How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 126 Your Majesty, don't cry, come with us obediently! (First Update)
On the morning of the sixth day of the fifth month of the first year of Chongzhen's reign.

Outside Sungnyemun Gate in Seoul.

Led by Chief State Councilor Yi Won-ik, the civil and military officials of Joseon stood silently, dressed in neat court attire. Behind them were the soldiers of the Imperial Guard responsible for their protection, wearing blue uniforms and carrying muskets or rifles, but most of them looked pale and their ranks were loose and sloppy.

The sound of heavy footsteps came from afar, accompanied by the soft rustling of hooves and armor plates, all blending into a "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound.

A flag appeared on the horizon.

Immediately following was a crimson tide.

The tide drew closer, revealing its true form.

They're soldiers!

It was a Ming Dynasty army of exceptional military prowess!

Leading the way were two or three hundred cavalrymen, all clad in iron armor, advancing silently, the only sound the rustling of their armor plates. Their bright red banners and the insignia of the Imperial Guard were strikingly conspicuous.

Following the cavalry was a long column of infantry. Four men in a row, carrying brand-new muskets or thirteen-foot-long spears, their tips gleaming. Each soldier was burly and strong, with sharp eyes. The column was perfectly orderly, their footsteps making a rhythmic "swish, swish" sound, carrying an oppressive killing intent.

At the rear of the procession were six bronze cannons, each pulled by eight horses, rumbling and pounding the road ahead.

The soldiers of the North Korean training army looked on with fear, and involuntarily shrank back.

Li Yuanyi and the others were also shocked. These heavenly soldiers were even more magnificent than they had been rumored to be!

The cavalrymen stopped a dozen paces away from them.

Several Ming Dynasty officials continued riding forward.

In the center, the plump, fair-skinned man is the imperial envoy Yang Sichang. To his left is the eunuch Xu Qinian, his hand on his waist sword. To his right is an old man with white hair but boundless energy—it is Yang Hao.

Yang Hao dismounted nimbly, laughed heartily, and clasped his hands in greeting to Li Yuanyi and the others.

"Brother Douzhan! How have you been? Brother Erzhan! Brother Ruqian! Jingfu greets you!"

Li Yuanyi (courtesy name Douzhan), Jin Liu (courtesy name Erzhan), Li Gui (courtesy name Ruqian), and others were taken aback and quickly returned the greeting.

"Mr. Jingfu?"

"You...you're not..."

Yang Hao, full of vigor, stepped aside and introduced, "This is Imperial Envoy Yang Sichang! This is Eunuch Xu Qinian!"

Li Yuanyi hurriedly led his men in bowing: "Welcome, angels from the superior nation! Heavenly soldiers, you have come from afar, thank you for your hard work!"

Yang Sichang bowed slightly from his horse: "You're too kind, Your Excellency."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Yuanyi invited everyone to enter the palace.

Yang Hao didn't move. He pointed at the North Korean guards and Chongrye Gate, raising his voice: "Brother Douzhan, not to be nosy, but the defenses are far too lax!"

He walked over to a Korean musketeer and pointed to the old musket: "The Jurchens are masters at sending spies to infiltrate cities! How did Liaoyang and Shenyang fall? If the Jurchens were to launch a surprise attack, would this weapon even be effective?"

He then pointed to the demoralized defenders: "These brothers have never fought a tough battle! If the Jurchens really come, can they hold out?"

Li Yuanyi and several military officers looked grim, unable to refute him.

Yang Sichang spoke up at the opportune moment, his words earnest: "His Majesty has instructed us to be thorough. The safety of the capital is of paramount importance." He turned to Xu Qinian: "Eunuch Xu, dispatch Commander Li of the Rear Camp with one thousand soldiers to take over the defense of Chongli Gate! Assist our allies in guarding this gate!"

"Yes, sir!" Xu Qinian responded in a high-pitched voice and immediately gave the order.

The Ming infantry swiftly advanced, orderly taking over the defenses. The Korean soldiers, on the other hand, consciously retreated to the side. The Ming Dynasty was the father country of Korea! The Ming Emperor was the father of the Korean king! Could they possibly stop their father's soldiers from guarding the city gate for their son's family? Wouldn't that make their king appear disloyal and unfilial?

Li Yuanyi opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

"Prime Minister, please lead the way," Yang Hao urged with a smile.

Li Yuanyi had no choice but to nod.

The group headed towards the palace. Xu Qinian, accompanied by dozens of elite guards, followed closely behind Yang Sichang and Yang Hao. The remaining three thousand Ming soldiers then proceeded towards Dunhua Gate.

“Mr. Jingfu, an angel has entered the palace. Should the guards…” Li Yuanyi asked in a low voice.

Yang Hao patted him on the shoulder: "Brother Douzhan, you are overthinking it! These are all imperial guards, sent by the Emperor to protect Prince Li! What if there are spies in the palace and they alarm the Prince?"

Emperor Chongzhen was Li Zong's father and emperor. If a father was worried about his son's safety, how could he stop his son from being protected?
That won't do!
Li Yuanyi was speechless again, his unease growing stronger.

Upon reaching Dunhua Gate, the Ming army encountered almost no resistance and smoothly took over the defense, repeating the same method. Li Yuanyi's lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.

Inside Dunhua Gate lies Changdeok Palace!

The guards brought by Xu Qinian escorted Yang Sichang, Yang Hao, and others directly into the palace. Changdeok Palace, Qinzheng Hall.

King Injo of Joseon sat upright, his heart filled with both excitement and trepidation.

Footsteps sounded. The imperial envoy from the Ming Dynasty entered with his entourage.

Yang Sichang gave the Korean king and his ministers no chance for pleasantries, and directly took out a bright yellow silk cloth from his robes, raised it high with both hands, and said loudly:

"King Injo of Joseon, receive the decree!"

Li Zong was taken aback, then quickly stepped down from his throne and knelt in the center of the hall. The assembled officials also knelt down in unison.

Yang Sichang displayed the imperial edict, his voice loud and clear:

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: ...The Jurchens have once again invaded your territory, and Pyongyang has fallen. The capital is in grave danger. My heart is filled with sorrow, and I cannot bear to stand idly by. ... You should avoid the enemy's advance and temporarily move your capital to Ganghwa Island... to resist the enemy for the long term and preserve the dynasty... Respect this decree!"

After the imperial edict was read, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Li Zong was stunned. He was being told to run away immediately! The Ming Dynasty had sent troops not to help him defend Seoul, but to take him to Ganghwa Island—this was utterly absurd!
Before he could react, Chief Councilor Li Yuanyi suddenly straightened up and said urgently, "Your Highness! Now that the Heavenly Army has arrived, why not rely on the fortified city of Hancheng to fight the barbarians to the death? Moving Your Majesty to the island may shake the morale of the army and the people!"

A burly military minister also kowtowed, his voice booming: "We are willing to defend Han City with the Heavenly Army, and we swear to fight the barbarians to the bitter end! If we relocate before the battle, what will become of our ancestral temples!"

Yang Hao chuckled, his voice suddenly rising to a high pitch, drowning out all other sounds:
"War? What are you going to fight with! How are your troops compared to those during the Wanli era? Back then, a small force of Japanese pirates was able to break through Seoul and capture Pyongyang! Today, the Jurchen main force has come, ten times more ferocious than the Japanese pirates! Without heavenly troops, how many days can you hold out? One day? Two days?"

His gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over the assembled officials: "His Majesty's decree is precisely because he knows you are utterly incapable of holding your ground, and thus he has implemented this foolproof plan! This is the benevolent heart of the sovereign father to protect your dynasty and its people; how dare you question it!"

An elderly minister with white hair and beard fell to the ground, weeping, "Your Majesty! You have abandoned the ancestral temples and the state; how will you face your ancestors after a hundred years?"

"Nonsense!" Yang Hao interrupted sharply. "Is the ancestral temple more important than the state? As long as people live, the state will live! When the Japanese invaded, Seoul was lost, but it was later restored. Back then, your king and ministers had to die in Seoul together, and now Koreans might all be speaking Japanese."

Li Zong's face was deathly pale, his lips trembled, and he was about to speak again.

"Shh-!"

Yang Sichang suddenly drew his imperial sword, its cold tip pointing directly into the hall, and shouted sternly, "The imperial decree has been issued! Anyone who dares to disobey will be punished for defying the decree and executed without mercy!" He then raised the sword high, saying, "This is the imperial sword bestowed by His Majesty!"

Almost simultaneously, a flurry of footsteps echoed outside the hall! Dozens of Ming soldiers instantly blocked all exits, their hands on their sword hilts, their eyes filled with menacing intent!

Xu Qinian shouted shrilly, "Who dares to disobey the imperial decree! Where are the guards? Escort His Majesty on his journey!"

Li Zong felt as if all his strength had been drained away; his shoulders slumped, and he hit his head on the ground, his voice hoarse and weak.

"Your subject... Li Zong... receives the decree... thanks... Your Majesty for your boundless grace..."

His trembling hands accepted the imperial edict.

Yang Sichang sheathed his sword: "Eunuch Xu, arrange the ceremonial guards to escort Prince Li and his entourage. We shall depart immediately!"

"Order!"

Xu Qinian waved his hand, and the guards immediately stepped forward to "protect" Li Zong and the group of bewildered Korean ministers as they walked out of the palace.

Inside the Geunjeongjeon Hall, only Mingfang and a few other people, along with a handful of absent-minded Joseon officials, remained.

Yang Sichang turned to the distraught Li Yuanyi, Jin Liu, and the others, his tone leaving no room for doubt, and spoke rapidly: "Prime Minister, gentlemen!"

"The king's relocation to Ganghwa Island is a perfect strategy, but Seoul must not be allowed to fall into enemy hands! I hereby order you to carry out this order immediately without fail!"

"Firstly: All civil and military officials and nobles in the city are hereby notified that they must pack their valuables and families and accompany the Emperor to Ganghwa Island within two hours! Those who fail to comply will bear the consequences!"

"Secondly: Immediately send men to open all treasuries and granaries! Load all money, grain, cloth, and weapons that can be moved onto carts and transport them with the army! Do not leave anything for the Jurchens!"

"Thirdly: All the old grain, coarse cloth, and miscellaneous items that cannot be moved, as well as the remaining grain in the official granaries, should be immediately distributed to the people in the city by setting up distribution points outside the Chongli and Guanghua gates! Tell them that this is the grace of the Emperor of the Great Ming and the King of Joseon! Let them remember this kindness and not follow the rebels! In addition, the Jurchens will arrive soon. Those who wish to live should quickly abandon their homes and flee south or go into the mountains to avoid disaster!"

"Fourth: In the name of the Joseon Uijeongbu (National Government of Korea) and the Ming Imperial Envoy's Office, post notices to reassure the people, with the content as described above, telling the people to leave quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanyi trembled, his face turning deathly pale: "Your Excellency... this... this means a scorched-earth policy, abandoning Hanyang? But... but if that happens, millions of lives in the capital region will be lost..."

This order is even more thorough than abandoning Seoul; it practically destroys the very foundation of the capital! From this day forward, Seoul will likely become a ghost town!
“That’s exactly what we need to do!” Yang Sichang interrupted him, his gaze cold and hard. “Are we going to leave all the grain and fodder in this city, along with hundreds of thousands of laborers, to the Jurchens, to help them grow stronger and then attack us again?”

"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken! If we save people but lose land, both people and land can be saved! If we are greedy for cities and resources, and cause the loss of the royal carriage and the capture of soldiers and civilians, then we will be sinners for all time!"

"Get it done immediately!"

Yang Sichang stopped looking at them and said to Xu Qinian, "Eunuch Xu, send troops to 'assist' the ministers of Korea in handling the aforementioned matters. The army will set off on time in two hours!"

"Yes!" Xu Qinian responded in a sharp voice, and immediately dispatched his officers to "accompany" the almost unsteady Li Yuanyi and others like wolves and tigers, and hurriedly leave to carry out the order.

(End of this chapter)