Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 138 Jurchens Launch Surprise Attack on the Capital, the City Under Siege (Part 2)
The Jurchens launched a surprise attack on Dushikou and then marched straight towards Yanqing Prefecture, which was indeed a trap.

A trap meticulously planned by the three powerful clans, eight imperial merchants, and the Jurchens of Puzhou.

This is clearly recorded in historical materials.

Historically, the Jurchens' second invasion of the capital region involved a surprise attack on Dushikou, which led them straight to Yanqing Prefecture.

At that time, Emperor Chongzhen had no idea that Yanqing Prefecture was a trap, and he desperately sent troops to reinforce Yanqing Prefecture.

Just like in the Battle of Sarhu, the Jurchens had already laid an ambush in Yanqing Prefecture, waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out, and annihilated the various Ming armies that were reinforcing Yanqing Prefecture one by one.

As a result, Chongzhen had no more troops to deploy, and the Jurchens easily broke through the Great Wall at Huanghuazhen, invaded Changping Prefecture, and ravaged the capital region, an event known in history as the Bingzi Incident.

The reason why the Jurchens chose Dushikou was because after their first invasion of the capital region, Emperor Chongzhen ordered the defense of the line from Xifengkou to Zunhua to be strengthened.

After setting a trap in Yanqing Prefecture, Chongzhen sent almost all the troops stationed along the Xifengkou and Zunhua lines into Yanqing Prefecture.

Then, the Jurchens easily entered the capital region for the third time through the Xifengkou and Zunhua lines!
The Jurchens and the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou completely outmaneuvered Emperor Chongzhen, leaving him completely bewildered and wandering aimlessly.

Zhu Jue was naturally not going to be fooled by these guys.

He planned to use the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou to turn the tables on the Jurchens!
He simply avoided falling into the trap set by Yanqing Prefecture.

He also planned to use the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou to spread false information and lure the Jurchens into a trap!

The problem is, Lu Xiang-sheng didn't know he wanted to play it this way.

Lu Xiang-sheng's thoughts were similar to those of Emperor Chongzhen in history: Yanqing Prefecture could not be lost, and the imperial tombs could not be disturbed!

Emperor Chongzhen in history wanted to protect everything, but he was completely outmaneuvered by the three powerful clans of Puzhou, the eight imperial merchants, and the Jurchens. He ended up protecting nothing and even losing the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Jue was different. He didn't go to rescue places like Zhongdu, Fengyang Prefecture, Yanqing Prefecture, or the imperial tombs, which the rebels, the Jurchens, or the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou believed he would have to defend.

He wasn't cold-blooded; it was just that the enemy believed he had to save him, so he did. In doing so, he would be led by the nose by the enemy, like walking a dog.

Since these places have all fallen in history, what's wrong with him not going to save them?
Right now, he was thinking about how to lure the Jurchens into a trap.

Lu Xiang-sheng couldn't help but say anxiously, "Your Majesty, if Yanqing Prefecture and the Imperial Mausoleum are not defended, the Jurchens can easily march on Changping Prefecture. Changping Prefecture has no defenses, and the Jurchens can easily march on the capital."

Yes, the Jurchens probably thought the same thing.

Zhu Jue remained calm and said, "You think that if Yanqing Prefecture and the Imperial Mausoleum are not defended, the Jurchens can easily march on the capital, right?"

Isn't that obvious?

Why are you repeating what I just said?
Lu Xiang-sheng nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, at least the Yanqing Prefecture and the Imperial Mausoleum area have some natural defenses, but Changping Prefecture is flat and has no natural defenses at all."

I want the Jurchens and those traitors to think this way.

However, there are too many people here, so there are some things I can't say.

Zhu Jue looked up at the sky and suddenly said inexplicably, "Jian Dou, it's almost lunchtime. I'm a little hungry. Let's go eat at your place first. The soldiers shouldn't all stand here waiting. Go and cook."

Ah!
What time is it? You still have the appetite to eat?
Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng realized there was nothing he could do. Could he allow the current emperor to go hungry?

That certainly can't be the case.

Helpless, he ordered the disbandment of the chariots and infantry gathered on the drill ground, then led Zhu Jue and his party to his residence, and ordered his guards to quickly prepare a meal.

Zhu Jue invited his confidants to sit down in Lu Xiang-sheng's barracks before solemnly saying, "Zheng-hua, order men to guard the surrounding area and prevent any unauthorized personnel from approaching."

Fang Zhenghua immediately accepted the order and left.

Zhu Jue then ordered someone to spread the map on the large table in the middle of the barracks, and then sighed slightly, "Jian Dou, don't you know there are many traitors in the court?"

I know that.

Lu Xiang-sheng asked with some doubt, "Your Majesty, I am foolish. Are we to refrain from rescuing Yanqing Prefecture and the Imperial Mausoleum just because there are many traitors in the court?"

That's one way to put it. Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then pointed to the map and said, "Yanqing Prefecture is a trap, so naturally we can't mobilize our troops to step on it. Instead, we should turn the tables and set Changping Prefecture as a trap, so that the Jurchens will step into our trap."

Look, Changping Prefecture is surrounded by mountains to the north and west, with Juyong Pass as its only entrance and exit. To the south, the Wenyu River flows between Changping Prefecture and the capital, while to the east lies the even wider Chaobai River.

In other words, if the Jurchens were to invade Changping Prefecture from Huanghuazhen, we only need to order Huang Degong's cavalry to go directly up the border wall, run all the way from Juyongguan to Huanghuazhen, block the border wall there, and then send chariot troops to block the bridges over the Wenyu River and rush over. The Jurchens would then be trapped like turtles in a jar.

We'll turn Changping Prefecture into a trap and let the Jurchens fall into it.
Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng suddenly realized what was going on.

So it turns out that His Majesty didn't go to rescue Yanqing Prefecture and the Imperial Mausoleum in order to lure the Jurchens to Changping Prefecture!

However, this strategy seems to have some problems.

He stared at the map carefully, then said cautiously, "Your Majesty, the Jurchens have set a trap in Yanqing Prefecture. If we don't step on it, they will definitely become suspicious. Under these circumstances, they probably won't rashly come to Changping Prefecture to step on our trap."

Huang Taiji is a very cautious guy; this is highly likely.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and said, "Therefore, we need to have the traitors in the court spread false information to lure the Jurchens into the trap of Changping Prefecture."

what?
Lu Xiang-sheng asked, puzzled, "Why would an inside traitor help us spread false information?"

You're good at fighting, but you have absolutely no experience dealing with traitors.

Instead of answering, Zhu Jue asked, "Now we've sent the last 10,000 cavalrymen of the Beijing Garrison to help defend Juyong Pass. If you were an inside agent, what would you think?"

If I were the mole, what would I think?
The East City Parade Ground and the Northeast City Parade Ground have been kept strictly sealed off, and the traitors had no idea that there were 150,000 troops inside!
Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng suddenly realized, "The traitor must think that the capital is empty and there are no troops to be mobilized."

That's right.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and said, "We want the traitors to think that the capital is empty and has no soldiers at all. The traitors will definitely pass this message on to the Jurchens. Think about it, if the Jurchens receive the message from the traitors, wouldn't they march on the capital?"

This seems a bit fake.

Lu Xiang-sheng thought for a moment, then pointed to the map and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, since we are going to pretend that there are no troops left in the capital, we must quickly transfer the troops from Zunhua, Jizhou and Santunying to the capital. If we don't, it would be too illogical."

This makes sense.

It would be highly unusual if the capital were left undefended and troops from Zunhua, Jizhou, and Santunying were not immediately recalled to defend the city.

Isn't this blatant emboldening?

The problem is, if all 30,000 garrison troops from the capital were recalled, the Jurchen cavalry might not be able to defeat them. Would Huang Taiji still charge towards the capital?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jue thought for a moment and then decisively said, "Zhenghua, order the fast riders to convey my oral decree to Sun Yingyuan that once the Jurchens invade the heart of Yanqing Prefecture, I will send an urgent message to him to send the chariots and soldiers from Jizhou City and Santun Camp back to reinforce them."

After receiving the imperial decree, he had to appear extremely anxious and immediately transfer 10,000 chariots and soldiers from Jizhou back to the capital as quickly as possible.

As for the chariot troops from the Three Camps, the slower they arrive, the better. Ideally, they should feign a shortage of warhorses, requiring men to push the chariots, thus delaying their journey for ten days to half a month.

what?
Such reinforcements!

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng was stunned once again.

Seeing that Zhu Jue had finished issuing the decree and was staring at the map without saying a word, Liu Ruoyu carefully reminded him, "Your Majesty, there are also imperial guards at the imperial mausoleums. The twelve imperial guards number about 30,000 men and are commanded by Meng Jin, the eunuch in charge of Tianshou Mountain, a confidant of Wei Zhongxian."

Oh, and the Imperial Guards!

We need to put on an act over there too.

Zhu Jue thought about it carefully, and then solemnly said, "Ruoyu, find a trustworthy person to convey my secret decree, and have Meng Jin order all the imperial guards to quickly retreat to the imperial tombs they are responsible for guarding, and desperately build defensive facilities, making it seem as if they are prepared to defend the imperial tombs to the death."

If the Jurchens were to invade Changping Prefecture from Huanghua Town, Meng Jin would immediately assemble the Imperial Guards and proceed to the northern border wall of Huanghua Town to await orders, assisting Huang Degong in blocking the northern border wall of Huanghua Town.

This meant that there were now 40,000 troops guarding the border wall of Huanghua Town. Even if the Jurchens were to fight to the last man, they would never be able to break through the Huanghua Town line.

The question is, will the Jurchens fall into the trap of Changping Prefecture?

The next morning around 7 a.m., smoke suddenly rose from the Juyongguan Pass to Gubeikou Pass in the northwest of the capital. Jurchen cavalry had invaded the heart of Yanqing Prefecture, and the capital was in dire straits!
(End of this chapter)