Chapter 167
Chapter 167
[After Zhu Yuanzhang Returned to the Great Ming – 18]
A vein throbbed on Zhu Yuanzhang’s forehead. He forced down his irritation and continued putting on a performance for Wang Zhi. Only after moving the man to floods of tears did he finally turn and leave.
Once he reached a secluded place, he had a trusted man change into his imperial robes and go through the motions at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Zhu Yuanzhang himself donned soft armor, gathered a group of confidants, slipped out through a gate guarded by his own men, and headed straight for Juyong Pass.
One of his confidants had misgivings and ventured in a low voice, “Your Majesty, is this plan not too dangerous? Your person is worth ten thousand pieces of gold. How can you take such a risk?”
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered. “How can one catch a tiger cub without entering the tiger’s den? We will show that wretch Zhu Qizhen what it truly means for an emperor to lead a campaign in person!”
In the previous life, Esen had attacked Beijing only to be defeated repeatedly by Yu Qian. When reinforcements from across the realm were about to arrive, Esen, fearing encirclement, had stripped the occupied territories bare and fled north in panic. This time, Zhu Yuanzhang had no intention of giving that bastard the chance!
After leaving Beijing, Zhu Yuanzhang led his personal guards westward. Armed with documents bearing official seals and posing as an envoy from the capital, he rallied the Ming troops who had been scattered by the Oirats, reorganizing their ranks and steadying their morale.
The local soldiers heard that this bold young officer with his thick brows was the descendant of a noble family from the capital, and that relatives of his had died in the Tumu Crisis. Their sympathy stirred. Then, after witnessing his unmatched riding and archery and his valor above all others in the army, they gradually rediscovered their courage.
Zhu Yuanzhang knew that the soldiers’ morale had collapsed and that they could not face the Oirats head-on. He therefore selected several hundred fierce warriors as a forlorn hope. Together with his own guards, they changed into Oirat uniforms and went to Juyong Pass to trick its defenders into opening the gates.
The Oirat soldiers guarding the pass were still drunk on their successive victories at White Sheep Pass and Zijing Pass. They also knew that the Grand Preceptor had led the main army to besiege Beijing. Seeing only a few hundred men approach, they suspected nothing and opened the gate to admit them. By the time they realized something was wrong, it was too late.
Long spear in hand, Zhu Yuanzhang charged through them with peerless ferocity, as though no one stood in his way. His escorts gaped in astonishment, but there was no time for anything else. They fought desperately to protect his flanks, while another man sent up the signal calling in the reinforcements waiting elsewhere. The relief force immediately galloped for Juyong Pass.
…
The soldiers left behind waited in mounting fear and unease. Not long after Zhu Yuanzhang’s party departed, the commanding general flung open the tent flap and demanded urgently, “How long has General Zhu been gone?!”
One of his men answered quietly, “Only half an hour. General, please wait patiently.”
The commander exploded at him. Seeing the soldier’s alarm, he realized he had lost his composure. Heaving a long sigh, he returned to the tent and paced about in agitation.
“The Emperor Emeritus was brimming with confidence before leading his own campaign too,” he said bitterly. “And how did that turn out?!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt their implication was terribly inauspicious. He waved an impatient hand and sat down, closing his eyes to rest.
Roughly half an hour later, three cannon blasts sounded from the direction of Juyong Pass. Everyone in the tent jolted upright, delight shining in their eyes.
The deputy commander turned eagerly toward his superior, about to speak, only to find the man already snatching up his saber and striding boldly from the tent. His face was alight with excitement as he shouted, “Form ranks! Mount up! We ride for Juyong Pass!”
The deputy commander smiled knowingly, vaulted onto his horse, and cracked his whip toward the pass.
…
The Ming army’s earlier defeats had left the soldiers frightened, angry, and aggrieved. Now, seeing General Zhu storm Juyong Pass with only a few hundred men and deal the Oirats a crushing blow, their morale soared. The gloom that had weighed on them vanished, and they surged forward with renewed vigor.
Zhu Yuanzhang charged at the very front, sweeping away everything in his path. God or Buddha, no one could have stopped him.
The Oirat soldiers saw that he was the enemy commander and initially tried to capture or kill him to blunt the Ming army’s momentum. But every man who approached delivered himself to death, and every pair suffered the same fate. After several such attempts, no one dared come near him again. The moment they saw the young man advancing with his spear, they scattered like sheep before a tiger, afraid to meet his charge.
Fear spread through their ranks, and Juyong Pass’s defenses immediately teetered on the brink of collapse. The Ming soldiers fought with increasing courage, while the Oirats lost all appetite for battle and began dodging and fleeing in every direction.
The Oirat general defending Juyong Pass knew how strategically vital it was. If it fell under his watch, military law would condemn him to certain death. Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang leading the charge with no one able to withstand him, he gritted his teeth, armored himself, and mounted his horse.
“I will take you on!” he roared.
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed aloud. “Come, then!”
With that, he charged forward to meet him.
He was a human weapon, invincible wherever he went. Had he secretly consumed some kind of power-up behind their backs?!
This made no sense at all!
His confidants reeled in disbelief, but none dared relax. Though each knew his own skill was not one ten-thousandth of the emperor’s, they still guarded his sides against any mishap.
Zhu Yuanzhang thought nothing of it. He was simply pleased finally to have encountered a worthy opponent. His long spear moved with vicious agility, every strike driving straight toward a vital point with terrifying speed.
The Oirat general raised his saber to block. Metal rang with a deafening clang, and the impact numbed the web of his hand. Zhu Yuanzhang’s spear forced the back of his blade down a full three inches!
Horror seized him. In the next instant, a spark of silver flashed toward his throat. He knew he had to dodge, but it was already too late.
The spear pierced his neck, its gleaming edges tearing away a swath of flesh. Blood sprayed through the air. The Oirat general lost his balance, pitched to the left, and began to tumble from his horse.
The emperors in the space stared in silence.
So did Zhu Yuanzhang’s confidants.
Never in his life had one of them reacted so quickly. He rushed forward and clapped a hand over the emperor’s mouth. Almost in the same motion, he snatched away the spear on which the Oirat general’s dead, staring head was impaled and shouted, “Your commander is dead! Surrender and you will be spared!”
As he seized the spear, another confidant hurried in to take his place covering the emperor’s mouth. Nervous and apprehensive, he said, “Your Majesty, if you shout those words, not only the Oirats but even their horses will run another four hundred miles!”
Emperor Gaozu scowled, wishing he could charge out and slap Zhu twice. “Old Zhu, wake up! You cannot lose your head on the battlefield. We’re fighting the Oirats!”
Li Shimin asked, “Old Zhu, did you not wake up properly this morning?!”
Zhu Yuanzhang snapped back to his senses. “It slipped out from habit! Sorry, sorry!”
Thoroughly embarrassed, he told his confidants, “Fortunately, you reacted quickly enough to stop Us from making a mistake!”
Seeing that he had finally come to his senses, the confidant secretly sighed in relief, released him, and begged forgiveness.
“You acted out of loyalty. What crime could there be?” Zhu Yuanzhang patted him warmly on the shoulder, his expression gratified.
Juyong Pass had fallen too suddenly, and its defending general had been killed. The remaining Oirat soldiers lost the will to fight and laid down their weapons one after another. Zhu Yuanzhang ordered his men to clear the battlefield and began tallying the casualties.
When he first proposed the surprise attack on Juyong Pass, many in the army had opposed him. Now, after witnessing the Ming army’s resounding victory, the recovery of the pass, and the young general’s magnificent prowess in battle, their doubts vanished. When the commanders assembled in the main tent, they dropped to their knees as one and hailed him as their supreme commander.
Zhu Yuanzhang calmly accepted their obeisance, then asked them to rise. He assessed merit and distributed rewards, handling everything in perfect order.
One young officer’s heroic ambitions had been thoroughly stirred. “If I seize this chance to win a few more achievements, I might even earn a title. Then I’ll marry a pretty wife and have eight or ten sons. If even one of them inherits a fraction of General Zhu’s skill, he can win glory, build a great career, and bring honor to our ancestors!”
Zhu Yuanzhang happened to be inspecting outside the tent. Hearing this, he laughed heartily. “If you truly distinguish yourself, I’ll act as your matchmaker and find you a good wife!”
The young officer knew he came from an extraordinary background and deeply admired his skill and ability. Delighted by the promise, he readily agreed. “Then I thank you in advance, General!”
…
By taking Juyong Pass, Zhu Yuanzhang severed communication between the Oirat forces north and south of it. Esen could receive no news from the north, while the troops there could receive no orders from him. Given enough time, both sides would certainly realize what had happened. Esen’s army would then descend upon them, placing Juyong Pass in grave danger.
But Zhu Yuanzhang’s daring strategy depended precisely on exploiting that brief window. In the previous life, Esen had fought at Beijing for only five days before hastily withdrawing. This time, with Zhu Yuanzhang ruling as Son of Heaven and the defenses better prepared, Esen would batter himself bloody against the capital’s walls and retreat even sooner.
Knowing every moment mattered, Zhu Yuanzhang did not hesitate. After recovering Juyong Pass and allowing his men a short rest, he marched north, uprooting one Oirat-held town and stronghold after another.
Zhu Qizhen had squandered all the elite troops of the capital garrison. So what?
Zhu Yuanzhang could raise another elite army all the same!
He selected the bravest and most capable men from each regional force and named them his vanguard. In reality, he was breaking apart units from every corner of the realm and reorganizing them into a fierce army that belonged entirely to Zhu Yuanzhang and obeyed him alone.
Once the relief armies from across the country arrived, and once the truly exceptional soldiers had been reforged through blood, fire, and battle against the Oirats, this force would expand tenfold, a hundredfold, almost overnight. In a matter of days, there would be another elite capital garrison!
People said the Huai region had produced an extraordinary wealth of talent. Yet the vast Central Plains held countless lands blessed with outstanding men. Was the fortune of Huai truly so much better than everywhere else?
Ultimately, the difference was that Huai had produced Zhu Yuanzhang!
What he had accomplished once, he had no reason to fail at in this life.
…
That day, Esen had led his forces toward Beijing after taking White Sheep Pass and Zijing Pass in succession. Convinced victory was assured and the capital already his, he had instead run headfirst into the iron wall that was Yu Qian. After several fruitless days of assault, and with relief troops from across the Great Ming about to arrive, Esen feared being surrounded. He had no choice but to take Zhu Qizhen and withdraw in bitter frustration.
Yu Qian, Shi Heng, and the others had not returned home even at night, instead pitching tents beside the city wall to rest nearby. When they saw the Oirats lower their banners and depart in defeat, joy lit every face, and cheers erupted along the walls.
Yu Qian closed his eyes as tears streamed down his cheeks. Sweeping aside his robe, he knelt in the direction of Emperor Taizu’s mausoleum. “Yu Qian has not failed his charge!”
After rising, he sent someone to the Imperial Ancestral Temple with the glad tidings, then calmly redeployed the army to pursue the Oirats.
Esen’s retreat sent the court and the people into jubilation. Confined within the palace, the Empress Dowager brightened at the news, only to burst into tears when she learned that Esen had taken her son away once more.
They had been so close, both within Beijing, yet mother and son had missed each other just like that. How could her heart not break?
Yu Qian met with Hu Ying, Wang Zhi, and the other senior ministers. The great crisis was over and the court was safe. Meeting again after surviving catastrophe filled them with relief. After exchanging a few words, they prepared to go together to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and escort the emperor back to the palace. Just then, a messenger rushed in.
“Minister Yu, disaster! Esen has come back!”
Yu Qian’s expression changed drastically. “What?!”
His face instantly darkened. Without another word, he strode outside. “Prepare my horse! Put the whole city on alert!”
Yu Qian climbed the walls, while Shi Heng was dragged away from the victory banquet. Frost covered their faces and their brows knotted as they watched a swarm of Oirat soldiers surge toward the capital like a tide of locusts. Gradually, however, confusion replaced their alarm.
“Their formation is in disarray,” Yu Qian said.
Shi Heng frowned. “They do not look as though they have come to fight.”
Several minutes passed.
The two men looked at each other in bewilderment. “Why does it seem like someone chased them back here?!”
Hu Ying appeared from nowhere and narrowed his eyes. “Something about this does seem wrong.”
Wang Zhi folded his hands into his sleeves. “I think so too.”
Shi Heng said, “Should we send someone to ask His Majesty’s will? The matter is of great importance…”
“There is no need.” One of the defending generals had followed the emperor from Luoyang to Beijing. He coughed and said, “Before entering the Imperial Ancestral Temple, His Majesty entrusted state affairs to the minister he trusted above all others. A trivial matter like this could never shake His Majesty’s faith in that lord!”
Yu Qian suddenly cleared his throat.
Hu Ying lowered his eyes with dignified restraint.
Wang Zhi stroked his beard serenely.
Each man felt that the red scarf across his chest had somehow grown brighter.