Chapter 59: Knowing My Mistake
Such shouting obviously had no effect. Yuan Bin and Ha Ming, who were originally knocking on the door, also noticed the movement behind them. They turned to look at Zhu Qizhen not far away, only to see him lying on the ground in a mess, but he still did not forget to curse loudly at his sister who had a close relationship with him.
Even Yuan Bin and Ha Ming, who had been serving Zhu Qizhen recently, could not bear to hear the hoarse voice and vicious words, and turned their heads away silently.
They naturally did not want to die, and they could not bear to see a monarch struggling to survive after abandoning his country for power.
The most important thing is that they are unwilling to betray the Ming Dynasty, and now the only way to show their attitude is to sit back and watch.
"I am the Emperor's eldest son! I am the rightful heir to the Ming Dynasty! You have never been qualified to inherit the throne. You are committing treason!"
But such sounds were obviously insignificant to Zhu Yuhuan who was on the city wall.
She couldn't hear and didn't bother to listen.
Zhu Yuhuan looked down at the struggling Zhu Qizhen from above and said quietly, "Switch to the muskets."
Shi Heng, who already understood Zhu Yuhuan's intention, naturally did not hesitate and immediately ordered someone to bring the musket.
Even if Zhu Yuhuan said nothing, and no matter whether the emperor below was real or fake, everything before him had already determined Zhu Yuhuan's "victory".
Just as she said, even if anyone betrays the Ming Dynasty, the emperor cannot betray the Ming Dynasty.
So Zhu Qizhen was either a villain who betrayed his country, or he died quietly.
Zhu Qizhen had obviously given his own answer.
Then the people of the Ming Dynasty will naturally make their decisions.
Compared with bows and arrows, the power of muskets is obviously much greater. Previously, Zhu Qizhen could still reluctantly let the Oirat people serve as his shield.
But the moment the muskets were fired, the true thoughts of the people on the city wall were revealed.
She wanted Zhu Qizhen to die.
Zhu Qizhen stood there in a daze for a long time, and the inner defense he had maintained for so long finally collapsed completely.
The fact that Zhu Yuhuan could act so openly only proved one thing, that is, no one in the palace, inside or outside the court, cared about his life or death, including his biological mother, his concubines, and his children.
The "legitimate emperor" has been completely abandoned by everyone.
They would even rather allow a woman to take the throne than leave any chance for him, the emperor, to survive.
Zhu Qizhen's leg was injured in the fierce bombardment of muskets, an injury he had never suffered even when he was captured by the Oirat Mongols.
As an emperor, he had never suffered such injustice. Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but wail in pain.
The Ming army suddenly began to fight back, so Yesen and others naturally would not stay for long and immediately began to retreat in an orderly manner.
The Oirat soldiers hadn't received Yesen's orders, but they couldn't really leave Zhu Qizhen alone. They could only grit their teeth and curse, "What a useless guy! Why did the Grand Tutor keep him around?"
Despite saying this, the Wala soldiers still cut off Zhu Qizhen's clothes and dragged him away.
As for the two Ming people who had always been loyal to Zhu Qizhen, it seemed that they had no intention of moving forward. After all, they were just two insignificant little characters who had been under their strict control during this period. They did not have a deep understanding of the strategic arrangements of the Oirat, so it did not matter whether Yuan Bin and Ha Ming escaped or not.
The already injured Zhu Qizhen suddenly burst out with great strength at this moment. He grabbed the ground and shouted loudly: "Big sister! I know I was wrong! I will never act recklessly again, and I will never do whatever I want again! Take me back, I want to go home... I want to go home!"
The Oirat people naturally didn't understand what he was saying, but they could see that Zhu Qizhen clearly didn't want to leave, so they couldn't help but curse: "What a spineless man! The Ming people are about to kill him with cannons, and he's still hanging on here."
Zhu Qizhen turned a deaf ear to all the sounds around him and just desperately tried to seize any opportunity that would allow him to stay in front of the gate of Datong City.
The three major camps are best at using the three-stage attack tactic to ensure the continuity of musket shooting, but the amount of ammunition is limited. In addition, this tactic is often used to deal with cavalry, and the soldiers carry less ammunition. In this situation, there will inevitably be a time when ammunition needs to be replenished.
Taking advantage of this brief moment of silence, Zhu Qizhen shouted towards the city wall, "Big sister, I can give up the throne to you, as long as you take me back! As long as you let me go home, I can abdicate, I can leave the palace, even if you want me to go to Yunnan, as long as I can return alive... I beg you! I beg you!"
In the firelight and smoke, he recalled the past.
He remembered riding a horse in his sister's arms, holding his hand to keep him warm, and giving him ear warmers and hand warmers.
Although he was accompanied by his grandmother and father in his childhood, his sister Zhu Yuhuan was also indispensable. When faced with his orders, his sister never seemed to object and would not refuse as long as she could do her best to do it.
However, this plea came too late and was too far away from Zhu Yuhuan, so she naturally could not hear it.
Only Yuan Bin and Ha Ming, who were hiding at the city gate, vaguely heard Zhu Qizhen's plea, but they were also unable to help Zhu Qizhen convey his voice.
Shi Heng could only make out what Zhu Qizhen was shouting and vaguely heard a few notes, but he had no idea what Zhu Qizhen was saying.
Shi Heng couldn't help but look at Zhu Yuhuan beside him. She was still holding the bow and arrow in her hand, just staring quietly in the direction of Zhu Qizhen, not knowing what she was thinking.
Zhu Yuhuan said, "Bring me the hand cannon with the longest range. If the fire cannon is loaded, aim and fire it as soon as possible."
"yes."
Shi Heng was originally wondering whether the emperor felt pity when he saw Zhu Qizhen's miserable condition, but he didn't expect that she was thinking about how to kill the emperor faster.
It seems that this person is as ruthless as Li Erlang of Xuanwu Gate.
Seeing the next round of shooting coming, the Wala people below naturally would not let Zhu Qizhen stay, and they did not care whether Zhu Qizhen was injured or not. They dragged Zhu Qizhen and fled towards the distant army.
Close behind them was a barrage of firearms.
Seeing the Wala army gradually retreating, Shi Heng immediately asked, "Why don't I send troops to pursue them immediately..."
Zhu Yuhuan waved his hand and said, "It was a pleasant surprise that Yesen encountered the border patrol army during his raid. He obviously came to Datong to test my attitude one last time. He has already made preparations for retreat. If our army pursues them rashly, we will probably fall into Yesen's trap. It is better to send a small team to confirm whether the Wala have truly retreated."
Shi Heng also understood this and followed Zhu Yuhuan's words and said, "I will send scouts to follow and observe the Wala army."
Zhu Yuhuan handed the pistol to the officer beside him and said, "Very good." She then instructed, "Inform the troops behind us to camp nearby and be ready to take orders at any time. Also, have someone lower the baskets of the two outside the city gate and pull them up to take a look."
"yes."
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