Tumen Khan unstrung his longbow and nocked a golden arrow, taking aim from afar at the indistinct Desheng Gate battlements. At this moment, his heart surged with emotion; with the flight of that golden arrow, an era would be ushered in for him…
Just then,
A commotion erupted from the rear, and the rear guard, Da Weizheng, charged forward.
"Great Khan! Urgent news…"
Da Weizheng was the fourth son of Dalian Sun, Tumen Khan's brother, and one of the Five Regents. Otherwise, such disruption of morale would have led to severe punishment.
Despite the critical military intelligence, Da Weizheng dared not shout it out. He rode his horse to Tumen Khan's side and leaned in, whispering into his ear:
"Great Khan, the Ming army has launched a surprise attack on the Zhuoshan camp…"
With a clatter!
The golden arrow slipped from Tumen Khan's hand and fell to the ground. Disbelieving, he repeatedly asked:
"How is that possible? Who?"
"Uh, yes, I heard it was the Ming Dynasty's Prince Jing…"
Him?
How could it be?
Tumen Khan's mind raced, and he suddenly understood—
The Ming Dynasty's treacherous faction reported that Prince Jing had taken troops and gone beyond the Great Wall, his whereabouts unknown. It seemed he had gone to Zhuoshan… No wonder the Great Wall garrison had suddenly thinned out so much?
Da Weizheng knew the importance of the Zhuoshan camp. It was where the royal tents were located, and Master Sonam Gyatso of the Gelug school was also present to protect the army. Nothing must go wrong there. Yet, as fate would have it, the very thing that shouldn't happen, did. Furthermore, Altan Khan of the Tümed had already broken camp. That was even more terrifying; with the slightest misstep, the Chahar people would be finished.
He dared not conceal anything and said:
"Great Khan, the casualties are heavy, and the cattle and sheep were… alas, all shot dead by Prince Jing…"
What?
Shot dead? Cattle and sheep?