Chapter 871
The Fall of the Emperor
Outside Datong City, banners fluttered, and a massive army pressed in, a dark, imposing mass.
The Oirat army continued to advance, and scouts from all directions rushed to report.
"Report! An army of approximately 50,000 is approaching from about 50 li west of the city!"
"Report—Oirat infantry are approaching from the left and right flanks outside the North Gate. They have already crossed the twenty-mile mark and will arrive soon!"
Kuang Ye stared intently at the Oirat army that had stopped outside the moat, knowing that this time was different from the previous ones.
"The last operation angered Esen." Kuang Ye had a headache, but he didn't regret it. He just regretted that the operation failed to bring the emperor out and that Pan Jun was seriously injured.
Chen Huai, with his sharp eyes, spotted the emperor being pushed to the front and rushed to the city wall, clenching his fists: "It's His Majesty!"
Cao Nai looked in the direction of the sound and felt a great pain in his heart.
The group then saw the emperor's sleeve being torn off by a Oirat man as he was pushed forward, his face turning pale.
When the news reached the city, the civil and military officials who had been organizing the soldiers below the city walls scrambled up to the top. Seeing the emperor, who was even more disheveled than before, they burst into tears: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty—"
The Oirat people seemed to think the excitement wasn't enough, so they brought over two sheep and started pulling at the emperor, trying to strip him of his clothes.
The ministers and soldiers on the city wall turned pale and glared angrily at those below.
Chen Huai finally couldn't take it anymore and screamed wildly. He turned around and knelt down in front of Kuang Ye: "General, please give me troops, I will go to save His Majesty!"
The other generals also knelt down, their eyes bloodshot: "A subject dies for his sovereign! We are willing to die for Your Majesty rather than let Your Majesty suffer such humiliation!"
The Oirat people are about to perform the sheep-leading ceremony for Your Majesty. Since the Jin and Yuan dynasties, this has been a disgrace to the Han people. How can the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty accept such an insult?
At this moment, everyone on the city wall wished they could jump down and fight the Oirat people, even if it meant being torn to pieces.
The courtiers were furious, their eyes red as they glared at Kuang Ye, waiting for his order.
Kuang Ye clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot, almost drawing blood, but he had to endure it and said, "His Majesty is in their hands..."
At this time, news of the new emperor being established in the court was still on its way. The officials standing on the city tower were unaware that just yesterday, Ma Shun, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and an accomplice of Wang Zhen, was beaten to death in the main hall. The senior officials, led by Yu Qian, decided to support Zhu Qiyu to succeed to the throne, and had just persuaded the Empress Dowager to issue an imperial edict that evening.
This very morning, the imperial edict was read aloud in the main hall, and the Ministry of Rites selected another auspicious day to enthrone the new emperor. At this moment, the envoys who were to read the imperial edict to all sides rode out of the capital and headed to various places.
Among them, the northern envoy carrying two imperial edicts was galloping towards the Great Wall. Once they crossed the Great Wall, they would separate, one carrying the edict to Xuanfu and the other to Datong.
The imperial edict bore not only the Empress Dowager's seal but also the Emperor's seal.
First, the Empress Dowager informed everyone that she had appointed Prince Zhu Qiyu of Cheng as the new emperor. Then, the new emperor ordered all passes to be firmly guarded and that not a single Oirat soldier should be allowed to enter.
Since they had not yet received this news, Zhu Qizhen was regarded as the emperor and father by the officials. The Oirat Mongols, holding the emperor, held the lifeline of the Ming Dynasty in their eyes.
They could close the city gates, but they couldn't send troops to repel the enemy. If they harmed the emperor, they would be guilty beyond redemption.
Kuang Ye bit his lip, remaining silent. Cao Nai, recovering from his dizziness, glanced at the emperor who was struggling and unwilling to be bound, then grabbed Kuang Ye, his lips trembling slightly as he said, "If the founding emperor knew this from beyond the grave..."
The two old ministers immediately burst into tears.
Cao Nai swallowed his grief, wiped away a tear, and said in a deep voice, "We must make some preparations."
Kuang Ye, his eyes bloodshot, said, "Your Majesty cannot fight here, but you can fight on both flanks outside the West Gate. Men—" "No!" Chen Huai regained his senses and stopped him, saying, "We can let the Oirat outside the West Gate go, but we cannot fight on both flanks. Otherwise, once they coordinate, the men we send out will be surrounded and never return."
He said in a deep voice, "We cannot put our soldiers in danger just to vent our anger." It would be a pointless struggle, unable to gain an inch of land or reclaim the emperor, and would only demoralize them.
Kuang Ye came to her senses and made other arrangements.
Chen Huai silently helped with troop deployment.
Just then, a clear cry came from mid-air, and everyone looked up.
Then a large bird flew in from the northwest, and in the distance, it seemed that a person was standing on the bird.
The soldiers on both sides heard this and looked up at the sky, their faces showing surprise.
The emperor, whose clothes had been torn in half, immediately gathered them up and covered them tightly before looking up at the sky.
The black dot rapidly approached, and strangely enough, the emperor's eyes became clear, allowing him to see people in the distant sky.
The other person was wearing a bird mask that covered their face, revealing only their eyes.
The two men gazed at each other across the sky. The other man was dressed in Mongolian clothing, his hair was braided and pulled back, and he was of medium height but had an upright posture. He must have been a handsome man.
Zhu Qizhen felt that his eyes were familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before.
Before he could react, the other man raised a bow in his sight, an arrow appeared in his hand, he nocked the arrow, drew the bow fully, and pointed the arrow at him.
Zhu Qizhen's pupils contracted sharply, his heart pounded, and everything seemed to slow down under his gaze. In that moment, he felt as if everyone around him had disappeared, and only he and the other person remained in the world...
In that instant, the arrow tore through the air and shot toward him with earth-shattering force.
Esen, who was sitting on his chariot, stood up the moment the bird and the man appeared. Before he could figure out the man's identity, he saw him nock an arrow and draw his bow. He was greatly alarmed, took two steps forward, and shouted, "Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!"
However, even faster than him was the arrow. The arrow descended from the clouds with the force of thunder, piercing the emperor's heart with overwhelming force.
Zhu Qizhen only heard a soft "plop" sound, and belatedly felt the pain in his heart. He looked down at his ripped heart, then stared blankly up at the person in the sky.
It's Pan Yun!
Zhu Qizhen opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
He stared blankly at the people in the sky, looking completely bewildered. Why?
Why would someone who was trying so hard to save him yesterday want to kill him today?
Zhu Qizhen fell backward to the ground with a thud, the last scene showing a clear blue sky.
It's strange. When we left the camp today, the sky was gloomy with dark clouds hanging low, making us feel uncomfortable and depressed. How come the sky has cleared up now?
Zhu Qizhen slowly closed his eyes. He knew it must be because the Ming Dynasty was no longer a threat.
A slight smile played on his lips. His heart, which had been burning like a raging fire since his capture, was now soothed. He no longer had to struggle between life and death.
I wonder who the next emperor will be—his uncle, the Prince of Xiang, or his second brother?
Can they wash away the shame of the Ming Dynasty?
As his last thought vanished, the Oirat men pounced on him, spreading their arms to block him while shaking him violently, trying to wake him up.
On the city wall, the ministers roared in anger, unable to contain themselves any longer, and rushed down from the city wall.
Kuang Ye roared and shouted, "Open the city gates! Retrieve His Majesty's body! Retrieve it!" (End of Chapter)