Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

September 22, Tongzhou Wharf.

Yu Qian stood at the front of the dock, wearing a heavy cloak, with a dense crowd of 20,000 soldiers from the Beijing Garrison behind him.

Song Zhan, a senior official in the Ministry of Works, strode over: "Minister Yu, all the grain transport ships have been inspected."

A total of 180 cannons of various sizes, 3,000 muskets, 800 barrels of gunpowder, and countless lead bullets and iron pellets were transported here.

Yu Qian nodded, but there was little joy on his face: "Immediately organize the unloading of the ships and the handling in shifts. Make sure the firearms are loaded onto the trucks and shipped out before dawn."

"Yes, sir!"

Under Zhu Qiyu's relentless urging, the firearms finally arrived four days ahead of schedule.

The war is urgent now, and we can't wait for the water transport to be slowed down.

Yu Qian had led a large camp of soldiers to come and move the goods a day earlier.

The dock immediately became busy after the order was given.

Yu Qian did not stand by and give instructions.

He rolled up his sleeves and personally boarded the first cargo ship.

Two soldiers were struggling to move the barrel of a bowl-shaped cannon when Yu Qian stepped forward to help, saying, "Be careful, this thing is precious."

The soldier exclaimed in astonishment, "Minister Yu, what are you doing...?"

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up."

The officers and soldiers on the ship were greatly encouraged upon seeing this.

The Minister of War personally moved military equipment, a sight unseen for many years.

The docks were bustling with activity, and efficiency increased by a third.

Two hours later, Wang Jian, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Works, ran to Yu Qian with a pale face, holding a musket in his hand: "Minister Yu... look at this."

Yu Qian took the musket, and immediately felt something was wrong; it was too light.

He examined it closely and noticed that the barrel walls were uneven in thickness and there were even tiny cracks in the muzzle.

Pulling the trigger, the spring loosens and becomes weak.

Wang Jian's voice trembled: "Out of thirty samples tested, eleven were like this."

There were also cannons; three of them had rough inner walls, and one even had sand holes in its inner wall!

The veins on Yu Qian's hand, which was gripping the inferior musket, bulged.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and finally suppressed his anger: "Categorize all firearms into three categories: intact, usable, and scrap. Scrap weapons shall be stored separately and not put into storage for the time being."

"And these..."

"They were shipped to Beijing as usual, but every single piece of waste had to be registered. The ship from which it came, the batch number, and who escorted it—all of this had to be recorded."

"Your humble servant understands!"

At the same time, in the Wenhua Hall of the Forbidden City, Zhu Qiyu stayed up all night.

He had already reviewed most of the memorials piled on his desk, but at this moment he was staring at the huge "Map of the Northern Garrison" on the wall.

Cheng Jing, holding a memorial, strode up to Zhu Qiyu and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of War has received an urgent report from General Fan Guang from Mashuikou."

It is said that they encountered a surprise attack by a surprise force of the Oirat Mongols at Eagle's Beak Gorge and were engaged in fierce fighting.

Zhu Qiyu turned around abruptly: "How is the battle going?"

"General Fan said that the terrain was favorable and had temporarily blocked the enemy's advance."

Zhu Qiyu took the memorial and read it carefully.

A moment later, he walked to the map and slid his finger from Zijing Pass to Yingzuijian: "Issue my imperial decree, ordering Sun Tang to immediately dispatch three thousand elite troops from the capital garrison to reinforce Mashuikou."

Tell him there's no need to engage the Oirat army in a decisive battle; simply help Fan Guang and Han Qing's troops retreat.

"I obey your decree."

Just as Cheng Jing stepped down, Xing An rushed into the hall again: "Your Majesty, an urgent report from Tongzhou!"

Minister Yu has received the firearms from Nanjing and is escorting them back to the capital. They are expected to arrive by noon today.

Zhu Qiyu's spirits lifted: "Excellent! Order the Nine Gates Admiral to distribute the firearms to each camp immediately upon arrival!"

Xing'an looked troubled: "Your Majesty, there is one more matter, which I will attach to a secret memorial to the Minister."

Zhu Qiyu accepted the secret memorial that had not gone through the Office of Transmission.

His face gradually darkened, and his hand holding the letter trembled slightly.

Zhu Qiyu's voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth: "Good...very good!"

The Nanjing Ordnance Bureau, the Military Equipment Bureau, and the nobles and eunuchs residing in the capital.

Do they even still have any respect for the Ming Dynasty?

Xing'an knelt on the ground, not daring to say a word.

Zhu Qiyu paced rapidly through the hall, then suddenly stopped and slammed the secret memorial onto the table: "But I can't touch them now... I can't!"

He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and his chest heaved violently.

After a long while, Zhu Qiyu slowly opened his eyes: "Xing'an, lock this secret report in a hidden compartment. After this battle is over, I will settle accounts with them one by one!"

"Your subject understands."

"Go and summon the gentlemen of the cabinet, as well as the ministers and vice ministers of the six ministries."

At 3:45 AM, the Wenhua Hall was packed with people.

Everyone looked solemn; the Emperor's summons overnight must mean something important.

Zhu Qiyu didn't beat around the bush: "My dear ministers, I have just received a military report that Fan Guang has intercepted a surprise force of the Oirat at Yingzuijian in Mashuikou, and the two sides are currently locked in a stalemate."

Sun Xiang and Han Qing had been holding out at Zijing Pass for three days, and the pass walls were damaged in many places, with their arrows almost exhausted.

"Within three days at most, Zijing Pass will fall."

Wang Zhi asked, "Is there any news from Minister Yu?"

Zhu Qiyu nodded: "We will arrive in Beijing at noon today."

Upon hearing this, many ministers breathed a sigh of relief.

Even if they break through Zijing Pass three days later, they can still rush to Beijing without stopping.

Beijing has also completed its full deployment.

Zhu Qiyu continued, "I have decided to abandon the strategy of defending the entire Inner Great Wall."

They changed to a phased retreat, resisting step by step, and finally engaged in a decisive battle with the Oirat Mongols outside Beijing.

Chen Xun said urgently, "Your Majesty! Abandoning the pass and allowing the Oirat to advance unimpeded may shake the morale of the army and the people!"

Zhu Qiyu looked at Chen Xun: "The garrison at Zijing Pass has suffered more than half casualties. If they continue to defend it, they will be completely wiped out."

By tomorrow at the latest, all of Beijing's defenses will be in place.

Continuing to defend Zijing Pass is pointless and will only increase casualties.

Wang Zhi pondered and said, "Your Majesty's words make sense, but the retreat must be orderly, otherwise once the rout is complete, it will be impossible to recover."

Zhu Qiyu: "Of course, I have already issued an order for Sun Tang to go and meet him."

Furthermore, the entire city will enter a state of war starting today.

All city gates are open for entry, but no one is allowed to leave!

Minister Hu, post a notice to reassure the people and prevent any chaos among them.

"Your humble servant obeys the imperial decree."

"Minister Shi, distribute the weapons as soon as they arrive today, and make sure that all positions are fully equipped with firearms by tomorrow."

After a pause, Zhu Qiyu continued, "Make sure to check for any broken firearms."

Upon hearing this, Shi Pu's eyes narrowed: "Your subject obeys the decree."

When the court session ended, it was already broad daylight.

Zhu Qiyu said to Xing'an beside him, "Send someone to Zijing Pass with an urgent message, covering 800 li."

They were ordered to withdraw as soon as they received the decree and move closer to Beijing.

I will be waiting for them atop Beijing city walls!

"I will take care of it immediately!"

At noon, the convoy of firearms escorted by Yu Qian finally arrived outside Andingmen Gate in Beijing.

The city gates were opened wide, and soldiers from the Beijing garrison rushed out to help with the transport.

Countless people lined the streets, craning their necks to watch.

As people watched the cannons and muskets being transported into the city, hope ignited in their eyes.

Inside a side hall of the Wenhua Hall, three things were placed in front of Zhu Qiyu:

A musket with a cracked barrel.

A rough, uneven lead bullet.

There was also a preliminary acceptance list from the Ministry of Works: 23% of the muskets were defective, 15% of the cannons were defective, and three batches of gunpowder had become damp and clumped together.

Yu Qian stood solemnly to one side with a gloomy expression.

Zhu Qiyu stroked the broken gun and suddenly laughed: "Minister Yu, do you think those people in Nanjing think that the emperor is far away and I can't control them?"

Yu Qian paused for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to prepare usable weapons. As for the situation in Nanjing... we can deal with it gradually after the war."

Zhu Qiyu put down the musket: "I can't wait that long, but I know what's important and what's urgent."

There was one more thing Zhu Qiyu didn't say: After the war, he wanted to see Nanjing drenched in blood!