Chapter Fifty-Three: Cutting Off the Emperor’s Retreat

There was a mistake in the previous chapter—a slip of the pen: Zijing Pass should have been Juyong Pass. It has now been corrected.

...

From the moment he possessed this body, the words "Tumu Fort" became an indelible shadow in Lu Qing’s heart. Yet he had never truly known where Tumu Fort was located. He’d always assumed it lay within the borders of Xuanfu, but to his surprise, it was actually in the region of Huailai, and so close to the strategic Great Wall stronghold of Juyong Pass.

If he remembered correctly, the Zhengtong Emperor Zhu Qizhen had led his grand army and, on the way back to Beijing, was besieged by Esen at Tumu Fort. The fortress ran out of water, and Wang Zhen, deceived by Esen’s offer of peace, led to a catastrophic defeat. Amidst the chaos, Wang Zhen was killed by Commander Fan Zhong of the imperial guard, and the emperor himself was taken captive.

Such was the course of great events, but Lu Qing could find no record of the details. Though he’d lived in this era for over a month, as a mere officer of the imperial guard, he had no way of knowing the specifics of the army’s movements after leaving the capital, nor their marching route, or how they ended up trapped and annihilated at Tumu Fort. What exactly had happened in between? He could only piece together the catastrophe from the broad strokes of history and the events already unfolding. Even so, countless questions remained unresolved, and no matter how much he pondered, he could not find the answers.

Tumu Fort, Huailai, Xuanfu, Datong, Juyong Pass...

Lu Qing did not respond to Lin Xiaoqi’s question. Instead, he silently recited these place names in his heart, repeating them over and over. As time passed, his expression grew darker.

"Young man, what’s the matter?" Eunuch Guo, seeing Lu Qing’s deep gloom for the first time, grew anxious. He worried Lu Qing might be brooding over something that would jeopardize their journey south. If they failed to go south to meet the emperor, Eunuch Guo would be branded a deserter who abandoned his post. If His Majesty arrived in Datong and still did not see him, Guo Jing feared he might never again have the chance to serve, and if the emperor flew into a rage, he might even lose his head.

Just then, Zhou Yunyi, who had been leading a patrol around the area, returned and overheard the conversation between Lu Qing and Lin Xiaoqi. Something clicked in his mind. Glancing at Lu Qing, he said to Eunuch Guo and the others, "Last night when we were fleeing for our lives, Brother Lu also mentioned Tumu Fort. It seemed to have something to do with His Majesty, but I’m not sure exactly what."

"Oh? Is that so?" Song Bangde and the others were puzzled by this, and Eunuch Guo was equally at a loss. What connection could there be between Tumu Fort and the imperial court?

Seated beside Ji Xiaoqi was a man who had just been appointed acting squad leader among the Night Scouts. He suddenly spoke up: "Brother Lu did say something last night. What was it… Oh, that’s right. He said the imperial carriage must not go to Tumu Fort."

The imperial carriage must not go to Tumu Fort?

This only deepened everyone’s confusion. Eunuch Guo was even more perplexed. The emperor was currently making his way to Datong, while Tumu Fort was in Huailai, adjacent to Juyong Pass, more than two hundred li away. Why must the emperor not go there? For what reason would he go there at all?

How very strange.

No matter how they racked their brains, none could fathom the connection between Tumu Fort and the Son of Heaven. Driven by curiosity, they all turned to Lu Qing, hoping for an explanation. But all they saw was Lu Qing frowning deeply, his shoulders trembling ever so slightly, as if he’d recalled something truly terrifying.

At length, under the weight of their puzzled gazes, Lu Qing slowly raised his head, fixing his eyes on Eunuch Guo and said, "Eunuch, have you considered the possibility that Arat’s incursion this time was not for the sake of attacking cities or pillage, but rather, for the sake of the imperial carriage?"

"For the sake of the imperial carriage?" Eunuch Guo was startled, exclaiming, "Young man, don’t scare me! Why would Arat target His Majesty?"

Lu Qing did not answer, but pressed on: "Then tell me, why did Arat previously only hover outside the border walls, showing no signs of raiding? Yet after a few days, he suddenly broke out with fury, splitting his forces into three and attacking on all fronts, even risking everything to assault Dushi?"

"Perhaps it’s because..." Eunuch Guo hesitated, then muttered, "Perhaps Arat already knows what happened at Yanghekou."

This was the only explanation Eunuch Guo could think of—and the most reasonable one. If Arat had learned that Esen had defeated the Ming army at Yanghekou, then of course he would choose to invade immediately, for he had no other choice.

If Esen could not breach Datong, then Arat, who played both sides, would be powerless, for if Esen could not deal with the Ming army, how could Arat hope to succeed?

But Esen not only broke through Datong, he annihilated forty thousand of the Ming’s elite troops. Arat could no longer afford to wait and see. If he held back, Esen would surely hold him accountable afterward, and his own followers would lose confidence in him.

After all, Esen was already the de facto ruler of the Oirat, with the khan Toghtoa Bukha as little more than a puppet—the affairs of the Oirat were all dictated by Esen alone. If, riding the momentum of his great victory, Esen chose to blame Arat, it was unlikely anyone in Oirat would object—nor would anyone speak up for Arat. Among the Oirat, only strength was respected. Having crushed the Ming army, Esen had become the people’s hero; for a hero to censure a coward was only natural.

If Arat wished to avoid Esen’s wrath, he had to throw himself wholeheartedly into the attack on Xuanfu. Even if not to redeem himself, he had to consider his followers. With Datong fallen, Xuanfu was caught between hammer and anvil. Once the two sides joined forces, all the riches of Xuanda would be Oirat’s for the taking. Arat’s men would not sit idly by while Esen’s tribesmen plundered within Ming territory and they gained nothing waiting outside the walls.

The thought that Arat’s full-scale assault on Xuanfu was entirely due to the fallout from the battle at Yanghekou brought a wry twist to Eunuch Guo’s mouth—he felt somewhat embarrassed.

Lu Qing cared nothing for his embarrassment. He pressed on, "Now that Arat has taken Dushi and seized Maying without a fight, there’s nothing left in Xuanfu to stop his advance except for Xuanhua city. If you were Arat, would you waste time advancing east to join the other columns for a coordinated plunder? Or would you, seeing Xuanfu’s defenders routed, immediately sweep through all of Xuanfu and begin looting?"

"If I were Arat, I’d start looting at once—what’s the use in delaying? Just keep Xuanhua city contained, and what troops remain in Xuanfu could stop him? If he’s worried about his sons and brothers, he could just send a detachment to Chicheng and Longmen to assist them."

Eunuch Guo answered without hesitation. In his view, neither Esen nor Arat invaded for any purpose but plunder. Who would smash open the gates to someone’s house and not immediately begin robbing it, but instead first go next door to help a neighbor break in?

"Then why would Arat send a small detachment southward to pillage, while leading his main force east? Is he truly worried that his sons and brothers will be trapped outside the border walls? Impossible. With Dushi and Maying lost, there’s no point in holding Chicheng and Longmen any longer. If I were the commander there, I’d withdraw at once to avoid being caught between the Oirat armies. Why would Arat abandon the wealth already within his grasp and delay his advance eastward? What could be his reason?"

"Why, indeed?" Eunuch Guo echoed.

Why?

Lu Qing hesitated for a moment, then spoke without the slightest doubt: "I don’t know if Arat truly intends this, but if I were Arat, I would choose this course—cutting off the Ming emperor’s path of retreat!"