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

"The reserve troops from Beizhili and Henan, as well as the grain transport troops, have all arrived in the capital. The Shandong anti-Japanese garrison has arrived in Tongzhou and will enter the capital tomorrow. As for the reserve troops and anti-Japanese garrison in Nanjing, they are expected to arrive in mid-September. After tomorrow, the troop strength in the capital will have increased to 150,000."

Upon hearing this news, the officials all showed joy on their faces, as the safety of the capital was now more assured.

Zhu Qiyu breathed a sigh of relief; the advantage was now in his hands!

"What difficulties are there at the moment?"

Yu Qian immediately poured cold water on the situation, saying, "Your Majesty, although the loyalist army has entered the capital, it is still a disorganized mess and needs to be trained diligently. Previously, the Earl of Xincheng, Zhao Rong, neglected his duties, and I have ordered the Vice Commissioner of the Governor's Office, Sun Tang, to take over his military affairs and be responsible for training the soldiers. However, the number of officers and soldiers is still insufficient."

Zhu Qiyu did have some impression of this person; he was a battlefield general who had fought for two or three decades, and his abilities were beyond doubt.

Upon hearing Yu Qian's words, Zhu Qiyu pondered for a moment and said, "Promote Sun Tang to the position of Vice Commander-in-Chief, in charge of the Three Thousand Camps (cavalry), and give him full authority over training matters."

"Here you go!"

Yu Qian readily agreed, which coincided with his own thoughts.

At present, no one but Sun Tang is capable of leading three thousand battalions, but Sun Tang is not in the Wenhua Hall at the moment.

Otherwise, he'd probably be cursing. Normally, commanding three thousand battalions meant having power and influence. But now, commanding three thousand battalions meant being the vanguard, tasked with carrying out surprise attacks and engaging the Oirat cavalry head-on. Victory would be a great achievement, while the slightest mistake could mean certain death.

Then, Zhu Qiyu's gaze fell on Zhang Ni, and he said, "Minister Zhang!"

Zhang Ni and Zhu Qiyu exchanged a glance, confirming that Zhu Qiyu had not called the wrong person, and then Zhang Ni hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Your subject is here!"

Zhang Ni's performance today deserves promotion, and Zhu Qiyu immediately said: "You will be appointed as the Vice Commander of the Vanguard Army Commandery, leading the Imperial Guard General, and assisting Sun Tang in training troops."

"I obey your decree!"

Zhang Ni was overjoyed. He had gone from a sinecure as the Assistant Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to a powerful figure in the Vanguard Commandery in an instant.

Since the three chief officials of the Governor's Office—the Left and Right Governors and the Deputy Governor—are all gone, and those who are now in office are all on the honorary title, he is the only one who holds a real position and is also the General Who Protects the Emperor. This means that he can receive a share of the credit after the battle without having to fight on the front lines.

Sometimes, the choice you make is more important than your efforts.

Zhang Ni was filled with regret at this moment. If he had known earlier that Zhu Qiyu would be so generous, he would have hesitated for a moment and knelt down long ago.

Yu Qian didn't have much objection to Zhu Qiyu's arrangement. Zhang Ni's ability was still debatable, but the Duke's mansion had that prestige, which did have a stabilizing effect on the morale of the army.

At this time, it is not yet time for civil and military officials to fight amongst themselves; it would be best if they could work together in harmony.

Yu Qian petitioned again, saying, "Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to promote a general to take command of the five armies and appoint him as the commander-in-chief, responsible for frontline command during wartime."

We've got the same idea!

Zhu Qiyu began by asking, "Now that you are in charge of the Ministry of War, do you have any capable generals to recommend?"

"Your Majesty, the Earl of Jingyuan, Wang Ji, and the Marquis of Ningyang, Chen Mao, were originally the most suitable. However, the Ministry of War has already urgently summoned them, and both are unable to leave in the short term due to the war in the south. The Oirat Mongols are also unpredictable and may invade at any time, so we cannot wait any longer. My suggestion is to promote one of the existing generals to the position. I recommend Shi Heng. Shi Heng has fought against the Oirat Mongols for many years and knows them well."

Chen Yi frowned slightly and said, "Your Majesty, Shi Heng is still imprisoned in the Imperial Prison due to his defeat in battle. Using a defeated general might shake the morale of the army."

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Chen Yi's words garnered support from many ministers. Having already been defeated by Esen, using a defeated general again would leave the soldiers uncertain, and who knew if they wouldn't suffer a second defeat?

Yu Qian disagreed with Chen Yi's words and retorted, "Censor Chen, gentlemen, you are mistaken. The main fault for the defeat at Yanghekou does not lie with Shi Heng, but with the machinations of treacherous officials. Besides Shi Heng, does Censor Chen have a better candidate? Even if so, can he be immediately recalled to the capital?"

Chen Yi wanted to say that Liu An had returned to the capital, but he couldn't bring himself to say it because Liu An's condition was much more serious than Shi Heng's, and it was directly related to the Emperor's capture in the north.

He also had to admit that Shi Heng's official position was earned through military achievements, which was incomparable to those like Liu An who inherited their titles.

Seeing that Chen Yi had fallen silent, Zhu Qiyu slowly asked, "Gentlemen, does anyone have any objections?"

With the overall situation at stake, Wang Zhi had no choice but to step forward and say, "Your Majesty, since the Marquis of Zhenyuan has already been pardoned and ordered to atone for his crimes through meritorious service, Shi Heng can naturally follow the same precedent. I think it is appropriate."

"We have no objection!"

With Yu Qian and Wang Zhi taking the lead, the other officials quickly echoed their sentiments.

Zhu Qiyu glanced at Xing'an, who immediately understood and raised his voice.

"Seon Seok Hyung enters the palace!"

Upon hearing this, the officials were slightly taken aback. When had Shi Heng been released from prison?

A moment later, Shi Heng appeared before the assembled officials, looking radiant. Instantly, the officials' expressions became quite interesting, and they all looked at Yu Qian, wondering if Yu Qian had conspired with His Majesty to put on a show in court.

Yu Qian was also bewildered at this moment. He knew whether there had been prior communication or not. The only possibility was that His Majesty had released this person early on. If so, wouldn't His Majesty have the same thoughts? Great minds think alike!

Yu Qian looked at Zhu Qiyu with a hint of joy at the harmonious relationship between the ruler and his subject.

"Your subject Shi Heng pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"No need for formalities, please take a seat," Zhu Qiyu paused, pondered for a moment, "Since Minister Yu has also recommended you, then I will promote you to Right Vice Commander-in-Chief, in charge of the Five Military Commands, oversee the Beijing Garrison, and assist Minister Yu in managing the defense of the capital."

"I obey your decree!"

Shi Heng bowed respectfully, his excitement almost impossible to contain.

Yesen, I'm waiting for you!

Zhu Qiyu then asked, "Is Fan Guangke returning to the capital?"

"Your Majesty, according to the itinerary, we will definitely arrive in the capital within two days!"

Before Yu Qian could speak again, Zhu Qiyu directly instructed, "Let Fan Guang be appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief to assist you in accomplishing your task!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" the ministers hurriedly echoed.

With two formidable generals, Shi Heng and Fan Guang, plus Sun Tang who can be considered half a general, our chances of victory have increased considerably.

"Most of the loyalist army has entered the capital. How to defend the capital is a matter of debate among the officials."

Yang Shan hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Your Majesty, the capital now has sufficient troops. Why not defend against the enemy from the outside? I believe that important passes such as Juyong Pass and Zijing Pass should be reinforced with troops. If we can keep the Oirat Mongols out of the pass, wouldn't the capital be even more secure?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Qian and Shi Heng exclaimed almost in unison, "Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

Yang Shan paused for a moment, and the other officials were also taken aback, because there was some truth to Yang Shan's words.

"What are your thoughts, Minister Yu and Commander Shi?"

Having suddenly risen to a high position, Shi Heng appeared particularly tactful, saying, "Your Majesty, I request to speak with the Minister first!"

"Granted!"

Yu Qian did not mince words and said directly, "Forgive my bluntness, but apart from Xuanfu and Datong, which cannot be lost, the remaining passes cannot be defended."

Upon hearing this, Yang Shan immediately retorted indignantly, "Minister Yu, what do you mean by this? Are you suggesting we let the enemy invade?"

Yu Qian ignored Yang Shan and looked at Zhu Qiyu, saying, "Your Majesty, what I said about not being able to defend is not that we shouldn't defend, but that we can't defend it. If we reinforce the passes, how will the grain be transported? Most of the grain in Tongzhou has already entered the capital, and there is no grain to be transferred from the surrounding areas of the capital. We can only transfer grain from the capital. I'm afraid that before the grain arrives, the Oirat will march south."

If we were to send troops elsewhere, they would only be drawn from the loyalist armies, significantly reducing the capital's military strength. This would be tantamount to dividing our forces and allowing Esen to defeat us piecemeal, which would be unwise. Furthermore, the capital's defenses would be weakened, and the entire empire would be in danger of collapse.

Shi Heng glanced at Yu Qian, and was greatly convinced. He then echoed, "Your Majesty, Minister Yu's words are truly insightful. To defeat the Oirats, the main battlefield must be located under the walls of the capital. With the capital firmly defended, a single battle will decide the outcome. As for the lost passes, as long as Xuanfu and Datong are not lost, the Oirats will not be able to capture the capital and will inevitably be defeated and flee. All the passes will then be recovered."

Yu Qian then said, "Your Majesty, although the passes are indefensible, we cannot simply give up. We need to appoint capable ministers and fierce generals to garrison many passes to delay the Oirat's southward advance, or perhaps even wipe out some of their troops. In that case, the pressure on the capital will be greatly reduced, and our chances of victory will certainly increase."

Upon hearing this, Yang Shan felt a cold sweat pour down his back.

Zhu Qiyu nodded slightly. Indeed, professional matters should be handled by professionals.

He himself once had the idea of ​​reinforcing the passes, hoping that the Oirat would fight their way south and arrive in the capital exhausted.

However, this was indeed extremely risky. If these scoundrels failed to cause trouble for the Oirat Mongols and instead went to their deaths, leaving the capital vulnerable again, they would die even faster.

After all, although the capital city is not full of fierce generals, it at least has generals who can fight.

In fact, there was one point that Yu Qian and Shi Heng did not make clear: Zhu Qizhen was still in the hands of the other side. Although he had become the retired emperor and his value had greatly decreased, if Esen had placed Zhu Qizhen at the front of the battle, these generals would not have dared to kill him. The retired emperor was still a monarch, not to mention that Zhu Qizhen had been the emperor who had reigned for fourteen years.

If it were outside the capital, things would be different. With Emperor Zhu Qiyu taking the blame, collateral damage would be inevitable.

"As you two ministers have suggested. Minister Yu, after you and Governor Shi have discussed the selection of guards for the various passes and the commanders of the nine gates of the capital, please prepare a list."

"Your Majesty, we obey!"