Chapter 53 Zhu Jianshen: Father, I really want to dig you up and whip your corpse!

At this moment, the narration above the firmament sounded once again.

"Zhu Qizhen's grand army continued their slow advance, finally arriving at Datong. Here, he learned of the tragic defeat suffered by the frontline Ming forces, and his heart was instantly filled with terror. Seeing this, Wang Zhen grew timid and decided to lead the army back to the capital."

"However, during the retreat, Wang Zhen wanted to show off before his fellow townsmen and actually planned to have Zhu Qizhen make a detour through his hometown of Weizhou. Later, worrying that the large army would trample the crops, he changed the route on short notice, causing the Ming army to waste precious time."

In the vision, the Ming army formation was in utter chaos, and the soldiers were exhausted and resentful.

"When they reached Tumu Fortress, the Oirat army led by Esen quickly caught up. Tumu Fortress was situated on high ground lacking water sources. The Ming army dug wells to no avail, and both men and horses were parched with thirst."

"After cutting off the water supply, Esen feigned a peace negotiation. Zhu Qizhen fell for the trick and ordered the camp to be moved closer to the water. During the relocation, the Ming army's formation fell into complete disarray, and the Oirat army seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack."

Within the vision, severed limbs were scattered everywhere, and blood stained the earth crimson.

The Oirat soldiers had originally prepared themselves for death, considering how fierce the previous two emperors had been.

Yet who would have thought that this time, it would be so effortless?

Every single one of them fought as if they were a match for a hundred. Some Oirat soldiers who died in battle were not killed by the enemy, but actually died from exhaustion due to killing too many people. Would you believe it?

The great battle lasted for a long time—a full day and night. An army of two hundred thousand was slaughtered to the last man.

The senior officials brought along by Zhu Qizhen included Grand Tutor and Duke of Ying Zhang Fu, Marquis of Taining Chen Ying, Imperial Son-in-Law Commander Jing Yuan, Minister of Revenue Wang Zuo, Minister of War Kuang Ye, Left Vice Minister of Personnel and Hanlin Academician Cao Nai, Right Vice Minister of Justice Ding Xian, Right Vice Minister of Works Wang Yonghe, and Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate Deng Qi, among others.

In the Battle of Tumu Fortress, the majority of these ministers died in battle, with only a few—such as Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Xiao Weizhen and Left Vice Minister of Rites Yang Shan—managing to escape by a stroke of luck.

Pity the veteran general of over seventy years old, who ultimately died of sheer frustration and grievance.

These generals were all seasoned veterans of countless battles, and any one of them had hundreds of ways to crush the Oirats. But... but they could not even get an audience with the Emperor!

The Emperor would not listen to them either, he only listened to the words of a eunuch!

How they hated! How they hated!

Hated that there was no door to the heavens...

"Under the onslaught of the Oirat army, the Ming forces collapsed entirely, suffering countless casualties. Unable to break through the encirclement, Zhu Qizhen was captured by the Oirats."

"Wang Zhen was also bludgeoned to death with an iron mace by the body-guard general Fan Zhong."

"The Tumu Crisis had a profound impact on the Ming Dynasty, dealing a severe blow to its national strength and prestige, causing the Ming Dynasty to turn from prosperity to decline from then on."

Beneath the firmament.

During the Hongwu era of the Great Ming.

Looking at that horrifying battlefield, Old Zhu's heart was bleeding.

"Very well... it's ruined, damn it, it's all ruined!"

"Zhu Di... look at this good descendant of yours... My Great Ming... My Great Ming!"

Old Zhu staggered so violently from rage that he almost fainted.

He was practically brought to the verge of a cerebral hemorrhage!

Handing all military command over to a eunuch... it was utterly laughable.

And to have the entire army annihilated because of this eunuch?

Blue Yu, Xu Da, and the other military generals felt such intense fury that they wished they could immediately rush over and flay Wang Zhen alive.

Two hundred thousand troops... two hundred thousand troops, just gone like that?

To military commanders who eked out a living on the battlefield, these were all their brothers!

During the Yongle era of the Great Ming.

"Hahaha... hahahahaha... ha..."

Zhu Di laughed out of extreme rage, and as he laughed, tears streamed down his face!

"Eldest son... take a look, just look, twenty thousand... no, two hundred thousand troops, the entire army annihilated!"

At this moment, Zhu Gaochi broke out in a cold sweat, his face turning somewhat pale.

"This son sees it! I see it... two hundred thousand troops, completely annihilated!"

Zhu Gaochi's legs went soft, and he collapsed onto the ground.

He had never imagined that his later descendants would actually do something so absurd!

Treating the lives of two hundred thousand soldiers as child's play, and plunging the Great Ming into such a devastating blow.

Zhu Di's eyes bulged with anger, filled with a fierce and ruthless expression as he pointed at the firmament and roared: "How can such a muddle-headed ruler be worthy of bearing the mountains and rivers of our Great Ming! To actually hand all military power over to a mere eunuch!"

"Zhu Qizhen... Zhu Qizhen... I..." Halfway through his words, Zhu Di felt dizzy with anger, and supporting his forehead, he staggered and sat down on a stool.

This little bastard almost scared him to death with anger...

During the Xuande era of the Great Ming.

At this moment, Zhu Zhanji's eyes were bloodshot.

Looking at the restrained Wang Zhen kneeling below, he said to the guards beside him: "Slap his mouth, beat this thing to death for me!"

"Slap, slap, slap!"

Within moments, Wang Zhen's face was beaten until it swelled up like a pig's head.

The civil and military officials in the imperial court at this moment wished they could tear this creature limb from limb and devour him raw!

Zhu Zhanji coughed, walked up to the young Zhu Qizhen, grabbed him by the collar, and delivered several fierce, resounding slaps.

"Wuwuwu, Father, don't hit this son, don't hit this son! Empress, Mother, save me!" Zhu Qizhen wailed and cried for his parents as he was beaten!

"Unfilial son, you... you actually did this, handing all military power over to a eunuch. You truly are a fine son of mine!"

With that, he delivered another kick to Zhu Qizhen, sending him flying two or three meters away.

He crashed into a pillar and passed out!

Then, turning his head, he glared fiercely at Wang Zhen and raised his hand to signal the guards to stop for a moment.

By now, Wang Zhen had been beaten to the point of vomiting blood, with only a few teeth left in his mouth.

"Wang Zhen, a mere eunuch, actually dared to call an imperial prince sworn brothers. I have countless ways to torture you!"

With that, Zhu Zhanji smiled coldly, his eyes filled with ruthless malice.

"Someone, drag this thing away! I shall administer the punishment myself! According to the ancestral instructions, flay him and stuff him with straw..."

"Your Majesty... just kill me, Your Majesty, please just kill me..."

Hearing these words, Wang Zhen was so terrified that he pissed himself. He naturally knew what kind of torture "flaying and stuffing with straw" was!

The guards immediately stepped forward and dragged away the limp, mud-like Wang Zhen.

Fuming with rage, Zhu Zhanji strode to the execution ground. Looking at the shivering Wang Zhen tied to the pillar, his eyes were filled with utter disgust.

He personally picked up a sharp blade and began the flaying.

Wang Zhen shrieked in soul-rending agony, his cries echoing throughout the entire execution ground.

The court officials gathered around, their eyes brimming with vindictive satisfaction.

As time passed, Wang Zhen's skin was peeled off bit by bit, and his screams gradually grew faint.

Zhu Zhanji remained expressionless. When the final intact piece of human skin was peeled off, he ordered people to stuff it with straw, turning it into a human-skin straw dummy.

Miraculously, Wang Zhen was still covered in blood and had not yet died—this required a high degree of skill!

Back in the day, Zhu Zhanji had learned plenty of such tricks under his third uncle.

"Hehe, carry him down and keep him alive for me. I have plenty of methods, let's play slowly!" Zhu Zhanji pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his hands, a cold sneer lingering at the corners of his mouth.

...

During the Chenghua era of the Great Ming.

Looking at the table full of memorial reports, Zhu Jianshen had a splitting headache.

"Father... take a look, these are all the烂摊子 (messes) you left behind for me!"

"I really want to dig you up and whip your corpse!"

If so many of those ministers on the firmament hadn't died... he wouldn't be this exhausted either.

All his sufferings stemmed from that unreliable father of his... who left him nothing except a colossal mess.

Yet, this was just the beginning; Zhu Qizhen's subsequent outrageous antics would raise blood pressure even higher.

They were enough to make their ancestors leap right out of their coffins if dead, and scare the living half to death.

Zhu Qizhen lived up to his name, single-handedly turning all his ancestors upside down!

At this moment, the imagery on the firmament shifted once again, and the scenes within made the eyeballs of Zhu Di and Old Zhu almost pop out of their sockets.

...

(To spare the reader老爷们 (lords/readers) from reading fatigue, the pacing will speed up after concluding the God of War of Ming... glossing over it briefly, and now we will officially enter the main text to unlock a new mode. Liu Xiu might be given a more focused write-up!

Finally, humbly begging for a five-star book review... Please!)