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

#28 - The Tatar troops are approaching Tumubao!

Chapter 28 The Tatar Army Approaches Tumu Fortress!

The guerrilla general certainly wouldn't risk his life for Ma Wensheng against the killers from the West Factory.

Although Ma Wensheng was the Minister of War, the West Factory's blades were clearly more threatening.

Besides, arresting Ma Wensheng was the Emperor's decree; protecting him would be defying the imperial order, wouldn't it?

Their heads wouldn't be enough for the Emperor to chop off!

Why bother doing such thankless tasks?

Although the collective of civil officials in the capital, high-ranking officials like the Grand Secretaries and Ministers, often rejected the Emperor's decrees,

these low-ranking officials didn't have the guts to defy the imperial order.

The guerrilla general acted decisively, immediately dismounting and removing his armor.

His subordinates, seeing their superior dismount and remove his armor so decisively, all breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts, praising their commander for having a good head on his shoulders.

So everyone obediently dismounted and removed their armor, without any resistance.

Ma Wensheng, seeing this scene, was both shocked and angry, glaring at the subordinates he had brought.

"You! You! How dare you..."

Before Ma Wensheng could finish speaking, he was dragged down from the carriage by the West Factory's men.

Wang Zhi personally took action, tying Ma Wensheng's hands with hemp rope and then attaching the rope to his own saddle.

"Giddy up!"

Wang Zhi turned his horse and galloped towards the capital.

The horse galloped wildly, dragging Ma Wensheng behind it.

"Ahhh! ! !"

"Let... let go of this official!"

"Ahhh..."

Ma Wensheng couldn't outrun the strong, tall horse; he was pulled to the ground after only a few steps and dragged along by the horse.

Ma Wensheng fell to the ground, the rough surface tearing his clothes and skin, leaving a trail of intermittent bloodstains and continuous screams.

...

Mu Bin and the Embroidered Uniform Guard led by Qinglong galloped all the way.

At a speed of eight hundred li in urgent dispatch, they rushed to Datong Prefecture without stopping.

At this time, the atmosphere in Datong Prefecture was very anxious.

Unlike Ma Wensheng, who was slowly returning to the capital and hadn't received any intelligence along the way,

Qiu Yue, who was stationed in Datong, received a letter of help from Xuanfu the day after the Tatar Prince broke through Xuanfu.

Qiu Yue was frightened and distraught after learning that the Tatar Prince had broken through Xuanfu and was marching towards the capital.

So Hou Fu suggested to Qiu Yue: "General Qiu, now that the Tartars have broken through Xuanfu, it's best for you to take the initiative to request to protect the capital."

"This way, not only will you not be held responsible, but you can also establish merit and win the Emperor's trust."

Qiu Yue, Hou Fu, Shi Zhong, and Qiu Yue's confidants all thought that their bribery of the Tatar Prince was seamless and unknown to anyone.

Little did they know that the West Factory's spies had already recorded the whole story in detail and sent it to Zhu You樘 for review.

Qiu Yue was overjoyed after hearing this and felt that Hou Fu made a lot of sense.

So he immediately wrote a memorial and sent it to the capital.

The general idea of the memorial was: Qiu Yue detected that the Tatar army was advancing eastward and was about to invade Jizhen.

Qiu Yue requested that he be allowed to provide mobile support, either to confront the Tatar army or to go directly to Tongzhou to defend, all according to the Emperor's orders.

Now, he was anxiously waiting for a reply from the capital.

After the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrived at the city wall of Datong Prefecture, they sent someone to call for the gate to be opened.

The general guarding the city, upon hearing that it was the Embroidered Uniform Guard carrying imperial orders, hurried to open the gate while sending someone to report to Qiu Yue.

Qiu Yue felt a little happy and nervous after hearing this.

"Should be His Majesty replying to my memorial, right?"

"I wonder what His Majesty will decide?"

"Will he let me fight the Tartars? Or will he let me return to the capital to defend the Emperor?"

With these questions in mind, Qiu Yue led Hou Fu and Shi Zhong to personally greet the Embroidered Uniform Guard at the city gate.

After Mu Bin led the Embroidered Uniform Guard into the city, he looked around and asked in a deep voice.

"Where is Qiu Yue, the General Officer Commanding of Datong Prefecture?"

Qiu Yue took a step forward and cupped his fist at Mu Bin: "I am Qiu Yue."

"This Embroidered Uniform Guard officer, does His Majesty have something to instruct this humble officer?"

Mu Bin stared at Qiu Yue coldly: "His Majesty does have an order for you."

Qiu Yue was overjoyed and hurriedly knelt down to receive the decree.

"Your subject, Qiu Yue, the General Officer Commanding of Datong Prefecture, respectfully awaits the imperial decree."

But Qiu Yue didn't receive Zhu You樘's new order; instead, he received his death sentence.

"His Majesty orders that Qiu Yue, the General Officer Commanding of Datong Prefecture, bribed the Tartars, secretly colluded with the enemy, and opened the pass without authorization to let the Tartars enter the border!"

"He is now arrested and imprisoned, and his nine generations shall be exterminated!"

"Ah? ! What? !"

Qiu Yue suddenly raised his head, his face full of disbelief.

He never expected that His Majesty would know such a secret thing as his bribery of the Tatar Prince.

Moreover, His Majesty's move was the ultimate punishment of exterminating nine generations.

"This..."

Qiu Yue's mouth was dry, wanting to defend himself, but Mu Bin had already given the order.

"Come, arrest Qiu Yue!"

"Anyone who obstructs or resists will be killed without mercy!"

"Yes!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard received the order and prepared to act.

Qinglong acted the fastest, leaping from his horse in the blink of an eye and pressing Qiu Yue to the ground.

"Woo! Woo!"

Qiu Yue wanted to roar, but his mouth was pressed to the ground, and he couldn't speak.

Qiu Yue struggled desperately on the ground, but he couldn't resist Qinglong's strength at all.

"General!"

Shi Zhong and Hou Fu exclaimed and wanted to step forward to help Qiu Yue.

But the Embroidered Uniform Guard beside them had already unsheathed their swords, and with a flash of the blade, both of them were decapitated.

"Woo woo woo! ! ! !"

Qiu Yue watched the two die in front of him, and couldn't help but widen his eyes, his pupils dilating.

But his legs had already gone weak, and even the strength to struggle had diminished a lot.

With the help of the other Embroidered Uniform Guard, Qinglong tied Qiu Yue up in a few strokes.

The generals and soldiers of the entire Datong Prefecture stood blankly around, somewhat at a loss.

They watched with their own eyes as Qiu Yue, the General Officer Commanding of Datong Prefecture who had only been in charge of Datong Prefecture for a few days, became a prisoner in the blink of an eye.

After tying up Qiu Yue, Mu Bin looked around again.

The soldiers around him lowered their heads one after another, not daring to meet his eyes.

Mu Bin asked loudly: "Who is the Deputy General Officer Commanding of Datong Prefecture now?"

"Reporting, sir, it's General Liu Ning."

"Good, before the new General Officer Commanding of Datong Prefecture takes office, General Liu Ning will be in charge of the military affairs of Datong Prefecture."

"Giddy up!"

Leaving the last sentence, Mu Bin immediately returned to the capital with Qiu Yue.

Like Ma Wensheng, there were no horses or carriages for Qiu Yue to ride in; Qiu Yue could only run behind the horse.

Before he could run a few steps, Qiu Yue was also tripped to the ground, leaving a trail of bloodstains and screams behind him.

"Ahhh! ! !"

"Let go of me! Quickly let go of me!"

"Stop! Stop it!"

"..."

At this time, the Tatar Prince's troops were about to reach Tumu Fortress.

"Khan, look, that's Tumu Fortress."

Liu Chen pointed to a ship-shaped castle in the distance.

The Tatar Prince laughed heartily: "Hahaha, is that where my steppe ancestors captured your Ming Emperor alive?"