Chapter 881

Before Chen Huai shouted at the camp, Yexian had never doubted Aral Zhiyuan.

Since the campaign began, Aral Zhiyuan not only obeyed orders but also achieved repeated extraordinary victories; he did not believe Aral Zhiyuan would ruin his plans.

But… if he still loyally served Toghtoa Bukha, then things might not be so clear.

Yexian asked his confidant: "For Toghtoa Bukha, who is his greatest enemy?"

The confidant said: "Naturally, it is you, Great Khan."

Yexian pondered: "So if they are allies, the one they most want to eliminate is me—this is clearly an attempt to use someone else's knife to kill."

"But that birdman wore the clothing of the Oirat tribe and carried their identity token—doesn't that plainly tell us they did it?"

"Look, just by wearing it, even you suspect someone is framing Aral Zhiyuan—what if they're deliberately doing the opposite?"

The confidant had no rebuttal; after a moment of silence, he said: "Too bad there's no evidence…"

Yexian fell silent, then said: "Send men to monitor Aral Zhiyuan's movements. That birdman is likely from Mingying Sect—Aral Zhiyuan has close ties with Mingying Sect; perhaps they've been in contact recently."

They indeed had contact: Pan Yun took the Mingying Sect's message tube, had Xue Shao imitate the handwriting to forge a letter, then tied the letter and the identity token back onto an eagle's claw.

The eagle was large, capable of carrying heavy loads, and flying six hundred li at night posed no problem.

The letter's content revealed that Mingying Sect had also received news of the Great Ming Emperor's assassination by the birdman—they wrote specifically to inquire about the situation and to distance themselves.

Pan Yun: "They write to Aral Zhiyuan and Sonam Jamtshen to distance themselves, yet make no effort to explain to the Great Ming imperial court—Mingying Sect clearly values the Oirats more."

Xue Shao: "Mingying Sect lies beyond the pass; Yexian's cavalry can reach them in an instant—they naturally fear Yexian more."

Pan Yun snorted, walked to the window with the old eagle, flicked its beak in warning: "Behave yourself, deliver the letter properly, then return to me—try serving Mingying Sect again, and I'll roast you!"

The old eagle looked at her mournfully, struggled to flap its wings once, as if agreeing.

Pan Yun then released it.

The eagle flew to the Oirat camp, circled the sky several times, finally spotted the mark, then swooped down with a swift brush of its wings.

Aral Zhiyuan saw the token tied to the eagle's leg, froze in shock, reached out to catch the bird, then hastily unsealed the message tube.

He had just pulled out the letter, but had not yet opened it, when the tent flap was ripped open—Bayan Temür stormed in with a group of soldiers.

The guards at the entrance failed to stop them and were shoved to the ground.

Aral Zhiyuan's heart lurched; for no reason, he suddenly felt guilty, and instinctively crumpled the letter in his hand, tossing it straight into the nearby brazier.

One of the intruding soldiers lunged forward and snatched half the letter…

Aral Zhiyuan roared: "Bayan Temür, what are you doing?"

Bayan Temür's face was equally furious: "Aral Zhiyuan, what is that in your hand?"

Aral Zhiyuan clenched the identity token in his fist and said coldly: "This is my unit's token—everyone has one. But you, entering my tent without orders—what are you trying to do?"

The letter was half-burned, only fragments visible—but enough to shock the soldiers.

He immediately handed it to Bayan Temür.

Bayan Temür saw the remaining characters and sneered: "I knew you were acting suspiciously, always pushing for retreat—so it was you who killed the Great Ming Emperor!"

Aral Zhiyuan's face turned ashen—he realized he had been trapped, but who set the trap? Bayan Temür was beyond rage, shouting: "Come with me to see the Khan—you must give him an explanation!"

Aral Zhiyuan's eyes flickered, then he roared: "The Khan is still in Dadu—where is there a Khan here?"

Aral Zhiyuan acted instantly, spun around, drew his sword from the table, and charged straight at Bayan Temür…

⊙ttkдn⊙C〇

At dusk, scouts reported: strange fires glowed within the Oirat camp, accompanied by chaotic noise—apparently internal conflict had broken out.

Yu Qian heard this, slightly surprised: "Is framing so effective?"

Chen Huai rubbed his neck, voice hoarse: "Then should I still shout tomorrow?"

Yu Qian glanced at him and dispatched more scouts to continue reconnaissance: "You'd better prepare for an ambush."

On the night of the twenty-sixth day of the ninth month of the Zhengtong tenth year, the Oirat camp mutinied; the Oirat general Aral Zhiyuan led his tribal troops out of camp, and Yexian sent eight thousand soldiers to pursue.

As the camp descended into chaos, Yu Qian ordered Chen Huai, Zhu Mian, and others to charge the camp—the Oirat army collapsed, and Yexian decided to retreat.

They retreated eastward, aiming to link up with the central forces.

Yang Hong also sent word of victory: the central Oirat army had been defeated and was retreating.

On Yu Qian's instructions, Zhu Qiyu immediately ordered Yang Hong to clear all remaining Oirat troops—do not pursue deeply.

Though they longed to kill Yexian, even to march all the way to the Oirat heartland, they could not do so now.

Great Ming cavalry were far inferior to the Oirats; their army was better suited for defending cities.

Matchlocks were relatively light, but the cannons that had played a decisive role in this counterattack were too heavy to move.

The firearm formation could succeed once, but rarely twice.

Yu Qian understood this well.

Moreover, since news of the Emperor's death spread, rebellions in Fujian had intensified rapidly, and forces along the southwestern frontier and foreign states had risen in rebellion—Wang Ji was completely tied down; they must return to the capital immediately, enthrone Prince Cheng, and stabilize the realm.

So they could not pursue.

Only reclaim the defensive lines and reorganize the defenses.

As for the latter, court ministers could only offer advice—the actual implementation depended on local commanders.

Guo Deng had died in battle; it was almost a blessing—the Prince Cheng did not punish his family for concealing military intelligence, but neither did he reward them; thus, the position of Commander of Datong was left vacant.

Prince Cheng was troubled, unsure who should take over.

Court ministers all recommended Chen Huai; Yu Qian also thought Chen Huai suitable.

Prince Cheng instinctively looked at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun lifted her gaze and glanced at him lightly; Prince Cheng immediately shelved the matter, and after everyone left, he asked her: "National Teacher, what is wrong with Chen Huai?"

"Among the late Emperor's generals, aside from the Duke of Ying, only Fan Zhong and Wang Ji possessed both martial prowess and virtue; Jing Yuan might have been usable too, but he is a Commandant of the Imperial Guard and an Imperial Son-in-Law," Pan Yun said: "I recall that when Chen Huai was stationed in Sichuan, he was repeatedly impeached for seizing military farmland and acting arrogantly and unlawfully—and was demoted because of it."

If an official were impeached for other offenses, there might still be room for defense—but if a general is impeached for seizing military farmland, the censors must have concrete evidence.

And he was demoted because of it—this confirms the truth, and given Chen Huai's rank and title, the amount of farmland he seized was likely substantial.

Pan Yun said, "Our Great Ming cavalry cannot compare with the Oirats, but during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, we could sweep clean the lands south and north of the desert. How is it that in just over twenty years, we have fallen to such a state, having to drain nearly the entire empire's forces to win by a hair's breadth?"

She said in a low voice, "It takes more than a single day for ice to freeze three feet thick. The failure of the imperial expedition does not rest solely on Wang Zhen and the late Emperor."

What this meant was that Great Ming's military had long since had problems.