Emperor Ming: Your Majesty, you have caused me so much suffering.

Chapter 101 Destroying the Emperor Emeritus's Dragon Banner, Bravely Facing Death

Zhu Qiyu never expected Esen to be so crazy and launch another attack. Could it be that the Oirat cavalry are made of iron?

The key this time is to attack Zhangyi Gate. Zhangyi Gate was a city gate during the Jin Dynasty's Zhongdu period. Because the capital of the Ming Dynasty moved north, Zhangyi Gate was no longer one of the nine inner gates. However, its strategic location was extremely important, and it was an important stronghold in the southwest of the capital.

Once this gate falls into the hands of the Oirat, they will have the ability to outflank and encircle the western and southern gates of the capital, effectively creating a breach in the rear of the southwest gates of the capital.

The Oirat forces only needed to attack the south or west gates of the city from the front, and their troops at Zhangyi Gate could then attack the Ming army's camp from the flanks and rear, launching a pincer attack on the capital's defenders along the flat, open ground below the city.

This is also an important reason why Yu Qian focused on defending Zhangyi Gate. Another reason is that Zhangyi Gate faces the direction of Zijing Pass directly, and the first probing between the two sides took place here.

Zhu Qiyu rode at breakneck speed all the way. Yu Qian and the others were all in the north and couldn't direct the battle here in time. Zhu Qiyu could only hope that Chen Mao, who was by his side, could provide assistance.

Fortunately, Yu Qian had the foresight to redeploy overnight. At Zhu Qiyu's insistence, he transferred a lot of equipment from the two eastern battalions to support Zhangyi Gate. Otherwise, Zhangyi Gate would have been riddled with holes without cavalry or weapons, and the consequences of a breach would have been unimaginable.

The western Fucheng Gate, guarded by Gu Xingzu, and the southern Xuanwu Gate, guarded by Tang Jie, were at risk of total annihilation at any moment.

Battle has already begun at Zhangyi Gate. It must be said that happy Ning's idea was truly disgusting. After Zhu Qizhen's "inspection" for a week, the morale of the troops in the camp has been fluctuating, and even the formation has become somewhat chaotic.

Zhu Qizhen was, after all, the emperor and father of the generals for more than ten years. Even if he was the former emperor, would they fight in broad daylight?

However, happy Ning, Zhu Qizhen, and Esen had not anticipated one thing: Yu Qian had temporarily transferred two generals, Wang Jing and Wu Xing, who were not afraid of Zhu Qizhen being in the enemy camp, nor were they afraid of killing Zhu Qizhen.

These two were the commanders who led the night raid on Esen's camp. After all, they were ruthless men who had followed His Majesty in bombarding the retired emperor.

To stabilize morale, Wu Xing immediately declared, "The retired emperor in the enemy camp is an imposter!"

Wu Xing ordered the cannons to be adjusted and aimed directly at Zhu Qizhen's dragon flag. He personally lit the cannons, and whether it was luck or not, the attack was surprisingly accurate this time, and the dragon flag fell down.

This move startled both sides. Zhu Qizhen, who had already retreated behind the Oirat army, was so frightened that he quickly ordered his men to speed away. He wanted to go back to Bayan Temur, who was the only good person in the whole world.

King Datong hurriedly ordered his cavalry to retreat and disperse their formation.

When the Ming soldiers saw that their commander was so fierce that he actually bombarded the retired emperor in public, they were shocked.

Wu Xing's actions have already made him take the blame for everyone else, and the soldiers, relieved of their burden, quickly sprang into action!

Wu Xing ordered the Huo Tong troop to lead the way, followed by archers and short-range weapons, with several hundred eunuch cavalry at the rear, and over a hundred Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) riders at Wu Xing and Wang Jing's command.

The Ming army's tactics were very simple: they almost abandoned the initiative to attack, focusing on defense, with the fire brigade as the main attack point, archers providing time for the fire brigade to reload, and cavalry as support. Wu Xing had another reason for this arrangement: he did not have much trust in these cavalrymen of the Imperial Horse Administration, and he did not want to use them unless absolutely necessary, or he used them as messengers.

Suppressing the steppe cavalry with firepower was a method that Emperor Taizong had used and proven effective. Today, Wuxing's reckless war of attrition instantly intimidated the Oirat cavalry.

Wu Xing was gambling that the Oirat cavalry would become cowardly and retreat before running out of ammunition, refusing to launch another attack. If the Oirat cavalry were determined to capture Zhangyi Gate, its fall would only be a matter of time.

Seeing the Ming army's fierce firearm attack, which had already resulted in the loss of hundreds of cavalry, the Prince of Datong suspected that Zhu Qizhen and others had given false intelligence that the firearms from Nanjing had not been transported to the capital and that the Oirat Mongols had already discovered this.

According to Zhu Qizhen and others, the Ming army should have been severely short of firearms and ammunition. Why then, despite such a huge consumption yesterday, did the Ming army still have such strong combat power?

King Datong was considering retreating and prepared to launch a feigned attack on the South Gate to disrupt the garrison's formation and create an opening.

King Datong ordered a temporary retreat, refusing to send any more of his warriors to their deaths.

Wu Xing and Wang Jing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If the Oirat held out for another quarter of an hour, they would run out of ammunition and be the ones to die.

Just then, a few of the eunuch cavalrymen behind them exchanged glances, seemingly reaching a consensus, and immediately shouted, "The Oirat have been defeated! Attack and recapture the Emperor! Charge!"

Chaos erupted in the army. Hundreds of cavalrymen shouted "Charge!" and rushed out from the flank. Some Ming soldiers, unaware of the situation, thought that their commander had given the order to attack and ran quickly to catch up. The Oirat army had been defeated, and pursuing the defeated army might be a chance to gain merit, so how could they not be eager to do so?

Upon seeing this turn of events, Wu Xing and Wang Jing's expressions changed drastically, filled with shock. They immediately ordered the drums to be beaten and the gongs to be sounded, but the group of eunuch cavalrymen seemed not to hear them and continued to charge forward. The army was in complete chaos, and no one was able to obey orders.

In the blink of an eye, the formation was scattered.

Hearing the battle cries behind him, the Prince of Datong was startled. However, being a seasoned general, he was surprised to see the Ming army daring to attack, their infantry and cavalry almost separated. This opportunity presented itself, and the Prince of Datong nearly burst out laughing. It would have been better if the Ming army hadn't gone out; now they were simply offering themselves up for slaughter.

King Datong immediately gave the order: horns were sounded and command flags were waved.

The two sides clashed directly. Wu Xing was furious, but he had no choice but to lead his troops to join the battle, otherwise they would just wait to die there.

Wu Xing made a decisive decision and said, "Commander Wang, you lead the Shenji Battalion to hold the position. If the situation becomes unfavorable, abandon Zhangyi Gate and immediately lead the troops to retreat into the houses of the earthen city to engage in street fighting with the Oirat."

Wang Jing's face paled in alarm as he exclaimed, "But there are civilians in these houses! What if—"

The northern earthen city and some residential houses had already been evacuated, leaving them almost empty. However, many residents in the southern earthen city and their homes remained. In their minds, these enemy leaders came from the north, where danger lay and where safety lay. Why not flee? This was their home. If the capital fell, where could they go?

Swimming across the Yellow River and the Yangtze River alone?

"Enough nonsense! Who cares about the common people now? The lives of the soldiers are more important! If I go and die in battle, please inform His Majesty that I am willing to serve him again in the next life!"

Wu Xing shouted and, with his personal guards and Imperial Guards, spurred his horse into the battle. He had already foreseen his fate in this battle, but he could not escape.

If the commander deserts in the face of battle, the army will instantly collapse and be slaughtered. Secondly, he needs to buy Wang Jing time to regroup and retreat. Finally, he deliberately bombarded the Emperor Emeritus's dragon flag, leaving him with no other choice but to fight to the death.

The Oirat cavalry initially fought passively, but gradually took the initiative, eventually leading to a large-scale massacre.

The Oirat cavalry were too adept at the 3-3 and 5-5 encirclement tactics. They would first charge into small groups of scattered soldiers, and then surround and kill them on the spot in an instant.

Hundreds of imperial cavalrymen charged toward the chariot with unwavering resolve, fearless of death, determined to reclaim the retired emperor.

The Oirat army realized the intentions of the Ming cavalry, and that the man on the chariot was an imposter. They simply let him pass, allowing the Ming cavalry to enter their encirclement.

The leading eunuchs were so excited that their faces turned red. The monumental achievement of rescuing the retired emperor was right before their eyes. But when they saw the face of the "retired emperor" on the chariot, they could only think of two words: How ugly!

"Oh no, we've fallen into a trap! Break through!"

Several hundred palace guards quickly concentrated and attempted to break out, but were surrounded and killed by the Oirat cavalry from both sides. In the process of breaking in and breaking out, more than half of them died.

"Retreat towards Tucheng!"

Seeing that Ming soldiers were dying one after another, Wu Xing realized that the battle could not continue. He hurriedly led the Imperial Guards to meet the inner court cavalry, hoping to join forces to resist and delay the advance of the Oirat cavalry!

"Charge!" After Wu Xing gave the order, he suddenly realized that only the Imperial Guards and a few personal guards were fighting to the death. The group of eunuch cavalrymen just turned sideways and ran away towards Tucheng without looking back.

"You eunuch, you've ruined me!" Wu Xing cried out in anguish, and without hesitation led more than a hundred cavalrymen to charge towards the Oirat army.

"kill!"

No matter how brave and fierce Wu Xing was, he was outnumbered. After killing three Oirat cavalrymen, he was stabbed in the back by a spear and fell off his horse. Arrows rained down from the sky. The Oirat realized that Wu Xing was their commander and naturally would not let such a good opportunity pass.

In an instant, more than a dozen arrows pierced Wu Xing's armor, and Wu Xing spat out a jet of blood, dying on the spot for the Ming Dynasty.

Upon seeing this, the guards' eyes widened in anger, and they let out a cry of pain. Undeterred by the risk of being surrounded, one of them, a skilled rider, gripped his horse's belly tightly, bent down, and used his immense strength to snatch Wu Xing's corpse back, then desperately fled back.

The remaining Imperial Guards had no intention of returning alive; they shared the consensus that their commander could not be humiliated. They immediately huddled together, forming a human wall to buy time for their personal guards to escape.

Shortly after, all the Imperial Guards were slaughtered. Arrows came from behind the guards, and he was hit by several arrows. Fortunately, he ran fast and was protected by his armor. The short bow of the Oirat Mongols could not penetrate his heart. However, the pain in his back almost made him fall off his horse. With his tenacious will, he tightly hugged Wu Xing's corpse and ran wildly.

After a continuous gallop, the warhorse was hit by two arrows. Despite the pain, the horse ran even faster and gradually widened the distance between itself and the Oirat cavalry.

The Oirat cavalry pursued relentlessly towards Tucheng. A hint of excitement flashed in the eyes of the King of Datong. The Ming army's defeat here was inevitable. He wanted to annihilate all the Ming troops here, at least ten thousand of them. This was a rare and great victory. He wanted to report the victory to Esen and wash away yesterday's shame.

When Zhu Qiyu arrived at Xuanwu Gate in the south of the city, someone had already come down to report to the authorities.

The news that Zhangyi Gate might be defeated threw Zhu Qiyu into a panic. Hearing the constant shouts of battle, he was furious. Zhangyi Gate had been redeployed; how could it possibly collapse so quickly? Were the defending troops made of paper?

"Marquis Ningyang, do you have a plan?"

Chen Mao was at a loss. The battle situation was unclear, and rashly sending the garrison troops at the south and west gates to provide support would likely result in casualties.

Chen Mao pondered for a moment, recalling the terrain of the capital, and suggested, "Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to have Commander Tang Jie send troops to quickly enter the houses in the earthen city. If the garrison at Zhangyi Gate flees from this side, it may be possible to hold off the Oirat army. If they flee from another direction, then we can only regroup and retake Zhangyi Gate later. In addition, we need Shi Heng to lead cavalry to come."

"Minister Yu must have already received the news!" Zhu Qiyu was still confident in Yu Qian and Shi Heng, and believed they would have a solution.

Zhu Qiyu's judgment was correct. Upon hearing that the Oirat Mongols were attacking Zhangyi Gate, Yu Qian and others ordered Mao Fushou and Gao Li to lead cavalry south to provide reinforcements.

Zhu Qiyu no longer hesitated and followed Chen Mao's advice, ordering his men to hang Lu Zhong from a bamboo basket. Lu Zhong was to go and relay the order for Tang Jie to send reinforcements immediately, which was better than waiting to die.

However, the timing was perfect for the Ming Dynasty. Wu Xing's strategy of sending the defeated army through Tucheng was absolutely correct. He originally intended to use street fighting to hold off the Oirat cavalry, and was even prepared to sacrifice some civilians in exchange for the soldiers' chance of survival.

However, Wu Xing did not expect that the people are often the most loyal guardians of the country, and the more critical the country is, the more astonishing the power that the people unleash is.

The Ming army fled into Tucheng. When the people of Tucheng heard that the Oirat army was coming, they were not afraid. Instead, they were inspired with courage. It was these bandits who had caused their families to be destroyed and their people to be displaced.

"Kill them!"

This is the most urgent wish of the people of Tucheng. It doesn't matter if they don't have weapons; stones, bricks, and farm tools are enough.

Many people climbed onto the rooftops, and those below passed stones and bricks up to them. Farm tools and forks were also brought up. Some people even started dismantling walls to retrieve stones and bricks.

The Oirat cavalry rampaged through the city, continuing their rampage even after entering the earthen city.

Suddenly, one of the cavalrymen felt a darkness before his eyes as a large brick struck him, making him dizzy.

Then stones and bricks rained down like rain. Although they did not kill the Oirat cavalry immediately, the sheer force of the attack was overwhelming. The warhorses were startled and ran amok in the confined space. Many Oirat cavalrymen were thrown from their horses and trampled to death by their own hooves!

The Ming soldiers who had been fleeing were stunned by what they saw. What a good opportunity!

Some of the rearguard fire brigade and archers turned back and attacked, reversing the situation. The Oirat cavalry behind them, unaware of the situation ahead, chased after them and crowded into the earthen city. The Oirat army was thrown into chaos, and various attacks came from all directions, causing screams to echo throughout the earthen city.

King Datong was startled and hurriedly reined in his horse. How did Boluo die?

Upon having this thought, the King of Datong immediately ordered a retreat without a second thought.

He concluded that the Ming army at Zhangyi Gate was feigning defeat again. These Ming soldiers were ruthless; their acting was too convincing. They had even used the emperor to deceive people before. What else would the Ming Dynasty not dare to do?

The Ming army had a great advantage from the start, so how could the army suddenly fall into chaos? It turned out that it was another ambush. They had set up an ambush in the earthen city. The cunning Ming people dared not fight face to face, so they resorted to trickery and intrigue.

The King of Datong did not want to meet Boluo in the afterlife, so he left resolutely, convinced that the Ming army was shameless!

The Oirat cavalry had no joy in pursuing them at this moment. Their great Boluo and the Oirat's fiercest general, Maonahai, had died in street fighting. If they didn't flee now, were they just going to sit and wait to be surrounded?

Perhaps to verify that this was an ambush by the Ming army, Mao Fushou and Gao Li rushed there as if by magic. The Prince of Datong looked at the billowing dust coming from the north and knew that the Ming cavalry had arrived.

This was truly an ambush; I immediately cursed Zhu Qiyu's ancestors for eighteen generations.

He wants to return to the grasslands; he can't outmaneuver the Ming emperor and his ministers with these tricks.

In front of the Ming emperor and his ministers, he, the Prince of Datong, was as pure as a white lotus flower.

Some Oirat cavalrymen who could not escape in time lost their will to fight back and realized they had been ambushed. More than a hundred of them were killed by Mao Fushou and his cavalrymen who caught up with them. Wang Fang of Datong led the Oirat cavalrymen to retreat to the west.

>