Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

Chapter 128 The Oirat People

After the military academy reopened, Zhu Qiyu's life gradually returned to its usual rhythm.

Every morning, he would attend court, handle government affairs, meet with ministers, and review memorials.

Occasionally, I would take some time to visit the military academy, observe the students in class, and listen to the instructors' lectures.

Sometimes he would even personally go down into the arena and spar with the students in swordsmanship and archery.

The students were initially reserved, but they gradually relaxed after discovering that His Majesty was not as serious as rumored.

Every time Zhu Qiyu came, they would rush to show off, hoping to make a name for themselves in front of the emperor.

Zhu Qiyu was pleased with this, and would always pick a few good performers to praise them in person, and sometimes even reward them with something.

Zhang Yong is one of them.

This kid isn't good at studying, but his horsemanship and swordsmanship are among the best in his class.

Once, when Zhu Qiyu went to observe a horsemanship and archery lesson, Zhang Yong hit the bullseye with three arrows in a row, and Zhu Qiyu rewarded him with a fine horse on the spot.

Zhang Yong was so excited that he couldn't sleep well for several days.

Days passed by, and August arrived in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Zhu Qiyu was reviewing memorials in the Qianqing Palace when Xing'an hurriedly walked in: "Your Majesty, the Oirat Mongols have sent an envoy."

Zhu Qiyu raised his head: "Sent by Esen?"

Xing'an said, "Yes. The envoy's name is Su Yan, the one who came to pay homage on New Year's Day this year."

He said he had been ordered by the Grand Tutor to have important matters to present to His Majesty in person.

Zhu Qiyu chuckled.

If Esen is truly sincere, he will immediately send another envoy after the incident.

It's been four months, and only now has Esen sent someone.

It seems he suffered a setback elsewhere on the grasslands.

Zhu Qiyu put down his pen and said, "Let him wait. Let him wait for three days."

Xing'an was taken aback: "Your Majesty, this—"

Zhu Qiyu waved his hand: "Go ahead. Tell him I'm busy with state affairs, and let him stay at the Huitongguan for now."

"When you are free, I will summon you."

Xing'an dared not ask any further questions and bowed as he withdrew.

Three days later, Zhu Qiyu received Boyan.

At this moment, Boyan looked somewhat haggard, and the smile on his face seemed a bit forced.

After bowing, he respectfully presented the letter of state.

Zhu Qiyu took the document but didn't open it, instead setting it aside: "Boyan, what business does Yesen have with you?"

Bayan said, "Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor was deeply saddened to learn of the misfortune that befell the Emperor Emeritus on his return journey."

I have dispatched a special envoy to express my condolences to Your Majesty and to clarify some misunderstandings.

Zhu Qiyu said, "Oh? What misunderstanding?"

Bayan said, "Your Majesty may think that the death of the Emperor Emeritus is related to our Oirat."

But that's not the case at all.

The Grand Tutor genuinely wanted to send the retired emperor back to his homeland and also sincerely wished to make peace with the Ming Dynasty.

That avalanche was a natural disaster, not a man-made one.

As for the conflict between Batel and others and your country's guards, that must have been a misunderstanding.

The Grand Tutor is willing to compensate the Ming Dynasty for its losses as a sign of sincerity.

Zhu Qiyu suddenly laughed: "Boyan, you make it sound so easy."

If it really was a misunderstanding, why did it take so long for Esen to send you?

Bayan's expression changed slightly: "Your Majesty, after the incident, the Grand Tutor arranged for me to come and clarify the matter."

However, just then, Arachiin led his troops to cause trouble.

That's what caused the delay.

Zhu Qiyu snorted coldly: "You are all Oirat people. If you insist on coming to my Great Ming, do you think he can kill you?"

Furthermore, how do you explain Batel's intention to kill my envoy?

Bayan's face flushed red and then turned pale: "Bater would never kill a Ming envoy; there must be a misunderstanding!"

Batel may have thought that your envoy had deliberately startled the horse and caused the avalanche, and was thus enraged.

During the avalanche, dozens of surviving guards were cut off behind the canyon.

By the time they arrived at the front, Yue Qian and the others had already left.

However, they discovered that Batel and the others had knife and arrow wounds all over their bodies, and judged that they had fought with Yue Qian and the others.

However, they did not know the specific reason.

When the news reached Esen's camp, everyone there was furious.

Most of them believed that Yue Qian was behind it.

It was Yue Qian who caused the avalanche, with the aim of killing Zhu Qizhen.

Then they shifted the blame onto the Oirat people.

Therefore, Esen did not send an envoy to the Ming Dynasty immediately.

If the Battle of Beijing hadn't significantly weakened his strength, he might have even sent a large army to Juyong Pass to "demand an explanation."

Later, as the weather warmed up...

He then sent troops to plunder Ara's territory.

As a result, they suffered a defeat and lost a significant number of men.

That's when they thought of sending envoys to the Ming Dynasty to "clarify the misunderstanding" in hopes of opening up trade.

Zhu Qiyu slammed his fist on the imperial desk: "Indignant? What right does he have to be indignant?!"

Dozens of my envoys also died in the avalanche!

The retired emperor of the Ming Dynasty is dead!

What right does a mere Oirat man have to be so indignant?!

Bayan was so frightened that he took a step back: "Your Majesty, please calm down!"

Zhu Qiyu stared at him for a long time without saying a word.

After a long silence, Zhu Qiyu slowly spoke: "Boyan, go back and tell Yexian."

I don't care whether he's sincere or not.

In short, he was inextricably linked to the death of the retired emperor.

I will remember this debt.

Sooner or later, I will settle things with him.

Boyan wanted to say something more, but Zhu Qiyu waved his hand and said, "Go."

Xing'an immediately led Boyan out of the palace.

After Boyan left, Zhu Qiyu smiled.

Yue Qian did a really brilliant job.

Not only did it perfectly resolve the issue of Zhu Qizhen.

They even turned their attention to Esen of the Oirat Mongols.

And Esen was very "cooperative".

After the incident, no envoy was sent to Beijing immediately.

This led more and more ministers to believe that Esen was primarily responsible for Zhu Qizhen's accident.

Otherwise, he would have sent someone to Beijing long ago.

As for the score with the Oirat Mongols, Zhu Qizhen's debt is no different.

The Ming Dynasty would eventually have to completely eliminate the threat posed by the grasslands.

Everything is going smoothly at the Military Academy.

The first batch of students has completed their basic courses and is preparing for their subject-specific exams.

Meanwhile, crops in various parts of the Gyeonggi region gradually ripened.

Zhu Qiyu received a report from the Ministry of Revenue: this year's summer grain harvest in the capital region was bountiful, and the autumn grain was also growing very well.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the annual grain output will increase by more than 20% compared to last year.

Zhu Qiyu was very pleased to see this, as everything was developing in a positive direction.

In early September, the subject-specific exams for the first batch of students at the Military Academy concluded.

Of the 500 men, 300 entered the infantry branch, 100 entered the cavalry branch, and 50 entered the firearms branch.

Another fifty people were selected for advanced study classes due to their outstanding performance, specializing in the study of military strategy and battle examples.

Zhu Qiyu personally attended the division ceremony.

When it was Zhang Yong's turn, Zhu Qiyu said a few more words: "Zhang Yong, you must study hard now that you've entered the cavalry department."

"My cavalry will depend on people like you in the future."

Zhang Yong, his face flushed with excitement, kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, I will certainly live up to your high expectations!"

After the ceremony, Zhu Qiyu went to the classroom of the advanced research class.

This classroom is located in the backyard of Gongde Temple.

What was originally the abbot's meditation room has now been converted into a study.

The room was filled with bookshelves, which held various military books, history books, and maps.

Several students were gathered around a huge map, pointing and discussing something.

Zhu Qiyu went over and saw that Tan Guang and Chen Rui were studying a map of the Battle of Tumu Fortress.

Upon seeing Zhu Qiyu arrive, the group quickly bowed.

Zhu Qiyu waved his hand: "What are you researching?"

Tan Guangdao said, "Your Majesty, we are studying the Battle of Tumu Fortress. We want to understand exactly how that battle was lost."

Zhu Qiyu nodded and leaned over to look at the map as well.

The marching routes of the Ming army and the Oirat army were marked on the map in red and blue.

The Ming army's route was winding and circuitous.

Starting from Beijing, they passed through Juyongguan, Xuanfu, and Datong, then turned back to Xuanfu, and were finally besieged at Tumu Fort.

Zhu Qiyu looked at it for a while and asked, "What did you guys figure out?"

Tan Guangdao: "I believe that our army's biggest mistake was that the marching route was too chaotic."

There are two routes from Datong to Beijing. One is to return via Xuanfu.

The other route is to return directly to Beijing via Zijing Pass.

The Emperor Emeritus deliberately chose to detour through Xuanfu, adding over a hundred li to the journey and needlessly depleting morale.

Chen Rui added, "Also, our army didn't choose a good location to camp at Tumu Fort."

Tumubao is situated on high ground and has no water sources nearby.

The Ming army was thrown into chaos when the Oirat people cut off the water supply.

The most critical issue was that our army did not send out enough scouts to explore the area.

The Oirat people circled around to the rear and cut off the water supply, and our army didn't even know it.

Zhu Qiyu listened to their discussion and nodded inwardly.

These young people are indeed resourceful.

This is also the battle account compiled by the Ministry of War.

According to the soldiers who escaped, the Ming army only discovered the attack on Tumu Fortress when the Oirat Mongols were besieging it.

The Oirat immediately seized control of the only water source near Tumu Fort.

For the next two days, the Ming army was deprived of water.

Any normal person could figure that out.

With an army of hundreds of thousands stationed there, the nearest water supply source must be the lifeline of the army.

If Zhu Qizhen had sent out enough scouts to conduct extensive reconnaissance.

It was highly likely that they would discover the movements of the Oirat cavalry in advance.

They were also keenly aware of the enormous risks posed by the water source.

They failed to detect in time that the enemy had seized the water source.

This suggests that the reconnaissance system may have been paralyzed or seriously derelict in its duties.

Zhu Qiyu suddenly asked, "Then how do you think you should have fought if you had been in command?"

The group looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Zhu Qiyu laughed and said, "Don't be afraid, speak boldly. It's okay if you say something wrong."

Tan Guang mustered his courage and said, "If I were to take command, the route out of the capital would be different."

They would depart from Beijing and head straight for Xuanfu, resting there for a few days before heading north to engage the main force of the Oirat Mongols in a decisive battle.

Chen Rui said, "I believe we should hold fast to Xuanfu and Datong and wait for the right opportunity."

The Oirat people have come from afar, but their supplies are running low, and they won't be able to hold out for long.

Another student said, "I think we should send out more scouts to find out the movements of the Oirat people."

They went around to the back and cut off the water supply; such a big move couldn't have gone unnoticed by the scouts.

Zhu Qiyu listened attentively, nodding occasionally.

Some of their ideas are naive, while others are wildly imaginative.

For example, Tan Guang said that once they left Xuanfu, they would seek out the main force of the Oirat Mongols for a decisive battle.

Let's not even mention that Esen's main force was in Datong Town at the time.

Even if we're not in Datong, how do we find the main force of the Oirat after leaving Xuanfu?

Where can we find the main force of the Oirat?

Zhu Qiyu said, "What you all say makes some sense."

But it's easy to talk about war on paper, but difficult to actually fight a war.

You can sit here and discuss this at your leisure.

It's fine if you want to stay for three days and three nights.

But once you're on the battlefield, the enemy won't give you three days.

A single misjudgment could lead to total annihilation.

The men's expressions hardened, and they said in unison, "Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered."

Zhu Qiyu smiled and said, "Study hard, you will all be my generals in the future."

Zhu Qiyu was in a good mood after leaving Gongde Temple.

These people all became disciples of the emperor after they left.

A few years or a decade later, the entire middle and upper echelons of the Ming Dynasty were filled with the emperor's protégés.

At that time, the Ming army will be as easy to command as Zhu Qiyu's arm.