My father Zhu Gaoxu

Chapter 970 The Defeat of Tumu Fort (Part )
"Your Majesty has a decree. Out of fear of the emperor's authority, Wala took the initiative to propose peace and withdraw the troops that blocked the water source. Considering Wala's sincerity, I decided to agree to the peace negotiation. The army will return to Beijing soon!"

The eunuch who delivered the order conveyed Zhu Zhanhe's order to the entire army. When Zhang Fu and others who were guarding the palace gate heard the news, their faces changed drastically and they did not care about etiquette. Zhang Fu, Kuang Ye, and Cao Ding He rushed directly to the palace to see Zhu Qizhen.

"What are you going to do? Do you want to rebel?"

Zhu Qizhen's face darkened when he saw Zhang Fu and others rushing in, and he immediately slapped the table and asked.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. The reason why we are so anxious to see you is to ask you to take back the imperial edict. We must not let the officers and soldiers know that the Ora cavalry who blocked the water source have retreated!"

Zhang Fu stepped forward and said loudly with an anxious look on his face.

"Why, now that the army is short of water, I care about the soldiers and let them know that the Oara people who blocked the water source have withdrawn. Wouldn't this make the soldiers feel at ease?"

Zhu Qizhen frowned and asked again.

"Your Majesty, it is precisely because of the lack of water in the army, especially the soldiers outside the fort, that they are extremely thirsty. If they know that the water source is no longer blocked, they will definitely rush to grab water. Then the army will definitely riot because of this. At this time, Wala If someone takes the opportunity to attack, the consequences will be disastrous!"

Zhang Fu's eyes were red with anxiety. He had almost foreseen the tragic situation of the Wala people charging into Tumu Fort.

"Your Majesty, what the British Duke said is correct. Please immediately withdraw the imperial edict, then send someone to restrain the army and strictly prohibit anyone from going to grab water. This may be able to save the situation!"

Kuang Ye next to him also said at this time that even he, a civil servant, understood such a simple calculation, but Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen fell into the trap, which made Kuang Ye and others not know what to say.

"That's nonsense. Our Ming Dynasty has strict military discipline. How can it be shaken by just drinking water? I think you are simply unfounded. Your Majesty, don't listen to their nonsense!"

Unexpectedly, Wang Zhen, who was standing next to Zhu Qizhen, his face darkened at this time, and he immediately pointed at Zhang Fu and others and scolded.

"My lord, this is not an unfounded worry. It is about the safety of your majesty and hundreds of thousands of troops. Please think twice!"

Cao Ding couldn't help shouting loudly at this time, and other ministers also tried to dissuade him.

"Bold, Your Majesty speaks so eloquently, do you want His Majesty to go back on his words?"

Wang Zhen yelled suddenly, interrupting everyone and shouting.

If it had been the past, the ministers would have shut up immediately. After all, Wang Zhen's power was overwhelming, and no one in the court would dare to ignore him.

But now the situation was urgent, and everyone's lives were at stake, so instead of shutting up, the ministers below became even more excited. Some even directly spoke to Zhu Qizhen, hoping that he could retract the imperial edict just now.

"Okay, everything depends on Mr. Wang's orders. You all, please stand down!"

Unexpectedly, Zhu Qizhen did not listen to the suggestions of the ministers at all, and directly ordered with a wave of his hand.

After hearing Zhu Qizhen's words, the ministers below, who were originally agitated, closed their mouths in unison, with an unprecedented despair on their faces.

In fact, even if Zhu Qizhen accepted the imperial edict just now, it was already too late. As the news spread, the entire army soon knew that the Walas had withdrawn the troops that blocked the water source, and they could finally drink water. …………

Wang Liu lay on the ground and buried his face in the mud pit. This was a big pit left by digging a well. Although there was no water, the soil was moist. Burying his face in it and sucking in a few breaths of moisture could make him feel hot. My throat feels better.

Wang Liu was a military householder in Tongzhou. He was recruited into the army this time and followed the emperor Zhu Qizhen in his personal expedition.

In Wang Liu's opinion, there shouldn't be any danger if he went on an expedition with the emperor. After all, the emperor's life was much more valuable than his own, and the other party would definitely not risk his own life.

However, Wang Liu never dreamed that this expedition would be much more difficult than he had imagined. At the beginning, the army did not even prepare food and water. Coupled with the rain and the drop in temperature, many soldiers died of hunger and cold on the road. For example, Wang Liu had a brother who grew up with him. He fell ill due to being caught in the rain and eventually died in Xuanfu. His body could only be hastily buried on the side of the road.

Wang Liu was lucky. He didn't get sick along the way, but he suffered a lot. He managed to survive until he was about to return to Beijing, but ended up being trapped in Tumubao again. Now he hasn't drank a drop of water all day and night.

"There's water! There's water!"

Suddenly, at this moment, Wang Liu heard someone shouting excitedly outside.

This made Wang Liu suddenly raise his head from the mud pit. Several soldiers like him next to him also stretched their necks and looked around.

Soon I saw messengers running from a distance, shouting as they ran: "The Wala people have made peace. The troops that blocked the water source have retreated. We have water!"

"Is there water? Is there really water?"

Wang Liu and his companions all showed excited expressions when they heard this. After all, the feeling of thirst is not pleasant, especially when the weather is so hot. If they don't drink water, they will be dried out in the sun.

"Why are you still standing there? Go find our head. We will probably have some water soon!"

Wang Liu was the first to react and immediately jumped up and shouted. The other soldiers also shouted excitedly, jumped up and ran to their respective military camps.

Half an hour later, the Oara army that had blocked the water source retreated. After Wang Zhen saw the Oara army withdrawing with his own eyes, he immediately ordered the army to move toward the water source, preparing to move the camp to the waterside to facilitate water collection.

In fact, there was no need for Wang Zhen's order at all. The thirsty soldiers below saw the water source in front and rushed forward excitedly, not listening to the orders from above. As a result, the Ming army camp soon fell into chaos. In a group, everyone rushed to the river, no longer caring about the formation.

Seeing this situation, Wang Zhen was also startled. Thinking of the previous warnings from Zhang Fu and others, he was also a little worried, so he ordered to restrain the soldiers and prohibited them from going to the river to fetch water privately.

But Wang Zhen forgot that the two conflicting military orders would only aggravate the chaos of the Ming army. Even if there were Ming soldiers who wanted to obey the order, they didn't know which one to listen to?
Ye Xian had been standing on the nearby high ground. When he saw the chaos of the Ming army, he slapped his thigh excitedly, and then ordered a fierce attack. Suddenly, the Wala people came from all directions to kill, shouting and killing.

"It's over!"

When Zhang Fu, who was in the middle army, saw the Walas coming to kill him, he couldn't help but scream in despair, and then closed his eyes in pain. What he was most worried about finally happened!

(End of this chapter)