In the seventh month of the fourteenth year of Zhengtong, Zhu Qizhen suddenly opens his eyes on the imperial throne in the Forbidden City. Regret surges through him: in his previous life, he was imprisoned in the Southern Palace, had loyal officials put to death, and squandered the Great Ming's elite forces. He has been reborn just half a month before the Tumu Crisis!
At the time, Wang Zhen holds power, Oirat cavalry are pounding at the passes, and treacherous officials are making a racket at court. Five hundred thousand Ming soldiers are preparing to march toward annihilation. Looking at “Attendant Wang” kneeling before him, Zhu Qizhen thinks of Duke of Ying Zhang Fu, who is about to die in battle, and the nameless soldiers who will freeze to death on the road. A blazing fire lights his eyes.
“Carry out my decree: Wang Zhen has framed loyal officials and secretly colluded with the Oirats. Throw him into the imperial prison at once!
“Put Yu Qian in charge of the Ministry of War, have Shi Heng reform the Beijing garrison, and prepare the provisions within three days!
“Esen wants to restore the Great Yuan? I'll show him that the Great Ming's iron cavalry has never rusted!”
He still leads the campaign in person, but everything changes. Before Tumu, he lays a trap that leaves the Oirat elite dead in heaps. At court, he cracks down on corruption with an iron fist, restoring the foundations left by the Three Yangs. He inspects farmland and reforms the military garrisons, making the Ming army stronger by the day. He lifts the maritime restrictions and opens trade routes, filling the Great Ming's treasury.
From the defense of Beijing to campaigns that sweep the enemy from their lands, from the snowy fields of Liaodong to the deserts of the Western Regions, Zhu Qizhen carries the dragon banner and stands on hot soil. “I will not only be emperor of the Great Ming, but the Heavenly Khan before whom all nations pay tribute!”
Wang Zhen begs and wails, Esen bows in submission, the officials fall silent, and praises of the enlightened emperor ring across the land. This time, Zhu Qizhen will wash away the shame of the past and let the Great Ming's radiance illuminate the entire world!
