Live History Broadcast: Opening Ceremony Spoilers - Our Ancestor Was Enraged

Chapter 4 The Tumu Crisis

"So on July 16, 1449, Zhu Qizhen led an army of 500,000 men on a grand expedition. However, modern research has found that there were not that many people; the actual number was probably around 200,000."

"After all, from the time Zhu Qizhen announced his personal expedition to the time he assembled troops and prepared supplies, armor, and warhorses, it is said that it took no more than five days, which was extremely rushed."

Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Di was so angry he was jumping up and down. Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu secretly slipped a dog-beating stick into his hand, which made Zhu Zhanji run away with his head in his hands. Zhu Gaochi pretended to stop him a few times, but his descendants were really useless!

"Perhaps due to insufficient preparation and poor organization, the army encountered numerous setbacks along the way. They either dreamed of enemy attacks or the Minister of War, Kuang Ye, fell off his horse during the march. In short, all sorts of bad luck occurred. In addition, it was the rainy season in the north, and the roads were muddy. Many soldiers starved to death or suffered from frostbite. When the ministers saw this, they wanted to petition to withdraw, but Zhu Qizhen had entrusted all the important military affairs to Wang Zhen. Even if the accompanying ministers knelt down and begged, they could not persuade Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen, who wanted to make a name for themselves and achieve fame."

"They finally arrived in Datong in early August, only to hear that the various armies were no match for the Northern Yuan army. As a result, the army was in a state of panic and collapsed. It was only at this point that Wang Zhen began to want to retreat. On the one hand, some people suggested that they should go south through Zijing Pass, which would be absolutely safe. But Wang Zhen was just causing trouble!"

"According to records, Wang Zhen wanted to return home in glory, so he encouraged Zhu Qizhen to head towards Weizhou and go to his hometown. However, after traveling forty kilometers, he didn't want the army to trample on his homeland and cause food losses, so he insisted on sending people back. The key point is that even at this point, he still didn't forget to send people to retrieve the money he had embezzled and taken bribes from. It was simply outrageous."

"Think about it, it's the rainy season, the roads are difficult to travel, the whole army is exhausted, they haven't eaten enough, and the soldiers are full of complaints. I wonder if Zhu Qizhen really loves Wang Zhen? How could he not see the situation in the army under these circumstances?"

When the First Emperor heard this, he thought it was really outrageous. He felt that people in later generations might even be better than him, like Hu Hai.

Zhu Yuanzhang: You son of a bitch, just give the throne to that eunuch! You little rascal, go find a block of tofu and smash your head against it! You're making me so angry!

Zhu Di saw his father's comment. Although he felt a surge of anger, he dared not reply, fearing that his father would get angry again.

"On August 10th, just as the main army arrived at Xuanfu, Esen's pursuit followed closely behind. Esen ordered Bayan Temur to lead a pursuing force to Jiming Mountain, only 60 li southeast of Xuanfu, blocking the Ming army's path. Esen's main army then followed closely, forming a pincer movement against the Ming army. Gongshun Earl Wu Kezhong and Commander Wu Keqin were ordered to cover the rear, but both brothers were killed in battle."

"Emperor Yingzong then ordered Duke Zhu Yong of Cheng and Earl Xue Shou of Yongshun to lead 666 troops to provide support, but they ended up directly entering the Mongol encirclement. This move is absolutely brilliant! A thousand miles to their deaths!"

"However, these people did not sacrifice in vain. They bought Zhu Qizhen and his men three days to retreat. On August 13th, the army arrived at Tumu Fort, only 20 li away from Huailai County, which was both attackable and defensible. The accompanying civil and military officials were just about to breathe a sigh of relief when Wang Zhen, worried that his valuables would fall into Esen's hands, wanted to wait for the transport carts to arrive before leaving. I really wanted to say, 'Please, we're escaping for our lives!'"

Lin Ke took a few deep breaths and continued, "It was this decision that almost led to the annihilation of the entire 200,000-strong army, the death of the 52 accompanying ministers, the capture of the emperor, and Zhu Qizhen being invited by Esen to study in the Oirat Mongols, where he was later known as the Oirat student!"

"On August 14th, when the army was preparing to go to Huailai, they found that Tumu Fort was too high. The Mongols had already surrounded them and blocked the only river. Helpless, the army could only dig deep wells to replenish their water. However, even after digging two zhang deep, they still found no water. Under these circumstances, facing Esen's attack, Guo Mao, the commander guarding Magukou, led his soldiers to resist for a day and a night."

"On August 15th, Esen thought himself clever and devised a plan to bomb the Ming army. Unexpectedly, Wang Zhen believed him and ordered his army to withdraw from the area. The soldiers, already exhausted and thirsty, ran straight towards the water source upon hearing this order, falling right into Esen's trap. The Ming soldiers scattered and fled, unable to mount any organized resistance. The Oirat cavalry easily sliced ​​them down like watermelons. As for the culprit, Wang Zhen, he had already been killed by the furious Fan Zhong. Unfortunately, Fan Zhong also died trying to save Zhu Qizhen."

"In the Battle of Tumu Fortress, Emperor Zhu Qizhen and a few others were captured. More than 50 high-ranking officials who accompanied him on the expedition, including Duke Zhang Fu of Yingguo, Imperial Son-in-Law Jing Yuan, Minister of War Kuang Kun, Minister of Revenue Wang Zuo, Grand Secretaries Cao Nai and Zhang Yi, Vice Ministers Liao Ming and Wang Yonghe, were killed in action. Only a few, such as Xiao Weizhen, Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Yang Shan, Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, managed to escape. The eunuch Xi Ning surrendered to the Oirat Mongols and revealed all the internal affairs of the Ming Dynasty. Of the more than 50 soldiers, more than half were killed or wounded, and the rest deserted or disappeared. Only a very small number managed to return to the capital."

Lin Ke's voice trailed off with a soft sigh.

Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di was filled with rage. He grabbed Zhu Zhanji, panting heavily, and picked him up with his sword.

Good, good, good grandson! Absolutely wonderful!

Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his fist on the table, looked around, and saw that his beloved fourth son, Zhu Di, was quietly slipping away!

Hmph, I was so angry I forgot that Fan Zhong called him Emperor Taizong at the beginning.

He became emperor, so where did our flag go?

Fine, let's finish listening to this Great Ming War God before we deal with him properly. Anyway, he can't escape!

Zhu Biao noticed Zhu Yuanzhang's furrowed brows and wondered what was wrong.

I was sent out to work by my father this morning and didn't have time to see what happened when the fourth brother was sucked into the light screen.

Therefore, he did not know that his fourth brother would become Emperor Taizong in the future, otherwise his expression would have been as furrowed as his father's.

Young Zhu Di: It wasn't me! Let's run to Mother's side first!

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