How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 317 Zu Dashou's Ultimate Surrender, Emperor Chongzhen Who Commands the Wind and Rain

The Ming army camp in Xiaoling River Valley was deathly still.

Snowflakes, carried by the wind, pelted against the tents with a soft thud. Few people were seen moving about in the camp; occasionally, a few soldiers would hurry past, their necks hunched, their faces pale and sickly. The stables were mostly empty, with only a few thin horses listlessly chewing on dry hay.

Inside the central command tent, the charcoal fire burned weakly, casting a dim light.

Zu Dashou sat in the main seat, wrapped in an old fur robe. His face was so thin it was almost unrecognizable, and his eyes were sunken, but when he looked at someone, they were still like knives. His son, Zu Zerun, and several trusted generals sat below him, all with solemn expressions, and no one spoke.

The tent flap was lifted, and a gust of cold wind rushed in. A guard led two men in. The one in front was a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar, with a fair complexion, bright eyes, a dog-skin hat on his head, and a long, thin braid hanging down his back. Behind him was a guard with a sword at his side.

The visitor bowed respectfully and said, "I am Fan Wencheng, and I have come to pay my respects to General Zu on the orders of the Great Khan."

Zu Dashou didn't get up, but merely raised his eyelids slightly: "Mr. Fan? Please sit down."

Fan Wencheng sat down in the guest seat, his hands tucked into his sleeves, a perfectly measured look of worry on his face: "General, you've lost weight. On my journey here, I've seen the soldiers in the camp... Alas, the weather is freezing, and supplies are scarce; they've truly suffered."

Zu Dashou sneered, his voice hoarse: "Hard work? Mr. Fan, are you here to laugh at me?" He suddenly stood up. "Come on, I'll take Mr. Fan to see what hard work really means!"

Without waiting for Fan Wencheng's reply, he walked straight out of the tent. Fan Wencheng had no choice but to follow.

Zu Dashou led him slowly through the camp. In the camp, several emaciated soldiers were gathered around a large pot, inside which was cooking something unidentifiable, emitting a foul odor. In a nearby corner, a pile of horse bones lay.

"See that?" Zu Dashou pointed to the pot. "Those are the warhorses that were slaughtered yesterday... Before that, there were brothers who starved to death." His voice wasn't loud, but it struck like a hammer blow to the heart. "I, Zu Dashou, have let down these brothers who risked their lives with me! The grain is long gone! Reinforcements? We haven't seen a single one! Emperor Chongzhen... he's probably already forgotten about us!"

Looking at the scene before him, Fan Wencheng's face paled. He sighed, "General, your loyalty and bravery are evident to heaven and earth. Your current predicament is not due to a lack of skill. Our lord, the Great Khan, has always respected you as a person, as the saying goes, 'A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on.' He sent me here because he could not bear to see you perish with tens of thousands of soldiers. He wanted to find a way for our brothers to survive."

Zu Dashou stared intently at him: "A way out? How do you mean to survive?"

Back in the main tent, the charcoal fire seemed even weaker. Zu Dashou dismissed his attendants, leaving only Zu Zerun. Only the three of them remained in the tent.

"Mr. Fan, let's be frank," Zu Dashou asked directly, "What can Huang Taiji offer me?"

Fan Wencheng sat up straight and said solemnly, "The Khan has said that if the general returns, he will be treated as an honored guest! The lives of your soldiers are safe, and their official positions and salaries will all be retained..."

Zu Dashou interrupted him, his tone resolute: "Enough with the empty talk! If we're going to talk, let's talk about something concrete!"

He took a deep breath and began to reveal his price:

"First, I must lead these brothers under my own command! The battalion structure will remain unchanged, and the banner can be changed to yours, but it must be different! The garrison will be right here on the front line of western Liaoning, and Xiaolinghe and Dalinghe will both be under my control!"

Fan Wencheng nodded: "This matter... I believe the Great Khan will understand. The army is the foundation of a general, and this is only right."

"Secondly," Zu Dashou held up two fingers, "100,000 shi of life-saving rations, not a single grain less! From now on, every year, 500,000 taels of silver will be provided for military pay, and armor, firearms, and horses will be supplied in full according to the standards for soldiers!"

Fan Wencheng looked troubled and pondered for a moment before saying, "The provisions and pay are matters of great importance to the military and the country, and the amount is enormous... I need to report back to the Great Khan for a decision, but I will do my best to fight for it for the general."

"Third!" Zu Dashou raised his voice, "I, Zu Dashou, may serve Huang Taiji as my lord, but he must clearly state in a state letter that I am granted the title of 'Iron-Cap 'King of Liao,' a hereditary title! I will establish a fiefdom, guard Liaoxi, and the title will be hereditary!"

"King of Liao?" Fan Wencheng's eyes twitched, and he forced a smile, "General, the title of king is no small matter, it concerns the national system, and I'm afraid we need to consider it carefully... But the Great Khan will definitely treat you with the highest title, making you the most powerful minister, with unparalleled honor and favor!"

Zu Dashou snorted coldly, leaned forward, and threw out the most deadly one:
"Fourth! Western Liaoning is sparsely populated, and my tens of thousands of troops need a base! I request that Huang Taiji allocate 100,000 households of Han Chinese who are enslaved in the manors and mines of Liaodong and Southern Liaoning to my jurisdiction! They are all subjects of the Ming Dynasty, and it is right and proper for them to be under my command!"

"What?!" Fan Wencheng stood up abruptly, his face changing drastically. "General! This is absolutely unacceptable! This would shake the very foundation of our Great Jin Kingdom! The princes of each banner would never agree to this! If this proposal is raised, the peace treaty will collapse immediately!"

The atmosphere inside the tent instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Zu Dashou stared at him, then suddenly laughed, a laugh filled with grief and despair: "Mr. Fan... it seems there's no point in talking?"

He slowly stood up, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his voice hoarse: "My ancestor, Da Shou, has nowhere left to retreat! Without land and people, my tens of thousands of troops are like rootless duckweed! If we surrender today, won't we be at the mercy of others tomorrow? If that's the case..."

He suddenly drew his sword, its cold light flashing as the tip pointed straight out of the tent: "I'd rather lead my men to fight Ajige to the death, to mutual destruction, than live a life of ignominy and ultimately die without a proper burial!"

Fan Wencheng was forced to take a half step back by Zu Dashou's resolute aura, sweat beading on his forehead. He knew that Zu Dashou had been driven to the brink and was about to fight to the death.

Silence. Only the occasional crackling of the embers.

Fan Wencheng took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. He knew he couldn't push Zu Dashou to the brink of rebellion, or all his previous efforts would be in vain.

“General…please calm down.” He sat down again, his tone softening. “I lost my temper just now. Your concerns are valid. How about this…”

He carefully considered the wording and began to bargain:
"I will fight to the death for the title of 'King of Liao' upon my return to Shenyang! Right now, may we ask the Great Khan to first appoint the General as a high-ranking official 'overseeing all military and civilian affairs in western Liao,' with power equivalent to a vassal king? What do you think?"

"It is difficult to comply with the order of 100,000 Han people. However... the Great Khan can order that all Han people who flee to Liaoxi in the future shall be settled and managed by the General, and no banner shall obstruct or demand them. This is a policy of 'borrowing land to support people'. The General can recruit them himself, and in time, the population will increase on its own."

"As for provisions, pay, and weapons, I can make the decision to allocate 50,000 shi of grain and half of the pay to alleviate the immediate crisis! The remainder will be fully replenished after the general's relocation and stabilization!"

Fan Wencheng looked at Zu Dashou expectantly: "General, this is the limit of what I can agree to, and it also shows the greatest sincerity of our Great Khan! I hope the General will reconsider!"

Zu Dashou stood rooted to the spot, knife in hand, his chest heaving violently. He glanced at Fan Wencheng, then at the gray sky outside the tent, his facial muscles twitching, his eyes filled with an extremely complex mix of emotions. There was anger, resentment, despair, and also a trace of... struggle. For a long, long time.

He seemed to have all his strength drained away; his hand loosened, and the waist knife clattered to the ground. He slumped back into his chair, his whole body hunched over, his voice so low it was almost inaudible:

"That's enough...that's enough..."

"For these few thousand... brothers who risked their lives with me..."

"My ancestor's birthday... I accept it..."

He raised his head, his eyes devoid of light, only filled with exhaustion: "As you say, sir. But Huang Taiji must personally bestow an oath, to be offered to Heaven and Earth, to ensure the safety of my entire army! In addition, 50,000 shi of grain must be delivered immediately! My army... is running low on grain. Upon receiving the grain, I will order... to lay down their weapons."

Fan Wencheng felt a great weight lifted from his heart and quickly bowed: "I obey your command! I will return to Shenyang immediately and report to the Great Khan! The oath and the grain will be delivered as quickly as possible!"

After the matter was settled, Fan Wencheng dared not linger and immediately left the Xiaolinghe camp with his guards, braving the wind and snow.

Zu Dashou saw him off at the camp, watching the carriage disappear into the snow, his face expressionless.

Back in the main tent, Zu Zerun hurriedly closed the door and whispered, "Father, are we really going to..."

Zu Dashou raised his hand to stop him. He walked to the charcoal brazier, warmed his hands by the fire, and the firelight illuminated his thin and resolute profile.

“Zerun,” he said calmly, yet with an undeniable authority, “has the messenger… been sent out?”

Zu Zerun took a step closer and lowered his voice even further: "I just sent it out. I had Zu Laosan take the secret message, cross the western mountain, and take a shortcut towards Ningyuan."

Zu Dashou nodded, his gaze peering through the gap in the tent flap toward the south, past Ningyuan, then Shanhaiguan, and then Huai'an.

“Tell the Emperor…” he uttered softly, as if speaking to his son, or perhaps to himself, “The fish has taken the bait.”

Twelve days later, late at night.

In the duty room of the Huai'an Imperial Palace, the candlelight flickered.

Emperor Chongzhen sat alone before a desk piled high with memorials. Most of them were urging for payment of taxes and reporting disasters, their words revealing urgency. The governors and censors of the southeastern provinces were all talking about soaring grain prices and the hardships faced by the people, implicitly pointing to the additional likin tax he had levied in Jiangbei and the river works he had promoted.

The sound of footsteps was soft.

The eunuch Wang Chengen, who was in charge of writing, quietly entered, holding a small wax pellet stained with mud in his hands, and spoke in a very low voice:

"Your Majesty, this is a newly released wax-ball book from Liaoxi."

Emperor Chongzhen's gaze sharpened, and he put down his vermilion brush. He took the wax pill, squeezed it tightly with his fingertips to break the sealing wax, and took out a thin piece of paper tightly rolled inside.

The paper contained only a few words, reporting the results of the negotiations, and ended with a coded message:
"The fish has taken the bait."

Emperor Chongzhen stared at those four characters for a long time. His face showed no joy; instead, his brows furrowed slightly, and his fingers tapped lightly on the desk.

It's done. Zu Dashou has taken this step successfully.

But the real challenge is yet to come.

He raised his eyes, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the walls, looking towards Nanjing. Over the past twelve days, secret reports from all over the southeast had poured in like snowflakes. The nobles and wealthy merchants were becoming increasingly active. Under the guise of "procuring materials for river works," they were massively buying up and hoarding grain, timber, and bluestone, causing market prices to rise daily, almost 30% higher than at the beginning of the month. They were like a group of sharks that had smelled blood, waiting for their fatal blow.

And this fatal blow was the news of the "defeat in western Liaoning"!

Once the official report of Zu Dashou's "surrender" and Xiaolinghe's "fall" arrives, these people will surely seize the opportunity to stir up trouble, drive up prices, create chaos in Jiangbei, and force him to bow down!

Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Chongzhen's eyes.

He suddenly spoke, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable weight:
"Li Guo".

"Your subject is here!" Li Guo, the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who was on duty outside the palace, responded and entered.

Chongzhen looked at him and said in a deep voice:
"Go and fetch Xu Chengye and Chang Yansi. They should come now."

"Yes!" Li Guo replied without hesitation, turning around and quickly leaving.

Silence returned to the hall. Chongzhen slowly brought the thin piece of paper with the secret letter written on it to the candlelight. The flame licked at the corner of the paper, spreading rapidly until it was reduced to a small pile of ashes.

He stood up, walked to the window, and opened it. The cold night wind rushed in instantly, making the candlelight flicker wildly.

The storms in the southeast are coming.

However, only Zhu Youjian could command the wind and rain!

(End of this chapter)