Volume 1: The Wind Rises in Tumubao Chapter 32: Life and Death

The battle lasted until the third day, and the ancient walls of Badaling were already stained red with blood.
The Oirat people's offensive remained fierce, but they were unsuccessful every time.
The Ming army was not having a good time either. Almost everyone was injured and was on the brink of collapse. They were only supported by their strong willpower.
For the past three days, Zhu Qizhen had not returned to the barracks at all, and slept on the city wall with his soldiers every day.
As night fell, everyone ate some dry food on the city wall and then leaned against it to rest.
Zhang Fu and several other main generals whispered for a while, and then came to Zhu Qizhen.
"Your Majesty, I suggest that you withdraw to Juyong Pass!"
Zhang Fu was not afraid, but he was worried about Zhu Qizhen.
You are the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, standing on the city wall and fighting face to face with the Oirat people every day. If anything goes wrong, who can take responsibility?
Zhu Qizhen thought for a moment and shouted, "Chen Ying!"
"I am here!"
Zhu Qizhen asked, "How much gunpowder does the Shenjiying have left?"
Chen Ying answered truthfully: "Your Majesty, it is almost sold out."
Zhu Qizhen frowned and shouted, "Where's Luo Tong? Is he here?"
"I am here!"
"Where's the ammunition supply?"
Luo Tong said helplessly: "Your Majesty, the ammunition supplies from Juyong Pass have been transported here, but... they are consumed too quickly!"
The military equipment stored in Juyongguan was limited, and Luo Tong traveled back and forth every day to transport all the ammunition and supplies to Badaling.
Even so, there was a severe shortage of gunpowder, so the soldiers of the Shenji Camp often had to rush forward with their muskets to engage in hand-to-hand combat.
At this point, Zhu Qizhen must reconsider whether to withdraw to Juyongguan. After all, the Badaling Pass is only the first line of defense and can be abandoned when necessary.
At this time, Fan Zhong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Earl of Pingxiang wants to see you!"
"Chen Qing's family is here?" Zhu Qizhen's eyes lit up and he waved his hand, "Hurry up, call them!"
Soon, Chen Huai climbed up the city wall and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, this old minister is here to see you!"
"No need to be polite!" Zhu Qizhen asked hurriedly, "How is the matter going?"
"Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission. I have already transported the first batch of lime powder here. It is a full ten carts!"
"good!"
Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but applaud. With this thing, gunpowder and other things would not be so important.
My dear Yesen, it is you who are holding on so tightly, don’t blame me for being unsportsmanlike!
That night, Zhu Qizhen finally had a good sleep. The only drawback was that, perhaps because he was too tired, he did not dream about Technician No. 18.
As the sun rose, the Oirat people launched another attack.
However, what greeted them this time was the secret weapon of the Ming army.
As the defenders, the Ming army was in a dominant position and did not even need trebuchets. They could just throw the catapults directly down.
Lime powder mixed in the wind and sand looks like white snow all over the sky, but today's snow is not beautiful, but murderous.
The Oirat people had suffered from the loss of lime powder, so they did not choose to attack forcefully and retreated directly.
"The Wala people have retreated! We won!"
There was thunderous cheers on the city wall and everyone shouted excitedly.
Zhu Qizhen looked at the retreating Oirat people and suddenly thought of something. He called Yuan Bin over and whispered a few words in his ear.
Yuan Bin nodded and went down to make arrangements. Not long after, he heard thousands of people on the city wall shouting in unison:
"Withdraw from the Great Wall, and keep Paul's body intact!"
"Withdraw from the Great Wall, and keep Paul's body intact!"
"Withdraw from the Great Wall, and keep Paul's body intact!"
At the beginning, there were only a few hundred people shouting. As the uniform shouts spread, more and more people joined in. In the end, all the soldiers on the city wall shouted together, and the momentum was like an overwhelming tidal wave.
The retreating Oirat people had obviously heard the provocation of the Ming army, but they could do nothing and returned to the camp dejectedly.
Seeing the Oirat withdraw its troops, the morale of the Ming army was greatly boosted and everyone's fatigue was swept away.
They cheered and celebrated this hard-earned victory.
The big rock in Zhu Qizhen's heart finally fell to the ground. With a magical weapon like lime powder, the Oirat people would never be able to attack the city!
Suddenly, Zhang Fu pointed forward and shouted, "Your Majesty, they are coming again!"
"What?"
Zhu Qizhen looked puzzled. We hadn't even had time to celebrate, so why did it happen again?
Is this Yesen really so determined that he won't give up until his head is broken and bloody?
"Your Majesty, look, the enemy's formation seems a little strange!"
Zhu Qizhen looked from afar and saw that this time the Wala cavalry had adjusted their formation. There were only a few thousand of them, and they were marching very slowly.
"That's strange, why does it seem like the infantry is in front and the cavalry is behind?"
Zhu Qizhen was very confused. What kind of formation was this?
Zhang Fu stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, how do we fight this time?"
Zhu Qizhen thought for a moment and said, "No matter what tricks he plays, prepare the lime bombs!"
"yes!"
As the other party slowly approached, someone finally realized that something was wrong.
Zhang Fu suddenly said, "The person walking in front seems to be a Han Chinese!"
Zhu Qizhen also discovered that in front of the Wala cavalry was a large group of ragged people who were being driven forward.
"Damn it, they actually captured the people of our Ming Dynasty as cannon fodder!"
When Zhu Qizhen saw these people, his anger instantly exploded.
Although those people were dressed in rags and had empty eyes, it could be seen that they were all Han people. They were probably ordinary people that the Oirat people robbed along the way.
These people were almost all young and strong men. It is not to say that the Oirat people were so kind. On the contrary, seeing these young and strong men, it is not difficult to imagine the fate of the old, weak, women and children.
"Your Majesty, the Oirat people want to use these civilians as cannon fodder!"
Zhang Fu's voice became weaker and weaker, because he knew that Zhu Qi was very angry at this moment.
Through this period of contact, Zhang Fu deeply felt that the almighty Emperor of the Ming Dynasty in front of him had the utmost respect for life.
Now seeing that the people of the Ming Dynasty were being used as cannon fodder, he must be in a very bad mood.
Chen Ying stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, the enemy is approaching the city. Should we attack with lime bombs?"
"No!" Zhu Qizhen slowly shook his head and said, "Pass the order down. No one is allowed to act without my order!"
Chen Ying's face was tangled, and he continued: "I understand the emperor's feelings, but if no measures are taken, the enemy will be able to do nothing..."
Zhu Qizhen suddenly said: "Look at those people, they are all my subjects!"
The captive army was driven forward, and someone suddenly discovered the Ming army on the city wall and began to run forward, shouting: "Save me! I am Han Chinese!"
Before he could run far, a feather arrow flew out from behind and knocked him to the ground.
He was still breathing hard, and he used his last bit of strength to crawl forward, shouting, "Save me!"
Seeing this scene, the Ming soldiers on the city wall couldn't help but shed tears.
However, they had the desire to kill the enemy but not the opportunity to do so.
What Zhu Qizhen saw was more than that. In history, after the Ming army was defeated at Tumu Fortress, Yesen's army besieged the capital, and the number of civilians killed and injured was more than tens of millions.
History must not repeat itself, and the people must not be allowed to be trampled upon like this!
This is a severe challenge. As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he must make a choice immediately.
"Duke of England, the other side did not send its main force. They are here to humiliate me !"
Zhang Fu took a closer look and nodded, "About two to three thousand people, but the opponent's main force can provide support at any time."
"How long do you think it will take for the enemy's main force to arrive?"
"That's hard to say. It'll probably be a quarter of an hour at most."
"A quarter of an hour is enough!"
Zhu Qizhen closed his eyes silently and shouted hoarsely: "Open the city gate!"
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