Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 196: The Emperor Calls the Door, Zhu Di Gets Beaten [Please Subscribe! ]

Zhu Biao said, "Father, you often tell us to prioritize our safety. Why don't you take it seriously yourself? It won't take long for someone to make a pot of tea. Why not wait and listen to the funeral arrangements later?"

Zhu Di also said, "Father, if you are really angry with that brat Zhu Qizhen and cause any harm to him, I will never forgive him even if I die."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and thought: If we really make Zhu Qizhen sick from anger, it would be more trouble than it is worth.

So he said, "Well, let's listen to your advice this time. Li Gui, have someone quickly brew a pot of tea that will calm the mind and spirit."

Li Gui went to do it and soon brought back a pot of tea. He drank a cup first and then poured a bowl of tea for Zhu Yuanzhang.

After Zhu Yuanzhang finished his tea, he felt his anger subsided a lot, no longer feeling like he was about to have three demons jumping around like crazy. He said, "Can we continue now?"

"Yes." Liu Kuan responded, "The second thing that impressed me was the Ming army's return route."

"After Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen led their army to Datong after several days of marching, they discovered the bodies of Ming soldiers scattered across many places. Only then did they realize that the Ming army's defeat was even more severe than they had anticipated."

"Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen were both new to the battlefield. Seeing the corpses of the Ming army scattered across the ground, they were frightened and felt guilty, so they decided to withdraw from Datong."

"Wang Zhen thought he was now second only to the emperor, so he wanted to take Zhu Qizhen through his hometown of Weizhou and return to Beijing via Zijing Pass, so that he could show off his power and bring honor to his family."

"After the army had marched seventy or eighty miles, Wang Zhen suddenly became concerned that the army would trample the crops as it passed through Yuzhou, causing huge losses to his hometown."

"Besides, this time the army went out to fight, but they retreated without even seeing the Wala army. It was really not a glorious move. So he ordered the army to turn back to Xuanfu and return along the same route..."

"Ridiculous! Ridiculous!" Old Zhu couldn't help but get angry again, slamming the imperial desk and saying, "Do they really think war is a joke?!"

Liu Kuan could only advise, "Your Majesty, calm down."

Old Zhu said, "I'm not angry, I just want to drag Wang Zhen over here and tear his skin apart!"

When Li Gui, who had no sense of existence, heard this, he was afraid that his fellow eunuchs would be implicated, so he shrank back and became even less visible.

Liu Kuan asked tentatively, "Then shall I continue?"

"continue!"

"Because the army was slow to march and its route was circuitous, a force of Oirat troops caught up with the Ming army near Jiming Mountain and blocked its path. Then Yesen led the main force of the Oirat army in pursuit, forming a pincer attack on the Ming army."

"The Ming army had no choice but to fight—they had no morale at the time, were in extremely poor condition, and their officers and soldiers were resentful. Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen also led the army in a chaotic manner, so they were defeated."

"In this single battle, over half of the Ming army was killed or wounded, and many of the nobles and other military heroes who accompanied the army also died. Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen led the remaining Ming troops in a panicked retreat to Tumu Fort."

"It was still early, so some ministers advised Zhu Qizhen to continue the march and spend the night in Huailai City."

"But Wang Zhen was worried about his personal belongings, and the more than 1,000 carts of supplies had fallen behind the troops. Before they could catch up, he insisted that the army stay at Tumubao."

"That night, the Ming army was surrounded by the pursuing Oirat troops at Tumubao, and the water supply to Tumubao was cut off."

"The next day, to reduce the difficulty of the attack, Yesen pretended to retreat and sent envoys to negotiate peace with the Ming army. Zhu Qizhen, Wang Zhen, and others believed him, and after the Oirat army retreated, they planned to move their camp to the riverside to avoid being cut off from water again."

"Because the Ming army had been without water for a day or two, the soldiers scrambled for water when they moved camp, causing considerable chaos. Yesen led the Oirat army back and defeated the Ming army."

"In the midst of the chaos, Wang Zhen was killed by angry Ming soldiers, and Zhu Qizhen was captured by the Oirat people. This was the famous Battle of Tumu, which later became known in history books."

After Liu Kuan finished speaking, he found that Zhu Yuanzhang was no longer as angry as before, but frowned and thought about something.

Zhu Biao and Zhu Di next to them had the same expression.

Zhu Di was the first to speak, "Third brother-in-law, there are two things about the Tumu Incident you mentioned that are very puzzling."

Liu Kuan asked: "Which two things?"

Zhu Di said, "What happened before the army retreated is fine, but after we encountered the Oirat army and were severely defeated, Wang Zhen was still concerned about his property? Besides, why did he bring so much property with him to the battle?"

Liu Kuan thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, Prince of Yan, it's hard to judge an eunuch's greed for money. As for the source of Wang Zhen's wealth in the army—perhaps it was the bribes he collected along the way?"

Zhu Di nodded and continued, "Then pretending to negotiate peace, withdrawing the troops first and then launching a surprise attack, is just a very common strategy. How could the Ming emperor and his ministers not see through it and be completely unprepared? Isn't it incredible?"

Before Liu Kuan could even think of a response, Zhu Yuanzhang hummed, "What's so incredible about that? From what happened before, we know that Wang Zhen is probably controlling the Forbidden City, isolating the inside and outside. It's difficult for ordinary people to see Zhu Qizhen."

"Even if there were princes and ministers who could see this, given Zhu Qizhen's stupidity and his favoritism towards Wang Zhen, how could their advice be accepted?"

"Besides, the Ming army had just suffered a major defeat at that time. I'm afraid that many of the troops were under the command of the generals who didn't know the soldiers, and the soldiers who didn't know the generals. Even if they wanted to guard against a counterattack by the Oirat, they wouldn't be able to do it."

Zhu Di thought about it and found that this might really be the case.

At this time, Liu Kuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, there is actually a conspiracy theory circulating on the Internet in later generations."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, "What conspiracy theory?"

"Some say the Tumu Incident was a deliberate plot by a group of Ming Dynasty civil officials colluding with the Oirat Mongols. Their goal was to wipe out the Ming Dynasty's military elites, thus returning the Ming Dynasty to a state where the government was completely controlled by civil officials."

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and asked, "Is there any evidence to support this claim?"

Liu Kuan said: "There is no real evidence. It is just speculation by a very small number of people on the Internet in later generations. Most people scoff at such claims."

"First, the Battle of Tumu Fortress not only killed many military heroes, but also several ministers and vice ministers from the six ministries, as well as many civil officials such as cabinet scholars."

"Secondly, this speculation is somewhat like putting cause and effect before effect—the rise in power of Ming Dynasty civil officials began during the Yongle reign, and by the time Zhu Zhanji came to power, the court was dominated by civil officials." "It can be said that even without the Battle of Tumu, if things had continued normally, Ming Dynasty civil officials would have gradually gained control of the court."

"The Battle of Tumu destroyed many military heroes and the Ming army in Beijing. It simply accelerated this process."

"Finally, the Ming Dynasty's civil officials during Zhu Qizhen's reign might have consciously opposed the Military Merit Group, but I don't believe they could have united to orchestrate something as major as the Tumu Incident."

Zhu Biao knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was already wary of the civil officials, fearing they would use this incident to further suppress the civil officials in the court. He said, "Father, this is indeed unlikely. Let's not even talk about whether the civil officials can plan such a big event. Even if they can, aren't they afraid that the Han Dynasty will be destroyed again at the hands of the barbarians?"

"During the Yuan Dynasty, Confucianism was suppressed, and Han Chinese scholars were rarely given important positions. Most of them served as vassals of the Mongol elite. How could the Ming Dynasty's scholars be willing to see such a situation again?"

Zhu Di said nothing, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flashed with a cold look, but he said, "Don't worry, I'm not angry enough to make random guesses. If any civil officials dared and were able to orchestrate the Tumu Incident, their next move would be to usurp the throne. How could the Ming Dynasty have survived for over a hundred years?"

He then turned to Liu Kuan and said, "Go on - Zhu Qizhen was captured, and hundreds of thousands of Beijing troops were killed. How did they hold on to Beijing?"

Liu Kuan said: "After Zhu Qizhen was captured, the Oirat leaders, including Yesen, were overjoyed to learn that he was the Ming emperor, and subsequently split into two factions."

"One faction believed that the Ming emperor was an enemy of the Yuan Dynasty—the Oirat Mongols also considered themselves part of the Mongols—and that Zhu Qizhen should be executed. The other faction believed that Zhu Qizhen's survival amidst the chaos must be a blessing from heaven, and advocated returning him to the Ming Dynasty to negotiate peace."

"Yesen believed this was a heaven-sent opportunity for the Yuan Dynasty to reunite the world, so he took Zhu Qizhen as a hostage and marched south to attack Beijing."

"On the other hand, news of the Ming army's defeat at Tumu Fort and the capture of Zhu Qizhen reached Beijing, shocking the court and the people. People were in panic, and the court was divided into two factions."

"Most court officials advocated moving the capital south to Nanjing; only a very small number, including Yu Qian, then Vice Minister of War, advocated defending Beijing and resisting the northern invaders."

"At the time, Empress Dowager Sun was in charge of state affairs, and Zhu Qizhen's half-brother, Prince of Qin, Zhu Qiyu, was appointed regent. After weighing the pros and cons, the two decided to support Yu Qian, and he was promoted to Minister of War, in charge of Beijing's defense."

"At this time, Empress Dowager Sun once tried to redeem Zhu Qizhen with money and property, but unfortunately Yesen remained unmoved."

"Yesen took Zhu Qizhen hostage and first came to the outside of Xuanfu City, demanding that the garrison commander open the gate to welcome him, but the commander refused."

"A few days later, Yesen again abducted Zhu Qizhen to Datong and ordered him to personally go to the city gates to ask the Datong garrison to open the gates to welcome him. He was again refused. Upon seeing this, Zhu Qizhen demanded money and property from the garrison commanders and eunuchs, and distributed it to the Oirat commanders and soldiers who were escorting him."

"After that, whenever Yesen arrived at a city, he would first ask Zhu Qizhen to knock on the gate. Although he was unsuccessful, Zhu Qizhen was later nicknamed 'The Emperor Who Knocks on the Gate'..."

"The Emperor knocks at the gate?!" Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened with anger upon hearing this. He interrupted Liu Kuan and asked, "How dare this evil creature Zhu Qizhen continue to live on? He actually listened to Na Yesen's orders and knocked at the city gate again and again?!"

Zhu Di, holding onto a sliver of hope, asked, "Brother-in-law, could this Zhu Qizhen be someone disguised as Yesen? It's already a disgrace for Zhu Qizhen, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, to be captured. How could he still have the nerve to help Yesen open the Ming city gates?!"

Liu Kuan listened to what the two said and said, "Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan may feel that Zhu Qizhen deserves death for the humiliation he suffered, but he himself may not think so."

"You must know that during the Jingkang Incident, Emperors Huizong and Qinzong preferred to lead their ministers, children, and concubines to the Jin people and become captives in the ritual of leading a sheep rather than die for their country."

"Zhu Qizhen was only captured and held hostage, and suffered no other humiliation, so naturally he didn't want to die."

boom!
There was a loud bang, and it was Old Zhu who was so angry that he slammed the imperial desk.

"You're actually using the two emperors of the Zhao and Song dynasties as an example, Liu Kuan, are you deliberately trying to piss me off?!"

Liu Kuan hadn't expected this statement to elicit such a strong reaction from Zhu Yuanzhang, and he quickly bowed and said, "Your humble servant dares not—Your humble servant simply wanted to say that Zhu Qizhen grew up in the palace, clothed in luxury and well fed, and had never experienced any hardships. He was only 23 when he was captured, so it's natural for him to cherish his life."

Zhu Yuanzhang cursed, "Normal as hell! That bastard should die, so as not to bring shame to our Zhu family!"

Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's anger, Zhu Biao also advised: "Father, calm down - after all, this is all a matter of later history, and it is impossible for it to happen again now."

Zhu Di immediately stated: "Father, I will tell my descendants that no great-grandchildren will ever be named Zhu Qizhen again!"

"If I don't take the name Zhu Qizhen, it's useless!" Zhu Yuanzhang felt furious, especially when he saw Zhu Di. After saying this, he waved at him, "Fourth Brother, come here!"

"what?"

Zhu Di walked up to His Majesty in a daze.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked down to a position three stories higher than Zhu Di and said with a stern face, "Turn around!"

Zhu Di realized something and his face turned red immediately. He wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it. He could only turn his back with a look of grievance.

Zhu Yuanzhang picked up a jade ruler that was used as a paperweight on the table and hit Zhu Di on the back.

"That bastard Zhu Qizhen wasn't even born yet, so we couldn't defeat him. But we can always defeat you, Zhu Qizhen's great-grandfather!"

"That bastard is so clueless and incompetent, he has no moral integrity at all. He's brought shame to our Zhu family!"

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was beating him hard and fast, and Zhu Di didn't know how to run away, Zhu Biao stepped forward and said, "Father, please stop. We don't know if he will have a great-grandson like Zhu Qizhen who will ruin the family in the future."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard the word "spendthrift", he struck even harder.

Zhu Di was in tears.

I thought: Big Brother, can you intercede? If not, don't say anything.

　First update.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)