Chapter 5: Out in the World, How Can You Not Collect Protection Fees?

Chongzhen's original intention was to be a wise ruler who loved his people like his own children, but to be a wise ruler, several preconditions had to be met first.

What were these preconditions? As an old saying in the Central Plains puts it, a true man cannot go a single day without money, still less a single day without power — and very often, power matters more than money.

The power meant here is not merely power in the court, but also military power, and above all the power over the treasury that countless men in later ages most sorely lacked.

To achieve the goal of seizing all power, no means were off the table, so Chongzhen did not mind first becoming a great tyrant.

Just like certain "vitality groups" in later-day Hong Kong — if the boss himself is dirt poor, do you really expect any underlings to follow you? What do people go out into the world for, if not to return home in glory and bring honor to their ancestors?

To achieve either of those, in the final analysis, don't you still need power and money?

The greatest advantage of the Zhu emperor who had now transmigrated over was that he had power — although it had already been dispersed into the hands of the big shots at court, Emperor Chongzhen nevertheless firmly held the moral high ground.

As long as his heart was ruthless enough, taking back the great power was not actually all that difficult.

The only problem still lay in money.

Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen now very much wanted to get money.

Just a moment ago, in order to put on a good show and incidentally build himself a big power base, Emperor Chongzhen had gone and bragged about the grand promise of never raising taxes.

As the Son of Heaven, his word had to be as good as gold, so he certainly could not take back his decree, which meant there was basically no hope to be had from the people's taxes.

Even if he did hope, the common folk of the late Ming were in fact so poor they could barely keep the pot boiling, and not a few coppers could be squeezed out of them anyway — if they could survive, who would willingly risk their heads to rebel?

So, after thinking of how certain "vitality groups" in later ages operated, Emperor Chongzhen decided to learn from them: first he would draw men from the Embroidered Uniform Guard to set up a "city management office" under the Eastern Depot, then start collecting protection fees, stall fees, urban public sanitation management fees, and so on from all the merchants of the capital — in short, keep his eyes on money and rake it in thick.

In Emperor Chongzhen's mind, using the Embroidered Uniform Guard plus Eastern Depot agents as city managers would probably be enough to stop children from crying at night — far more formidable than the city managers of the later-day Celestial Court...

Although he was newly arrived and not at all familiar with the men of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern and Western Depots, Emperor Chongzhen had learned a fine theory in later days — leave professional matters to professionals.

So be it: let the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard handle this. After all, no matter which film or drama you watched, the Depot and the Guard were never any good, and their reputation was already rotten.

As the saying goes, with enough lice you stop itching, and with enough debts you stop worrying — however rotten, it would just stay that rotten.

Cao Huachun, Wei Zhongxian, and Xu Xianchun were all utterly baffled. Who knew what Emperor Chongzhen had in mind, summoning the three of them in the middle of the night?

Tapping the table before him with a bent finger, Emperor Chongzhen said, "Zhongxian, how much of Mao Wenlong's pay and provisions has gone unpaid? And how much is owed to the soldiers on the frontier?"

Wei Zhongxian answered cautiously, "In reply to Your Majesty, the frontier armies are not owed much. There was a supplementary payment in the sixth year of Tianqi, and roughly... roughly three years' worth of pay is still owed.

As for Mao Wenlong, because he opened the garrison at Dongjiang, the late emperor already permitted him to raise his own military funds."

Emperor Chongzhen responded with a cold laugh. Raising one's own military funds was not the big problem; the problem was, did he think the Dongjiang Army under his command had the quality of the later-day rabbits?

So-called self-raised military funds simply meant that the Ming court's treasury could not produce any silver, and since it feared that IOUs would not be honored, it simply granted permission to raise funds independently.

Joseon was right next door, and Dongjiang Garrison was also well situated. A little smuggling and trade here and there would bring in silver by the fistful — and this was later one of the reasons Mao Wenlong got done in.

Emperor Chongzhen naturally could not sit by and let Dongjiang Garrison remain in such chaos.

After his transmigration, the military power he had the best hope of directly grasping was actually just this much — the Capital Camps in the hands of Zhang Weixian, Duke of Ying; the White Pole Troops under the Ming loyalist Qin Liangyu; and the Dongjiang Army under that smuggler Mao Wenlong.

As for the other armies, for a newly enthroned emperor to expect much say in the military in a short time was basically unrealistic.

Casually flinging several memorials from the table onto the floor, Emperor Chongzhen said with a cold smile, "So now the memorials impeaching Mao Wenlong are as numerous as ox hairs. What does Eunuch Wei make of it?"

That Wei Zhongxian had managed to become the historically infamous "Nine Thousand Years" proved, no matter how you looked at it, that his brain was more than adequate.

Almost at the very instant the memorials hit the floor, Wei Zhongxian dropped straight to his knees: "Your Majesty, this old slave deserves death! This old slave will make haste to raise the pay and provisions for Marshal Mao's troops!"

Wei Zhongxian did not mention how much silver was in the privy purse, nor did he wail that the state treasury had no silver. Instead he directly took the responsibility upon himself and expressed his wish to share Emperor Chongzhen's burdens.

How cunning Wei Zhongxian was. Emperor Chongzhen had not said anything about Mao Wenlong being this or that, had not even brought up the matter of Mao Wenlong's impeachment, but had only raised it after first asking about the pay and provisions. What did that mean?

It meant Emperor Chongzhen had no intention whatsoever of punishing Mao Wenlong, and was in fact somewhat inclined to shield him.

Wei Zhongxian likewise understood what Mao Wenlong meant to the Great Ming, and understood even more clearly what Mao Wenlong's existence meant to the Jianzhou barbarians.

Wei Zhongxian's tact was within Emperor Chongzhen's expectations, so he immediately gave Xu Xianchun his orders: "Later, transfer five hundred military dependents to Cao Huachun, and draw some men from the Eastern Depot to form the city management office."

Cao Huachun, who had never heard the term "city management office" and knew nothing at all of the might of city managers, was instantly baffled: "Your Majesty, this city management office — what is it mainly supposed to do?"

Sneering inwardly, Emperor Chongzhen at once gave Cao Huachun his instructions in private: "Take every shop in the capital, one by one.

First find a way to get a clear picture of their income, and collect fifteen percent of it for Us every month as protection fees, under names like stall fees, urban sanitation management fees, and public security guarantee fees.

Keep five percent for the city management office, and turn over ten percent to Our private treasury. No matter whose business it is — some duke's or marquis's — do not go soft when it is time to collect. If you collect too little, We will not spare you."

"Count every merchant, especially those from foreign lands and outside peoples.

From Han merchants collect fifteen percent of profits; if they are foreign or non-Han merchants, count every one and collect twenty-five percent! Keep five percent for the city management office, and escort the rest into the privy purse."

Cao Huachun was stunned too. Hadn't this emperor originally believed in the Donglin Faction's whole line? How was what he was doing now even more inhuman than Wei Zhongxian's affairs?

After wrestling with himself inwardly for a while, Cao Huachun still steeled himself and asked, "Your Majesty, what if it is the imperial father-in-law's..."

"Who cares whose family it is! Anyone who won't pay, smash the place up for Us, and make sure he pays up obediently! Imperial father-in-law or duke, We don't care about any of them. We only want to see silver. If you can't collect the silver, We'll take your dog head first!"

The moment silver was mentioned, Emperor Chongzhen immediately turned murderous — especially at the mention of his father-in-law, his anger flared all the more.

The reason Emperor Chongzhen would not even spare his own father-in-law was not at all out of leading by example or treating everyone equally, but because he already had a huge grudge against the man!

After all, in history, that "benevolent ruler" Chongzhen who had believed in the Donglin Faction's crooked doctrine was on the verge of ruin, and so he thought to borrow a little silver from his father-in-law to tide things over — at least enough to bring the Guanning Army into the capital to rescue the throne and buy the Ming emperor a little more time.

In the end, Chongzhen's father-in-law pleaded poverty and finally, as if sending off a beggar, produced thirteen thousand taels as a token gesture and sent Chongzhen packing!

Later, after the rebel army entered Beijing, how much did they extract from this Imperial Father-in-law Zhou? A full five hundred thirty thousand taels in ready silver! And dozens of cartloads of other rare treasures besides — all of it going to benefit Li Zicheng, that eighteen-day emperor!

No matter how you looked at it, Imperial Father-in-law Zhou had been the unrighteous one first. That being the case, how could Emperor Chongzhen not view his own father-in-law with special regard? He absolutely had to scrape a layer of skin off the old bastard!

"Listen well. What We want is fifteen percent of their profits. You are not permitted to collect more, but neither may you collect less. Not even one copper more or less is acceptable!

If you meet someone who won't pay, go every day and beat, smash, and make a ruckus until their business cannot go on! As for those who have paid, no one is allowed to harass them again.

If any street toughs come making trouble, break their dog legs without hesitation and throw them to the imperial estates as laborers! At the start of every month, deliver that silver into the privy purse!"

Cao Huachun was even more worried: "Your Majesty, if we do this, I fear the ministers at court will impeach Your Majesty for contending with the people for profit."

At Cao Huachun's words, Emperor Chongzhen flew into a rage on the spot: "Nonsense! You old thing, have you spent so long mixed up with the Donglin crowd that your brain has rotted?

Contending with the people for profit? Contending with which people? We just announced today that taxes will never be raised — how is that contending with the people for profit? Contending with those merchants for profit? Do merchants even count as the people?

Don't the gentlemen at court say agriculture should be emphasized and commerce slighted? Never raising taxes is the best way to emphasize agriculture! Likewise, collecting protection fees from these lawless merchants is the best way to slight commerce!

Those with backing don't pay taxes, and those without backing are still fleeced by street toughs. From now on, let Us do the fleecing of the capital's merchants — surely that will be far happier than being fleeced by street toughs!

Remember this: you are Our household slave, not the Donglin Faction's household slave!"

"Furthermore, if anyone impeaches Us, have the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard join forces to investigate!

Look into how much salary these ministers who preach agriculture with their mouths but practice commerce in reality, who plead for the 'people,' actually earn — how many shares they hold in those wine houses and brothels, and how much silver they have at home!

If it came from corruption, first confiscate their property for Us, then flay them and stuff the skins with straw! Don't they love the ancestral institutions?

Then use the ancestral institutions of the Hongwu Emperor to grant their wish! Since when has this Great Ming ever lacked men who want to be officials?"

In Emperor Chongzhen's view, the officials of the Great Ming had simply been spoiled rotten — at their most outrageous, these officials had once beaten a Guard Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to death right in the court!

After Cao Huachun withdrew, Emperor Chongzhen began issuing orders to Wei Zhongxian: "Send out the tax eunuchs again, and collect the mining taxes for Us! Whoever opposes it, investigate them!

And the salt tax as well — investigate those lawless salt merchants, and investigate them thoroughly! Make the men below take it seriously, and keep the salt tax nailed down for Us!

Anyone who dares deal in private salt or evade taxes — kill those who should be killed, confiscate the property of those who should be confiscated. Do not kill the wrong ones, and still less let any go!

If common folk trade a little salt for their own consumption, turn a blind eye. In short, make things convenient for the common people and make trouble for those local tyrants and evil gentry! But whatever the tax, if you dare lay a finger on the mud-legged peasants, you can go kill yourself too!"

After venting his fury, Chongzhen remembered something else and said to Wei Zhongxian, "Tomorrow, get rid of that 'Nine Thousand Years' title of yours. Those bastards are killing you with flattery — can't you see it?

Also, have someone tear down all those living shrines to you and convert them into silver. No need to send it into the privy purse — take that silver and use it to recruit men, and rebuild the Western Depot for Us. Understood?"

"The Way of Heaven takes from those who have too much and gives to those who have too little.

The way of man takes from those who have too little and gives to those who have too much. What We practice is the Way of Heaven!"

Having driven off Cao Huachun, the Chongzhen Emperor, with Wei Zhongxian and Xu Xianchun still present, fell back into his muttering mode: "We truly do love the people as Our own children..."

(End of Chapter)