Ming Dynasty: Is a mere unruly commoner rebelling against heaven?

Chapter 24: The Factory Guards Move Out!

In the first month of the tenth year of the Xuande era, the Xuanzong Emperor, only thirty-six years old, suddenly fell ill and died.

The Crown Prince Zhu Qizhen, only eight years old, ascended the throne and became emperor, with the reign title of Zhengtong.

A young ruler and a strong mother are necessary conditions for the inner court to collude with the harem, interfere in politics, and usurp imperial power.

Zhu Youtang faced the same situation when he first ascended the throne.

Grand Empress Dowager Zhang colluded with the "Three Yangs" of the inner cabinet, Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and Yang Pu, to control the government.

In the sixth year of Zhengtong, Zhu Qizhen took personal control of the government, but he did not have much power in his hands.

In the seventh year of Zhengtong, Empress Dowager Zhang passed away, and Zhu Qizhen tried to seize power.

However, at that time, the inner cabinet and Zhu Qizhen's birth mother, Empress Dowager Sun, colluded again, and Zhu Qizhen was still just a puppet emperor.

The only person he could trust at that time was the eunuch Wang Zhen.

Zhu Qizhen was preparing to do something big.

He granted the title of Great Khan of Mongolia to the Wala leader, Borjigin-Toghto Bukha, and also granted Esen the title of Grand Preceptor and Prince of Huai, as well as Right Vice-Chancellor of the Central Secretariat.

The Wala were originally a very small force on the grasslands, but Zhu Qizhen actually recognized Toghto Bukha's position as Great Khan.

It should be known that in the decades that followed, several Great Khans of Mongolia were not recognized by the Ming Dynasty.

Even Dayan Khan of the Tatars was not granted the title of Great Khan by the Ming Dynasty and was always referred to as a Little Prince.

The Tatar Little Prince was actually the Mongolian Great Khan who had not been granted the title by the Ming Dynasty.

There was something very wrong with this.

At that time, the problems of empty salaries and smuggling were extremely serious in the border towns of the Ming Dynasty.

Yang Hong, then the General Officer of Xuanfu, and Yu Qian, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, were also related by marriage.

In those years, the Ministry of War's expenses in the border towns were very large, and the expenditure on military pay, armor, weapons, and even firearms was abnormally high.

At the same time, the opening of the market in Xuanfu and the constant trade with various tribes on the grasslands brought in a great deal of wealth.

Zhu Qizhen wanted to completely solve the problem of corruption and smuggling in the border towns and regain control of the military.

Upon hearing the news, Yang Hong immediately fortified his defenses and cleared the fields!

He brought back as much grain as he could from the granaries of the guardhouses outside Juyong Pass, and burned what he could not bring back on the spot.

Burning it was good, burning it all, how could this account be cleared?

Unfortunately, Emperor Yingzong never managed to clear this account in the end.

According to the currently circulating version, the Tumu Crisis was full of doubts.

In the fourteenth year of Zhengtong, just as Emperor Yingzong decided to thoroughly investigate the border generals and garrisons.

Military reports came simultaneously from Datong, Xuanfu, Liaodong, and Ganzhou, reporting that the Wala were invading the border!

Emperor Yingzong immediately ordered a personal inspection of the border, issuing the order today and setting off tomorrow with a large group of civil officials and censors, as well as an army of 500,000!

While Emperor Yingzong was touring Xuanfu and Datong, when he returned to Beijing and reached Tumu Fortress.

Esen's tens of thousands of Wala troops, like divine soldiers descending from the sky, passed through the heavily guarded Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty.

At Tumu Fortress, they took Zhu Qizhen away from hundreds of thousands of Ming soldiers.

Three days after the Tumu Crisis, Wala Taishi Esen met Zhu Qizhen.

Esen was dumbfounded when he saw Zhu Qizhen, and respectfully sent him to Xuanfu, demanding that Yang Hong receive him.

Yang Hong flatly refused.

Esen had no choice but to send Zhu Qizhen to Datong Prefecture.

Guo Deng, the military advisor of Datong Prefecture, also refused to receive him.

Esen took Zhu Qizhen back to the grasslands and held a meeting with other tribes on the grasslands.

A month later, Esen led his troops to Datong Prefecture again, wanting to send Zhu Qizhen back.

The Ming Dynasty still did not want him.

Esen's troops arrived unscathed in the capital, demanding that the capital send someone to receive Zhu Qizhen, but the Ming Dynasty still did not want him.

Zhu Qizhen returned to the grasslands with Esen, and the following year, the Wala invaded the border on a large scale again, attacking fourteen northern border towns of the Ming army.

Afterwards, Esen sent someone to send a letter, threatening the Ming Dynasty court.

If the Ming Dynasty did not take back Zhu Qizhen, the Wala would invade the border every year for the next ten years.

Zhu Qizhen also stated that he did not want to be emperor anymore and would rather guard the ancestral tombs or be a commoner.

The Ming Dynasty court reluctantly agreed.

When Zhu Qizhen returned to Beijing, the Ming Dynasty did not send a single soldier to receive him, and Esen sent someone to escort Zhu Qizhen back to Beijing.

When he left, Esen cried bitterly as he saw Zhu Qizhen off.

After Zhu Qizhen returned to Beijing, he was immediately placed under house arrest.

The guards who protected him were still the twenty Wala warriors given to him by Esen.

After that, the Wala tribe, like its rapid rise, also quickly declined.

In the eighth year of Jingtai, Zhu Qiyu suddenly fell ill and died, Zhu Qizhen successfully restored his reign, and Yu Qian was exterminated along with his three clans!

At the same time, Emperor Yingzong built a temple for Esen.

In the fourth year of Tianshun, Zhu Qizhen completely took control of the government.

A group of civil and military officials who played various roles in the Tumu Crisis were finally liquidated by Emperor Yingzong!

There are many doubts that cannot be explained, such as Esen was only the Taishi of the Wala, he was not the Great Khan, and the Wala did not have so many troops, so how did the Wala manage to invade the border with four armies at the same time?

For example, how did Esen manage to pass through Datong and Xuanfu silently and capture Zhu Qizhen alive from hundreds of thousands of troops?

For example, after Esen captured Zhu Qizhen, why didn't he go to the capital immediately, but instead turned back to Xuanfu to call for the gate?

Even if Zhu Qizhen opened the gate of Xuanfu, what else was inside besides tens of thousands of troops?

Why did Esen return to the grasslands after capturing Zhu Qizhen before attacking the capital again with Zhu Qizhen?

Why was Yu Qian's first reaction after Zhu Qizhen was captured to establish a new emperor, and it was Zhu Qizhen's younger brother Zhu Qiyu, not Zhu Qizhen's crown prince Zhu Jianshen?

Why did Zhu Qizhen bring so many civil officials and censors when he personally led the expedition?

Why did Yang Hong, the General Officer of Xuanfu, the person primarily responsible for the Ming army's defeat and the loss of the emperor, get promoted like a rocket, and not only him, but everyone related to Yang Hong was promoted to be military generals?

Why did Esen's troops, who were like gods of war in the Tumu Crisis, end up dying miserably only five years after Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne?

Why was the first thing Zhu Qizhen did after his restoration to build a temple for Esen?

It's very absurd, isn't it?

And the truth of Tumu Fortress is far more terrifying than it appears.

……

After Wang Zhi, Huai En, and Mou Bin left the imperial study, they immediately returned to their respective offices to mobilize troops and dispatch generals.

Wang Zhi returned to the West Bureau of Investigation and immediately issued orders.

"Ma Jinzhong!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

Ma Jinzhong, the chief of the West Depot, had disheveled hair, half of his face covered with a mask, and his eyes were mostly white with little black, looking like an evil ghost.

"Immediately lead a team to Junzhou, confiscate all of Ma Wensheng's relatives and property, and escort all relatives and family members back to the capital for execution!"

"If even one person is missing, this supervisor will not spare you!"

"Yes, Supervisor!"

Ma Jinzhong received the order and immediately mustered a hundred men, preparing their personal dry food and supplies.

"Tan Lu!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

Tan Lu, the second chief of the West Depot, had a jade-like face and red lips, with a beauty mark at the corner of his eye. Although he had a handsome appearance, he was ruthless and cold-blooded.

"Immediately lead people to confiscate Ma Wensheng's mansion in the capital, and arrest all family members and put them in jail!"

"Yes, Supervisor!"

Tan Lu immediately set off, selecting dozens of accompanying agents, all of whom were experts from the West Depot.

"Ji Sheng!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

Ji Sheng, the third chief of the West Depot, had a pale face and a bald head, with a hideous and terrifying scar on his face, and was extremely brutal in character.

Wang Zhi took out Zhu Youtang's personal letter from his arms and handed it to Ji Sheng.

"Quickly deliver this secret letter, written by His Majesty himself, to General Gao Shun of Changtong Garrison."

"Yes, Supervisor!"

Ji Sheng respectfully accepted the secret letter, carefully put it away, and quickly jumped on his horse.

A moment later, the West Depot opened its doors, and hundreds of West Depot agents filed out.

Wang Zhi led the team, galloping through the capital!

The sound of horses' hooves was particularly clear in the quiet night of the capital.

After Wang Zhi returned to the capital, he immediately arrested Wan An's entire family, old and young, and put them in jail.

Such thunderous methods, coupled with his historical achievements, made the officials of the capital deeply afraid of Wang Zhi of the West Depot.

Now that Wang Zhi was leading the West Depot, swaggering through the city, it immediately attracted the attention of the officials of the capital.

"Hundreds of West Depot agents are galloping through the capital. What is Wang Zhi trying to do?!"

"This direction, he wants to leave the capital!"

"Oh heavens! Hundreds of West Depot agents are also leaving the capital!"

"What major case is Wang Zhi going to handle again? These vicious agents of the West Depot often confiscate property and exterminate families…"

"Look, a team of people has gone to the residence of Lord Ma, the Minister of War!"

"What?! Could it be that Lord Ma…"

"Be careful what you say!"

Tan Lu led dozens of people straight to Ma Wensheng's mansion in the capital, while the others followed Wang Zhi out of the capital.

After the West Depot left the capital, they automatically split into three groups.

Chief Ma Jinzhong led the main force, heading all the way to Junzhou.

Supervisor Wang Zhi led dozens of confidants, heading to Datong Prefecture.

Third Chief Ji Sheng, only took two accompanying agents, heading to Tongchang.

At the same time as the West Depot's actions, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was also operating in an orderly manner.

After Mou Bin returned to the Northern Garrison Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he immediately summoned the four major guards of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Azure Dragon, muster three hundred men and set off with this Commander to Datong to arrest Qiu Yue, the General Officer of Datong!"

"Yes, Sir!"

After Azure Dragon received the order, he quickly left to count the men departing for Datong.

"White Tiger, immediately lead a team of Embroidered Uniform Guards to confiscate Qiu Yue's mansion in the capital. Don't let go of any family members or relatives!"

"Yes, Sir!"

White Tiger also immediately began to organize his familiar subordinates.

"Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, you immediately lead a thousand Embroidered Uniform Guards to Pingliang Prefecture to arrest all of Qiu Yue's nine clans and escort them to the capital for execution!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise cupped their hands and received the order, summoning thousands of Embroidered Uniform Guards at the fastest speed!

Zhu Qizhen's section is very important and has a great impact on the subsequent plot, so I wrote a little more. By the way, please continue to follow up on Tuesday! ! ! It's really very important, thank you all bosses! ! !