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

There has always been a voice in the court that the Oirat Mongols may not necessarily move south, and that the court is overreacting by defending against this uncertain war, which has caused great suffering to the people in the north.

Throughout history, there have been two types of scholars who are most disgusting: one is those with an excessive sense of compassion, who may even empathize with their enemies; the other is those who only have the so-called classics of sages in their hearts, and no regard for their country or the world.

These voices only gradually subsided after the imperial court sent several envoys.

Now the court officials can at least confirm one thing: Esen's exorbitant demands show he has no intention of immediate peace talks.

On the first day of the tenth month, the Oirat army had already assembled, and Esen ordered them to split into three routes.

Esen continued to adopt the same strategy of marching south, which was almost a common attack route used by steppe tribes when they moved south. Since Genghis Khan, this had been the way of attacking, and it was an effective method that had never failed.

In the west, Esen led his main force to Datong. If the attack on Datong failed, he would go to Yanghe and the Baiyangkou area, capture the area, and then bypass Datong to advance straight into Zijingguan, the western gateway to Beijing, and thus reach the capital.

As for Datong, according to Zhu Qizhen's account, since the defeat at the Battle of Yanghekou, the main force of Datong had already been rendered useless. The troops here could still defend the city, but it was almost impossible to send troops to support it. Once troops were sent out and the war went poorly, Datong would undoubtedly be lost.

At that moment, Zhu Qizhen seemed to have a sudden realization, and he pointed out the predicament faced by Guo Deng, the garrison commander of Datong. Unlike Yang Hong of Xuanfu, who still had troops to launch an attack, Datong could only retreat and rely on the solid defenses built by Shi Heng over the years to hold its ground.

Zhu Qiyu's order to Guo Deng was to hold firm and not leave the area; as long as Datong was not lost, it would be a great achievement.

Meanwhile, Arazhiyuan, leading the central force, attacked towards Xuanfu. He was reinforced with 20,000 troops, bringing the total to 50,000. The sole purpose of this was to bypass Xuanfu and leave some forces to contain Yang Hong there. Arazhiyuan then led his troops south to quickly capture Juyong Pass. Once Juyong Pass was breached, they could proceed to the capital and reunite with the forces.

On the eastern route, Tuotuo Buhua led an army of 20,000 to attack Gubeikou, thus entering the Miyun area. He left more than 10,000 troops behind to cover the rear, intending to prevent the Ming army in Liaodong from returning to reinforce.

The eastern route only needs to capture the Miyun area to reach the capital directly. If the three armies arrive smoothly, even if the Oirat divide their forces to cover the rear, they will still have at least 100,000 troops gathered at the gates of the capital.

Two months ago, tens of thousands of troops were able to defeat 200,000 elite Ming troops. Now, with 100,000 elite Oirat troops facing more than 200,000 "rabble" in the Ming capital, Esen couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The advantage lies with me!

Esen still coveted the magnificent city of Datong and wanted to try his luck there before heading south.

When Esen and his party arrived at the East Gate of Datong, they used the pretext of escorting Zhu Qizhen back to have Guo Deng come out of the city to meet them.

Guo Deng wasn't stupid, so he naturally didn't believe these nonsense. However, what gave Guo Deng a headache was that Zhu Qizhen actually followed Esen's arrangements and appeared openly under the East Gate, forcing Guo Deng to submit.

If Guo Deng ignores this, and if Esen really intends to return the property to Zhu Qizhen, and he turns a blind eye again, he will surely be held accountable later.

After careful consideration, Guo Deng ordered the entire city to be on high alert, ready to go to war at any time. He did not believe a word of what Esen had said.

However, it would be inappropriate to refuse him rashly, so they simply hoisted Prefect Huo Xuan out of the city in a bamboo basket and brought him fine wine and meat to welcome Zhu Qizhen back.

Esen didn't say he would release the people, but now he's sent people to meet them. Whether they'll be released or not, we'll know soon enough.

When Huo Xuan met Zhu Qizhen, he wept uncontrollably, saying that Zhu Qizhen's voice, appearance, and smile were just as they had been in the past, and he was overjoyed.

Huo Xuan wanted to welcome Zhu Qizhen back, but as expected, Esen had no intention of releasing him at all; he was just repeating his old trick and trying to deceive the gatekeeper.

At this time, Zhu Qizhen informed Huo Xuan of some unexpected news: Esen also had the idea of ​​peace talks, but he, Zhu Qizhen, needed to represent the Ming Dynasty in the talks. This time, it was not an invasion of the Ming Dynasty, but the ultimate goal was to go to the capital for peace talks.

Faced with Zhu Qizhen's explanation, Huo Xuan was filled with doubt and suspicion. There was more to it than met the eye, and these words sounded like a pretext.

However, he was also a gambler. Now the Oirat army was strong and well-equipped, and the Ming Dynasty had lost 200,000 elite troops. Perhaps the people in the capital would not be a match for the Oirat. If the retired emperor were to be restored to the throne, he would at least have the merit of following the new emperor, just like Guo Deng, who was given important positions because he pledged allegiance to the new emperor.

After careful consideration, Huo Xuan decided to take a gamble and promised Zhu Qizhen that he would quickly send the news that the Oirat Mongols were willing to negotiate back to the capital.

Seeing that Huo Xuan had returned empty-handed, Guo Deng became even more convinced that this was a ruse by Esen. He immediately submitted a memorial to the court, reminding it to be on high alert across the board, as Esen was about to march south. Huo Xuan also submitted an urgent memorial, saying that Esen was willing to negotiate. The two memorials arrived in the capital almost simultaneously, causing a great uproar in the court.

It was rare for a dispute to arise during a grand court assembly inside the Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Qiyu asked his ministers for their opinions on the two memorials.

Yang Shan spoke first, saying, "Your Majesty, I believe Huo Xuan's memorial is more credible. Huo Xuan met with the Retired Emperor, so naturally he wouldn't dare to falsely convey the Retired Emperor's oral decree. The Retired Emperor must have been negotiating with Esen in the enemy camp to secure the opportunity for peace talks. This cannot be ignored, lest both sides fall into a state of bloodshed. Guo Deng didn't even see the Retired Emperor; everything he said is based on his subjective conjecture and is absolutely unreliable!"

Yang Shan made up his mind that he would take the gamble even if he had to leave the capital. If the Ming Dynasty was defeated again, he, Yang Shan, would be given a great opportunity to be reinstated. If his plan failed, he would only be sent to a post outside the capital.

"If Huo Xuan's memorial is credible, then Esen said he would send the Emperor back. Why did Esen remain unmoved even though Huo Xuan was already in the Oirat camp? How did Vice Minister Yang deduce such contradictory statements?" Yu Qian snorted coldly, then turned to Zhu Qiyu and said, "Your Majesty, I believe Guo Deng's words are reasonable. Esen is merely repeating his old tricks. He has no sincerity in returning the Emperor; his true aim is to seize our Ming Dynasty's important border towns."

Xu Bin, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, retorted: "Your Majesty, perhaps it was Guo Deng who interfered, cowardly and afraid of death, that caused this trip to welcome back the Emperor Emeritus to fail and ruined the peace talks. The Emperor Emeritus is of such noble status that only a prefect was sent to welcome him. This is clearly an intention to humiliate the Emperor Emeritus and Esen. Esen and the Emperor Emeritus designated Guo Deng to welcome him. This man must be cowardly and dare not leave the city. As a subject, he dares not sacrifice himself and leave the Emperor Emeritus in the enemy camp."

"Your Majesty, Guo Deng should be punished. If it weren't for his reckless actions, the Emperor Emeritus might have already returned safely."

Upon hearing this, Yu Qian was slightly angered and said, "Absurd! If Esen truly intended to send the Emperor back, why would he care about these formalities? If Guo Deng leaves the city and is controlled by Esen, Datong will collapse without a fight! Moreover, does the court prioritize His Majesty's decree or the Emperor's decree? What are your intentions in ignoring His Majesty's decree?"

"This..." Yang Shan was immediately alarmed. With no way to retreat, he decided to take a desperate gamble and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go on a mission to welcome back the Emperor Emeritus!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Bin echoed, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go along!"

Zhu Qiyu stared intently at the two men and some restless officials below. These people were still harboring treacherous intentions, but Yang Shan and his companion's actions were righteous.

Just as Zhu Qiyu was trying to figure out how to get rid of the two men, officials from the Ministry of War rushed in.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from the border!"

The ministers' expressions suddenly changed, and even Yang Shan and his companion became inexplicably nervous.

"Bring it here!"

Zhu Qiyu opened the report to read it, his face instantly turning ashen. He glared coldly at Yang Shan and Xu Bin, and then, enraged, threw the report at them.

"You bastards, Yang Shan, Xu Bin, pick it up and read it!"

Yang Shan and his companion were greatly alarmed, with a vague sense of foreboding. Each of them picked up the report, but after only one glance, their hands trembled and they almost dropped it.

"...The Oirat army is attacking Gubeikou urgently, requesting reinforcements..."

"...Xuanfu is in dire need of help. The Oirat army has attacked Xuanfu, and the Oirat troops have already bypassed Xuanfu and are heading south towards Juyong Pass..."

After Yang Shan and Xu Bin finished reading, they thought to themselves: It's over!

Zhu Qiyu looked at the two men as if they were dead fish, and sneered, "Is this what you consider peace talks? Is there such a way to negotiate peace in this world? The memorial on the Great Harmony has just arrived, and the other two armies have already started fighting. It was clearly premeditated. You still cling to wishful thinking. Your intentions deserve to be punished!"

"Yang Shan and Xu Bin are dismissed from their posts and sent to the imperial prison. Prefect Huo Xuan has disrupted the court and undermined the morale of the army; he is to be executed!"

Yang Shantong and Xu Bin turned pale instantly and prostrated themselves on the ground in fear.

Faced with Zhu Qiyu's murderous aura, the officials dared not offer any further advice.

Zhu Qiyu suddenly stood up, looked at Yu Qian, and said, "Minister Yu, issue the order to prepare the troops. I will personally review the oath-taking ceremony tomorrow!"

Yu Qian's spirits lifted, and he replied, "Your subject obeys!"