How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 139 A Discussion on Loyalty at the Wenhua Hall (Seeking Further Subscriptions)

The Forbidden City, Wenhua Hall.

Emperor Chongzhen, dressed in light, casual clothes, sat on his throne, a fine layer of sweat on his forehead. He didn't let the eunuchs fan him, simply sitting there, his fingers tapping idly on the rosewood armrest. His gaze swept across the faces of the ministers below: the composed and ready-to-praise Grand Secretary Huang Liji ("Huang Liji"); the equally eager-to-support Duke of Yingguo's heir Zhang Zhiji ("Zhang Xianzhong"); the Donglin veteran minister Sun Chengzong, his brow furrowed in disapproval; and the Minister of War Wang Zaijin, head bowed, his mind seemingly calculating.

Standing to the side was Ma Chengen, the deputy commander-in-chief who had just returned from the front lines in Datong, looking travel-worn but loyal. Yuan Keli, the former governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou who had been urgently summoned, looked solemn and even somewhat bewildered. He didn't know why the emperor had suddenly summoned this old man.

“Minister Ma,” Chongzhen began, his voice not loud, but everyone perked up their ears, “Over in Datong, Hudun Tu is terrified and doesn’t dare to move for the time being. But Xi Fu and Fan Wencheng, sent by the Jurchens, are still staying in their camp, isn’t that the situation?”

Ma Chengen quickly stepped forward, bowed, and replied, "Your Majesty, that is indeed the case. Although Ligdan Khan has been defeated, his intentions are difficult to fathom. The Jurchens are inciting unrest, and the hidden dangers in the northern border have not yet been eliminated."

Sun Chengzong took over the conversation, his tone heavy: "Your Majesty, the matter of the Mongols is indeed not to be taken lightly. However, what is more urgent at the moment is the situation in the east! King Yi of Joseon is besieged on Ganghwa Island, sending envoys every day to plead for help, his words filled with sorrow. The Jurchen army is plundering and killing within their borders. If we allow them to annex Joseon and seize its people and provisions, the next step will be to launch a full-scale attack on our Liaoxi region, and even to covet the Jizhou garrison!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, his fingers ceasing their tapping and pressing heavily on the armrest: "Mr. Sun is telling the truth! This mess in Korea can't be allowed to rot any longer! King Joseon wants to save it, but the Jurchens want to stop it! But how can we save it? How can we stop it?" He turned his gaze to Wang Zaijin, "Wang Benbing, you're in charge of the Ministry of War, tell me, how many troops, horses, and provisions are needed to aid Korea?"

Wang Zaijin inwardly groaned, knowing there was no way to avoid it, so he had no choice but to step forward and say, “Your Majesty, if we are to send troops to the capital, even if it is just to defend Ganghwa Island and contain the slave troops, we will need at least 20,000 elite soldiers. The cost of provisions and equipment is also enormous. But the national treasury is currently in dire need of funds… the nine border regions are still in arrears with their pay, and we are really… stretched thin.”

"I know the national treasury is empty!" Chongzhen interrupted him, raising his voice slightly. "However, I summoned you here today not to hear you complain about being poor! I'm here to tell you that I have a way to sustain our aid to Korea against the Jurchens without immediately depleting the Ming Dynasty's coffers!"

He winked at Wang Chengen, who was standing to his side. Wang Chengen immediately distributed several memorials to several ministers. They were letters of appeal from Korea, as well as a secret report from Zhou Yingqiu, the Southeast Coastal Inspector, about Zheng Yiguan's current situation.

After they had finished looking at it, Chongzhen stood up, walked to the huge map of the world in the hall, and pointed precisely at the inconspicuous island at the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula.

"The key is money!" Chongzhen turned around, his eyes sharp. "Without money, everything we say is just empty talk! I've calculated it. To protect Korea and prevent the Jurchens from doing as they please, we need to invest at least one million taels of silver every year! The court can't come up with that money right now."

Huang Lijie immediately chimed in, his face filled with concern for the country and its people: "Your Majesty is wise! However, a million taels of silver is like stars in the sky—visible but intangible. Where did it come from?"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded. Huang Liji's response was quite good—the silver of the Ming Dynasty was indeed visible but intangible! However, this was only temporary!
He coughed lightly and said in a serious tone, "If the imperial court doesn't have it, the people of the world do! That Zheng Yiguan in the southeastern sea has a thousand ships and is richer than a country. I plan to 'mortgage' Jeju Island, which belongs to Korea, to him and borrow one million taels of silver from him. The money will be used specifically to fight the Jurchens in Korea!"

A deathly silence fell over the hall. Huang Lijie, Sun Chengzong, Wang Zaijin, and Zhang Zhiji all knew Chongzhen's thoughts. However, they remained silent, simply watching Yuan Keli—the betrayal of Korea didn't require discussion within the Ming court; the key lay in whether Old Master Yuan Keli could "persuade" King Yi to sell the island and surrender.

Yuan Keli was stunned for a long time before recovering. He clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty! This old minister...this old minister is foolish and truly does not understand! The Celestial Empire governs the four barbarian tribes with benevolence and virtue. How is this any different from forceful seizure and plunder? How can this be the benevolent act of a sage ruler? This old minister implores Your Majesty to reconsider!"

Emperor Chongzhen looked at them, the smile on his face vanished. This old man Yuan's thinking was out of touch with the times! This was no longer an era where barbarian tribes depended on the Ming Dynasty, but an era where vassal states had to pledge their loyalty to the Ming Dynasty!

Old man, even an excellent feudal bureaucrat needs to keep up with the times!
"National system? Benevolence and righteousness?" Chongzhen's voice turned cold. "Old Yuan, tell me, is it more important to these empty titles, or to actually hold back the Jurchens and preserve the Ming Dynasty's territory? I'm asking you, what do we need to destroy the Jurchens?"

Without waiting for an answer, he answered his own question, each word striking like a hammer blow: "It's nothing more than three things: silver, grain, and human lives! As long as the quantity is sufficient, I don't believe we can't destroy Huang Taiji! Now, there's a ready-made opportunity to use the lives and land of Korea to exchange for silver to overwhelm the Jurchens. What's wrong with that? What's wrong with that? It's only right for King Yi of Korea to use his own land and lives to serve the Ming Dynasty!"

He looked again at the bewildered Yuan Keli, his tone softening: "Elder Yuan, you are getting on in years, and I shouldn't be putting you through this. But the nation is in dire straits, and I trust your loyalty and maturity. My mind is made up; I will establish the 'Aid-to-Korea Supervisory Office,' stationed on Ganghwa Island, to oversee all matters related to the Korean resistance against the aggression. This important responsibility of overseeing the nation is best entrusted to you!" Yuan Keli suddenly looked up, his face filled with astonishment.

Regent?

The Ming Dynasty never sent a regent to Korea!
Chongzhen didn't give him a chance to refuse and continued, "When you go to Korea, you will do two things! First, help King Joseon resist the slaves, resist them honorably and openly! Resist them with great fanfare! Even if we fight to the last Korean, the Ming Dynasty will never give up Korea as a base for resisting the slaves! Second, ensure that everyone in Korea, especially King Joseon, is loyal to the cause of resisting the slaves!"

He paused, then said, “Mr. Yuan, you shouldn’t have any concerns. Since King Li is loyal, he should offer his loyalty to the Ming Dynasty and bear the consequences he should for the greater cause of resisting the Jurchens. If King Li is disloyal… then the cost of defending Korea should be borne by Korea itself! As for King Li’s desire to surrender to the Jurchens…”

Emperor Chongzhen sneered, "That's not allowed! Yang Sichang has already 'invited' him to Ganghwa Island. The Ming Dynasty will naturally help him save face and fulfill the duties of a loyal minister!"

These words stripped away the very concept of "loyalty and righteousness," leaving Sun Chengzong pale and Yuan Keli stunned, trembling slightly as he struggled to comprehend the emperor's "advanced feudalist ideas."
Chongzhen's progressive thinking was clear and easy to understand. To summarize, it was about prioritizing the overall situation and sparing no expense. The overall situation, of course, was Chongzhen's overall situation! As for the cost, King Yi of Joseon either had to pay the price or become the price—a choice between two options—his father and his ruler were still quite reasonable.

Huang Lijie and Zhang Zhiji exchanged a glance and immediately shouted, "Your Majesty is wise! For the sake of the world and the overall situation, this extraordinary measure should be taken! We second that proposal!"

Wang Zaijin pondered for a while. As long as the core of the Ji, Liao, Xuan, and Da regions remained untouched, there would still be extra silver to use to restrain the Jurchens. He had no objection to making things difficult for Korea. So he also cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is far-sighted. If this plan succeeds, it can indeed alleviate the pressure on Liaodong. I believe it should be implemented."

Sun Chengzong tried to persuade him further, but Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand dismissively: "Mr. Sun, this method of mine is to save money for the court and reduce the burden on the poor people of our Great Ming! You are a good official of the Great Ming, and you love the people of the Great Ming like your own children!"

I am using the money from Joseon and Jeong Il-gwan to do things for the Ming Dynasty! In this way, the people of our Ming Dynasty will not have to bear so many additional taxes and levies. I have decided that this year, the Liaodong tax levy will not be collected in any of the northern provinces!

Later, we will also need to reform the tax system, implementing benevolent policies such as collecting grain in the north and silver in the south, all of which will come at a price!

"Yes, I am a good official of the Ming Dynasty!" Sun Chengzong immediately understood. Doing good deeds always comes at a price! These days, the winds and rains in the north are unpredictable, and the people are barely surviving. Abolishing levies and reforming the tax system would benefit the people, but the court would definitely suffer. What to do about the court's deficit? It would have to be covered by others.
Sun Chengzong sighed, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty is benevolent; then let the Koreans suffer a bit!"

Hearing Sun Chengzong say this, Yuan Keli thought to himself: "It seems the eunuch faction and the Donglin Party in the court have already colluded to frame the Joseon Dynasty's Yi family, right? Fine then. Since you've all agreed, I, the old man, will not speak up for Yi Zong. As Mencius once said: 'The ruler is the least important, the people are the most important, and the state is next.' There is no Joseon!" Having understood the implications, Old Master Yuan immediately said respectfully, "Your Majesty's good intentions are understood by this old minister."

"Excellent! You are indeed a capable official!" Emperor Chongzhen laughed and said, "Minister Yuan, the court has recommended you to be the commander-in-chief of the Korean campaign. I have decided to grant you the title of Minister of War, and appoint you as the governor-general of the Korean and Dengzhou-Laizhou military affairs, and as the supervising commander-in-chief of the expedition to Korea!"

“This old minister accepts the decree!” Yuan Keli did not refuse. He was a man of action and was familiar with the situation in Korea, Dengzhou, Laizhou, and Liaodong. He immediately bowed and accepted the decree.

"Ma Chengen!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Ma Chengen quickly knelt down.

"I hereby appoint you as the Commander-in-Chief of the Aid to Korea, and select three thousand elite troops from Xuanfu and Datong, along with two thousand Imperial Guards, to accompany Commander-in-Chief Yuan to Korea! Remember, your primary task is not to fight the Jurchens recklessly, but to help the Koreans and keep the war going. The longer the better, fight to the last Korean!"

(End of this chapter)