Zhang Yuan followed Zang Xian's advice and ran to the garrison yard and knelt down. m.x

After meeting Lu Wan and others, Zhu Houzhao asked the Ministry of War to issue orders to the Jiubian Military Town, such as asking the cavalry of Lin Heng to quickly return to Yansui to assist Chenxi, and then adding more people from all over the place to support Yansui, so as to ensure that Chenxi safely returns to Yulin Cangcheng.

As for whether this works, neither Zhu Houzhao nor the court officials were sure, but they always had to do something to feel at ease.

Zhang Yuan knelt from morning to afternoon until it was dark until it was dark, and when Zhu Houzhao sent someone out, that is, Xiaotiaozi.

Xiao Guozi acted very politely and saluted respectfully before saying to Zhang Yuan: "Eunuch Zhang, go back. Your Majesty already knows that you are here and says that you will not be careful about this matter for the time being."

Zhang Yuan looked at Xiao Tiaozi with a look: "Since I don't care, why has Your Majesty refused to see us?"

Xiao Guozi shook his head: "Your Majesty said that when the war is over, the new and old accounts will be settled together after returning to the capital!"

"ah!?"

Zhang Yuan had heard Xiao Zhuozi's tone and thought Zhu Houzhao had forgiven him, but he didn't meet him because of his face. But after hearing this, he asked in shock, "Little Zhuozi, aren't you scaring our family?"

Xiao Zhuozi shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Eunuch Zhang, do you think the young man has that courage? You are the Sili Supervisor, and you are the Sili Supervisor. You are also a subordinate of the Sili Supervisor. Logically speaking, you are your subordinate, and you are the virtuous minister of Your Majesty... The young man is just to convey His Majesty's original words. If you don't believe it, the young man can't do anything!"

Although Xiao Taozi was polite, he was neither humble nor arrogant. In fact, he had long wanted Zhang Yuan to be unlucky in his heart because Zhang Yuan was too arrogant and suppressed the emperor's close ministers than Liu Jin before, but his ability was much worse than Liu Jin, which made the people below somewhat dissatisfied.

Why can't I do it if Zhang Yuan, who is ignorant, gets favor from His Majesty to become the boss's ceremonial seal?

After hearing Xiao Twist's words, Zhang Yuan couldn't help but close his eyes, his eyebrows were filled with disappointment, and asked again: "Will your Majesty have any other orders?"

Xiao Guozi shook his head: "Don't say it's not. Even if there is, Eunuch Zhang, you shouldn't ask now. Your Majesty's hatred for you has not yet disappeared... But now many people help you speak nice things in front of Your Majesty, saying that it's not your responsibility alone, but now someone needs to come out to take responsibility!"

Zhang Yuan looked at Xiao Twist, his eyes as if he was saying, why didn’t you come out to take the blame?

Because Zhang Yuan is narrow-minded, the meaning in his eyes is easily found.

Xiao Zhuozi looked calm. He had no say in the previous war, so even if something went wrong, Zhu Houzhao would not put the blame on him, even if Zhang Yuan wanted to make trouble.

"Your Majesty just asked Xiao to come out and tell Eunuch Zhang that you will go back to take care of Your Majesty's daily life. Eunuch Zhang, hurry up and think about a solution. The more you can impress Your Majesty, the better... You are also considering your old difficulties and considering you!"

...

...

Xiao Guozi did not continue to talk nonsense to Zhang Yuan.

When Zhang Yuan was in power, Xiao Tuozi was upset and kept reporting and exposing him in front of Zhu Houzhao, in order to bring Zhang Yuan down as soon as possible.

Now it's different. Zhang Yuan was finally disgusted by Zhu Houzhao because of showing off his cleverness and harming Chen Xi. Xiao Tiaozi's attitude towards Zhang Yuan became polite, because Zhang Yuan, who is now out of favor, is no longer a big concern.

Among the emperor and the eunuchs in front of him, there were no eternal enemies or friends. It was a matter of winning over or hostility in the blink of an eye. Perhaps Zhang Yuan would have to flatter him in the future in a few days.

As for who will rise after Zhang Yuan falls, eunuchs such as Dai Yi, Gao Feng, Li Xing, and Li Rong are all possible, and even Xiao Tiaozi has the hope of fighting.

But until now, Xiao Twist is still a little unsure. Zhu Houzhao was in a hurry and still reused Zhang Yuan when he turned around and still chose a Sili Supervisor to take charge of the seal. These are all things that Xiao Twist needs to consider.

So Xiao Twist now has become sophisticated and worldly, taking into account the interests of all parties, and no one can offend him.

As long as there is no accident in the border, the emperor is safe and sound. Even if Chen Xi is defeated and died, the court will still be able to operate freely. Zhu Houzhao's lazy temperament will soon appear again... As long as the system of the Lijian Prize for the approval of the royal family will not change, everything will be the same.

Xiao Guozi didn't go back to report to Zhu Houzhao because Emperor Zhengde's condition was very bad and he had already rested now.

Of course, after waking up, Zhu Houzhao would pick up the things of eating, drinking and having fun again. These are things that Xiao Tiaozi cannot predict for the time being. All he had to do was to discuss with Lifei immediately.

Unlike others' attitude towards Concubine Li, Xiao Tiaozi admires Concubine Li from the bottom of his heart and makes up his mind to form an alliance with Concubine Li.

Although Xiao Tiaozi is not old, his mind is very flexible. He realized: "The eunuchs around His Majesty are back and forth, and being favored and falling out of favor is a matter in a blink of an eye. The women around His Majesty are the same. If you want to maintain the favor for a long time, the eunuchs and women who are temporarily in power must unite so that they can complement each other's advantages!"

When Xiao Taozi came to the house where Concubine Li lived, she roughly told about the matter of seeing Zhang Yuan at the door, Concubine Li's face still seemed calm, as if everything was under control.

Concubine Li said: "It's really his fault that Eunuch Zhang has come to this point today... He can obviously follow Shen Zhihou's wishes and carry on the war, and insist on taking the initiative to reflect his existence... What's the situation now? Humph, isn't it the same result as Liu Jin?"

Xiao Guozi asked tentatively: "The Concubine Li, who do you think Zhang Yuan should take office after the fall of the world?"

Concubine Li looked lazy and her eyes were blurred. She half-squinted her eyes and looked at Xiao Tiaozi, "I can't understand what my father-in-law said... Who are you trying to tell me about the next eunuch who is in power?"

Xiao Tiaozi smiled bitterly: "This is what I mean."

Concubine Li smiled slightly: "If Eunuch Zhang falls, maybe you will twist your father-in-law to the position. But then again, will Zhang Yuan really be in a slump?"

"Um!?"

Xiao Guozi seemed very surprised and didn't feel that Zhang Yuan had a chance to turn around. He asked immediately, "Does the Empress think that Eunuch Zhang can be forgiven by His Majesty?"

Concubine Li said: "Your Majesty did blame Eunuch Zhang, but I am afraid that it is more to blame yourself? In fact, it is better to say that Eunuch Zhang is just doing it on orders. And some of the things that Eunuch Zhang did before are urgently worried about His Majesty. In theory, there is nothing wrong with it..."

"If Master Shen turns the tide in the end, defeats the Tatars and returns triumphantly, then His Majesty will only scold Eunuch Zhang a little afterwards, telling him not to act irritably in the future... But in this way, the power composition of the palace and the leopard room seems to have not changed much!"

"ah?"

Xiao Tiaozi thought about it carefully, isn't that the case?

Zhang Yuan was in trouble because of Shen Xi's defeat and death. Zhu Houzhao's annoyance and strong guilt in his heart, which made him vent everything on Zhang Yuan.

But if Chen Xi won unexpectedly in the end and Zhang Yuan’s actions did not cause any major harm, Zhu Houzhao might reward Zhang Yuan when he was happy, because Zhu Houzhao actually understood in his heart that Zhang Yuan’s responsibility for this matter was not as great as outsiders described, and was more of taking the blame for him.

Xiao Zhuozi said anxiously: "Mr. Shen is in a dangerous place and is besieged by hundreds of thousands of Tartars. Even if he escapes, the final result will not be to turn the tide and achieve a decisive victory in the fight against the Tartars, right?"

Concubine Li's expression was gloomy and her eyes flashed, as if she was thinking about this question. After a while, Concubine Li looked at Xiao Tiaozi again and said, "If someone else had encountered this series of things, he might have gone to a dead end, but if it were Shen Zhihou... who is this man? Who in the world can understand it? Perhaps even all this is in his control, deliberately letting the situation evolve to this point?"

Li Fei's words made Xiao Zhuozi extremely shocked and dumbfounded.

"I don't believe that Shen Zhihou will succeed and die in the battlefield. He will definitely return to the court safely. Even if he can't wipe out the Tatars in this battle, I believe that he will definitely lead his troops to retreat... This is Shen Zhihou's cleverness. If he wants to win, he can basically do everything he can do!"

Xiao Guozi continued to shake his head: "Concubine Li shouldn't over-mythize Lord Shen? After all, he is just a human, not a god..."

Concubine Li looked at Xiao Tiaozi coldly and asked, "There are many people who despise Shen Zhihou, but what is the final result?"

This question was so hard that Xiao Tiaozi thought for a moment and was speechless.

Concubine Li said again: "According to my expectations, Shen Zhihou has indeed been forced to the dead end now, but in this way, all the soldiers under his command are forced to fight him to the end, and they cannot even have the intention of escaping... People can often create miracles in desperate situations, and Shen Zhihou's previous successes have been like this kind of desperate situation several times, right?"

Xiao Twist now doesn't know what to say.

Concubine Li suddenly laughed: "Dude-in-law, don't talk nonsense in front of His Majesty, because these things are just my casual guess. If you go and tell Your Majesty, but the end result is not like this..."

Xiao Tiaozi said bitterly: "I naturally know what to say and what not to say."

Concubine Li nodded with satisfaction: "You don't have to be disappointed, you don't have to be disappointed. Zhang Yuan's chance of collapse is still very high. He is just a shameless villain. Don't look at his power now. If Shen Zhihou really has something wrong, his life will be difficult, but if Shen Zhihou comes back safely, will the future life be better?"

"Um?"

Xiao Guozi looked at Concubine Li again with confusion.

Concubine Li smiled and said, "In this battle, Shen Zhihou was completely cheated by Zhang Yuan. According to Shen Zhihou's complacent personality, I am afraid that the first person to deal with after coming back is Zhang Yuan... Your Majesty can forgive him, but Shen Zhihou will not! Who is he more afraid of?"

Xiao Guozi's eyes lit up and he said in surprise: "The Empress is right. If something happened to Lord Shen, Eunuch Zhang will definitely not be able to take care of him... If Lord Shen comes back safely, even if His Majesty doesn't take action against Eunuch Zhang, Lord Shen will do it! How could Lord Shen allow such an enemy to stir up trouble in the court?"

Concubine Li nodded: "So what we have to worry more is that the two of them will reconcile afterwards. If Zhang Yuan had a shameless face and begged Shen Zhihou for understanding and expressed his willingness to obey the advice, the situation might be different."

"Won't!"

Xiao Tiaozi seemed very confident, "Even if Eunuch Zhang can pull that face, Lord Shen will not believe him!"

...

...

The Tatars did not launch a decent offensive throughout the day.

It was a peaceful day, the weather was very good, the sun was shining, the sky was clear, the visibility was excellent, and the entire battlefield was almost completely visible.

Perhaps the Tatars saw the Ming army transporting debris in front of the position, and in order to facilitate the next attack on the cavalry assault, even if they witnessed the Ming army transporting the bodies of their tribesmen to both sides of the battlefield for concentrated burning, they were indifferent.

The Tatars were raising their strength. Whether it was the orders given to their subordinates by Batumonk or the vaccinations given to the soldiers in the army that Chen Xi gave to the soldiers, it clearly showed that the next battle would be an arduous battle. The Tatars would definitely launch an attack with the most elite force, and victory or defeat would be decided.

At this time, many people in the Tatar camp were discussing whether the next battle should be launched during the day or the attack should be covered by night.

At first, the Tatars felt that the night attack had an advantage over the daytime, which could prevent the Ming munitions from finding the direction of aim. However, after experiencing the previous night's battle, their ideas changed because the Tatars discovered that even in the dark, the Ming munitions could carry out indiscriminate attacks on densely packed horses.

On the contrary, the darkness caused great trouble for the Tatar cavalry, because the horses and soldiers' vision were blocked, and the Tatar cavalry in rapid advancement often caused chaos due to the barrier of their companions.

Especially after explaining the general situation, the Tatars' elite cavalry who escaped from the front line discovered that many people were not shot off the horse by Ming munitions, but were injured by their own people.

The Ming army hid behind the sandbag wall and fired muskets, which would hardly hurt their own people by accident. However, the Tatar cavalry front was very long, with many companions blocking them in front. They shot arrows at the Ming army's defense line by shooting, which was very easy to shoot their own people.

Although the Tatars seemed brave and unwise, they also knew that they would gain wisdom after learning from their mistakes.

Some of them wanted to report this situation to Batumonk, but Dayankhan didn't want to hear what the people below said, and they did not raise the tent until sunset. What the Tatars feared most was that Batumonk ordered a war to start after nightfall, so that the situation last night might repeat.

"Father Khan, when will the troops be sent? My subordinates and I are already impatient to make military achievements!"

Tuluborot went to the south bank of Yuxi River, and Balesborough became the commander of the next battle. Others could not see Batumonk, but they could see the third prince. At their instigation, Balesborought entered the Khan tent before sunset and went to ask for battle with his father in person.

Batumonk spent the whole day studying the terrain around Yuxi, as if he wanted to see through Shenxi's intentions from the map, but he couldn't find the answer anyway.

Hearing his son's question, Batumonk was too lazy to look back at Balesborot, and would not discuss the next military plan with this reckless son, because he felt that Balesborot was still too young and did not understand the importance of strategy on the battlefield at all.

Batumonk seemed a little impatient and waved his hand and said, "When it comes time to send troops, you will know! The most important thing now is to go back and rest and accumulate energy!"

"But... Father Khan, if he continues to drag on, the Ming Dynasty reinforcements will probably come. It will not be so easy for us to destroy Chen Xi's troops at that time... So, please give my son a chance to show off. Regardless of whether Father Khan is ready to suppress the entire army, I will let me take the vanguard and capture Chen Xi alive!"

Balesborot is a typical newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers. His words sounded absurd and ridiculous to Batumonk... Chen Xi is so easy to deal with, and he still has to worry about it here?
Chapter completed!