Chapter 877

Yexian was not so easily defeated; capturing the Emperor had been a lucky bonus, and now that the Emperor was dead, their situation had merely returned to its starting point.

Yexian had unified all the steppe tribes, and their fighting spirit was at its peak; combined with the Mongol cavalry's unmatched prowess and Yexian's own superior mobile tactics, they were formidable.

Emerging from the low morale of losing Zhu Qizhen as a hostage, Yexian swiftly adjusted his tactics, using cavalry mobility to sneak behind the Ming army once more and launch a pincer attack…

In addition, Mongol cavalry units harassed the Ming army in waves, striking and fleeing before the Ming could pursue, and once the Ming ranks grew disordered, they either sent infantry to slaughter them or turned back to cut through again, shattering the Ming forces completely.

For five consecutive days, the Ming army suffered more defeats than victories, their morale severely damaged by the loss of the Emperor's body and the failure to drive the Oirat forces back fifty li.

Zhu Qiyu arrived at Datong Prefecture with his main army at this moment.

When ministers like Kuang Ye saw Zhu Qiyu among the reinforcements, their eyes nearly popped out; they all knelt down: "Your Majesty—how have you come here? The precedent of the late Emperor…"

Zhu Qiyu's eyes were slightly red; he hurried forward to help them up and said: "My elder brother's vengeance remains unavenged—how could I sit safely in Jingcheng?"

Zhu Qiyu had not yet ascended the throne; he postponed his coronation, deciding to wait until after this war.

Yet though he had not been crowned, with the Empress Dowager's edict, the approval of court ministers, and his role as Regent, he was already a de facto Emperor.

He instructed all ministers to continue addressing him as Prince Cheng or Regent Prince.

Zhu Qiyu's arrival greatly boosted the morale of the border troops; everyone knew he was the next Emperor.

But they were also filled with dread.

Yet soon, Zhu Qiyu revealed qualities entirely unlike his brother's.

He sat in the command tent, rarely speaking first; he listened to his ministers' debates, then made decisions, occasionally asking Yu Qian's opinion twice.

Yu Qian was the Regional Commander of this campaign; after he spoke up at the grand court meeting, Zhu Qiyu placed great trust in him, and to legitimize his command, promoted him to Minister of War.

Kuang Ye, the former Minister of War, became the ex-Minister.

Yet with the Emperor captured, all officials accompanying the imperial carriage were guilty of negligence; Kuang Ye had no heart to contest this.

Seeing the anxious faces of the imperial attendants, Zhu Qiyu said: "I know you fear I will follow my elder brother's fate and meet danger."

"But our Great Ming Emperor was murdered by barbarians; our nation's gates were breached. If this vengeance goes unavenged, all foreign tribes will believe Great Ming is weak—and even if I ascend the throne, the state will never know peace."

The ministers fell silent.

Zhu Qizhen had raised this argument repeatedly during the Luchuan campaign, but most civil officials disagreed, calling it reckless militarism.

Yet now, after this northern campaign's catastrophic defeat and facing the Oirat army directly, the ministers finally understood what the Duke of Ying had declared in court years ago: "Barbarians fear power, not virtue; Luchuan was merely a test. Constant appeasement only convinces all quarters that Great Ming is vulnerable."

Many ministers were numb, exhausted daily by routine duties; but men like Kuang Ye, Cao Nai, and Chen Huai, no matter how weary, reflected on themselves, on the court, and on the late Emperor.

Cao Nai had changed his stance these past two days: the Luchuan campaign should have been fought, but not this way—it had sparked peasant uprisings, destabilized governance, and neglected northern defenses, allowing the Oirats to exploit the weakness.

Kuang Ye looked at the solemn Prince Cheng and sighed: "Your Highness, how do you intend to fight this war?"

Zhu Qiyu replied seriously: "I have never commanded troops. I defer to Minister Yu and the generals. But if I am needed, I am willing to serve as vanguard."

The ministers frowned, wanting to speak but holding back.

Zhu Qiyu raised his hand to stop them and said first: "I know your fears—I will not be captured by the Oirats. If I fall into enemy hands, I will kill myself. You may then install another Emperor."

He smirked slightly: "I have a living uncle of the imperial bloodline. My uncle has three sons. Beyond them, our Zhu clan has countless relatives. I do not believe he can exterminate us all!"

The ministers were stirred deeply; their fighting spirit ignited, and they wholeheartedly embraced his personal campaign.

Mostly because Zhu Qiyu truly listened to others.

Yu Qian, knowing of their repeated defeats, ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Imperial Guards to escort Zhu Qiyu to boost troop morale with a speech, then convened with the ministers to devise new tactics against the Oirats.

Yu Qian had studied their five-day battle reports and believed they should not pursue the Oirats.

"The Oirat cavalry's mobility is too great; chasing them is using our weakness against their strength," Yu Qian said gravely. "In war, use your strength against their weakness."

Since Yexian had no intention of retreating, they would hold the city.

Yu Qian said: "Let us outlast them."

Of course, it was not merely a test of patience; the reinforcements had brought vast quantities of firearms, and Yu Qian planned to launch a surprise artillery strike.

The army began a slow retreat.

Yexian had apparently learned of Zhu Qiyu's arrival in Datong; he immediately ordered his army to advance toward Datong.

He sneered: "The Emperor died here. Now the Prince Cheng dares come himself? I respect him as a man! He comes at the perfect time—one Emperor gone, another Regent captured—perfect!"

Yexian had absolute confidence in his cavalry's mobility; he chased the retreating Ming forces toward Datong's walls—only to walk into an ambush.

It was the first time the Oirat cavalry had been successfully ambushed.

Previously, Kuang Ye and others had tried—but were always discovered at the critical moment.

The explosives detonated, shaking Datong city twenty li away; countless rocks tumbled down; horses screamed as Oirat cavalry, trapped between mountains and forests, were thrown from their mounts and trampled…

This was only one battle.

The next day, Yexian's army broke through Datong's northwest defenses, encircling the West Gate, while the North Gate also came under urgent attack.

Yu Qian stationed the main force at the North Gate and personally took command at the West Gate.

As Yexian's army finished assembling, before they could taunt or insult, Yu Qian gave the order—hidden firearms beyond the walls revealed themselves; cannons and countless rockets slammed into the Oirat ranks.

Horses, even warhorses, could not withstand the thunder of cannons and endless rockets; screams erupted, men and horses tumbled in chaos.

At this moment, Zhu Qiyu stood atop the city wall.

But he was only there for show; ministers still bore trauma from the Emperor's capture, so the moment he appeared, they pulled him down and respectfully escorted him back to his residence.

Seeing the cannons and rockets strike from behind and the side, Yexian realized the Ming had positioned their firearms outside the city; he immediately dispatched two units to destroy the artillery camp.

They charged toward the source of the fire—only to meet ambush troops halfway.

At that moment, the waterfall of artillery fire ceased; Chen Huai and Zhu Mian each led a force to attack from the flanks…

Simultaneously, the city gates swung open; troops wielding firelocks surged out, joining Chen Huai and Zhu Mian in a pincer assault…

Yexian retreated in defeat from the West Gate; only then did he realize the seemingly impregnable northwest defense had been a feint—the Ming had foreseen his attack on the West Gate and pre-positioned artillery outside it.

Zhu Qiyu was pulled back to his residence; though disappointed, he was not angry. As he turned toward his study, he looked up—and saw a figure standing on the roof.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards startled, drawing their swords in unison: "Who are you? How dare you—"