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

Inside the Wenhua Hall, Zhu Qiyu summoned his generals, who gathered around the map, their expressions particularly solemn.

Although we had anticipated Esen's arrival, we couldn't help but feel a little uneasy when he actually came.

Esen had a chance to fail and wanted to retreat after his defeat. The Ming Dynasty was helpless against him because they no longer had enough cavalry to pursue him. The 3,000-strong battalion had already perished.

The horses used by the cavalry in the capital were partly requisitioned from the homes of gentry to serve as temporary warhorses, a situation so meager it was utterly speechless.

For the Ming Dynasty, this battle was a must-win situation; another defeat would mean losing half of the country, and everyone present, including Zhu Qiyu, would likely have to go to the ancestral temple to meet the deceased emperors.

Zhu Qiyu's expression turned grave. He asked, "Gentlemen, now that everyone has expressed their opinions, how should we respond?"

Yu Qian, without hesitation, replied, "Your Majesty, I believe the most urgent task is to send an order to Yang Hong, that if necessary, troops should be dispatched to support Juyong Pass. Juyong Pass is a formidable pass in the world. Even if it is breached, the Oirat army must pay a price. If we can reduce the Oirat army by more than half, the crisis in the capital will be largely resolved."

"The eastern flank cannot be left to be held by Liaodong Garrison. Troops need to be sent back to reinforce it. However, they cannot go to Gubeikou. They need to enter the pass through Shanhaiguan and rush to reinforce Jizhou Garrison. If Tuotuo Buhua's troops break through Gubeikou and descend south from Miyun, the Liaodong reinforcements can hold off Tuotuo Buhua's eastern army."

Zhu Qiyu asked, "Why not go directly to Gubeikou to contain the Oirat army on the eastern route?"

Yu Qian, however, was patient and explained, "Your Majesty, no, we must not go directly to Gubeikou. Toghtog Bukha will definitely have troops covering our retreat. Moreover, we will pass through the area controlled by the Uriyangkhai Three Guards. These three guards are fickle and unpredictable. If we join forces with the Oirats, we can swallow up the Liaodong loyalist army."

Zhu Qiyu was taken aback, then realized what was happening.

The Uriyangkhai Three Guards were also known as the Doyan Three Guards. Due to Zhu Zhanji's tightening policies and the relaxation of border defenses during the more than ten years that Zhu Qizhen was emperor, all three guards had moved south. The Doyan Guards simply came to the foot of the Great Wall and stayed in the Xifengkou area (Note 1). If the Liaodong loyalist army rashly went to Gubeikou, it might be trapped in the encirclement of the Oirat and the Doyan Guards.

The fact that the Oirat Mongols were able to advance from Gubeikou indicates that the Doyan Guard was definitely colluding with Toghtoa Bukha. The fact that the Doyan Guard did not move south does not mean that they were not interested in Liaodong, after all, the hometown of the three guards was in the Northeast.

"Then issue an imperial edict to Xuanfu and the two garrisons of Liaodong, instructing them to return to provide reinforcements when the opportunity arises!"

"Here you go!"

Yu Qian paused, then continued, "Your Majesty, the most urgent matter at present is to ascertain the movements of Esen's main force. Since the central and eastern routes have already begun fighting, Esen's western route will certainly not remain idle. However, a direct attack on Datong is unlikely. I believe that entering the pass through Yanghe or Baiyangkou is more probable. If Esen intends to attack Datong, he wouldn't need to resort to deceptive tactics so frequently!"

When it came to Datong, Shi Heng was the most qualified to speak, and immediately echoed, "Your Majesty, I believe that Minister Yu's words are reasonable. Esen will not attack Datong, as Datong is not easy to conquer. I actually hope that Esen will attack Datong and drag his main force into a quagmire, so that Esen will be unable to advance south. I think Esen would not be so foolish."

Zhu Qiyu nodded slightly, looking at the map. If Esen were to head south, there were only two places he could go, namely two of the three inner passes.

Zhu Qiyu pointed to the map and said, "If we enter the pass from Yanghe and Baiyangkou, then Esen's only targets are Zijing Pass and Juyong Pass!"

"Your Majesty, that's exactly right. Esen may only have one target: Zijing Pass!" Yu Qian said with absolute confidence. "According to the report from Xuanfu, the Oirat specifically sent troops to contain Xuanfu. If Esen also wants to go to Juyong Pass, he doesn't need to guard against Xuanfu at all. With 100,000 troops stationed at Juyong Pass, if Yang Hong goes out to fight, he will undoubtedly be like a lamb entering a tiger's den. Esen is just worried that Yang Hong will hold his ground and not come out."

Moreover, if Esen were to launch a primary attack on Juyong Pass, he should have assembled his troops and marched south from Xuanfu from the outset. Why bother diverting troops to Datong, which was unnecessary?

Zhu Qiyu trusted Yu Qian's judgment. If the main attack was to be focused on one point, there was no need to divide the troops and waste manpower and resources. They could simply concentrate their main force and push forward.

Seeing that Zhu Qiyu was deep in thought, Shi Heng worried that Zhu Qiyu might have other ideas and disrupt the defense of the capital, so he reminded him: "Your Majesty, since there is a grand review tomorrow, you only need to arrange the defense of the capital properly. As for the other passes, just order them to be on high alert and ready to fight."

Zhu Qiyu came to his senses, nodded, and said, "In that case, Yu Qing and Shi Qing will lead the generals to make the arrangements. I entrust all matters to you."

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

After everyone left, only Zhu Qiyu and Chen Mao remained in the hall.

Zhu Qiyu glanced at Chen Mao and said slowly, "Marquis of Ningyang, do you resent that I summoned you back to the capital but did not treat you with courtesy, and that you have remained silent until now?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mao immediately waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty, I understand Your Majesty's predicament. If Your Majesty were to praise me too highly, it would be a great disaster for me."

Chen Mao was perfectly aware that everyone in the capital, from the commander-in-chief to the soldiers, was now properly taken care of. If Zhu Qiyu were to be overly enthusiastic towards him, he estimated that impeachment memorials would pile up on his desk by tomorrow. After all, there were too many things to do with the war in the south, and these officials were unparalleled in their ability to undermine him.

As long as Zhu Qiyu does not tend to give Chen Mao important positions and does not disrupt the existing order in the capital, Chen Mao will certainly be safe and sound.

"As the saying goes, 'Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure,' and that is certainly true for me!" Zhu Qiyu remarked with emotion. Seeing Chen Mao's delighted expression, he continued, "Marquis of Ningyang, are there any problems with the judgment and arrangements made by Minister Yu and the others?"

Zhu Qiyu felt something was amiss. If Yu Qian and others could pinpoint Esen's main force's movements, why wasn't Zijing Pass heavily fortified? The initial assessment that it was indefensible stemmed from the uncertainty of which direction Esen would attack from, and there was genuine concern that dividing the forces would lead to their defeat and weaken the capital's defenses.

It is now basically certain that Esen's direction of attack is to reinforce Zijing Pass, weaken the defenses of the capital, and at the same time, force the Oirat into a difficult battle. Weakening Esen's forces and defending against the enemy outside the pass is better than defending against the enemy under the walls of the capital.

Upon hearing Zhu Qiyu's question, Chen Mao pondered for a moment before replying, "Your Majesty, there are no problems with the arrangements for Minister Yu and the others. Is Your Majesty considering reinforcing Zijing Pass?"

Zhu Qiyu exclaimed in surprise, "That's exactly right!"

Chen Mao shook his head and said, "Your Majesty is probably unaware of the true situation at Zijing Pass. Zijing Pass is surrounded by mountains and has many winding paths. Its fortifications have been in disrepair for many years. It can only withstand the Oirat army's frontal passage, but it cannot stop them from passing through the flanks. If we want to defend Zijing Pass, we would need to send tens of thousands of troops to barely make it possible. At present, the court cannot mobilize tens of thousands of troops to support it. In my opinion, Zijing Pass will surely fall."

"Zijing Pass has been in disrepair for many years?" Zhu Qiyu seemed to hear a thunderous remark, as this was one of the three inner passes.

"Your Majesty, that is indeed the case. In the past, because of the two important towns of Datong and Xuanfu, no one dared to venture deep into Zijing Pass alone. There was really no need for heavy defense. Moreover, since the founding of the country, it has always been our Great Ming that has attacked foreign barbarians. When have we ever been threatened by others? After Emperor Taizong moved the capital to the capital, it was repaired once, but has been neglected ever since."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiyu finally understood Chen Mao's meaning.

Da Ming was like a local bully, harassing people everywhere. His front door was intact, but the doors inside the house were broken. He was too lazy to fix them because he didn't have to worry about anyone breaking in and robbing him.

Zhu Qiyu came to his senses and cursed his bad luck. After thinking it over, he realized that apart from Zhu Qizhen, that pig, who had ruined the Ming Dynasty's elite troops, the Ming Dynasty had always been full of martial spirit since its founding, and offense was the best defense.

The grassland tribes prayed that the Ming Dynasty would not attack the grasslands; they had no courage to even think about entering the heartland of the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, there were nine important border towns outside. Given this situation, it was normal for Zijing Pass to fall into disrepair.

If the Ming Dynasty's 200,000 elite troops were still alive, even if they opened the Zijing Pass, Esen would not dare to come.

Zhu Qiyu cursed inwardly: Zhu Qizhen, why don't you hang yourself?

Seeing that Zhu Qiyu seemed to understand, Chen Mao offered another piece of information, saying, "Your Majesty, this may not be the most crucial point."

What does this mean?

Chen Mao explained, "This time, Esen is marching south. The retired emperor is in the army. Even though the retired emperor is no longer the emperor, the border generals are still hesitant to act rashly. Some generals obey His Majesty's orders, but not everyone has such determination. After all, the retired emperor has been the emperor for more than ten years. If Esen were to place the retired emperor in front of the battle, how many people would dare to commit such a heinous act in broad daylight?"

"The most taboo thing in the army is the wavering of morale. This is not something that a few obedient generals can reverse. Moreover, the remaining garrison, apart from Juyong Pass, Datong, Xuanfu, and Liaodong, is nothing more than a rabble. How can they possibly obey orders?"

"What I am more worried about is that if someone in Esen's camp offers advice, or if the Emperor Emeritus yields to Esen and reveals the truth about the border, the situation will become even more unfavorable. No matter what the plan is, Esen may be the first to break through the pass and reach the capital."

"Your Majesty, only when Your Majesty is personally overseeing the battle in the capital will the soldiers dare to fight bravely and not fear the Emperor Emeritus being in the enemy camp."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiyu's spirits lifted, as it reminded him of their earlier discussion about the impregnability of strategic passes.

Firstly, he was worried about dividing his forces and allowing Esen to defeat them one by one. Secondly, he feared that the ministers were also concerned about this matter, but dared not tell him. Killing the retired emperor was, in the eyes of the ministers, a great act of treason.

Chen Mao is right. Even if he kills the retired emperor himself, the blame will not fall on the generals. All the "crime" will fall on Emperor Zhu Qiyu.

If he were away from home, he would have the emperor's decree. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away. If Zhu Qizhen really died, someone would definitely be the scapegoat. Even if the defending general won the battle, he would still lose his head and be implicated.

Thinking of this, Zhu Qiyu's mind was now clear.

The significance of bringing Chen Mao back to the capital is now clearly evident. Although Chen Mao didn't say it explicitly, he basically made everything clear.

Under heaven, only Zhu Qiyu could deal with the retired emperor!

If Zhu Qizhen had truly dared to stand at the front of the battle, then he would have had no choice but to lose.

He, Zhu Qizhen, is doomed!