In Fengtian Hall, the ministers knelt down to advise Zhu Houzhao, and the court discussion was in a deadlock for a while.

Zhu Houzhao stood there angrily, trying to accuse the ministers who were kneeling inside and outside the hall, but he also knew that the court could not play with these people, and he could not say that he would be punished if he was punished. He must convince others with reason.

Just at this moment, a minister stepped out, bowed and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I have something to say about your personal expedition!"

Hearing this voice, both Zhu Houzhao and the minister felt relieved, because the person who said this was Chen Xi, the Minister of War.

When all the ministers knelt down and advised, only Chen Xi did not kneel down. Many people believed that the emperor's personal expedition was proposed by Shen Xi, so it was understandable that Chen Xi came forward to support Zhu Houzhao.

Zhu Houzhao was stunned for a moment, then looked at Chen Xi with eager eyes as if he was catching a life-saving straw, and said, "What's the matter with Chen Qing's family, but it's okay to say it!"

Chen Xidao: "In my opinion, this time the Tatars do not need His Majesty to personally fight against the border!"

"What!?"

Zhu Houzhao thought Chen Xi would speak for him, but she didn't expect that Chen Xi came up with Xie Qian's attitude, and actually tried to dissuade him.

Because Chen Xi's words exceeded everyone's expectations, the ministers raised their heads in surprise and stared at Chen Xi in one go, looking at him suddenly, wanting to know what he was selling in the gourd.

Chen Xi repeated: "I believe that Your Majesty does not have to be in charge of the expedition in person, because there is a matter of tightness at present, and it must be completed first to take into account the conquest of the Tatars!"

Zhu Houzhao frowned and asked, "Chen Qing family, don't you mean that... I want to marry first, give birth to a prince, and then make the prince the prince, so that I can go to war, right? I have no worries, even if I die in battle, there will be someone who inherits the throne. Is that what I mean?"

When the ministers heard Zhu Houzhao's words, they were a little scared. How could this be what an emperor should say?

Xie Qian was afraid that Chen Xi would say something presumptuous, so he simply took action first and knelt on the ground and asked directly: "Even if Your Majesty has appointed the crown prince, you should not go to war easily. This is a stable country in the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Houzhao frowned and looked at Xie Qian. At this time, he was very annoyed by the Prime Minister. Then he looked at Chen Xi again, waved his hand, and said, "Chen Qing family, what do you think? Just finish it all in one go. It's boring to keep it in a slight way!"

"Abide by the order!"

Chen Xi bowed again and said, "As Liu Shangshu said before, the Tatars attacked the border to plunder the food of our border people. The scale is small and the strength is weak. When the summer harvest is over, they will naturally withdraw their troops. Your Majesty's commander will personally fight, so he must make preparations first. From preparation to sending troops, it will take at least half a month. The Luan Jia and the army will travel along the way, and it will take ten days to reach Xuanfu. By then... the Tatars are afraid that they will leave!"

Zhu Houzhao was originally angry that Chen Xi also hindered his command of the imperial army, but after hearing these words, he realized a problem: if he felt that the Tatars had retreated in Xuanfu, it would be meaningless to command the imperial army to command of the imperial army.

"and you……"

Zhu Houzhao originally wanted to question directly, since Chen Xi knew this, why didn’t you say it earlier? You insisted on making a fool of me? But he hesitated for a moment, changed his tone and said:

"I can get up and go northwest without any preparation. I simply use Xuanfu troops to deal with the Tartars. It is best to find the main force of the Tartars and defeat them in one fell swoop!"

Chen Xidao: "This matter is not as simple as Your Majesty thought! The Tatars were robbing the border. If they knew that Your Majesty appeared in Xuanfu, the soldiers of the three armies would definitely fight to the death. At the same time, there was a continuous army of king-supporting troops to Xuanfu. At that time, the Tatars would definitely flee, and Your Majesty would have to return without success!"

Zhu Houzhao looked at the ministers present and knelt all over the hall inside and outside, and was furious: "Then tell me, what should I do to prevent the Tartars from avoiding the war?"

When Liu Jin saw Chen Xi talking very well, he wanted to suppress it, he quickly interrupted: "Your Majesty, your majesty is really scary for the Tatars. If you personally enlist in Xuanfu, it is inevitable that the Tatars escape. If you want to fight with the Tatars, you can only lead troops out of the frontier... But now the court is not prepared enough. Have you forgotten to give Lord Shen two years to prepare for your personal enlistment?"

Zhu Houzhao said angrily: "Shut up, you dog slave, you are right and wrong and say it's all right... I don't want to listen to your nonsense! Chen Qing's family, continue talking!"

Liu Jin felt so injustice in his heart and said to himself: "I am thinking about the Ming Dynasty, why are you scolded? Why doesn't Your Majesty scold the boy named Chen?"

Chen Xi said seriously: "Your Majesty, in the eyes of me, if you want the Tatars to continue to invade our borders, you can only use the strategy of luring the enemy into depth and give them some sweetness first. When you lead the people to the preset place, our army will attack on the entire line and defeat the enemy in one fell swoop. Only then will your Majesty be the one who personally led the army to the forefront!"

"ah!?"

Hearing this, the ministers kneeling on the ground widened their eyes in disbelief.

What Chen Xi said made them feel too crazy. The gaze of Chen Xi was no different from looking at a madman.

Zhu Houzhao blinked, and a confused look flashed on her face. She felt that what Chen Xi said was a bit unreliable, and asked: "Chen Qing family, are you... your plan too risky?"

Chen Xi replied: "Your Majesty doesn't even feel it is wrong for him to command the enemy in person. Why do you tempt the enemy to go deeper? Instead, you think it's a risk here?"

"this……"

Zhu Houzhao was a little embarrassed and didn't know how to talk to Chen Xi.

Liu Jin stood up, pointed at Chen Xi, and shouted: "Shangshu Chen, how much do you want to make the Ming Dynasty go to a point before you can stop? Why do you lure the enemy into the depths? Do you think that the capital is your vegetable garden and you can let the Tatars enter and exit at will? Your Majesty, Shen Zhihou is rude, you should immediately punish him!"

Seeing this situation, Liu Yu immediately spoke and said: "Your Majesty, the court officials' inappropriate words and deeds are indeed as Eunuch Liu said. We should punish Shen's crime of deceiving the king to serve as a warning!"

"Shut up!"

Zhu Houzhao shouted angrily, "Did I let you talk? They all seem to be very capable, but they are all cowards! Didn't you just advise me to take back Cheng's life? In terms of military attainments, who among the court officials is as good as Shangshu Gao? Who of you has led troops to report to the Tatars in battle?"

After being scolded by Zhu Houzhao, there was no sound in the presence. Liu Jin could only kneel down obediently, lowered his head and said nothing.

Indeed, when it comes to military achievements, looking at the time of the late Zhengde period of Hongzhi, there were almost no court officials who could challenge Chen Xi.

With Chen Xi's merits, only Ma Wensheng in the entire Hongzhi Dynasty, and Liu Daxia could compete with Chen Xi, but Ma Wensheng and Liu Daxia had retired. At the same time, Liu Daxia's achievements were based on Shen Xi's merits. Chen Xi is now the Minister of War, and no one is more authoritative than Chen Xi when it comes to specific military affairs.

If someone thinks they are more awesome, they have to compare their merits with Chen Xi, and they have to consider whether they can convince the court officials and the emperor.

Chen Xi has achieved his current status with his numerous military achievements, which is completely different from those who talk about war on paper.

Zhu Houzhao said: "Chen Qing family, you can continue talking. Others don't like to listen to him. I am willing to listen. I have always believed that you have real skills, which is no less than Wei Qing, Huo Qubing and Li Jing before!"

Zhu Houzhao was willing to obey Chen Xi's opinions, which came from his admiration for Chen Xi's military talents.

In Zhu Houzhao's mind, Chen Xi is a god-like existence. He can overcome any difficulties when encountering them, win any war and make unparalleled achievements. He is proud of being a student of Chen Xi and has always wanted to find opportunities to learn some military strategies from Chen Xi... and all this comes from his obsession with war.

The ministers couldn't help but look at Chen Xi again and regarded him as a madman who was ungrateful.

Xie Qian frowned, afraid that Chen Xi would say something disobedient and make actions that harm the country and the country of the Ming Dynasty. He wanted to remind him with his eyes, but Chen Xi, who was standing with his head raised, did not pay attention to Xie Qian, who was kneeling on the ground inconspicuously.

Chenxidao: "The Tatars attacked the border only for harassment and plunder. Now there are two solutions. One is to sit idly and wait for the Tatars to attack the border and the soldiers and horses left on their own. This is also a strategy that the Ming border army has always adopted; the other is to send troops and find ways to fight with it, which can shock the Tatars soldiers and horses, so that they will not dare to invade the border of the Ming Dynasty within one or two years!"

Zhu Houzhao clenched his fists: "No need to say anything about the Chen Qing family. I think the second solution is the right way. If you just avoid the war, you will lose the military and civilians in the border areas of the Ming Dynasty. Those newly harvested food, or the food you can harvest in the future, will be plundered by the Tatars. One will grow and the other will grow, the Tatars will be richer and the military will be stronger. My Ming soldiers may be hungry and freezing, which is unbearable!"

"Your Majesty is concerned about the soldiers on the border, and he is kind to the king. I also think this should be done!" Chen Xidao.

When Xie Qian saw that no one came out to stop Chen Xi from speaking, he could no longer bear it. Others were not qualified, but he was different. With his qualifications and achievements in the court, Chen Xi was quite different from him.

Xie Qian stood up and shouted sternly: "Shen Zhihou, you used the territory of the Ming Dynasty as bait to make the Tatars invade the territory. If there is a few things, how can you afford it?"

Zhu Houzhao looked at Xie Qian with a tilted head and wanted to say something, but when she thought of Xie Qian's relationship with Chen Xi, she wanted to say something but stopped. She couldn't even say a lot of things, especially the disputes between civil servants.

Chen Xi asked back: "If you ignore the Tatars' offenses and cause mistakes in Xuanfu, I wonder if Xie Shaofu can afford it?"

"you!"

Xie Qian stared at Chen Xi, with the urge to step forward and fight... A soldier can be killed but not humiliated. Now Shen Xi is clearly challenging the authority of him, the elder of the three dynasties.

Chen Xi did not look at Xie Qian in front of his eyes and continued to say to Zhu Houzhao: "If Your Majesty leads troops to Xuanfu, the Tatars will withdraw their troops... Therefore, Your Majesty should not go there in person as soon as possible. You can send troops to lure the enemy. If several groups of people are defeated one after another, the Tatars will be very motivated and take the opportunity to harass our Neiguan. At that time, Your Majesty will lead troops to attack as the best strategy!"

"No!"

As the Minister of Personnel, Liu Yu was the highest-ranking official in the ministry. He suddenly stood up from the ground and refuted Chen Xi's statement, "Shangs Chen's plan is too risky. If there is any mistake and Juyongguan is in trouble, the capital will be in danger."

Xie Qian looked at Liu Yu. He usually disdained to be with him, but in order to prevent Chen Xi from luring the enemy into depth, he could only agree with the voice of the backbone of the eunuch party:

"What Secretary Liu said is not bad. He has been an official in Datong for many years and knows more clearly than you, Shangshu Chen. It is better to obey Liu's advice. It is enough to wait until the Tatar soldiers retreat on their own. It is not suitable to fight head-on, and it is even more suitable to use the strategy of pretending to be defeated and seducing the enemy!"

Zhu Houzhao didn't say anything, but in his heart, he had already made up his mind to command the commander in person, thinking: "According to Mr. Chen, it would be great to lure the main force of the Tatars to the front line of Juyongguan. At that time, I can show my skills and don't have to worry about the Tatars running away with their tails!"

Chen Xi looked at Liu Yu, then looked at Xie Qian, and asked with a smile: "Your Majesty is in charge of the Ministry of War, but he doesn't know why the two lords repeatedly point fingers at the affairs of the military?"

Xie Qian immediately wanted to accuse Chen Xi of being arrogant and rude, but thought that this move would destroy Chen Xi's prestige in the court, so he swallowed the words back to his mouth.

When Zhu Houzhao heard this, he finally found the reason for the retaliation and stood on Shen Xi's side: "That's right, I have formulated a policy of strengthening the country for two years, and the family of the Minister of War Chen Qing as the leader. Others are not allowed to interfere. Xie Ge Lao and Liu Shangshu seem to have been a little more responsible."

"Whether to send troops or to the emperor's commander-in-chief, you must obey the opinions of the Chen Qing family. All the ministers and workers will do their jobs!"

Zhu Houzhao wanted to get Chen Xi's support and let him realize his desire to lead the army in person, so he emphasized and reiterated Chen Xi's important identity.

Xie Qian said: "Your Majesty, if the Minister of War is wrong in doing things, or there are bad policies within the Ministry of War, it should be reviewed by the court, and the Ministry of War cannot be overtaken outside the court! Please take back the order and strand the national policy matters!"

Liu Jin was very proud when he heard this.

Xie Qian and Chen Xi were red in their faces and now proposed to strand the national policy dominated by Chen Xi. It seemed that the pair of hardcore allies had completely turned against each other. But then he became worried: "Why did Xie Laoer suddenly mention the bad policies of the Ministry of War? Is this move of the profound meaning?"

Just when Liu Jin was vaguely uneasy, Zhu Houzhao said it casually: "All matters within the Ministry of War is governed by Shangshu Chen of the Ministry of War. Others shall not interfere. As for the bad policies in the court..."

Speaking of this, Zhu Houzhao suddenly remembered that he seemed to order Liu Jin to investigate the bad policies of the Ministry of War. Now the two imperial edicts are in conflict with each other.

It seems that he should have preconceived ideas and should give priority to taking care of Liu Jin's face, but now Zhu Houzhao is in a difficult position. If Liu Jin is continued to succeed, then Chen Xi's statement in the Ministry of War would not be final and he could not dominate everything, so he would not be able to come out and stand up to his support for the emperor's command in person.

Zhu Houzhao thought: "I want to fulfill my dream of personally escorting. All the court, including Liu Jin, oppose it. Only Mr. Chen supports it. I cannot dismantle Mr. Chen's platform now!" So he said: "I have said before that within two years, the Ming Dynasty must enrich the country and strengthen the army. This basic national policy cannot be changed, and even I cannot take it back. Any matters involving the Ministry of War, you must not interfere!"

Xie Qian seemed very angry: "Your Majesty, if the Ministry of War does things inappropriately, it will cause the Ming Dynasty to be in a state of doom. Please think twice!"

"Please think twice, Your Majesty!"

Whether it was the civil service group or the eunuch party present, everyone agreed with Xie Qian and asked Zhu Houzhao for help.

Liu Jin was most anxious at this time. He had just obtained the Ministry of War's review power, but suddenly he lost it. In this way, even if Zhu Houzhao did not lead the army in person in the future, it would be difficult for him to control the Ministry of War.

Liu Jin was depressed: "Don't Shen Zhihou and Xie Yuqiao agreed in advance, and deliberately caused conflicts in front of me because of some things. It's right? Xie Yuqiao is talking to me, but in fact he is helping Shen Zhihou get back the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, so that he can target and suppress me!"

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and had a firm attitude: "My decision is unquestionable. If you have any objections, you should appeal when I propose the basic national policy. It is too late to say that, and the national policy of strengthening the army in two years will never be changed!"

"His Majesty!"

"His Majesty!"

People kneeling for advice were everywhere inside and outside Fengtian Hall. Many ministers were worried, thinking that the emperor gave Chen Xi too much power, and completely letting the Ministry of War leave the court's review, which means that the Ministry of War is an independent small court outside the court. Whether it is the cabinet, the rank of the Chief Secretary, the Censorate, or other yamen, there is no authority to review the Ministry of War.

Zhu Houzhao said sternly: "Whoever criticizes me anymore? I will regard him as a deceiving the king and jeopardizing the country of the Ming Dynasty. I will never let you go! Chen Qing's family, what should I do after luring the enemy deeper?"

At this time, Zhu Houzhao was waiting for Chen Xi to say something, that is, when the Tatars penetrated deep into the heart of the Ming Dynasty, he could lead the army to fight in person.

Chen Xi naturally said: "If the Tatars kill to Juyongguan, your Majesty will lead the army in person, there will be no problem!"

"Shangshu Chen, you are going to harm the country and the people! The Ming Dynasty may be lost because of this!" A shout suddenly came from behind Chen Xi.
To be continued...