Chapter 155 Methods to Counter Artillery

When Xing'an found Xue Rui, the latter was hiding in a corner, gnawing on the remaining half of a mutton pie. Upon learning that Zhu Qiyu wished to summon him, Xue Rui was left momentarily speechless. They always said an emperor does not send starving soldiers into battle, so why did Zhu Qiyu specifically choose the moment he was eating his pie to interrupt? Was the man deliberately trying to starve him?

Despite his silent complaints, Xue Rui briskly put away the pie and followed Xing'an to the Five-Phoenix Tower.

Inside the hall, Zhu Qiyu was seated in a chair, head lowered in deep thought. He looked thoroughly troubled, his brows deeply furrowed.

Xing'an stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Xue Rui has arrived."

Xue Rui hurried forward to pay his respects to Zhu Qiyu.

"Rise."

Zhu Qiyu raised a hand, weighed his words for a moment, and asked, "What are your thoughts on the military situation?"

"Is Your Majesty worried that the campaign might go poorly?" Xue Rui perceived Zhu Qiyu's anxiety and countered with a question of his own.

Xing'an, standing nearby, was startled and hastily scolded in a low voice, "Audacious! You must not try to guess the sacred will!"

"It is fine," Zhu Qiyu waved a hand, looking utterly dejected as he asked, "Was I really that obvious?"

"Well... this is a critical juncture of life and death for our Great Ming. I imagine not a single soldier or citizen in the city is free from worry about the war. As the sovereign of the nation, Your Majesty carries the safety of the altars of state in your heart, so it is only natural that you worry," Xue Rui quickly offered some reassuring platitudes to comfort him.

Zhu Qiyu sighed, "With military affairs currently in ruins, to win against the barbarian raiders, we are actually forced to send civilian officials like you to hold down the fort in the army. How can I not worry?"

"Your Majesty, this is merely an expedient measure. As long as the imperial court beats back the Oirats, Your Majesty can later reform the military administration. That will surely make the soldiers of our Great Ming as valiant and formidable as those during the Hongwu and Yongle reigns," Xue Rui smoothly flattered him.

Zhu Qiyu gave a bitter laugh. "After the defeat at Tumu Fortress, the capital garrison was completely wiped out, and countless commanders perished in that battle. Several of the generals in the army camps outside the city have even been hastily promoted and appointed from among demoted and disgraced officers. Wanting to restore our former glory—how easy is that said?"

"This..." Xue Rui was left momentarily speechless.

His earlier words had just been casual consolation, but the deep-seated problems within the Ming military were far more severe than what appeared on the surface. Although Zhu Qiyu had not been emperor for long, he had already perceived the factual reality of the military talent gap from this tiny detail, showing he still possessed some capability.

Seeing that he had nothing to say, Zhu Qiyu steered the conversation back to his previous question, "Tell me, will we win this battle or not?"

"Naturally, we will!"

Xue Rui had long since seen through Zhu Qiyu's irresolute and hesitant personality. Since the emperor was summoning him now, he was definitely lacking in confidence, so Xue Rui had no choice but to offer him a mental anchor.

"Oh? You are so certain?"

Hearing this, the gloom on Zhu Qiyu's face dissipated quite a bit, and he hurriedly asked, "With over ten thousand men missing from Desheng Gate now, and Esen raising an army to attack, our forces do not hold the advantage."

"Your Majesty, the garrison defending Desheng Gate is the elite of our army, and with General Shi and Minister Yu personally overseeing operations, even if we cannot rout the Oirat grand army, holding our ground is entirely unproblematic.

Besides, the score or more of cannons atop the city walls are formidable weapons capable of subduing the Oirat cavalry. They have already rendered distinguished service repeatedly in the past, and this time they will likewise deal a crushing blow to Esen's forces.

Now that Your Majesty is personally ascending the walls to command and boost morale, the soldiers will surely press forward with irresistible momentum. As long as the other city gates do not fall, within five days at most, Esen will have no choice but to consider retreating," Xue Rui analyzed point by point.

"Well said. Your analysis is logical and well-founded, and I completely agree."

Zhu Qiyu nodded repeatedly, the gloom on his face vanishing entirely.

In truth, many people could think of these things, but hearing them spoken by Xue Rui made him more convinced than if they came from those regular officials.

Having finished doing ideological work on the emperor, Xue Rui hesitated for a moment before saying to Zhu Qiyu, "Your Majesty, while the military situation outside the city is crucial, stability inside the city cannot be neglected either. Earlier, regarding the case of grain merchants driving up grain prices, the mastermind has already fled. This student believes this person is extremely suspicious; if he is left at large to wander beyond the law, it may breed further trouble. He must be hunted down and brought to justice as soon as possible."

Hearing him mention this, Zhu Qiyu wore an angry expression as he said, "Chen Yi has already reported this case to me this morning. I never imagined these treacherous merchants would be so flagrantly bold as to extend their hands into the various government offices, and that even officials as high as Ministers would be implicated. If not for your timely denouncement, I fear major chaos would have broken out in the capital these past few days. This morning I already issued orders commanding the Jinyiwei, Shuntian Prefecture, and the Five-City Patrol Command to hunt down the wanted criminal with all their might. I imagine there will be results shortly."

It actually involved high-ranking officials of the ministerial grade?

Xue Rui was somewhat startled upon hearing this. He had originally thought the backers of those treacherous merchants were at most officials like vice-ministers, never imagining they had colluded with a ministry's Minister.

However, yesterday when he heard Chen Yi say the case was closed, he seemed not to have heard of any Minister being punished according to the law, and he wondered whom Zhu Qiyu was referring to.

After a brief reflection, Xue Rui guessed the reason behind it.

The war was currently pressing, and the grain merchant case had already led to the arrest of over a dozen implicated officials. If a high-ranking official at the Minister level were to fall from grace, it would inevitably affect the functioning of the government offices, making it difficult to dismiss them lightly. He suspected Zhu Qiyu had also taken this factor into consideration, which was why he had temporarily suspended further pursuit.

...

Zhu Qiyu had summoned Xue Rui actually just to find peace of mind. Those words could not be easily spoken to the senior ministers, but speaking them to Xue Rui carried no psychological burden.

After all, as a student of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, he was considered an official directly subordinate to the emperor, and Xue Rui and his father's judgments regarding the situation had been verified repeatedly. Compared to the words of others, what Xue Rui said made it easier for him to find psychological comfort.

Having finished speaking, Zhu Qiyu rose, intending to head to the city walls to observe the battle.

Suddenly, an old eunuch entered from outside the door, dropped heavily to his knees, and knocked his head forcefully against the floor. "This humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty."

Zhu Qiyu paused in his steps, perplexed, "Jin Ying, why have you come here? Is there something amiss within the palace?"

Hearing the eunuch's name, Xue Rui subconsciously cast a curious glance.

Jin Ying was tall and slightly plump, with a benevolent and amiable appearance. The look he directed at Zhu Qiyu was full of obsequiousness—he was clearly a sycophant pandering to his sovereign.

Hearing the emperor's inquiry, Jin Ying smiled ingratiatingly. "Replying to Your Majesty, early this morning, the Empress heard that Your Majesty left the palace without even partaking in the morning meal. Thus, she personally prepared some food and had this servant bring people to deliver it, asking Your Majesty to partake."

"The Empress is thoughtful."

Zhu Qiyu nodded.

After waking up, he had headed straight for Desheng Gate, leaving him no time for breakfast. He had been feeling somewhat hungry earlier anyway.

Now hearing that Empress Wang had sent people to deliver food, Zhu Qiyu sat back down and said to Jin Ying, "Have them presented."

Jin Ying hurriedly waved outward, instructing, "Quickly, lay out the imperial meal."

Several young eunuchs carrying exquisite food boxes filed in sequentially, and Xing'an and Jin Ying opened them one by one, arranging the dishes upon the table.

"Your Majesty, this is Job's tears porridge, Xiliang millet porridge, osmanthus steamed pastries, fruit-stuffed steamed pastries, along with bitter root greens, dragon's beard greens..." Jin Ying smoothly introduced each dish.

Xing'an retrieved a silver needle for poison testing from a food box, probed the dishes one by one, and then used chopsticks to sample a portion from each plate in full view of everyone. After waiting for a moment with no adverse reaction, Zhu Qiyu finally began to eat.

After eating a few bites, Zhu Qiyu raised his head and suddenly noticed that Xue Rui was still standing in the hall, curiously observing him dine. He could not help but smile and say, "What is this? You haven't requested leave to withdraw—do you wish to dine with me?"

Xue Rui hurriedly lowered his head and explained, "Since Your Majesty gave no instructions, this student dared not presume."

"I quite forgot; you haven't studied the rules for meeting the Son of Heaven."

Only then did Zhu Qiyu recall that although Xue Rui had met him several times, he was still just a green, inexperienced youth.

Officials coming to the palace for an audience were all required to study rules and etiquette in advance to avoid committing breaches of decorum before the monarch.

Lacking this kind of experience, Xue Rui had simply stood there foolishly when he knew the emperor was about to dine, failing to proactively request permission to withdraw.

Xing'an waved his hand, about to signal Xue Rui to step back.

Instead, he heard Zhu Qiyu say to Jin Ying, who was attending to his meal:

"With so much food, how could I possibly finish it all? Pick a few items for Xing'an and Xue Rui so they can line their stomachs too. Once the fighting starts later, there won't be any time to eat."

Xing'an hurriedly declined, "Your Majesty, how could this humble servant be worthy of enjoying food made by the Empress's own hands? Please retract your command."

Zhu Qiyu glanced at him with displeasure. "I can't finish it anyway, and it would just end up being thrown away. Wouldn't that be an even greater waste of the Empress's craftsmanship? Besides, this isn't exclusively for you. Xue Rui has established quite a few merits for the court these past few days; it's just that because he is too young, I didn't know what to reward him with for the moment, so consider this as a reward."

"This... so this humble servant is merely basking in Young Master Xue's light." Xing'an looked toward Xue Rui and couldn't help offering an awkward smile.

Zhu Qiyu looked at Xue Rui and smiled. "Being rewarded like this, you surely don't think me petty and ungrateful, do you?"

"For Your Majesty to bestow a feast—what extraordinary favor is this? For Xue Rui to receive such distinction can be considered bringing honor to his ancestors. This student is already too grateful to Your Majesty to even begin complaining."

Flattery cost nothing after all, so Xue Rui was naturally happy to humor the emperor. Besides, being able to taste food made by the Empress herself would make for a great conversational piece to boast about later.

Hearing him use the term "bestowing a feast," Zhu Qiyu found it somewhat amusing, but he let it pass without correction, having Jin Ying and Xing'an clear away the surplus dishes while he continued eating on his own.

The morning meals in the imperial palace were relatively light, and as Xue Rui ate, he felt it was not much different from what ordinary commoner families ate.

The only difference was the greater variety. Just the dishes Zhu Qiyu left untouched numbered seven or eight varieties, which happened to be enough to fill the stomachs of both Xue Rui and Xing'an.

Jin Ying stood beside Zhu Qiyu, attending to the emperor's meal, while casting envious glances at Xue Rui from time to time.

Because of his poor reputation within the palace, Zhu Qiyu held some preconceptions against him, and therefore when building his faction within the palace earlier, he uniquely failed to arrange a good post for him.

By contrast, Xing'an—who had entered the palace at the same time as him and had likewise served Zhu Qiyu—had been entrusted with heavy responsibilities. This filled him with both envy and jealousy.

Today, he had exerted himself mentally and physically to transport the food from the palace all the way to Desheng Gate, hoping to win a sliver of praise from Zhu Qiyu, but the result had left him deeply disappointed.

Yet Xing'an and this surnamed-Xue brat had simply stood there without moving and had been rewarded with a meal, while he, the one who delivered the food, received no such reward.

This left Jin Ying in a state of extreme psychological imbalance. He could accept not being able to outmaneuver Xing'an, but why was this half-grown boy also more favored than himself?

Gazing at Xue Rui, who was wolfing down his food, Jin Ying secretly carved the youth's appearance into his memory. When he had time later, he would investigate the boy's background to see if there were any aspects he could exploit.

...

By the time Zhu Qiyu finished his morning meal, Xue Rui's table had already been cleared away.

Mindful of the military situation, Zhu Qiyu had no time to digest his food; donning his helmet, he went up to the city walls accompanied by Xing'an and Xue Rui.

Atop the walls, senior officials were staring intently at the Oirat grand camp several miles away.

Just moments earlier, after Shi Heng withdrew fifteen thousand men, a commotion had arisen within the Oirat camp.

They had originally thought Esen would dispatch troops to block the reinforcements heading toward Xizhi Gate, but unexpectedly, Esen remained completely inactive, showing no intention whatsoever of rescuing the Oirat forces at Xizhi Gate.

Zhu Qiyu gazed far into the distance and asked Chen Xun, "Grand Secretary Chen, is there any movement at the other gates?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, no battle reports have come from Xizhi Gate for the moment. The vanguard of Bolot Temür's force engaged our army briefly at Fucheng Gate before withdrawing their troops again. It appears they are merely observing the situation; the other gates currently show no movement," Chen Xun replied.

"It seems Esen's target is Desheng Gate!" Zhu Qiyu said with a solemn tone.

Desheng Gate was the mandatory exit gate for the grand army heading on campaign, and the terrain outside the city was wide and open, making it suitable for reviewing troops, but this also resulted in the drawback of being difficult to defend. Esen's decision to let the Ming reinforcements pass unhindered toward Xizhi Gate was highly likely a preparatory step for an assault.

After watching for a moment, a single horseman galloped out from the grand camp outside the city, quickly arriving at the foot of Desheng Gate.

Everyone instinctively leaned forward to look down as the rider dismounted and called up to the ramparts:

"Reporting to Your Majesty! Our reconnaissance scouts have discovered that the Oirat troops are donning their armor and appear intent on launching an offensive. Minister of War Lord Yu requests Your Majesty's instructions!"

The people on the ramparts subconsciously looked up toward the Oirat camp, but their vision was limited, and they could not clearly see whether the Oirats were truly preparing to attack.

Zhu Qiyu took a deep breath and gave his order to the horseman, "Tell Yu Qian to act boldly as he sees fit! I shall beat the war drum atop the walls to bolster his morale!"

"This humble subordinate obeys!"

The horseman vaulted back onto his horse and quickly returned to the grand camp.

The departure of over ten thousand men from the Desheng Gate garrison naturally could not escape the eyes of the Oirats. Upon receiving this news, Esen's first instinct was to lead troops to support his younger brother, Mao Na'hai, but a moment later, he dismissed the thought.

Mao Na'hai's force currently held the upper hand, and even if the Ming army sent troops to reinforce, they were not guaranteed to gain any advantage.

Even in the worst-case scenario where Mao Na'hai's force was repulsed by the Ming army, with their cavalry suffering over half their losses, the enemy would be completely incapable of pursuing. It would be very easy for Mao Na'hai to retreat, making rescue entirely unnecessary.

Looking back at Desheng Gate, the Ming garrison was now left with only over thirty-five thousand men, further narrowing the gap with his own two thousand elite cavalry.

One could say this was the absolute best timing to rout the Desheng Gate garrison. As long as this battle ended in a sweeping victory, taking the other gates would become a simple matter.

After pondering for a moment, Esen decided to abandon supporting Mao Na'hai and threw his entire army into attacking Desheng Gate.

However, the problem that gave him the greatest headache right now was that Desheng Gate possessed far more cannons than any of the other gates.

Over the past few days, Oirat cavalry had suffered consecutive blows under the Ming cannons and were now as fearful of them as tigers. How to resolve this troublesome obstacle was the absolute priority for achieving victory.

Just as Esen and his subordinate generals were discussing this, Xi Ning walked into the command tent with a servile and fawning demeanor.

Seeing him, Esen was pleasantly surprised. "You've come at just the right time. Quickly, think of a way to counter the Ming army's cannons!"

Xi Ning said with a hint of excitement, "Grand Preceptor, this humble servant has come precisely for this matter!"

"Then what brilliant strategy do you have?"

While Esen despised this Han traitor, he was simultaneously forced to make heavy use of him.

This fellow was like the morning star of the grasslands, always pointing the way for him during the darkest moments. Perhaps his arrival was a blessing bestowed by the Eternal Sky.

Xi Ning stepped forward a few paces and said to Esen, "Grand Preceptor, surely you have forgotten—the Great Ming Supreme Emperor is right in our hands!"

"That pig of an emperor?"

Esen froze for a moment, then frowned and said, "His words carry no weight. Can he make the Ming army stop using their cannons?"

"Although he lacks that ability, we can use him to force the Ming army into not daring to fire!" Xi Ning reminded him.

"You mean... Hiss!"

Esen suddenly looked toward Xi Ning, shock plastered across his eyes.

"Indeed, exactly what the Grand Preceptor is thinking!"

Xi Ning said smugly, "With this living treasure in our hands, what is there to fear from Ming cannons?"

Esen wore a conflicted expression, pacing back and forth inside the tent for a long time. Finally, he gritted his teeth and roared toward the outside of the tent:

"Someone, fetch the imperial banner of the pig emperor!"