The battle to defend the capital was difficult. The Five Army Battalion, Three Thousand Battalion, and Shenji Battalion, which had swept across the grasslands, were completely wiped out. Even if Qin Yi urgently transferred troops, only a small number of Japanese troops could arrive in the capital. The official army had not arrived yet, so Qin Yi could only recruit militia from the capital. The young men from each household fought outside the city wall, and ordinary people delivered stones and food inside the city. Everyone knew that once the city was broken, no one would have a way to retreat, so they wiped out the heart of luck and all the people fought.

In the Forbidden City, the inner court could not participate in the actual battle outside, but they did not just stand there and wait for the result. Chu Jinyao issued orders to cut down the expenses of the harem, and in the past few days, all the palace people were gathered to make winter clothes for the soldiers outside. The concubines who were used to enjoying themselves were of course unwilling, but the right to speak was highly concentrated during the war, and the young Queen Qi was now staying in Kunning Palace. Even if these concubines were dissatisfied, they only complained in private, and no one dared to speak in front of Chu Jinyao.

The war situation outside the city flew back to the imperial city like snowflakes. The Wala was arrogant and threatened to break through Deshengmen within two hours. Deshengmen was at the northernmost part of the capital. Now that Wala was heading south, this was also the place with the greatest pressure on defense, so Qin Yi personally led the troops to line up at Deshengmen. The Oirat attacked Deshengmen for a long time without success, and lost 5,000 men and horses. The two brothers of Timur, the leader of the Oirat, were also killed by the Yan army. These two leaders who died in the battle were probably princes in the Han order. Timur was heartbroken. He suffered heavy losses at Deshengmen, so he turned to attack Xizhimen and was defeated again. The Yan army won two battles, and the confidence of the soldiers and civilians was greatly shaken. In the subsequent battle of Zhangyimen, many people spontaneously threw stones to help, and they won again.

At the same time, the defenders of Juyongguan no longer hesitated to fight to the death and defended the border. They fought with the subsequent Oirat reinforcements for seven days and seven nights, and finally stopped the Oirat outside the pass. Timur led 50,000 troops deep into the heart of the Central Plains. He lost a lot of troops when attacking the city. The subsequent reinforcements were also blocked outside the pass by the commander of Juyongguan. At this time, troops from all over the country were also arriving one after another. Timur saw that the situation was not right and finally admitted that he would probably have to wait a few more years to reproduce the glory of the grassland people in the previous dynasty.

On November 15, late at night, the Wala took advantage of the night to break camp and fled. The guards hiding on the city wall immediately found something wrong and reported it to their superiors. Qin Yi made a prompt decision and asked the guards to launch artillery to chase the Wala fleeing. At this moment, the offensive and defensive positions were reversed. The Yan army was in full swing, and with the help of advanced firearms, they killed more than 10,000 Wala troops who tried to retreat. Timur fled to the northern base camp, and on the 17th he left Zijing Pass, fought another battle with the Yan army, and finally fled back to the grassland.

As for why the Great Wall, which the Central Plains dynasty was so proud of, allowed people to come and go as they pleased, we have to ask the emperor who was caught in the enemy's army.

In fact, the Oirat originally just wanted to take advantage of the winter to go south to rob some things, and had no intention of doing anything else. But who could have known that the 300,000 elite Yan army would go back and forth in the camp, causing chaos. Timur took the opportunity to attack, not only defeating the Yan army, but also capturing their emperor alive. Timur found it extremely difficult to capture the emperor. Later, after listening to the advice of a Han military advisor, Timur realized that he could lead their emperor through the pass. If they were not unlucky, they might be able to enter the Han capital and sweep around.

The Han capital must have so much food, grass and silk.

But now, Timur looked at his troops who were seriously injured, and he was more and more unwilling to give up. He frowned and shouted, "Bring that Han spy to me!"

Fang Pushun was pushed into the tent by a group of cavalrymen who were as tall as an iron tower. He was dressed in a green long gown, and looked like countless scholars who were rushing to take exams. He looked thin and weak. He was a weak scholar who was taken to the camp of the Oirat leader. The arms of any soldier around him were thicker than his legs. It was conceivable that the enemy could kill Fang Pucun in an instant with just a little force. Despite the unfavorable situation, Fang Pucun did not seem to be very scared. He just looked a little frightened because he was pushed here.

"You treacherous Han Chinese!" Timur slammed the table with such force that one might suspect he was going to break it. "Tell me, are you a spy sent by the prince? Otherwise, why would you join hands with them to murder my Khan and kill my Wala warriors?"

Fang Pushun shook his head and smiled when he heard this. He lightly flicked the dust off his blue shirt. When the other cavalrymen saw that this Han Chinese dared to be so negligent, their eyes suddenly became bigger than cowbells and they were almost unable to control themselves and used violence.

Fang Pucun saw the cavalryman's action and said coldly: "Khan, if you still want to make a comeback and achieve great things, you'd better let your subordinates behave themselves."

The cavalrymen in the tent became more excited after hearing this. Timur shouted loudly, drove these people away, and then looked at Fang Pucun with a sullen face: "What did you say?"

"If I really am a traitor to the Crown Prince of Yan, what I have to do now is to kill the emperor so that he will have a legitimate reason to ascend the throne and pursue you, instead of standing here and wasting time with you."

Timur didn't understand the twists and turns in this sentence, but instinctively felt that this sentence was very important: "What do you mean?"

Fang Pucun snorted disdainfully in his heart. This group of brave but reckless men with well-developed limbs, however, thought so in his heart, but for the sake of his life, Fang Pucun did not show it. He changed his way of expression and slowly said to Timur, "Great Khan, you brought almost all the cavalry forces of the Oirat with you, even conscripted children of fourteen or fifteen years old, but you lost a few soldiers and a major general, and you didn't get anything. Great Khan, are you really willing to accept this?" Timur

snorted coldly, "Of course I am not willing to accept this, are you mocking me?"

"How dare I." Fang Pucun maintained the humility and courtesy of a scholar, and performed Confucian etiquette to the foreign leader in front of him, "Great Khan, the Han people are different from the Oirat. They believe in the Three Principles and Five Constant Virtues, the relationship between the monarch and his subjects, and the relationship between father and son. You hold the emperor of the Yan Dynasty in your hands, what are you afraid of?"

The previous detention of the emperor, the demand to open the gates of border cities in the name of sending the emperor back to Beijing, and many subsequent interactions with the Yan Dynasty were all under the guidance of Fang Pucun. Timur looked down on the Han people for their cunning and deceit, but he was very convinced by this mysterious Han military advisor who came to him for surrender. Timur gave up the idea of ​​killing Fang Pucun and asked sincerely: "What do you think we should do?"

It can only be said that the Han people understand the Han people best. The Han people advocated military tactics and strategies, and there were endless tricks and schemes. This kind of profound strategy and schemes seemed shameless to foreigners, but if it was used by the Han people who surrendered to foreigners, this kind of mentality would be equally destructive to the Central Plains dynasty.

Since Timur captured the emperor in one piece, he was also embarrassed about the emperor in front of him. The Great Yan Dynasty was the suzerain state, and for many years, all nations came to pay tribute to it. Its great prestige had long been engraved in the hearts of the surrounding vassal states. Timur often robbed the Yan Dynasty of food, but he only robbed and ran away. The next time he went, Timur would not dare to do anything else.

So he was also in a difficult position for the emperor. He could only continue to keep him in prison with a lot of food and clothes. As for what to do in the future... Let's talk about it later. The Yan Dynasty would definitely not let the king of this dynasty stay as a "guest" for too long.

In Timur's view, he treated the emperor at a distance, had food and clothes, and lived better than most of his subjects. This was already good enough. But in the eyes of the emperor, this was abuse.

Fang Pucun straightened his clothes and walked into the front tent. His expression suddenly became anxious: "Your Majesty, you have suffered!"

The emperor had been held captive for more than half a month. What he had experienced in this half month was more terrible than what he had experienced in the previous forty years combined. Most of the ministers around him had died. The eunuch Liu, whom he trusted very much, had been beaten to death on the spot by angry soldiers. He was stranded in a foreign land, his treatment plummeted, and there was no one to take care of him. He was really helpless. Now that he suddenly saw a Han face, the emperor immediately felt close to Fang Pucun: "Who are you and why are you here?"

Fang Pucun knelt respectfully and said, "I am here to save your majesty."

The emperor had been jolted for so long and was terrified. Seeing the familiar kneeling ceremony again was really touching and cordial. The emperor personally helped Fang Pucun up and said, "You are really a wise minister! When I return to the court, I will never let you down." "

Thank you, your majesty. Your majesty, I am now lying in ambush beside Timur and trying to persuade him to send you back to the court. Your majesty, you just need to wait patiently. I believe that soon, the Ministry of Rites will send a ceremonial guard to take you back to the capital."

The emperor had been frightened for so long, and hearing this was really pleasing to the ears. He clapped his hands and praised, saying, "This is great! Don't make me wait too long."

"Your majesty, your majesty."

Fang Pucun folded his hands in front of him and bowed his body and retreated to the outside of the emperor's tent. After closing the tent, Fang Pucun looked at the sky covered with leaden clouds, which revealed an indescribable magnificence in the gloom. He murmured to himself: "The world is going to change."

A hundred miles away in the Forbidden City, the new Minister of Rites handed over a letter with a tangled face: "Your Highness, this is the peace letter sent by Wala."

Peace letter.

Many people were secretly looking at Qin Yi's face, trying to guess something, but they were bound to be disappointed. Qin Yi's face was normal, and he didn't even pause, as if the letter presented by the Ministry of Rites was the most normal. Qin Yi took it and glanced at it, and his eyebrows moved slightly.

The lion opened his mouth, they really dared to say it.

The newly promoted Minister of Rites obviously knew that the conditions in the peace letter were too shameless. He lowered his eyes and counted the square bricks on the floor of Wenhua Palace, not daring to raise his head or say a word.

Qin Yi knocked on the corner of the simple and elegant sandalwood table with his knuckles. Contrary to his usual practice, he did not give an order of "yes" or "no", but said meaningfully: "Looking at the writing style and text of this peace letter, this should be a scholar."

Several officials who stayed in the palace were stunned, and Qin Yi sneered and threw the peace letter on the table: "A scholar from Dayan who has learned the teachings of Confucius and Mencius since childhood and read the Four Books and Five Classics."

In Ciqing Palace, Chu Jinyao was also meeting with the enthusiastic ladies from outside the court.

Qin Yi led the Yan Dynasty to defend the capital despite the loss of 300,000 elite soldiers, and later turned the tide. On the night of the retreat of the Wala, more than 10,000 people were killed. For the Yan Dynasty subjects, who were in turmoil and whose confidence was severely damaged, the prince was like a god descended to the earth, turning the tide. Including Chu Jinyao's near death for the country, and later reducing the court expenses to support the military and civilians in the city, these actions greatly encouraged the people. Now the people in the capital do not worship gods and Buddhas, but only the prince and the princess in the East Palace.

Because the emperor was stupid and did not like to govern, the ministers placed their hopes on the young prince. This is actually a hope that can't be fulfilled, but now, Qin Yi is the real popular choice, and the whole country is looking forward to his enthronement as emperor.

Because of this difficult battle to defend the capital, all the powerful families in Beijing, whether they are from a scholarly family or a military family, have spoken highly of Chu Jinyao, and sent signs to the palace every day. After all, Chu Jinyao is still a pregnant woman, and she can't handle meeting too many people, so today she only called Chu Jinxian and the people from Changxing Marquis's Mansion to talk.

Because of Changxing Marquis' special status, it is not easy for him to go to the battlefield to compete for merit with the younger generation, so when the emperor went to the expedition in person, he did not follow him. Who would have known that it would be a blessing in disguise. When guarding the capital, each of the nine gates of the outer city had to have a commander. Marquis Changxing was a rare surviving general with experience in leading troops and actual combat. In this period of transition, talent like him was rare, so he was assigned to a less important gate and successfully defended the gate during the Wala attack.

Qin Yi personally guarded the most important gate, and the most difficult battlefield was also there. Qin Yi withstood the first and most intense wave of Wala's attack. The victory in the first battle boosted morale, and the subsequent gates were much easier to defend. Marquis Changxing also used this momentum to defend Dongzhimen and made great contributions in the defense battle.

So now the status of the two relatives in the capital has been reversed. The Zhenbei Marquisate, the maiden family of the two empresses, has closed its doors. If it weren't for the Crown Prince's face, the Qi family would be no different from a street rat. However, the Changxing Marquisate, the maiden family of the Crown Princess, has made the greatest contribution in this battle. The attitude of the public can be imagined.

During this period, everyone in Changxing Marquis's Mansion walked with a breeze. Duan Yinghua also talked about the family's situation during the war with great interest: "... The two days of the siege scared everyone in the family, but fortunately it was a false alarm, and the country will prosper after many difficulties. Now everyone in the capital praises the prince and the princess. If they can be successfully welcomed back to His Majesty in the future, the prince can be said to have made an unprecedented achievement..."

Duan Yinghua was talking, and suddenly she realized that the atmosphere was wrong. She seemed to have noticed something and stopped talking. She saw Chu Jinyao lowered his head to coax Lu Ge'er, and it seemed that he didn't hear what she said. Chu Jinxian was also sitting on the side, with her eyes slightly lowered, and her eyes were complicated.

If Qin Yi, as a son and a minister, accepted the order in times of crisis and saved the situation, and then made contributions to welcome and rescue the emperor, then his actions were perfect and his contributions were perfect.

However, Qin Yi was not just a minister, he was also the crown prince. Therefore, the problem of Song Gaozong Zhao Gou once again fell on Qin Yi and Chu Jinyao. When Chu Jinyao first read the history books, he also felt that Zhao Gou's use of twelve golden medals to urgently summon Yue Fei back to the capital was really ignorant of the general situation and cowardly. But now, facing the peace talks of Wala, the court officials were looking forward to welcoming the emperor back to the capital, but Chu Jinyao was suddenly speechless.

The author has something to say: I have no intention of whitewashing Zhao Gou and Qin Hui. Yue Fei commanded three-fifths of the Southern Song army at the time. His army was called the Yue Family Army and enjoyed great reputation among the people and the army. As an emperor, Zhao Gou was understandably wary, but I still think that it was short-sighted of him to kill Yue Fei.

Alas, after writing this, everyone should be able to guess what will happen next. We always hope for saviors and heroes, but there is no room for heroes in this world.

After writing this, the whole article has entered the final climax. In fact, I was writing the ending today. When I was proofreading this chapter, I was inspired and wrote these words. We can only accompany Chu Jinyao and Qin Yi for the last part of the journey. See you tomorrow~