How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 325 In another year and a half, the Yellow River and Huai River will breach their banks again!
"What does 'concealing one's abilities and biding one's time' mean?" Qian Qianyi asked himself, answering his own question. "It means letting the Emperor see that under his rule, the southeast has more grain and money than in previous years, and the administration is smoother than in previous years. Minister Zheng, your Ministry of Revenue must pay every penny of the grain and salt taxes due this year, and the accounts must be even more impressive and efficient than in previous years. Governor Tang, you must take good care of your protégés and old friends in the local area to ensure that the 'Yellow River and Huai River diversion' project proceeds smoothly in Southern Zhili, with no one daring to obstruct or make things difficult, and it must be shown that it is the result of our gentry's strenuous assistance."

“Then…wouldn’t that be aiding the enemy?” Zhang Pu couldn’t help but ask.

“Wrong!” A glint of light flashed in Qian Qianyi’s eyes. “This is not only ‘showing weakness’ but also ‘showing goodwill.’ What the emperor wants is money and political achievements. If we give it to him readily and skillfully, he will realize that the southeast might not be able to function without us, and he might even think that we are ‘pragmatic’ and useful. This is called retreating to advance.”

"Then what about 'turning enemies into friends'?" Zheng Sanjun pressed.

"It's about befriending Xu Chengye," Qian Qianyi said. "This young man has suddenly risen to a high position, seemingly glamorous, but in reality, his foundation is shallow, and there's widespread resentment within his clan. He needs external support right now. We are all gentlemen; we shouldn't kick him when he's down, but rather treat him with courtesy. We should make all the documents and old files he needs for investigating land records readily available, and even proactively send familiar officials to assist him. If any of his clan members aspire to take the imperial examinations and enter officialdom, our students and old friends can also secretly help them. We need to make him feel that cooperating with us is far easier than being our enemy. Once he becomes one of us..."

He finally looked at Zhang Pu: "Shouxian, from today onwards, your 'Jiangnan Times' should praise the Emperor's wisdom and advocate the 'diversion of the Yellow and Huai Rivers' as a great achievement that benefits the country and the people for generations to come. As for the details of the new policies, let's leave them aside for now. The Emperor cannot stay in Southern Zhili forever. The Jurchens in Liaodong, disasters in the Northwest and Central Plains—aren't these all major threats? Once he returns north, the fate of the Southeast will ultimately depend on us gentry. Let's endure this moment of anger for a brighter future."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads, calming the three men's restless hearts. Although they were still unwilling, they had to admit that this was the safest and most promising strategy at the moment.

……

The air in the duty room of the Huai'an Imperial Palace was a few degrees colder than in Nanjing.

A huge map of Southern Zhili lay spread out on the table. Emperor Chongzhen's brows furrowed deeply, and he pointed heavily at the confluence of the Yellow River and the Huai River. Wei Zhongxian, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, stood by with his hands at his sides, not daring to utter a sound.

Standing at the lower end were two people: one was Zhang Zhiji, the Duke of England, who was appointed by Emperor Chongzhen as the head of the river transport department; the other was an elderly man with gray hair and a thin face, Shen Shiliang, a master of river engineering and the head of the Nanjing Ministry of Works.

"Minister Shen," Chongzhen began, his voice heavy with urgency, "how large is the project to be done on this new waterway? How much money and laborers will it require? Give me a concrete figure, in detail, and calculate it realistically."

He doesn't have much time left!
It is now the sixth year of the Chongzhen reign—the disasters of the sixth year were "locusts, drought, and plague," while the floods were not too severe. However, in the seventh year of the Chongzhen reign, there will be "floods, droughts, locusts, and plagues" again! At that time, the Yellow and Huai Rivers will collapse again, and Xuzhou, Suiyang, and Sizhou will be flooded. Among them, Suiyang will be flooded for several months, Xuzhou for three years, and Sizhou will still be submerged in water in the 21st century!

Shen Shiliang took a deep breath and pointed to a thick line marked in red ink on the map: "Your Majesty, according to the repeated calculations by your ministers and craftsmen, this new waterway draws water from the Yellow River from Qingjiangpu, passes through Andong and Haizhou in the northeast, and enters the sea outside Yunti Pass. The total length is about 230 li."

He paused, his voice a little dry: "The proposed river channel is 20 zhang wide at the bottom and 2 zhang deep, with a slope ratio of 1:15. The total amount of earthwork to be excavated is approximately 26 million cubic meters."

When the number was announced, the duty room fell into an eerie silence. Sweat instantly beaded on Zhang Zhiji's forehead, and even Wei Zhongxian held his breath.

Shen Shiliang forced himself to continue calculating: "Such a massive amount of earthwork, even if it were done through work-for-relief programs, would require money and grain for the laborers' food, the wear and tear on equipment, and the expenses for officials. My rough calculation shows that each cubic meter of earthwork would cost three qian of silver, which alone would require seven million eight hundred thousand taels of silver! Add to that the need to build dozens of sluice gates and floodgates along the way to regulate the water flow, the countless stones and wooden stakes required, the need to requisition land and compensate for the relocation of people... all these miscellaneous expenses will require at least three million taels!"

He kowtowed deeply: "Your Majesty, the total budget for this project will likely exceed 10.8 million taels of silver! If we want it completed quickly, the cost will be even greater! Moreover, we will need to mobilize no fewer than 200,000 laborers every day to..."

Ten million eight hundred thousand taels was an enormous sum for the Chongzhen Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!
However, compared to the great flood of the seventh year of Chongzhen's reign, the Huai River which breached its banks on average once every year and a half, and the drought during the Little Ice Age, the loss of at least tens of millions of acres of arable land along the banks of the Huai River that could have been cultivated, 10.8 million acres is nothing!
"I understand." Chongzhen interrupted him, his voice unusually calm, yet carrying an unwavering resolve. "I will find a way to manage the finances and provisions. I will entrust the construction to you. I have only one request: the new canal must be completed before the Peach Blossom Flood of the seventh year of Chongzhen's reign, capable of diverting most of the Yellow River's water!"

Zhang Zhiji and Shen Shiliang were both stunned. A year and a half? Ten million taels of silver, as if their entire fortune had been emptied? This was simply... they didn't know how to describe it!
"Your Majesty!" Shen Shiliang said urgently, "The project is enormous, and it is not suitable to carry out construction during the flood season or the cold winter. Such a construction period and such expenditure are simply... absolutely unacceptable!"

"I know it's difficult!" Chongzhen suddenly stood up, his gaze sharp as he swept over the two men. "But time waits for no one! In the past sixty years, the Huai River has breached its banks forty times, averaging once every year and a half! If it doesn't breach this year, it will be its turn again next year! If the water isn't diverted soon, millions of lives on both banks will become fish and turtles!" Shen Shiliang was speechless. Could predicting a major flood in the Huai River be done by division?

"My mind is made up. You two just need to come up with a detailed plan, outlining how to divide the construction into sections and how to allocate manpower and resources. I need to see it as soon as possible! If there are any difficulties, speak up now, and I will resolve them. Once construction begins, any delays will be dealt with swiftly and decisively according to the law!"

The emperor's tone and eyes conveyed a tragic determination to defy fate. Zhang Zhiji and Shen Shiliang exchanged a glance, knowing there was no room for negotiation. They could only bow and accept the decree, their voices trembling: "Your subject... obeys! We will do our utmost to repay Your Majesty's grace!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded in satisfaction, but deep down he really had no idea what to expect.

Ten million eight hundred thousand taels!
In the sixth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the total revenue of the Ming Dynasty was not necessarily that high. Moreover, the sixth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign was a year of great disaster! Locusts, droughts, and plagues struck all at once, and the northwest and the central plains were already suffering from drought and were also being devoured by locusts.

If the promotion of sweet potatoes doesn't go well, another famine will sweep across the north, and there might even be banditry. Where are we going to get 10.8 million? Are we going to borrow from big money houses like Huangzhuang, Qin Jinyuan, Lu Shengfeng, Bawangzhuang, and Caoyanzongzhuang?

This has truly become a national debt case for the Ming Dynasty.
……

Around the same time, on the Yangtze River, a fleet consisting of several large, uniquely shaped, and battle-hardened ocean-going ships and two Fujian-style ships was slowly sailing towards the Xiaguan Wharf in Nanjing. The river wind was biting, and the exotic flags on the bows of the ships fluttered in the wind.

At the bow of the flagship stood several figures dressed in attire strikingly different from those in China. The leader, a man around fifty years old, with a solemn face and deep gaze, wore elaborate Mughal Empire noble robes; he was the chief envoy of the mission, Mizar, the principal tutor of Prince Aurangzeb. Beside him was a short, stocky, and capable young general, the deputy envoy, Amir Khan.

On the Ming side, the person in charge of guiding and escorting them was Sun Shouli, a trusted subordinate of Wang Chengen and a eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Pointing to the increasingly clear and majestic outline of Nanjing in the distance, Eunuch Sun's high-pitched voice carried a hint of pride: "Mr. Mizar, that's Nanjing, the secondary capital of our Great Ming Dynasty. Our Emperor is currently on a southern tour and is staying in Southern Zhili. You should be able to see him soon."

Mizar gazed at the colossal Eastern city, far larger and more prosperous than Delhi and Agra, his eyes filled with barely suppressed awe. However, his purpose in coming to the Ming Dynasty was not to visit Nanjing, but to propose marriage on behalf of Aurangzeb to Princess Sarintuya, a direct descendant of the Golden Family. Of course, he first needed to confirm whether this princess was indeed a true descendant of the Golden Family!
Thinking of this, he asked Sun Shouli, "Do you know if Princess Sarentuya of the Golden Family is in Nanjing?"

“She shouldn’t be there,” Sun Shouli said with a smile. “We’ve received news that the princess has already returned to the grasslands with Empress Dowager Sutai and Prince Altan.”

"Grassland? What...grassland?"

"Of course, it's the Mongolian grasslands south of the Gobi Desert!"

Upon hearing this news, Mizar's eyes lit up. A Mongolian princess from the southern Mongolian steppe? Could that be fake? The southern Mongolian steppe—that's the birthplace of the Mongols!
"Are there many Mongolians on the southern Mongolian grasslands?" Mizar asked again.

“Of course!” said Eunuch Sun, “That place is full of Tartars and Mongols!”

This is wonderful. Mizar thought to himself: This time, we must invite three to five thousand genuine Mongols to India and Mongolia—Emperor Shah Jahan has already said: Mongolia must have Mongols!

(End of this chapter)