Volume 1, Chapter 41: The Tumu Crisis—It Was Not That Simple!

Looking at Jiang Lin’s grim expression, Old Zhu, Zhu Biao, Zhu Di, and Zhu Yourong all fell silent.

They were stunned.

They finally understood why this guy had such a strange smile on his face just a moment ago. So, he had been setting them up all along!

Zhu Di simply could not accept this reality. In his understanding, it wasn’t impossible to lose a battle, but could one really lose a battle so ridiculously? How could an army of hundreds of thousands be defeated like this?

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"Brother Jiang, tell us quickly, what happened next?"

"How could an emperor known to later generations as the 'God of War of the Ming Dynasty' suffer such a crushing defeat?"

For a moment, everyone present held their breath, their focus razor-sharp, hoping that Jiang Lin would bring some good news of a reversal.

However, Jiang Lin’s next words were like a basin of cold water poured over them, chilling them to the bone.

"This incident is known as the Tumu Crisis. The eunuch Wang Zhen was killed in the fighting, and Zhu Qizhen was captured by the Oirat army. Later generations, to mock him... gave him the title of the 'God of War of the Ming Dynasty'!"

"What! He was captured?" Zhu Di exclaimed, his tone filled with disbelief.

Old Zhu’s eyes were filled with a strange glint. "Not only did an army of hundreds of thousands perish, but the dignified Son of Heaven was captured by the enemy? Even if you let a dog command the army, it wouldn't have ended like this!"

Only then did he realize what "God of War of the Ming Dynasty" meant; it was a derogatory term!

Jiang Lin did not stop and continued, "After Zhu Qizhen was captured, Esen held him hostage and fought all the way to Beijing."

Old Zhu stared fixedly at Zhu Di and gritted his teeth. "Fourth, this great-grandson of yours has truly given us a 'great' surprise!"

"Father, I..." Zhu Di hung his head, not daring to meet Old Zhu’s gaze.

Jiang Lin continued, "Under the threat of the Oirat, Zhu Qizhen openly urged the generals defending the city to surrender. Later generations mockingly dubbed him the 'Gate-Calling Emperor'!"

As the last word fell, the entire room fell into silence.

*Slap!*

With a loud crash, Old Zhu slammed his fist onto the table and cursed, "A 'Gate-Calling Emperor,' indeed!"

"The reputation of our Zhu family for eighteen generations has been completely ruined! I spent half my life driving the Mongol barbarians out of the Central Plains, only for your descendant to be captured and dragged off to the grasslands!"

"It is an utter humiliation! How am I supposed to talk to you about this!"

Although Zhu Biao tried his best to remain calm, his hands were already tightly clenched into fists. It was simply too shameful! To lose was one thing, but to be captured by the enemy, and then, to save his own life, use his status as Emperor to urge the defenders to open the gates—the level of humiliation was no less than the Jingkang Incident of the Song Dynasty.

"Jiang Lin, what happened next? What became of the Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Yourong asked with a worried expression.

Jiang Lin waved his hand. "Rest assured, they didn't let the Oirat succeed; the defenders did not open the city gates."

"Seeing the 'gate-calling' attempt fail, the Oirat launched an assault on the capital. The officials, led by Yu Qian, responded quickly."

"First, they enthroned Zhu Qizhen’s younger brother, Zhu Qiyu, as Emperor, and elevated the captured Zhu Qizhen to the status of Retired Emperor."

"Subsequently, Yu Qian adopted a scorched-earth strategy to conduct the defense of the capital, successfully repelling the Oirat army and safeguarding the dignity of the Ming Dynasty."

After hearing Jiang Lin’s account, the four members of the Zhu family finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness! The worst-case scenario had not come to pass. Although the Emperor had been captured, they had at least avoided repeating the humiliation of the Northern Song.

Old Zhu nodded slightly. "This official named Yu Qian is truly remarkable. Though a civil servant, he is no spineless traitor. It was no small feat to hold the capital."

"Speaking of Yu Qian, when he was only twelve years old, he wrote a poem that was highly praised by later generations," Jiang Lin said, a look of admiration appearing on his face.

Old Zhu was intrigued. "Oh? Let’s hear it."

"'Hammered and chiseled from the deep mountains, it treats the scorching flames as a trifle; it fears not being crushed to powder, so long as it leaves its purity in the world.'"

Jiang Lin recited Yu Qian’s *Ode to Lime* to Old Zhu with great fervor.

A bright, excited light shone in Old Zhu’s eyes, and Zhu Biao, standing to the side, also remarked with emotion:

"To be able to write such a masterpiece at the tender age of twelve—he is truly worthy of being a guardian of the Ming Dynasty!"

At this moment, Zhu Di no longer hesitated and knelt directly before Old Zhu.

"Father, I... I have failed the Ming Dynasty, and I have failed you!"

"I never imagined my descendant would nearly destroy the Ming."

"Fourth Brother, get up quickly!"

Seeing this, Zhu Biao hurriedly helped Zhu Di up from the floor. "How can you blame yourself for this? It is not your fault!"

"Even if he is your descendant, you cannot be held solely responsible!"

"As long as we do our best to prevent it, we can ensure the Tumu Crisis never happens again."

Jiang Lin actually had a way to resolve the Tumu Crisis, one that would guarantee it would never happen again.

It was simple! Upgrade the equipment of the Ming army and give them combat power that transcended the era! In that case, no matter how strong the Oirat’s combat power might be, they would be no match for the Ming army.

However, Jiang Lin was worried about startling Old Zhu and the others, so he didn't bring it out rashly; everything needed a bit of preparation. Moreover, there were many reasons for the Tumu Crisis, and there was another factor—one that was perhaps even more significant.

"Wanting to stop this won't be that simple..."

At this point, Jiang Lin gave the group a meaningful smile.