By the time the Ming army learned of the attack on the army, it was already ten days later.

As for why ten days later? Because after attacking the Ming army, they first sorted out the results of the battle, sorted out the list of high-ranking officials and generals of the Ming army who were captured and beheaded, and then took Zhu Qizhen, the biggest result of their trip, bypassed Xiningwei and headed in the direction of Ningxia Zhongwei.

He is also a person who understands, and he knows very well that if he wants to hold on to the victory in his hands and cut off the foundation of the Ming army's resistance, he must first occupy the Hetao.

The Ming army's strong sea power was useless, and the Ming army's treasure ships could only enter the lower reaches of the Yellow River at most, and could not reach the middle reaches.

Therefore, if the Ming army wants to counterattack, it must start from the land, and on land, the most important strategic material is horses.

Previously, the Ming Dynasty was strong, not because of the strength of firearms, but because at the same time as the firearms were strong, the Ming army also had strong cavalry, which could deal with and disintegrate the offensive of the northern nomads in various ways.

If they can capture the Hetao, then Daning and Kaiping will also be lost, and eventually all the horse breeding land in the world will return to their hands.

By that time, what if the Ming army had powerful firearms? With strong cavalry, they can walk the Ming army to death even if they walk their dogs!

Therefore, he immediately took Zhu Qizhen to Ningxia Zhongwei, trying to use Zhu Qizhen, the emperor, as a threat, to knock on the door of Ningxia Zhongwei and drive straight to the Hetao.

The army was attacked, Zhang Fu, Fan Zhong and other generals were killed in battle, and the news of the emperor's capture was also spread.

Suncheonfu, the Imperial Palace.

With Ningxia Zhongwei sending the news to Jingshi in an expedited manner of 800 li, Shuntianfu was already in chaos, and some officials had already begun to pack up their things to send their families away, and they were ready to run away at any time.

Still, some people can walk, but some can't.

It's not that they don't want to go, it's that they want to, but they can't.

In the Heart Cultivation Palace, Sun Ruowei clenched the battle report in his hand, looking at the civil and military officials below, his chest rose and fell, but he couldn't say a word.

How so? Say what?

Sun Ruowei didn't know.

In order to lay the foundation of the emperor's lineage in one fell swoop, in order to let Zhu Zhanyan have no chance to re-enter Shuntian, and for the power that she has painstakingly managed for more than ten years, she has sent out all the people she can trust on this expedition, and what she is asking for is a battle to settle the situation.

However, before the battle began, the army was attacked, and everything disappeared like foam in the sun.

Not only has she worked hard for more than ten years, and the generals who have been promoted have been served in a pot, but several important ministers have also disappeared with the war, and even her most important and only bargaining chip is gone.

Without her son, without her son's status as emperor, she didn't know how to stop Zhu Zhanyan's comeback.

Sun Ruowei is actually not stupid, she is very keenly aware of the changes in the people's hearts, so she will use this way to stabilize her son's foundation and block the opportunity for Zhu Zhanyan to make a comeback.

However, now she has failed, and even her son has been captured by the enemy.

In this case, Sun Ruowei knows one thing very well, that is, as the news spreads, whether it is an official or a general, or even the most ordinary people, the first thing that comes to mind at this time is definitely the name of the person she least wants to hear.

Zhu Zhanyan.

From the age of ten to nearly forty years old, from the famous magpie to the southern conquest of the Eastern Empire, and then to the expedition to the Timurid Empire and Europe for eighteen years, only this person has not tasted defeat and led the Ming Dynasty to successive victories.

Under the defeat of the emperor at this level of capture, the first thing that people think of is definitely this person!

"Don't have anything to say? Don't you talk a lot on weekdays? ”

Sun Ruowei opened his mouth slightly, and his tone was calm, which made people feel a little weird.

It stands to reason that she should not be at peace at this time, because in this situation, she is the one who has suffered the most losses, not to mention that her son has been captured by the enemy.

However, in this situation, in such a low-pressure atmosphere, no one dared to speak.

"The minister has a plan......

I don't know how long it was silent, but finally someone broke the peace, everyone's eyes were attracted by this voice, and everyone was curious about who would come out at this time.

But when everyone's eyes focused on this person, they all felt normal.

Yu Qian.

"Say ......," Sun Ruo said weakly.

Yu Qian spoke, this was the last thing she wanted to see, but there was no way, no one except Yu Qian spoke.

Is this situation avoidable by escaping? No.

The enemy will take advantage of this opportunity, and will even take advantage of their evasion, to gain more and plunder more benefits until they have no way to retreat.

"As far as the minister knows, the prince of Wu Wang has brought people to ......"

"Shut up!"

Before Yu Qian's words were finished, Sun Ruowei slapped the table suddenly, and the sound was so loud that everyone was startled.

Everyone was silent, not daring to make a sound, and at the same time complaining about Yu Qian in their hearts.

Don't you know the contradiction between these two branches of the Ming clan? You used to be a favorite of King Wu, and when you opened your mouth at this time, didn't you obviously hit the muzzle of the gun?

However, contrary to everyone's expectations, Yu Qian not only spoke, but also directly revealed Sun Ruowei's most untouchable scar.

That's not all, Yu Qian didn't even stop because of Sun Ruowei's anger.

"The Empress Dowager, things ...... It doesn't seem like we're in control......"

Yu Qian lowered his head, took out a fold from his sleeve pocket, and presented it with both hands.

The eunuch beside Sun Ruowei raised his head slightly, looked at Sun Ruowei's unkind face, and then looked at Yu Qian, who lowered his head and held his hands high, and finally walked down, took the fold in Yu Qian's hand and sent it to Sun Ruowei.

It's just that the eunuch trembled, as if he was holding not a twist, but a bomb that would explode at any time.

Sun Ruowei glanced at Yu Qian deeply, and then looked down at the fold in his hand.

However, just like this, Sun Ruowei sat on the seat weakly, his eyes were blank, and the fold in his hand also fell to the ground.

Sun Ruowei knew...... It's over, it's all ...... It's all over......

……

Tongzhou Wharf.

After getting off the boat, regardless of the people kneeling on the ground around the dock, regardless of the hope in the eyes of those people, and ignoring the curiosity of those people when they looked at the steamboat, Zhu Zhan commanded the soldiers on the ship to unload everything.

This time when he entered Tongzhou, or even when he entered Shuntianfu or even the frontline battlefield in the future, he would not trust anyone in the court.

Zhu Qiming stood behind his father, opening his mouth to speak, but after hesitating for a long time, he didn't say anything.

He looked at the people around him, who knelt on the ground, their eyes full of hope, even piety, as if they regarded these Xiangzhou soldiers in front of them as gods who rescued the suffering, as if they had completely forgotten that just a few days ago, they were all united in blocking the entry of the fleet at the Tongzhou wharf.

Suddenly, Zhu Qiming seemed to understand, understood why his father was indifferent, understood why his father withdrew from Shuntianfu in the first place, and understood why his father never developed his power in the Central Plains.

For the so-called prosperity, in fact, only those who fight to the end and finally usher in the results are eligible to enjoy it, and these people in front of them are ......

A group of fools who only worry about what they are worried about, but they don't see what they have enjoyed at all.

Often, the closer the people are to the prosperous capital, the more they enjoy more, the more comfortable the people, and the more ignorant they are.

(End of chapter)