"In July 1449, Esen Tayisi of the Oirat Mongols launched a large-scale invasion of China. His army and the Ming army personally led by Emperor Yingzong met at Tumubao, west of Huailai County. The Ming army was defeated and the Ming emperor was captured. This battle is known as the Tumu Crisis in history.
When the news of the conflict reached the capital, the court without its emperor and the whole capital city was thrown into a panic, knowing that Beijing was only defended by an army of less than 100,000 soldiers and only one tenth of these were armed. Chancellors at the court cried out for help and wealthy families planned to flee.
A few days later, Empress Dowager Sun ordered Zhu Qiyu, brother of the emperor, to act in the place of the emperor. Zhu Qiyu called in the chancellors. Xu Cheng, hanlin shijiang (an official title), suggested moving the capital to Nanjing, while Defense Minister Yu Qian insisted on resisting the invasion and his advice was at last adopted. In September, at the suggestion of Yu Qian and other ministers, Zhu Qiyu was installed by the Empress Dowager as Emperor Jingtai, and Emperor Yingzong who was still held by the Mongols was considered to be the retired emperor. At that critical moment, Yu Qian was at the helm as commander. Yu Qian (1398–1457) was born in Qiantang in Zhejiang and was a jinshi. As a government official, he was known for his honesty. He reinforced the defense forces by redeploying troops to Beijing, transporting grains from surrounding suburbs to the city, calling in dismissed soldiers, and collecting abandoned weapons at the Tumubao battlefield. He also punished runaway generals and officials, particularly Wang Zheng and his followers who were largely responsible for the defeat. The army and the people were greatly encouraged by his measures, and his army soon rose to 220,000 soldiers…"
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