Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

The chaos in the Oirat rear camp lasted all night.

As dawn broke, wisps of smoke rose from the ruins of the rear camp's grain storage.

The soldiers wearily shoveled half-burnt rations from the ashes and carefully stuffed them into their bags.

Inside the central command tent, Esen's face was grim: "Toghril, tell me, how did the Ming army manage to do that?"

Two generals knelt before him: Tuohuochi, the rear camp garrison commander, and the centurion who had been on patrol the previous night.

Tuohuochi pressed his forehead to the ground, blood still seeping from the wound on his back: "Grand Tutor, the Ming army infiltrated under cover of night; they are all fearless and ruthless..."

How many people came?

"More than a thousand people..."

"Hmph, drag him out and give him fifty lashes."

Esen waved his hand, and two guards immediately stepped forward and dragged Tuohuoqi out of the tent.

Soon, the sounds of whips lashing flesh and screams of agony rang out from outside the tent.

Esen's gaze shifted to the patrolling centurion: "Where were you last night?"

The centurion trembled all over: "I...I led my team to patrol the northwest as usual, and found nothing unusual..."

Esen suddenly grabbed a bronze bowl from the table and smashed it: "Northwest? The Ming army sneaked in from the northwest! Where are your eyes?!"

The centurion dared not dodge; the bronze bowl struck his forehead, drawing blood.

He lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to speak.

He was panting heavily, his chest heaving.

After a long silence, he slowly said, "Drag him out, give him thirty lashes, and demote him to a regular soldier."

After dealing with the derelict generals, he first asked the official in charge of logistics, "How much food is left?"

The official nervously presented the account book: "Grand Tutor, last night's fire destroyed about 50% of the stored grain. The remaining grain is only enough for the entire army for four days."

The tent was deathly silent.

The fourth day.

This means that if Beijing cannot be captured within four days, the 100,000-strong army will face a crisis of running out of food.

With Beijing's defenses being strong and its defenders tenacious, the idea of ​​breaching the city in four days was simply a fantasy.

Bayan Temur couldn't help but say, "Brother, why don't we divide our forces and plunder in all directions to replenish our supplies from the surrounding prefectures and counties?"

Arazhiyuan shook his head: "The surrounding prefectures and counties have already fortified their defenses and scorched the fields; they've already looted everything they could. Moreover, by dividing their forces to plunder, they lack the strength to attack the city, which is exactly what the Ming army wants."

"Zhu Qiyu..." Esen murmured the name, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

This Prince Cheng, whom he once disregarded, managed to defend Beijing like an ironclad for less than a month after ascending the throne.

First, he used a feint to mislead him into misjudging the military situation.

Then, they held the city and wore down his troops.

Last night, they even boldly launched a night raid outside the city, burning his supplies.

Every step was unexpected, and every step hit the mark.

"Report!"

A scout rushed into the main tent and knelt on one knee: "Grand Tutor! Ming troops have been spotted to the southeast!"

Esen suddenly turned around: "How many people? How far are they from here?"

"Approximately five thousand people, carrying banners proclaiming 'supporting the emperor,' are marching towards Andingmen in Beijing!"

The generals inside the tent were in an uproar.

Bayan Temur exclaimed in disbelief, "A loyalist army? Where did this loyalist army come from?"

Arachika frowned: "Did the spies see the flags clearly?"

The scout replied, "The banners are mixed up, with words like 'Henan Military Command,' 'Shandong Defense Against Japanese Pirates,' and 'Baoding Guard.'"

The procession moved slowly and looked exhausted, but they were indeed heading towards Beijing.

Esen strode up to the map: "Tongzhou...they came from the direction of Tongzhou."

Saikan Wang asked in confusion, "Didn't we already sweep through Tongzhou?"

Arachiin: "That further proves they just arrived!"

The scout added, "There is another force twenty miles behind this loyalist army."

Their numbers were also around five thousand, and they too, under the banner of loyalty to the emperor, were slowly marching towards Beijing.

Even Esen's expression changed.

Ten thousand reinforcements?

If it were just a tired army of five thousand men, Esen wouldn't even consider it a threat.

But if there is a continuous stream of reinforcements coming from behind, the situation will be completely different.

The Beijing defenders were already tenacious; if fresh troops were to join them, the siege would become even more difficult.

Arazhiyuan stood up solemnly and said, "Grand Tutor, our army only has three days' worth of provisions left, while Ming reinforcements are constantly arriving. With the tide turning against each other, continuing the siege may not be a good strategy."

Bayan Temur said urgently, "Do you think our army of 100,000 is afraid of his 10,000 reinforcements?"

Arazhiyuan said coldly, "After two days of attacking the city, our army has suffered more than 5,000 casualties, yet we have not even managed to breach a single city gate."

Now that the grain supplies have been burned and morale has been damaged, Ming reinforcements have arrived.

Even if we fight to the death to capture Beijing, how many troops will we have left?

Ming troops from various towns in the Central Plains have come to our aid upon hearing the news. Can we hold out?

Esen remained silent. He knew what Arajiin meant, but he was unwilling to accept it.

From the great victory at Tumu Fortress to capturing Zhu Qizhen and breaking through passes, and then to besieging Beijing, he was only one step away from taking control of the Central Plains.

How could he be willing to give it up now?

Arajiin continued to persuade, "Grand Tutor, when wolves hunt on the grasslands, they never fight wild beasts after being injured."

"If it's time to retreat, then retreat. It's not too late to plan our southward advance next year when the grass is lush and the horses are fat."

After a long silence, Esen slowly spoke: "Order all battalions to rest and recuperate today, treat the wounded, and take stock of the losses."

The generals looked at each other in bewilderment. Were they about to retreat?

Then a fierce glint flashed in Esen's eyes: "Tomorrow morning, the entire army will launch a final attack!"

If we cannot capture the city, we will retreat north at sunset!

Arazhiyuan wanted to persuade him further, but Yesen waved his hand to stop him: "My mind is made up. Issue the order to slaughter a sheep today to reward the army, so that the warriors can eat their fill!"

"Yes, sir!"

At the same time, in Beijing.

Zhu Qiyu had just returned to the side hall of Qianqing Palace and listened to Fan Guang's report on his injuries.

The imperial physician said that although the arrow wound was severe, it had not reached any vital organs.

Fan Guang is physically strong; if he can survive the three-day fever period, his life will be saved.

Zhu Qiyu instructed, "Use the best medicine, at any cost."

"Your subject understands."

After the imperial physician withdrew, Yu Qian hurriedly entered the hall, a rare smile on his face: "Your Majesty, the feint attack has succeeded!"

Zhu Qiyu's spirits lifted: "Erythraki fell for it too?"

"The scouts report that the Oirat camp is unusually quiet today, with no organized attack."

Scouts observed that the Oirat cavalry frequently conducted reconnaissance missions to the east and southeast.

This is clearly an attempt to confirm the authenticity of the "reinforcements".

The first batch of 5,000 people has entered the city through Andingmen Gate, and the second batch is slowly marching ten miles away, expected to enter the city this afternoon.

Zhu Qiyu breathed a long sigh of relief.

He had come up with this plan half a month ago.

At that time, Yu Qian suggested that troops prepared for military exercises and those prepared to fight Japanese pirates be mobilized from various places to Beijing.

But Zhu Qiyu knew that true elite troops needed time to assemble, and distant water could not quench an immediate fire.

So he made a bold decision.

Ten thousand old and weak soldiers were drawn from the Beijing garrison and led by Lei Tong, the Vice Commander-in-Chief.

Before Esen's army arrived, they secretly left the city and went to Tongzhou to hide.

These soldiers were either too old or too weak to be of much use in the defense of the city, but they were enough to keep things in order.

Zhu Qiyu even had Lei Tong carry various flags to disguise him as reinforcements from different regions.

Once the fighting in Beijing began, these "reinforcements" returned to Beijing in batches with great fanfare.

The march should be unhurried, the formation loose, and the troops should look exhausted after a long march.

But there must be many banners, so that the Oirat scouts can see them clearly.

Zhu Qiyu praised, "Lei Tong did a good job. After the second batch entered the city, let the soldiers show themselves on the city wall, and then change shifts and rest."

The goal is to create the impression of a continuous flow of reinforcements and a surge in morale among the defending troops.

Yu Qian replied, "Your Majesty, I have made all the arrangements. However, this plan can only deceive you for a time. Esen is no mediocre man; he will see through the deception sooner or later."

Zhu Qiyu: "We don't need to keep it a secret for too long. We just need to make Esen hesitate for a day or two and create internal disagreements among him."

Last night, Fan Guang burned their provisions; today, reinforcements have arrived.

Even if Esen wanted to continue the siege, the tribal chiefs under his command would waver.

Yu Qian sincerely replied, "Your Majesty is wise."