Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

Batel looked at Yexian in confusion: "Wasn't Zijing Pass already bombed?"

How could they possibly trap us inside the pass?

Esen glared at Batel, his face full of resentment at his lack of ambition.

The so-called Oirat was actually an alliance of many tribes.

Batel belonged to Esen's tribe.

In the entire Oirat region, there were only two people who were truly within Esen's sight.

One was Arazhiyuan, and the other was Bayan Temur.

Arachiin was a man of great personal charisma, and many tribal leaders were willing to follow him.

Bayan Temur, on the other hand, was "studious" and loved Han Chinese culture to the point of obsession.

This has indeed elevated his thinking to a whole new level.

Esen persuaded Bayan Temur to go south on the grounds that he could acquire more knowledge from the Han people.

Unfortunately, in the Battle of Beijing, Bayan Temur was killed, and Arazhiyuan also broke their alliance.

Esen sighed, "Couldn't the Ming army just rebuild Zijing Pass?!"

Batel was startled by Esen's expression and whispered, "Oh."

Esen continued, "Tomorrow we will speed up our march and arrive at Zijing Pass half a day ahead of schedule."

They passed through the pass under cover of night and left before dawn.

After crossing the pass, the entire army advanced rapidly northwestward, heading straight for Datong, and then crossed the pass again.

Meanwhile, in a mountain valley ten miles behind Esen's army.

Shi Heng sat by the fire, munching on dry rations.

His personal guards handed him a water bag.

Shi Heng took a sip of water and laughed, "Your Majesty's harassment tactic is truly ingenious."

The guards laughed and said, "Esen must be a frightened bird right now, he thinks there's an ambush everywhere he looks."

As night deepened, campfires flickered in Esen's camp.

Esen stood alone outside the tent, gazing up at the starry sky.

The starry sky over the grassland is always exceptionally bright.

But in this Central Plains region, even the starry sky seemed shrouded in gloom.

He recalled what his mother had said to him before he set off, when she tied a talisman around his neck: "Esen, the eagle of the grassland can fly very high, but remember the way back to the nest."

At that time, he was full of vigor: "Mother, I want to build the eagle's nest at the highest point in Beijing."

Looking back now, how arrogant I was.

Batel's voice came from behind: "Grand Tutor, still not resting?"

Esen didn't turn around: "Can't sleep, Batel, how many years have you been with me?"

"Twenty-three years, Grand Tutor. I've been following you since you first went to the battlefield at the age of sixteen."

Esen smiled and said, "Twenty-three years... How many battles have we fought? How many have we won, and how many have we lost?"

"More wins than losses."

Esen turned around and said, "But this time I lost badly. Bayan Temur is dead, and now we are being chased like stray dogs."

After a moment of silence, Batel said in a low voice, "Grand Tutor, we can start over after we return to the grasslands."

Esen looked towards Beijing: "Yes, we can start over."

"Zhu Qiyu..." Esen repeated the name again, "Next time, I won't underestimate my opponent."

Batel hesitated for a moment before asking, "Grand Tutor, do you really think that Arazhiyuan and Tuotuo Buhua won't intercept us at Zijing Pass?"

Ethan shook his head: "I don't believe they would truly risk their lives for the Ming Dynasty."

But I believe they will cause us some trouble while ensuring their own safety.

This way, I can both give an account to the Ming Dynasty and weaken my power.

However, once we leave Zijing Pass, our cavalry will be able to take advantage of our strengths.

"When the time comes, whether we fight or retreat, the initiative will be in our hands."

Batel nodded emphatically: "I understand."

He patted him on the shoulder first: "Go and rest, there may be a tough battle tomorrow."

Batel bowed and withdrew.

Under the same starry sky, the Qianqing Palace in Beijing remains brightly lit.

Zhu Qiyu stood in front of the huge map, his finger moving from Beijing to Zijing Pass, and then from Zijing Pass to Datong.

Cheng Jing quietly reported: "Your Majesty, General Shi has sent a message."

Esen's army is advancing slowly today and is expected to reach Zijing Pass tomorrow afternoon.

Zhu Qiyu nodded: "What about Tuotuo Buhua's side?"

"General Yang reported that Tuotuo Buhua's troops have set up camp thirty miles outside Zijing Pass."

However, it made it clear that it was only for deterrence and would not launch an offensive.

The Arazhiyuan troops departed from Zijing Pass yesterday and returned north to the grasslands as agreed.

Zhu Qiyu smiled and said, "That's enough, that's enough."

Esen is now like a frightened bird.

First, they heard the news that Arajiin was advancing westward.

Then I saw Tuotuo Buhua's camp.

He'll naturally imagine a grand siege in his mind then.

That day, after Zhu Qiyu set the tone for the peace talks.

After discussions between the cabinet and the six ministries.

Everyone agreed that Toghtog Bukha would not agree to Zhu Qiyu's request to allow them to besiege Esen.

Afterwards, Zhu Qiyu realized that his request was unreasonable.

After all, there are only a handful of geniuses like Zhu Qizhen in thousands of years.

Moreover, the most urgent matter now is not how to ambush Esen.

The question was how to drive Esen out of the Great Wall.

Although the Gyeonggi region has been scorched earth, there are still some people who are reluctant to leave their homes and land.

Currently, the Ming army in the capital region is not capable of engaging Esen in open battle or on the front lines.

This allowed him to continue plundering the Gyeonggi region, which remained a major threat.

So Zhu Qiyu, together with Yu Qian and others, came up with this grand play.

As expected, Esen immediately fell for the trap and abandoned his looting of the capital region.

Zhu Qiyu walked back to his desk and picked up a memorial.

This is a report from the Ministry of War, stating that the casualties of the guards at the gates of Beijing have been tallied.

More than 8,000 people died in the battle, including Sun Tang and his 3,000 soldiers.

More than five thousand of the injured are still alive.

Cheng Jing said softly, "Your Majesty, our army has won a great victory in this battle. The Oirat suffered casualties several times greater than ours."

General Sun and his soldiers sacrificed their lives for the country; their names will surely be remembered in history.

Zhu Qiyu murmured, "To be remembered in history... but what their parents, wives and children want is not a name in history, but living people."

Cheng Jing knelt down on the ground: "This war has preserved the foundation of the Ming Dynasty and the lives of countless people."

If Beijing falls, the death toll will be far more than eight thousand.

Zhu Qiyu remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "Get up. I know you are right."

But whenever I think of those fallen soldiers in the dead of night, I always feel uneasy.

Cheng Jing ordered the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites to quickly devise a plan for rewarding these meritorious individuals, lest they discourage them.

"I obey your decree."

"Also, send an imperial edict to Shi Heng, instructing him to follow Esen."

After arriving at Zijing Pass, they cooperated with Yang Hong and Guo Deng to inflict heavy losses on the Oirat army.

We must inflict a painful blow on Esen, so that he will never dare to look south for ten years.

Then send another order to Yang Hong and Guo Deng, instructing them to pursue the enemy to the border of Datong, without venturing deep into the grasslands.

Winter is coming, and the white plague on the grasslands will continue to punish them for us.

Cheng Jing wrote down everything: "As you command."