Chapter 853
Killing Wang Zhen
From the start of the northern expedition until the emperor officially took over command, the army was constantly losing, including renowned generals and nobles such as Zhu Yong, Wu Kezhong, Jing Yuan, and Xue Shou. Zhu Yong and Song Ying, among others, were even killed in battle.
This made the emperor doubt the abilities of the Ming generals, and his dissatisfaction with the Duke of Ying, who had always denied his abilities, reached its peak.
Wang Zhen was also dissatisfied with the British.
Avoiding the crowd, Wang Zhen whispered to the emperor, "The Duke of Ying is indeed a hero, but he is an old hero and too conservative in his actions. The entire army admires him, and all the generals regard him as the best in the army. Since the start of the campaign, most officials have listened to his opinions. Have they ever won a battle against Your Majesty?"
The young emperor forgot that although the Duke of England had been making suggestions, the actual command was in Wang Zhen's hands, and the army had never truly listened to the Duke of England's advice.
At this moment, his mind was filled with the British Duke's repeated expressions of anger.
Wang Zhen was different. He commanded his army secretly, or by subtly influencing the emperor to issue orders according to his own ideas.
He was quiet and unassuming, doing his work in peace. When he lost, he would pretend nothing had happened, and when he won, he would flatter the emperor.
As the emperor recalled this, his mind was filled with the chattering of the Duke of Ying, Cao Nai, and others, the daily reports of their defeats, and the humiliation he had endured during this period.
This humiliation stirred up his sense of shame, making him unwilling to recall it; all he could see were the winning streak of the past two days.
He personally commanded four battles in two days, and won them all!
Was it that the Oirat army was too strong and they were truly no match for them, or were they too incompetent and their command failed, yet they blamed me for it?
The emperor's expression shifted constantly, and anger rose from the bottom of his heart.
He once again refused to heed the British Prime Minister's advice.
That night, dark clouds covered the sky, and a scout rushed in in a panic to report: "A large Oirat army of about 20,000 has been spotted to the east..."
"Report—Oirat troops, numbering over ten thousand, have been spotted to the north..."
"Report! Oirat troops have been spotted to the west and south! Your Majesty, we are surrounded!"
The emperor stood up abruptly, incredulous: "How could this be? Where are the Wu brothers? Weren't they blocking the enemy in the north? And Yang Hong, how did he stop so many enemy troops from crossing Xuanfu? And in the west... what about Jingyuan? He was guarding Yaoling, how could he have let the enemy come over?"
The Duke of England hurriedly asked, "How many enemy troops are there on the west and south sides?"
Scout: "It's too dark to see clearly, but there are probably more than ten thousand people."
After a moment's thought, the British general said, "We're going too far north. The Oirat army can bypass Jingyuan and go around from behind Yaoling. Also, there's been no news from Jingyuan for two days. I wonder..."
Everyone's heart sank.
As for the Wu brothers, the Duke of Ying didn't ask, but he knew in his heart that with so many Oirat troops surrounding them from the north, their chances of survival were slim.
What concerned him was the south. The Duke of England's gaze darkened: "Since Yang Jun was ordered to provide support north of Huailai City, how could he allow a force of Oirat troops to circle around to our rear?"
He had always been certain he could get the emperor out of here, but now he was uncertain. Wang Zhen was also somewhat flustered and hurriedly said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, we are not far from Xuanfu, which is guarded by a large imperial army. The Oirat army to the north only numbers around ten thousand. Perhaps we should break through from the north..."
The Duke of England suddenly raised his head, finally losing his patience. He drew his sword from his waist in a flash, took three steps in two, and swiftly thrust it into Wang Zhen's chest with a soft thud.
Wang Zhen stared wide-eyed at the British Duke with an incredulous expression.
The Duke of England's sudden move startled the Emperor, who was paralyzed with fear as he stared at the Duke in shock: "You, you, Duke of England, are you planning a rebellion?"
The Duke of England, his face ashen, looked at the Emperor with a pained expression: "Your Majesty, are you still going to be manipulated by this eunuch?"
The Duke of Ying could no longer contain his anger: "Brothers Wu Kezhong went to intercept the pursuing Oirat army for the sake of the main force. In order to draw away the main force approaching from the west, Jingyuan fought against the Oirat army at Yaoling. At this time, the main force should have headed south as agreed, avoiding the Oirat pursuit all the way! But you have repeatedly listened to this eunuch's instigation and kept going deeper into the enemy's trap. Even today, are you still going to listen to his reckless advice and go deeper into the trap?"
The young emperor's hand trembled, and he hurriedly looked around, only to find that the civil and military officials in the tent were unmoved, and even lowered their eyes to avoid his gaze.
Wang Zhen was stabbed through the chest by a sword, but he did not die. In a panic, he pulled out the sword, fell to the ground, and crawled to the emperor's side, grabbing the emperor's trouser leg.
The Duke of England, however, was unwilling to give up. He drew his sword and chased after Wang Zhen, angrily raising it to stab him. After more than a dozen stabs, Wang Zhen was almost reduced to a pile of minced meat.
The courtiers stared in disbelief, completely unprepared for the fact that Wang Zhen, who had been so domineering towards them just moments before, had been reduced to mincemeat by the Duke of Ying's sword.
The emperor's hands and feet turned cold, and in his fright, he was unable to utter a sound for a moment.
Only then did the Imperial Guards outside the tent, sensing something was wrong, rush in. Seeing the horrific scene, they were at a loss for what to do and could only draw their swords and surround the emperor, watching the Duke of Ying warily.
The Duke of England did not continue, but instead took three steps back, sword in hand, and stared at the pale-faced emperor across the Imperial Guards.
"Your Majesty, do you really still believe that your command was correct?"
The emperor's face was pale.
The Duke of Yingguo said with deep sorrow, "We have not heard from Brother Wu Kezhong yet. I am afraid he is in grave danger. Yaoling is dangerous, the Northern Yuan cavalry is formidable, and Jingyuan is likely to be in danger as well... What alarms this old minister is that the Oirat have actually sent a large army across Yang Hong's defenses to block our southern border. This is the second time this has happened."
The Duke of England said with a heavy heart, "This means that Yang Jun's pre-prepared reinforcement line has not worked. At this time, we do not know the situation in Xuanfu, nor the situation of Yang Hong. How dare we talk about heading north when we know nothing? The military strategies that this eunuch spouts are like farts, but His Majesty smells them as fragrant. How can this old minister not be angry, how can he not be heartbroken!"
Now that they're surrounded on all sides, can't you see that their retreat these past two days is a ploy to lure the enemy deeper into their territory?
The emperor retorted sharply, "Duke of England, are you going to rebel because of this?"
"I will not rebel." The Duke of England calmly took two steps back and said in a deep voice, "I am here to teach His Majesty that everyone has their own expertise. In governing the country, the civil officials should be consulted, and in war, the military generals should be consulted! As an emperor, you don't need to be an expert in everything; you just need to know how to use people!"
The emperor seemed to realize that the Duke of England truly had no intention of rebelling, and immediately pointed angrily at the Duke of England, saying, "You killed my teacher in front of me, isn't that rebellion?"
The Duke of England knelt on one knee, sword in hand, and said with deep sorrow, "Your Majesty, I will serve Your Majesty and the Ming Dynasty with all my heart! But before that, I must take Your Majesty out!"
The civil and military officials, who had been silent until now, also knelt down, looking at the emperor with sorrowful eyes: "Your Majesty, Wang Zhen's death is not a pity. Please take care of yourself!" (End of this chapter)