In July of the fourteenth year of orthodoxy (1449), he also swung his sword out of the sheath first. He led the Mongol cavalry into four routes and launched attacks on the Ming Empire from four different directions.
Among them, the first route attacked Liaodong, the second route attacked Gansu, the third route attacked Xuanfu, and the last route also led itself and attacked Datong. War broke out.
When the news reached the capital, the ministers' heartstrings tightened, and the tense atmosphere permeated the splendid palace. They quickly convened an emergency meeting, with solemn faces, to discuss the sudden crisis. Among the many worried faces, there was one person who was different, and his eyes sparkled with excitement, and he was the notorious master of ceremonies, Wang Zhen. This notorious eunuch naturally does not have patriotic feelings, and the reason why he is excited is because he sees an opportunity to realize his ambitions and make a name for himself.
In order to achieve his own goals, Wang Zhen began to plot secretly. At that time, the border of the Ming Dynasty was full of wars, and the army of the Ming Dynasty was like a wolf and a tiger, and the defenders of the Ming Dynasty were defeated and retreated, and the situation was precarious. After urgent deliberation, the imperial court decided to send the horse Imoto to the expedition. General Igen fought valiantly, and his presence eased the situation for the time being. However, the day after General Jingyuan set out for the expedition, a shocking news came out of the palace that the emperor was going to take the expedition in person! Behind all this, it is Wang Zhen who is secretly manipulating. In fact, the emperor really didn't need to recruit in person.
Although Wang Zhen is incompetent, he has a heart that longs for honor. He could not personally lead the army, and he did not have the prestige and ability to lead a large army, but he thought of using the name of the emperor to realize his dream. Yingzong Zhu Qizhen has always been his puppet and is at his mercy. At his instigation, the emperor issued an order to march in person, gathered an army of 200,000, and prepared to go to the battlefield.
In the history books, there are more than 500,000 records of the number of troops on this expedition. However, after my in-depth research, I believe that this figure is not accurate. Judging from the mobilization of troops at that time and the deployment of defenses near the capital, it was impossible to gather 500,000 troops in just a few days. In fact, the total strength of the three major battalions in the capital at that time was only about 170,000, and the total strength was about 200,000 with the nearby troops.
As the soldiers often say: "Before the soldiers and horses move, the grain and grass go first." "War is not only a contest of force, but also a contest of logistical support. When Zhu Di went on an expedition, he needed a large number of migrant workers, oxen, horses, and vehicles, and set up a special grain transportation team. And the time to prepare logistics is often up to several months. However, how long did the 200,000-strong army led by Wang Zhen prepare for the departure? It's staggering that it's been less than five days!
After receiving an urgent warning from the border in mid-July, the army hurriedly set out on 17 July. Wang Zhen, an ignorant guy, thought that as long as he gathered people, everything would be ready. He learned from the side newspaper that there were only 20,000 or 30,000 horses, so he thought that if he gathered an army of 200,000, he would be able to win. This kind of rash decision undoubtedly laid the groundwork for the subsequent defeat.
Indeed, this arithmetic elementary school student can solve it, 200,000 against 20,000, an average of ten people against one person. The contrast seems to be so great that it seems that there is no need for a battle, and the enemy can be leveled by a single kick of the people. This is the case with Wang Zhen's thinking, and his tactical philosophy seems to be based on this simple logic.
However, this reveals precisely his ignorance, an extremely pathetic ignorance. Wang Zhen, a small person from the market, completely exposed his true colors at this moment. In his eyes, the war seems to be a street brawl, the two sides wield watermelon knives, and the overwhelming side can win. This kind of thinking is undoubtedly an extreme misunderstanding of war.
Wang Zhen, the celebrant supervisor, is already a minion. He used to be just a small scholar, he was still a scholar who was not proficient in his arts, and later became a eunuch, but this disabled and undetermined brother actually became the commander of 200,000 people at once, and the actual command power was in his hands, because he was the emperor's teacher, and the emperor obeyed him.
Regardless of the obstruction of countless people, Wang Zhen insisted that the emperor personally lead the army to the expedition, and he wanted to find the glory of his dreams. On the 17th day of July in the 14th year of Orthodoxy, the army set out. With him, there are many civilian and military generals who can be called the pillars of the country, including: British Duke Zhang Fu, Chengguo Duke Zhu Yong (Zhu Neng's son inherited his father), cabinet member Cao Nai, cabinet member Zhang Yi, military department secretary Kuang Yu, etc., all the list is very long, so it will not be listed separately.
The consequences can be imagined, but also unimaginable. Many of the civil and military elites of the imperial court went with them, and very few were able to come back alive.