How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 48 Living Martyr, I'm Rich Now (Early Update, Please Add to Favorites and Read On)
Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Chongzhen changed into a plain white robe, without a crown, only a jade hairpin tied around his neck, looking like a leisurely young master. He strolled into Zhaoren Hall—which he had just converted into a kitchen. Lamb was stewing on the stove, dough was piled on the chopping board, and several palace maids were busy kneading dough and chopping filling.

Empress Zhou rolled up her sleeves, revealing half of her snow-white wrist, and was putting fish balls into the pot. Consort Tian stood to the side, holding dough wrappers and filling them with meat, while Consort Yuan squatted by the stove, watching the heat.

Chongzhen quietly moved closer, put one arm around Empress Zhou's waist and the other around Consort Tian's shoulder, and kissed them both before they could react.

"Oh dear!" Empress Zhou was so startled that she almost dropped her spoon, and her ears turned bright red.

Consort Tian didn't dodge; instead, she turned her head, her almond-shaped eyes gazing at him with a watery look, and the corners of her lips slightly upturned—this was the first time the Emperor had kissed her since his ascension to the throne! Could it be that tonight…it would be her turn?
When Consort Yuan saw that the Emperor did not kiss her, she pouted and leaned over with a pitiful expression, tilting her head up as if to say, "I want one too."

Emperor Chongzhen laughed heartily, pecked her rosy cheek, and then said, "I will be leaving the capital in a few days."

Upon hearing this, the three women's expressions immediately changed.

"Where is Your Majesty going?" Empress Zhou put down her spoon, her voice trembling slightly.

"Changping." Chongzhen patted her shoulder. "Give the brothers in Changping Town some New Year's rations, then go check on the late emperor's mausoleum construction, and while you're at it, meet with Sun Zushou's Changping Guards... There's quite a lot to do."

Empress Zhou bit her lip and whispered, "The Emperor has left, and in the palace..."

"It's alright," Chongzhen said with a smile. "Xu Yingyuan, Cao Huachun, and Li Changgen will lead six thousand Imperial Guards to guard the city, and most of the more than ten thousand Imperial Guards will also stay behind to watch over the Forbidden City. There will be no mishap!"

Empress Zhou was still worried: "The Emperor can't have too few guards around him!"

Emperor Chongzhen laughed heartily: "I will lead four thousand imperial guards out, and Sun Zushou will also lead fourteen hundred personal guards and six hundred standard soldiers to welcome me outside Beijing, which is also six thousand elite troops! Unless the Jianzhou Tartars come out, who in the world can touch me?"

He paused, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes: "I have three more generals who have recently arrived in Beijing. With them protecting me, my situation will be even more secure!"

When the three generals were mentioned, the images of Cao Wenzhao, Zhou Yuji, and Huang Degong came to mind, as well as Sun Yingyuan and Li Changgen, who were already serving in the Imperial Guard...

Oh, and there's also Sun Chuanting, Lu Xiangshan, Yang Sichang...

Those loyal ministers and generals who followed him in his previous lives, only to perish in defeat due to the court's lack of funds and insufficient supplies...

Emperor Chongzhen's eyes suddenly reddened, and he murmured, "General Cao, General Zhou, General Huang, General Sun... In this life, I have money! Let's work hard together, my subjects!"

Inside the Wenhua Hall, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Emperor Chongzhen was reviewing memorials at his desk. His vermilion brush hovered over the memorial requesting funds for Liaodong for a moment, but ultimately didn't fall. He put down his brush and rubbed his temples—Liaodong funds, again! In his previous life, this thing was like a bottomless pit, draining the blood of the nine border regions while enriching the Liaodong military families. In this life, it's here again! The memorial from the Ministry of Revenue, approving the total amount of Liaodong funds for the first year of Chongzhen's reign and how the provinces would share the burden, arrived again for his approval.
Just as he was pondering this, he heard a series of hurried footsteps outside the hall.

"Your Majesty!" Gao Yushun trotted in, bowed, and reported, "Generals Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji, Huang Degong, and Cao Wenzhao are waiting outside the hall for your orders!"

Emperor Chongzhen's hand, which was holding the pen, trembled suddenly, and a drop of vermilion ink fell onto the memorial with a "plop".

Sun Yingyuan, on a desolate hill in Luoshan, was the last of three thousand brave soldiers of the Yongwei Battalion, who were covering the retreat. With no food or reinforcements, they were being hacked to pieces by Luo Rucai's troops, yet they still roared, "We will not retreat!"

Zhou Yuji. In the snowstorm at Ningwu Pass, three thousand old and weak soldiers fought against two hundred thousand rebel troops in the alley. He was hit by forty-three arrows and was nailed to the pass wall!

Huang Degong, while protecting the emperor at Digang, was shot in the throat with an arrow, drew his sword and committed suicide, his blood splattering on the imperial boat!
Cao Wenzhao, in the bloody battle of Qiutou Town, was surrounded by 200,000 bandits. He was hit by six arrows, and before committing suicide with his sword, he roared: "My head may be cut off, but the flag of the Ming Dynasty shall not fall!"

Four names, four bloody memories!
Emperor Chongzhen closed his eyes, suppressing the surging emotions in his chest, and said in a deep voice, "Summon."

"Summon Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji, Huang Degong, Cao Wenzhao, and Li Changgen to an audience!"

The palace gates opened, and five figures filed in, stepping onto the golden bricks.

Leading the group was Sun Yingyuan, a man in his early thirties, dressed in plain official robes. He was not tall, had a resolute face, and a scar on his brow. He was a rare and capable general from the Beijing Garrison.

Following closely behind was Zhou Yuji, who was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He was tall and burly, with broad, rough hands, clearly someone who had been handling guns and knives for many years.

Huang Degong was the third in line. He was twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He walked with a powerful stride, looking like a wild mountain man. Who would have thought that this "Huang Chuangzi" would later become a pillar of the Southern Ming Dynasty?
Cao Wenzhao was the last to arrive. He was about forty years old, with a thin face and three long strands of beard hanging down to his chest. He wore a blue cloth robe and looked like a schoolteacher at first glance. However, his eagle eyes were sharp as knives, revealing the ruthless spirit of the "first general of the late Ming Dynasty".

The last to walk was Li Changgen, who had been appointed as the battalion commander of the rear camp of the Imperial Guard. In the previous life, Chongzhen did not remember such a person, but in this life, he was a meritorious official who led a hundred spearmen to defend the pass in the Battle of Santunying!

The five men knelt down in unison, their foreheads touching the ground: "Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"

Emperor Chongzhen took a deep breath, stood up, walked around the imperial desk, and personally helped the five people up: "My dear ministers, rise."

"You have come from afar, and you must be tired." Chongzhen's voice was gentle, but it carried an undeniable power. "I have ordered people to prepare residences for you, which are located inside Chongwen Gate, not far from the Imperial City. I will bestow them upon you so that it will be convenient for you to serve in the future."

The five men were stunned upon hearing this. A residence inside Chongwen Gate? That was the most valuable area in the capital! Not to mention these military men, even high-ranking officials from the Six Ministries might not be able to afford it!
Li Changgen was the first to react and immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty's generous gift is too much for me to bear!"

The other four hurriedly knelt down as well: "We have not rendered any service, how dare we accept such a generous reward?"

Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand, signaling them to stand up: "This is what you deserve, so help me lead the troops well!"

He turned around and took out five land deeds from the imperial desk, handing them to the five people one by one: "Sun Yingyuan lives in Mianhua Hutong, Zhou Yuji lives in Chuanban Hutong, Huang Degong lives in Suzhou Hutong, Cao Wenzhao lives in Dongbiaobei Hutong, and Li Changgen lives in Xibiaobei Hutong. They are all three-courtyard houses, enough for you to settle down."

The five men held the land deeds, their hands trembling slightly.

Sun Yingyuan's eyes reddened slightly—he came from humble beginnings and climbed his way up from a lowly soldier. He never imagined that one day he could own his own residence in the most prosperous area of ​​the capital. Zhou Yuji's throat bobbed, and after a long while, he managed to choke out, "Your Majesty... Your subject... Your subject." This man, who had never flinched when facing thousands of troops on the Liaodong battlefield, was now choked up and unable to speak.

Emperor Chongzhen patted him on the shoulder, turned back to his desk, and his expression turned solemn: "Sun Yingyuan!"

"Your subject is here!" Sun Yingyuan straightened his back.

"I hereby appoint you as the commander of the Imperial Guard's Central Battalion, commanding two thousand elite troops, with drills every three days and exercises every five days!"

"I accept the decree!"

"Zhou Yuji!"

"Chen is here!"

"Left Battalion Commander, with two thousand soldiers, train an iron army for me that can fight tough battles!"

"promise!"

"Huang Degong!"

"Chen is here!"

"Commander of the Right Battalion, I need a sharp infantry force that can pierce through the Jurchen white-armored soldiers with a formation of long spears!"

"Your Majesty, rest assured! I will definitely train a fierce and powerful army!" Huang Degong's voice boomed.

"Cao Wenzhao!"

"Chen is here!"

"You will be the battalion commander of the current camp. I will give you the best horses and the sharpest spears. You must train a spear-wielding iron cavalry that can break through the Jurchen's great formation!"

Cao Wenzhao knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail you!"

"Li Changgen!"

"Chen is here!"

"The rear camp officer is in charge of training firearms. I will give you the best muskets and train a musket-wielding squad that can fire volleys from fifty to thirty paces, with five out of ten shots hitting the target!"

Li Changgen kowtowed deeply: "Your subject will certainly do his utmost!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded in satisfaction, his gaze sweeping over the five men: "Remember, my personal guards are never short of money, food, armor, or weapons! Just train hard, and if you train well, I will reward you handsomely! If you don't train well," his voice turned serious, "I won't punish you, but you should put your hands on your conscience and think about whether you are worthy of my trust."

The five men responded in unison, "We swear to serve Your Majesty to the death! We will train a fierce and powerful army!"

Emperor Chongzhen then smiled and turned to Xu Qinian and Cao Huachun, who were standing beside him: "Three days from now, I will lead the Central and Front Battalions out of the capital to inspect the border at Changping. Xu, you will accompany me, and Cao, you will stay behind. The three battalions that stay behind will take turns guarding the palace and must not slack off in the slightest!"

"Your servants obey!" the two bowed in response.

Emperor Chongzhen took one last look at the five generals, especially Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji, Huang Degong, and Cao Wenzhao, and silently vowed: In this life, I will never let you die in battle with resentment due to lack of pay and food!
"Go now, make sure your families are settled, and we will review the troops at the drill ground in three days!"

"Your Majesty, please leave!"

The five of them backed out of the Wenhua Hall, and only breathed a long sigh of relief when the hall doors closed.

Huang Degong rubbed the land deed in his hand and grinned, "Good heavens, a three-courtyard house in Chongwenmen! I've never lived in such a nice house in my entire life!"

Cao Wenzhao stroked his beard and smiled: "Your Majesty's kindness is such that we can only repay it with our lives."

Sun Yingyuan clenched his fists, his eyes burning with fighting spirit: "Let's go! To the training ground! I'm not sleeping tonight, I'll get the training regulations drafted first!"

Zhou Yuji laughed heartily and put his arm around Sun Yingyuan's shoulder: "Let's go! Let's go!"

Li Changgen lagged behind, watching the backs of the four people, then looked down at the land deed in his hand, and suddenly felt a heavy burden on his shoulders—His Majesty had treated him so well, his life now belonged to His Majesty!
Inside the Wenhua Hall, Emperor Chongzhen stood alone by the window, watching the five figures disappear into the distance, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Gao Yushun".

"The servant is here."

"Go and tell Wang Chengen to allocate five thousand taels of silver from the Imperial Treasury to furnish the residences of the five generals."

"Slave, let's do it now."

As Emperor Chongzhen gazed at the deepening twilight outside the window, he murmured to himself, "It's so good that I'm rich in this life."

(End of this chapter)