Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

At 3:45 AM, the sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

On the city gate tower, Zhu Qiyu, dressed in a black military uniform with a red armor over it and a sword hanging at his waist, stood side by side with Yu Qian.

Inside the city gate passageway, Shi Heng was dressed in a bright silver chainmail and wore a phoenix-winged helmet.

Behind him were three thousand elite cavalry, all clad in armor, waiting for the city gates to open.

Esen set up camp five miles away, and his vanguard was spread out widely.

Although the cannons could reach them, the Oirat army was too scattered, so their firepower was limited.

Yu Qian convened a meeting with all the generals and ministers last night for this very reason.

Ultimately, a plan was proposed to lure them together and then annihilate them.

The person who proposed this plan was Shi Heng.

Yu Qian ordered, "Open the city gates!"

Shi Heng raised his gun and shouted, "Warriors! Follow me to kill the enemy!"

"kill!"

Three thousand cavalrymen charged out of the city gate like arrows released from a bow, heading straight for the Oirat vanguard camp.

The Oirat sentries were already on alert, and the sound of horns immediately resounded throughout the camp.

The vanguard commander, Halabater, mustered his troops to meet the enemy. Seeing that the Ming army numbered only three thousand cavalry, he grinned maliciously and said, "The Ming army is courting death! My men, follow me and devour this cavalry!"

The two cavalry forces clashed violently in the open field.

Shi Heng took the lead and successively killed three Oirat cavalrymen.

He then deliberately slowed down his horse and charged left and right through the enemy ranks.

The battle lasted for fifteen minutes, and the Ming army gradually showed signs of fatigue.

Seeing that the time was right, Shi Heng shouted, "Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

The Ming cavalry quickly turned their horses around and "retreat" towards the city gate.

Shi Heng personally covered the rear, and after killing two Oirat soldiers who had gotten too close, he retreated in a "disarray".

Harabater, caught up in the excitement of the battle, was overjoyed to see the Ming army fleeing in disarray: "Chase them! Capture that Ming general alive!"

Five thousand Oirat cavalrymen pursued them relentlessly.

Seeing that Desheng Gate was open, and that there were few flags on the gate tower and the garrison seemed sparse, they became even more excited.

If we can seize the opportunity and take control of the gate, it will be a tremendous achievement!

The Oirat cavalry pursued them closer and closer, reaching within 300 paces of the city wall.

Shi Heng led his remaining troops into the city in a "hasty" manner, but the city gates were not closed immediately.

Seeing this, Harabater didn't hesitate any longer: "Break through! Break through!"

Five thousand cavalrymen surged toward the city gate like a tidal wave.

Two hundred and fifty steps.

Two hundred steps!

Yu Qian shouted sternly, "Release!"

On the Deshengmen city wall, the originally sparse banners were suddenly pushed down, revealing three rows of cannon muzzles.

These cannons had long been installed on the city walls, covered with straw mats and flags, waiting for this moment.

"BOOM!!!"

Thirty general cannons and fifty bowl-shaped muskets fired simultaneously.

Lead bullets and iron pellets rained down on the Oirat cavalry.

Harabater, who was hit first, didn't even have time to cry out before he and his horse were smashed into a bloody pulp by a five-pound lead bullet.

The first round of volleys had barely ended when the second round followed immediately.

This time it was a volley of fire from the muskets, with three thousand muskets firing in three columns.

The Oirat cavalry were completely dumbfounded.

They thought they were chasing a fleeing army.

The vanguard collapsed instantly, while the rearguard continued to charge forward, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries from trampling.

A surviving centurion screamed, "Retreat! Retreat now!"

But it was too late.

The war drums on the city gate tower suddenly sounded, and Zhu Qiyu personally beat the drums.

The soldiers on the city wall felt their blood boil as they watched the emperor personally beat the drum.

Shi Heng had already reorganized his troops and led the remaining cavalry out of the city gate once again.

This time it's a real charge.

Fifteen minutes later, corpses littered the area outside Deshengmen.

Of the 5,000 Oirat vanguard, fewer than 1,000 escaped back to their own lines.

Almost simultaneously with the cannon fire at Deshengmen, other gates in Beijing also faced attacks from the Oirat Mongols.

Outside Xizhimen, the Oirat army slowly approached, pushing shield carts and siege ladders.

Sun Tang received orders from Yu Qian last night: hold firm and not venture out, and defend against the enemy with bows, crossbows and firearms.

"Five hundred paces...four hundred paces...three hundred paces!" Sun Tang calculated the distance. "Prepare the ballistae!"

Thirty ballistae fired simultaneously, and bolts as thick as a child's arm whistled out, piercing through three shield carts.

Even though the Oirat soldiers hid behind the carts, they were still strung together like candied hawthorns by crossbow bolts that pierced through the wooden planks.

"Musketeers, fire at will!"

The Oirat army had barely charged within a hundred paces when they were met with a barrage of musket fire.

But the Oirat army was simply too large.

One group falls, another surges in.

The ladder finally reached the city wall, and the Oirat soldiers, with scimitars in their mouths, climbed upwards fearlessly.

"Rolling logs! Boulders!"

The battle reached a stalemate.

The garrison at Xizhimen numbered 8,000, while the Oirat forces attacking the city numbered 20,000.

The situation at Zhangyi Gate appears to be somewhat critical.

The main attack by the Oirat forces outside the city was on this gate, and Esen personally supervised the battle, deploying 30,000 troops.

A captain, his face covered in blood, rushed in: "General! The eastern section of the city wall is under attack!"

Zhang Yi roared, "Hold on! Reinforcements will be here soon!"

"General! The Oirat siege ladders are up here!"

"Oil! Burn them with oil!"

But the kerosene had already run out.

The soldiers could only fight back with bows and arrows.

At that moment, a troop of cavalry suddenly galloped from the city streets.

The leader was none other than Fan Guang, who was originally assisting in the defense of Anding Gate. Upon hearing of the crisis at Zhangyi Gate, he dispatched troops to provide assistance.

Fan Guang reined in his horse and shouted, "General Zhang! Please, General, personally go up to the city wall to supervise the battle!"

The battle lasted for nearly an hour before Esen sounded the retreat.

Zhu Qiyu put down the drumsticks, his arms feeling incredibly sore and numb.

Shi Heng climbed the city wall to report, his armor stained with blood but his spirit high: "Your Majesty! This humble general has fulfilled his mission! He beheaded over eight hundred enemies and captured three hundred warhorses!"

Zhu Qiyu gave him a deep look: "General Shi, you have worked hard. You deserve the most credit for this battle."

Shi Heng knelt on one knee: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Qiyu helped Shi Heng up: "General, please rise and go to rest. The fierce battle is yet to come."

After Shi Heng withdrew, battle reports from various departments began to arrive one after another.

Sun Tang's troops at Xizhimen repelled the enemy, suffering over a thousand casualties.

Small-scale skirmishes occurred at places like Andingmen and Dongzhimen, but there were no major incidents.

Zhangyi Gate was the most dangerous, and the defending troops suffered nearly two thousand casualties.

As the sun rose high in the sky, the smoke of battle gradually dissipated.

Soldiers on the city wall took turns resting, while laborers carried hot meals and water up the wall.

Zhu Qiyu did not return to the palace, but ate two steamed buns and a bowl of vegetable soup in the city gate tower.

Xing'an whispered, "Your Majesty, you haven't slept all night, why don't you return to the palace to rest for a while..."

Zhu Qiyu shook his head: "The soldiers are all on the city wall, how can I sleep alone? Set up a temporary military tent here, so I can supervise the battle at any time."

He then walked out of the city gate tower and inspected the city wall.

Wherever they went, the soldiers knelt down in worship, their eyes filled with reverence.

A young soldier has been shot in the arm with an arrow, and a medic is bandaging him.

Upon seeing Zhu Qiyu approaching, the soldiers were so excited that they tried to stand up.

Zhu Qiyu pressed him down: "Lie still. What's your name? Where are you from?"

The soldier stammered, "Your Majesty! My name is Li Shan, from Baoding Prefecture!"

Zhu Qiyu took a jade pendant off his waist; it was an old item from his time at the Prince of Cheng's residence.

"Well done, here's a reward for you. After you recover, I will allow you to go home to visit your family."

Li Shan was stunned, then tears welled up in his eyes: "Thank you, Your Majesty! I will defend the city to the death!"

Zhu Qiyu stood up and announced loudly, "After this battle, everyone will be rewarded!"

"Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Ming Dynasty!"

The Oirat camp was completely silent at this time.

The atmosphere inside the central command tent was unusually oppressive.

The near-total annihilation of Harabatl's army served as a wake-up call to all the generals: the Beijing garrison was not as weak as they had imagined.

Arazhiyuan said in a deep voice, "The Ming army's firearms are too powerful."

Bayan Temur gritted his teeth: "Brother, let me lead the troops in a night raid! Their artillery is powerful during the day, but we can't see clearly at night!"

Yesen shook his head: "Zhu Qiyu and Yu Qian are not mediocre. Since they dared to lure the enemy in the daytime, they must have been prepared at night."

The Ming army suffered the most casualties at Zhangyi Gate today, and they will surely strengthen their defenses there tomorrow.

The battle at Xizhimen resulted in the least losses; tomorrow our main force will attack Xizhimen!