Chapter 30 is bullshit
In order to ensure the emperor's safety, the entire army immediately moved towards Datong, so as to find out the life and death status of Wujin Bo Zhu Mian.
On the first day of August, the royal army arrived in Datong and finally learned the true situation.
The reality was exactly the same as the worst guess. Wujin Earl Zhu Mian was not aware of the news of Song Ying's death, and hurriedly led his troops to the scene. He thought it was just a small-scale invasion by the Oirat Mongols, but he ran into the main force of the Oirat Mongols head-on. Zhu Mian was defeated, and his entire army was wiped out. Only a few people, including Shi Heng and the garrison eunuch Guo Jing, escaped.
At this point, Zhu Qizhen did not pursue the responsibility of these two people. He just demoted Shi Heng and ordered him to recruit new soldiers to atone for his mistakes.
The imperial carriage stayed in Datong for a day and set up camp to rest. This time, both Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen fell silent.
Before the march, they imagined this border patrol to be simple and perfect, nothing more than demonstrating the emperor's majesty and establishing the image of an emperor who was both civil and military.
But the reality clearly tells them that things are far from as simple as they imagined.
Although the emperor's carriage did not actually go to Yanghe Wei for the emperor's safety, Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen had heard about how tragic the defeat of Yanghe Wei was.
No matter how confident the two men were at the beginning, they were now poured a bucket of cold water by Yang He's defeat.
Just as the silence fell, someone outside the room announced, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Consort Jing Yuan, the Minister of War Kuang Ye, the Minister of Revenue Wang Zuo, and the Captain Shi Jing request an audience."
Zhu Qizhen was already somewhat upset, and upon hearing this, he asked, "What are they doing here?"
At this point, facing the deaths of Song Ying and Zhu Mian, Wang Zhen felt somewhat uneasy. He said, "Your Majesty, the situation... is not good. Why not summon them inside to discuss countermeasures..."
In addition to the two people and the army who had been killed in the battle, Wang Zhen was even more afraid of the news he received from Guo Jing. The army was defeated by the Oirat in Datong, and the sudden heavy rain during the battle caused panic among the people, which led to this great defeat.
At this point, it was clear that they were most likely no match for the Wala.
Zhu Qizhen sighed and said, "Let them in."
"yes."
In addition to Kuang Ye and Wang Zuo, the person who came to persuade Zhu Qizhen this time also included the son-in-law of the emperor, Jing Yuan.
Since Zhu Yuhuan was not around, the husband of the emperor's aunt was the most qualified to persuade the emperor.
The only surprising person was Shi Jing.
Although he is now a thousand households, he has to face the emperor now, and his official position is completely inadequate.
But the situation is special now. Shi Jing is a military candidate and has been on the border for six years. He has followed the army in marches and battles many times and can be considered an experienced officer and soldier. His opinions are certainly worth adopting.
It was after listening to Shi Jing's words that Kuang Ye and Wang Zuo became even more certain that the emperor must return to the court as soon as possible.
Zhu Qizhen saw several people kneeling on the ground as soon as they came in. A nameless anger surged from his heart. He asked, "What are you doing?"
Kuang Ye replied calmly, "The defeat at Yanghe shows that the Oirat Mongols have already penetrated the interior of the Great Wall. For the sake of your majesty's safety, the army should return to the capital from the interior of the Great Wall as soon as possible."
Zhu Qizhen still felt unwilling to give up and said, "Since you know so many people died in Yanghe, how dare you say you want to return to the capital? If you don't avenge these officers and soldiers, where is your dignity?"
Shi Jing, who was about to speak, was stunned when he heard this. He opened his mouth but didn't say anything.
Is this the time to consider face? If the emperor were to encounter the Oirat and be defeated, it would not only be a loss of face, but a national humiliation...
Wang Zuo saw that the emperor was already showing signs of anger and quickly advised, "We are retreating to gather strength. When we have reorganized our forces one day, we will surely defeat the Oirat! Your Majesty, why rush so quickly?"
Zhu Qizhen sneered and said, "Wait until tomorrow. How can I return home with peace of mind after such a thing happened inside the Great Wall? I must gather troops in Datong and strike back at the Oirat!"
Jing Yuan feared that the emperor would act impulsively and issue an order directly, so he consoled him: "Your Majesty's patrol of the border was originally to understand the people's livelihood, and he did not bring many soldiers with him. Now he returns to the capital for the sake of the ancestral temple and the country, which is understandable..."
Shi Jing couldn't bear to listen any longer and took the initiative to speak: "Your Majesty, the Wala fled after the battle. They may have retreated to the border area at this moment, or they may be waiting for an opportunity to attack other places. Defending Datong may not be enough to wait for the Wala. Moreover, Your Majesty has gathered troops from all over the country along the way, so it is inevitable that the defenses of some garrisons will be weakened. If the Wala take advantage of this opportunity to attack..."
Even if we really have to go to war with the Oirat, there is no reason to defend Datong to the death.
Now, the commander-in-chief of Xuanfu, Guo Xuan, died not long ago, and the newly appointed Yang Hong has not yet had a good run-in with the local military officers and soldiers. If the Wala get hold of the information and take the opportunity to attack Xuanfu, it will be tantamount to exposing the capital to the enemy. Wouldn't that be a stupid act!
Facing Kuang Ye and Wang Zuo, Wang Zhen couldn't say anything directly, but Shi Jing was just a small captain, so Wang Zhen immediately scolded him: "Who are you? How dare you be so presumptuous in front of the emperor!"
Shi Jing was filled with frustration. Before he could say anything, Kuang Ye beside him had already spoken first, "Captain Shi is a military officer personally promoted by Your Majesty. Could he really harm Your Majesty? Your Majesty, please think twice! After returning to the capital, we can regroup and summon Jingyuan Bo back to deal with the Wala!" After saying this, he didn't forget to wink at Shi Jing and said, "Captain Shi has already figured out a retreat route. Why don't you report it to Your Majesty quickly?"
Shi Jing had no choice but to swallow his anger and said, "In my opinion, returning to the capital from the Weizhou and Zijingguan areas is the safest."
Jing Yuan also echoed, "Your Majesty, please reconsider this."
Hearing this, Wang Zhen also felt that this arrangement was indeed more appropriate, so he took the initiative to say, "Your Majesty, what the two ministers and the imperial concubine's commander say is reasonable. It is not too late to return to Xuanfu to gather the soldiers. By then, the troops of the Beijing camp should be fully assembled, and we can still fight a decisive battle with the Oirat."
Zhu Qizhen felt aggrieved after hearing this. He glanced at the people in front of him who were pleading, and finally said angrily: "Since you like kneeling so much, then go outside and continue kneeling! You are not allowed to get up before nightfall!" He stood up and left, but finally said: "We will break camp and return to the capital tomorrow! Uncle, get up and prepare to return to the capital!"
Wang Zhen suddenly felt relieved, and without caring about the few people still kneeling on the ground, he hurriedly followed Zhu Qizhen's footsteps and left.
Jing Yuan felt helpless. He exchanged glances with Kuang Ye and others, and could only get up to prepare for returning to Beijing.
In the camp, soldiers coming and going saw this scene and couldn't help whispering, secretly discussing how the three men had offended the emperor.
After finally kneeling until nightfall, Shi Jing, fuming with anger, suddenly stood up. He raised his hand to support his dizzy head and looked at the two elderly men who were already over fifty years old. In the end, he couldn't utter a single harsh word, but simply asked, "Are the two ministers alright?"
Kuang Ye saw his indignation and said with a smile: "Captain Shi, you have made an invaluable contribution."
Shi Jing was almost irritated by the old man's words. After a long while, he muttered, "What do you mean by indispensable contribution..."
"As long as His Majesty can return to the capital safely, you will be a great contributor. Once His Majesty has completely calmed down, he will definitely reward you well."
Shi Jing was silent for a long time, and finally said: "This meritorious official... I don't care about him."
An emperor who has no strength to fight and no courage to run away is nothing but shit.
Shi Jing thought of Zhu Yuhuan drawing his bow and shooting the arrow without hesitation, and then thought of the emperor's expression when he was angry just now, and felt indescribably awkward.
If the emperor had any of Zhu Yuhuan's ability, he would not have this feeling.
Kuang Ye understood that he was arrogant, so he just comforted him: "The emperor has his own way, and the minister has his own way. No matter which one, you can't act according to your own will. You will understand later."
Shi Jing simply bowed to the two of them and turned to leave.
Kuang Ye and Wang Zuo looked at each other, both feeling somewhat helpless. Finally, Kuang Ye said, "Let's go. We've finally decided to return to Beijing. This good news should be shared with others."
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