Chapter 753 Tumu Fort
The sky was turning pale as Jiang Qingzhi climbed up the stairs. The general on duty was Huang Bai.
"Hello, Uncle." Huang Bai followed Jiang Qingzhi and talked about what happened last night.
"Half an hour ago, enemy scouts approached and were repelled by our patrolling scouts."
"Altan wants to see if I am ready to come out." Jiang Qingzhi smiled, walked to the edge of the city wall, put his hands on the top of the city wall, and raised his eyes.
“If the morning glow is not enough, don’t go out. But if the evening glow is enough, you can travel a thousand miles.” Jiang Qingzhi said, “Last night’s evening glow was quite magnificent. I think today will be a good day to travel a thousand miles.”
"Long Wilbur is in good spirits."
Old Yan is here.
There were also many civil servants accompanying him.
Everyone walked to the top of the city wall, and at this time they could see some black spots moving quickly in the distance.
Soon a scout reported, "My Lord, the enemy cavalry is attacking frantically, covering up our scouts."
"An Da is about to move." Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "I thought he would need a day to regain his morale, it seems I underestimated him. But it doesn't matter, let's do it today!"
The civil servants looked at Yan Song.
"Are you sure it's today?" Yan Song asked.
Jiang Qingzhi nodded, "After receiving the battle report of Luanling Pass, Altan only had two choices: to march south with all his strength, or to withdraw."
"Why withdraw?" someone asked.
Jiang Qingzhi said calmly: "Remember this! I told you that Altan doesn't have much food and grass."
The official blushed.
Yan Song said: "It is impossible for Altan to withdraw his troops."
The old prime minister saw this very accurately.
"If he withdraws without gaining anything, those tribes will become alienated when he returns." Xu Wei said, "So even if Altan has to pawn his underwear, he has to lead those people to the south to rob."
Yan Song looked at Xu Wei with admiration, but he didn't know his character. If he really became his adviser, Yan Shifan would be the first one to not tolerate Xu Wei, not to mention anything else.
"Get ready!" Jiang Qingzhi said, "Prepare for martial law in the city."
"Yes."
"Make breakfast better, and prepare dry food, the best dry food."
"Yes."
The civil servants began to get busy.
The generals went back to reorganize their troops.
"Altan will go south," said Huang Mao.
"He won't go south." Xu Wei glanced at Huang Mao, "This is just a gesture. Did Huang Buzhengshi learn the art of war overnight? Yes, sharpening a spear before a battle is a good idea. However, this matter will be decided by the Lord."
Even though Huang Mao was very cunning, he was still so angry at Xu Wei's sharp tongue that his face turned red.
Jiang Qingzhi didn't have time to deal with all this. He was watching the scouts fighting in the distance.
People kept reporting back, and the news they brought was almost the same.
"An Da has come out in full force."
Jiang Qingzhi ordered: "Let the cavalry attack! Stone!"
"Young Master." Sun Chonglou, who was hiding nearby and eating beef jerky, threw the last piece of jerky into his mouth and smacked his lips. He felt that the beef jerky from Datong was not as delicious as the one made by his master.
"You lead the team." Jiang Qingzhi said, "Remember, kill ruthlessly."
Sun Chonglou suddenly became excited. "Don't worry, Master. I will definitely pull out their intestines."
The cavalry rushed away.
Jiang Qingzhi said: "Let them bring the food up."
Yan Song said, "My breakfast is also delivered here."
Sun Chonglou led his three thousand cavalrymen galloping all the way. When the enemy scouts saw him, their first reaction was to run.
"Asura is here."
"Hahahaha!" Sun Chonglou laughed and caught up with an enemy scout. He casually turned around and the head flew up.
Stimulated by the blood, his eyes gradually turned red, and in front, Altan's cavalry also came.
Three thousand!
Three thousand versus three thousand!
Sun Chonglou roared, "Follow me and drag their intestines out!"
"Wan Sheng!"
Amid cheers, the Ming army charged forward head-on.
The main camp of Altan Khan’s tribe.
At this moment, outside the camp there were a lot of cavalry.
What is the concept of 100,000 cavalry?
The camp stretched on endlessly.
When they gathered together, the men and horses seemed to cover the entire grassland.
This was the largest gathering of foreign tribes on the grassland since the Battle of Tumu.
Altan rode his horse out of the camp surrounded by the crowd.
Everyone turned around and looked at their Khan.
Altan rode his horse quickly through the middle.
He pointed in the direction of Datong City and said, "The enemy is there. Defeat them and seize Datong City. Then I will lead you south to attack the Ming capital, which has no soldiers to defend, and capture the Ming Emperor..."
Yesen's great achievements in the past have long become a legend on the grassland, and countless people are singing about it.
Women and children are well known.
Defeated the Ming army of hundreds of thousands, captured the Ming emperor, and marched to the Ming capital...
Today, they also have the opportunity to recreate that scene.
What’s different is that the capital of the Ming Dynasty is quite empty at this moment.
Only a small force is needed to break into the city.
Even if Yu Qian were reborn, he couldn't stop it!
Everyone knows that the capital of the Ming Dynasty was the richest. The homes of those powerful princes had mountains of money and grain. Once the city was broken, everyone would make a fortune.
"Let's fight today..." Altan drew his sword and pointed it in the direction of Datong City.
He looked solemn, "Tumubao!"
Meng Xian said solemnly: "Tumu Fort!"
"Tumu Fort!"
"Tumu Fort!"
The sound gradually became louder.
"Tumu Fort!"
With this grand voice, the army set out.
……
Tumubao is a small place, a place that no one would have known about if it weren’t for the battle that year.
Jiang Qing had been there in his previous life. I don’t know whether he was there to pay tribute or to do something else. It’s hard to describe that mentality.
He saw the tablets, the ranks and names of the civil and military officials of the deceased country.
He felt a tightness in his chest, as if he had returned to that moment.
Countless enemy troops swarmed in, but the Ming army was panicked and didn't know how to respond. At that moment, the generals' shouts were useless, and the emperor's presence was useless...
It seemed as if there was a huge hand in the dark that held down the emperors and generals of the time, and held down the Ming Dynasty.
A rout followed.
On the city wall, civil and military officials gathered again.
Jiang Qingzhi was looking at the smoke in the distance, and he slowly turned around.
Standing with a sword in hand, he said: "The defeat at Tumu Fort was a turning point in the offensive and defensive situation between the Ming Dynasty and the grasslands, and also a turning point in the fate of the Ming Dynasty. Since then, the north has become a wound for the Ming Dynasty, which continues to bleed."
Because the offensive and defensive situations changed frequently, the Ming Dynasty had to maintain a large army in the north to resist the foreign tribes on the grasslands and had to maintain a huge defense system. The money and grain spent on repairing the Great Wall alone was a huge number every year.
Not to mention having to support a large border army.
It can be said that the Ming Dynasty's national destiny was dragged down by the foreign tribes on the grassland.
"The Ming Dynasty's national fortune gradually declined after that war..."
The civil servants looked at Jiang Qingzhi unkindly.
In their eyes, the Ming Dynasty's national fortune had never declined. As long as the literati could still control the Ming Dynasty, they felt that it was a prosperous era.
As for foreign enemies, what do they have to do with us?
After destroying one Ming Dynasty, a second Ming Dynasty will emerge. We will still be the superior people and the uncrowned emperor of this huge empire.
So, look carefully at those proud declarations in the history books.
——Today is a prosperous era!
You will be puzzled and wonder how the ancients could be so stupid as to fail to see that the country was clearly in decline and surrounded by crises.
Just when you feel a sense of superiority, the ancients have already slapped you in the face silently.
Public opinion is controlled by the literati. If they say this is a prosperous age, then this is a prosperous age.
But what is the standard of a prosperous age?
People in later generations will say: Economically, militarily, politically, culturally... they were all dominant at the time. And no one dared to challenge the central dynasty!
This is the prosperous age.
Do not!
The ancients will tell you.
Those scholars will tell you.
There is only one standard for a prosperous era.
——Who is in control of this huge empire?
It's the emperor!
Then you will see that various records unanimously say that dangers are lurking everywhere.
If you are a scholar-official, you will see that the court is full of righteousness and a prosperous era is coming.
In this era, the only standard for prosperity is that the scholars and officials control the world!
Before the Battle of Tumu, it was the emperor who ruled the Ming Dynasty.
So you may be puzzled, because it is clear that the Ming Dynasty was prosperous during the reign of Emperor Taizu Gao and Emperor Chengzu, and all aspects met the standards of a prosperous era.
But why is it never mentioned in any records?
Because those two emperors suppressed the literati!
"The Ming Dynasty's national fortune has been on a downward spiral since the Battle of Tumu. The downward trend is difficult to stop." Jiang Qingzhi's voice gradually became higher.
The soldiers on the top of the city looked into the distance. There, Sun Chonglou rushed into the enemy army with his sword. He was roaring, shouting, and looking back at the top of the city...
He didn't like to use his brain, but he knew it from the fact that his young master woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't fall asleep again.
"Today, I am invincible!"
"Wan Sheng!"
Three thousand Ming cavalrymen roared and charged forward.
Above the sky, purple dyed the clouds red.
The clouds floated quietly in the sky, as if staring at the fight.
"If we lose today's battle, the Ming Dynasty will never recover!"
Jiang Qingzhi's voice echoed on the top of the city wall, "Don't tell me about the prosperity of the dynasty. Don't tell me about the prosperity of the dynasty. We were beaten like dogs by the foreigners. And you still have the nerve to talk about the prosperity of the dynasty."
Huang Mao's face turned pale, but he found that Yan Song looked solemn.
As the prime minister and an important official in charge of the Ming Dynasty, no one knows the current situation of the Ming Dynasty better than him.
This is not a prosperous age.
More like the beginning of decline.
Just like... a sunset.
"Follow me!"
Jiang Qingzhi pointed outside the city, pointing to the north, "Use courage, use blood, use mountains of corpses and seas of blood... to take it back!"
Amid the sound of horns, smoke and dust appeared in the distance.
"Enemy attack!"
Amid the shouts, Jiang Qingzhi looked at Yan Song and said, "Prime Minister, I'll leave the city to you."
Yan Song smiled and said, "How can you fight for the fate of the Ming Dynasty without me?"
Jiang Qingzhi looked at him and suddenly smiled and said, "Okay!"
He looked at the military generals and civil officials.
Then he strode down the stairs.
Yan Song followed.
Zhang Da stayed behind.
Zhao Wenhua stamped his feet and said, "Godfather, go slower."
The generals retreated in succession.
A civil servant hesitated for a moment, "The city is under martial law, so there is no need for me... Where can I find a knife?"
No one answered him.
The civil official was furious. He drew the long sword from the soldier beside him and followed the military generals with it in his hand.
"Tumubao!" The civil servant turned around and shook his fist at his colleagues, "That was the shame of our generation! Today, we must avenge it!"
"Bring the knife!" a civil servant stretched out his hand.
"I once practiced archery."
One by one, the civil servants walked down from the city wall.
"Tumu Fort!"
"Tumu Fort!"
"Tumu Fort!"
Above the sky, under the purple clouds, a crack suddenly appeared.
It was as if the sky had opened an eye.
"Tumu Fort!"
On the city wall, the place name that brought heartbreak to the Ming Dynasty echoed in countless people’s minds.
(End of this chapter)
