Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 172: False Emperor: Kill, kill, kill! Yu Qian cannot be spared

Outside the Great Wall, in Yesen’s camp, the night was as dark as ink, tightly wrapping this ancient land.

The wind howled wantonly in this boundless wilderness, with a sense of wildness and unruliness. Although the moonlight was bright, it was looming among the heavy clouds, casting mottled light and shadows.

Bonfires were lit in the camp, scattered in clusters and patches. From a distance, it looked like the Milky Way pouring down from the night sky and landing on the earth. Under the light of the fire, the outlines of the tents were looming and continuous.

Under the firelight and moonlight, the faces of the grassland soldiers were obscure.

The wind, as if carrying some ominous omen, shuttled between the tent and the campfire, making a low whimper. The firelight flickered, sometimes bright, sometimes dim. The whispers of the soldiers and the neighing of the horses all seemed extremely dull.

The Chinese military tent.

Yesen was drinking alone, his face gloomy and terrible: "Those people from Jianzhou are just harassing the border of Daming, and they can't cause any impact."

"The Jurchens are unreliable!" Boyan said angrily, "Great Khan, we still have to rely on ourselves. Tomorrow, I will lead the troops to attack Datong City again and take it down in one fell swoop."

Duang!

Yesen threw the wine bowl in his hand on the table and sighed: "This time, we can't go south!"

Boyan was shocked: "Great Khan, are you going to give up?"

"If we retreat to Mobei now, I can still maintain my strength and remain the king of Mobei." Yesen said in a deep voice, "If we fight to the death to capture Datong City, Shi Heng is still waiting in Xuanfu. The Ming Dynasty has made sufficient preparations this time, and we will definitely suffer heavy losses. By then, I guess I won't even be able to return to Mobei."

Boyan understood that there was still Toghtobukha in the northern desert, and even within the Oirat, there was still Alazhiyuan, and they wanted the Khan to die sooner than the Ming Dynasty did.

……

boom! boom! boom!
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion. Yesen and Boyan jumped up from their chairs in shock. Then, there were terrified screams from outside: "Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

Yesen and Boyan hurried out of the military tent and looked up, only to see artillery attacks from the east and west, with fire rising into the sky. Boyan panicked: "Is it the Ming army? How did they find our camp?"

"Boyan, take your troops and retreat northwards, back to Mobei." Yesen was very calm at this time, "The left and right wings are all people from other tribes, let them stop the Ming army."

"Yes!" Boyan immediately mounted his horse and commanded the army to retreat northward.

Yesen was not panicked at all. He sat on his horse and watched the offensive of the Ming army on the left and right wings. He gave orders one by one. Then, he rode north and quickly disappeared into the night.

At this moment, Yang Guifang and Wang Yue were leading 50,000 elite cavalrymen to ambush Yesen on his way back north. Wang Yue's eyes sparkled: "Old Yang, how did you know the location of Yesen's camp?"

"It wasn't me. It was the secret guard of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who found me and told me that Yesen's camp was here." Yang Guifang said.

"The Imperial Guards have made great progress." Wang Yue said excitedly.

Yang Guifang's eyes were also full of doubts, and he said in a deep voice: "A group of Jinyiwei secret guards in Datong City only obey the orders of His Majesty. They are the ones who got the location of Yesen's camp."

"There is such a Jinyiwei in Datong City?" Wang Yue was shocked.

"Yes." Yang Guifang sighed softly, "Our emperor is becoming more and more unfathomable. Even though he is far away in the capital, he can still remotely control the grassland."

At this time, the sound of hurried horse hooves came. Wang Yue patted his shoulder and pointed forward: "Yesen, they are coming. This guy really abandoned those tribesmen and fled with his own tribe."

Yang Guifang tightly grasped the knife in her hand, her heart surging: "If we can kill Yesen, Lao Wang, we will be famous all over the world, and we will become people like Yu Shaobao in the future."

The two were eager to try, watching the rapidly approaching Yesen army. The moon also came out from the clouds, illuminating the grassland like daylight.

"Fire!" Yang Guifang raised his arm and smashed down.

……

Northwest, Dunhuang City.

The largest palace in the city was filled with joy. Today was a wedding day. Emperor Zhengtong was marrying the daughter of Yahansha, the leader of Shazhou Guard. Yahansha had just returned from a victorious battle, which was double the joy.

Yahansha had no sons, only a daughter, whom he naturally treated as the apple of his eye. Of course, he was happy that his daughter could marry the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, even though he was an emperor in distress.

But the emperor still has hope of returning to Beijing and ruling the world again. By that time, Yahansha will be the father-in-law of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, this grand wedding caused a sensation in Guanxi, and almost all the bigwigs in Guanxi came to congratulate. Even Chagatai in the east sent an envoy.

After complicated rituals, the newlyweds entered the bridal chamber.

The Zhengtong Emperor looked at the bride in front of him, and a cold smile flashed across his lips. This was the beginning of his control over Guanxi. He knew that this road might be long, but he had to go on. He couldn't just rely on the help from the capital, he had to rely on himself. Only when he was strong could he be the most reliable.

He reached out and lifted the red veil. At that moment, his heartbeat quickened. The woman in front of him was extremely beautiful. Her eyes were as bright as gemstones, clear and shining. Her skin was fair. She didn't look like a woman from the northwest desert. Instead, she had the beauty of a woman from the south of the Yangtze River.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." The woman bowed.

"Ah...my beloved concubine, please stand up." The Zhengtong Emperor was a little flustered as he had not had contact with a woman for a long time.

The woman was very proactive, with a smile on her face: "My name is Bulma, and I will be yours from now on, Your Majesty."

She was very bold, looking directly at the Zhengtong Emperor without any shyness. The Zhengtong Emperor also calmed down, reached out and held her hands, and said softly: "I'm sorry for wronging you, I'm in trouble now."

"No, Your Majesty is the true dragon emperor, and he will eventually soar to the sky." Bulma stared into his eyes and said, "I know that you married me in order to gain a foothold in Kansai. I will help you."

The Zhengtong Emperor was secretly shocked. He did not expect that this woman would have such insight and speak so bluntly. He asked doubtfully, "Did...your father tell you?"

Bulma shook her head. "No! I guessed, but I can't be wrong. Since I was a child, I have liked the culture of the Central Plains and have read the history books of the Central Plains. Your Majesty, I still have some knowledge, right?"

She had one more thing to say. When she was young, a Taoist priest from the Central Plains passed through Dunhuang and said that she was destined to be a phoenix and would become the most noble woman in the world. No one paid attention to it at the time, but she, who was still young, remembered it.

Bulma, become the most noble woman in the world.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

The orthodox emperor woke up from his bed and looked at Bulma beside him. She had a slender figure and the thin blanket could not cover her proud curves. Bulma slowly opened her beautiful eyes and looked at him boldly: "Your Majesty, I will serve you."

"No need, my beloved concubine, please sleep a little longer. You were too tired last night." The Zhengtong Emperor smiled gently, "There is no need for one of us to serve the other."

Bulma's face was slightly red, and her white and slender jade fingers tightly grasped the quilt, wrapping her sore body. The two of them were affectionate for a while, and the orthodox emperor got up. After he packed up, he came to the hall refreshed. Xu Bin and Yuan Bin were already there. Seeing the emperor's red face, the two of them clasped their fists and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty."

"Okay, you all know what's going on." The Zhengtong Emperor smiled, "However, it is also a pleasure to marry a beautiful bride. However, I am very clear-headed and know our purpose. Next, we must control the Shazhou Guards first."

Xu Bin bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I have another piece of good news for you. Junshan Association has sent us one million taels of silver."

The Zhengtong Emperor was shocked: "How did they deliver it? Didn't they say that Liu Dingzhi set up checkpoints and it was difficult to transport goods to Guanxi? How could they transport so much silver?"

"The Chamber of Commerce sent it here through the Weiyuan Escort Agency." Xu Bin said, "Junshan Association has already made arrangements for everything."

"Great!" Emperor Zhengtong was delighted. "With this money, we can do many things."

Xu Bin continued: "The Junshan Society and some vassal kings will secretly support us with silver and materials to help us control Guanxi."

The orthodox emperor clenched his fists, as if he was holding his own destiny again.

……

Beijing, Qianqing Palace.

Yu Qian, the Prince's Guardian and Minister of War, hurried to the palace, holding a memorial in his hand, and reported: "Your Majesty, a great victory in the northern border, Yesen was defeated and fled to the northern desert!"

Zhu Qizhen was shocked. He walked directly from the throne to Yu Qian, snatched the letter and opened it, looking over it anxiously: "Hahaha, good, great, Yesen was defeated and fled back to Mobei in a panic."

The memorial said that under the coordination of Shi Heng, the main forces of the Ming army in Datong, Yanghe and Xuanfu took the initiative to go out of the pass, found Yesen's camp, and launched a surprise attack at night. Yesen was defeated and fled north in panic. In this battle, 50,000 enemies were killed and our army won a great victory.

"Your Majesty, the danger in the northern border has finally been resolved." Yu Qian breathed a sigh of relief. "In the short term, Yesen will be unable to move south, and the Ming Dynasty will finally have a chance to catch its breath."

Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and said, "Yu Qian, get ready. I want to reward the soldiers on the front line. Please prepare a list. Also, I want to offer sacrifices to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and announce this news to the world."

"As you wish." Yu Qian bowed and stepped back.

After Yu Qian left, Zhu Qizhen was still reading the intelligence, feeling excited. He had finally won a great victory and defeated Yesen. This was just the right time for him.

Announce to the world that his prestige as emperor will reach its peak.

"Your Majesty." Eunuch Cao Jixiang came over and handed over a memorial, saying, "This is Yang Guifang's secret memorial, which has just arrived at the Imperial Household Department."

Zhu Qizhen's face changed slightly, he reached out to take it, and waved Cao Jixiang to leave. He opened the letter, read it quickly, and frowned slightly: "Yesen's main force was not damaged? Yang Guifang and Wang Yue ambushed Yesen, but they didn't stop him."

The memorial said that everything was originally under control, but suddenly ten thousand heavy cavalry rushed out from Yesen's army, directly broke through the Ming army's defense, and entered the empty territory.

In her memorial, Yang Guifang described the power of the heavy cavalry, saying that both the men and the horses were heavily armored and could not be cut by swords. They were just like the Iron Harriers and Iron Pagodas heavy cavalry mentioned in ancient books, invincible.

"Yesen still has the trump card of heavy cavalry." Zhu Qizhen was puzzled. "Heavy cavalry is extremely expensive, and those equipment are not easy to obtain. How can Yesen afford such a large number of heavy cavalry in Mobei?"

He had read the history of the Yuan Dynasty. When the Mongols invaded the West, heavy cavalry accounted for a large proportion. However, the Mongols were plundering the world at that time and had plenty of money. Using the tactics of light cavalry luring the enemy and heavy cavalry charging, the Mongols swept across the West.

"Yesen's main force is intact, which is a big problem in the end." Zhu Qizhen said to himself, "Next time, it will be my Ming army that enters the grassland!"

Putting down the memorial in his hand, he suddenly thought of a question, that is, why didn't Yu Qian report that Yesen's main force was not damaged? Old Yu, are you afraid that I will worry?
Zhu Qizhen frowned and his brain worked rapidly.

Taking advantage of this great victory, we should vigorously promote the younger generation, such as Yang Guifang, Wang Yue, Zhu Yong, Bai Gui and others, and let them gradually take charge of the army and replace the older generation.

Guo Deng, Yang Hong, Liu Dachui and others, it is time to retire and hand over the military power in their hands. And Yu Qian, he has been in charge of military affairs for four years, how can this be allowed? Everyone in the army listens to him, Yu Shaobao.

Old Yu, Old Yu, I hope that we can be king and subject to each other till the end. You have to be sensible and give up some of your military power first. You are old too, give it to the young people.

……

dusk.

Zhu Qizhen walked into Kunning Palace with the victory report in his hand. The Queen Mother was calculating the accounts. Since Zhu Qizhen taught her how to calculate, she was enjoying it.

"What are you doing hanging around in front of me?"

The Queen Mother put down her pen, raised her beautiful eyes and glared, her slightly powdered face looked a little cold and beautiful. Zhu Qizhen threw the memorial in front of her and spread his hands: "Take a look!"

"The harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs." The Queen Mother said, but her hand opened the letter, her eyes were stunned for a moment, "Yesen fled back to Mobei? Our army won a great victory? Killed 50,000 enemies?"

Zhu Qizhen nodded proudly: "The danger in the northern border has been resolved. There is no need to worry anymore."

"May our ancestors bless us, that's great." The Queen Mother clasped her hands together.

"Although our ancestors certainly did not bless us," Zhu Qizhen shrugged, "However, in three days, I will go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices and announce to the world that such a great victory should be celebrated with the people."

The Queen Mother lowered her eyes and thought to herself, with this great victory, the prestige of the false emperor will surely reach its peak. In this way, fewer people will believe in the legends about the true and false emperors.

"What's wrong? Are you unhappy?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

"I'm happy. How can I not be happy?" The Queen Mother smiled. "I defeated Yesen and saved the lives of people in the Central Plains. How can I not be happy?"

Zhu Qizhen spread his hands and raised his eyebrows: "Then hug?"

He originally thought that the Queen Mother would definitely refuse, but unexpectedly, the Queen Mother stood up, walked to him, leaned over, stretched out her arms to hug him, and said softly: "You did a good job!"

"But he is a fake emperor after all." Zhu Qizhen laughed self-deprecatingly in her ear.

The Queen Mother let go of him, held his face with her hands and looked him in the eye. Her eyebrows were as beautiful as a painting, and her eyes were clear: "Am I not also a demon queen? At worst, I can accompany you to the end."

She added in her heart, maybe the ending won’t be what you expected, but it will definitely be there in the end.

"Well, I still like your queen style." Zhu Qizhen blinked.

Naturally, he would not believe that the Demon Queen would stand on his side. Maybe it was just a show, or maybe they were using each other to create some excitement in this boring harem?

Damn, the last time the Jinyiwei planned to assassinate the orthodox emperor, they failed again.

Demon Queen, your son is so hard to kill.

(End of this chapter)