Chapter 46 Another Arrangement
After all, Yang Hong was an old veteran who had fought in the north many times. After quickly integrating his army, he began to counterattack the Oirat.
For the Oirat, who had been following the Ming army for a month and launched many attacks during this period, they were already exhausted. In addition, they had just defeated the Ming army, so for conservative reasons, they should retreat in time.
Just as Zhu Yuhuan expected, the Wala had begun to retreat in the direction they came from, considering the supply issue, and most likely planned to head towards Datong.
Yang Hong and others only picked up the armor of Zhu Qizhen's personal guards on the battlefield, but did not pick up Zhu Qizhen's own armor. Regardless of whether the armor was taken away by the Wala because they thought it looked good, or the emperor was really captured by the Wala, it can prove that the emperor was most likely not dead.
This made things a little awkward. Regardless of how many people the emperor had harmed in this battle, his identity as an emperor alone would bring a lot of trouble.
If the Oirat brought the emperor to the city, should the defenders attack the Oirat or not? Swords have no eyes. If the emperor made a mistake, what crime would these generals be punished for?
According to Yang Hong, the Oirat army had brought a man to the gate of Xuanfu, shouting that they had the emperor's order, ordering Yang Hong to open the gate and hand over the food in the city. Due to the distance, the crowd could not identify whether the person the Oirat army held hostage was Emperor Zhu Qizhen.
Although Yang Hong was not sure whether the emperor was dead or alive, he knew that the city gate must not be opened. He pretended that he was seriously injured and could not go to identify the emperor, and refused the Wala's request to open the gate.
Seeing that they could not gain any benefits in Xuanfu, the Oirat led their troops to break camp and leave, most likely going to ask other generals defending the city for benefits.
"I pay my respects to Your Highness."
Apart from Zhu Yuhuan, Huai En was the only one in the study, while Jin Ying and others were in the side room sorting and annotating various memorials.
Zhu Yuhuan put down the Xuanfu military report in her hand, looked at Yu Qian and Xu Yun who had just entered, and said, "Yang Hong reported that the siege in the Xuanfu area has been lifted. Immediately mobilize part of the troops to leave Juyongguan and recover armor, weapons, etc. together with the soldiers in the Xuanfu area." She paused for a moment and said, "I remember that there were red helmets and black armor left by Emperor Taizong in the warehouse. If any of them can be repaired and put into use, they will replace the original Ming helmets and armor. If the number is not enough, the Ming helmets will be equipped with helmets with the word "Yong" to distinguish them. Xuanyu, inform the two factories that the weather is getting colder, and the Ming helmets and armor will be replaced with quilted black armor. There must be no mistakes." After that, she picked up the pen and wrote her opinions on the note book.
Once border soldiers went out of the city to meet the enemy, they had to mark their armor with red silk, changing it every day for five days, marking their arms, wrists, and head respectively, to distinguish them from the enemy troops equipped with bright helmets and armor.
When two armies fight, if they have the same equipment, they will not be able to distinguish between friend and foe, and the consequences will be even more serious. However, it is difficult to temporarily change the color of the armor of all soldiers to distinguish them. It is faster to make a mark.
Xu Yun responded quickly.
Making armor is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Although a large number of civilians are now conscripted to work in factories to make armor, the production volume of Ming helmets and armor is still pitifully small, so it would not take too much effort to modify it.
Zhu Yuhuan continued, "If there's not enough cloth, order it directly from the Shengping Factory. Let Huai'en go with you and tell the women to hurry up and dye the cloth. I'll then order the Nanjing Canal to clear the way for the cloth, transport it to Tongzhou, and then transfer it to the capital. This will also relieve the pressure on Shuntian."
Yu Qian quickly understood Zhu Yuhuan's intention and said, "Could it be that the Wala people stole our armor?"
Zhu Yuhuan nodded slightly and said, "I actually forgot about this. It was when Yang Hong sent people out to clean up the remaining battlefield that he discovered that the number of armor and soldiers' bodies did not correspond. There were more bodies than armor... If the two armies were fighting, they would not have reached the point of killing each other."
If she were Yesen, she would have been secretly delighted. After so many years of smuggling, it was not as fast as Zhu Qizhen's wave. If she hadn't considered that Xuanfu might counterattack her after the siege, Yesen would probably have picked up all the armor and supplies before leaving.
Xu Yun secretly admired Zhu Yuhuan's attentiveness, and then said, "What are the current movements of the Wala?"
Zhu Yuhuan placed the military report on the table and motioned for the two to examine it. Seeing Xu Yun carefully take it and flip through it, Zhu Yuhuan felt a little amused and then said, "Yang Hong said that the Wala were heading west, probably towards Datong."
"Datong?" Xu Yun glanced down and saw a note saying the Oirat claimed to have been ordered by the emperor to demand the opening of Xuanfu. He immediately understood what was going on and exclaimed in shock, "Your Majesty is safe! He's even been captured by the Oirat!"
If Yu Qian hadn't been standing next to him, Zhu Yuhuan would have almost burst out laughing.
Xu Yun's expression didn't look like surprise at all, but rather shock...
Zhu Yuhuan coughed lightly and said, "The Wala took His Majesty around, most likely to verify His Majesty's identity."
Just listening to what people around him say may not necessarily verify Zhu Qizhen's identity as emperor. There are probably only a few people left around Zhu Qizhen, and they may not even be his personal guards. These people do not know what the emperor looks like, so it will be of no avail even if they defect to the Oirat Mongols.
The Ming Dynasty was not a steppe tribe like the Oirat. Not everyone in the Ming Dynasty had ever seen what the emperor looked like. If Yesen wanted to use Zhu Qizhen's status as emperor to make a fuss, he had to get the commanders inside the pass to recognize Zhu Qizhen's status as emperor. While recognizing Zhu Qizhen's status was not impossible for the Ming Dynasty, it would have forced them to face the Oirat's blackmail, which was also difficult for the commanders who could fight the Oirat at any time.
More importantly, they have seen the emperor when he was down and out. If the emperor really comes back in the future, will they still be able to survive?
Xu Yun muttered "this this this this" for a long time, but couldn't help asking, "Then what are your plans, Your Highness?"
"First, summon Duke of Yingguo Zhang Fu, Deputy Minister Zeng Heling, Cabinet Minister Chen Xun, and Minister of Personnel Wang Zhi to the palace for discussion. Have the Ministry of War inform the garrisons in all regions not to open the gates without permission." Zhu Yuhuan pondered for a moment, then stood up and said, "Tomorrow we will summon the officials to a morning court. Huai En, have someone bring ivory plaques to the palace to request an audience with the two Empress Dowagers. We will make a joint decision in the palace tomorrow."
"yes."
If Empress Dowager Sun knew about this, there would definitely be another bloody storm.
Xu Yun was stunned at first, but soon understood what Zhu Yuhuan meant.
It was precisely to let Empress Dowager Sun take the lead and make the decision to bow to the Oirat and compromise, forcing the ministers to the point where they had no way out.
Zhu Yuhuan then looked at Yu Qian beside him and asked with a smile, "Is there anything else you want to ask me this time?"
Yu Qian stared at her for a long time, then shook his head decisively and said, "No."
He already knew exactly what the princess was going to do.
"Very good."
Yu Qian had no intention of ending the conversation, but continued, "If the imperial court wants to prevent the Oirat from 'holding the emperor hostage to control the other princes,' there is only one way."
Zhu Yuhuan looked at him, raised his eyebrows slightly, and asked, "What method?"
Yu Qian said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, please ascend the throne and become the Emperor. I will honor Your Majesty as the Supreme Emperor. This way, Your Majesty will no longer be the Emperor. Even if the Oirat Mongols capture Your Majesty, they will not be able to exploit the Emperor's title to their advantage. Your Highness can then preside over the overall situation in the name of the Emperor and maintain peace and stability in the world."
Xu Yun turned to look at Yu Qian, stunned, unable to utter a word for a moment.
Is this what Yu Qian should say? Although His Highness meant this, it's a bit too straightforward...
Zhu Yuhuan's expression was completely different. She was silent for a while, then she couldn't help laughing out loud, clapping her hands while laughing.
More than 20 years later, she actually heard these words from an official she had only recently become acquainted with. Indeed, this is the joy of life.
Huai En, who was standing by, couldn't help but look worried when he saw Zhu Yuhuan showing his emotions, which was rare.
Your Highness is in good health, but the situation has been tense recently, and Your Highness has been working almost non-stop to handle the affairs at hand. Such emotional ups and downs are bound to take a toll on your health...
Fortunately, before leaving, Madam Xu wrote several tonic prescriptions, and Huai'en also asked the female doctors trained by the Xu family clinic to serve in the mansion, and prepared various medicinal materials so that he could prepare medicine anytime and anywhere.
Zhu Yuhuan suppressed her smile, raised her chin slightly, and said coldly: "Minister Yu, I will not respect Your Majesty as the Supreme Emperor."
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