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

With the victory in the first battle, and thanks to Zhu Qiyu's magical narrative, the Ming soldiers finally recovered from the fear of the past Tumu Crisis.

The Oirat cavalry were also human; they could die and be defeated!

The best way to eliminate fear is to face it head-on and conquer it!

The opposition in the court to Yu Qian's strategy of defending against the enemy outside the city finally subsided. The Oirat Mongols were not as terrible as imagined. Perhaps the defeat at Tumu was due to the Emperor Emeritus's recklessness, rather than a problem with the Ming army's combat strength.

The civil engineering campaign misled both sides and caused them to overlook a reality.

In the decades-long war between the Ming Dynasty and the steppes, the only major defeat was the Battle of Tumu. The rest of the time, the Ming Dynasty was either victorious or on its way to victory.

The Ming Dynasty was like a perennial champion, but Esen suddenly rose to prominence, won by sheer luck, and became invincible. The Ming Dynasty had grown accustomed to being champions, and suddenly losing the title made them feel they could no longer reign supreme.

Today's contact has served as a wake-up call for both sides.

Esen's face was extremely ugly. He suspected that Boluo was lying. How could the Ming cavalry gain an advantage in a head-on confrontation, and even use the tactics of their ancestors? It was truly outrageous.

But the fact is that the Oirat lost more than twenty cavalrymen, which gave the Ming Dynasty an advantage, and Esen was as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

This strategy of the Ming army to defend against the enemy outside the city may not be a second Zhu Qizhen, but rather the Ming army is truly confident in fighting against him. Could it be that the Ming army still has elite troops?

"Go and fetch Xining!" Esen wanted to find his strategist to get to the bottom of things.

happy Ning arrived very quickly. Upon hearing that the Oirat army had not gained any advantage, he was secretly surprised. However, after a short while, he realized that the commander in the city was no longer Zhu Qizhen.

The reason why happy Ning openly humiliated Zhu Qizhen was that he despised Zhu Qizhen from the bottom of his heart.

In happy Ning's eyes, Zhu Qizhen was only able to become emperor because of good fortune. If he were to take away his imperial status, he would be nothing but a pig. If the 200,000 elite troops of Tumu Fort were given to happy Ning to command, he could beat Esen to a pulp.

During his years at the Imperial Horse Stables, happy Ning felt that he was a military genius who had been overlooked.

After explaining the current situation, he asked, "Do you have a plan?"

happy Ning not only despised Zhu Qizhen, but also looked down on Esen and others. However, being dependent on others, he had no choice but to bow his head.

At this moment, Xining felt that these Oirat people were really not very bright. They might be good at fighting, but when it came to scheming, they were as naive as innocent lotus flowers.

"Grand Tutor, your strategy is flawed!"

Esen, still having some trust in happy Ning, this treacherous strategist, said, "Tell me!"

"Because of the previous repeated attempts to breach the border, the Ming Dynasty is already on guard. If the Grand Tutor sends any more envoys, they will all be killed as scouts. If you want the Ming Dynasty to negotiate peace, you must make a big show of it to the Ming Dynasty that the Ming Emperor is in the hands of the Grand Tutor, and make sure that all the soldiers outside the city know this."

"Firstly, these garrison troops are hesitant to act rashly, and secondly, the emperor and his ministers of the Ming Dynasty value propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame. As long as the Grand Tutor causes such a commotion and the emperor in the capital sends someone to meet with the Ming emperor, the emperor in the capital will have no choice but to send an envoy, otherwise he will not be able to silence the public opinion."

"Later, the Grand Tutor only needs to have the dragon flag mounted on the chariot and have soldiers pull it around once. To prevent the Ming army from launching another sneak attack, the Grand Tutor can send the captured civilians back to the Ming army camp to convey the message of peace talks. Would the Ming army then dare to slaughter Ming civilians in broad daylight?"

Upon hearing Xining's analysis, Esen's eyes lit up. He patted Xining hard a few times and exclaimed, "Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!"

……

Inside the Wuying Hall, Zhu Qiyu's face was extremely grim; the joy brought by the initial success in the war vanished instantly.

The news that the retired Emperor Zhu Qizhen was in the Oirat camp could not be kept from the soldiers guarding the city. It was unexpected that the enemy would come up with such a despicable method, using the common people to deliver the message. It was quite an eye-opener for the Ming emperor and his officials.

Even more speechless, when the news reached the city, there were constant calls to Zhu Qiyu to send an envoy.

Just as Zhu Qiyu was convening a meeting with important officials such as Wang Zhi, Yu Qian returned.

Yu Qian, the wartime commander, temporarily handed over command to Shi Heng and personally returned to Beijing to deliver a message: the soldiers who had fled back from the north to guard the imperial mausoleums reported to Deshengmen that all the palaces and chambers of the three imperial mausoleums had been destroyed, and it was still unknown whether the underground palaces had been destroyed.

This act was an utter disgrace to the Ming emperor and his officials; destroying someone's grave was no different from killing their parents.

Zhu Qiyu was quite surprised to see Yu Qian return suddenly and asked, "Minister Yu, is there any urgent military news?"

Yu Qian shook his head, then uttered a startling statement: "Your Majesty, the palaces and chambers of three imperial mausoleums have been destroyed!"

The officials were shocked. Zhu Qiyu's eyes widened in anger, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned slightly white.

"Xing'an, spread the news of the destruction of the imperial tomb and let the court officials discuss it properly."

"Here you go!"

Wang Zhi asked, "Your Majesty, how should the matter of peace talks be handled?"

Zhu Qiyu sneered, "Peace talks? Trying to extort money? Keep dreaming! The Emperor Emeritus has legs of his own. If Esen is willing to release the prisoners, the Emperor Emeritus will come back."

Seeing that Zhu Qiyu was furious, Hu Ying could only bite the bullet and advise, "Your Majesty, it is not right to ignore this situation. We must still send envoys! If the Emperor Emeritus is right in front of us, it would be against all moral principles not to try to rescue him."

Zhu Qiyu's expression was uncertain. He scoffed at the Confucian doctrines, but he had no choice but to use them to impose a tight rein on the country.

Where are Wang Hong and Wang Fu now?

Yu Qian reported back, "Your Majesty, the two men are now serving at the Desheng Gate in accordance with Your Majesty's orders!"

"Summon the two of them back immediately; I will wait here."

"Here you go!"

The ministers' expressions changed slightly, and they had already guessed what Zhu Qiyu wanted to do. He was preparing to send two "boxing champions" on an envoy. Would these two have such fiery tempers that they would fight with Esen on the spot?

Angry Esen could be fatal!

With the envoy dead, the two sides could only fight to the death.

Wang Zhi and others wanted to dissuade them, but then they thought that there was really nothing to talk about with the Oirat. Repeated concessions would only embolden them. If they won this battle, the Emperor Emeritus would be worthless.

Upon hearing the summons, Wang Hong and Wang Fu hurriedly returned.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"

"No need for formalities!"

Zhu Qiyu looked at the two men, their spirits still undiminished. They had not become decadent because of becoming soldiers. As the saying goes, "It takes a thousand days to raise an army for one day to use it."

Zhu Qiyu made a startling statement: "Wang Hong, from this moment on, you are the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, and Wang Fu, you are the Right Vice Minister of Rites, representing the Ming Dynasty to go to the Oirat camp."

The two exchanged a glance and suddenly realized that life's circumstances were unpredictable. However, this trip was likely to be fraught with danger. The fact that he could be promoted to a second-rank official was something that could only be done by sending someone to their death.

However, the two of them showed no fear whatsoever, appearing quite nonchalant.

Wang Hong asked, "Your Majesty, we thank you for your great favor. Your Majesty, is there any instruction given during this trip?"

Zhu Qiyu said with a pained expression, "The palaces of Changling, Xianling, and Jingling have been destroyed. I am currently in a state of mental confusion and need to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to apologize to the ancestors. You two can make your own decisions; I grant you permission to act as you see fit!"

Upon hearing Zhu Qiyu's words, the ministers immediately realized the gravity of the situation, but dared not offer any advice. After all, with the imperial tombs destroyed, the difference in prestige between the retired emperor and the emperors Taizong, Renzong, and Xuanzong was self-evident.

A glint of light flashed in Wang Hong's and Wang Fu's eyes. The opportunity had come, the opportunity to go down in history. What did it matter if they died?

"We take our leave!"

Zhu Qiyu sighed deeply and said, "Oh, right, take some wine and meat with you. I await your return!"

Wang Hong and Wang Fu were slightly moved. As for whether they could return, they left it to fate. At least it was enough that His Majesty did not want them to die.

The two bowed respectfully, rose calmly, and strode away with an air of nonchalance, displaying their magnanimity.