Chapter 5: How to Save You, Chongzhen Emperor! (Desperately Begging for Recommendations)

Wang Cheng'en truly believed it now!

The Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor, had really appeared in the Crown Prince's dream!

Otherwise, how could the Crown Prince, young as he was, have found the key to reversing the fate of the empire merely through fiscal revenues and expenditures?

Although both Chongzhen and Wang Cheng'en knew that moving south was a way to survive, they had not — and could not — view the Great Ming as a business, nor did they have any economic sense. Otherwise, how could they have become so poor? Thus they could not see that only by moving the Great Ming south, abandoning the two "markets" of the Central Plains and Liaodong that were bleeding them dry, could the fiscal crisis be overcome. Only by overcoming the fiscal crisis, with the court having surplus funds, could the army be rebuilt and the realm be won back!

Otherwise, with empty pockets and no money to pay the troops, could anyone expect soldiers who serve for their rations to defend the Great Ming's realm on empty stomachs?

Moreover, Zhu Cilang had compared the situation after moving south with the circumstances when the Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor, first founded his imperial enterprise in Jiangnan — and they were actually not far apart!

Because once the Roving Bandit entered the capital, he would be taking over from the Great Ming the crushing burden of resisting the Manchu eastern barbarians, and he would also have to solve the problem of feeding tens of millions of people in the Central Plains and the northwest.

The emergence of so many roving bandits in the Central Plains and the northwest was not only due to corruption, land annexation, and the added Liaodong levy, but also in considerable part due to natural disasters.

These past years the north has been dry and cold, with poor harvests year after year. If governance were upright, the realm stable, and land not excessively concentrated, perhaps it could be weathered — but the days would still not be easy!

If the Great Ming withdrew and the Roving Bandit took over, the natural disasters would come all the same! The Jianzhou caitiffs and eastern barbarians beyond the passes would not stop raiding just because Beijing had changed masters — they might even pour through the passes in force to contend for the realm!

Would the Roving Bandit have good days then? The Great Ming's officers and soldiers wanted money — were the armies under the Roving Bandit all working for free on their own rations? Impossible! The Roving Bandit's bitter days were still ahead!

Once the Roving Bandit suffered, the court that had withdrawn to Jiangnan would naturally be secure. With an annual income of over ten million, could it fail to train a strong army? Even if it could not march north to recover the Central Plains, it could still hold the Yellow River–Huai line and the great river and live well... His Majesty has been on the throne seventeen years, and it has truly been bitter — toiling all day, living no better than an ordinary wealthy householder.

And so Wang Cheng'en was truly breathless with longing for the dream of a secure Jiangnan.

But in Wang Cheng'en's dream, Zhu Cilang was still the Crown Prince, and Chongzhen was not yet the late emperor...

"Thousand Years, come quickly with this old slave to Qianqing Palace to see His Majesty, and tell the Emperor of the dream entrusted by the old ancestor." Wang Cheng'en said, "With the Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor, having sent a dream, presumably the court officials will also support the matter of moving south."

That was actually a good pretext!

Zhu Cilang sighed inwardly: if the Chongzhen Emperor had earlier used the Great Ancestor's dream as a pretext, he would now be living at ease in Nanjing — let Zhu Yuanzhang take the blame, and the officials would naturally no longer block Chongzhen from fleeing. Otherwise they would be accusing the Chongzhen Emperor of lying, which was deceiving the sovereign and punishable by beheading! Or they would be opposing the wise decision of the Great Ancestor, the Exalted Emperor, which was forsaking the ancestors and punishable by extermination of the clan!

But Chongzhen simply lacked that kind of cleverness. He only knew how to shift blame onto his subordinates to preserve his own reputation — unfortunately, his subordinates were not fools!

And by now, it was no longer the time to discuss fleeing with the civil and military officials. Because the Roving Bandit's great army would soon surround Beijing!

Zhu Cilang looked at Wang Cheng'en, who was eagerly about to head out, and said coldly: "There's no time!"

"What do you mean, no time?" Wang Cheng'en stopped in his tracks.

"There's no time to discuss moving south with the court officials!" Zhu Cilang said, word by word.

"How can there be no time?" Wang Cheng'en said, though his heart sank.

"Because Juyong Pass has already fallen today!" Zhu Cilang said through gritted teeth.

"How is that possible..." Wang Cheng'en's voice trembled. "Tang Tong has several thousand troops, and Juyong Pass originally had some garrison as well. Moreover, Juyong is a strategic strongpoint — as long as they defend it with effort, the Roving Bandit simply cannot break through."

Zhu Cilang said: "Tang Tong and Du Zhizhi have already opened the pass and surrendered to the bandits!" He paused. "It is now past midnight, the fifteenth... At the latest by tonight, the dispatch reporting the fall of Juyong Pass will arrive. Tomorrow the Roving Bandit's great army will be outside the capital, and within a few days the capital will fall!"

"This, this, this..."

"This was said by the Great Ancestor in the dream!" Zhu Cilang, having gone this far, went all the way and continued using Zhu Yuanzhang as his pretext.

Wang Cheng'en was trembling all over. "How is it possible? How is it possible?"

His mouth said that, but in his heart he knew very well that it was absolutely possible! Datong had surrendered, Xuanfu had surrendered — why couldn't Juyong Pass surrender too?

As for Beijing's defenses... Wang Cheng'en knew better than anyone, because he himself currently held the concurrent post of eunuch superintendent of the Capital Camps, with overall command of Beijing's defense. On this thirteenth day of the third month, Wang Cheng'en had been busy deploying defenses throughout the inner and outer cities of Beijing, and of course he knew how weak the city's defenses were.

On paper the Capital Camps had no small number of troops, but in reality there were many vacancies, and in recent years fighting on all fronts had been intense, with battles frequently occurring around Beijing as well. The combat-worthy units of the Capital Camps had either been drawn off to various places or gradually worn down in battles against the caitiff invaders, and last year a great epidemic had killed many more. The troops now available for defense numbered only a few thousand, and their morale was low — the generals had no will to fight, and the soldiers no heart for battle.

And the most terrifying thing was that the court could not produce enough silver to recruit troops and reward the soldiers!

The military household system in place since the early Ming had long existed in name only. No one knew where the lands of the guard stations had gone — the upper ranks of the military households had become landlords, and the lower ranks had become tenant farmers, neither able to bear military service.

So the court had to spend money to maintain troops. Without money, there were no troops... Even though there were still many able-bodied men inside Beijing, they would not serve the court!

Zhu Cilang said: "Companion Wang, whether Juyong Pass surrenders or not, we will know today. Once Juyong Pass falls, the Roving Bandit will surround Beijing. Whether this city can hold, you should understand better than We do."

"There is still Wu Sangui's great army!" Wang Cheng'en said. "As long as the Guanning iron cavalry arrives, the capital will be safe and sound."

Zhu Cilang snorted: "Still counting on Wu Sangui? When Imperial Father summoned his father Wu Xiang on the twelfth day of the second month, what did the man say? A million in pay was needed! If Imperial Father could produce a million, Wu Sangui's thirty thousand troops would have arrived long ago. Imperial Father issued the edict on the sixth day of the third month to abandon Ningyuan and summon Wu Sangui to bring his troops to the capital's defense. Today is already the fifteenth — where has Wu Sangui's army gotten to? They haven't even crossed Shanhai Pass yet! And you still count on him?"

He stamped his foot and said angrily: "Since there is no money, don't expect Wu Sangui's thirty thousand troops to fight to the death against the Roving Bandit! Even if he himself did not want money, the soldiers under him still have to be coaxed with pay!"

Zhu Cilang suddenly demanded in a loud voice: "Companion Wang! Have you never made any preparations for the capital being taken by the Roving Bandit?"

At this question from Zhu Cilang, Wang Cheng'en was stunned.

He truly had made no preparations for Beijing being taken by the Roving Bandit!

It was almost unbelievable to say it: Beijing was now as precarious as eggs piled in a nest, with no proper garrison inside the city and no relief troops able to arrive in time outside. And Li Zicheng's great army was about to appear beneath the city walls!

At such a moment, when everyone knew things were dire, the Chongzhen Emperor and his most trusted chief eunuch had actually made no preparations to flee!

This was the Chongzhen Emperor and the men he employed... Tell me, wasn't it maddening?

Even if you wanted to shift the blame for moving south, you still had to make preparations to flee!

Zhu Cilang's young, handsome face suddenly filled with fury. Gritting his teeth, he pointed at Wang Cheng'en's nose and demanded: "Wang Cheng'en! You are brush-holding eunuch, eunuch superintendent of the Eastern Depot, commander of the inner and outer military camps, superintendent of the Nine Gates — how have you been doing your job? Do you truly mean to deliver Imperial Father, Imperial Mother, and Us to our deaths?"

"B-but His Majesty never issued an edict..."

Zhu Cilang was angered to the point of laughter at the sight of Wang Cheng'en flustered and drenched in sweat.

"What edict do you want Imperial Father to issue? Don't you know Imperial Father's face-saving temper?" Zhu Cilang said. "Very well. We now issue an order as Crown Prince: you are commanded to immediately assemble a thousand brave men in the inner drill ground, fully provisioned with weapons and dry rations, and to draw thirty thousand taels of silver from the inner treasury for use!"

In fact, Zhu Cilang had originally wanted Wang Cheng'en to send someone to escort him to Tongzhou. Inside Tongzhou was the Governor of Shuntian, Song Quan, a man who could be counted on. With his protection, he could go to Tianjin and seek refuge with the Governor of Tianjin, Feng Yuanyang. And the Governor of Tianjin also oversaw maritime transport and had seagoing ships at his disposal, which could take Zhu Cilang to Dengzhou. At Dengzhou was the Tianjin Guard fleet controlled by Su Guansheng, the Circuit Intendant of Dengzhou–Laizhou Coastal Defense. With Su Guansheng, Feng Yuanyang, Song Quan, and the Tianjin Guard fleet, Zhu Cilang could at least reach Nanjing safely.

But in his conversation with Wang Cheng'en, Zhu Cilang had already learned that the man was utterly loyal to Chongzhen. Most likely he would not let him leave the city without Chongzhen's edict... And Chongzhen was so hesitant that he would surely waste time.

So His Highness the Crown Prince had no choice but to settle for the next best thing: under the pretext of taking Chongzhen and fleeing, he would try to gain control of some armed force, and then act as circumstances allowed.

Zhu Cilang firmly believed that as long as he could get out, there would be no obstacle he could not overcome. Even if there were, he had to get out first!

"Thousand Years, is this not inappropriate?" Wang Cheng'en was startled by Zhu Cilang's words.

"At this point, what is there left that is inappropriate?" Zhu Cilang glared at Wang Cheng'en. "If Imperial Father lays blame, We shall bear it all! But remember this: this matter absolutely must not be known to Imperial Father now. Otherwise you, Wang Cheng'en, will be the criminal who brought ruin to the Great Ming's realm! Your crime would merit ten thousand deaths! And your name would stink for ten thousand years! Do you understand?"

(End of Chapter)