds, it will be extremely detrimental to our Great Jin! However, this policy is not without its flaws! Nevertheless, there will certainly be strong opposition within the Ming court! Establishing regional military governors? Hmph, that's a path to chaos! The regional military governors' separatism at the end of the Tang Dynasty is a stark reminder! The Ming Emperor is young and impetuous, daring to take such a risky move. Isn't he afraid of raising a tiger that will become too powerful to control? This servant predicts that this policy will cause a great uproar in the Ming court, and whether it can be implemented is still uncertain!"

Bao Chengxian quickly chimed in: "Mr. Gao is absolutely right! Your Majesty, the Ming Emperor's move may be a bluff, intended to intimidate! He has only recently ascended the throne, his power base is not yet secure, there is a powerful eunuch (Wei Zhongxian) rising again internally, the Chahan tribe, though defeated, has not been completely eradicated externally, the She'an in the southwest is not yet pacified, and refugees are gradually rising in Shaanxi and Gansu... Where does he get the confidence and energy to really carry out such a large-scale operation in Liaoxi? In my humble opinion, he released this policy proposal firstly to test the reaction of our Great Jin, and secondly... perhaps he wants to lower the price and force our Great Jin to negotiate peace?"

Fan Wencheng remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, his tone grave: "Great Khan, what Mr. Gao and Mr. Bao said is reasonable. The resistance from the Ming court and the emperor's own predicament are all variables. However..." He changed the subject, "The poison of this strategy lies in its direct attack on the Achilles' heel of our Great Jin! Our Great Jin has a limited population and insufficient output. The consumption of war relies heavily on plundering the Ming to replenish our resources. If Liaoxi is truly turned into a 'porcupine,' and the Great Wall is firmly defended, leaving no way to plunder, famine will inevitably occur within the country, and the people will be restless. The analogy of 'Shi Chaoyi' mentioned by Niu Jinxing, although intended to sow discord, also... points out the hidden danger of our Great Jin's unstable foundation."

He paused, then continued, "As for peace talks... if the Ming emperor truly wanted peace, he wouldn't have chosen this strategy as the top choice, much less publicized it so widely. His actions are more like telling us, clearly, that the Jin dynasty is preparing to retreat, preparing to hold out, preparing to... starve us out! This is a calculated move!"

“A calculated scheme…” Huang Taiji repeated in a low voice, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth, “What a brilliant scheme! What a Chongzhen Emperor! What a brilliant scholar!”

He suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with cold light: "Does he think that if he cowers like a tortoise, I can't do anything to him? If I can't seize Liaoxi, won't I seize Korea? Won't I seize Mongolia? Won't I... open a breach from other places?"

"As for these 'Three Feudatories'..." Huang Taiji sneered, "They want to establish them? Not so easy! If they spread the word to Liaoxi that anyone who dares to become a fiefdom of the young emperor, I will be the first to not let them off!"

The people inside the hall responded in unison, "Yes! The Great Khan is wise!"

Huang Taiji suppressed his anger and turned to Fan Yongdou: "Master Fan, I have my own plans for the Liaoxi matter. What's more important right now is... food! The spring famine is imminent, and our bannermen are starving. You said before that you could get food from Ming territory?"

Fan Yongdou's heart tightened, and he knelt down on the ground: "Great Khan! Great Khan, please forgive me! I... I am incompetent! I... I'm afraid... I can't do it!"

"Huh?!" Huang Taiji's brows furrowed sharply.

Fan Yongdou cried out, “Your Majesty! That Wei Zhongxian… confiscated Wang Dengku’s headquarters and mansion in Xuanfu! Gold, silver, valuables, grain, and cloth… filled hundreds of carts! My businesses in Xuanfu and Zhangjiakou have also been seized by that eunuch! My employees and family members have all been imprisoned in the Jingjun prison! All possible channels for transporting goods are being watched by the Jinyiwei and Dongchang! Let alone large quantities of grain, now even a needle or a foot of cloth is as difficult as climbing to heaven to get out of the country! I… I can barely protect myself now!”

Huang Taiji listened, his face turning ashen. Although the Fan and Wang families were not the only Shanxi merchants who helped the Great Jin Kingdom with smuggling, these two families were the biggest. If they were all eliminated, it would be much more difficult to smuggle grain, gunpowder, and ironware into the Great Jin Kingdom in the future.

Thinking of this, Huang Taiji gritted his teeth and thought to himself, "How could Emperor Chongzhen be so wicked!"

(End of this chapter)