allonlinenovel Chapter 7 The Defense of Beijing
Chapter 7 The Defense of Beijing
"What preparations did Yu Qian mainly make after taking on the heavy responsibility of defending Beijing?"
"Firstly, in terms of troop strength and provisions, he first mobilized the reserve troops in the two capitals and Henan, the anti-Japanese pirate troops in Shandong and Nanjing, and the grain transport troops in Jiangbei and various prefectures of Beijing to guard the capital. At the same time, he also requisitioned 500 large carts to transport grain from Tongzhou to the capital. By this time, the number of people participating in the defense of Beijing had reached 220,000."
"In terms of weapons and logistics, Yu Qian ordered the Ministry of Works to speed up production and transferred two-thirds of the weapons stored in Nanjing to the capital for emergency use. On the other hand, he also did not forget to send people to retrieve the weapons and armor abandoned at Tumu Fortress. You have to admit, this move was brilliant. According to records, more than 9000 helmets, more than 5000 pieces of armor, more than 11,000 muskets, more than 20,000 firearms, 440,000 rockets, and more than 800 cannons were obtained."
"But even if these problems are solved, there is still an important issue we must not forget: the main generals have already passed away at Tumu Fortress, so who will lead the troops? Can we rely on Yu Qian, a civil official?"
"In response to this problem, Yu Qian cleverly came up with a solution: to use deserters. After the defeat at Tumu Fortress, many people fled the battlefield, among whom the most valiant general was Shi Heng."
Lin Ke sighed with a hint of resentment, "Even Yu Qian probably never imagined that someone he selected would kill him years later. But I don't think he would regret it even if he knew."
Yongle period
Zhu Di knew that Yu Qian was a good man, but he never expected that the Battle of Tumu alone would put the Ming Dynasty on the brink of extinction. Even the First Emperor could not withstand the devastation of the Second Emperor of Qin, let alone the previous dynasty which was not without its spendthrift sons.
Hey Zhu Qiyu, don't let us down... If you're a good guy, we might make your brother step down!
"I mentioned before that Zhu Qizhen had a great title called 'Gate Emperor.' So how did this strategy come about? It was mainly thanks to a eunuch from our Ming Dynasty, Xi Ning, who, after the disastrous defeat at Tumu Fortress, defected to the enemy without hesitation, thus contributing to Esen's plan to march south."
Zhu Qizhen: Open the door, I am the emperor!
Yang Hong: I'm not home...
Guo Deng: I only know how to defend the city; I know nothing else.
"In this way, Datong and Xuanfu successfully infuriated Esen. After about a month of turmoil, our Junior Protector Yu was almost ready. It just goes to show that sometimes you have to rely on the right timing, location, and people."
"When Esen saw that he could not subdue the two generals guarding the city, he took Zhu Qizhen to Zijing Pass. It was because of the betrayal of this traitorous eunuch that Zijing Pass fell and the generals Sun Xiang and Han Qing were killed in battle. Thus the defense of the capital officially began."
"On the eleventh day of the tenth month of the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, Esen led the Oirat cavalry to approach Beijing."
"At this time, when Yu Qian was deploying his troops, he realized a problem: he had 220,000 troops, while Beijing had nine gates, meaning each gate required more than 20,000 men. If he attacked one gate first, there would be no time to defend the others, and Beijing would be in grave danger!"
"First of all, Shi Heng proposed to hold the city walls and fight a war of attrition with Esen. This was opposed by Yu Qian. He believed that more than 200,000 men should be divided into nine corps and assigned to eight generals to meet the enemy outside the nine gates of the city. Yu Qian was stationed at Desheng Gate, which is the northernmost of the nine gates of Beijing and the first place where Esen would appear. This shows Yu Qian's sense of responsibility and courage."
"Yu Qian once issued an order before the army went into battle: 'A general who retreats without regard for his soldiers will be executed; soldiers who retreat without regard for their general will have their rear ranks executed.' This shows that this was a life-or-death struggle, where victory meant life and defeat meant death. How could a scholar have such courage to plan and command a war without being admirable!"
Yongle period
Zhu Di's eyes were a little moist, as if he could hear Yu Qian's shouts.
He never imagined that more than thirty years later, the Ming Dynasty would face the prospect of extinction. It's no wonder that he and Zhu Yuanzhang, father and son, thought of the same thing.
"On the other side, Esen was overconfident after the victory at Tumu Fortress. He thought that his group of old, weak and disabled soldiers could not possibly achieve anything."
First, he dispatched a thousand cavalry to attack Xizhimen, expecting another decisive victory. However, he was met with a sudden and fierce charge of Ming soldiers, catching the Oirat forces completely off guard.
"At this very moment, our great traitor happy Ning is once again putting his remaining influence to good use. He suggested placing Zhu Qizhen in the most conspicuous position and sending someone to notify the Ming Dynasty to come and pick him up, so that they could negotiate terms for peace. I'm telling you, is Zhu Qizhen just a brick to you? You can move him wherever you need him?"
"I'm not afraid of my opponent being too stupid, I'm afraid of being too smart. Our Yu Qian has come up with another plan."
Our Ming Dynasty first sent two officials of the fourth rank to Esen for diplomacy. Unsurprisingly, Esen resolutely refused. "Why should I, the Grand Tutor, be treated like a mere fourth-rank official? Are you looking down on me? I won't accept it! Unless it's someone like Yu Qian."