How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 316 Let the common people suffer, and you will bear the infamy!
It's just dawn.

Outside the city of Daning, the Ming army's positions were filled with a grim atmosphere.

Sun Zushou stood on a small earthen mound, gazing at the blurry battlements in the distance. He raised his hand and suddenly swung it downwards.

"fire!"

The command flag was lowered.

boom! Boom boom boom!
A dozen or so new bronze cannons and the battalion's 300-pound general cannons spat fire almost simultaneously. The cannon fire was continuous, like rolling thunder crushing the earth. The scorching iron balls whistled as they crashed towards the walls of Daning City.

Some cannons were chained and specifically targeted the arrow towers on the city walls. The wooden towers were shattered into countless pieces. Others used solid shot, which slammed into the brick and stone walls, leaving white craters and causing dust to fall from the battlements.

On the city wall, Prince Dudu, who was guarding Daning, was covered in dust and dirt, stunned by the sudden and fierce artillery fire. He brandished his saber and shouted to quell the chaotic Mongol soldiers and a few bannermen, but under the bombardment, he had little effect.

The bombardment lasted for almost half an hour. Several cracks appeared in the city wall, and half of a corner tower collapsed, emitting black smoke.

Man Gui, carrying a knife, approached Sun Zushou and asked, "General, shall I take some men up there and take a look?"

Sun Zushou shook his head: "No rush. Cao Bianjiao!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Cao Bianjiao exclaimed, brimming with energy.

"Take your men and escort the arquebusiers and shield bearers of the first battalion of infantry to the moat. Fire them down! Let's see how much backbone the Tartars have left!"

"Order!"

Cao Bianjiao mounted his horse and, leading over a thousand cavalrymen, along with seven or eight hundred musketeers and two or three hundred shield and spearmen, charged to within a hundred paces of the city walls under the cover of artillery fire. The crackling of gunfire erupted, and bullets rained down on the city walls, pinning the defenders to their feet.

Occasionally, the defending soldiers would risk their lives to fire arrows, but these were blocked by the Ming army's shields.

After probing for almost an hour, Cao Bianjiao finally led his men to retreat.

"General, there are quite a few soldiers defending the city, but they are a bit disorganized. However, they can still hold out. If we launch a direct assault, we're afraid we'll suffer a lot of casualties."

Sun Zushou nodded: "Understood. Order the artillery to switch to chain shot and mortar shells, and bombard the enemy towers and weak points in the city walls! The infantry will be divided into three squads, taking turns to harass them, not letting them catch their breath!"

He looked around at his generals and said, "This time, we're not here to fight to the death. We're here to turn this city of Daning into a thorn in Huang Taiji's side! We'll make him feel pain, make him panic, and make him transfer all his troops from elsewhere to me!"

"understand!"

The Ming army's artillery fire slowed to a moderate pace, but never ceased. Infantry squads took turns firing, then retreated after a burst of gunfire. The defenders on the walls of Daming were exhausted from the onslaught.

At the same time, the Ming army also dispatched a portion of its cavalry to sweep around Daning City, and launched a heavy attack on any Mongol tribes that were affiliated with the Later Jin!
However, they did not completely surround Daning City, but instead laid out a three-sided encirclement with one side open.

While organizing people to repair the city's defenses, Prince Dudu in Daning City also quickly dispatched his most capable Niru Ejen, carrying a letter requesting reinforcements. Escorted by a dozen Eight Banner soldiers, he braved the wind and snow and rushed towards Shenyang.

……

Three days later, in the afternoon, the charcoal fire in the Shenyang Palace was quite warm.

Huang Taiji had just finished his meal and was discussing the matter of persuading Zu Dashou to surrender with Fan Wencheng and Gang Lin. Negotiations between Ajige and Zu Dashou were stalled, but Jinzhou wasn't far from Shenyang, so news would arrive the next day.

Zu Dashou's offer was shockingly high. Not only did he want to control the land in Xiaolinghe, but he also demanded the land in Dalinghe to the north, and even asked for 100,000 shi of wheat. This wasn't surrender; it was practically making Huang Taiji pay him!

Huang Taiji was seething with anger. The area upstream of the Daling River was already barren, so giving it away was fine. But 100,000 shi of grain was no small sum. His Great Jin had plundered a lot during its years of conquests, but its expenses were even greater, and its foundation was weakened.

Just as he was pondering this, a guard hurried in and handed him a military report.

"Great Khan, an urgent message from Da Ning, traveling 600 li."

Huang Taiji took the letter and casually opened it, his expression initially calm. But as he read, his brows furrowed, his face darkened, and his fingers gripping the letter turned white. He slammed the letter on the table, his voice laced with anger: "Du Du... is in danger!"

Fan Wencheng and Gang Lin both felt a chill run down their spines. For the Khan to lose his composure like this, something serious must have happened in Da Ning.

"Great Khan, what about Daning..." Fan Wencheng asked cautiously.

Huang Taiji took a breath and pushed the mud-splattered military report over, his voice a little hoarse: "Look for yourselves! Sun Zushou... this isn't a small-scale operation, he's used his last reserves! Tens of thousands of troops, with heavy artillery, have besieged Da Ning, attacking day and night! The city walls have cracked in several places, and Du Du's troops have lost nearly 20%! In his letter, he said... if reinforcements don't arrive within twenty days, the city definitely won't hold, and he... he's prepared to die for the city!"

Fan Wencheng and Gang Lin rushed over to see what was happening, and their faces turned pale afterward. Dudu was a prince of the imperial clan; if he were to die in battle, Daming would fall, and the nearby Mongol tribes would surely descend into chaos. Ajige's flank, which was besieging Zu Dashou, would also be completely exposed! This was no longer just a border threat; it was a threat to the very foundation of the nation!

"Save them! We must save them immediately!" Huang Taiji suddenly stood up, pacing back and forth in the hall, his chest heaving. "Send the order! Tell Dorgon... to stop attacking Fuzhou, the entire army must retreat. The Korean Green Standard Army will defend Gaizhou and Haizhou, and all the Banner troops will go there."

But the words caught in his throat. His facial muscles twitched, and his heart pounded like oil. Fuzhou! This was the second time they'd attacked; how much grain and lives had they sacrificed? The city was on the verge of falling; to give up now would mean all their previous efforts were for naught! He'd even forcibly requisitioned grain during the floods in the eight prefectures of Korea for this campaign—a complete waste of resources. If they retreated in disgrace, without any gains, what would the princes of the various banners think? Where would he put his face?

"But if we don't save Daning... if Dudu is gone, the western front will collapse, and the consequences will be unimaginable!" Huang Taiji closed his eyes in anguish, caught in a dilemma.

The hall was quiet.

Fan Wencheng and Gang Lin exchanged a glance, knowing they needed to find a way to save face for the Khan and break the deadlock.

Fan Wencheng stepped forward and bowed: "Great Khan, Da Ning must be saved, but the second battle against Fuzhou cannot be considered a defeat."

Huang Taiji suddenly opened his eyes, staring sharply at him: "Mr. Fan, do you have a way? Can you be in two places at once?"

"This servant didn't mean to split up, but rather to... switch things around, start a new game, and use a great achievement to make up for a small regret!" Fan Wencheng lowered his voice. "Great Khan, there is a ready-made great achievement right now, within easy reach! If we succeed, not only will it offset the loss of giving up Fuzhou, but it will also allow the Great Jin to gain a large area of ​​Liaoxi for free!"

"Oh?" Huang Taiji frowned. "You mean... Zu Dashou?"

"Exactly!" Fan Wencheng said with certainty. "Ajige Beile reports that Zu Dashou is at his wit's end and has started killing and eating horses, causing his army's morale to plummet. The main force of the Ming army is in Daming, and Chongzhen certainly doesn't have the strength to save him. Now is the perfect time to offer him surrender! If Zu Dashou is willing to bring his men over, the Jin will instantly gain tens of thousands more elite troops, and we can get them for free..."

He paused, then emphasized, "We got the Xiaoling River for free, along with a huge mountainous area upstream of the Daling River to the north! All you can think of is that most of western Liaoning is practically free!"

Huang Taiji was taken aback at first, then looked suspicious: "Most of western Liaoning? Fan Wencheng, don't try to fool me. Zu Dashou is hiding in that corner of Xiaoling River, upstream of Daling River. There's no one there since the city fell last year. It's deserted. How can you call it 'getting it for free'?"

Ganglin, who was standing nearby, suddenly understood and chimed in, "Great Khan, Mr. Fan is right! The upper reaches of the Daling River are currently just a piece of unclaimed wasteland. That's precisely why we can make a fuss about it! Doesn't Zu Dashou want that land? Let's grant it to him! In this way, it's as if he's the one who took over this territory for us! Nominally it belongs to him, but in reality... isn't it still up to you, Great Khan? We've expanded our territory without losing a single soldier!"

A glint flashed in Huang Taiji's eyes, and he understood everything. This was exchanging a worthless land deed for a capable warlord and a large buffer zone. But he immediately thought of Zu Dashou's demands, and his face darkened again: "But he also wants 100,000 shi of grain! Where are we going to come up with that right now?"

Fan Wencheng sighed, his tone helpless yet firm: "Great Khan, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. This grain... give it to us! Even if we have to tighten our belts, we must scrape together the resources! Let the people suffer a little, even if some starve to death. But if we can use this to defeat Zu Dashou and win this grand game in Liaoxi, this price is worth it! Once we win, will we still have to worry about food in the future?"

Gang Lin also bowed: "I second your opinion. Mr. Fan's plan is the only way to achieve the best of both worlds at present. Using Zu Dashou and the Liaoxi mountains to make up for the loss of Fuzhou is a win-win situation. It's like sacrificing a pawn to save the chariot, and even checkmate!"

Huang Taiji walked a few more steps with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Daning, Fuzhou, and Xiaolinghe on the map. The hall was eerily quiet.

Finally, he stopped, a resolute look flashing across his face.

"Good!" He let out a heavy sigh. "Do as you two say! Ganglin, go and draft an imperial edict for Dorgon... instructing him to send half of his troops back to reinforce Daning, and the other half... continue to keep an eye on Fuzhou. Don't launch a full-scale attack yet, just keep an eye on it!"

This is a more tactful order, providing an emergency solution without abandoning the problem.

He turned to Fan Wencheng, his eyes gleaming: "Mr. Fan!"

"The slave is here!"

"I'm entrusting the matter of persuading Zu Dashou to surrender entirely to you! You can offer him the land upstream of the Daling River! Grain... you can give him that too! But you must do your best to negotiate with him, and give him as little as possible! Tell him that the Great Jin is sincere, but its resources are meager, so tell him not to be too greedy! In short, do everything you can to bring him to my side!"

"Your servant obeys the decree!" Fan Wencheng bowed deeply, his eyes filled with a heavy responsibility. "I will do my utmost to persuade Zu Dashou to surrender and relieve the Great Khan's worries!"

Huang Taiji watched Fan Wencheng's retreating figure, then glanced at the gloomy sky outside the hall, silently praying: "Zu Dashou... the fate of the Great Jin Dynasty, my prestige, all rest on your shoulders this time. You... don't let me down again!"
(End of this chapter)