Sky Curtain: The opening scene explains the four major cases of the Ming Dynasty plus the early Ming

Beneath the celestial canopy, all worlds held their breath.

All eyes were fixed on the excavated yellow earth, and on the staff member who rushed toward Judy Jun with a look of ecstasy on his face!

coming!

The definitive evidence, the one that can make the earth itself speak, is coming!

"Brother Jun!"

The staff member rushed forward, his voice trembling with extreme excitement, and the on-site commander's barely suppressed roar could be heard from the walkie-talkie in his hand.

"Team Leader Zhu, we've conducted a preliminary analysis of the soil composition in the first exploration area, and combined this with the dense reaction points detected by the metal detectors, we've focused our excavation efforts on key areas..."

He took a deep breath, held up a newly printed briefing, and handed it to Judy Jun.

"Based on preliminary estimates of the density and distribution of the remains, this area... this area contains approximately... six thousand sets of remains!"

Six thousand?

Wasn't it said to be an army of hundreds of thousands?

This number stunned everyone.

The chat in the live stream momentarily froze and became confused.

"Six thousand? What's going on? The numbers don't add up! Wasn't Tumu Fortress supposed to have hundreds of thousands of casualties?"

"Could it be that Brother Jun made a mistake? This...this is so awkward!"

The Ming Dynasty Era.

The emperors, who had just been full of hope, felt their hearts sink once again.

Even Zhu Di, whose eyes burned with the flames of revenge, showed a hint of doubt.

Six thousand people—for a defeat that was said to shake the very foundations of the nation, that number was far too small.

However, when Zhu Dijun took the briefing, he only glanced at it and showed no surprise at all. Instead, he revealed a knowing sneer.

"Family members, don't worry."

His voice remained calm and composed.

"These six thousand people are the key of all."

Before he could finish speaking, the staff member, as if presenting a treasure, took out an object covered in mud and dark red bloodstains from a sealed evidence bag.

It appeared to be a small booklet wrapped in oilcloth, so decayed that it was unrecognizable, yet it stubbornly retained its shape.

"Captain Zhu, we also found this next to a skeleton wearing a British Royal Guard badge!"

The staff member's voice was filled with awe.

"After emergency handling, we discovered it was a handwritten diary. Although it contained only a few words, the contents..."

He didn't continue speaking, but just looked at Judy Jun with the eyes of someone looking at a god.

Because the contents recorded in this blood-written letter perfectly matched Zhu Dijun's previous deductions!

Zhu Dijun took the thin book, which bore witness to six hundred years of injustice.

He didn't open it immediately, but instead held it high, facing the camera and the myriad dimensions of time and space.

History books can be deceiving.

"A civil official's mouth can lie."

"But the last words written in blood by a loyal and courageous person at the final moment of their life will not be like that!"

He slowly and carefully opened the booklet, which was soaked in blood and hatred.

The high-definition camera zoomed in instantly, clearly presenting the blurry yet still legible handwriting to everyone!

The handwriting was hasty and desperate, as if it had been carved onto the paper with the last bit of strength.

"...The sky has fallen."

[...not the Oirat people.]

"...They're one of us!"

[...The Xuanda border army...Yang Hong's sons Yang Jun, Yang Neng, and Yang Xin...they've gone mad! They've raised their butcher's knives against us!]

"...The Duke has died in battle...We are surrounded...Your Majesty..."

【……save……】

The writing abruptly stops here.

The final stroke transformed into a long, shocking trail of blood.

silence.

The whole world seemed to have been muted.

The hundreds of millions of comments in the live stream disappeared.

In countless worlds and timelines, all the emperors, generals, and ministers, whether standing or sitting, were frozen in place.

Time seemed to freeze completely at that moment.

then……

boom--!!!!

The sky has really fallen!

Border troops!

It should have been the sharpest blade of the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall guarding the nation's gates, and the reliance of the emperor in his personal campaigns!

They actually turned their blades on their own people! They slashed at the emperor's central command tent!

Yang Hong!

A general who has received the nation's favor for generations and guards the frontier!

His sons were the executioners of this horrific massacre!

At this moment, all the "coincidences," all the "doubts," and all the "strangeness" have been answered!

Why were the Oirats able to "predict the future"? Because the real enemy was always right beside them!

Why did an army of hundreds of thousands collapse in a single battle? Because they were attacked from both sides and stabbed in the back by their own people!

Why are historical records vague about the process? Because the truth simply cannot be written down! To write it down would be the biggest scandal of the Ming Dynasty, an indelible sin for the entire civil service!

At that moment, everyone understood the meaning of those "six thousand" skeletons.

That wasn't all the casualties.

Those were the emperor's personal guards! The elite troops under the command of Duke Zhang Fu of Yingguo! The loyal souls who, even in death, could not understand why their comrades would turn their swords against them!

They died from exhaustion while fighting their own people!

The sixth year of the Zhengtong reign of the Ming Dynasty.

The young emperor Zhu Qizhen, who had just assumed power and was full of vigor, stared blankly at the blood-red words on the sky. The color drained from his face at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Yang Hong...

That old general whom he trusted implicitly and relied upon as the Great Wall of the frontier.

Yang Jun...

That scion of a military family who frequently visited the palace and chatted with him.

They...want to kill him?

Zhu Qizhen felt a sudden dizziness, his vision went black, and he swayed before collapsing onto the dragon throne.

He is not a fool.

He instantly understood: the Yang family father and son were nothing but knives!

The hands holding the knife belonged to those "wise ministers" in the court who had patiently guided him, spouting "benevolence and morality"! They were his teachers!

The fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign of the Ming Dynasty, Tumu Fortress.

Trapped in his military tent, Zhu Qizhen, his face ashen, stared at the sky and at the blood-stained book from the future. He was initially bewildered, but then let out a cruel, beast-like laugh.

"Haha...hahahaha..."

"So that's how it is..."

"So that's how it is!!"

He laughed until tears streamed down his face, his laughter filled with endless sorrow and self-mockery.

He finally understood!

Why are we running out of food supplies?

Why are military orders being obstructed at every turn?

Why is it that every seemingly foolish decision Wang Zhen makes is executed precisely, leading to the worst possible outcome?

Because this is not a war at all!

This is an execution!

A meticulously planned execution targeting him, the emperor, and all the disobedient military generals!

And he was the most foolish sacrifice, the one sent to the altar!

The first year of the Tianshun reign of the Ming Dynasty.

Having just been reinstated from the Southern Palace and reclaimed the throne through the "Tumu Crisis," Zhu Qizhen stared at the blood-red words on the sky without uttering a word.

He neither laughed nor cried.

He just stared silently at that weathered face, all expression gone, leaving only a deathly coldness.

He recalled the humiliation of being captured by the Oirat Mongols.

I recalled Nangong's seven years of house arrest.

He recalled those years when he would wake up in the middle of the night countless times, unable to understand where he had gone wrong.

Now he knows.

His mistake was that he trusted those "loyal ministers" too much.

Inside the main hall, the air was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

All the ministers prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling, not daring to look up at the emperor's expression.

for a long time.

Zhu Qizhen spoke slowly, his voice hoarse, yet carrying a cruelty and resolve that could freeze the soul.

"Issue my decree."

"Yang Jun, Yang Neng, and Yang Xin, the three traitors, are to be arrested immediately and escorted to the Meridian Gate!"

He paused, then spoke each word as if squeezed out from between his teeth.

"To be executed by slow slicing!"

"His father, Yang Hong, though already buried, is guilty of unforgivable crimes!"

"Open the coffin! Dig up the corpse! Crush the bones! Scatter the ashes!"

"The entire Yang clan, regardless of gender or age, shall be exterminated!"