How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 123 Stop dawdling, get on the road quickly, go to Korea, and kidnap King Lee! (First Update)
In the innermost part of the Imperial Guard prison, in that musty-smelling cell.

Yang Hao curled up on the haystack, staring blankly at the sliver of light filtering through the stone wall.

He had endured too long in this filthy place. His hair was already gray and sparse, a tangled mess, covered in indescribable filth. His prison uniform was tattered, revealing gaunt, bony flesh beneath, so dirty that its original color was unrecognizable. A foul stench emanated from him, one he himself could no longer smell.

The former prestige of his commanding Liaodong and controlling the army is completely gone.

Now he's just an old prisoner waiting to die.

Occasionally, he would overhear the guards outside gossiping about "negotiating a fine for a sentence." A thought would cross his mind: could his family still scrape together enough money to bail him out? Even being imprisoned in a different place would be better than dying a rotten death in this jail.

But the thought only flashed through my mind.

Because his family fortune had long been depleted, he had no money left to pay the fine for his crime. Back then, countless sums of money had been spent to save his life, resulting in a suspended death sentence instead of immediate execution. Where would he find the money now?

Besides, his crime was the disastrous defeat at Sarhu! Tens of thousands of lives were lost, and the fate of the Ming Dynasty was ruined! Can such a crime be redeemed with money? Even if it could be redeemed, wouldn't it cost millions of taels of silver?
After a series of wild thoughts, a wave of despair washed over him, and he couldn't help but sigh. He was just taking it one day at a time; when the time came, it would all just be death.

Suddenly, there was a burst of hurried footsteps outside, mixed with the guards' obsequious shouts.

"Master Yang! Master Yang! Your happy day has arrived, I wish you all the best!"

Yang Hao shuddered and almost collapsed.

Congratulations? What joy could there be in a prison? Execution is the only joy! It's liberation!

Tears streamed down his face. It was over. It was all over. The imperial edict had arrived; the execution was imminent!

Before he could even cry out, the iron chains on the prison door rattled as they were violently ripped open.

As the light streamed in, Yang Hao squinted and saw a tall military officer blocking the doorway. The man was dressed in a flying fish robe, his hand on his waist knife, his face fierce, and his eyes swept over like a deadly blade.

Several heavily armored soldiers followed behind, clearly veterans of countless battles, not prison guards.

Yang Hao's heart sank to the ground; they really came to take someone away to be beheaded!

The thought of being beheaded brought tears to Yang Hao's eyes, and he couldn't stop crying.

The military officer spoke, his voice booming like a bell, making the prison cell buzz.

Which one is Yang Hao?

A guard nearby quickly bent down and pointed at him: "Sir, it's him...it's Yang Hao." The guard then turned to the trembling Yang Hao and hissed: "Mr. Jingfu! Stop howling! Come with this sir! Your good days have come!"

Yang Hao was utterly terrified. A good day? This was clearly sending him on his way!

Tears streamed down his face as he struggled to his feet, but his legs were too weak to move. He thought he was about to be shackled and begged for a quick death.

The military officer, however, was extremely impatient and waved his hand dismissively.

"take away!"

Two soldiers immediately pounced on him, one on each side, grabbing Yang Hao's arms and dragging him out. Yang Hao's legs were weak, and he was practically being dragged along. He closed his eyes, thinking to himself, "It's all over, it's all over."

They were dragged out of the dark prison cell, through the heavily guarded courtyard of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's office, until they reached the gate, but they saw neither the expected prison cart nor the executioner.

Only a slightly worn, blue-draped carriage was parked there.

The soldiers holding him didn't put any torture devices on him; they just shoved him next to the carriage.

Yang Hao froze, staring blankly at the carriage. This didn't seem like an execution warrant, but it also didn't seem like they were releasing someone!
He mustered his courage and asked the fierce-looking officer in a trembling voice, "Sir...where are we...going to?"

The military officer glanced at him and uttered three words.

Jishuitan (积水潭).

After saying that, he waved his hand again. The soldier opened the carriage door and shoved Yang Hao inside. The military officer himself mounted his horse, gave a command, and the carriage started moving, heading towards Jishuitan in the north of the city under the escort of a small squad of cavalry.

The carriage jolted and bumped, and Yang Hao's heart pounded with anxiety.

Jishuitan? That's one of the garrison posts of the Imperial Horse Stables. What are you going there for? You should be beheaded at Xisi Archway!
He secretly peeked out from behind a corner of the carriage curtain. The street scene flashed by quickly; it was definitely not the road to Xisi Archway. His mind calmed down a little, but it was still a tangled mess.

After an unknown amount of time, the carriage slowed down. The sounds outside were no longer the hustle and bustle of the city, but rather the commands of drills, the beat of drums and gongs, and the heavy footsteps of a large group of people moving about.

The car stopped. The car door was opened.

"come out!"

Yang Hao was carried out again. When his feet touched the ground, he looked up and froze.

Where is the dilapidated Jishuitan training ground in my memory?
This place is clearly a grim military camp! The Jishuitan Camp is filled with fluttering banners and heavily fortified positions.

Squads of soldiers were being mobilized. As far as the eye could see, they were all strong and valiant young men.

The infantrymen carried brand-new muskets, their muzzles gleaming coldly. A forest of spears stretched out, their tips sharp. Cavalrymen, fully armored, stood ready, their horses reined in. Further away, six enormous cannons, their barrels a dark gold, were being pulled by mules and horses, their wheels seemingly cast in bronze.

This was a force of several thousand elite troops! The sheer scale of their army and the sheer morale were something Yang Hao had rarely witnessed in his life. When he was in charge of Liaodong, his troops, though numerous, were mostly exhausted; only the Li family's retainers possessed such ferocious spirit!

Whose soldiers are these?
Before he could figure it out, the military officer shoved him, and he staggered toward the command platform.

On the command platform, a man stood with his hands behind his back, watching the military formations below.

The man wore a white silk robe with cloud-shaped shoulder straps and dragon-patterned sleeves, over which was an exquisite gold-lacquered mountain-patterned armor, and a long sword at his waist. He was tall and upright, with a young face, yet he possessed an air of authority that commanded respect without anger.

Yang Hao didn't recognize it, but he guessed it pretty accurately.

The fierce-looking military officer who led him strode onto the stage, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty! Your sinful subject Yang Hao has been brought here!"

His Majesty?! He really is the current emperor! Yang Hao had heard rumors in the Jinyiwei prison that this young emperor was a ruthless character. Since his ascension, he had been aggressively pursuing domestic policies, amassing wealth, most of which was used to build a new army and supplement the payroll for the nine border regions. He was equally aggressive in foreign affairs, specifically targeting the Mongols, whom he considered easy targets! Having gained prestige through these attacks, he then turned his attention to domestic infighting—his skill in internal power struggles far surpassed that of his grandfather, the Wanli Emperor!

I wonder why they brought their own home to Jishuitan today? Are they planning to kill someone as a sacrifice?

Upon thinking of this, Yang Hao's legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, banging his head on the ground, his whole body trembling like a leaf.

"Your Majesty, I am a guilty... guilty subject Yang Hao... I pay my respects! Long live the Emperor... Long live the Emperor..."

Whether it was because he had been imprisoned in the imperial prison for too long, or because he was thinking about "being beheaded as a sacrifice to the flag," he couldn't even speak properly at this moment.

Emperor Chongzhen turned around, his gaze falling on the disheveled figure kneeling below the stage, his expression blank.

He didn't tell Yang Hao to rise, but only nodded slightly to a eunuch in a plain python robe beside him.

The eunuch was Xu Yingyuan, the commander of the Imperial Guards. He stepped forward, took out a scroll of yellow silk document from his sleeve, and announced loudly, "Yang Hao, hear the decree!"

Yang Hao buried his head even lower, almost burrowing into the soil.

"This guilty subject...hears the decree..."

Xu Yingyuan unfolded the imperial edict and read aloud: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: You, Yang Hao, a criminal minister, have lost the army and disgraced the country, your crimes are beyond redemption. However, I consider that you still have some use in the geography, military and political affairs of Korea. Therefore, I hereby order you to be released from the imperial prison and appointed as a guide and advisor to accompany the army to the Korean capital to supervise King Injo's move to Ganghwa Island. This is your only chance to redeem yourself through meritorious service. If you succeed, your crimes may be reduced; if you fail, you will be punished for both crimes and executed without pardon! This is the imperial decree."

After reading it aloud, Xu Yingyuan rolled up the imperial edict, walked up to Yang Hao, and placed it in his trembling hand.

It's not beheading, it's really not beheading, but we need him! What a twist of fate!

Yang Hao held the imperial edict in both hands, feeling as if it weighed a ton. His mind was buzzing, and after the initial euphoria came immense bewilderment.

What puzzled him was the word "监" in "守护" (guardianship). Did it mean supervision? Guardianship? Surveillance?
He lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise his head, his voice trembling even more with fear and doubt: "This sinful subject... kowtows to thank Your Majesty for your divine grace! This sinful subject... will do my utmost to serve you even unto death! But... but this sinful subject is foolish and humbly begs Your Majesty to instruct... on the specifics of this word 'guardianship'... how should it be carried out? How should this sinful subject 'supervise' and 'protect'? Please enlighten me, Your Majesty, so that this sinful subject may... may I exert my utmost effort."

His voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible, as if he feared that the question would offend the heavens.

"Guardianship?" Chongzhen's answer was frank. "I'll be frank with you! Guardianship means keeping an eye on them so they don't escape or surrender! Protection means sending them all safely to Ganghwa Island! Then, 'guardianship' again, so they don't escape! Because I need a Joseon royal court to rally the righteous armies of the eight provinces of Joseon to resist the slaves!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the dark mass of soldiers below the stage before settling back on Yang Hao. His words were clear and his voice louder, clearly no longer addressed to Yang Hao alone.

"Let me make it clearer. You and Imperial Envoy Yang Sichang will take these four thousand soldiers in. We're not going to discuss anything, we're going to carry out an order! There's only one order: get King Injo of Joseon, along with his queen, crown prince, and all the nobles and high-ranking officials in charge, onto a ship and cross the sea to Ganghwa Island!"

"From this day forward until the fall of the Jurchens, the Joseon royal court will be located on Ganghwa Island. From that island onward, the King of Joseon will command his three thousand miles of land to resist the Eastern barbarians and vow never to surrender!"

At this point, Chongzhen slowed his speech slightly, but each word carried even more weight and a chilling murderous intent.

“If the King of Joseon is sensible and willingly goes, then you should escort him well.”

"If you don't want to..."

Emperor Chongzhen snorted coldly.

"That's what happens when the nation is in peril; to hesitate and watch is utterly despicable! You, Yang Sichang, and Xu Qinian, must find a way to 'help' them! These four thousand elite soldiers are not just for show! Do you understand? Even if you have to tie them up, you must take them to Ganghwa Island! If they still don't know what's good for them, there are thousands upon thousands of Joseon descendants; what's wrong with replacing one? Joseon is, after all, a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty; now is the time for them to be loyal to their suzerain. Do you understand?"

Yang Hao lay on the ground, completely frozen.

This isn't "guardianship," it's clearly "kidnapping"! They're using King Lee to control Korea!

The current emperor is indeed ruthless and vicious!
Chongzhen then said, "If you understand, then let's set off today. Speed ​​is of the essence in war!"

(End of this chapter)