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

Zhu Qiyu stood atop the Deshengmen city tower, with Chen Mao and Li Xian, the Vice Minister of War, serving as his left and right protectors. These two were Zhu Qiyu's temporary advisors.

Xing'an and Hao Yi became his attendants. Zhu Qiyu did not allow Hao Yi to join Yu Qian's camp, giving Yu Qian enough room to maneuver.

Zhu Qiyu watched as the soldiers of the Twelve Battalions resolutely headed out of the city to set up camp, even humming some unknown tunes, appearing unusually relaxed, as if finding joy in hardship.

For the first time, Zhu Qiyu truly felt that "victory in this battle" was not just a slogan.

Zhu Qiyu had expected that Yu Qian's order to defend the city would cause an uproar in the army, but to his surprise, when the order was relayed back to the army, the soldiers remained calm and packed their bags and headed to the city, as if they were already prepared to die and obeyed orders without question.

This scene left Zhu Qiyu somewhat dazed. Compared to the group of weeping and wailing civil officials in the court, this group seemed more like the people who were truly protecting the Ming Dynasty.

"Marquis of Ningyang, are you afraid of death?"

Faced with Zhu Qiyu's sudden question, Chen Mao laughed heartily and said, "I'm already half-buried in the ground, so naturally I have nothing to fear!"

"Minister Li, and what about you?"

Li Xian did not answer immediately, but pondered for a moment before replying: "I fear death, but if I die a worthy death, I have no fear. Like the soldiers before me, sacrificing their lives for the country is the highest honor for a subject. What do I have to fear?"

Zhu Qiyu glanced at Li Xian, pointed to the soldiers below the city, and asked, "Soldiers, are you afraid?"

"Your Majesty, of course we are not afraid. Our soldiers are fighting not only for Your Majesty and for the Ming Dynasty, but also for themselves. The Han people of the North were enslaved for hundreds of years, almost becoming uncivilized barbarians. Only after Emperor Taizu restored Han clothing and customs were the Han people of this land able to start living as human beings again, instead of continuing to be lowly slaves. Your Majesty, the Northern people cherish the Ming Dynasty more than anyone else. The hearts of the people are with us, therefore we are not afraid to die!"

Zhu Qiyu could tell that Li Xian's words had a hidden meaning. Others could escape to the south, but these soldiers in the north had nowhere to retreat. Once they were defeated, they would be homeless, and what was even more terrible was that their wives and children would also become prisoners of the Oirat Mongols.

"If I remember correctly, Minister Li is from Dengzhou in Nanyang Prefecture?"

Li Xian was startled, not expecting Zhu Qiyu to remember his place of origin so clearly. He hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"I have remembered what you said."

Throughout history, the conflict between people from the North and South has been a constant throughout the Ming Dynasty. In Zhu Qiyu's eyes, the Ming Dynasty never distinguished between people from the North and South, but only between those who were loyal to him.

On the other side, Esen only rested for half a day at Zijing Pass before leading tens of thousands of troops toward the capital.

With the capital city in sight, Esen looked at Zhu Qizhen beside him and smiled, "Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, when you led your army on your expedition, did you ever imagine that one day I would be the one escorting you back to the capital?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qizhen clearly saw the insult in it, and his expression became extremely unnatural. However, after a short while, his shame vanished, and he laughed, "I'll trouble the Grand Tutor to escort me all the way!"

Esen was taken aback, not expecting that Zhu Qizhen would dare to take advantage of him at this moment. Esen sneered inwardly, thinking that he would really gain a great advantage after conquering the capital.

Seeing this, Bayan Temur, fearing a conflict between the two, quickly changed the subject, saying, "Grand Tutor, the central and eastern armies have not yet marched south. The central army is blocked at Juyong Pass. Should we attack Juyong Pass first or march on Dadu?"

With his confidence soaring, Esen didn't want to expend energy attacking Juyong Pass. Pointing towards the capital, he said, "Naturally, we'll head to Dadu. The central army was originally meant to contain Xuanfu and the Juyong Pass garrison. Give the Khan the military order and command him to rush south to join us."

"Here you go!"

When Esen brought up this matter, he was very dissatisfied with Toghtog Bukha. The Gubeikou and Miyun areas were basically not heavily guarded. Even though the terrain was slightly unfavorable, it was not enough to prevent Toghtog Bukha from heading south at this time.

The Ming Dynasty's garrison was completely tied down in the middle, leaving the east and west flanks vulnerable. Tuotuo Buhua's intentions were all too familiar to Ye Xian: he simply wanted to preserve his strength so he could reap the benefits later.

The Prince of Datong stepped forward and said, "Grand Tutor, could we search the area around the capital? The people along the way are too poor. We have already arrived in Dadu, but the army has not yet gained anything."

Esen nodded upon hearing this, agreeing that it was indeed necessary to plunder some wealth and provisions. He said, "King of Datong, you will lead three thousand troops to Tianshou Mountain! Then head south to Desheng Gate to rendezvous. If you encounter Ming troops along the way, do not engage them rashly."

"Here you go!"

"Grand Tutor, what are you doing?" Zhu Qizhen's expression changed drastically.

Tianshou Mountain is where the imperial mausoleums are located. The three imperial mausoleums of Changling, Xianling, and Jingling are all located here. The Oirat army was unable to destroy the underground palace, but it was easy for them to plunder and destroy the palaces. The guards there were mostly old, weak, sick, and disabled, and they may have already fled. There are many valuable sacrificial objects and other items in the palaces.

"I'm escorting the Ming Emperor back to the capital, so I should get some payment for the journey!" Esen laughed loudly, ignoring Zhu Qizhen, and rode off.

Zhu Qizhen's face was pale. Perhaps he had offended Esen by speaking too quickly. If the imperial tombs were disturbed, wouldn't he be considered an unfilial descendant?

Zhu Qizhen wanted to ride forward, but the horse was immediately taken over by someone else, and he almost fell off. His expression was uncertain.

These days, Esen has treated him with great courtesy, which has made Zhu Qizhen begin to forget that he is a prisoner. Only today does he realize that his status has never changed.

On October 11th, smoke and dust billowed west of the capital as a massive, dark-colored Oirat army swarmed in.

Zhu Qiyu had been waiting on the Xizhimen city tower for a long time. Scouts had discovered the whereabouts of the Oirat army early in the morning and expected them to arrive today.

"Your Majesty, the Oirat army is approaching!"

Zhu Qiyu stood up and looked at the "dark cloud" in the west, feeling surprisingly calm.

"Beat the drums to sound the alarm!"

As the drums suddenly sounded, Zhu Qiyu watched as several riders from the Oirat army approached the capital. They were observing from a distance, and without needing to explain, it was clear they were there to probe the situation.

The riders did not linger for long before turning back to report.

When Esen heard that the Ming army had actually all come out of the city and lined up in battle formation, he immediately burst out laughing.

The capital is a formidable city. To not defend it from within and instead confront it outside the city is to cut off one's own arm. If it were within the city, Esen would at least have some trouble, but outside, he could replicate the feat of the Tumu Crisis.

Esen looked at Zhu Qizhen and laughed, "Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, why do you and your ministers all like to camp outside? Where do you get the courage to fight against my Oirat cavalry? Is it because the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is lacking in strategy and the ministers of the Ming Dynasty are lacking in wisdom? I was able to capture you at Tumu Fortress, but now that we are in the capital, I will have your younger brother come to keep you company."

Zhu Qizhen's face was as black as charcoal. The Tumu Crisis was a disgrace in his life. He learned from this experience that one should not rashly engage in open battle with the Oirat Mongols. Unexpectedly, the same old trick was being repeated in the capital today, which meant certain defeat.

Zhu Qizhen was somewhat uneasy at this moment. He wanted the capital to fall into Esen's hands so that he could return to the throne, but he did not want the country to fall into such a state.

Esen looked towards the capital, still somewhat cautious. He summoned Boluo and said, "Boluo, take several hundred cavalry to probe the Ming army. Do not linger in battle. Once you have ascertained their strength, withdraw."

Bayan Temur quickly stopped him. He was well-versed in the essence of Han culture and felt that they should try diplomacy before resorting to force. He suggested, "Grand Tutor, wait. We can send an envoy first to explain our purpose. If the Ming Dynasty is willing to negotiate, everything will be fine."

Esen thought this made sense. If the Ming Dynasty would agree to his extortion, there would be no need for such a big deal, and both sides would be happy.

"Then let Yue Qian, the Ming envoy, and my personal guard Naha go there first. If the peace talks fail, Boluo, you will then launch an attack."

Boluo was overjoyed; it was just a rabble.

This time, Boro wants to capture another emperor.