100 Historical Stories That Unlock Teenage Wisdom

Chapter 76 3

Chapter 83 Ming Yingzong's personal conquest and capture

——Learn to do things in a planned way. Many young people do things aimlessly, taking one step at a time.To do things, you must know how to plan and learn the principle of "looking at five moves in chess".

In the late summer of 1449, the cavalry of the Oala tribe of Mongolia attacked the Ming Dynasty in three ways.The east and west routes attacked Liaodong and Ganzhou respectively, and the leader of the Wala tribe also led 30 troops in the middle route to Datong and Xuanfu, the important border towns of the Ming Dynasty.

On July 7, Yexian's army attacked Maoerzhuang outside Datong, and Wu Hao, the right general of the Ming army, died in battle.When the news reached Beijing, the Yingzong sent four generals to reinforce Datong with 30 horses each.Eunuch Wang Zhen had long wanted to make military achievements, and seeing the opportunity came, he tried his best to encourage the Yingzong to conscript himself.Yingzong was young (1 years old) full of vigor and eager to try, so he asked the officials to discuss the plan of personal conquest.

Wang Zhi, Shangshu of the Ministry of Officials, joined forces with other ministries to persuade and admonish him to conquer in person.They believe that to deal with the invaders first, they should adopt the tactics of fortifying the wall and holding the field, waiting for the opportunity to fight.At that time, it was the hot and dry season, the water and grass were not abundant, and there was no strong logistical supply, so it was bound to be unsustainable.Moreover, he couldn't find a chance to fight the Ming army in advance, and he didn't get enough supplies when he retreated. When he was in a dilemma and was exhausted, he attacked with a sharp edge, and he was sure to win.What's more, it is very inappropriate for the emperor to take the honor of ten thousand chariots, and it is very inappropriate for the safety of a country to be in danger.

At Wang Zhen's instigation, Yingzong said: "I am the lord of a country, and it is my duty to defend the country." He ordered to arrange a personal conquest.

On August 8, Emperor Yingzong ordered Wang Yi and Zhu Qiyu to stay in the capital, and arranged to escort the ministers of various departments who had joined the expedition.On the same day, the main force of the Ming army in Datong fought Yexian cavalry at Yanghekou (now the pass of the North Great Wall in Yanggao County, Shanxi).

On the 4th, Yingzong's 50 troops hurriedly embarked on the journey.Along the way, the sergeant kept making disturbances, but Wang Zhenquan didn't worry about it.It has been 18 days since the army left Juyongguan, passed through Xuanfu, and then went west to Datong.Guo Jing, the eunuch guarding Datong, informed Wang Zhen that the main force of Datong was wiped out.Wang Zhen was frightened, and persuaded Yingzong to drive back to Beijing.Regarding the route back to the teacher, the ministers advocated taking a shortcut as much as possible and returning to Beijing from Zijingguan.Wang Zhen disagreed. He invited Yingzong to his hometown of Weizhou to have a look.After walking for 40 miles, Wang Zhen changed his mind and headed east because he was worried that the troops would trample on the crops and bring disaster to his hometown.The army passed through Xuanfu and arrived at Tumubao on the 30th.

It was still dark when we arrived at Tumubao.The Tumu Fortress is only 20 miles away from Huailai County, and the Minister of Escort suggested that it be stationed in the city, so that it can be defended against unexpected events.Wang Zhen heard that more than a thousand baggage trucks behind did not keep up, so he decided to wait in the division.And the camp was chosen in Gaogang where there is no water.

On the 31st, the first cavalry arrived and suddenly trapped Yingzong and his troops, cutting off their access to the stream 15 miles south of the camp.The Ming army dug a well 2 feet deep, but there was no spring water, and the hunger and thirst were unbearable.

On September 9, Yingzong ordered the Ming army to break through, but failed.At this time, envoys were also sent to discuss peace, and Yingzong also sent envoys to Yexian camp.Wang Zhen naively thought that the Oirat cavalry had relaxed their fighting spirit, so he falsely passed on an imperial order and ordered the troops to move to the camp.In a hurry, the Ming army was in disarray, and the Oirat cavalry rushed forward. The Ming army was defeated. Few of the ministers who accompanied them escaped alive. More than half of the 1 troops were killed or injured. Get it first.Yingzong was generously taken prisoner, while Wang Zhen was beaten to death by angry Ming generals.This is the "Civil Change" in the history of the Ming Dynasty.Wisdom Interpretation:
Anyone who plays chess understands that chess depends on five moves.If you lose in chess, you lose. It doesn't matter much. In other things, you can't take one step at a time. You must have a plan when you do things. With a plan, you will have a direction, and you will not act blindly.

(End of this chapter)