Zhu Qizhen, dressed in a black shoulder-length dragon-patterned robe in Tumu Fort, stepped out of the car, feeling the whistling north wind blowing by his ears, and watching the military flags fluttering wantonly in the wind, as if all of a sudden

Back to the scene a year ago.

"Your Majesty, we cannot stay here for a long time. We must march into the Xuan Mansion urgently. We must not delay..."

"It's nonsense. Our army has marched for hundreds of miles, and the baggage and food have not kept up. If we continue to march in a hurry, these baggage will definitely be robbed. Your Majesty is marching in person. Is it to deliver ordnance first? Of course, we must camp on the spot and wait.

The baggage troops can catch up, and even if they catch up first, my Ming Dynasty has an army of 200,000, are we afraid of him?"

"What Master Wang said is reasonable. I have made up my mind. You don't need to persuade me anymore."

…………

"Your Majesty, the soldiers have dug three feet into the ground, but there is still no water source. The water brought with the army has been exhausted."

"Report, your Majesty, there is an urgent report from the front. Huailai Guard has fallen, Mayukou has fallen, our army's transport troops have been cut off, and we have also occupied the river to defend it, and have surrounded the earthen fortress."

"Your Majesty, we cannot wait any longer. Without water, we will be trapped and must break out."

"Okay, just listen to Master Wang. Who is willing to fight?"

…………

"Good news, Your Majesty, the bandits have withdrawn. Taking advantage of this opportunity, our army will break through."

"How impudent, Wang Zhen. At this time, you still dare to bewitch the Holy One. Your Majesty, this is clearly a thief's trick to lure the enemy. You must not advance rashly..."

"It has been two days, and there is still no army to come to the rescue. If the delay continues, the morale of the army will inevitably be weakened. All the ministers obeyed the order, and the army immediately set off, discarding all the baggage, and broke out in the direction of Xuanfu!"

…………

"Looking at your extraordinary status, you must be a figure in the Ming Dynasty. Please tell me your name."

"Who are you, first of all, Saikan King, or Boyan? Ask your Grand Master to come see me!"

"Troros Ye, Grand Master of Wala, is here to see His Majesty the Emperor."

"Your Majesty, your Majesty has condescended to come to my camp, which is really a blessing. Why don't you order my army to send your Majesty back to Xuan Mansion?"

…………

Time flies, and a year has passed.

Although he had been prepared in his heart, Zhu Qizhen's heart was still extremely complicated when he actually landed on this land again.

In front of his eyes, sometimes he saw an army in good order, with strong troops and horses, and sometimes he saw panic and chaos. Scenes and familiar people passed before his eyes.

Finally, it falls into silence!

"My ministers Yu Qian, Yang Hong, and chamberlain Shu Liang are here to see His Majesty the Supreme Emperor."

Several voices sounded at the same time, finally pulling Zhu Qizhen back from his thoughts.

Glancing forward, he saw Yu Qian and others, bowing their hands and saluting him. He frowned and Zhu Qizhen asked.

"Why are you two here?"

There was even a hint of hostility coming from nowhere in his tone.

Yu Qian cupped his hands and said: "I and Governor Yang have been ordered to come with the Supreme Emperor to pay homage to the officers and soldiers who died in Tumu Fort."

It was said euphemistically, but people who are familiar with Yu Qian know that if he was just a companion to the sacrifice, there is no way he would have put on such a ostentatious python robe and specially equipped it with a ceremonial sword.

This scene is obviously prepared for Qian to be the officiant if the Emperor does not come!

Of course, it won’t look good on anyone if you don’t tell everything clearly, or if you speak too clearly.

At this time, Shu Liang stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, it's almost time. The sacrifices on the altar are all ready. Do you think it's time to start?"

Letting Yu Qian come as a substitute sacrifice is ultimately just a substitute sacrifice.

If possible, it would be most appropriate to have Zhu Qizhen come to pay homage in person.

Shu Liang, Yu Qian, Yang Hong and others all know this.

Therefore, when they saw the Supreme Emperor coming, they naturally assumed that the previous preparations for the sacrifice did not occur.

However, Zhu Qizhen did not move, but fixed his gaze firmly on one person.

Yang Hong!

He had great trust and respect for this veteran who had guarded the border for many years.

However, at this moment, his eyes were only cold.

"Yang Hong?"

Zhu Qizhen called out the name gently, his tone was quite calm, but the more he did, the more people around him could feel the violent fluctuations in the Emperor's mood at this moment.

In contrast, Yang Hong's calmness was truly calm. He stood with his sword in hand, neither humble nor arrogant, and responded.

"I'm here."

Zhu Qizhen suddenly laughed, raised his hand, pointed at the military flags floating in the wind, and said with questioning and pathos in his tone.

"Yang Hong, General Yang, look at these military flags. They are all officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. There are countless heroes above them. Are you standing here with a clear conscience?"

Tumu Fort is very close to Xuanfu City, and conversely, Xuanfu City is very close to Tumu Fort.

At that time, Ye Xian's army besieged Tumubao. In fact, the Ming army did not collapse immediately. Instead, they had no choice but to break out after holding on for two days.

For the past two days, Zhu Qizhen has been waiting for help from the Xuanfu.

but none!

Day and night when he was trapped in Yibei, he was thinking that if Yang Hong had sent out troops to attack Ye Xian's army and been attacked from both sides, perhaps the situation of the war would have been reversed.

It is a pity that this "King Yang" who made the captives frightened by the news did nothing in the end.

As a result, 200,000 officers and soldiers died in the battle, the emperor went north to hunt, and launched a large-scale invasion. The situation was extremely dangerous, and the artifact was almost reversed.

In Zhu Qizhen's view, Yang Hong cannot escape responsibility for all this.

Facing the Supreme Emperor's questioning, Yang Hong did not speak and only stood silently, but everyone could feel the complex emotions in the veteran's heart.

After a moment, Yang Hong sighed and raised his head again, his eyes full of determination.

"I don't know what your majesty is asking about. At that time, he also launched three armies to attack the Ming Dynasty. Ala Zhiyuan led an army of 20,000 troops and stationed outside Xuanfu City, watching eagerly."

"Xuanfu is an important border town, and I have heavy responsibilities. How can I dare to leave my post without permission without any holy orders or imperial edicts?"

"Soldiers are deadly weapons, and casualties are inevitable in battle. On the battlefield, anything can happen. If a general dwells on the past, he will never be a good general for the country."

"The formation of troops is planned by the commander. I am a guarding general and it is my duty to perform my duties loyally."

During the Battle of Tumu, Yang Hong certainly knew that the emperor was stationed in Tumu Fort, and he also knew that Tumu Fort was besieged first.

However, he still didn't think what he did was wrong.

As a general, you have to make choices on the battlefield.

Xuanfu is close to Tumubao, but at the same time, it is also the closest border town to the capital.

You must know that it was Yexian's main force that besieged the Tumu Fort.

Faced with such a force, one or two thousand men would not play any role at all. If they want to form a combined internal and external attack, Xuanfu's military strength may be completely wiped out.

However, at that time, Ala Zhiyuan led 20,000 troops and was stationed outside the city. As long as Yang Hong dared to send troops, Xuanfu would be captured in less than half a day.

At the same time, Xuanfu is also the only way for the army to return to Beijing.

Once the Xuanfu fails, even if it saves the army, it will be of no use. When the Xuanfu's troops merge with the emperor's army, it will only cause Ye Xian and Ala Zhiyuan to respond back and forth, forming a larger encirclement.

Therefore, he was in Xuanfu to ensure the army's retreat.

What's more, once Xuanfu is captured, the army will march southward in a hurry and will reach the capital in less than two days.

Therefore, from a strategic perspective, Yang Hong knew that there was nothing wrong with his choice.

On the battlefield, those who deserve to be sacrificed must be sacrificed. If a general does not have this consciousness, he should go home and take care of his children as soon as possible!

Yang Hong has guarded the border all his life and has an extraordinary character that cannot be shaken by a few words.

Of course, the more important reason is that Yang Hong never thought that a full army of 200,000 people could not even escort the Supreme Emperor to break out of the encirclement.

In fact, if he were to take command, he would definitely not set up a camp in the first place. Even if he set up a camp, he would immediately encircle the encirclement as soon as he discovered it, and he would definitely break out of the encirclement at any cost.

Instead of guarding an army of 200,000 people, they had to stand guard for two days, waiting for rescue that they didn't know would come.

If the army tried its best to break out of the siege on the first day of the siege, even if there would be some losses, there would be no problem at all in retaining the main force and escorting the Supreme Emperor to Xuan Mansion.

But who would have thought that the Supreme Emperor didn't even have the courage to forcibly destroy an army of 200,000 in Tumu Fort.

The decision he made was completely in line with the actual situation at that time. Even the imperial court could not find any mistakes, because not only him, but whoever sat in the position of the chief soldier of the Xuan Mansion could not have predicted it.

An army of 200,000 people could not even break through.

The one who should feel guilty is not Yang Hong, but Wang Zhen, the Supreme Emperor who loves and trusts Wang Zhen!

Yang Hong's face was calm, the red tassel on his helmet moved with the wind, and he pressed his sword with his right hand. He looked directly at the Supreme Emperor, as if he was saying something.

What does he have to be ashamed of?
To be continued...