Chapter Fourteen: Earthwork Forts

  In July of the 14th year of Zhengtong (1449), Esen unsheathed his sword.

  The Mongol cavalry was divided into four routes and launched attacks on the Great Ming Empire from four different directions.

  The first route attacked Liaodong, the second route attacked Gansu, the third route attacked Xuanfu, and the last route was led by Esen himself to attack Datong.

  The war broke out in full scale.

  The news reached the capital, and the ministers were very nervous. They immediately held an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures. The incident happened suddenly, and many ministers were uncertain, but one person was different from the others, being extremely excited.

  This man was Wang Zhen.

  You're the one who accepted bribes, you're the one who inspected goods, and you're also the one who caused trouble. Now that we're at war, what's there to be excited about?

  It should be noted that Wang Zhen was never a warlord. In the eighth year of Zhengtong (1443), Shijiang Xueshi Liu Qiu had once submitted a memorial to the emperor, pointing out that the number of Mongolian envoys was increasing day by day, and must have ulterior motives, hoping to rectify the military system as soon as possible and prepare for war actively.

  Liu Qiu did not think that his patriotic petition would bring him mortal danger.

  After Wang Zhen saw the memorial, he was furious and did not know whether he had accepted Also's money or thought that Liu Qiu was accusing him of not fulfilling his responsibilities. Anyway, he found an excuse to put Liu Qiu in prison, and soon after, he ordered his trusted Jin Yiwei commander Ma Shun to kill Liu Qiu.

  Such a national calamity and a scourge on the people would naturally have no sense of patriotism.

  He was excited because in his view, this is an opportunity to achieve his ambitions and make a name for himself.

  In order to achieve his goal, he began to secretly plan.

  At that time, the military strength of the Later Jin had become very powerful, and the border generals of the Ming Dynasty were no match for them. The defenders of Datong suffered consecutive losses and reported urgently to the imperial court, which decided to send Rui Ma Jingyuan to lead troops into battle.

  Yuwen Yong was a very capable general and his expedition alleviated the tense situation at that time.

  But on the second day after he went out for a battle, a piece of news spread from the imperial palace which shocked everyone.

  The Emperor is going to lead an expedition in person!

  This is exactly what Wang Zhen stirred up.

  Wang Zhen wanted to make a name for himself in battle, but he had neither the ability nor the prestige to lead troops on a campaign. To achieve his goal, he turned his thoughts to the Emperor.

  The emperor is his own student, always listening to his own words, and can only realize his dream of commanding the army by relying on his name!

  Under Wang Zhen's instigation, Yingzong Zhu Qizhen issued a decree to personally lead the expedition and assembled an army of 200,000 men, preparing to set out immediately.

  Many historical books say that there were 500,000 people in this expedition. However, according to my research, this is not accurate. Based on the mobilization of troops at that time and the deployment situation near the capital, it was absolutely impossible to gather an army of 500,000 within a few days. At that time, the total number of soldiers in the three major camps in the capital was around 170,000, plus nearby troops, the total number should be around 200,000.

  We know that in the military, it is said: "Before the troops and horses move, food and grass go first." People who fight wars also need to eat and sleep. This means that we must prepare food and tents well. In a certain sense, fighting a war is about fighting logistics.

  When Zhu Di went on a distant expedition, he would mobilize a large number of laborers, ox carts and vehicles, and set up special grain transport teams. The preparation time for logistics often lasted several months.

  So how long did it take for the 200,000-strong army led by Wang Zhen to set out and prepare?

  Less than five days!

  Received an urgent report from the border in mid-July and set out on the 17th!

  In Wang Zhen's opinion, as long as the people were gathered together, it would be enough. He had previously learned through border reports that there were only 20,000 to 30,000 enemy troops, so he mobilized an army of 200,000 and thought that this would certainly lead to victory.

  Yes, even elementary school students can calculate this. Two hundred thousand against twenty thousand, on average ten people against one person. It seems that there is no need to fight, and one person stepping on the opponent's foot can trample them to death.

  Wang Zhen thought so, and his combat ideology also seemed to originate from this.

  Ignorance, sheer ignorance! Wang Zhen, this small-time hoodlum from the streets, has finally shown his true colors. To him, war seems to be equivalent to a street gang fight, with both sides wielding watermelon knives and hacking at each other. Whoever has more men, whoever has the greater momentum, will win.

  So, what's the difference between war and a brawl, and why isn't it better with more people?

  To illustrate this issue, we need to open a special topic:

  How War Was Made

  More than a thousand years ago, a man named Han Xin said to Emperor Liu Bang: The more soldiers Han Xin leads, the better!

  This is not only a proverb, an ancient famous saying, but also a confident and powerful statement.

  In my opinion, in over a thousand years since Han Xin uttered these words, there won't be more than fifteen people who have the qualifications and abilities to claim this for themselves.

  But if you have studied military affairs carefully, you will find that it is really too difficult to lead soldiers well.

  To explain the reason, we must start with what is war.

  Let me make one thing clear beforehand, please don't misunderstand, this absolutely isn't about introducing those headache-inducing political natures or class essences. What we're going to talk about is the form of war - hand-to-hand combat between people.

  Because if we strip away all the outer trappings of war, what we find is:

  War is just another form of fighting and brawling.

  Below, I will use model theory in economics (a method of economic analysis that first sets up a basic framework and then adds conditions) to explain this issue.

  Let's start with two people. I believe everyone has had a fight before, and when two people fight, it's what we commonly call a "one-on-one" or "duel".

  "Dueling" is actually a pretty miserable thing, because the one hitting is you, and the one getting hit is also you. Whether you win or lose depends entirely on yourself. Of course, if you're taller and stronger than your opponent, and happen to have practiced martial arts (best if it's combat skills, techniques aren't much use), then victory mostly belongs to you.

  Now we broaden the scope, if you have two people and the other side still has one person, then your winning face is very big, two against one, as long as your skin is a little thicker, don't be afraid of others saying you win unfairly, I believe victory will be yours.

  Next, we add one more person, you have three people, the opponent is still one person, at this time, you don't need to move your hands, you just let the other two people go up, take a cup of boiling water, drink while watching, and direct on the spot.

  It won't be one by one anymore, if you have a thousand people now and your opponent has only one person, what will happen?

  I think in this case you won't get a victory. Because the person who is your opponent must have escaped long ago.

  Up until now, you might still be optimistic because all along, you have been at an advantage.

  But the real test is yet to come, if you have a thousand people and your opponent also has a thousand people, can you win?

  You can divide a thousand people into several teams to attack each other, but the opponent may concentrate all their forces to defeat you one by one. Can you guarantee your victory?

  Think it's tricky now? Actually, we've just begun.

  Below, we multiply this number by one hundred, you have one million people, the enemy also has one million people, how do you fight this battle?

  At this time, you're in trouble. Not to mention how you deploy these 100,000 people for the attack, just talking about these 100,000 people themselves, will they really listen to you?

  You must understand that the 100,000 men under your command are all human beings with their own thoughts and personalities - some are optimistic, some are gloomy, some are gentle, and some are violent. They speak different dialects and have different habits. Your orders may not be willingly followed, and even if they want to follow them, they may not understand them. And if there are foreign friends among them (such as Koreans), you will need to find a few interpreters.

  This is the difficulty of command, and in order to reduce this difficulty, it seems that there is only one way to vigorously promote Chinese language and Mandarin.

  If you also consider their different IQs and understanding abilities, you will have a headache. Among these 100,000 people, there are those who are illiterate and those who are scholars. Their ability to understand orders is different. You ask him to advance, he may think it means retreat. Back and forth, even you yourself will be dizzy.

  It's hard to handle, isn't it? Don't worry, there are even harder ones.

  We put these 100,000 people on the battlefield now. You don't know where your enemy is. They may be hiding or dividing their troops to prepare for an ambush. And you have to think about how to use your own 100,000 men to find and defeat them.

  Moreover, you also have to consider the food and accommodation problems of these 100,000 people, where the grain comes from, and how many more days they can hold on.

  Your mind is already messed up, and what's below will make it even more messed up.

  You also need to consider the speed of the army's advance, the terrain, whether it's raining or not, whether the river will rise, whether the mountain road will be congested, whether the soldiers' morale will decline after a long march, whether they will mutiny, whether your superiors (if any) will restrict your power, and whether your subordinates will riot.

  Are your soldiers equipped, how is the equipment, what is the level of training of the soldiers, what is the quality of the enemy commander, what are the enemy's equipment and tactics, how much psychological endurance do you have, how to retreat after defeat, can you pursue after victory...

  In fact, the situation on the battlefield is much more complicated. I believe that by now you should understand that even if you were to take 100,000 people out for a stroll or a tour, it would be quite impressive if they could return safely without incident.

  You may think that's the end of it, but on the contrary, the real test is yet to come. Don't forget, our goal is to do more good.

  If you multiply the number of people in command by ten, one million people, you will find that what you are facing is no longer one million reliable people, but one million troubles, a real disaster.

  From one hundred thousand to one million, your number of people increased tenfold, but your problems may have increased a hundredfold. Any small problem that is not taken seriously will get out of control. One million people, let alone how much food they consume every day, each of them has their own thoughts, and no one is a fool. How can you control one million people and make them listen to your command?

  Military command is like a pyramid, the number of people commanded and the commander's ability to command are in direct proportion. The more people commanded, the higher the requirement for ability. From ancient times to the present, there have been very few people who can stand at the top of the pyramid.

  The more the better is a realm, it represents that the commander's ability has broken through the limitation of numbers, broken through the top of the pyramid, whether it is 100,000 or 500,000 or 1 million, for the commander, they have all lost their meaning.

  Under this commander's command, his soldiers will always be alone, advancing forward without retreating, and going east without going west.

  Advance together, retreat together; live together, die together.

  This is the highest realm of conducting art.

  Therefore, those who are good at leading troops and have many advantages are truly military geniuses.

  Such a person is called a military god.

  That's the process of building the model, and I believe everyone should have a general understanding of the relationship between war, population, and command ability. However, this model is idealized, and we need to supplement two special cases here.

  First, this model is set for ordinary people, excluding special functional personnel such as Guo Jing, Yang Guo, Zhang Wuji and others who can break through the earth's gravity, jump tens of meters in one leap, pass through walls, and possess ultimate skills like Qiankun Dàn Yǐ.

  If you have a thousand men under your command, but the opponent is indeed one of the legendary figures mentioned above, then you'd better run away quickly. It's not just because he possesses unparalleled skills, but more importantly, he is the main character, the protagonist, and according to the plot, even if you're awake while he's asleep, you still can't beat him. What are you worth, daring to confront a great hero? The plot has already predetermined that he will win.

  Secondly, the equipment of both sides cannot be too disparate, for example, if the other side has a fire gun and you have a brick slab, even if there are twice as many people, it's probably useless.

  Conclusion

  In short, war is not a gang fight where the side with more people wins. In fact, some street fighters have also started to pay attention to tactics and occasionally use ambushes or pincer movements.

  Visible things are always developing forward.

  It's easy to take tens of thousands of people out to fight, even if you take the entire population out, no one will stop you. The problem is that you have to be able to guarantee a win. But people like Bai Qi, Han Xin, Chen Qingzhi, and Li Jing who are capable of doing so are really too few.

  For example, the Kuomintang's famous general Hu Zongnan had tens of thousands of troops under his command for a long time, but he was always led by the nose by his opponent with only a few tens of thousands of men. In the end, he was defeated and fled in disarray. It wasn't that he didn't want to try hard, it's just that he had the heart but not the strength. His Huangpu classmates finally gave him a definition - "Hu Zongnan is just a regimental commander".

  Eunuch Wang Zhen is just a slave.

  He used to be just a small official, still an unskilled official, and later became a eunuch. However, this physically disabled but ambitious brother suddenly became the commander of 200,000 people (the actual command power was in his hands).

  The consequences are imaginable and unbearable.

  Preparation and Decision

  In these few short days, Wang Zhen was making a beautiful dream of leaving his name in history, while others were taking their own actions.

  Firstly, the ministers, when they heard this thunderbolt-like news, immediately blew up and petitioned in opposition, led by the Minister of Personnel Wang Zhi.

  The Ministry of Personnel is the Ministry of Personnel, and because of its power to appoint officials, it is ranked first among the six ministries. The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel also has a special title - Tian Guan, which can be seen as a high prestige.

  Under the leadership of Wang Zhi, all officials jointly petitioned against going to war, but unfortunately, Wang Zhen was the head of the Imperial Guard and had won the emperor's trust, so the opposition was ineffective.

  Apart from these people, two senior officials of the Ministry of War also submitted memorials in opposition. They were Minister of War Kong Youde and Vice-Minister of War Yu Qian.

  Kuang Ye, a native of Yizhang, was a jinshi (a successful candidate in the imperial examination) during the Yongle period. He was a man of integrity and uprightness, and he strongly disapproved of Wang Zhen's arbitrary actions. His memorial to the throne opposing this campaign was entirely consistent with his usual conduct, but it was rejected. However, this did not mark the end of his efforts to dissuade the emperor. In fact, as one who had participated in this expedition from start to finish, he preserved his loyalty until the last moment of his life.

  And this humble man is the protagonist of our next chapter. To say that this gentleman is not ordinary, his ability and prestige are also unusually high. He had offended the number one red person Wang Zhen, and never admitted his mistake. He even managed to regain his position as Minister of War under Wang Zhen's nose, and Wang Zhen was unable to do anything about it, which shows how solid his foundation is and how deep his background is.

  After the protests of these two senior officials of the Ministry of War were rejected, they had no choice but to continue their work and prepare for the expedition. According to regulations, when the emperor goes on an expedition, the main leaders of the Ministry of War should accompany him. After internal discussions, a decision was finally made:

  Kuang Yuzhi accompanied him on his expedition, and Yu Qian temporarily took charge of military affairs.

  It turned out that it was this decision that saved the fate of the Great Ming Empire.

  Compared with them, the performance of the other two assistant ministers is really disappointing. The three Yangs are already dead, Hu Mian has no ability, and Zhang Fu, who should have played a role, did not say a word.

  This is really not right, Zhang Fu led the army to pacify Annan, and had been through hundreds of battles, it's impossible that he didn't know the danger of this move. This man was a veteran official who had served four dynasties, even Wang Zhen wouldn't dare to do anything to him. If they were to argue, Wang Zhen might not be his match, but Zhang Fu, old and frail, disappointingly remained silent.

  Although he did not say a word, although he knew the danger, Zhang Fu eventually set out on an expedition with the emperor, not as a commander, but just as an escort.

  You hand over your son to me, and I'll accompany him to the end.

  The ministers were in a flurry, each with their own plans and actions. The emperor was also human, before going on a trip, he had to hand over his work properly, bid farewell to his loved ones, and pack his bags before setting off.

  Zhu Qizhen is now facing these two tasks, and he first handed over the country's power to his younger brother Zhu Qiyu. It can be said that Zhu Qizhen is a gentle person, and his relationship with his younger brother is also very good. His younger brother is also very disciplined and never greedy for things that don't belong to him, such as the throne. This is why Zhu Qizhen handed over the country's power to him with peace of mind.

  However, Zhu Qizhen did not understand that the world is constantly changing, things will change, and people will also change.

  When a person is accustomed to certain authority and privilege, he can no longer bear the pain of losing them.

  Power brings not only dignity but also selfishness to people.

  After entrusting the state affairs, Zhu Qizhen went to bid farewell to his wife, Empress Qian.

  The seventh year of the Zhengtong era (1442) was not a good year for the Ming dynasty, as it was in this year that Empress Zhang died and Wang Zhen seized power. However, for Zhu Qizhen himself, it was a happy year, as he married his empress, Qian Shi.

  Since ancient times, there have been as many empresses as there were emperors, and the number of empresses has only increased, never decreased. In fact, empresses have always been an indispensable political force, from Wu Zetian to Cixi, their roles in history are by no means inferior to those of some male protagonists. Of course, many more empresses remain unknown, buried in the dust of history. However, there are also some empresses who, due to their outstanding political talents and cunning strategies, have been recorded in history and left a lasting legacy.

  This Queen Qian was one of them, and her name has been passed down for generations, extolled by later people.

  But she is different from those imperial consorts in history, who are remembered for their own political machinations and means.

  She relies on the simplest and most sincere thing - feelings.

  She moved historians of all ages with her true feelings, and thus her story has been passed down to this day, touching even more people.

  So in later chapters, we will also talk about this extraordinary woman and her immortal legend.

  A woman's legend, immortalized by true love.

  Is there really affection between the queen and the emperor? I believe this is also a question that many people have. In my opinion, the answer is yes.

  At least in this Queen of Money, I saw true feelings, without any utilitarianism, pure and genuine emotions.

  In the deep palace of those three thousand beauties, countless intrigues and conspiracies are staged every day. In order to compete for favor and power, originally weak women with no strength to bind a chicken will become more ruthless and poisonous than men, some even killing their own flesh and blood to achieve their political goals (Wu Zetian).

  But this is by no means saying that they are hateful or despicable. In fact, in my view, they are a group of pitiful people.

  In that world where power decides everything, having the title of empress and imperial concubine, having power is the only way to control one's own destiny. To solidify one's position, all emotions and sympathy must be eliminated, becoming ruthless and heartless. There is no other way.

  In my opinion, what these poor women did was not selfishness but self-protection.

  But in the eyes of our descendants, the harem is just a messy account that can't be calculated, with constant struggles for favor, position, and birthright, repeating endlessly, with a gloomy and depressing atmosphere.

  This Queen Qian is a lotus flower blooming in the foul and gloomy harem.

  Zhu Qizhen was very fond of his original wife, and took good care of her. Empress Qian was not born into a wealthy or noble family, so she understood that life was not easy. Even after becoming empress, she did not get used to the luxurious life, but instead treated her husband with all her heart and often worked on needle and thread with her own hands. Several times when Zhu Qizhen wanted to grant titles of nobility to her relatives, she declined.

  In many people's eyes, the queen has no worries about food and clothing, is a model for all mothers, and doing needlework is just a pastime.

  But it seems that this is not the case. If Empress Dowager Cixi knew, she would have made things with her own needlework to exchange for goods a few years later, and I don't know what she would think.

  To sum up, this queen is not ordinary. She doesn't want an official position or money; apart from being devoted to her husband with all her heart, she seems to have no other demands.

  Later facts also proved that her feelings for Zhu Qizhen were real and could withstand the test. In her eyes, the only identity of this person named Zhu Qizhen was her husband, regardless of whether Zhu Qizhen was an emperor, a captive, or a prisoner detained by his own brother, this identity never changed.

  That evening, when Zhu Qizhen bid him farewell and prepared to set out on his campaign, no one knew what they said to each other, but I believe that this wife would have exhorted her husband, like all ordinary wives of soldiers going off to war, to take care of himself and be careful, and to say those words which had been spoken countless times before but were still worth saying:

  "I will wait for your return."

  Set out on an expedition

  July 17th of the first year of Zhengtong (1449), the army set out on its expedition.

  Despite countless people's obstruction, Wang Zhen insisted on going out to find the glory of his dreams.

  Among those who went on expedition with him were many civil and military officials who could be called pillars of the state. They included:

  Duke Zhang Fu of the UK, Duke Cheng Guo Zhu Yong (son of Zhu Neng inherited his father's title), cabinet member Cao Ding, cabinet member Zhang Yi, Minister of War Kuang Ye and many others. The list is very long, so I won't list them one by one. In short, many of the court's civil and military elites followed him on his journey.

  Few people can come back alive.

  At this time, Zhu Qizhen would not have known that his legendary experience was about to begin. For this young man of only twenty-three years old, it was an exciting and anticipated experience. The "Mr. Wang" he had always respected would not be wrong, and going to war was undoubtedly the only correct method.

  Objectively speaking, Zhu Qizhen is responsible for the upcoming failure, but the main responsibility does not lie with him, because he is just a young man with little political experience and too easily believes in others.

  Wang Zhencai is the mastermind behind all this.

  For now, let's not talk about whose responsibility it is. In fact, on the same day that the army set out, a great war had already broken out hundreds of miles away in Datong.

  The war took place in Yanghe, and this battle ended with the complete defeat of the Ming army. It must be pointed out that this war fully demonstrated the strength of the Esen army, because the Ming army was well-prepared and had the full support of the eunuch Guo Jing, who guarded Datong. However, even in such a situation, the Ming army was still no match for the Esen army.

  Apart from the entire army being annihilated, General Song Ying was also beheaded. The eunuch Guo Jing who followed the army was clever and hid in a bush pretending to be dead, thus narrowly escaping disaster.

  Only one person escaped and returned, this person was called Shi Heng, who was also the commander of the main army.

  All his subordinates were killed by Ye Zong, and he himself fled in disarray. This is the greatest insult to a commander, but Shi Heng was lucky, and soon he would have the opportunity to take up arms and avenge his fallen comrades.

  The victor has already cleaned up the battlefield, nurtured his spirit and sharpened his will, waiting for the arrival of his opponent.

  As for all this, Wang Zhen, who was still in a dream state, did not know. He always naively thought that as long as the army set out and saw the enemy, they would rush up and win victory.

  A 200,000-strong army is advancing under the guidance of this moron along the Ju Yong Guan and Huai Lai, towards Da Tong, while what awaits them in front is a circle of death.

  On August 1st, the army arrived at Datong. Guo Jing, who had narrowly escaped death in Yanghe, returned and met his superior Wang Zhen.

  Looking at Guo Jing's unsettled eyes and posture, Wang Zhen couldn't help but mock him for a while.

  "I have an army of 200,000, what is there to fear from Cao Cao?"

  But what Guo Jing said next truly shocked Wang Zhen, who was already a timid person.

  He vividly told Wang Zhen about the past battle story and added flavor to describe the miserable situation at the time of defeat.

  Eunuch Wang Zhen is just a slave.

  In the days when he was in power, he was arrogant and domineering, unstoppable, and dreamed of making great achievements. In fact, deep down, he knew very well that he had only deceived the emperor's trust, a small man who relied on the tiger's prestige, a coward.

  He immediately changed his previous boastful words and ordered the troops to retreat.

  At this time, the large army had just arrived in Datong and had not gone far. If they withdrew on schedule, there would be no problem. Also, for the time being, it was impossible to grasp the details of the 200,000-strong army, and an immediate attack would not be launched.

  Even if it's said that the master has no success, let's just say he came out for a tour around the circle.

  But Wang Zhen, this dead eunuch, insisted on making a fuss.

  Wang Zhen is a small man and a nouveau riche, all his behavior patterns are positioned based on this identity, and people like him have a common characteristic - love to show off.

  Wang Zhen's home was in Wei County, which at that time belonged to the jurisdiction of Datong Prefecture. So he decided to invite the emperor to take a look at his hometown. What is there to see in the small Wei County?

  Actually, Wang Zhen's purpose was very simple. It was just like how rich people nowadays like to drive back to their hometown, honk the horn a few times, wake up the whole village, and then let everyone come out to see their new car and new clothes.

  Wang Zhen brought the emperor and 200,000 people back to his hometown, which was also the purpose.

  He just wants to show off, that poor scholar is now a high-ranking official!

  Although he had already become a eunuch.

  One mistake after another

  Since Wang Zhen decided to go home and take a look, he went, and the army turned around and set off towards Weixian.

  In fact, Wang Zhen's decision was correct, because from his hometown of Wei County, it is the necessary route to enter the capital through Zijing Pass. As long as they follow this road, they can safely arrive in the capital.

  On August 3, the army began to advance, but only marched fifty miles before suddenly stopping and receiving orders for all troops to turn around and return to Datong via the same route they came from.

  This is a maddening decision. The army is already extremely exhausted. If we continue to advance, we will soon be able to return to the capital and ensure safety.

  Why take a detour when the road is good? Halfway through, you'd want to turn back and take a longer route back to Beijing!

  The person who issued this order must be mad if there is no justifiable reason for it.

  Wang Zhen had justifiable reasons and seemed quite noble.

  "The harvest is at hand, and a large army passing through Wei County will inevitably trample the crops. I now order the army to change direction, so as not to disturb the people."

  It's really too noble, the eunuch Wang Zhen tramples on human life, is corrupt and accepts bribes, harms the country, and frames loyal officials. Now he suddenly cares about the crops in Weixian County, it's truly a wonder to behold.

  Later historians all abhorred this "noble behavior" and many people analyzed that the fields in Weixian should have been Wang Zhen's own, so he was so concerned.

  In my opinion, whether or not it was Wang Zhen's is unimportant, because even if these lands were not his, it cannot be said that his character is noble. It is nothing more than granting small favors and showing off one's power.

  Wang Zhen ultimately saved the crops of Wei County, demonstrating his authority, but also paying a certain price.

  The cost was tens of millions of lives.

  Heavenly rain, the 200,000-strong army's march became even more difficult, morale was extremely low, soldiers were resentful and angry, but things had already reached this point, there was nothing to be done, just walk honestly.

  On August 10th, after a difficult journey, the army arrived at Xuanfu, and with the large army about to safely enter Juyongguan Pass, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

  But it was also at this time that the always-following Ye Zhen finally saw the true face of this Ming army, after several attempts, he already understood that as long as he launched an attack, he would definitely be able to defeat this so-called behemoth.

  After a month of evasion and stalking, this Qinhu finally launched its first attack.

  Fortunately, the Ming army detected Esen's plan and immediately dispatched a main force of cavalry with more than 50,000 men to block them. The commander of this army was Zhu Yong.

  Zhu Yong's father, Zhu Neng, was an excellent commander, just like Zhang Fu's father, Zhang Yu. However, the difference between Zhu Neng and Zhang Yu lies in that Zhang Yu's son, Zhang Fu, was also a talented military man, but his own son was not.

  Zhu Yong led the 50,000-strong army to set out confidently. Although he was in charge of the rear guard, his troops were actually more than twice as many as those of Aixin, because according to reliable intelligence, Aixin had only 20,000 cavalrymen.

  This is also the source of Zhu Yong's confidence.

  Blind self-confidence is often more frightening than self-abasement.

  No need to go into details, just talk about the result:

  "Jiǎo ér lǐng zhōng fú sǐ, suǒ shuài wǔ wàn qí jiē mò" translates to "Died in ambush at Jiao'er Ridge, all five thousand cavalry under his command were annihilated".

  Fifty thousand men fell into an ambush of twenty thousand people, and the whole army was defeated. This fully shows that Zhu Yong is not a good commander.

  But in my opinion, the 50,000 troops who died at Jiaozi Ridge were still lucky, at least they died fighting.

  They didn't die at Tumu Fortress, they didn't die so miserably.

  The destruction of Zhu Yong finally opened up the road to victory. In front of Yan Xiansheng, there was a smooth and unobstructed path.

  Turf Fort

  Although Zhu Yong's command was unfavorable, his army still won three days for His Majesty the Emperor.

  A three-day lifesaving period, but also just a three-day one.

  On August 10, the Ming army set out from Xuanfu and arrived at Tumu in three days. From here, it was only twenty-five miles to Huailai, a key military stronghold, and once they entered Huailai, everyone would be safe.

  I think everyone can guess what's going on below without me saying it, and there is another person who objects.

  This man is Wang Zhen.

  He found an excuse as usual, but this one was not noble at all.

  "I still have over a thousand vehicles that haven't been transported, the army will temporarily not enter the city, just wait here!"

  It's not hard for one person to make a mistake once, but it's difficult to make mistakes from start to finish. People like Wang Zhen who are so foolish and yet unaware of their own foolishness are truly rare in this world.

  As for this eunuch, I have nothing more to say. Setting aside his evil deeds, his stupidity and ignorance alone are enough to make him infamous for eternity and be spat upon by all people.

  The saddest thing about a person is not being scolded, but having nothing to be scolded for.

  In this way, Ming army lost its last chance of breaking out of the siege.

  Yexian finally arrived, he wiped off the bloodstains left by Zhu Yong on his knife and prepared to go on a killing spree again.

  On the night of August 14, Esen suddenly launched an attack, and the Ming army was caught off guard, with the entire army retreating in defeat. However, due to their large numbers, Esen did not dare to advance too deeply, so the Ming army took advantage of this opportunity to form a dense formation and dig trenches, preparing for a long-term battle.

  According to my estimation, the current military strength should be around 50,000 to 60,000, but even with such a large force, he was unable to defeat the Ming army that defended its position.

  Then he thought of a way.

  Collapse

  On August 15, also Xian suddenly sent an envoy to express his willingness to negotiate, Wang Zhen was overjoyed and immediately dispatched Cao Ding to participate in the negotiations. At this time, it seemed that in order to show sincerity, also Xian's army had already withdrawn.

  Facing this situation, Kong Yingda, the Minister of War who was familiar with the art of war, calmly analyzed that this was a trick of the Xianbei army and could not be trusted. He suggested that they should hold their ground and wait for reinforcements.

  At this moment, Wang Zhen finally accomplished a major event in his life. He fully utilized his foolishness and made the last mistake.

  "The whole army immediately crossed the trenches and shifted!"

  In the military campaign of Zhengtong 14, Wang Zhen started with a mistake and ended with a mistake. He was able to persist in his own mistaken views, even when he knew his own foolishness and ignorance, and could still muster the spirit of shamelessness, turning a deaf ear, truly taking his mistakes to the end.

  Li Jinglong, you must not be lonely in heaven anymore, because someone more foolish, more stupid and more ignorant than you has appeared, and this person will soon come to accompany you.

  Contrary to expectations, the great army had only marched three li when the vanished Esen's troops suddenly appeared, "Iron cavalry charged into the formation, brandishing long knives to chop at the great army."

  After a long period of running around, the 200,000-strong army, which had been repeatedly tossed about by Wang Zhen and had already lost all its morale, finally reached its limit and welcomed its final outcome - collapse.

  A thorough collapse, 200,000 troops were completely disorganized, and everyone fled in all directions. At this moment, no matter whether you are a general, a scholar, or an ordinary soldier, there is only one thing to do - escape.

  Talking about escaping, it's actually a technical job. Apart from looking for the right direction, you also need to have sufficient physical strength as a foundation. Unfortunately, those officials who didn't usually work hard suffered this time because Altan Khan's soldiers did a thorough job in the massacre, regardless of their identity, whether they were jinshi (top scorer) or jinshi graduates, everyone was equal before the horse knife.

  Four senior ministers Zhang Fu had swept Annan, invincible prestige, also in this war was killed, a generation of famous generals thus died.

  Furthermore, more than 50 people including Fu Ma Jingyuan, Minister of War Kuang Yu, Minister of Revenue Wang Zuo, Vice Minister Ding Ming, Wang Yonghe and Grand Council members Cao Ding, Zhang Yi were all killed.

  Property losses were also severe:

  "Over 200,000 mules and horses, as well as clothing, armor, equipment, and supplies were all captured by Also."

  Decades of accumulation, decades of talent, all gone in an instant.

  Two hundred thousand troops collapsed, more than fifty senior officials died in battle. They shouldn't have died like this, but that's the final outcome.

  But it's worth being glad about, a certain son of a bitch is finally dead.

  General Fan Zhong fought desperately in the midst of the chaotic army, he knew that everything was over and he would also die here.

  He was naturally unwilling, 200,000 troops were defeated just because of a person's wrong command.

  Unfortunately, he didn't die at my hands.

  It seemed as if heaven wanted to fulfill his last wish, and soon after, he actually found this person in the midst of the chaotic army.

  This person's characteristics were also very obvious, he was a eunuch and had no beard.

  Fan Zhong rushed up and grabbed Wang Zhen, who was in a state of panic, and smashed his head with the iron hammer.

  "I will rid the world of this scourge!"

  Kill well! Kill with relish!

  It's too late now.

  Finale

  Zhengtong 14th year (1449) September 12th.

  "Your humble servant Yang Jun, the patrol officer of the capital, reports: Recently, at Tumu Fort, we collected abandoned military equipment, including over 6,000 helmets, 5,080 pieces of armor, more than 11,000 divine guns, over 600 divine cannons, and 18 barrels of gunpowder."

  Zhengtong 14th year (1449) September 13th.

  "Minister Yang Hong of the Shanxi Provincial Military Command reports: among the military equipment left behind by Tudimu, we obtained 3,800 helmets, 120 suits of armor, 290 round shields, 22,000 guns, 440,000 arrows, and 800 cannons."