How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 44 Court Deliberations and Discussions on Controlling the Emperor? (Bonus Chapter at Midnight Tonight)

The hall was once again deathly silent.

Wang Zaijin, Sun Chengzong, and Li Banghua's expressions shifted rapidly. Chongzhen's last words struck them like a heavy hammer—"The country... in the end, belongs to those who can protect it!"

These words seem to imply that "the emperor is not born with a special destiny; the one with the strongest army and the most powerful horses is the one who becomes emperor."
Even if the Ming Dynasty is at its worst now, it is not as bad as the late Tang Dynasty with its regional warlordism and the Five Dynasties period. The Emperor's thinking is jumping a bit too fast.
Wang Zaijin frowned, his throat dry, and he forced out a sentence: "Your Majesty... this plan... is too shocking. Even if it has the effect of temporarily prolonging the country's reign like the regional military governors of the Tang Dynasty, its aftereffects are far-reaching..."

"A legacy of disaster?" Chongzhen interrupted abruptly, his gaze as calm as a still pool. "Minister Wang, you are knowledgeable in military affairs. I ask you, besides delegating power to the regional military governors, is there any other way to stabilize the situation in Liaoxi and Liaonan with just over two million taels of silver? If the court spends five million taels a year in Liaoxi and Liaonan... then what about the other eight border regions and twelve garrisons, and the 500,000 soldiers? Even if each soldier is only paid half a tael of silver per month, it would still cost three million taels a year! And that doesn't even include the generous salaries of cavalry and officers, as well as equipment and provisions."

He paused, his voice growing deeper: "And there's the Beijing Garrison, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the land and naval forces of the two capitals and thirteen provinces, and so many officials, so many princes and nobles... How much is the court's annual revenue? Now we're tearing down the walls of the twelve garrisons to patch up the hole in Liaodong, while forcibly levying taxes on Liaodong to squeeze the poor out of their money. How long can this last? One or two years might be enough to make the people suffer, and the border troops suffer, but what about five or six years, eight or nine years? Can the border troops not rebel? Can the poor not rebel?"

He turned his gaze to Sun Chengzong and Li Banghua: "Mr. Sun, Mr. Li, you two should also say something!"

Sun Chengzong's white beard trembled slightly. Of all the Liaodong governors, he had spent the most money. If the "fortress advance" plan to recover Liaodong were truly implemented, it would be impossible to complete without tens of millions of taels of military expenditure. The emperor's words struck a nerve. He sighed heavily: "Your Majesty... this old minister... has nothing to say. This strategy... though it does not conform to ancestral rules,... may indeed be the only feasible method at present. However... how to control it? How to prevent it from growing too powerful and causing chaos?"

Li Banghua, more pragmatic, took a deep breath and said, “Your Majesty, if it can truly be as Your Majesty says, with real pay to support real troops and defend real territory, it can indeed save huge sums of money and boost combat power. However, the power of the garrison commander is no small matter. How to select the garrison commander? How to assess their merits and demerits? How to prevent them from becoming too powerful and turning against the court? These details require utmost care!”

Seeing that the three men's attitudes had softened, Chongzhen felt reassured and a faint smile appeared on his face: "I will discuss the details with you all. But the general direction is settled! Your Excellency!"

Wang Zaijin trembled and bowed, replying, "This old minister is here."

"I hereby appoint you as Minister of War, with full authority to reorganize the military affairs of the five garrisons of Liaodong, Jizhou, Xuanfu, Datong, and Changping! Eliminate redundant soldiers, audit the payroll of those without actual pay, and clear up the military farms! Use the saved funds to replenish the four garrisons of Jizhou, Xuanfu, Datong, and Changping! As for Liaodong... just as I said, whoever can hold Jinzhou, Ningyuan, and Lushun will have it! Draft a proposal outlining the specific personnel and procedures as soon as possible!"

Wang Zaijin felt a heavy burden on his shoulders, but facing the emperor's trusting gaze, he could not refuse. He rose and bowed deeply, saying, "This old minister...accepts the decree! I will certainly do my utmost to live up to Your Majesty's expectations! However, this old minister has something else to say, but I don't know if I should say it..."

Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand: "Speak! Here in my court, those who speak are not punished!"

Wang Zaijin looked up to meet the emperor's gaze and said, word by word, "Your Majesty is wise! The establishment of the 'Three Feudatories' in Liaodong is a colossal policy that shakes the foundation of the nation and affects the northern border of the Ming Dynasty and even the overall situation of the world! To criticize one policy is to establish a new country! How can such a major matter not be discussed in court, but decided in secret by Your Majesty and a few other ministers in the palace?"

His tone grew increasingly earnest: "Without court deliberation, it's difficult to gather the wisdom of the ministers, weigh all the advantages and disadvantages, and even more difficult to win the hearts of the people! Without legitimacy and public opinion, even if the generals of Liaodong are tempted, what courage would they have to accept the reality of 'perpetual garrisoning'? Without a just cause, without proper justification, nothing can be accomplished. If the soldiers are uneasy, how can they wholeheartedly defend their territory? Moreover..."

He looked at Sun Chengzong and Li Banghua, and seeing the approval in their eyes, he continued, "...Moreover, this old minister's position as Minister of War is in charge of the nation's military affairs and is a crucial position in the central government. I humbly request Your Majesty to allow for a public selection process through court recommendation! In this way, the system will be sound, the people's hearts will be at ease, and this old minister...can then perform his duties with dignity!"

"Wang Benbing's words are absolutely right!" Sun Chengzong immediately seconded, stroking his beard and speaking earnestly, "Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have subdued treacherous officials and purified the court, at a time of great upheaval and numerous tasks awaiting restoration. At that time, Your Majesty acted with swift and decisive measures, making absolute decisions without court deliberation or recommendation, which was indeed a last resort, and we deeply agree. However..."

He then changed the subject: "Now that the treacherous faction has been subdued and the court situation has been initially stabilized, the issuance of government orders should gradually return to the right path. Our ancestors established the methods of court deliberation and court recommendation to seek 'public opinion' and 'prevent arbitrary decisions.' Your Majesty is a wise and sagacious ruler, and should naturally follow the path of righteousness and integrity. Important personnel matters, such as those concerning the military commanders and regional governors, and important national policies, such as the discussion of permanent garrisons, should not be bypassed through court deliberation and recommendation. Firstly, this would violate the established laws of our ancestors and might damage Your Majesty's sagacity and wisdom; secondly... people might become suspicious, which could hinder the implementation of new policies. I earnestly request Your Majesty to reconsider!"

Li Banghua also bowed deeply: "What Mr. Sun and Wang Benbing said are both wise and insightful views on governing the country, and every word comes from the public good. If Your Majesty can put the strategy of permanently garrisoning Liaodong and the selection of my men together in court for discussion and recommendation, so as to make it known to the world, clarify the status, and stabilize people's hearts, then the result will be twice as good with half the effort, and everything will be easy to do! I also believe that it is the right time!"

"The truth... is all here with you." Chongzhen spoke slowly, his voice low and unreadable.

The three veteran ministers were on tenterhooks, nervously watching the young emperor on the throne.

In a daze, Chongzhen's thoughts raced. He recalled the scene of purging the eunuch faction in his previous life—at that time, the officials were terrified, everyone felt insecure, and although Wei Zhongxian had fallen, his cronies still held deep roots. If he had naively held some kind of "court deliberation" back then, would the remnants of the eunuch faction have willingly voted to send their former colleagues, and even himself, to the executioner's block? The reshuffling of power is inherently a life-or-death struggle; public opinion simply cannot succeed. In this life, he had both punished and appeased Wei Zhongxian, and shown leniency to a large number of middle and lower-ranking officials—allowing them to pay fines and redeem land for their crimes, actively "recruiting dogs," and bringing Huang Lijie and others into the "Emperor's Party" as "the Emperor's loyal dogs"—wasn't this all for today!
Court deliberation and recommendation are naturally good. The ancestral methods have their merits. But the prerequisite is that the results of the deliberation and the candidates recommended must be "very much in line with my wishes"!
If the court were filled with "Donglin scholars," their minds brimming with sectarianism and bookish "the ways of the sages," then Emperor Chongzhen's decisions would likely be disrupted by the heated debates and overturned by factional infighting. That would be extremely unfortunate.

Therefore, the court had to retain a considerable number of former eunuchs who had once been loyal to Wei Zhongxian, had now paid their dues in silver, written confessions, and whose names were in the court's hands. They were spies, pawns, and, more importantly, leverage to tip the scales at crucial moments. Disobedient? Those confessions were death warrants, to be brought out and made public at any time, bringing them to prison and trial with just cause... Those who obeyed were naturally good officials who "redeemed themselves through merit."

The pool of power needs both the "clear water" of court deliberation and recommendation to cleanse its facade and demonstrate procedural legitimacy, and also the "undercurrents" that can stir up the silt and influence the situation, to ensure that the "clear water" ultimately flows to where it is needed.

"...The strategy for Liaodong concerns the fate of the nation. Minister Wang's concerns are absolutely correct and must be discussed in court." Emperor Chongzhen finally raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the three men, his expression calm. "The words of Mr. Sun and Minister Li are wise and insightful, and they are invaluable advice. At this time when the new dynasty is just beginning to take shape, the issuance of decrees must indeed be more open and aboveboard to reassure the hearts of the people."

He paused slightly, then adopted a conciliatory stance: "Granted!"

"The position of Minister of War is a crucial one for selecting military officers in the nation, and it concerns the rise and fall of military affairs throughout the country. Your Majesty is in Jin!" He stared sharply at him.

Wang Zaijin was startled and bowed, saying, "This old minister is here!"

"I hereby bestow upon you the title of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and you shall immediately assume all responsibilities of the Ministry of War! The Ministry of Personnel shall immediately issue a formal document to the court to recommend the Minister of War for the position of Acting Minister. As the Acting Minister, you are naturally among the candidates! I want to see whether the public opinion of this court recommendation aligns with my own!"

"As for the policy of permanently garrisoning Liaodong..." Chongzhen's tone was slow and meaningful, "This matter is of paramount importance. If it were to be leaked, it would cause turmoil throughout the land, and the morale of the soldiers in Liaodong would also waver. The most urgent task is to eliminate redundant troops, clear up the military farms, verify the salaries of those without actual military pay, and conserve grain and fodder! Without purging the foundation of military affairs, how can we talk about the actual granting of fiefdoms? Since my three ministers already know my intentions, they should understand each other implicitly and focus on the immediate tasks. Only after the Minister of War has made a court deliberation and the abuses in the various garrisons have been addressed can we submit it to the court for discussion, announce it to the world, and make it legitimate and justifiable! At this time, it is still necessary to 'achieve the matter in secrecy'!"

"Your Majesty, we (the old ministers) obey the decree! Your Majesty is wise and insightful, and your considerations are thorough!" Wang Zaijin, Sun Chengzong, and Li Banghua bowed deeply almost simultaneously, their "Your Majesty" even louder than before, carrying a hint of tacit understanding and relief.

Wang Zaijin's tense nerves eased slightly.

The imperial decree is finally about to be reinstated, which will allow me to rightfully assume my post as commander, making the rest of the matter easier. As for the important matter of permanently garrisoning Liaodong, the emperor's agreement to proceed through the "proper" imperial deliberation process, requiring only temporary secrecy, is indeed a prudent course of action.

Without first cleaning up our own ranks, clarifying our accounts, and reorganizing the military towns surrounding the capital, rashly launching this policy will not only be useless but will also cause great chaos.

Sun Chengzong and Li Banghua also breathed a sigh of relief. The emperor ultimately respected the rule of law and adopted the proposal put forward by the court. This young emperor, who had taken many extraordinary measures since ascending the throne, seemed to have taken a step closer to the rules recognized by the scholar-officials after consolidating his power.

Looking at the three people below who were receiving the imperial decree in unison, a subtle, enigmatic smile flickered across Chongzhen's face.

To control me? To restrict me?

Use court recommendations and court deliberations to constrain [these practices]?

very good!

Then let's follow this procedure properly.

Let's see if I can guide public opinion, or if you can truly control the "Son of Heaven" with "rules"!
(End of this chapter)