Zhu Houzhao agreed to go with Concubine Li.

It was not that Concubine Li's reason convinced him, but that it was not a bad thing to have an independent woman like Concubine Li stayed by her side. At least she could find someone to "relieve her boredom" when she was bored.

Concubine Li was secretly happy to achieve her goal, but she did not show her face.

Zhu Houzhao said: "You can accompany your beloved concubine, but you are not allowed to come out to meet the court officials casually. If someone knows that you are in the army, you may be irresponsible. If there is a deviation in the war, they will put the blame on you."

Concubine Li bowed: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I know the right way."

Zhu Houzhao was a little confused: "It is not difficult to ask you to go to war with you. Now I have a troublesome thing. Can you give me some advice?"

When Concubine Li heard this, she was immediately qualified to talk about political affairs in front of Zhu Houzhao, and said happily: "Your Majesty, please tell me."

Zhu Houzhao showed a thoughtful look, "There were examples of emperors personally expeditioning before the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Taizong and Emperor Yingzong were all my ancestors. Before they went to the expedition, they arranged all affairs in the capital and used the prince or royal relatives to supervise the country to prevent accidents... However, I have no descendants and no brothers. It will take time to find a child of a royal family in the other side to come back temporarily, and I don't think they have the ability to manage the country's affairs."

Concubine Li said: "So Your Majesty wants to find a minister to supervise the country?"

Zhu Houzhao smiled and took Concubine Li into her arms, saying, "It's still my beloved concubine who understands me... I do think so. Eunuch Zhang said before. He said that if someone who can inherit the throne is left in the capital, then if something happens to me, the ministers will not kill the enemy if they are trapped in the lonely city at that time, even if I am just trapped in the lonely city, there will be ministers here in the capital to support the new king, which is really not my wish."

Li Fei looked at Zhu Houzhao and knew very well what Zhu Houzhao was worried about. After all, the Tumu Fort Incident has not been around for a while, and with the lessons of Yingzong and Emperor Jingtai, she immediately said:

"Your Majesty is that no one in the court has the ability to manage the country's affairs well, right? I'm saying something unpleasant. If it were the former Eunuch Liu or Lord Shen, there would be no problem. However, Eunuch Liu has passed away, and Lord Shen is responsible for sending troops and cannot stay in the court. As the chief minister, Mr. Xie was originally a suitable candidate, but he opposed Your Majesty's sending troops..."

Zhu Houzhao nodded: "The beloved concubine's words have simply reached my heart..."

Concubine Li shook her head slightly: "I just talk about the matter and share your worries with Your Majesty... No matter how much your Majesty trusts the royal family, we must prevent these people from having unnecessary ambitions, just like King Anhua who has been planning to rebel in the past year... His Majesty wants to arrange for civil servants to supervise the national affairs, but he is afraid that his ability is insufficient..."

Zhu Houzhao listened very seriously, but she didn't expect that Concubine Li was pronounced with great clarity. She blinked and asked, "Why should I deal with this matter? Should I let go of Zhang Yuan, a slave, Shi Wei, or to Grand Secretary Liang or He Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel and others?"

Concubine Li looked at Zhu Houzhao and said, "Your Majesty, I have a saying that I don't know whether I should say it?"

Zhu Houzhao waved her hand: "But it's okay to say it. Even if you say something wrong, I will not punish you."

Concubine Li said: "Eunuch Zhang is actually very mediocre... and he is very ambitious. I heard that he is now spreading his eyes in the leopard room and the court, attracting people in a lot of hands, and seems to be unwilling to be mediocre."

Zhu Houzhao's face was not good-looking again. It was not that he suspected Zhang Yuan, but that Concubine Li said this with other purpose. After all, there was a conflict of interest between Concubine Li and Zhang Yuan, and such suspicion and attack must have an unspeakable purpose.

Concubine Li saw Zhu Houzhao's suspicion and said, "If Your Majesty thinks that I am in trouble, I will say something for myself. I have no grudges with Eunuch Zhang, and I don't have any contacts with Eunuch Zhang, and I only know one thing, if Mr. Xie and Mr. Shen go to the northwest at the same time, the biggest beneficiary is Eunuch Zhang."

Zhu Houzhao smiled and said, "What I mean is that Eunuch Zhang deliberately encourages Mr. Xie to go northwest? The concubine misunderstood. This matter was proposed by me."

Concubine Li said: "Then I dare to guess that when Your Majesty made such an arrangement, Eunuch Zhang was there? And this matter was the thought that Your Majesty had temporarily developed, and he had not considered it carefully beforehand..."

Zhu Houzhao recalled carefully, frowned and asked, "How do you know about the beloved concubine?"

Concubine Li sighed: "After Eunuch Zhang rises, more and more people are working for him. If he takes the initiative to ask, Your Majesty will definitely doubt it, so... He must have used indirect methods to imply that Your Majesty should transfer Master Xie from the capital so that he can be without worries... With Your Majesty's hand, Eunuch Zhang easily let Old Master Xie, who dares to accept advice leave the capital. At that time, Your Majesty can only use him as the candidate for the country's supervision, and achieve the goal without realizing it..."

Zhu Houzhao frowned and thought seriously about Concubine Li's words.

Concubine Li said again: "There are rumors in the capital that Eunuch Zhang is the second best person in Eunuch Liu. Now it seems that this is true. It's just that he doesn't have the means to do things, so he can do things everywhere."

Zhu Houzhao raised his hand, interrupted Concubine Li, and said seriously: "Love concubine, you are the one around me. It is the ancestral teaching that you cannot interfere in politics in the harem, so don't violate it."

"I just express my thoughts based on the market news. If Your Majesty thinks it is inappropriate, I will not say it in the future. Don't be surprised by Your Majesty." Concubine Li bowed and apologized.

Zhu Houzhao's face was still not good-looking, and she was obviously worried about Liu Jin's rebellion and had a shadow in her heart. When Concubine Li compared Zhang Yuan with Liu Jin, she quickly aroused Zhu Houzhao's inner vigilance.

After a long time, Zhu Houzhao asked: "With the idea of ​​his beloved concubine, should Eunuch Zhang stay in the capital or be transferred to the northwest?"

Concubine Li said: "If you manage national affairs, you must have civil servants. They will not have that ambition. As for where Eunuch Zhang wants to dispatch it, it depends on Your Majesty's decision."

Zhu Houzhao frowned: "Well, it's time to think carefully and let Zhang Yuan, a slave, manage the national affairs. First, he doesn't have the ability, and second... he may be lawless. After all, he is not a scholar and has not been influenced by Confucianism's idea of ​​loyalty to the emperor. He may not even know what etiquette, righteousness, integrity and shame are. Rampantly reusing it may cause unexpected disasters!"

...

...

Zhang Yuan was busy attacking Xie Qian and plotting against Shen Xi, but he didn't expect someone to trip him up behind his back.

As Zhu Houzhao's personal expedition approached, Zhang Yuan was busy expanding his power in the court and preparing for Emperor Zhengde to take charge of the government affairs himself after he left the capital.

At this critical moment, Zhu Houzhao listened to Concubine Li's words and sent Xiao Taozi to investigate Zhang Yuan secretly.

Xiao Taozi himself was dissatisfied with Zhang Yuan, and it was rare to have this opportunity to vent his hatred. Of course, he tried his best to find Zhang Yuan's mistakes and try to make him lose Zhu Houzhao's trust.

On March 17th, because he slept too late last night, Zhu Houzhao was sleeping soundly from morning to afternoon. When he woke up, the sun was already slanting. Xiao Tiaozi sent the survey results to Zhu Houzhao, not by taking notes, but by just one mouth. In this way, Xiao Tiaozi said whatever he said.

"...Eunuch Zhang intervened in appointing eunuchs in charge of various yamen in the inner court. According to different rights and responsibilities, each person must respect him from 100 to 500 taels of silver. There were many rumors in the market that Eunuch Zhang wanted to be the second Liu Jin, and his ambitions were expanding and his followers were widely cultivated. Eunuch Zhang had his own private house outside the palace, with beautiful women in it, and there were many guests every day, as if he had bad intentions..."

Most of the news brought by Xiao Guozi is not temporarily investigated. Most of them are heard of or have been verified in normal times, but they just take this opportunity to tell Zhu Houzhao.

After hearing Concubine Li's words, Zhu Houzhao had some doubts about Zhang Yuan. After Xiao Tiaozi's statement, even if he was not sure, his vigilance towards Zhang Yuan was a little deeper.

After Xiao Tiaozi reported, Zhu Houzhao asked, "Is there any news in the court? Eunuch Zhang is in the outer court, so he is also trying to win over all civil and military officials, right?"

Xiao Tiaozi said: "Time is in a hurry, and I have not investigated it clearly. However, as I know, Eunuch Zhang is in contact with candidates for the Minister of Rites, saying that as long as I join him, I can be the Minister of Rites. Many people come to give gifts. Now Eunuch Zhang is very powerful, and the East and West factories are under his control. Your Majesty... You must be prepared."

It shouldn't be done, so I added a subjective advice at the end.

Zhu Houzhao thought to himself: "This kid used to like to say bad things about Liu Jin in front of me. This time he sent him to investigate. He ran back in less than a day to talk about so many bad deeds of Zhang Yuan. Can you trust him?"

"You go check again."

Zhu Houzhao remained silent and shook her hand, "Investigate all Liu Jin's situation clearly and do not disclose the news!"

...

...

It was almost dusk that afternoon, Shen Xi, Hu Lian and others entered the city from Zhengyang Gate.

Hu Lian went directly to the Ministry of Personnel to report his duties to determine whether he wanted to meet the saint. As for Shen Xi, he went out of the city under the pretext of recuperation and did not need to report to the Yisiya, so he chose to go directly to the Leopard Room to explain the situation.

After reports, Shen Xi saw Zhu Houzhao before dark, but the location was not a leopard room, but a civil courtyard near the leopard room... Zhu Houzhao specially set up a banquet. Su Tong and Zheng Qian who came back from the city to patrol were also invited to the banquet, as if a gathering between friends was not as constrained as meeting the king and his subjects.

When Shen Xi arrived, Zhu Houzhao had arrived, and Su Tong and Zheng Qian disappeared.

Zhu Houzhao met Shen Xi in the living room of the yard. Shen Xi was about to kneel down to salute, but Zhu Houzhao smiled and stepped forward to help Shen Xi up: "Why are Mr. Shen so polite? This time he left Beijing, is the sir exhausted? Are the soldiers trained?"

Shen Xidao: "I have reported the results of the training before. I wonder if Your Majesty will read it?"

Zhu Houzhao was a little surprised. After a while, he said, "I have read it. It was conveyed by Zhang Yuanzhi. But... Forget it, let's not talk about this, sir, just come back. I have decided to go to the expedition on March 20th. Time is relatively tight. Let's sit down and discuss the details of the dispatch, such as where to send troops, which teams I lead, etc. The northern border of the Ming Dynasty is wide, and if you want to fight to the Tatar royal court, you must at least find the location first."

Zhu Houzhao intentionally did not want Shen Xi to ask about Xie Qian's exile to the three sides, and always took the initiative in the dialogue.

Chen Xi looked around and said, "Your Majesty is given a meeting on such an occasion. I really don't know how to answer your Majesty."

Zhu Houzhao said: "Today I think it is a meeting between teachers and students, there is not so much red tape... Brother Su and Brother Zheng will come later. Mr. may not know that my identity is known to them. During the time when Mr. left the capital, I have arranged an errand for them and worked in Shanglinyuan. From now on, they can stay in the capital and often drink a little wine with me. Haha, Mr., these two friends, not only have good wine, but also have good character."

Chen Xi had known about Su Tong and Zheng Qian for a long time, so he did not rashly comment. He introduced the two to Zhu Houzhao, but he had a purpose and immediately said: "It is their fate that your two brothers can appreciate you. However, it seems that it is not appropriate for Your Majesty to come here to discuss military and national affairs. The safety here...it seems to be unavailable."

"I am not afraid, what are you afraid of? I think the war is about to start, and there will be a slut that will be detrimental to me and me? Don't worry, there are at least hundreds of guards arranged around me, and there are also a large number of people to protect me. There will definitely be no problem... Let's say that, even if a fly wants to fly in."

Zhu Houzhao pointed to the dining room next to the hall, which was separated by the Taozhu curtain and asked, "Why, sir, go to the table first and have a chat?"

Chen Xidao: "Please let me explain the situation... I am afraid I can't drink with Your Majesty today, because I have to prepare for the battle in a few days after I go back."

Zhu Houzhao's face was somewhat disappointed, but he nodded: "I am really ashamed of serving the country and the people, but I don't have to be too tired these days. If you have any questions, we can discuss on the way. Anyway, I will go to Xuanfu with me and wait for the local area before we can attack."

Chen Xi shook his head and smiled bitterly. Zhu Houzhao was too perfunctory about sending troops. It seemed that the emperor was personally in charge, but in fact, everything was pushed to him. Chen Xi had to dispatch troops and coax the naughty children, so he naturally felt that the burden was too heavy.

Chen Xi thought to himself: "When Xuanfu makes arrangements, the daylily will be cold... It seems that it is only March now, and time is enough, but even if everything goes well at the border, it will take May to attack. If Zhu Houzhao delays for a few days, it may not be able to send troops in June or July. It happened to be the rainy season on the grassland, and the war will be difficult to fight!"

Chen Xi was full of worry. Zhu Houzhao had almost zero combat experience in commanding and was used to being generous. He could not complete necessary military operations such as marching and night marching. In addition, as an emperor, he had too many concerns, which made the war extremely difficult.

Chen Xidao: "I believe that all military arrangements should be determined in the capital. At most, I accompany Your Majesty to Juyong Pass. After leaving the Pass, Your Majesty will go to Xuanfu. When I leave, I will go directly to Datong Town and lead the troops to wait for an opportunity to move from Datong to Bitou Pass."

Zhu Houzhao asked, "Don't Mr. Chen send troops from Xuanfu?"

Chen Xi shook his head: "The Xuanfu sends troops to the public will cause the war to spread in the Zhangjiakou line. At that time, Xuanfu goes to Miyun, and the place of Zunhua is full of war, which will directly affect the defense of the capital. It is better to use Bitou Pass or Datong as a place to send troops to direct the Tatars' attention to the west..."

Zhu Houzhao was a little puzzled: "Since I want to lead the attention of the Tartars to the west, wouldn't it be better to go to Yansui to attack? During the late emperor, Shangshu Liu sent troops to follow that road."

Chen Xi thought to himself: "You still have the face to say that I also want to imitate Liu Daxia to send troops from Yansui, but the problem is that you arranged Xie Laoer on three sides. Isn't it just right to go there to violate Xie Laoer? At that time, Xie Laoer might have caused me a lot of trouble... Alas, I can't even be the place where the troops were sent. This war has been passive from the beginning, so troublesome!"

Chen Xi could not explain the inside story, so he had to say: "It is relatively lighter to go to the Skip to the Thief Pass. Starting from Yulinwei, we will pass through the Hetao area. The mountains, rivers and rivers are complicated, and we have to cross the Yellow River north. It is inconvenient to transport troops and horses. It is better to go directly north along the east bank of the Yellow River."

Zhu Houzhao frowned: "Aren't it just a close contact with the Tartars after leaving the frontier? If you go to the subverted gate, you will be surrounded by mountains and avoid the enemy in Hetao. Isn't you going to leave a way out for yourself?"

Chen Xi found that some things were difficult to explain clearly to Zhu Houzhao. With Zhu Houzhao's character, he would move forward when he advances, as if retreating was a failure, and there was no concept of mobile warfare at all.

Chenxidao: "The dispatch of troops and horses should be based on the actual situation on the battlefield. I dare not make any promises to Your Majesty now. I dare to ask Your Majesty, if you send troops from Yulin Guard, how can you successfully cross the Yellow River?"

"Well……"

Zhu Houzhao thought about it carefully, but there was no answer. He was ignorant of the terrain in the north of the Ming Dynasty, let alone discussing the details of the wartime.

Chen Xi said again: "Although the Tatars have many tribes in the Hetao area and there are quite a few soldiers, this is not their main force. At that time, I will lead my troops out of Yinshan and attack the Dayan Khan tribe, which is currently temporarily stationed in Tumochuan, and the Tatar tribes in the Hetao area will inevitably go north to help..."

Zhu Houzhao became more and more confused when he heard what Chen Xi said, but he tried hard to pretend to be clear and nodded from time to time. In fact, it was just the left ear and the right ear.

Zhu Houzhao listened patiently for a while, and footsteps came from the yard in front of him, but Su Tong and Zheng Qian came. Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up: "Sir, stop, Mr. Su and Mr. Zheng are here, let's go out to greet him, let's talk about it later."

"His Majesty!"

Chen Xi insisted, "It's only three days before the troops are sent. I don't know if I can see you tomorrow. I'm going to settle everything now, wouldn't it be good?"

Zhu Houzhao said helplessly: "Mr. Chen, do you think I don't want to arrange it properly? But this place is neither a palace nor a leopard room, and there is not even a map. How can I arrange it? It's better to find some time to hold a court meeting and explain the matter in front of all civil and military officials."

Chen Xi thought to himself: "What time is there? There are only two days left in total. You can have a night tonight. Where can I have the energy to hold a court meeting tomorrow? Who can guarantee that you have time the day after tomorrow? It will be difficult for the minister to see you when the time comes. If I don't settle the matter here, I don't know when you will delay it!"

Chen Xidao: "Your Majesty, the specific strategies for sending troops have been listed in the memorial. Please read it yourself."

Chen Xi found that Zhu Houzhao was not interested. Instead of talking about some topics that the other party couldn't understand, it was better to take out the memorial and let Zhu Houzhao take it back and think about it slowly. Although it may not be able to understand it, as long as it is approved, he can follow the memorial.

Zhu Houzhao didn't want to read it, so he opened it patiently, but found that the terms listed above were clearly rational and could be understood at a glance, because it was basically written in plain language, divided into paragraphs, and punctuation marks were used to break the text.

Chenxidao: "The plan of Weichen attacking from the Bietou Pass, leading 16,000 troops out of Yinshan and attacking Tumochuan; Your Majesty sent troops from Xuanfu, and used 60,000 troops as the central army, went to Zhangjiakou, and stationed troops on the Daqingshan line to support him!"

Zhu Houzhao took a breath and subconsciously looked up at the door... Su Tong and Zheng Qian saw Chen Xi talking to Zhu Houzhao, and they didn't go into the living room to disturb him. They patiently waited for this place to finish their words.

Zhu Houzhao withdrew her gaze and looked at Chen Xi and asked, "Sir, only 60,000 to 70,000 troops, is it less?"

Chen Xidao: "Soldiers are more important than elites, but not many. If your Majesty thinks that 60,000 central troops are not enough, you can draw troops and horses separately, but you cannot draw them from the border guards..."

Zhu Houzhao's face was full of displeasure: "I want to send troops with my husband... I led the central army out of Zhangjiakou. If Mr. Chen marches from the tilt, the two troops would be thousands of miles apart, and I'm afraid they would not be able to respond in time. What should I do if my troops were in trouble? Even if the Tartars suffered serious losses in recent years due to civil wars, how could they be able to gather a hundred thousand troops?"

Chen Xidao: "This battle is based on a firm defense... If the Wei-Minist and Your Majesty join forces, the troops will be bloated and the speed of the march will be severely constrained."

Zhu Houzhao frowned: "Sir, do you dislike me for taking the troops slowly?" This man has no ability, but has a very strong temper. He cares very much about face and does not want to be looked down upon, especially in front of the gentleman he respects, who is eager to prove his ability.
Chapter completed!