Although Zhu Houzhao intended to leave early when he was on the grassland outside the mouth, after returning to Zhangjiakou Fort, he seemed to have had another procrastination and did not explain to the minister when he would go to the army.

Lu Wan and others were most urgent about returning to Beijing, because the capital had sent letters to inquire about the situation many times. When the emperor went west, the seal of the Sili Supervisor was vacant and the cabinet chief was transferred externally, the operation of the court was already in a semi-stagnant state, and the imperial carriage was urgently needed to return to Beijing to maintain stability in the court.

August 17th, afternoon.

Wang Shouren visited Chen Xi and inquired about his return to Beijing in detail. It was also related to Zhu Houzhao's order to pacify the grassland soldiers and horses for the temporary stay in the northwest.

"... Now Your Majesty is asking for rewards for his merits. The Xuanfu treasury is afraid that there will be insufficient food and silver. As for the land, it can only be handed over to local prefectures and counties for the solution. In addition, the soldiers learned that they were unable to return home for the time being, and they were afraid that the morale of the army would be fluctuating. Shangshu Shen needs to consider more to avoid disasters..."

Wang Shouren and others were afraid of unnecessary military chaos.

At the end of the war, the meritorious soldiers were rewarded with merits very slowly. Moreover, the court left the heroes who had won the battle in the northwest, which would make the triumphant soldiers feel that the court did not trust them, and in a short period of time, unstable factors would inevitably arise.

Chen Xi did not comment on this matter.

Except for a very small number of people, the court did not know that this decision was originally a suggestion made by Chen Xi himself to Zhu Houzhao.

Zhu Houzhao did not explain to the outside world why he did this. In any case, he just asked the Sili Supervisor to issue an order and let the soldiers in the army cooperate, and there was no question about the implementation.

"If the troops return to Beijing, there will be greater trouble. Let's make this arrangement first." Chen Xi's opinion is very simple. Just follow the emperor's instructions, and don't think too much about anything else.

Seeing that Chen Xi was not concerned about this, Wang Shouren consciously gave up this topic and quickly asked the most concerning question for himself and even all the officials in the court, "When will your Majesty leave to return to Beijing?"

Chen Xi said: "There is no news for the time being, but I think it's only these few days... If I can meet the saint, I will take the initiative to propose to Your Majesty, but you should also know the situation on Your Majesty's side. It's not something that my ministers can persuade you in just one or two words. Everything depends on Your Majesty's will."

The emperor was arrogant and willful, and the court knew very well that this resulted in a result. Few people dared to submit memorials to accept advice, or even if the emperor accepted advice, the emperor might not accept it. On the contrary, he would be furious. Even old ministers like Xie Qian could not avoid the fate of being exiled to the border, let alone ordinary ministers.

Although Shen Xi now has a certain right to speak, it is limited to making rational suggestions to the emperor. Whether to adopt them depends entirely on Zhu Houzhao's mood.

Fundamentally speaking, Chen Xi cannot solve some key problems.

"well!"

Wang Shouren sighed, "This battle has a great impact on the people's livelihood in the northwest. Since the beginning of the year, the military farms have been basically abolished. Xuanda, Sanbian and Pianguan are not harvested at all. Now we can only replant cabbage, radish and winter wheat. At least until next summer harvest next year, we will rely on other places in the Ming Dynasty to replenish food. During this period, the Jiubian needs to maintain a peaceful environment and stabilize people's livelihood. We cannot use any more light weapons."

This is not like what the subordinate said to his superiors, but more of it is to persuade him from the perspective of a friend, not allow Chen Xi to continue or even expand the war, and maintain the current situation.

Of course, Chen Xi knew that the outside world now closely linked him with the emperor, especially those anti-war ministers, who always had prejudice against Chen Xi and would not change him just because he led his troops to win a brilliant victory.

"Um."

Chen Xi nodded slightly without saying much.

...

...

Regarding the future expansion direction of the Ming Dynasty, Chen Xi has made better arrangements in his mind.

The nine sides will basically remain stable in the next few years. Chen Xi thought carefully that the strength of major tribes on the grassland has been severely damaged, and with the lessons of previous failures, it is certain that as soon as the Ming army goes out of the frontier, those tribes that are hostile to the Ming Dynasty will flee. It is not realistic for the Ming army to go deep into the desert to pursue. Even if the war is reduced to a scale of only 10,000 or 20,000 people going to fight, it will cost a lot of money and food.

This is not a scene that Chen Xi wants to see. Once there is a problem with the people's lives, rebellion will occur, which will trigger war and the fortress may collapse from the inside.

The troubles Chen Xi encountered were far more than when the emperor would return to Beijing.

Soon Chen Xi received a letter from generals such as Hu Songyue, hoping that Chen Xi would submit a memorial to the court so that they could return to their hometown as soon as possible. Because the war has been going on for a long time, the heroes who have always won battles and have high self-esteem do not want to stay in a bitter and cold place like the northwest. It is best to return home as soon as possible and reunite with their families.

Hu Songyue and others could not come to see Chen Xi for the time being, because after the entire army retreated into Zhangjiakou Fort, Zhu Houzhao issued an order early the next morning to transfer this elite army to Xuanfu, nominally retreating to the rear for rest. In fact, it was to ensure the absolute safety of his presence. In the next step, this powerful army that was victorious in every battle would even be disbanded and sent to various places on the nine sides. Chen Xi basically adopted a default attitude towards this.

The news was brought by Yun Liu. As the person in charge of the Chenxi intelligence system, she was not on the list of outsiders and could freely enter and exit Chenxi residence.

Yun Liu learned about the feedback from Hu Songyue and others that Chen Xi: "...The army caused a strong shock, and even deserters appeared in the army. This was a situation that never happened on the battlefield!"

The soldiers were eager to return home in glory. The court refused to let go, and even transferred them to the three sides, such as the bitter and cold place of the Biantou Pass, which made them feel that they were sent to a feud.

After a series of battles, most of everyone in the Chenxi army made contributions, but the contributions were divided into large and large numbers. For example, a soldier who repeatedly violated military rules was only a small flag or a general flag. The imperial court rewarded only a few dozen taels of silver. As long as the officers and soldiers who participated in the pursuit of the Tatars had a little more flexible mind, the gold, silver and jewelry that had been touched from the Tatar tribe and corpses in previous battles were worth at least a few hundred stalemates. Without seeing the hope of returning home, they were prone to rebel and then escaped privately.

Chen Xi smiled bitterly and said, "In fact, the decision to keep them in the northwest was asked by my Majesty. I should hate the person they should hate!"

Yun Liu was not surprised and looked at Chen Xi and said, "I guess this arrangement is for the long-term plan, but judging from the current situation, the soldiers in the army do not understand the adult's painstaking efforts."

Chen Xi asked, "Do you understand?"

Yunliu lowered her head, obviously not understanding why Chen Xi left these heroes who followed him to fight south and north in the north. In her opinion, it might be that Chen Xi was afraid that the people in the court would be suspicious of him and his soldiers, so he took the initiative to give in, so that the court mainly Zhu Houzhao saw that he did not threaten the imperial power.

Chen Xi sighed: "This elite force staying in the northwest will be a huge shock to the northern grassland tribe. If a war is needed, I can gather the team at any time instead of finding a group of new recruits from the place and retraining. The troops I led must have experienced fierce battles and have the courage to never retreat... It is not easy to cultivate such a team. If you dismiss them, I will lose the most!"

Yunliu said, "But lord can transfer them to the capital. This should be a scene that everyone in the army wants to see."

"Will I be demoted?"

Chen Xi sneered, "Your Majesty may be temporarily tolerated by the elite troops who have been transferred to the capital like this, but some people will inevitably talk to you in front of His Majesty. Everyone understands the principle of cooking a dog with dead rabbits. Why do they think there are exceptions when they come to themselves? Moreover, in the prosperous land of the capital, how many people can withstand corruption and win over? How much combat power can be left in the end?"

"I keep these people in the northwest. In addition to letting them cultivate their minds, cultivate their nature, train their troops and preserve their strength, I hope they can make great progress in their careers. This time, many of them have the opportunity to serve as officials of thousands of households and above, and some even can serve as commanders of the guards. The soldiers and horses on the nine sides are the best in the world. If they sow these seeds, they may have a lot of fruit. In this way, I have a direct army."

"So, keeping them in the northwest is the best way I can think of for the time being!"

Yun Liu nodded relievedly, and then said worriedly: "The key problem is that they cannot return home, and they cannot experience that huge sense of glory for the time being."

Chen Xi shook his head: "The land and land and houses granted by the court can be implemented specifically by the local government. As for family members, they can be sent to Jiubian for reunion. Their families can enjoy the glory in their hometown, which is enough. Moreover, many of them will be promoted and even lead the army alone for a few years. Wouldn't it be better to return home at that time?"

Yun Liu has nothing to say now.

As Chen Xi said, everything is a compromise choice made in all aspects. There has never been a perfect thing in this world. It is impossible to call this group of people at any time, and to satisfy the desire of soldiers to return home.

Chen Xi said again: "The court will issue the rewards promised in the past few days, and there will be no deductions, so that they can feel at ease."

"Sir, I'm afraid that the soldiers in the army will be dissatisfied with knowing that this matter was caused by the adults." Yun Liu said worriedly.

Chen Xidao: "Let them go, if you can explain, you can tell them that the war is not over yet, and you will have to wait until the end of the year before you can return to your hometown to visit relatives one after another. This reason is enough!"

...

...

The soldiers in the army did not accept the explanation sent by Chen Xi.

But they had no power to object. Chen Xi had tried his best to help them get rewards, and also released a wind to inform them that they could return to their hometown next year, and even their wives and children could receive reunions from the northwest, and they could also seek higher official positions in the northwest. These are the scenes they hope to see.

As for the concerns about their hometown, the court will help them complete them together, which is also considered the sincerity shown by Chen Xi.

Hu Songyue and others always wanted to see Chen Xi again, but because the rules were placed there, they never got a chance.

On August 19th, the court began to issue rewards, and a large number of silver and copper coins began to be distributed to the meritorious soldiers. They also chose various lands and houses. Whether to buy land and houses in the nine borders or return to their hometowns to collect them from local governments, it made people feel embarrassed, and the army was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

At this time, no one cared about when they would be transferred to various parts of the Jiubian area.

"Mr. Shen, your methods are so clever."

On August 20th, the military eunuch Zhang Yong arrived at Zhangjiakou Fort.

Zhang Yong and Ma Yongcheng walked in two groups, Ma Yongcheng fell behind, and Zhang Yong was in front of the horse. They did not set off after Chen Xi arrived at Zhangjiakou Fort, but they knew Chen Xi's route to return to the army, so they rushed here first, but they could not arrive on the day Shen Xi returned to the city.

After Zhang Yong came to the door, his tone of speaking was very strange.

Zhang Yong was also angry. After the Chenxi victory, he led his troops to pursue the remnants of Tatars into the grassland and made great contributions to the sky. He stayed in Yansui and was likely to be ineffective and was later criticized by the emperor.

Zhang Yong looked at Chen Xi with a gaze full of blame, but Chen Xi sneered.

I asked you specifically about your opinion. It was because you were extremely greedy and afraid of death after escaping from death that you chose to stay in Yansui. As a result, now the soldiers and horses have won consecutive battles on the grassland, which also means that the Emperor Ming Dynasty supports the new grassland Khan. You feel unwilling to accept it and are afraid that the court will punish you. What's the use of going to me to say?

Chen Xidao: "Where did Eunuch Zhang start this? When did I use the means?"

Zhang Yong looked around and confirmed that no one was watching. Then he leaned closer to Chen Xi and said, "Before you lead troops into the grassland for the second time, you can't tell us how you will fight the next battle, so that our family can be mentally prepared. Why are you scared after returning to Zhangjiakou Fort now?"

After listening to Zhang Yong's words, Chen Xi finally understood why everyone said that eunuchs are basically psychopaths, and they all considered problems from their own standpoints, which was simply unreasonable.

Chen Xi originally thought that Zhang Yong might have said that the triumphal army was temporarily stationed in the nine borders, but now he realized that Zhang Yongchun came for his own interests, not just to criticize and criticize him or her indirectly.

Chen Xi smiled: "Did you tell me Eunuch Zhang at that time? Or did you say that your Eunuch Zhang didn't want to know at that time... The Battle of Yuxi was over, and I immediately led my troops to pursue him. The situation was complicated and changeable at that time, and I was not a god. Who would have thought of what would happen next?"

"you!"

Zhang Yong was very angry, but he couldn't find a reason to argue.

To a certain extent, Chen Xi is right. Who told you and Ma Yongcheng to choose to take refuge in Yansui and are unwilling to follow the army to attack? How can you blame others?

Chen Xidao: "Why didn't Eunuch Ma come back with you with Eunuch Zhang?"

Zhang Yong shook his sleeves: "The others are still halfway, come with Lin Heng... You promoted this Lin Heng by you, so you won't know each other, right?"

Because he was choked by Chen Xi's words, Zhang Yong spoke again with a strong smell of gunpowder, which seemed to indicate how angry he was at this time.

Chen Xi nodded: "I naturally know Vice General Lin, but I didn't expect that Eunuch Zhang would arrive first. I thought you would arrive at the same time, and someone would go to meet the Lord first!"

"If you can meet the saint, who doesn't want to see Your Majesty first?"

Zhang Yong said angrily, "How come our family went to invite him to see him, but no one spread it. I can only come to you to find out the situation. Let's talk about merit, why are there no share in our family's merit book?"

When Chen Xi heard this, he understood everything and immediately said, "Why, Eunuch Zhang thought that the official did not report to the court? If you think so, you would be very wrong..."

"Eunuch Zhang, you are not in Zhangjiakou Fort, so when the court rewarded merits, it first made arrangements for the meritorious soldiers who returned from the grassland. The rewards for the officers and soldiers who stayed and died, including Eunuch Zhang, were not given. I never thought that your Eunuch Zhang would arrive so soon."

"As for the matter of asking for your visit to Your Majesty but not being able to report it, I can help you to submit it, but it depends on when your Majesty is in the mood to give it to you."

Zhang Yong was originally full of anger, because after arriving at Zhangjiakou Fort, he found that his name was not on the list of rewards for merit and practices. He thought that Chen Xi did not declare to him and Ma Yongcheng on purpose. Now he realized that Chen Xi had declared, but because he was not present, he did not appear on the list. Now he is in a much better mood and his temper is finally not as irritable as before.

But he was furious before and acted too much. Now he apologized and felt embarrassed, so he simply stopped talking and sat there, as if sulking.

Chen Xi said again: "Actually, I hope that Eunuch Zhang will meet His Majesty earlier and explain the events before and after the Battle of Yuxi. Now I have not received the reward from me, so Eunuch Zhang should not think that I have done anything in the middle."

Zhang Yong said disdainfully: "Mr. Shen, please cry at our house, pretend to be merciful. Do you think our family doesn't know the inside story? Your Majesty has given you money earlier... Your Majesty is very kind to you, and he will send your reward first every time. Even if you don't give it again, you will make a big profit."

Only then did Chen Xi realize that in Zhang Yong's mind, the standard for judging something is to make or lose money, and to measure everything as business.
To be continued...