How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 112 Are you in the business of becoming a feudal lord? (Second update, one more at 6 PM)

In mid-April of the first year of the Chongzhen reign, outside Tsinghua Garden in western Beijing.

Dust rose slightly on the newly built drill ground, where a peculiar earthen fortress stood in the center. It was shaped like a five-pointed star, with five protruding triangular earthen platforms pointing in different directions like the horns of a monster. The earthen walls were not high, but their slope was quite steep, making it appear as a gentle slope from a distance. Around the fortress, two deep moats meandered along the star's outline, like two moats.

On the high platform, Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian, stood with his hands behind his back, looking very interested.

Standing to his right were Zu Dashou, the General of Jinzhou; He Kegang, the Deputy General of Ningyuan; and Mao Wenlong, the General of Dongjiang Town.

To Chongzhen's left stood Qian Qianyi, the Right Vice Minister of Rites, and Li Banghua, the Left Vice Minister of War, both with slightly furrowed brows, looking preoccupied—clearly still fretting about how to explain to the gentry of Jiangnan the unexpected burden of "sharing the prince's spoils." Wang Zaijin, the Minister of War, and Sun Chengzong, a Grand Secretary, stood slightly forward. Wang Zaijin stroked his beard, lost in thought; Sun Chengzong stood ramrod straight, his eyes beneath his white eyebrows fixed intently on the scene.

Off the field, an offensive and defensive drill is reaching its climax.

The attacking force consisted of the Imperial Guard's central, left, and right battalions, totaling approximately 5,400 men. All were clad in dark blue cloth armor, carrying large shields and long ladders, and surged forward in five streams, shouting as they charged towards the five corners of the fortress. The defending force numbered only 600 men, scattered across the five triangular pedestals and the core fortress wall.

Just as the attacking force approached the first trench, a sudden change occurred!

On the five triangular pedestals, the guards leaned out, grabbed fist-sized cloth bags covered in white powder (filled with crumpled paper and sand), and rained them down!
"Puff puff!"

The cloth bags slammed into shields, helmets, and shoulders, exploding into puffs of white ash. Any soldier hit and left with a visible white spot immediately stopped, dejectedly leaving the ranks and walking to the sidelines—they were "killed in action."

The trench became a death trap! Attacking soldiers tried to jump down to the bottom and climb back up, but were completely exposed to the crossfire of the defenders on the ridge. "Lime packets" came whistling in from different angles, and the bottom of the trench was instantly covered with white spots, filled with (pretended) screams. Many were "smashed white" as soon as they entered the trench, and many more became live targets while climbing the trench walls.

Only after a few brave men managed to cross the two trenches and reach the foot of the platform to set up a long ladder did the real nightmare begin.

The sloping design of the ramparts makes it almost impossible for climbers to avoid attacks from the defenders directly above them. Even worse, while you are struggling to climb, defenders on another rampart from the side and behind are leisurely throwing bags at you! Even the defenders on the core fortress walls can finish you off from their elevated position.

White dots were everywhere! Luckily, they were just small sandbags; if it had been artillery shells or bullets, the area under the bastion would already be littered with corpses!
The climbing soldiers were like being inside a giant, all-encompassing lime powder mixer. Their shields offered no protection, neither in front nor behind, neither to the left nor to the right. Screams of agony ("It really hurts to be hit like that!") rose and fell as white dots quickly covered the armor of the attacking soldiers.

"Dangdangdang——"

The rapid sound of gongs signaled the retreat of the attacking side.

The remaining "survivors," feeling as if granted a pardon, dragged the ladder, cursing and swearing, brushing off the white dust covering their bodies, and retreated in a disheveled state. Many rubbed the sore spots where they had been hit, complaining to each other that there was nowhere to hide in this godforsaken place.

"Hahaha!" Emperor Chongzhen looked at the mess below and the "defeated soldiers" covered in white dust, and let out a hearty laugh, his voice full of vigor. He turned around and his piercing gaze swept over the group of dumbfounded civil and military officials around him.

"My dear ministers, have you all seen it clearly?" Chongzhen pointed at the drab fortress, his voice tinged with smugness. "What do you think of this fortress? If I gave you ten times the troops, six thousand men attacking a fortress defended by six hundred, could you take it?"

Zu Dashou, He Kegang, and Mao Wenlong exchanged bewildered glances, their faces filled with shock and disbelief. They had fought countless battles and captured numerous cities and strongholds, but had they ever seen such a cunning and bizarre fortress, with such dense and comprehensive firepower?
“This…” Zu Dashou spoke first, his voice somewhat hoarse, “Your Majesty, this fortress…is quite strange. If we were to use the usual method, shield carts would provide cover, the moats would be filled in, and then we would swarm up the city walls…”

He Kegang shook his head and interrupted him: "General Zu, no way. As you can see from the drill just now, those protruding ridges allow the defenders to fire in a crossfire pattern. The shield carts can block the front, but they can't stop arrows and bullets coming from the sides and behind. Fill the trenches? The brothers who fill the trenches will be sitting ducks in the trenches. No matter how many lives you lose, you still won't be able to fill those two trenches!"

Mao Wenlong stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming: "Just throwing lime bags had such power. If we deployed artillery and muskets, the bullets would rain down. A direct assault would result in too many casualties, making it a losing proposition. Besides, this fortress is cleverly constructed; even a large army wouldn't be able to maneuver effectively. We could only send waves of troops up, and as long as the defenders have enough ammunition, no matter how many, they wouldn't be enough to kill. Unless... we use artillery! We use heavy artillery to blast its walls down!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, seemingly expecting this. He turned to Xu Qinian, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Guards who was standing beside him, and ordered, "Xu Qinian, go and fetch ten cannons from the Red Barbarians. Let them bombard it a few times! Let the generals see if this clod of earth can withstand cannon fire!"

"This servant obeys the decree!" Xu Qinian bowed and accepted the order, then quickly went to make arrangements.

Chongzhen then turned to the crowd, his smile unwavering: "Let's go, this place is no place for conversation with all this cannon fire. Let's move to Yihai Hall, have some tea, and discuss this further. After we've finished talking, we can come back and see the results of this bombardment!"

The group, surrounding the emperor, left the high platform and headed towards Yihai Hall, a lakeside building deep within Tsinghua Garden. Zu Dashou and the other two followed behind, still whispering about the defensive advantages of the strange fortress, their faces filled with doubt and surprise. Qian Qianyi and Li Banghua exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of worry in each other's eyes—the emperor had created such a formidable obstacle; what he was about to say was likely far more complex.

Inside Yihai Hall, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Emperor Chongzhen sat in the center, with the others lined up on either side. A huge map of Liaodong hung in the hall, showing the mountains, rivers, and cities clearly.

Emperor Chongzhen's gaze lingered on the map for a moment, finally settling on the Liaoxi Corridor and the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula. He cut to the chase, his voice steady and powerful:

"I have invited you all here today for two reasons: first, to inspect this new fortress; and second, to discuss the matter of 'establishing the Three Feudatories in Liaodong.'" Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall instantly froze. Zu Dashou, He Kegang, and Mao Wenlong were particularly shaken, abruptly looking up at the emperor.

Emperor Chongzhen seemed oblivious to their reaction, pointing to three points on the map: "Jinzhou, Ningyuan, and Lushun (the core of Dongjiang Town on the Liaodong Peninsula). These three places are the three nails that my Great Ming is using to hold back the Jurchens! I intend to follow the ancient system and establish regional military governorships to guard the borders."

His gaze was sharp as he swept over the three border generals: "Zu Dashou!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Zu Dashou bowed hurriedly.

"Would you be willing to serve me forever in Jinzhou, becoming its lord?"

"He Kegang!"

"Your subordinate is here!" He Kegang's heart pounded wildly.

"Are you up to the position of Lord of Ningyuan?"

"Mao Wenlong!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Mao Wenlong's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his breathing became a little rapid.

"Dongjiang is isolated overseas, holding back enemy forces behind enemy lines; its contributions are immense. Do you want to be the master of Dongjiang?"

Although all three were somewhat tempted, none of them immediately agreed.

To rule a region forever? A feudal lord? This is a power akin to granting territory and establishing a fiefdom!

Although Zu Dashou and He Kegang had a strong foothold in western Liaoning, they still dared not dream of becoming the rulers of a single region. Although Mao Wenlong had long established a de facto independent regime in Dongjiang, his rule was ultimately illegitimate.

Furthermore, what was the cost of establishing the Three Feudatories in Liaodong?
Before they could answer, Chongzhen continued, "Although you are regional military governors, the court will not leave you to fend for yourselves. We will allocate provisions, salaries, and military equipment to help you maintain your troops and defend your territory. However, these salaries must be paid according to the standards for the elite troops of my personal guard!"

He paused, then spoke clearly, beginning the calculations:

"The monthly salary for cavalry is 2.4 taels, and the annual salary is 28.8 taels. To maintain 2,000 elite cavalry, the annual cost would be 57,600 taels!"

"Infantrymen are paid 1.5 taels per month, or 18 taels per year. To maintain 8,000 elite infantrymen, 144,000 taels per year would be required!"

"The total military pay is 21,600 taels. I'll round it up and give you 250,000 taels!"

"The rations for 10,000 soldiers require 60,000 shi of rice per year."

"Two thousand warhorses, consuming 21,600 shi of beans and 10.8 million jin of grass annually!"

Emperor Chongzhen looked at Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Revenue: "Minister Bi, if all this grain and fodder were converted into silver, at the current market price, one shi of beans would cost one tael and two mace, one shi of rice would cost eight mace, and one hundred jin of fodder would cost two taels and five mace... Adding the losses and transportation costs of transporting it over a thousand miles, how much would it cost in total?"

Bi Ziyan quickly calculated in his mind, and after a moment replied: "Your Majesty, the price of beans is 25,920 taels, the price of rice is 48,000 taels, and the price of hay is 270,000 taels, totaling 347,920 taels. If we take into account the transportation costs and losses, it will probably cost around 400,000 taels. However, this is in kind. If we send the goods in kind, we can save on transportation costs, but the losses will still be there."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded: "Very well, regarding the provisions, I can issue them in kind or in silver, depending on the circumstances. If it's in silver, let's say 308,000 taels!"

His gaze swept over the three generals again: "In addition, the maintenance of military equipment, compensation for the wounded and the injured, and miscellaneous expenses, let's say 200,000 taels a year! So, to support your 10,000 elite troops, the annual cost, all told, is 760,000 taels! Is that enough?"

enough?

Mao Wenlong, Zu Dashou, and He Kegang all frowned slightly. To be honest, it's not enough!

The current annual expenditure on Liaodong military service is four to five million taels, which is not enough. If it is cut down to more than two million taels, more than half of that, how can it possibly be enough? But the current emperor is different from the previous Tianqi Emperor. He is more cunning than a monkey and more ruthless than a tiger. He has clearly figured out the numbers. He will definitely not play the old game of selling everything he owns to take back Liaodong inch by inch.
(End of this chapter)