Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

The sounds of battle echoed through the city gate.

Bayan Temur charged into the city gate first, slicing through two Ming soldiers who tried to stop him with his scimitar.

He burst into wild laughter, his voice echoing through the narrow doorway: "The eagle of the grasslands has flown into Yanjing! My men, charge in!"

Three thousand Oirat cavalrymen surged into Zhangyi Gate like a flood.

Seeing this, the other thousand or so cavalrymen who were already engaged in battle with Sun Tang's troops also abandoned the fight and rushed toward the city gate.

All the Oirat soldiers were extremely excited.

So much so that they didn't notice the unusual formation of the Ming army inside the city gate.

Although those soldiers retreated during the battle with them.

But their retreating steps were all perfectly synchronized.

They would retreat ten steps and then regroup, with their spears always pointing outwards and their shields always protecting their vitals.

Bayan Temur had already seen the light at the end of the gate, which led to the streets and alleys of Beijing.

He seemed to see a warehouse filled with gold and silver.

A wealthy woman dressed in silk.

And then there were those Ming Dynasty officials who only knew how to kneel and beg for mercy...

Bayan Temur raised his scimitar: "Take this gate, and Beijing will be ours! Kill!"

The cavalrymen responded in unison and charged even more frantically inward.

Soon, the hundred or so cavalrymen at the forefront crossed the city wall and entered the inner street.

Bayan Temur could even make out the words on the shop sign at the street corner not far away: "Wang's Silk".

As all the cavalrymen entered the city, Bayan Temur quickly assembled them into battle formation.

They also arranged for personnel to seize control of the city gate behind them.

At the same time, they blocked Sun Tang's troops outside the city.

But he didn't notice.

Just after they all rushed into the city gate, the soldiers on both sides of the city wall suddenly began to pour down some kind of viscous liquid.

Black liquid flowed down the city wall and spread across the floor of the gate.

The Oirat cavalry near the city walls also spotted the liquid: "Oil!"

However, they were too far from Bayan Temur ahead.

By the time the message reached Bayan Temur, Zhu Qiyu on the city wall had already given the order: "Seize the gate!"

The sound of the horn suddenly changed.

The Ming army, which had been retreating, suddenly changed its formation, and a large number of soldiers carrying spears and shields poured out from the tents set up by refugees on both sides.

These soldiers were not ordinary garrison troops, but heavily armored infantrymen carefully selected from the Beijing garrison. Each soldier wore double armor and carried a spear twelve feet long.

Bayan Temur then realized something was wrong.

He roared hoarsely, "We've fallen for their trap! Retreat! Get out of there now!"

But it was too late.

Shi Heng personally led three thousand elite troops to attack from the flank, heading straight for the city gate control mechanism.

The area was originally guarded by dozens of Oirat soldiers, but it collapsed instantly under this sudden attack.

Shi Heng used his spear to knock down a Oirat soldier: "Take back the city gate! Quickly!"

The soldiers behind him also pounced on the winch like wolves.

It was a huge wooden wheel that required eight people to push it to turn.

Soon all the Oirat soldiers in charge of guarding the city were killed, and the Ming soldiers quickly took their positions and began to work together to push the winch to close the city gate.

Bayan Temur frantically tried to rush out.

However, Sun Tang, who was outside the city, actually cooperated with Zhu Qiyu without knowing his tactics beforehand.

Sun Tang's troops stopped trying to break into Zhangyi Gate and instead raised their shields and spears to block the outer city gate.

They held off all the Oirat cavalry inside the city gate passage.

Bayan Temur's cavalry were unable to maneuver in the confined space, instead crowding together in disarray.

Some horses slipped on the oil, and cavalrymen kept falling to the ground, only to be trampled by the hooves of the next horses.

Bayan Temur roared, "Loose the arrows! Shoot down those controlling the city gates!"

Dozens of Oirat cavalrymen drew their bows and unleashed a hail of arrows at the Ming army as they were closing the city gates.

Seven or eight people fell down around Shi Heng instantly, and he himself was also hit by an arrow in the left shoulder.

But he gritted his teeth and insisted, "Quick! Push harder!"

The city gate closed inch by inch.

A centurion who rushed to the gate even reached out to try to stop it from closing.

As the wooden door clamped his arm, a piercing scream was heard.

"boom!"

The city gates were finally completely closed.

Bayan Temur and his five thousand cavalrymen were imprisoned inside Beijing!

A deafening cheer erupted from the city wall.

In the bloody battles of the past two days, countless comrades have died on the city walls.

Now that the elite Oirat forces are finally trapped, how can we not be excited?

Zhu Qiyu breathed a long sigh of relief, only then realizing that his back was soaked with cold sweat.

His fingers, which were gripping the edge of the stack, were still trembling slightly.

This battle was extremely dangerous.

If the city gates close a little later.

If Shi Heng fails to regain control.

If Bayan Temur reacts in time and forces his way out...

If any of these "what ifs" come true, Beijing might not be able to be defended.

Yu Qian's voice was unusually excited: "Your Majesty, the five thousand elite Oirat troops are now trapped like turtles in a jar!"

Zhu Qiyu nodded: "Let's begin!"

Yu Qian immediately understood and turned to the messenger: "Order all battalions to surround and annihilate the enemy troops that have entered the city!"

The order was quickly issued.

Bayan Temur knew that his way out was blocked, but he calmed down instead.

He reined in his horse and looked around; the doorway ahead was already crowded with his cavalry.

Behind them was a dense array of Ming soldiers' guns.

Bayan Temur's voice echoed within the city gates: "Warriors! The way out is cut off! But the eagles of the steppe never fear death!"

Even if we die today, we will make the people of the Ming Dynasty remember our bravery!

He raised his scimitar high: "Charge into the inner city! Charge into the inner city, burn, kill, and loot! Even if we die, we will make the Ming people pay the price!"

"Roar!" the Oirat cavalry responded in unison.

Bayan Temur divided his cavalry into several groups.

He personally led his most elite thousand men straight at the Ming army's gun formation in front of him, attempting to forcefully tear open a gap.

The remaining four thousand men were divided into four teams, each rushing towards the alleyways on both sides, attempting to bypass the frontal defenses and break through from the flanks.

Yan Temur charged ahead of the spear formation, shouting, "Kill!"

The Ming army's gun formation remained completely still.

The soldiers in the front row slammed their shields heavily onto the ground, forming a shield wall.

The soldiers in the back row extended their spears through the gaps in the shields, with the tips pointing diagonally forward.

The warhorse crashed into the shield with a dull thud.

Some shield-bearing soldiers vomited blood and fell to the ground, but soldiers from the rear immediately filled the gaps.

But Bayan Temur was indeed brave.

His warhorse leaped over the shield wall and landed in the Ming army's ranks.

He then swung his curved sword and instantly felled three Ming soldiers.

The Ming army commander shouted, "Surround him!"

Dozens of soldiers immediately surrounded them.

But Bayan Temur was fearless, charging left and right on horseback, and for a time no one could get close to him.

Just then, a stray arrow shot from the side and struck Bayan Temur's horse in the neck.

The warhorse neighed and fell to the ground, throwing him off.

Bayan Temur rolled away to dodge several spears thrusting at him, and in the process, he severed the lower leg of a soldier.

The Ming army surrounded them, and their numbers increased.

Watching this scene from the city wall, Zhu Qiyu said to Xing'an beside him, "Pass on my decree: whoever captures Bayan Temur alive will be rewarded with one hundred taels of gold!"