Chapter 50: The Grand Emperor!?

“Is that the right voice?”
Zhang Fu’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pressed for confirmation.
“Not the slightest mistake—it’s definitely that dog of a eunuch!” Kuang Ye waved his fist, nearly trembling with excitement.
“Heaven has eyes, heaven truly has eyes.” The Emperor’s son-in-law, Commandant Prince Jingyuan, had tears welling in his tiger-like eyes, his whole body shaking with emotion.
Ever since Empress Dowager Zhang passed, Eunuch Wang, riding high on imperial favor, had oppressed them to the point they could barely breathe. In the court, he framed the loyal and upright, ran rampant, and not a single civil or military official could do anything to stop him!
The reason was simple: the Orthodox Emperor obeyed his every word. Any time a minister dared advise the throne, there was no need for Wang Zhen’s revenge—the Emperor himself would flare up in anger first.
Moments ago, Zhu Qizhen’s anguished screams had lasted for half an hour, and for these ministers, it was a mixture of satisfaction and worry; their concern was hardly for the Emperor’s safety.
They were more worried that if the Emperor was beaten to death, who would inherit the throne?
Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu?
He was the son of Xuande by a concubine—not in line with ancestral law!
The Orthodox Emperor’s legitimate son, Zhu Jianshen, was but two years old. If another child emperor ascended, would it not be repeating past mistakes?
While the ministers were deep in anxiety, a powerful voice issued from within the imperial tent:
“Come in, all of you.”
“We obey, Your Majesty!”
The ministers exchanged glances and responded in unison.
Upon their first step into the tent, a thick stench of blood assaulted their senses, sending chills down their spines.
On the ground lay Baizong, his face swollen, mottled with bruises, gasping for breath and whimpering occasionally, looking utterly desolate.
Wang Zhen, the grand eunuch who had wielded such power under the Orthodox reign, was in an even more pitiful state—beaten black and blue, his body battered beyond recognition.
Satisfaction!
Zhang Fu, over seventy, felt his beard and hair trembling with excitement—he nearly jumped for joy right then and there.
“Steady, old Duke, steady!” Kuang Ye instinctively caught him, murmuring softly.
“Ow!”
Zhang Fu, his face contorted, grumbled through clenched teeth, “I’m seventy—do you have to squeeze me like that?”
“Oh, look at this mess…”
Snapping to his senses, Kuang Ye laughed awkwardly and let go at once; his grip on Zhang Fu’s shoulder had bulged with veins, nearly crushing the old man’s bones.
Dozens of civil and military officials advanced to the dragon throne, knelt, and bowed their heads, chanting, “Your devoted servants pay homage to the emperors Taizu, Taizong, Renzong, and Xuanzong!”
“Rise.”

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and asked, “What is the current situation? Where are the enemy troops?”
“Esen’s tens of thousands of Oirat cavalry are hot on our heels, ready to attack at any moment. At present, Duke Cheng, Zhu Yong, is personally leading troops to block the Oirat cavalry at Yao’er Ridge!”
“Your servant begs His Majesty Taizu to order a retreat to Huailai, waiting for reinforcements from Xuanfu before counterattacking the Oirats,” Kuang Ye replied with solemnity.
“At this moment, Duke Cheng and his men have likely perished at Yao’er Ridge, and Huailai is already empty—there are no reinforcements from Xuanfu either.”
Zhu Youjian shook his head, and under the astonished gazes of Kuang Ye, Zhang Fu, and the rest, continued, “Esen’s trusted officer, Arashiduyin, has led his forces around our rear, scaring off the garrisons at Maying and Dushi, the eastern gateways to Xuanfu.”
“My son Yang Jun is garrisoned at Maying—how could he flee with his troops!” General Yang Hong flushed red and protested.
“Arashiduyin’s Oirat force had already besieged Maying for three days, cutting off the water supply. With no water in the camp, there was nothing they could do,” Zhu Youjian replied with a shake of his head.
Yang Jun, son of Commander Yang Hong, was stationed at Maying, while Dushi was under Commander Zhao Mei.
Yang Jun’s troops broke and fled south; Zhao Mei also abandoned his post and fled south. In their wake, thirteen cities along the route—Longmen Garrison, Longmen Fort, Huailai, Yongning, and others—fell in quick succession. East of Xuanfu, there were no defenses left outside Juyong Pass.
Later, even Yu Qian would lament: “Since the traitors invaded, Yang Jun fled at the sight of the enemy, abandoning Dushi, Yongning, and eleven cities, leaving the frontier desolate, defenses swept away, and the raiders coming and going as if the land was empty. All who heard of it were filled with grief and anger.”
In the corner, Zhu Gaosui furtively nudged the old Zhu Di and whispered, “Father, didn’t I tell you Esen had the look of an emperor—hawkish and ambitious—we can’t let him live, and now you see, it’s come true!”
Old Zhu Di was briefly stunned, giving him a rare approving look. “You’ve finally made some sense! All right, remember to demand Esen’s surrender when you get back—if he refuses, we go to war! This man cannot be left alive!”
“Rest easy, Father—I’ll handle it,” Zhu Gaosui grinned with delight.
…
The news that thirteen cities had fallen left the ministers exchanging uneasy looks.
“Has there been any reply from Maying or Dushi?” Zhang Fu asked in a deep voice.
“None at all,” Kuang Ye replied, his heart sinking.
Yang Hong seemed struck by lightning. His body shook, and he burst out cursing, “To flee with the army—such men are faithless to both ruler and father. I—beasts! They’re nothing but beasts!”
Zhu Yuanzhang and the emperors and crown princes behind him glanced instinctively at the prone Baizong, sighing inwardly—what family doesn’t have a wretched child?
“What are we to do now, what are we to do?”
The ministers were pacing in frustration. At this point, with Esen pursuing from behind and Arashiduyin blocking the front, and the Ming army’s morale at rock bottom, they were caught in a deadly trap.
Minister of War Kuang Ye, his eyes red with anger, landed a flying kick on a piece of Wang the eunuch’s flesh, spitting, “Damn you, traitorous eunuch! If not for you, you cursed gelding, would our Ming army of two hundred thousand be in such dire straits?”
“Report!”
“Esen’s tens of thousands of Oirat cavalry are upon us; the front camp has completely collapsed!”
Fan Zhong, his body badly scalded and reeking of burnt flesh, rushed into the tent with an urgent report.
Old Zhu Di dropped to one knee. “Father, Esen has met me several times before. Allow your son to lead the troops against him!”
“The army’s morale is broken, spirit at a low ebb—other than the imperial guards, we have no troops left!” Kuang Ye said anxiously.

“Go, then,” Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand. “Your father-in-law Xu Da and the others have been waiting for some time. Giving that turtle’s spawn a scare would do no harm.”
Xu Da?
The ministers of the Orthodox reign glanced at one another. After their shock came wild joy.
“Come with me and see for yourselves.”
Zhu Yuanzhang, hands behind his back, strode out of the tent, the emperors and crown princes following close behind, with the civil and military ministers trailing at the rear.
Not far away—
“The Emperor of Ming is trapped in this little fort. Restoring our forefathers’ glory is just within reach!”
Esen, leader of the Oirats, swung his whip in excitement as he led over ten thousand Oirat cavalry galloping through the camp, scattering the Orthodox army wherever he went.
He was forming a loose encirclement—over ten thousand men surrounding two hundred thousand!
When they were five li from Tumubao, suddenly a wave of Hongwu troops burst out, shattering the Oirat cavalry at every point and halting their charge.
Then more Ming troops charged out, their morale high and fearless in battle!
Wave after wave after wave!
The Oirat cavalry panicked; the rear ranks, unable to stop their horses, trampled those in front, plunging the army into chaos.
“Whoa!”
Esen hastily reined in his horse, shouting in fury, “An ambush! Ambush! There are masses of Ming soldiers hidden here—retreat at once!”
Suddenly, an unstoppable squadron of armored cavalry swept in, cutting off their escape. Esen, eyes bloodshot, was about to draw his blade and fight when a long-lost voice suddenly rang in his ear—
“Esen, you are bold indeed!”
Old Zhu Di wheeled his horse about, his powerful, domineering voice carrying across the tumult of the battlefield.
“The Great Emperor!?”
Esen was utterly stunned.
How could the man before him be the Yongle Emperor!
…