Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 45 The Ming Army's Inevitable Defeat: Fate's Will

"absurd!"

Zhu Di clenched his fists in anger. He never expected that Tianmu would call him the eternal sinner of the Ming Dynasty!
He was startled; wasn't this celestial phenomenon implying that the third prince would become emperor?

Previously, Tianmu mainly talked about his sons.

How come the conversation is now turning to him?

A defeat?
The fourteenth year of the Yongle reign, which is now.

Zhu Di never expected that he would be defeated in the battle against the Oirat Mongols.

He was even considering whether to believe the words of the Heavenly Curtain, mainly because he couldn't imagine how they could have lost to the Oirat.

Thinking of this, Zhu Di felt extremely fearful.

Is the Ming Dynasty really going to be destroyed in my hands?

If that were true, he dared not imagine what future generations would say about him.

"How exactly did I lose?" Zhu Di couldn't understand how he could have lost to the Oirats.

He wasn't afraid when the Oirat were powerful, let alone now that the Oirat have long been trampled by the Ming cavalry.

Zhu Zhanji, upon hearing Zhu Di being belittled by the heavens, thought to himself that it was finally his grandfather's turn to embarrass himself.

He never expected that the problem would arise in this battle against the Oirat Mongols.

Soon, the shrimp in the sky continued.

"Zhu Di was extremely confident about the war against the Oirat Mongols. According to historical records, he mobilized 500,000 troops, intending to annihilate the Oirat Mongols in one fell swoop, or even the entire Mongolian steppe."

"At the beginning, Zhu Di's northern expedition was unstoppable, advancing triumphantly all the way. The Oirat tribe had no ability to resist and fled to Hulan Hushiwen. The three main forces crossed the border to attack, and Zhu Di personally led his iron cavalry to meet them and defeated the enemy army."

"Mahmu fled into Tatar territory. Zhu Di could never have imagined that this northern expedition would lead to the Oirat and Tatars, who should have been bitter enemies, cooperating to jointly resist the Ming army."

"Even if the Tatars and Oirats cooperated, so what? Even if the Uriyangkhai were added to the mix?"

Zhu Di laughed dismissively.

How many troops did the Oirat and Tatars have combined?
At most, it would be no more than 100,000.

Compared to his 300,000-strong army, they were simply no match.

As for the unification of Mongolia, Zhu Di was not surprised.

He had known for a long time, through the celestial canopy, that Esen would eventually unify the grasslands.

But he was not like Zhu Qizhen, the kind of emperor who knew nothing.

He was the Yongle Emperor, who fought wars his entire life.

The Ming Dynasty was far superior to the Oirat and Tatar armies in terms of army size, military strategy, and warhorses.

In a battle with such a vast disparity in strength, Zhu Di had no idea how he could lose.

He was able to defeat Jianwen with only 800 men back then, let alone now that he has an army of 300,000 and terrifying firearms.

At this time, Zhu Di was still full of confidence.

It could be said that Tianmu lacked foresight in choosing a crown prince.

But his military capabilities should never be questioned.

Of course, Zhu Di was not blindly confident.

Now that he knew the Oirats and Tatars would cooperate, he naturally had to change his offensive strategy.

Zhu Di planned to continue troop deployment, strengthening the eastern army, and no longer disguise himself as a Mongol from the Tatar tribe, but directly intercept Tatar reinforcements. He understood the situation very well.

Even if, according to the course of history, the Oirat army would have been defeated in the battle, the advance exposure of the Sky Screen could have completely prevented the defeat.

"Of course, even if the Oirats cooperated with the Tatars, and even if the Uriyangkhai eventually joined them, they were still no match for the Ming army."

"Zhu Di marched north with unstoppable momentum. Thousands of cannons bombarded the area at the same time, rendering any of the Oirat cavalry ineffective and unable to withstand the attack. In the end, he easily reached the Onon River."

Everyone knows that the Onon River was the starting point for the Mongols' conquest of the world, but now it has been easily occupied by Zhu Di!

"But contrary to expectations, the various tribes of the grasslands seemed to have seen through Zhu Di's determination. Even when they were driven to their doorsteps, they did not choose to surrender and submit. It seems that Zhu Di had long been prepared to wipe out the various tribes of the grasslands in one fell swoop."

"Zhu Di was the only emperor in history to conquer this area. He thought he would use this battle to lay the foundation for a hundred years of achievements, and strive to accomplish the work of five generations in one generation, so that future emperors would no longer be harassed by the Mongolian grasslands."

"As the emperor personally led the expedition, morale was naturally boosted. In addition, Zhu Di firmly believed that victory was assured and conquest was certain, so the morale of the Ming army was unprecedented!"

"At the Onon River, Zhu Di addressed all the Ming soldiers, saying, 'Today we will engage the enemy's main force in battle. I want you to ride alongside me, trampling through enemy camps; I want you to fight alongside me on the battlefield, so that our descendants will never again suffer the ravages of war!'"

"This is exactly what I expected!"

Upon hearing these words from the sky, Zhu Di sighed deeply, feeling immense pride.

He felt as if he were standing in front of the Onon River, ready to crush all the Mongol tribes with a single command.

Seeing Zhu Di so engrossed in his battle, Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but advise him, "Grandpa, we have lost this battle!"

"Insanity!"

Zhu Di was furious.

He never expected his eldest grandson to be so bold as to say such a thing at such a crucial moment.

If Zhu Di had actually been at the Onon River to command this battle, he would certainly have beheaded Zhu Zhanji as a warning to others.

Zhu Di calmed down and, to prevent the morale of his troops from wavering, said, "The area in front of the Onon River is just a plain, with no dangerous terrain. How can my 300,000-strong army of the Great Ming be defeated?"

These words struck the generals present as unbelievable.

Since it was a battle where both sides were fully engaged, how could the Ming army possibly lose?

Zhu Di was full of confidence until he saw the worry on Zhu Gaoshuo's face, and he was immediately shocked.

What does "老四" mean?
Does he also think I will lose?

Zhu Gaoshuo's expression made Zhu Di somewhat nervous.

The curtain of the sky continued to fall, but what followed made Zhu Di unable to remain calm any longer.

"As the war drums sounded, both sides prepared for attack; the Tatars and Oirats were ready to fight the Ming army to the death!"

"The Ming army unleashed its full firepower, with cavalry charging at full speed, while the red-coated cannons behind their shields bombarded everything in their path. The Mongols were simply unable to withstand the terrifying power of the firearms, and their casualties skyrocketed."

"Zhu Di was very clear and confident that this was the best opportunity to defeat the Mongols."

"Under the suppressive fire of firearms and crossbows, the Ming army launched a full-scale attack. Just when it seemed that the Ming army was about to win a great victory, a sandstorm suddenly swept through the sky. That's how the weather is on the grassland. It's extremely bad and changes in an instant."

"The appearance of the sandstorm was obviously fatal to the Ming army. They had never encountered such extreme weather before. Affected by the weather, the battle situation was reversed, and the Ming army found it difficult to continue to carry out an effective offensive."

"Prince Zhu Gaochi of Han was the first to understand this and immediately advised Zhu Di to withdraw his troops!"

"God, are you deliberately working against me?"

Zhu Di looked up at the sky and roared, his face showing an unprecedented panic.

Does this mean he is truly destined to lose this battle?

(End of this chapter)