Chapter 5 [The eunuch is going home] -1

The universe in the sleeves is lightly moved: During the time when Wang Zhen was in power, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, no matter in theory or in practice, was the strictest guard against eunuchs, grasping with both hands, and both hands were hard. After his death, in the process of his son Zhu Di usurping the throne of his nephew Emperor Jianwen, he was informed by the eunuchs in the Nanjing Imperial Palace and began to trust the eunuchs.When Ming Yingzong came to the throne, the great eunuch Wang Zhen "handled extraordinary", not only started the era of eunuchs in power in the Ming Dynasty, but also caused the majestic emperor of Ming Dynasty to be captured alive by the Mongols, and staged a shocking drama "The Change of Civil Fortress". The Ming Dynasty was almost in the orthodox Twelve years (1443) it became "Nanming".

In fact, Wang Zhen took Ming Yingzong's royal driver to personally conquer, left Juyongguan, passed Huailai, arrived at Xuanfu, and entered Datong. The 500,000 to 600,000 troops had not fought against the Mongols. Many people starved to death due to lack of food in the chaos, and zombies were everywhere. .If the troops are withdrawn in time, the outcome of this major military operation will be "no result".However, the eunuch Wang Zhen himself was a scholar, and he always had the idea of ​​"returning to his hometown" in his mind. He insisted on dragging Ming Yingzong to stay in his big house in his hometown in Weizhou for a few nights, in order to win the name of the emperor's Xingzhai.If you really went to Weizhou, the "civil castle" change may not have occurred in history.The army marched for forty miles, Wang Zhen was as thoughtful as a woman, and suddenly he cared about the "people in his hometown", fearing that when an army of 500,000 to 600,000 passed by his hometown, people would trample on their horses and ruin the crops, so he issued an order to divert to the east. In the end, he was caught by the Mongols.At this time, the barbarians knew how to attack bravely, defeated the Ming army, and captured Ming Yingzong alive.More than 500,000 Ming soldiers were killed, starved to death, trampled on each other, and fell into a valley.

Fan Zhong, the guard general of the Ming Dynasty, when the imperial camp was surrounded by groups, was deeply angry with Wang Zhen for harming the country and the people, and shouted, "I will get rid of this thief for the world!" He smashed the head of the eunuch to pieces with a sledgehammer.This time, Wang Zhen really returned to his "hometown". The revision period of "Benevolence Proclamation to Governance": After the death of Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, his son Zhu Gaochi succeeded to the throne as Ming Renzong.Although Ming Renzong had a grandfather and father who enjoyed the reputation of being cruel forever, he himself was a rare "benevolent" person.Internally, after releasing the blunt ministers imprisoned by the first emperor, he also pardoned and returned all the survivors of the Jianwen emperor's ministers who were exiled to do reform through labor.Externally, he issued an edict to make peace with the Mongols, so as not to waste money and resources.Good people don’t live long. Ming Renzong himself was a fat man who was weak and sick. He also had a small problem of liking to exercise in bed. He died of illness before he was emperor for a year. He was only forty-eight years old.However, during his reign, he reused cabinet ministers and governed the world with a team of civil servants, which can be regarded as a good start for Ming Dynasty politics.

After Ming Renzong's collapse, his son Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne as Ming Xuanzong.Not long after the young man ascended the throne, his uncle Zhu Gaoxu, king of the Han Dynasty, conspired against him and wanted to repeat his father Zhu Di's "Jing Nan" again.It's a pity that the times have changed, and Zhu Gaoxu doesn't have the cruel and wise mind of his father. Before he left Le'an City, he was blocked in his old den by his nephew Ming Xuanzong himself leading an army.Under the double threats of the Ming army's magical guns and arrows and the emperor's personal conquest, Han Wang Zhu Gaoxu had to surrender to his nephew.

So, everything has both good and bad sides.It was a bad thing for the king of Han to rebel, but the young emperor struck the mountain and shook the tiger as soon as he came to the throne, which not only eliminated the legacy, but also greatly built up his prestige.At the same time, he took this as a reason to strictly prohibit the vassal kings from intervening in politics, and strictly prohibited them from coming to Beijing for pilgrimage, marrying the vassal kings with nobles in the court, forbidding the communication between the kings, and forbidding them to leave the city at will. Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty still retained the Wenyuan Pavilion of his father's reign.This pavilion was built in the imperial palace, so it is a "cabinet" to show that it is different from the outer court.Among the cabinet ministers, the most famous are the "Three Yangs": Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and Yang Pu.In the era of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, Wenyuan Pavilion was almost a political decoration, serving as the emperor's advisory group, and the biggest task was to teach the prince to read.In the era of Ming Renzong and Ming Xuanzong, the cabinet ministers not only acted as the emperor's ministers, but also presided over the drafting of edicts, helped the emperor deal with important military and political affairs, and had the right to speak in a series of matters such as rectification of bombs, execution of prisons, and military affairs.When the old Zhu emperor was alive, he abolished the prime minister system, and he took charge of the six ministries himself, relying on the flesh and blood kings who were enfeoffed everywhere as support.Zhu Di used the kings' uprising to usurp the throne, so he naturally made it a top priority to deprive the kings of their real power, fearing that they would follow suit.Therefore, the vassal kings at that time did not have much capital in the military.By the time of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, it was natural to rely on civil servants to govern the country.In order to strengthen local governance, Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty made the "governor" a fixed official position, allowing him to have the right to handle local lawsuits and hear cases.Zhu Yuanzhang tried his best to abolish local provinces and weaken local power.Since the Ming Xuanzong era, starting from the actual situation, the local officials have regained the power to dispose of one party.

In terms of foreign relations, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, the two most powerful tribes in Mongolia were Oara and Tatar. These two tribes sent envoys to pay tribute year after year to beat the autumn wind. They made a lot of money from trade with the Ming Dynasty, and lived a prosperous life. Therefore, there will be no major wars with the Ming Dynasty.However, the Mongols of Wuliangha Sanwei were gradually coerced by the Tatar Arutai. Relying on their support, these people often crossed the border to nomadic areas around the Luan River.Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty was also angry. In 1428, the imperial conquest took place in person. In the name of "patrolling the border", he placed very advanced firearms in the Kuanhe area at that time, and the people of Chaowuliangha burst into a violent bombardment.

Might is truth.Wulianghabu had never seen such a powerful firearm, many people were killed, and the rest of the generation ran away with their heads in their arms. The cannons worked, and the leader of Wuliangha, Wanzhe Timur himself, went to the court to apologize.In the Ming Dynasty, it is natural to show benevolence, appoint officials to give gifts, and send these bastards full of mutton back to their hometown after eating and drinking. They dare not make trouble for a long time. In the Northern Yuan Dynasty, after the general Lan Yu defeated the grandson of Emperor Yuan Shun (also said to be his son) Togusi Timur, the unlucky King Khan was killed by the traitors shortly after, and the internal part of the Northern Yuan Dynasty fell apart, and naturally he became a leader again. No climate.

In the middle and late period of Ming Chengzu, Arutai, the grand master of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, was in power. He dared to kill the envoys of the Ming Dynasty. Ben Ya, the "Great Khan" of the Yuan Dynasty, was lost in the chaos of the war, and he took refuge in Mahamu, the leader of the Oala tribe, a tribe in Mongolia.Alutai was furious, so he had to pick out Adai, a descendant of Genghis Khan's younger brother, as Khan.The relationship between the leaders is like that of hedgehogs huddling together to keep warm in winter. The wara leader Mahamu and Benya have been at odds for a long time.

If he got in the way, he sent someone to kill him, and made his younger brother Tariba a "big sweat" who completely obeyed his own words.When Alutai heard that Benya was lost and killed, he pretended to be loyal and brave, and borrowed troops from the Ming Dynasty, claiming to "revenge" the old king.Ming Chengzu himself was one of the best, and he expressed his "appreciation" very much. He granted the title of "King He Ning" to Alutai and encouraged him to fight Wala. As for borrowing troops, forget it.Mahamu of Wala was originally the "King of Shunning" in the Ming Dynasty. He was very frightened when he heard that Ming Chengzu had contacted Alutai, and hurriedly sent someone to express that he would present the "Jade Seal of Chuanguo" found from the dead body of Ben Ya.

(That is, the so-called piece of the Qin Dynasty was actually the piece used by Yuan Chengzong when he ascended the throne, and was forged by the empress dowager at that time).Ming Chengzu did not accept it.Mahamu felt that he had lost face and became angry. He not only detained the envoys of the Ming Dynasty, but also coveted the border along the Yinma River.As a result, Ming Chengzu was furious, and the second personal conquest, and finally taught the Wala people a lesson with cannons, but the Ming army also suffered a lot of casualties in this battle.After this battle, Wala knew that the buttocks of the big tiger in the Ming Dynasty were not easy to touch, so he hurriedly paid tribute to Beijing for sheep and beef jerky.Both sides have steps to make peace.As a result, the "good-neighborly and friendly" relationship between the Ming Dynasty and Oirat has been maintained for more than 30 years, and it was not until Ming Yingzong's "personal conquest" that this situation was broken.

Mahamu, the leader of the Wara tribe, made peace with the Ming Dynasty, but he fought desperately with the "Tatar" Arutai, and the two sides fought happily.In the thirteenth year of Yongle, Alutai dispatched a surprise army to kill the puppet Daliba "Great Khan" supported by Mahamu in one fell swoop.Mahamu then promoted Esenhu as the "Khan" like a marionette.Because Alutai always attacked him, Mahamu was so angry that he led his army deep into the north of the Onan River in the next year, preparing to fight back. Unexpectedly, he was caught in an ambush by Arutai and was defeated and killed. His son Tuohuan also died. Captured alive.Er Senhu picked up a big bargain, the "guardian" Mahamu died, and he became a real "profuse sweat".Fortunately, Tuo Huan, Mahamu's son, was not killed by Alutai, and was released two years later. After returning, he became Ersenhu's "grand teacher".Er Senhu died of illness in the first year of Hongxi Emperor Renzong of the Ming Dynasty. Tuo Huan supported Tuo Tuo Bu Hua, a grand-nephew of Ben Ya Shi Li, as the "Great Khan" (this person had surrendered to the Ming Dynasty in Gansu during the reign of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, and at this time rebelled against the West of the Ming Dynasty. Flee, go to Wala).Since Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty conquered the rebellious Arutai several times, Tuohuan took advantage of his weakness and finally killed Arutai of the Tatar tribe in the ninth year of Emperor Xuanzong Xuande of the Ming Dynasty, avenging his father.As for Adai Khan, who was originally supported by Alutai in the Tatar Ministry, he could only flee to Yiji Nai Road (Juyan, Ningxia) with a small number of people to hide. The Oala tribe was originally a branch of Mongolia, but since Mahamu, it has been managed by his son Tuohuan, and then by his grandson. Although they all appear as "human ministers", they are actually the real "Khans" of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. However, the Mongolian royal family Borzijin is just a puppet in their hands.Therefore, the "Bei Yuan" in the Ming Yingzong era was actually the "Bei Yuan" of the Wala tribe. During the ten years of Emperor Xuanzong's reign in the Ming Dynasty, he always focused on "appeasing" the Mongolian tribes. In fact, he was in a state of defense.Unfortunately, after the balance wrist was not fully displayed, Wala defeated the Tatars, and one of them became dominant, which planted a major disaster for the future Ming Dynasty. In the south, one of Ming Xuanzong's biggest mistakes was the restoration of Annan, which means re-acknowledging its semi-independent status.In the Ming Chengzu era, the military power was everywhere, and Annan had become the "Jiaozhi Chief Political Commissioner" and "Jiaozhi Inspection Commissioner" The land under its jurisdiction is the same as that of the mainland.The Annan people are chaotic by nature, and have rebelled against the Ming Dynasty year after year.Due to the high mountains in the south, the "Great Yuan" was at a loss what to do, which made the Ming government a headache.After Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty succeeded to the throne, facing the Li Li rebellion in Qinghua Mansion, when the troops were wasted and wasted, he wanted to compromise and restore Annan as a vassal state, and let them "pay constant tribute every year".At that time, the minister Xia Yuanji and other people advised him that Ming Chengzu had worked hard for more than 20 years, so once he abandoned it, Annan changed from a county to a "country", and all previous achievements were wasted.It is a pity that Yang Rong and Yang Shiqi, the two civil servants, had no foresight. They agreed with Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, and found Chen Song, a descendant of the Annan royal family in Laos, and sent someone to escort him back to China to become the "King of Annan". .Li Li was a very courageous frontier savage. As soon as Chen Song arrived, he killed him, and then "reported", saying that Chen Song died of illness and wanted the Ming Dynasty to make himself king. The Ming Dynasty quit and asked Li Li to visit the descendants of the Chen family again.Li Li went to the table, saying that he could not find it (if he found it, he was killed), he took a step back, and asked the Ming Dynasty to allow him to "temporarily take charge of the state affairs." In 1430, Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty had no choice but to make him the acting king (authorized to administer Annan state affairs).In this way, Annan was recognized as the founding of the country, and this Li Li established the Li family Annan, with the reign name "Shuntian".From then on, the small state in the south, which has been affiliated with China for more than a thousand years, has permanently embarked on the road of secession. Generally speaking, Ming Renzong, Ming Xuanzong and his son became emperors after Ming Taizu and Ming Chengzu, and they were especially "benevolent" and charitable.In Xuanzong's era, "officials are called for their duties, disciplines are clear, warehouses are full of envy, and Lu Yan is happy in business."Therefore, the achievements of Renxuan father and son for more than ten years are called "Renxuan politics" in history.In fact, it was Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di's father and son who were too tyrannical, which made Ming Renzong and Ming Xuanzong's father and son so "benevolent and wise".Compared with the real benevolent monarchs of the Song Dynasty, Song Renzong, Song Zhenzong, Song Xiaozong and others, these two Ming emperors are actually far behind. In the spring of the tenth year of Xuande (1435), Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty collapsed in the Qianqing Palace due to excessive force on the bed. He was only 38 years old.The nine-year-old crown prince Zhu Qizhen is the emperor, and next year will be the first year of orthodoxy, which is Ming Yingzong. After Emperor Yingzong ascended the throne, he respected his grandmother Zhang as the Empress Dowager, and his mother-in-law Sun as the Empress Dowager. Thousands of people".When the new emperor is released, at the beginning of his administration, there is generally a customary "rejuvenation". Half a year later, the eunuch Wang Zhen was in charge of the "supervisor of ceremonies". Wang Zhen's "creation": The scourge of eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty was very severe, but not so severe that they could control the emperor's life and death like in the late Han Dynasty and the middle and late Tang Dynasty.Moreover, the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty were like parasites. Once their "host" emperor died, or suddenly changed his face, the power of the eunuchs disappeared immediately. Wang Zhi was like this, Liu Jin was like this, Feng Bao was like this, and Wei Zhongxian was like this.This situation is all related to Zhu Yuanzhang's abolition of the prime minister system. Since the military power and political power are divided into six parts, the emperor alone outlines the contract.These measures sound good, and the imperial power is in sole control. In fact, when something happens, the emperor himself is unable to fully control all major events due to the complexity of the structure.This is true of the emperor, and so is the nine thousand-year-old eunuch of the "quasi-emperor".It's easy to get power for a while, and the fox pretends to be the tiger, and there is the emperor's signboard, but when the signboard doesn't work or doesn't block the wind, the eunuch will only be cut. Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang did not hide his impression of eunuchs at all: "This Cao (eunuch) is one of thousands of good people, and there are thousands of evil people. If you use it as eyes and ears, you will be deceiving; if you use it as a confidant, you will be a confidant." Illness. The way to control it is to make it fear the law, not make it meritorious. (Eunuchs) fear the law and restraint, and if they have merit, they will be arrogant." Lao Zhu stipulated that the rank of the internal ministers should not be higher than the fourth rank, and they would be given rice and a stone every month. The supplies are all "officially given", and an iron plaque is set up in the palace, with the words: "The ministers are not allowed to interfere in political affairs, and those who commit crimes will be beheaded!" It was also during the reign of Emperor Zhu that the twenty-four yamen of the inner prison had been set up, that is, the twelve prisons, the fourth division, and the eighth bureau.Among them, the most authoritative is the Supervisor of Rites, whose chief officer is called "Admiral and Eunuch".Modern people generally refer to the eunuchs in the palace as "eunuchs", and the young ones are called "little eunuchs". ", the intermediate ones include "Feng Yu", "Listening to the Ministry", etc., and the lowest level is the handyman class, known as "handkerchief" and "fire man".As for the various supervisory bureaus, in addition to the palm seal eunuch and admiral eunuch, there are also titles such as "manager", "management", and "supervisor".Don't laugh at the judge, "manager" is indeed a title for eunuchs. If any supervisor in your unit offends you, just call him "manager" a few times affectionately. The original duties of the chief inspector of ceremonies were to manage the affairs of the eunuchs in the imperial city, customs and confinement, and long-term errands. Gradually, due to the emperor's laziness in political affairs, the eunuch of the chief of ceremonies became a real but unknown "true prime minister". " Well, there are generally eight or nine eunuchs in the prison to help the emperor's "Yubi" approve Zhu.For the eunuch who wants to be tricky, he can return the cabinet votes presented by the cabinet and order the cabinet ministers to redraft the content.When Liu Jin was at his most arrogant, he took these official documents back to his home, discussed with his followers the appointment and handling of officials, and did not return them to the cabinet after the changes were made, but issued them directly in the name of the imperial decree.Some people may have doubts about this. Didn't Zhu Yuanzhang strictly forbid eunuchs to learn culture? Why are there these literati "eunuchs" Woolen cloth. This kind of thing of teaching eunuchs to learn culture first began with Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty. He set up an "inner book hall" and specially sent civil officials to teach eunuchs to study. ", ", "Mencius", etc., it is a pity that the father-in-laws rarely have loyalty, filial piety and righteousness in their minds, and treacherous schemes have added "power" because of knowledge.Eunuchs who join the Supervisor of Ceremonies generally must have graduated from the "Neishutang" and worked in the "Study Room" (the "Study Room" is the "Secretariat" of the Supervisor of Ceremonies). Eunuch.But there are exceptions. For example, Wei Zhongxian is almost an illiterate old man. It is not the key point that the eunuchs in charge of rites have the right to "discuss politics". They are also in charge of things such as the East Factory and the West Factory. Imagine that one Yamen is in charge of both political affairs and supervision.The East Factory was first established in the time of Zhu Di, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, and lasted for more than 220 years until the fall of the Ming Dynasty.This "secret service" agency is directly responsible to the emperor.The eunuch in charge of the East Factory is sometimes served concurrently by the head eunuch of the Rites Supervisor, and sometimes by the second in command of the Rites Supervisor. host".The "criminal investigators" and thugs under Dongchang are all from Jinyiwei.Some people may think that Jinyiwei is also an institution for eunuchs.wrong! Jinyiwei began as the "Gongwei Division" in the Zhu Yuanzhang Dynasty.In the fifteenth year of Hongwu, the "Jinyiwei" was formally established, which was one of the "Twelve Upper Guards". "Wear flying fish clothes, wear embroidered spring knives", is the emperor's private guard, and also works as a secret agent.Jinyiwei can arrest people without going through any national judicial procedures. They not only have the right to arrest, but also have the right to interrogate. Those who are unfortunately arrested will be sent to "imperial prison" or "Jinyi Prison". Hearing it is scary.There are seventeen stations under Jinyiwei, and the personnel who are specially in charge of going out for detectives are called "Tiqi".When the number was at its peak, there were about 100,000 spies of Jinyiwei, and with the "eye money" served by hooligans from all over the country, it reached 200,000.Jinyiwei and "Factory" are called together, and the left is called "Changwei", but "Factory" has the right to observe Jinyiwei.Because eunuchs were by the emperor's side day and night, generally speaking, the power of the factory was greater than the power of the guard.Of course, when the power of the factory guards ebbs and flows, there are often times of collusion. Liu Jin, Wei Zhongxian and other treacherous eunuchs all trust the envoys of Jinyi Guards with their own confidantes, and completely regard these army sticks with dicks as big wolf dogs. Make.When Liu Jin was in power, he opened an "expert factory" , to develop dictatorship to the extreme.He himself was still worried about the "running dogs" of the factory guards, and used "expert factory" eunuchs to supervise the East Factory and Jinyiwei, but this institution existed for a short time, only four or five years.As for "West Factory" It was set up by Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen in the thirteenth year of Chenghua, and it was during the eunuch Wang Zhiyong's work, about five years. Afterwards, Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty reset it again under Liu Jinchan's instigation, and it took more than four years, and he did not reset it again. Another thing that everyone can sigh is that the Ming Dynasty’s notes "Zuo Zhong Zhi" records that the left room of the Dongchang Hall is dedicated to a portrait of Yue Fei, and there is a brick screen wall behind the hall, carved with statues of Suanni and Di Qing killing tigers .There is also an archway in the ancestral hall in the west of the hall, on which there are four characters in Zhu Di's imperial script "Hundreds of generations".It is incredible that the great heroes Yue Fei and Di Qing were enshrined by these eunuchs.However, it is absolutely impossible for the eternity to last forever, and these spies without a second child can only "give a bad name forever". After explaining the Supervisor of Rites, Dongchang, Xichang, and Jinyiwei, it officially turns to the protagonist of this article-Grand Duke Wang Zhen. "History of the Ming Dynasty" says, "Wang Zhen, a native of Weizhou (Wei County, Hebei Province), was elected to the Neishutang since he was a child"; there are also notes that he has been studying when he was young, and failed in the exam for a long time, so he decided to "self-eunuch" in anger. , the man who failed the ranking did not shed tears, but raised his head and walked into the eunuch meeting.This statement was mentioned by Yan Congjian of the Ming Dynasty in "Zhou Zilu of Special Domain". Under the circumstances of purification, enter the palace to train female officials.At that time, there were more than ten such "student officials" who entered the palace cleanly, but Wang Zhen was the only one who came out in the future.No matter how you say it, Wang Zhen is indeed a eunuch who is quite literate.When Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty was the crown prince, Wang Zhen was the attendant of the middle and lower eunuchs "Ju Lang" in the East Palace.The little emperor was only nine years old, so he was naturally closest to the eunuch who taught him to read, write, and play games, and he always called Wang Zhen "Mr." Never mind that Wang Zhen has never studied "Child Psychology", he is very good at grasping children's nature of loving to play and watching grand performances.As soon as the young Emperor Yingzong succeeded to the throne, the prince took the child to watch the grand military parade on the generals' platform outside the Chaoyang Gate. The emperor was so happy that his little hands clapped red.Overjoyed, the child immediately asked Wang Zhen to manage the eunuchs and became the first among the eunuchs. After Wang Zhen had power in his hands, he immediately corrected his decree and promoted his confidant Ji Guang (formerly Longqing Youweiqianshi) to be the governor, and claimed that he won the first place in the martial arts competition.In this way, his own people have the power of the imperial guards. Ji Guang's super promotion marked the historical starting point of the eunuch dictatorship of the Ming Dynasty that started with Wang Zhen. Mingren's empress Zhang, who was the empress dowager at the time, was very angry when she learned that the grandson emperor did not listen to Mr. Jingyan's lectures when he was a student, but was lured out of the palace by Wang Zhen all day long to practice martial arts.One day, she summoned the British Duke Zhang Fu, the great scholars Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, Yang Pu, the Shangshu Hu Ying, and the young Emperor Yingzong to enter the court together. The grandma of the empress dowager was sitting, the grandson of the emperor could only stand, and all the officials stood on the west side and held their breath.Empress Dowager Zhang pointed to the five ministers and said to her grandson: "These five people are left by your father and ancestors to be your assistants, and you must do what you say. National affairs, if the five of them do not agree, it will never work! "The little emperor hurriedly expressed his obedience. After a pause, Empress Dowager Zhang sent Xuan Wangzhen to enter the audience. Wang Gonggong was very afraid of this imperial grandma. After entering the palace, he knelt down and listened, not daring to take a breath. After a long time, Empress Dowager Zhang clapped the table and scolded Wang Zhen sharply: "You are an eunuch, serving the emperor's daily life, and you have committed many crimes. Now I will give you a death sentence!" When the female officer heard this, she immediately stepped forward and stabbed the back of Wang Zhen's neck with a white blade.The prince's body softened, his crotch became hot, and he urinated. When the little Emperor Yingzong saw that his grandmother was going to kill his old playmate, he was anxious and afraid, so he knelt down to intercede for Wang Zhen. Seeing the emperor kneeling down, the five ministers hurriedly knelt down to plead with the empress dowager. Seeing this situation, the Empress Dowager Zhang felt that the prestige goal had been achieved, and said slowly: "The emperor is young, how could he know that this generation often harms people's family and the country. This time, for the sake of the emperor and ministers, I will spare Wang Zhen's life, and he will not be ordered to do so in the future." He interferes with state affairs again!" This Empress Dowager Zhang is a virtuous and wise woman.When Ming Renzong was the prince, he became fat due to gluttony and sleepiness, and his younger brother Han Wang Zhu Gaoxu and others provoked him. Ming Chengzu hated this fat prince who couldn't mount a horse and fencing very much, and wanted to abolish him several times.But the daughter-in-law, the princess Zhang, "is very cautious in being a woman, and she is very happy with Chengzu and Empress Renxiao." Zhu Di did not abolish the fat son's crown prince (of course, the minister's) for the sake of his daughter-in-law's virtue. Recommended).After Emperor Renzong of the Ming Dynasty succeeded to the throne, the Zhang family was the empress. "Everything is well known at home and abroad." His son Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty was in power, and he listened to many (Queen Zhang) rulings during the military and state discussions.However, the Zhang family does not interfere in politics, and is very strict with his mother's family, strictly prohibiting foreign relatives from intervening in politics.After the collapse of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Yingzong was young, and all the ministers asked to "listen to the government behind the curtain". Empress Dowager Zhang said: "Don't destroy the ancestors to become a law!" She resolutely refused. However, Empress Dowager Zhang still has the benevolence of a woman. Seeing the emperor's grandson kneeling down to plead for Wang Zhen, she took a step back as soon as her heart softened, and did not kill this evil spirit who would cause countless troubles in the future.Empress Dowager Zhang died of illness in the seventh year of Zhengtong. Although Wang Zhen was frightened by this, he didn't restrain himself. Anyway, with the support of the little emperor, let the little master be happy first. He has been "honest" for more than a year, and his courage has gradually grown. In the winter of the first year of Zhengtong (1436), he held a "martial arts competition" in Jiangtai, and "ordered all the generals to ride and shoot, with three arrows as the rate."Ten thousand people in the Beijing army of the Ming Dynasty were tested, and only the captain-in-law Jing Yuan bent his bow and leaped his horse, and hit three shots three times.The ten-year-old Emperor Yingzong was delighted to see it, and gave Jing Yuan the wine glass in his hand as a "prize".All the onlookers said in private: "Last year when the eunuch Wang paraded the martial arts, Ji Guang suddenly rose to high office; today the emperor presides over it himself, why only give him a glass of wine?" Jing Yuan was busy for a long time, and only earned a silver cup from the imperial court.Through this scene, it is obvious to convey such a message to the court and the outside world: if you want to be promoted and make a fortune, you have to be the Grand Duke Wang Zhen, and the emperor's appreciation is not beneficial! In this way, after more than three years, Wang Zhen began to think about several ministers who were responsible for life. One day, when Wang Zhen was catching up with the court, he suddenly asked Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong: "The affairs of the court are all due to the three old gentlemen. However, you three are old and tired, what will you do in the future? "Old man Yang Shiqi was startled when he was asked this question, and he said in a hale and hearty way: "Old minister, I will serve the country loyally, and I will die after I die! " Unexpectedly, Yang Rong said: "We are old, and we should recommend newcomers to serve the king." Wang Zhen was overjoyed when he heard the words.The next day, he recommended Ma Yu, Cao Nai and others to join the cabinet and participate in government affairs. Yang Shiqi was very upset, complaining that Yang Rong didn't agree with him.Yang Rong persuaded: "Wang Zhen hates us. Even if we insist hard, can he be tolerant? Once he appoints someone to the cabinet in the name of the emperor, we have to obey. The few people who are in the cabinet now, Anyway, they are all our subordinates, so there is no problem." Yang Shiqi felt reasonable after hearing this.The two veteran politicians in the officialdom are still no match for the prince.Wang Zhen's skill of frying fish with slow fire, from shallow to deep, is to remove the power of the "three Yang" veterans step by step, so that the new cabinet members will be grateful for his promotion of them. Tasting the sweetness of being an invisible "organization minister", Wang Zhen quickly promoted Wang You, a doctor of the Ministry of Industry, to be the right servant of the Ministry of Industry.This Wang You has no skills, he is good at flattering and talking sweetly, and he is very good at observing colors.Wang Shilang is good-looking, with a pretty face, low testosterone, smooth skin and no beard.Wang Zhen also thought it was funny, and one day he suddenly asked Wang You: "Wang Shilang, why don't you grow a beard?" The smooth and slippery "son", Wang Zhen was happy, raised his head and laughed. In the seventh year of Zhengtong, after the Empress Dowager Zhang died of illness, Wang Zhen finally breathed a sigh of relief. There was no one in the capital that made him feel timid, and he became more and more fearless from then on. After the death of the old queen, Wang Zhen immediately sent someone to steal the iron plate that "eunuchs are not allowed to participate in politics" erected in the palace during the Hongwu period, and secretly destroyed it. From the ideological point of view, he vigorously eliminated all things that were not conducive to his dictatorship.At the same time, the prince and father-in-law started to build a large number of palaces and temples within the scope of the palace. While pleasing the emperor, he also wanted to pray for himself. The new hall in the palace was completed, and according to the etiquette, the emperor was required to attend in person, and the ministers and ministers held a banquet to celebrate.According to the system, no matter how powerful the eunuch is, he is not eligible to participate in this kind of gathering.The young Emperor Zhenzong panicked when he didn't see "Mr. Wang" for a moment, and immediately asked people to see what the prince was doing.As a result, as soon as the emissary came in, he saw Wang Zhen getting angry, and said loudly: "Duke Zhou has become king, don't I have the right to sit at the banquet?" As soon as the little emperor heard this, he immediately asked people to open the middle door of Donghua Hall to welcome Hou Wang Zhen.All the ministers waited and watched with bated breath, and the prince walked slowly with duck steps.This time, the prince lost face. When the power is smoldering, many flatterers rely on Wang Zhen to be promoted.After Wang You, Xu Sui was also promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War by Wang Zhenjiao. "Therefore, the government, ministries, courts, ministers and hundreds of deacons all seized gold to enter the audience (Wang Zhen). On the day of the pilgrimage, those who enter the audience will spend a hundred gold forever, and those who have a thousand gold will get drunk and full. , "Even the senior officials in charge of supervision, such as Wang Wen, the censor of the capital, knelt down and greeted Wang Zhen when they saw Wang Zhen. At that time, Yang Rong, one of the "Three Yangs", died of illness, and Yang Shiqi retired.There is only Yang Pu in the court, "old and lonely", which is just a political display. Everyone is alone, and there are ministers who are upright and unyielding.Because Xue Xuan was a fellow of Wang Zhen, he was recommended to the Central Committee from Shandong Province to serve as Zuo Shaoqing of Dali Temple.Wang Zhen sent people to pay tribute to him many times, but Xue Xuan never went to thank him, saying: "I have been granted an official entry to Beijing by the emperor's favor, so I cannot enter my private room to thank you." Wang Zhen had no choice but to do so.One day, all the ministers were discussing matters in the East Pavilion. Wang Zhen came later.As a result, the prince suddenly became murderous.Before long, he sent people to frame Xue Xuan, arrested him and sent him to Jinyi Prison for execution.One day, Wang Zhen saw that his old servant who had followed him for many years was crying secretly, and asked why.The old servant said: "Xue Shaoqing is going to be executed, so I cry." Wang Zhen wondered: "How do you know Xue Xuan's life?" The old servant replied: "It's all from our fellow villagers in Weizhou." Then he praised Xue Xuan's character.Knowing that "Xiang Yu" is like this, Wang Zhenyi didn't understand, fearing that he would not be able to return to his hometown after doing too much, so he suppressed his murderous intentions and sent Xue Xuan back. Xue Xuan was lucky, but Liu Qiu was not so lucky.The emperor's teacher wrote a letter, offended Wang Zhen, and was arrested and imprisoned.Without interrogation, Wang Zhen sent Jin Yiwei's executioner to cut off his head in prison; Nanjing Guozijian sacrificed wine to Chen Jingzong, and Wang Zhen knew that he was famous, so he sent someone to tell him to come to see him.Chen Jingzong said: "I will not pay homage to the middle officials (eunuchs) as a teacher." Wang Zhen was so angry that Chen Jingzong could not be promoted for several years; when Li Yan, the censor, saw that Wang Zhen did not kneel, he was immediately arrested and ransacked his home and exiled. Tieling Guard worked as a coolie; Jinyi Guard soldier Wang Yong posted anonymous big-character posters exposing Wang Zhen's crimes on the street, and was soon taken to Lingchi in the downtown area;Every time he entered Beijing, he never went to Wang Zhenmen to bribe him.China's officialdom has always been like this.If you give a gift, the officer may not remember it.If you don't give a gift, the officer must remember it.Coincidentally, there was a person with the same name as Yu Qian in the censor of the court. Chang Shangshu and Wang Zhenzhi disagreed, so the Grand Duke mistook the two names for the same person. Zuo Shaoqing of Dali Temple.Later, because the feudal lords and the people of Henan and Shaanxi provinces competed to stay, Yu Qian's post of governor was not deprived. In order to punish the ministers who are not on the same line as him, Wang Zhen "created" a "Dutch School" penalty, that is, forcing the ministers to wear heavy shackles at Chang'an Gate to make these "gentlemen" "disappear".The shackles are very heavy, ranging from 20 jin to 100 jin. They are often left standing for several days. During Wang Zhen's service, before using troops against Tatar in the north, he also used troops in Yunnan for years, which was known as the "Battle of Luchuan" in history. After Zhu Yuanzhang established Yunnan, he re-established the Luchuan Pingburan Army and Civilian Consolation Envoy in the administrative area of ​​Luchuan Road and Pingmian Road in the Yuan Dynasty, and used the local Dai leader Si Lunfa as the consolation envoy, which is actually a disguised "self-control". When Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty succeeded to the throne, Si Renfa, a descendant of Si Lunfa, was domineering, and Yelang was arrogant, proclaiming himself king, and wantonly invaded the surrounding Burma, Tengchong and other places, and armed against the Ming Dynasty. After Wang Zhen learned of this, he wanted to make meritorious service, so he ordered Mu Sheng, Fang Zheng and others to raise troops to attack in 1439 (the fourth year of Zhengtong).In order to general Wuliang Wuzhi, Fang Zheng raised his troops deep, but was ambushed by the rebels and died.As the coach, Mu Sheng was the son of the great hero Mu Ying, but he didn't know about soldiers, heard of the defeat, and was ashamed of getting sick, so he died of illness in Chuxiong. The Ming court also appointed Mu Ang, Mu Sheng's younger brother, as the general who conquered the South, succeeding his brother.This master also had no general strategy, and he was afraid to move forward when he arrived in the Golden Teeth area. His subordinates were defeated and did not save him, so he was called back to the capital by the Ming court and demoted two ranks. Si Renfa, who has won many battles and victories, became even more arrogant and plundered and killed Mengluo and other places, causing panic among the people in Yunnan.Wang Zhen's dictatorship wanted to demonstrate in remote places, so of course he refused to give up.In the first year of Zhengtong (1441), he appointed Xibo Jiang Gui as the "general who conquers barbarians" to conquer Si Renfa.At the same time, Cao Jixiang, the eunuch, was sent to "supervise military affairs", and Wang Ji, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, "supervised military affairs". Needless to say, the Baming army was capable, defeated Si Renfa one after another, broke its elephant formation, and killed more than 100,000 local barbarians. "Luchuan Earthquake", Si Renfa fled to Burma.The Ming army is a temporary class teacher. At the end of the year, Jiang Gui and others sent out a large army to go straight to Burma, asking for Si Renfa.The Burmese are cunning, saying that it is okay to return people, but the Ming Dynasty wants to cut some places in Luchuan for themselves.The Ming army paid homage first and then soldiers. Seeing that Myanmar Xun dared to "bargain" with the Celestial Dynasty, the Ming army launched an attack and defeated Si Renfa's son Sijifa. The Burmese knew that the Ming army was not easy to mess with, so they quickly tied up Si Renfa's wife, children, family members and 32 subordinates, and dedicated them to the Qianhu Wangzheng sent by the Ming Dynasty to serve as envoys. On the way, Si Renfa went on a hunger strike. Wang Zheng sent people to force-fed rice porridge to raise the "spirit" of the traitor. He picked up a flat piece of land in the middle of the road, and he cut off Si Renfa's head and sent it to the capital. After the Ming army returned to the division, the local tribe took Si Renfa's other son, Silufa, as the leader, and captured Mengyang, causing a commotion for a while. The veterans of the Ming army were exhausted, so they had to make peace with Silu, and they agreed to take the Jinsha River as the boundary.Silu accepts it when he sees it is good, saying that he will not cross the river to invade again.The Ming army "is a class teacher, to hear about the victory", in fact, after many days of labor and money, it only achieved a nominal victory, and actually gave up Luchuan.Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty abandoned Jiaozhi, and Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty abandoned Luchuan. This father and son began to ruin the foundation of Taizu and Chengzu. The change of "Tumu Fortress" in the Ming Dynasty fought against the Mongols in the north. To be honest, it was really not Wang Zhen who took the lead. The Oala tribe of Mongolia originally had three major powers, one of them was Mahamu, the other was Taiping, and the third was Bald Polo.During the Yongle period, the Ming Dynasty named Mahamu the King of Shunning, Taiping the King of Xianyi, and Tu Poluo the King of Anle.As mentioned in the previous article, Mahamu attacked Alutai of the Tatar Ministry and was killed, and his son Tuohuan was captured.Afterwards, Tuo Huan was released, and he fought back, finally killing Alu Tai to avenge his father.He was allowed by the Ming Dynasty to succeed his father, also known as "Shunning King".英宗正统初年，脱欢杀掉“贤义王”和“安乐王”，兼瓦剌各部，成一方强主。他本想自称可汗，但诸部多有不允，无奈之余，只得又捡出元朝皇族的一个后代脱脱不花为“大汗”，脱欢自己当“丞相”。正统四年，脱欢病死，其子也先袭位，称“太师淮王”，实际上他才是北元真正的主人，脱脱不花挂名傀儡而已。每次向明朝入贡，也先和脱脱不花都各派使节，明朝也平等对待来使，没把“顺宁王” 使臣置于脱脱不花使臣之下。脱欢、也先父子好玩，对内一个“公司”，对外两块“招牌”，不嫌麻烦。 也先地盘越来越大，不仅收服了“三万水女真”，向东挨近明朝辖下的朵颜、福余、泰宁三卫。 英宗正统十年（1445年），也先集结沙州、罕东和赤斤蒙古诸部进攻哈密卫。 明廷不仅不救，还敕令修好，怂恿了也先的野心。哈密重地，落入也先掌握之中。 此后，他不断凯觎明朝西北边地。当时，巡抚宣府大同的明臣罗亨信上奏，提醒明廷在直隶以北战略要地增设土城防御工事，任兵部尚书的邝埜畏惧王振威权，不敢对此事拍板定夺。参将石亨性急，想要在大同四州七县范围内三丁籍一人为兵。罗亨信表示反对，认为边民疲于防守耕战，土地粮食不足，如按石亨之议行之，肯定民众会一时逃亡大半。 也先与明朝撒破脸皮的导火索，乃朝贡事件。 瓦剌蒙古最早入明朝贡的使臣只有三、五十人，在北京等地总是受到明朝政府级别很高的接待，住高级宾馆，按人头赐银颇丰。一来二去，瓦剌觉得这种“打秋风”方式回报多且快，就不停增派“贡使”的人数。到了也先时代，每次均有一、两千人之多。明朝负责接待的礼部对此早有发觉，屡次告诫瓦剌贡使不能越来越多，但也先我行我素，不断增派。正统十四年（1447）年春，也先遣“贡使”二千人入京，这还不算，他又诈称人数是三千人，以冒取明朝的回赐。 同时，他们带来向明朝“进贡”的马匹，也多疲劣不堪，以次充好。蹬着老二上肚脐，也先确实无赖。 王振得知此事后，脑门子上火，大骂蒙古人不识抬举，胆子越来越大，敢敲诈大明天朝。他告知礼部：“只按实来人数赐银，一个子儿也不多出。至于马价，以质论价，绝不能花买人参的钱买回萝卜。” 有大太监王振发话，礼部自然胆壮，依教行事，使得蒙古人大失所望。也先觉得十分没面子。 此外，在数次通贡过程中，明朝的各级“通事”（外交接待人员）收受了也先大笔贿赂，向蒙古人尽告国内虚实。也先曾要求明朝嫁公主于自己，明廷不知道，高级通事却已经拍胸脯答应下来。所以，这次“贡马”，也先让使者向明廷表示是“聘礼”，朝廷才知道下边有人“许婚”。 王振遣礼部以皇帝名义答诏，明白告诉对方，朝廷没有许婚之意。“也先益愧愤，谋寇大同。” 八月，也先联集塞外蒙古及诸番部落，分三路入寇。也先本人统中路军，率军直攻大同：“可汗”脱脱不花自兀良哈率军，侵入辽东；阿剌知院率军，进逼宣府（今河北宣化）。 数十年过去，明太祖、明成祖那一茬兵将老的老，死的死，明军战斗力远远不如从前。当也先瓦剌军进至猫儿庄（今内蒙察哈尔右翼前旗）时，明将吴浩迎战，交手即败，他本人也战死。四天之后，大同总督军务宋瑛率数万明军迎堵也先于阳和口（今山西阳高），本来兵势不弱，但监军的太监郭敬无勇无谋，胡乱指挥，使得明军大败，一军尽没。西宁侯朱瑛等人战死，只有“政委”太监郭敬躲在草从中才捡得一命。 这样一来，瓦剌军势如破竹，连陷塞外诸军事堡垒。而瓦剌的阿剌知院所率军队又从独石口南下，占据了马营堡（今河北赤城）。心惊之下，马营堡守将弃堡逃遁。阿剌知院乘胜，又攻下永宁城（今河北延庆）。 三路瓦剌军中，只有“可汗”脱脱不花一路表现最差劲，他率东路军进围镇静堡（今辽宁黑山），被镇守的明将赵忠迎头痛击，一点便宜未捞到，狼狈回返，途中只得攻屠明朝一些驿站、屯庄以泄愤。 诸路败报频传，北京的王振不忧反喜，觉得自己应该抓住这个机会，再立大功以示威，使自己在朝中威望更上一层楼。他先派出井源（驸马都尉，演武比赛中那位获奖者）等四个将领率四万多人先行去大同，然后，王公公走入大内，劝明英宗“亲征”。 明英宗此时已经二十三岁，他自小就喜欢观看军队演操习武。“王先生”这么一窜掇，英宗皇帝十分高兴，觉得应该效仿“祖宗”那样跨马出征。这小伙子黄毛未褪，也想横枪跃马，就如同现在毛头小孩打电子游戏玩攻略成专家，就以为自己可以带兵打仗一样。明太祖、明成祖一生戎马，屡经战阵，而明英宗仅仅是金笼贵鸟，哪里见过真战场。 消息传出，以吏部尚书王直为首的大臣纷纷怠谏，苦劝英宗皇帝千万不要“御驾亲征”。确实，也先几万人的敌寇，犯不着大明皇帝亲自出马。 王振不听，他私下合计，也先诸路加一块撑死超不过十万人，挟皇帝出兵，拥兵数十万，大不了用人海战术硬拼，比消耗，比人命，也能把瓦剌人打败。于是，他下令兵部两天内一定要调集五十万人马。“事出苍猝，举朝震骇。” 1447年阴历七月十七日，王振、明英宗率五十万胡乱集合的人马从京城出发，留英宗异母弟郕王朱祁钰（由太监金英“辅佐”）在北京留守。至于阁臣曹鼐、张益，英国公张辅，兵部尚书邝埜等六部尚书，全部随驾从军。也就是说，三分之二的政府要员，全部随皇帝而行。 当日，军行至龙虎台驻营，“方一鼓，众军讹相惊乱，皆以为不祥。”值此军国大事，王振自以为诸葛亮，忽悠两条小细腿跨匹大战马，很想“指挥若定”。 但出军需要极其严密的布置和后勤保障工作的及时到位。五十万大军，随行役夫就应该有数十万之多，王振对这些“杂事”不屑一顾，加之催征太急，补给不足，光五十万人的吃喝拉撒，就已经使明军内部乱成一团。 秋雨时至。几十万大明军，冒着凄风苦雨，出居庸关，沉重前行，过怀来，至宣府。“连日风雨，人情汹汹，声息愈急。”随驾群臣察觉士气低落，接连在军中上表，恳请英宗皇帝回鸾。王振大怒，罚兵部尚书邝埜等人于草中长跪。见大公公天威震怒，成国公朱勇等人禀事时，“咸膝行进”。王振淫威，可见一斑。 阁臣曹鼐跪言：“臣子固不是惜，主上系天下安危，岂可轻进！” 王振回答：“如有不测，也是天命！” 王振恨这些人阻止他立不世之功，就下令群臣分编入各军，“悉令掠阵”，想让这些大臣当炮灰战死。 大同还未抵达，由于军中乏粮，明军冻死、饿死不少，“僵尸满路”。同为太监的彭德清也以天象不利为由，劝王振还军，不从。 阴历八月初一，数十万明军终于得抵大同。瓦剌部也先见状，佯装避去，实际是想诱敌深入。大同附近战场还未收拾，遍地是明军缺胳膊断腿无脑袋的尸首以及马尸、弃甲、辎重。王振大太监哪见过这些东西，阵阵尸臭入鼻，残尸蔽野，他内心骇惧。英宗皇帝也觉不妙，真战场活脱脱一幅地狱图，一点不好玩，哪能同京城内号角嘹亮、旌旗蔽天的演武场相比。于是，他同“王先生”商量，想先在大同城停驻一段时间再说。但是，王振听说也先“退军”的消息，登时来了精神，力劝皇帝立刻北向出击。恰恰此时，先行派出的井源等部明军，其实已经大败亏输。 王振已成偏执狂，任谁劝也不行，一意孤行，非坚持进军。确实，事已至此，骑虎难下，无功而返，不仅狼狈，且脸面无光。 关键时刻，王振的心腹，老同事郭敬入见。这位郭敬在阳和口见识过瓦剌军的厉害，千辛万苦捡得小命，真正知道了轻重。他哭劝王振，为持重保身之计，千万不要冒进。他还告诉王振，也先绝非是害怕才后撤，而是诈术，就在不远处埋伏等待明军。 听此言，王振心凉。郭敬又劝：“趁也先退兵，正好以此为借口，我们现在退军，不算败绩。如果前行无功，那时候就不好收场。” 别人的话可以不听，郭敬公公自己人，句句打动王公公的心。他显示出“果决”的一面，立即下令退军。明军八月初一到大同，八月初二即“班师”。真是“兵贵神速”。五十万人马，原路后撤。 本来，明军应该经大同由居庸关回北京。中途，王振想衣锦还乡，拉着英宗还蔚州老家要显摆一下，便下令改道由紫荆关（河北涞源）入京。结果，大军惊惶退走，到处踩踏庄稼，王振又变成“人道主义者”，怕老家的乡邻田地也被蹂踏，在距蔚州四十里时，他老娘们儿一样又改主意，命令大军向宣府方向行进，仍从居庸关返回。如此反复逡巡，不仅使也先军队追蹑上来，又使明军侧背全然暴露给了瓦剌军。 就这样，拖了八天之久，明军才退至宣府。同时，也先骑兵也不慢，一路追赶，恰巧跟上。 王振心慌。他接连派出成国公朱勇等四员大将率两路兵返头阻击也先，皆被打败，将死兵亡，损失惨重。 八月十三日，明军退至怀来以西的土木堡。说来狼狈，五十万明军，被几万瓦剌军追撵。其实，如果明英宗等主要人马进入怀来县城，凭城暂避，还不至于败得太惨。但王公公要等他一千多辆大车的黄白财物，迟迟不走。 犹豫之间，兵部尚书邝埜又苦求英宗捡精锐部队拼杀突围，皇帝被说动，大太监王振偏执脾气又上来，坚决反对。 邝埜见不到英宗皇帝，想闯行殿亲自进行说服工作。王振大怒：“腐儒岂知兵事，再妄言，必杀汝！” 邝埜此时倒不怕王公公了，回言道：“我为社稷百年着想，干吗以死惧我！” 王振命卫士把这位尚书赶哄出去。 明朝窝里争执期间，也先的瓦剌兵马源源赶到，把明军包围在土木堡。 土木堡并非是一个军事据点，其地原名“统幕”，讹称为“土墓”、“土幕” 、“土木”，不仅未有城墙护池，荒地无水草，明军掘地两丈多深也挖不出水来。 士兵缺粮还可以忍受，没水才是最要命的事情。土木堡南面十五里处有一条河，却已经被也先派人首先占据。明军水源被断，军心大乱。 八月十五这天，中秋月圆，数十万明军被围，又饥又渴，精神几乎崩溃。也先很有军事才能，他分出一支军马，从土木堡帝的麻谷口向明军发动进攻。坚守谷口的明军都指挥郭懋还算条汉子，死战一夜，瓦剌军未能攻破。但瓦剌后续兵马源源不断，给守口明军造成巨大压力。其实，当时人在宣府的明朝将领杨洪如果领兵向也先发起进攻，可以给瓦剌军来个反包围，内外夹击，说不定把也先军马尽数消灭掉，毕竟明军在人数上占绝对优势。再不济，宣府明军进攻，明英宗也可以趁势突围逃走。杨洪过于“持重”，龟缩于宣府坚城之内，闭门不出。 也先这个人，不仅会用兵，还十分阴险，懂得“心理战”。为了麻痹明军，他派人进入土木堡，表示要与明朝讲和。明英宗、王振听到这个消息，久旱逢甘雨一样，喜不自胜。忙不迭立刻让阁臣曹鼐拟写敕书，并派两个“通事”与瓦剌使臣一起前去也先处商谈和议。 明军士兵被围两三天，渴得要死，听闻双方终于讲和，一下子从精神上松懈下来，纷纷四出找水找草料，脱离了各个关键防御地点。 王振觉得大势不好，急忙传令移营，“逾堑而行，延徊之间，行伍已乱。” 试想一下，五十万大明军，外有强敌，内部自己乱成一窝蜂，不倒霉才怪。 明军南行才三、四里地，瓦剌军队蜂涌而上，四面围攻。蒙古人打猎一样，用箭射死不少明军。然后，马军步兵一起上，刀砍斧剁，明军几无还手之力，“兵士争先奔逸，势不能止。”他们已经饥渴了两三天，浑身无力，再让这些人冒死打仗，根本是不可能之事。 混战之间，也先关键时刻派出后备队，皆精甲铁骑，冲入明军蹂阵。这些骑兵高举长刀，逢人就砍，并大呼“解甲者不杀”。明兵在心理上早已崩溃，纷纷解甲。瓦剌军高喊不杀人，只是说说而已，没有甲胄防护的明军个个都成了白切鸡，任由手持大刀的瓦剌军人屠戮，“（明军）众裸袒相蹈籍死，蔽野塞川。” 人到一万，彻地连天；人上十万，无边无沿。五十万人，战场上估计就死了四十万。文武大臣，英国公张辅，尚书邝埜、王佐，阁臣曹鼐以及张益等数百人，皆在乱中被杀。特别是张辅，自年青时代随父亲张玉为明成祖东闯西杀，战功卓越着，历事四朝，尽心尽力。英宗出征，张辅已是七十五岁老翁，“默默不敢言” ，只能从行，但王振不让他插手军政。至此，老头子竟不能善终于家。 至于众所周知的扈卫军官樊忠以大锤击杀王振之事，可能不是事实，乃时人为泄愤编说此事以求“大快人心”。《明史》中讲：“（王）振乃为乱兵所杀” ，应该是混战中被瓦剌军砍死或者被自己人逃跑时踩踏而死。 明朝随臣中，只有萧惟祯等少数几个人命大，连同数千军卒拼死逃得入关。 王振老同事郭敬命真大，这次又侥幸逃回北京，但很快就因王振的被清算而遭杀头之报。如此，他还不如死在阵上，怎么也称得上是“为国尽忠”。这郭敬公公也该死，他奉王振之命镇守大同时，为讨好也先，把数十大瓮箭头送与瓦剌，并大肆收受不良战马作为“回报”。阳和口大战，也因他挠兵沮将，使得明军大败亏输。 明英宗恐惧至极，在数百禁卫骑兵的扈卫下想突围，几次均未成功，身边人被杀的越来越多，无奈何，发昏当作死，他下马放剑，坐在地上发呆，周围仅有十余个剩下的禁卫军和太监喜宁陪同。 瓦剌军打扫战场，一个下级军官见明英宗身上那副黄金甲值钱，叱令其脱掉。 明英宗吓呆了，又不知对方那一口蒙古语是什么意思，没有立即解甲，惹得对方提剑过来要砍英宗的脑袋。危急时刻，这个蒙古人的哥哥见明英宗装束不凡，忙制止兄弟动手，率数名兵士押着明英宗去见也先的弟弟赛刊王。 这时，明英宗缓过神，问：“您是也先？伯颜帖木儿？赛刊王？还是大同王？”