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

After Empress Dowager Sun left, a brief silence fell over the hall.

After a moment of contemplation, seeing that the officials were still affected by the imperial edict, Yu Qian couldn't help but remind them, "Your Majesty, the most urgent task at hand is probably to order the border to be placed under martial law again."

Zhu Qiyu nodded slightly, finally recognizing someone who understood, and said, "According to the Minister's intentions, Esen might be able to head south at any time!"

The ministers were shocked upon hearing this, and at this point they no longer cared about the Emperor Emeritus!

Seeing that Zhu Qiyu grasped the key point so quickly, Yu Qian felt much relieved. A ruler who always stays clear-headed is crucial to the current situation.

"Your Majesty, that is indeed the case. Esen has always been cunning. He may be trying to use the actions of the retired emperor to disrupt the morale of the court and then launch a surprise attack on the border."

After all, the Oirat were extremely skilled at surprise attacks and had succeeded many times.

"Granted!" Zhu Qiyu nodded, as Yu Qian's thoughts coincided with his.

Zhu Qizhen is worthless now, and Zhu Qiyu doesn't believe he can't see that.

Even though Zhu Qizhen sent an imperial edict back to the capital, Esen knew in his heart that it hadn't changed anything. It was just that Zhu Qizhen himself hadn't realized this yet. In the end, Zhu Qizhen was like a spoiled child, treating the change of imperial power as a game, and he didn't even understand his own situation at this moment.

The fact that Zhu Qizhen was able to send the imperial edict of punishment back to the capital shows that his political awareness was lower than imagined; this was forcing the court officials to kill him.

Historically, he even promoted officials within the Ming Dynasty directly while serving in the Oirat Mongols, a truly outrageous act.

Zhu Qizhen was a fool, but Esen was not. Zhu Qiyu was certain that once the Oirat army gathered, it would definitely march south.

If kidnappers can't extort money, they'll definitely rob!

Zhu Qiyu pondered for a moment, then asked another crucial question: "Where are the Arazhiyuan tribe and the Tuotuo Buhua tribe now?"

If it were simply Esen's southward advance, with his main force of 80,000 to 90,000 troops (Note 1), and after excluding losses during the attack and the rearguard, it would be quite good if half of them reached the capital.

If only 40,000 to 50,000 troops were to come to the capital for a decisive battle, Zhu Qiyu was not worried. Even if the enemy was overwhelmed, or even if the city was breached and street fighting ensued, he could still defeat Esen.

The current concern is the other two armies, totaling 60,000 men. If they also obey orders to march south and can all assemble, a force of over 100,000 men will head straight for the capital. It will be hard to say who will emerge victorious.

After all, Zhu Qizhen had already heavily sponsored the Oirat military, and these were elite troops armed to the teeth, far superior to the "misfits" in the capital. Not to mention that the capital only had 20,000 armored soldiers who could go out of the city to fight. With 20,000 against 100,000, the advantage was no longer mine!

Yu Qian and the others were secretly alarmed, glancing at Zhu Qiyu with surprise. This question was indeed crucial, and the officials naturally understood Zhu Qiyu's meaning.

Yu Qian immediately reported: "The Arazhi Yuan's troops (Note 2) are stationed near Xuanfu, and Yang Hong is closely monitoring their movements. Tuotuo Buhua has been harassing Liaodong, and the generals in Liaodong are holding their ground and refusing to engage. I have ordered people to keep a close watch on these two armies and be on guard against their southward advance!"

Yang Shan, upon hearing Yu Qian's words, did not quite agree, saying, "Your Majesty, I believe the focus should be on Esen's main force. The Arazhi Yuan tribe is restrained by Xuanfu, and the Toghto Bukha tribe is restrained by Liaodong. Neither of their armies may dare to venture too far alone. Aren't they afraid that our Ming army will encircle them?"

"Shut up!" Zhu Qiyu and Yu Qian, unusually in sync, said in unison.

Yang Shan was reprimanded and looked terrified. Was he having a run of bad luck lately and couldn't even make a good impression?

Zhu Qiyu glanced coldly at Yang Shan, intending to find an opportunity to send him to the south, as keeping him in the capital was simply an eyesore.

Yu Qian looked at Zhu Qiyu, and seeing that Zhu Qiyu did not speak, he took over the conversation, saying, "Encirclement? How can we encircle them? How many cavalry and soldiers does our Great Ming still have? Should we send 20,000 from Xuanfu, 30,000 from Liaodong, and the loyalist troops from the capital to encircle them?"

"To engage the Oirat in open battle at this moment would be more like throwing lambs to the slaughter than encirclement! An encirclement would only be effective if the Oirat were severely damaged under the walls of the capital. If we cannot break Esen's spirit, any other action would be tantamount to suicide."

Upon hearing Yu Qian's words, the ministers immediately realized that they were right. The Oirat's advantage lay in open field battles, and they were just worried that the Ming army was unwilling to come out and fight in the field.

To rashly encircle them is not to use one's own weaknesses to attack their strengths.

If the troops in Liaodong and Xuanfu were lost, then Esen would truly have no worries about the rear and could steadily advance in the north. In that case, the Ming Dynasty would really only have the option of moving south.

Unless we can inflict a heavy blow on Esen and instill fear in the Oirat armies, and take advantage of their weakened strength to consider encirclement, we can only harass and contain them. We absolutely cannot engage in a direct decisive battle, as the Ming Dynasty cannot afford to lose.

Upon hearing Yu Qian's words, Zhu Qiyu's expression softened slightly. He said, "If the three armies march south together, the situation in the capital will be extremely precarious. I believe we can emulate Emperor Taizong of Tang's past strategy of dividing the Eastern Turks by sending envoys to contact Toghtoa Bukha, promising them great benefits. Our Great Ming is willing to engage in border trade with them."

Yu Qian nodded slowly. This strategy, though shameful, was practical. He replied, "Your Majesty, I second this proposal!"

The ministers acquiesced upon hearing this. It had to be said that this was the only option available. As long as the three forces of the Oirat Mongols could not be united, the Ming Dynasty would have the strength to fight them.

Hu Ying tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, should we also send envoys to persuade Arazhiyuan?"

Yu Qian shook his head and preemptively spoke up to stop him, saying, "Your Majesty, I believe that as long as we persuade Toghtoa Bukha, it will be fine. Arazhiyuan is a smart man. Once Toghtoa Bukha slows down his southward advance, he will not rashly risk his life. Esen is already worried about not having a chance to devour Arazhiyuan's tribe. If we send out multiple envoys, it is hard to guarantee that the news will not leak out. Things are accomplished in secret, but they will be ruined by leaks."

Zhu Qiyu nodded. Yu Qian's words made sense. Moreover, the excessive desire for peace would expose the Ming Dynasty's lack of confidence, which would undoubtedly boost the enemy's morale. It was best to stop when things were at their most intimate.

Zhu Qiyu glanced at Yang Shan. Originally, it would have been most appropriate to send this person on the mission, but since he was extremely destructive, it was best to set him aside.

"Who is willing to shoulder this heavy responsibility?"

Upon hearing Zhu Qiyu's inquiry, Zhang Gu finally saw an opportunity to make amends for his mistake and resolutely stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go!"

When Zhu Qiyu saw that Zhang Gu had volunteered, he was overjoyed and immediately agreed.

When it comes to eloquence, the people of the Six Ministries are absolutely top-notch, and they will not back down in the face of the Oirats. If the people of the Six Ministries are not afraid of their own emperor, why would they be afraid of a foreign minister?

Zhu Qiyu immediately made the decision: "Minister Zhang will be given the title of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and you will be sent on this mission."

Zhang Gu gladly accepted the order, saying, "Your subject obeys!"

Zhu Qiyu looked at Yu Qian and asked, "Minister Yu, where are the Nanjing training troops and the anti-Japanese pirate troops now?"

"After my repeated urging, we will arrive in Tongzhou in two more days, and will definitely reach the capital within three days!"

"Excellent!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiyu's brows finally relaxed a bit. With over 200,000 troops in the capital, it at least sounded like a great deal of security.

"Therefore, send another 5,000 troops from Juyong Pass and Zijing Pass to reinforce them, and have the soldiers carry their own provisions. As for Baiyang Pass, the journey is a bit too far, so we will not provide reinforcements there!"

After some consideration, Yu Qian decided that allocating only 10,000 troops was feasible and would not cause too much damage to the defense of the capital. Moreover, the two passes were the last line of defense for the capital, and if the Oirat Mongols could be weakened, it would not be a bad thing.

"Here you go!"

"The entire army that came to the aid of the emperor has arrived in the capital; a notification must be sent immediately!"

Zhu Qiyu thought it was time to go and see his army.

"I obey your decree!"