The God of War at Tumu Fortress

Soon, under Zhu Di’s arrangements, a group of maids and eunuchs carried many exquisite dishes and delicacies to the location.

Beneath a certain tree, Zhu Di had a large table set up and arranged for everyone to take their seats.

Zhou Ping’an and Zhu Gaochi, along with those later-generation technical personnel, went to survey the terrain in the vicinity for work such as reconnaissance.

“Master, you mentioned last time that Gaochi and Zhanji’s ‘Rule of Ren and Xuan’ only lasted eleven years?” Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Qin Ning nodded. “Indeed. The Rule of Ren and Xuan is considered the most prosperous period of the Great Ming. What a pity it only continued for eleven years.”

“Eleven years? Though regrettable, it’s still quite something. What came after? Even if the later rulers weren’t as capable as Gaochi and Zhanji, they shouldn’t have been much worse, right?” Upon learning of his son and grandson’s achievements, Zhu Di’s face still showed consolation.

“Not much worse?”

Qin Ning chuckled. “Then you’re mistaken.”

“After the Rule of Ren and Xuan, the Great Ming turned from prosperity to decline. The Zhengtong reign directly squandered all the foundations laid by your ancestors.”

“What? They wasted the foundations built by generations of ancestors?”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di flew into a rage. “Who? Which unfilial descendant?”

Zhu Yuanzhang furrowed his brow, his expression likewise sour. “Master, what exactly happened during the Zhengtong reign?”

“Emperor Zhengtong, Zhu Qizhen, was the eldest son of Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji, born in the second year of Xuande. This emperor was no ordinary figure. After Li Jinglong, he was hailed by later generations as another ‘War God of the Great Ming,’ a legendary character.”

“War God of the Great Ming?”

Hearing that title, Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyelids twitched.

He had already learned from Qin Ning why Li Jinglong had been called the War God of the Great Ming.

It was far from a compliment—it was a derogatory nickname.

“In later generations, Zhu Qizhen had quite a few titles,” Qin Ning said with a smile. “Emperor Zhengtong, War God of the Great Ming, Emperor Yingzong, Fortress Lord, Gate-Calling Emperor, and also a Mongolian exchange student.”

“What? One single Zhu Qizhen, and he has so many titles?” Zhu Di frowned deeply.

Because most of these titles sounded like they boded ill.

“Let’s start with ‘Emperor Zhengtong,’ which is simply his reign name, followed by ‘War God of the Great Ming.’ Old Zhu, Zhu Laosi, you both know Li Jinglong’s record, so you should understand—this ‘War God’ title is hardly glorious.”

“What exactly did he do?” Zhu Yuanzhang felt a sinking dread.

Qin Ning took a moment to organize his thoughts, then began. “In the fourteenth year of Zhengtong, Ming Emperor Yingzong, Zhu Qizhen, personally led an expedition against the Oirat Mongols, commanding a massive army of 500,000 northward. The eunuch Wang Zhen, as the director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, accompanied the campaign. Relying on the emperor’s favor, he sidelined the military officers, monopolized the route decisions and battle deployments, and essentially wielded the authority of the commanding general.”

“What? A eunuch? The commanding general?”

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di both exploded with fury.

“That unfilial descendant! A eunuch! He dared to let a eunuch hold such immense power!”

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the table and continued, “How many dynasties have fallen because of eunuch tyranny? The most famous example is Zhao Gao of the Qin dynasty—a clear historical lesson…”

“Hey, Old Zhu, we’re talking about your Great Ming here. Why drag my Qin dynasty into this?” Qin Shi Huang interjected, exasperated.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled awkwardly. “Apologies, Brother Zheng. Got carried away. Don’t mind me.”

Turning back to Qin Ning, he said, “Master, even if this Zhu Qizhen let a eunuch seize power—a terrible mistake—the Great Ming still sent 500,000 troops north. Even with some minor command flaws, the small Oirat tribes…”

“If it were only minor flaws, that would be one thing,” Qin Ning said, shaking his head.

“But Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen were simply too absurd. Their decisions were disastrous.”

“As the saying goes, ‘Feed the army before moving the troops.’ Before setting out, Zhu Qizhen made no preparations, and the army was hastily assembled with no prior planning. During the march, Wang Zhen, to show off and satisfy his vanity, ordered the army to detour through his hometown.”

“That alone was bad enough, but on the way, Wang Zhen also ordered multiple detours to prevent the army from trampling the crops in his home village. These back-and-forth movements wasted a tremendous amount of precious time and exhausted the troops.”

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di were both livid. “Damn that Wang Zhen! Damn that eunuch! Damn that Zhu Qizhen!”

Qin Ning continued. “By the time they reached Tumu Fort, the army was already exhausted from hunger and fatigue. Yet Wang Zhen ignored the generals’ advice and insisted on encamping there.”

“Tumu Fort was located on high ground with no water. The only river was fifteen li to the south. Oirat troops quickly seized that water source and laid siege to the Ming army. The Ming forces were cut off from water for days. They dug two zhang deep but found no spring. Morale crumbled, and combat effectiveness hit rock bottom.”

“Finally, when the army attempted to move camp to find water, the Oirat launched a full assault. The Ming forces collapsed completely. All 500,000 troops were annihilated, and over fifty high-ranking officials who had accompanied the expedition were killed in action.”

Annihilated.

Over fifty high-ranking officials dead.

These words struck like thunderclaps, exploding in the minds of Zhu Di and Zhu Yuanzhang.

Five hundred thousand troops!

And more than fifty accompanying generals and ministers, wiped out in one fell swoop.

It wasn’t hard to imagine that this was a devastating blow to the Great Ming at the time!

“M-Master, you mentioned earlier that Zhu Qizhen had the title ‘Mongolian exchange student.’ Does that mean…” Zhu Di’s face darkened as a terrifying thought arose.

“Exactly,” Qin Ning nodded. “In the Battle of Tumu Fort, the emperor was captured.”

“What?!”

Zhu Yuanzhang nearly exploded and almost fainted from anger.

“Then what about the origin of the title ‘Gate-Calling Emperor’?” Li Shimin asked while cracking melon seeds.

Qin Ning replied, “The Oirat used the emperor as a hostage to attack the capital. Zhu Qizhen stood beneath the Great Ming city walls and called out to open his own kingdom’s gates.”

“Useless! Worthless! As emperor, not only was he captured, but he helped the enemy call for open surrender of his own capital! Why didn’t he just die on the battlefield?” Zhu Di wished he could travel through time on the spot and execute Zhu Qizhen, this unfilial descendant.

Qin Shi Huang, gnawing on a watermelon, asked, “So did the Great Ming fall after this battle? After all, the Oirat army had already pushed to the heart of the capital.”

“Not quite,” Qin Ning shook his head. He looked at Zhu Di and continued, “At that critical moment, a crucial figure emerged in the Great Ming. I think you might know him.”

“Oh? Who is it?” Zhu Di asked with curiosity.

“Yu Qian,” Qin Ning said. “A third-class jinshi from the nineteenth year of the Yongle era. But at this time, he is likely still on probation or trial employment.”

Zhu Di nodded. “Yu Qian? That name rings a bell. I personally presided over the palace examination in the nineteenth year of Yongle. I summoned all candidates ranked among the third class and above. What did this young man do later?”

“He it was who extended your Great Ming’s lifespan by two hundred years,” Qin Ning said.