Chapter 33 Civil Engineering Change
When everyone first heard this "good news", they were all delighted, but with a little thought, they could sense the strangeness of the matter.
The Oirat even surrounded the emperor, so why did they take the initiative to retreat?
Unlike everyone else, Wang Zhen was so ecstatic that he didn't even bother asking for the opinions of those around him. He went straight to Zhu Qizhen's tent and spoke well of him for a long time.
After a long time, Zhu Qizhen finally walked out of the emperor's tent.
The soldiers guarding the camp looked at the emperor who had been unwilling to come out of the tent since entering Tumu Fort, and tried hard to suppress their anger.
They were soldiers, and the emperor was their leader. He had brought them into such a near-death situation, yet the emperor was unwilling to face it, nor was he willing to take responsibility...
Zhu Qizhen didn't have time to care about other people's eyes, he just asked: "Is this true or false?"
Wang Zhen immediately ordered the Wala envoy to be brought before Zhu Qizhen and repeated what he had just said.
Zhu Qizhen hesitated for a moment, then said, "Since that's the case, withdrawing our troops now will show our sincerity. This won't be embarrassing him."
The Wala envoy did not hesitate, but pointed to a place not far away and said, "Your Majesty, please look, our people have begun to retreat."
The crowd looked at each other in confusion and sent people to ask the soldiers on guard. After a while, someone came back to report that the Wala army had begun to withdraw.
Wang Zhen, standing by, said repeatedly, "The Oirat people respect your majesty. When the Oirat people pay tribute, they will surely reward the Oirat envoys generously."
The Oirat envoy also showed respect and said, "Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have repeatedly opened trade with the Oirat. However, this time the tribute is indeed far less than before. As long as Your Majesty is willing to make peace with the Oirat, the Oirat will never cross the line. To be honest, Your Majesty, the Grand Master heard that Your Majesty ascended the throne at a young age and has admired you for many years."
Zhu Qizhen suppressed his surprise and said, "It's just a small matter like tribute and trade. How could I be stingy?"
The most urgent task now is to get the soldiers in the camp hydrated as soon as possible, otherwise if a camp roar is caused, he will be completely embarrassed.
Wang Zhen immediately responded, "Exactly! It must have been one of my subordinates who messed things up! When the Emperor returns, I will punish these incompetent officials severely!"
If Shi Jing hadn't eaten for a few days, he would have vomited long ago.
How could one person, or a group of people, be so stupid...
Without any hesitation, after Zhu Qizhen and others had repeatedly confirmed with the Oirat that the withdrawal and peace talks were over, Shi Jing turned back to his tent and ordered the soldiers who had followed him all the way not to rush to replenish water. The most urgent thing was to return to Huailai and other places to summarize the situation of the Oirat's military strength and types, and notify the capital to make early preparations.
The emperor is no longer reliable. The most important thing is to let the eldest princess, who may not be able to return to the capital at any time, and the regent Prince Qing, know the true situation now.
On August 15th, lookouts confirmed the Oirat's retreat, allowing the Ming army to finally move camp closer to water. The soldiers, already suffering from hunger and thirst, rushed to the river without hesitation, disregarding any discipline. This time, the officers, who had previously maintained strict military discipline and had barely managed to control their troops, were no longer able to stop them. It was more likely that they, too, had been thirsty for so long that they could no longer control themselves.
"Water! I can finally drink water!"
"There's water! There's water!"
"After drinking the water, you can go home and reunite with your family!"
A hundred or a thousand men running wildly might be fine, but when an army of ten thousand men rushes forward, where is the discipline? Not only the officers, but even the emperor himself would be unable to stop them.
And this chaotic scene is the best time.
The Wala cavalry, who had been observing the Ming army from a distance, immediately rushed out and killed the Ming soldiers with a single blow of their swords, just like harvesting wheat.
In an instant, blood splattered everywhere and screams were heard. Many people did not even have a drink of water before they became the dead souls under the knife of the Wala.
Only a small group of people did not stop at all, wading through the water on horseback, and even abandoned their horses and fled.
This small group of people could not affect the overall situation, so the Wala only chased and killed a few of them. When they saw that they could not catch up, they let them go.
There are more valuable people in the army than these soldiers!
Amidst the wailing, the Oirat people on fast horses brandished their swords and shouted loudly: "Those who take off their armor and throw away their swords will not be killed! Those who take off their armor and throw away their swords will not be killed!"
If you don't surrender, you will die. If you surrender, you still have a chance to live...
Many people immediately began to take off their armor, even the guards around the emperor were no exception.
Wang Zhen was so frightened by the situation that he was speechless. He never expected that the Wala would be so bold as to feign peace. He was at a loss for a moment.
As the sounds of killing drew nearer, Wang Zhen finally came to his senses and immediately turned around and said, "Your Majesty! Let's run!"
The emperor's personal guards could no longer hold back and rushed to Wang Zhen, knocking him to the ground without caring that the emperor was right beside them.
Given the current situation, they cannot escape no matter what. In this case, they must not let the culprit go!
If I can’t kill the emperor, can I kill this eunuch?
Wang Zhen fell to the ground and was grabbed by several people with his hands and feet. He couldn't move and couldn't help shouting: "How dare you! How dare you..." Before he finished speaking, the other party raised his knife and chopped off his arm.
"You bunch of bastards, if it weren't for you, I would have returned home and reunited with my family long ago!"
"You're a eunuch, a rootless bastard! You're always giving orders, and I'm tired of putting up with you! Even if I die today, I'll take you with me!"
Zhu Qizhen, who was standing by, witnessed this scene with his own eyes. Even though Wang Zhen's warm blood splashed on his face, his body remained frozen in place, unable to move.
He is the emperor. How dare these people kill his great companion in front of the emperor...
Wang Zhen wailed loudly. His eyes met Zhu Qizhen's and he immediately begged, "Your Majesty, save me! Your Majesty, save me!"
Zhu Qizhen opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word, he noticed the gazes of several guards around him.
There was no trace of the previous respect in that look, it was frighteningly cold, as if he was not considered the emperor at all.
Amid the screams of the surrounding soldiers being slaughtered, this look was like a blade, almost killing Zhu Qizhen.
But the blades were never aimed at him, but instead cut Wang Zhen into pieces bit by bit.
Zhu Qizhen was trembling all over, gasping for breath, his eyes fixed on Wang Zhen who was lying on the ground screaming like a prey. Apart from that, he didn't dare to let his gaze move anywhere else, for fear of seeing the soldiers, ministers, and nobles who died more tragically than Wang Zhen.
For the first time, he discovered a fact: those around him whom he thought were respected bowed their heads only to prevent him from discovering that they had never had any so-called respect.
They were kneeling to the emperor, not Zhu Qizhen.
Now he is not the emperor, but Zhu Qizhen.
This hasty and sudden torture continued. After an unknown amount of time, the surroundings gradually became quiet, and the shouts of the soldiers and Wang Zhen's screams gradually disappeared.
The sound of horse hooves and snorting was right next to his ears. Zhu Qizhen stood stiffly in place, unable to utter a word.
When he was young, he had also heard such a familiar voice, but at that time he was still a child nestled in his sister's arms, and he could rely on her without any worries.
"With so many people protecting him, he must be the leader of the Ming people!"
"Just look at the armor he's wearing!"
"You know nothing! Someone just said he's the emperor!"
"The Emperor? We've captured the Emperor?"
"What the Grand Master said is true. He is the real emperor!"
The Wala cavalrymen surrounding Zhu Qizhen sneered and openly discussed the Ming Emperor in somewhat clumsy official language, their tone full of indifference.
"Isn't it said that their eldest princess is very powerful? Why is this emperor so useless?"
At that moment, anger overwhelmed fear. Zhu Qizhen drew the sword hanging from his waist and said, "You Tartars..."
"You still dare to draw your sword? Give us a couple of swings and let's see!"
"If he really dared, he would have done it long ago. Why would he wait until now?"
The few remaining guards around him looked at Zhu Qizhen, tears in their eyes, and a hint of hope.
Zhu Qizhen gritted his teeth, his hand holding the sword trembled even more, and finally he put the sword to his neck.
"Ancestors, country, heaven and earth... spirits... above... I... I..."
He hasn't made a move yet, he doesn't dare to make a move.
In the stalemate, a feather arrow pierced Zhu Qizhen's face and killed the guard behind him, and the scarlet and sticky blood splattered on Zhu Qizhen's body.
Zhu Qizhen was startled by the sudden arrow, and the sword in his hand immediately fell to the ground. He had no support anymore, his body went limp, and he fell backwards to the ground.
Bayan Temur rode up, glanced around, and said, "Stop making a fuss. He is the emperor. He is more useful alive than dead."
Zhu Qizhen clenched his hands, unable to maintain his sanity any longer, and murmured, "Yes, I am the emperor, I am the emperor, it is more useful for me to be alive than dead, I must live, I must live... They will definitely come to save me, my elder sister will definitely save me..."
But these few words were full of powerlessness, and were filled with the confusion that Zhu Qizhen himself was not sure of.
The two remaining guards looked at each other and remained silent.
They had already understood the emperor's cowardice.
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