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

"Your Highness, in addition to the shortage of soldiers and generals, the capital is currently short of food supplies. Even if we save every penny, we can only last for three months. If reinforcements come to aid the emperor, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold out for even a month."

When Yu Qian revealed the truth about the situation in the capital, the faces of the officials turned particularly grim.

Zhu Qiyu was slightly stunned. How could such a large capital city be without food supplies? What kind of international joke was this?

He looked at the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, Chen Xun, his eyes full of doubt.

"Minister Chen, is this the truth?"

Chen Xun could only nod reluctantly, saying with difficulty, "Your Highness, His Majesty's personal expedition was rushed, with only a few days for preparation. Almost all the grain and supplies in the capital were taken away. In the meantime, we still need to continuously allocate grain and supplies to support the army, which is why we have not yet been able to send grain to the capital when we heard of the defeat."

I...!

"The army has only been preparing for a few days?" Zhu Qiyu asked incredulously.

According to the original owner's memories, it seems that this is what happened. Zhu Qizhen announced his personal expedition on July 11, and by July 16 he had already broken camp and headed north, but was defeated on August 15.

The Ming Dynasty rose to power over several decades, but declined in just over a month.

He truly is a god of war!

Even a powerful emperor like Emperor Taizong of Tang would need five years of recuperation, one year for final preparations, and two months for final deployments before daring to launch such a war of annihilation. Even modern warfare doesn't operate like this.

This guy, on the other hand, led an army of 200,000 to their deaths in just a few days, and the worst part is that he only lasted a month.

The court officials were busy patching up the holes in the rear, and had no time to replenish the capital's grain supplies.

They probably never imagined that the Ming army would be defeated, let alone that it would be defeated so quickly. The capital was completely unprepared.

Empress Dowager Sun gripped her sleeves, her breath ragged. If only she had known this would happen, she would have tried to dissuade them. A moment later, her eyes flashed sharply as she looked at the assembled officials through the curtain. It was all their fault for not trying harder to dissuade her!

She's ruined her own son's life!

Chen Xun lamented, "Your Highness, it was all so rushed that we were caught off guard, and now our provisions and supplies are pitifully scarce!"

Wait, something's not right!

Zhu Qiyu pressed further, "Is there a shortage of supplies? Is there also a shortage of military equipment?"

The ministers' expressions darkened further.

Minister of Works Gao Gu nodded helplessly.

Yu Qian went even further, saying, "Your Highness, as I have already stated, the capital can only muster 20,000 armored soldiers. Any more would be without armor, and weapons would be severely lacking. What's worse, our Ming Dynasty's northern expeditionary force has been defeated, and all our superior weapons, supplies, and provisions have fallen into the hands of the Oirat Mongols, greatly increasing the strength of their leader. This is what truly worries us!"

"What?"

I... I've done something terrible, I need to go home!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiyu could no longer sit still and jumped up in a hurry.

This is tantamount to aiding the enemy. How come I didn't think of this before?

If what Yu Qian said is true, the Oirats will use the advanced weapons of the Ming Dynasty to attack the capital. Zhu Qizhen has given the Oirats a luxurious gift.

Zhu Qiyu glanced speechlessly at the palace ceiling, wondering if anyone would write something extraordinary in the future.

The one who destroyed the Ming Dynasty was not the Oirat Mongols, but Zhu Qizhen!

Wang Zhi and the others looked extremely grim. It was precisely because of this shift in power that a huge variable existed, making the strength of the Oirat unpredictable, which was the most terrifying thing.

Empress Dowager Sun wanted to get up and leave, but even with her thick skin, she felt extremely ashamed.

The reality was far more brutal than imagined.

"Your Highness, this is the truth," Wang Zhi said, noticing Zhu Qiyu's slight daze.

Zhu Qiyu was no longer as calm as before. He had initially thought that the strong defenses of the capital would be enough to defend against the attack, but now it seemed that he had been too complacent.

"Is there a solution?"

"Your Highness, the Nanjing Ordnance Bureau still has 1.26 million weapons. The Ministry of War in Nanjing can take two-thirds of them to aid the capital. In addition, military craftsmen need to be transferred to the capital to assist the Ministry of Works."

Upon hearing Yu Qian's words, Zhu Qiyu finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Our Ming Dynasty is still wealthy; we have a good foundation!"

But the next second, Yu Qian poured cold water on the idea, saying, "However, the journey from Nanjing to reinforce the capital is long. If the Oirat advances south too quickly, these weapons may fall into their hands again, or they may not even reach the capital. Therefore, we need to prepare for both possibilities. The capital must also manufacture them on its own. I have another plan!"

Zhu Qiyu hated it when people kept him in suspense.

"Speak your mind!"

Yu Qian trembled slightly, glanced at the assembled officials, and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty's northern expedition was defeated, and the Oirat army is slightly weaker than our Great Ming army. As a result, they could not take all the weapons and supplies with them, and a considerable amount must have been left behind on the battlefield. I request that the border general assess the situation and send troops to retrieve them, which may replenish our military supplies, that is..."

"Granted! If you lose face today, you can pick it up again tomorrow. Didn't my founding emperor also endure humiliation and hardship at the beginning of his reign?" Zhu Qiyu comforted him.

Zhu Qiyu wasn't afraid of losing face. The goal was to win this battle. So what if he had to become a "beggar" and scavenge for equipment on the battlefield?

This beggar's skill is a tradition of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang conquered the world with just a bowl, so what's shameful about it?

If collecting this equipment could slow down Esen's southward advance, he would also like to collect it.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhi and the others quietly looked at Zhu Qiyu. They never expected that Zhu Qiyu would use the Taizu Emperor as an example. Now the ministers felt no pressure, and their eyes were slightly red. This was a wise ruler!

Even Jiao Jing, who was just waiting to die, had a glimmer of light in his eyes when he looked at Zhu Qiyu. This was the true descendant of the founding emperor, not the one in the north!

Xing'an almost burst out laughing; he was starting to admire his own discerning eye!

Jin Ying's eyes flickered uncertainly.

For the first time, Empress Dowager Sun, behind the curtain, felt such immense pressure. Perhaps once the edict was issued, many things would be beyond redemption.

"Your Highness, I obey your command!" Yu Qian exclaimed excitedly, making a gesture of respect.

At this moment, he was very confident of winning this battle; the Ming Dynasty now had a true leader.

Seeing that the officials' emotions had calmed down somewhat, Zhu Qiyu continued to ask, "Is there a plan for the supply of provisions?"

Chen Xun reported back, "Your Highness, Tongzhou has several million shi of grain!"

"How many?"

"Millions of stones!"

"Then hurry up and transport the grain to the capital!" Zhu Qiyu was overjoyed.

Taking the middle number, it's five million shi (a unit of dry measure), enough to feed an army of two hundred thousand for several years. It would be a miracle if the Oirat Mongols could attack the capital for several years.

"Your Highness, it would be better to burn all the grain in Tongzhou!" Hu Ying, who had been silent until now, made a startling remark.

The key point is that the ministers remained silent for a while after hearing this, and did not voice any objection, which was truly a strange thing.

Zhu Qiyu finally realized what was happening and frowned, saying, "Minister Hu is worried that Esen will raid southwards and these grains will fall into his hands."

Hu Ying nodded and said, "That's right, Your Highness. Now that the people in the north are fleeing south, there must be spies among them. If a spy informs us, the Oirat army can break through Juyong Pass and march south across the plains to reach Tongzhou. If the grain in Tongzhou falls into Esen's hands, our Great Ming will have no chance of recovery."

Wang Zhi also spoke up, saying, "Your Highness, transporting grain requires military escort, otherwise chaos will ensue. However, the troops sent to aid the emperor have not yet arrived, and the capital's forces are insufficient. If we rashly send grain out of the city, Esen only needs a detachment to severely damage our Great Ming. The key issue is that the people of Beizhili are currently in a state of panic, with refugees and starving people everywhere. Even if the Oirats don't plunder, once the granaries are opened, the people of our Great Ming will scramble for them."

Zhu Qiyu felt as if he had been doused with cold water, and asked, "Could we use the Grand Canal?"

He remembered that there was a Tonghui River connecting Tongzhou to the capital.

Gao Gu said, "Your Highness, the Tonghui River has been blocked for many years. Due to the severe shortage of water, it has been repeatedly dredged but has not been able to be cleared and has been abandoned. Even if we were to dredge it now, it would take at least a year or two to make it navigable. This is not a temporary solution."

Zhu Qiyu was also helpless. The canal transport system was unreliable. This was a race against time; there was no way to slowly clear the waterways.

Looking towards Yu Qian, we know that if Yu Qian could win this battle, he must have found a way to transport grain into the capital.

"Minister Yu, what good plan do you have?"

After much deliberation, Yu Qian began to scrutinize every detail since hearing of the defeat, and he indeed had a plan for transporting grain.

"I believe that the troops that come to the aid of the emperor should first gather in Tongzhou, collect a year's worth of grain, and then transport it to the capital. In this way, these troops can come to the aid of the emperor while also transporting grain."

In addition, we will mobilize the people, soldiers' families, and relatives to provide their own vehicles to transport grain. Those who transport a fixed amount will be given a fee, and the national treasury is still well-funded. Furthermore, I will lead an army to personally oversee the operation; Esen is heading south and will not arrive for at least several days.

Upon hearing Yu Qian's countermeasure, a hint of surprise flashed in Zhu Qiyu's eyes.

"This is truly a minister of state!" Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but admire the man's intelligence. "Gentlemen, what do you think of the Minister's plan?"