Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 137 Jurchens Launch Surprise Attack, Capital in Crisis (Part 2)
Dushikou has fallen!
Although that place was under the jurisdiction of Xuanfu Town, it was only about 400 li away from the capital.

Yanqing Prefecture is closer to the capital; if you calculate the straight-line distance, it's only a little over a hundred li!

The urgent report from Xuanfu Town has reached the capital, meaning the Jurchens must have already reached Yanqing Prefecture!
Such a familiar smell.

This was the usual tactic used by the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou throughout history. They always managed to get the rebels and the Jurchens to cooperate, using feints to attack in the east and attacks in the west, and to relieve the siege of Wei by relieving the siege of Zhao. This caused Emperor Chongzhen to mobilize his army to run around in all directions, ultimately failing to attend to either side.

Fortunately, I am not Emperor Chongzhen.

If it were Emperor Chongzhen, he would have fallen for these scoundrels' scheme long ago.

Zhu Jue glanced at the densely packed troops on the parade ground, smiled coldly, and then handed the memorial to Lu Xiang-sheng.

When Lu Xiang-sheng took the memorial and read it, he was greatly shocked.

The Jurchens launched a surprise attack on Dushikou!
Yanqing Prefecture is almost certain to fall!

He forced himself to calm down and thought it over carefully. Then he said solemnly, "Your Majesty, why don't you have Degong lead the Beijing cavalry to Yanqing Prefecture as reinforcements?"

Doing this will result in the loss of Huang Degong, a rare and capable general, and tens of thousands of elite cavalrymen from the Beijing Garrison.

No wonder you were ambushed and besieged by the Jurchens and died in history.

Didn't you consider the possibility of an inside traitor?
Zhu Jue slowly shook his head and said, "Jian Dou, Yanqing Prefecture is very likely a trap. If we send our troops there piecemeal, there is a high chance that the Jurchens will devour them all."

Is Yanqing Prefecture a trap?
Lu Xiang-sheng said with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, Yanqing Prefecture is only a little over a hundred miles away from the capital, and the imperial tombs of past dynasties are located to the south of Yanqing Prefecture. Can we not go to rescue them?"

Yanqing Prefecture is definitely a trap!
They knew we would surely save them.

I will not go to save them!
Zhu Jueyun said calmly, "Imperial tombs are meant to be protected from thieves. How long will it take them to dig them up? Jiandou, don't rush. Have someone bring the map so we can take a good look at it before we decide."

Having said that, he calmly dismounted, as if the imperial tomb did not contain his ancestors.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng was taken aback.

Are you letting others excavate the imperial tombs?
What you're saying!
He paused for a moment, then quickly waved for someone to fetch the map.

Everyone dismounted and retrieved the map.

There weren't any large tables on the training ground yet, so he had to order people to hold them up in their hands and spread them out in the air.

Zhu Jue stared at the map for a moment, then asked, "Where do you think the Jurchens are now?"

Lu Xiang-sheng gestured on the map for a while, then solemnly said, "Your Majesty, it is more than two hundred li from Dushikou to Yanqing Prefecture, and the Xuanfu Garrison Command is also more than two hundred li from the capital."

The route from Xuanfu Town to the capital was densely packed with post stations, so it only took a little over an hour for urgent reports to arrive.

Your humble servant estimates that the Jurchens launched their attack in the early hours of this morning. Xuanfu Town dispatched a fast horse to investigate and then sent a report via urgent courier, which arrived just in time.

In other words, even if the Jurchens launched a surprise attack with light cavalry, it would only take half a day. Moreover, there was only one road, the Baihe Valley Road, from Dushikou to Yanqingzhou, and warhorses could only travel about 200 li a day. Traveling on such a road was quite strenuous.

Therefore, I believe that the Jurchens should be camping and resting in the Baihe Valley north of Yanqing Prefecture. If they disregard the exhaustion of their horses and rush directly into the basin in the middle of Yanqing Prefecture, most of their horses will likely be exhausted and collapse.

Oh, the Jurchens haven't even invaded the heart of Yanqing Prefecture yet. No wonder you wanted to send cavalry to rescue them.

Zhu Jue stared at the map for a moment, then asked, "You mean it's unlikely that the Jurchens will be able to penetrate into the heart of Yanqing Prefecture today, right?"

Lu Xiang-sheng nodded solemnly and said, "That should be the case. If the Jurchens had invaded the heart of Yanqing Prefecture, there should have been smoke signals everywhere north of the capital by now. Since there are no smoke signals yet, it proves that the Jurchens are unlikely to invade the heart of Yanqing Prefecture today."

Then there's no need to rush.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment and then asked, "Jiandou, is it necessary to pass through Juyong Pass to get from Yanqing Prefecture to the capital?"

No need.

Lu Xiang-sheng shook his head with a solemn expression and said, "Your Majesty, when the imperial tombs of past dynasties were being built, mountain roads were constructed in many valleys from Yanqing Prefecture to the capital. Carriages could pass through, let alone warhorses."

Huanghua Town in Tianshou Mountain is a well-connected area, with multiple mountain roads leading to the capital and connecting to Yanqing Prefecture. The Great Wall north of Huanghua Town is also quite weak; we must quickly send troops to guard it.

Why wasn't such a huge vulnerability plugged earlier?

The traitor within the imperial court must be trying to exploit this loophole to lead the Jurchens into the capital region.

Zhu Jue asked, somewhat puzzled, "Didn't Qi Jiguang repair the defenses there in the early Wanli period? How could such a big loophole have been left?" This can't be blamed on Qi Jiguang, can it?
Lu Xiang-sheng explained in detail: "Your Majesty, the defense line of Xuanfu Town was originally very solid, especially north of the Imperial Mausoleum."

Dushikou is indeed an entrance and exit of the border wall of Xuanfu Town. However, in order to prevent the northern barbarians from disturbing the imperial tombs, the Baihe River Valley south of Dushikou is densely packed with fortresses.

The fortresses I found include Banbidian Fort, Maoeryu Fort, Yunzhou Fort, Chicheng Fort, Danshuiya Fort, and so on. The Baihe River Valley used to be densely covered with fortresses, making it virtually impossible for the Northern Barbarians to reach Yanqing Prefecture from there.

However, after Zhang Juzheng's death, Qi Jiguang was transferred away from Jizhou Town, the defenses of Dushikou gradually weakened, and the fortresses in the Baihe River Valley were gradually abandoned. The focus of Xuanfu Town's defenses shifted towards the Zhangjiakou line.

Oh, so it turns out that the three powerful clans of Puzhou secretly built this passage.

Others build defensive lines to prevent northern barbarians from invading, while you build passages to facilitate the Jurchens' invasion of the capital region, is that it?
Does Zhangjiakou need to be defended?
That's where the eight imperial merchants do business; even with their doors wide open, the Jurchens wouldn't rush in!

Zhu Jue thought about it carefully, and then decisively said: "Ruoyu, draft an edict, ordering the soldiers and civilians in the heart of Yanqing Prefecture to quickly evacuate to the Three Guards of Xuanfu, and to establish a scorched earth policy within a day, leaving no one behind."

A further decree was drafted, ordering the Xuanfu Garrison to mobilize troops to defend the line of Xuanfu Three Guards, Bao'an Prefecture, and Huailai Guard without fail. If the Jurchens breached this line, the Xuanfu Garrison Commander-in-Chief, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, and the Commander-in-Chief of Wanquan Commandery would all be beheaded and their heads displayed publicly.

Liu Ruoyu immediately ordered someone to bring over the writing materials for imperial edicts and began to write rapidly.

Seeing that he had finished writing and Wang Chengen had affixed the official seal, Zhu Jue took it and handed it to Fang Zhenghua, solemnly saying, "Have someone send it to Xuanfu Town by express courier, the sooner the better."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhenghua quickly accepted the imperial edict with both hands, bowed, and hurried away.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment and then asked, "Ruoyu, do you still have family members?"

what?
The Jurchens have already invaded Yanqing Prefecture, why are you suddenly asking about my family?

Liu Ruoyu was taken aback for a moment before quickly replying, "Your Majesty, my younger brother Shi Gan is still alive."

His original name was Liu Shimin, not Liu Ruoyu. He changed his name to Liu Ruoyu because he was coerced by Wei Zhongxian and had to work with him.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and then asked, "How old was your younger brother when he was young? Was he capable of great things?"

You should give my younger brother an important position!
Liu Ruoyu thought for a moment before carefully saying, "Your Majesty, Shi Gan inherited the position of Commander of Yanqing Guard from a young age. My father passed on all his knowledge to him. He is quite good in both literature and martial arts. He is only in his thirties now, in the prime of his life, and can serve Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, my father was loyal to the country and fought for the Ming Dynasty his entire life. He would never raise a rebellious son. I swear on my life that Shi Gan will be absolutely loyal to Your Majesty. If he is disloyal in the slightest, I will atone with my death."

Everyone has selfish motives.

Liu Ruoyu was no exception.

After he castrated himself to enter the palace, his parents and family all passed away, leaving only this younger brother. Given the opportunity, he naturally wanted to take care of him.

Zhu Jue also thought Liu Ruoyu was a very good person, which is why he wanted to give important positions to his family.

Since Liu Shigan is good at both literature and martial arts, let's give him a try.

He nodded slightly, then decisively said, "He has succeeded. Immediately assemble the cavalry and go to Juyong Pass to convey my oral decree. Liu Shigan is hereby promoted to Commander of Yanqing Guard and put in charge of guarding Juyong Pass. Anyone who dares to disobey his orders will be killed without mercy!"

You will lead your troops to remain at Juyong Pass and assist Liu Shigan in its defense. If the Jurchens remain stationed in Yanqing Prefecture without moving, then you shall remain still. If the Jurchens make a move, I will personally send someone to instruct you on what to do.

Huang Degong quickly cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "This humble general obeys the order."

Having said that, he mounted his horse and quickly gathered his cavalry.

Zhu Jue simply stared at the gathering figures of the Beijing cavalry without saying another word.

Seeing this, Lu Xiang-sheng couldn't help but feel anxious, but he dared not interrupt the emperor's train of thought.

Seeing that Huang Degong had assembled the cavalry and was ready to depart, he cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, what about the area between Yanqing Prefecture and the Imperial Mausoleum?"

You've overlooked the traitors within the imperial court.

Zhu Jue said calmly, "Yanqing Prefecture has already implemented a scorched earth policy. Even if the Jurchens were to dig up the imperial tombs, they wouldn't be able to. There's no need to worry about it."

Ah!
Are you speaking human language?

Uh, excuse me, I shouldn't say that.

The current emperor doesn't even care about the imperial tombs of past dynasties!

(End of this chapter)