Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 15 Battle of Tumu Fortress

Zhu Di had never missed his fourth son as much as he did now.

Imagine the fourth prince descending from the heavens to save Zhu Qizhen and the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty.

Seeing the army turn back along the same route for the sake of the crops, Zhu Di already foresaw that the outcome would not be good.

They might even be completely wiped out.

What else could we do? We could only rely on the fourth son, the Ming Zhongzu.

But soon, he reacted.

The fourth prince has now left the Ming Dynasty.

Now, to get back to the Ming Dynasty, the journey alone would take several months, not to mention that the fourth prince had no idea about this news.

After all, who could have imagined that Wang Zhen would issue such an outrageous order?

The fourth brother couldn't predict the future.

Zhu Di regretted it.

If I had known, I would have arranged for the fourth prince to be enfeoffed in Xunzhou.

In this way, the fourth prince can still keep an eye on the Ming Dynasty and at least prevent it from collapsing.

At this moment, he finally understood why Tianmu's reputation was so resounding in later generations.

Feelings are not so sagacious.

Rather, he was a ruler who lost his country.

"It seems my great-grandson is going to die here."

Zhu Di clenched his fists and glared angrily at the sky: "As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, even in death, you must die with dignity!"

"The process of returning to the capital was also extremely dangerous. The army responsible for covering the rear and pursuing Esen was completely wiped out."

"Fortunately, at this time, we were only a hundred li away from the capital, and the Ming border troops were only sixty li away as well,"

"But at this point, the army's route was forced to stop because there was a river in front of them called the Gui River. This also proves how much of an impact it would have been to listen to Wang Zhen and turn back along the original route."

"If this time hadn't been wasted, the Ming army could have easily crossed the river and returned to Ming territory, while Esen's cavalry would have had no chance of crossing to pursue them."

Gui River?
What's the meaning!
Zhu Di was furious. How could the territory he had conquered for the Ming Dynasty have shrunk?

How long has it been?

Had the Ming Dynasty already retreated back to within the Great Wall?

The people inside the celestial canopy didn't say what exactly happened, and Zhu Di naturally didn't know either.

But since no major war has been launched, there can only be one reason.

It was an emperor who abandoned this part of the Ming Dynasty's territory.

Is he the eldest son or the eldest grandson?

Since they were father and son anyway, Zhu Di had already figured out that he was going to give them a good kick in the butt later.

At this moment, Zhu Di truly regretted watching the sky alone.

If his three sons were here, he could at least vent his anger.

"Even if the delay prevented him from crossing the river, Zhu Qizhen could have avoided this calamity. Fifteen miles to the east was Huailai Ancient City, an ancient city with city walls and fortifications, and it also had a water source. At that time, many ministers suggested that they go to Huailai Ancient City to take refuge!"

"But at this point, Wang Zhen insisted on leaving despite all opposition, so the Ming Dynasty's 200,000-strong army ended up stationed at Tumu Fortress."

Tumu Fortress?
What a familiar place name.

Zhu Di seemed to remember that he had been there once before and even stayed there.

Memories of Tumu Fortress flooded his mind instantly.

Zhu Di clearly remembered that Tumu Fort was actually just a post station, or simply a relay station.

It has absolutely no defensive capabilities.

It's just a small fortress.

With over 200,000 troops stationed at Tumu Fortress, even a fool could see it would be extremely crowded. Yet, his foolish great-grandson, Zhu Qizhen, would believe the words of a eunuch.

Gather the entire army together.

Moreover, Esen's cavalry was closing in from behind.

Zhu Di never imagined that there could be such a fool in the world.

They simply don't know how to fight.

If he were merely incompetent and foolish, that would be one thing. But Zhu Di was able to see that Zhu Qizhen harbored great ambitions.

He had to come out and seek death.

When Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen woke up the next day and wanted to set off, they discovered that they had been surrounded by the Mongol army and their water supply to Tumu Fort had been cut off.

"The lack of water became a fatal crisis for the Ming army, which was trapped in the encirclement and unable to move. The Ming troops went without drinking water for two days, while Esen's cavalry continued to gather."

"In the end, Zhu Qizhen's more than 200,000 troops fell into disarray. In order to seize water, they killed each other. Countless Ming soldiers did not die at the hands of the Mongols, but died by their own swords. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Oirat army launched an attack, and the entire 200,000 troops were wiped out."

"Not only that, but more than fifty high-ranking officials of the court, including Duke Zhang Fu and Fan Zhong, who accompanied the emperor on the expedition, were killed in battle. In this battle, half of the country was destroyed. Emperor Zhu Qizhen chose to surrender when surrounded by Esen's cavalry and was captured alive and taken to the Mongol royal tent."

Upon hearing these numbers, Zhu Di slammed his fist on the table in anger, making a deafening bang.

Two hundred thousand troops.

These were all sons of the Ming Dynasty, yet they lost their lives because of Zhu Qizhen's inaction. They were the backbone of the Ming Dynasty and the pillars of its destiny.

He died such a miserable death, by his own hand.

The death of Zhang Fu, in particular, brought tears to Zhu Di's eyes.

Zhang Fu and his father Zhang Yu launched the Jingnan Campaign.

Zhang Yu ultimately died in the Jingnan Campaign, and Zhang Fu also devoted himself to the Ming Dynasty, but he never expected to meet such a tragic end.

He originally thought that Zhu Qizhen, as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and his great-grandson, would still have some backbone even if he was defeated.

An emperor who dies on the battlefield, even if he lost, is considered to have died with honor.

As it turned out, he actually surrendered.

With the emperor captured, Zhu Di dared not even think about what might happen next.

Wasn't Emperor Qinzong of Song a bloody lesson?

[Esen was equally astonished to have captured the Ming emperor. In his excitement, he bound Zhu Qizhen and served him like a monkey to the steppe people for entertainment. The dignity of the Ming Dynasty was utterly trampled underfoot!]

"Guards, guards, summon that little bastard Zhu Zhanji immediately! I want to ask him how he disciplines his son."

Zhu Di could no longer tolerate it.

Even though he knew this was something that would happen in the future, the anger in his heart could not be calmed, and he only wanted to kill people.

Zhu Di was even more afraid of what the people of the world would think if they saw this scene.

Zhu Qizhen, such a foolish ruler, was still his bloodline, his great-grandson.

He was never properly appointed to his position.

In addition, he knew very well that Jianwen, that little bastard, was still alive.

At that time, Jianwen could use this as a pretext to rebel, and with a single call to arms, the people of the world would rise up in response.

Even if we win, it will deplete our energy.

If we lose, the whole family will die!

Zhu Di would never allow such a thing to happen.

For the sake of the Ming Dynasty and for the stability of the world, he was willing to kill anyone.

Zhu Gaochi, who was inside the Crown Prince's residence, lost his appetite upon seeing this scene.

His face was ashen.

But when he looked up, he saw Zhu Zhanji looking completely indifferent, which enraged him, and he kicked him directly.

"You bastard, how could you have given birth to such a thing!"

"Father, it's not that serious!" Zhu Zhanji patted the shoe print on his buttocks.

Zhu Gaochi calmed down and took a breath, then asked, "Why do you think your grandfather wouldn't dare to kill you?"

Zhu Zhanji did not speak, but that was indeed his opinion.

After all, the world has witnessed Zhu Di's favor towards him over the years.

Zhu Gaochi was so angry that he trembled all over.

“Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. For your grandfather, the stability of the Ming Dynasty was the most important thing, while your head, Zhu Zhanji, was naturally a trivial matter!”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhanji's expression changed completely; he was in a state of unprecedented panic.

Immediately afterwards, news came from outside the Crown Prince's residence that Zhu Di had summoned his grandson.

(End of this chapter)