The huge Khan tribe conference will be held on the grassland, which has a profound impact on the Tatar tribes... But for those who are traveling in Zhangjiakou Fort, there is no splash of water, and there is basically no response.

It is too far away from the Ninety-Nine Springs. Zhu Houzhao's imperial edict did not convey who would be a Khan. Everything would be followed by Chen Xi's arrangements. As long as Chen Xi decided who would be a Khan, people would be sent to the capital to receive the title of the Emperor of Ming Dynasty. At that time, the court officials could discuss whether it was appropriate to do so.

Because Zhu Houzhao did not summon the ministers to discuss, Lu Wan and others would not express any opinions casually.

Originally, who would be the Khan of the Grassland was not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. If a system was formed, the power in this area would be transferred to the Ministry of Rites in the future. But now everything is in the exploratory stage and no one can interfere. Since even the emperor has not made any comments, the ministers only need to wait for the final result.

At this time, Lu Wan and others were still worried that Batumonk, Tuluborot and others would make a comeback.

"…Shangshu Chen took advantage of internal conflicts among the grassland tribes to kill Tatar national teacher Susuha, which is both a clever trick. Susuha is the son of Toko Qi, an outstanding figure in the Gorros tribe. He entrusted Guo Qi to be good at fighting. He was once appointed as the young master in the name of the Khan of Manduhai, and made great contributions to the Tatar unification."

"After Guo Qi died young, Susuha took over the command of the Gorros army, and even surpassed his father to become the Tatar Grand Tutor. Unfortunately, this person was ambitious but lacked ability, and was executed by Shangshu Chen. In this way, the internal division of the Tatars became more and more serious. Someone would definitely contact Batumonk secretly, which would be unfavorable to our northern expedition..."

Lu Wan summarized the information he received and analyzed it at a routine military meeting.

Wang Chang, Wang Shouren, Hu Lian, Xu Tai and others participated in this meeting. In addition to predicting the current strategic situation, we must also discuss the next step of the army returning to the court and come up with a result.

Xu Tai was sent by Zhu Houzhao to listen. Xiao Guozi and other eunuchs were not qualified to attend the meeting because the candidate for the Sili Supervisor has not yet been decided.

Wang Shouren said: "In the eyes of Mr. Lu, it is safer to withdraw the troops from the grassland? Or you can submit a memorial to Your Majesty and decide it."

The biggest problem facing the current military is that it seems to have controlled the situation, but it does not have the power to transfer troops. Lu Wan and others are almost empty positions in front of Zhu Houzhao's imperial power. Although they are important officials in the court, they actually exist only as staff officers. Any decisions they make need to be approved by Zhu Houzhao.

This is why Zhang Yuan could control military and political affairs before. Zhu Houzhao was not good at doing his job and was very cautious about the ministers. He basically brought back his power and had his orders to mobilize troops, so that the power of the Silijian, who represented him to exercise imperial power, would be expanded.

However, after Zhang Yuan fell, Dai Yi and Gao Feng did not get Zhu Houzhao's trust for the time being. Before the official appointment of the new Sili Supervisor, the military finally had some power, but it was not the right to decide. It was just that their consultant Senate could directly connect with Zhu Houzhao, but they had to go through the mouths of intermediaries such as Sili Supervisor and Xiao Tiaozi, but these people would not have too much obstruction in it.

To be able to reach the heavenly hearing is already a great progress and breakthrough in the eyes of the ministers, which is also the relatively helplessness of the Ming court.

Lu Wan hesitated for a moment and replied: "When will we return? It is not decided by our ability or ability. Shangshu Chen may encounter some trouble on the grassland. There was no news before that the war outside the pass was basically over, but now he learned that Susuha was killed and the Tatars were divided and disintegrated... The situation changes every day. We are in Zhangjiakou Fort, which is beyond the reach."

What Lu Wan said was somewhat rude. He didn't want to make suggestions because he knew very well that even if he made some decisions, Zhu Houzhao might not agree, and Chen Xi would be even more unlikely to implement them.

Since he was in Zhangjiakou Fort and did not understand the situation on the grassland, Lu Wan would rather obey Chen Xi. In terms of official positions, Chen Xi, as the top leader of the Ministry of War, had real decision-making power. Moreover, Chen Xi's position in Zhu Houzhao's mind is far above him, so it is absolutely right to listen to Chen Xi's.

At least in the past few years, the military layout made by Chen Xi has finally achieved results, and this great victory over the grassland was almost achieved by Chen Xi alone.

Wang Chang didn't say anything at first, but at this time he had a different opinion and said: "What kind of Khan meeting is the Secretary of Chen going to hold on the grassland? Is this going to let the Tatars decide who is the Khan themselves? By the way, how many sons does Batumonk have?"

Wang Shouren replied: "From the information I received before, Dayan Khan had seven sons, all of whom were born in Mandu Hai, but it seems that there are other concubines in Batumonk's harem, and it is unknown how many sons he gave birth to him... Because he was not a legitimate son, there was no possibility of inheriting the power of Khan before."

Wang Chang smiled and said, "It's interesting now. Shangshu Chen means to let the sons born by these concubines be Khans? Na Batumonk may not be very happy... Who will be his heir? He will make a decision by the Ming Dynasty, which has always been hostile, and he will not be angry to death?"

Wang Chang smiled happily here, and Hu Lian, Xu Tai and others burst into laughter, as if they thought this matter was very interesting.

But Lu Wan and Wang Shouren couldn't laugh, so they arranged for whom to be the Khan. They were not just about disgusting Batumonk or insulting the tradition of grassland people. They were more like taking a big step. Lu Wan and Wang Shouren could understand the role of Chen Xi in it, and could also feel the difficulties.

If you want to completely pacify the grassland, you must use barbarians to control barbarians. The choice of a Khan determines the fate of the grassland in the next few decades and also concerns the stability of the Ming Dynasty's border in the next few decades.

Lu Wan looked at Xu Tai and asked, "Deputy General Xu, I wonder what arrangements Your Majesty has?"

Without clarifying the grassland situation, Lu Wan wanted to learn some of Zhu Houzhao's views from Xu Tai, and the emperor's opinions were very critical at this time.

Xu Taize was confused by the question. In front of such a group of high-ranking officials, he had not reached the point of being a favored minister like Qian Ning and being spoiled and domineering, and immediately replied respectfully:

"Your Majesty just sent Mr. Tsui to send me a message to Mr. Tsui to attend the meeting, and there was no further explanation. After returning, Mr. Tsui only informed Mr. Tsui of the results of this discussion, and then Mr. Tsui told His Majesty to Mr. Tsui."

Lu Wan nodded, looked at Hu Lian and asked, "Now the local food and grass supply in Xuanfu is sufficient, right?"

After thinking for a while, Hu Lian said with concern: "There should not be much problem in a short period of time, but if time goes on for a long time, I am afraid that the food and grass that Shangshu Chen raised at the beginning may not be able to hold on... The food in the nine borders is not enough to support Xuanfu, and the granaries in the capital have not sent food recently."

After Hu Lian finished saying this, the people present suddenly realized that the war was actually done by Chen Xi, who planned it himself, and organized troops and marches, and finally completed a war that could be kept in history.

Thinking of this, everyone looked at each other and did not comment on Chen Xi's incident anymore.

It seems that Chen Xi makes any decision, and even if it fails, it seems that it is a matter between Chen Xi and Emperor Zhengde. They are not qualified to make any remarks.

Wang Shouren said with some concern: "Do you want the general to report to His Majesty if there is a shortage of food and grass in the army? Let His Majesty order the Ministry of Revenue to allocate grain to Xuanfu?"

Lu Wan thought about it and shook his head slightly: "Your Majesty was firm in his attitude before and did not ask the Ministry of Revenue to be responsible for retrieving grain. Xuanfu was originally a granary in the northwest. Now even Xuanfu is short of food. I am afraid that the situation of food shortage in Jiubian is even worse. It is unrealistic to rely on allocating grain from Sanbian or Pianguan to Xuanfu to be transferred to Xuanfu in Datong."

"In addition, the Ministry of Revenue has always said that the capital is short of food and opposes the use of troops on the grassland. I guess this will not be open now, so as not to leave a bad impression on Your Majesty. Since this is the case, it is better to let the army save money and notify the grassland about the real situation here, so that Shangshu Chen is mentally prepared."

"Um."

This time, even Wang Chang was nodding.

Since there is a shortage of food and cannot last long, the army is afraid that the capital will change for a long time, so it is better to go back to the court earlier. However, Shen Xi has not come back now, and the army still has to stay on the front line of Zhangjiakou Fort to continue to consume food and grass. The war has not ended. If you want to change the status quo, only by letting Chen Xi come back earlier, so that this battle will come to an end.

Lu Wan said again: "I also want to ask Your Majesty. Since the wars in the nine sides have basically subsided, production should be reorganized. The military farms in the northwest cannot stop, and the autumn is about to begin!"

Wang Chang smiled and said, "You have a lot of things to think about. Even the Ministry of Revenue has taken into account the matters of the Ministry of Revenue. It is better to inform the capital of the situation here and let the Ministry of Revenue submit it on its own..."

"However, I have different opinions on whether the Ministry of Revenue will allocate grain. The Ministry of Revenue has always claimed that it is short of grain, but in fact, all granaries in the capital are full. It is just that Mr. Xie did not want the court to use military force on the grassland, so he used the excuse of insufficient food and grass as an excuse to oppose the Secretary of Chen's plan."

"But now that Shen Shangshu has led his troops to achieve a decisive victory over the Tatars, the Ministry of Revenue will not show it at this time, and he will probably be even more disgusted by His Majesty. In this way, the Ministry of Revenue will actively allocate food to reduce the blame!"

"Okay, you can go to the capital to see if the Ministry of Revenue is willing to allocate grain. As for the autumn sowing, there is no need to be so troublesome!" Lu Wan said while considering, "The message is sent to the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Revenue will be requested by His Majesty, and then the approval will be made by His Majesty to convey it to all parts of the nine sides. At least one month is delayed. Why don't we report it yourself?"

"What we consider is only good and no harm to the Ming Dynasty. We are not afraid of being accused of being overthrown. After all, everything is for the stability of the Ming Dynasty."

Wang Shouren nodded quickly: "What Mr. Lu said is reasonable. Everything is for the Ming Dynasty. No matter what government should do, it is necessary to do anything. Moreover, the military farming affairs themselves should be considered by the nine border areas."

Lu Wan looked at Wang Shouren and said, "Boan, you are the General System of Xuanda, Xuanfu, and Datong area. You are responsible for the military farming matters. It is best if you propose this matter."

On this side, Lu Wan said that as long as it was for the Ming Dynasty, there would be no division between the yamen, but he followed the rules and regulations. He found a compromise solution to let Wang Shouren submit the memorial as Governor Xuanda. In fact, it was also a kind of follow-up to the imperial system.

Wang Chang said: "You are more thoughtful. It is better for Boan to report the memorial immediately after he goes back. It is related to the harvest next year, and this matter cannot be delayed."

Hu Lian asked for instructions: "The two ministers, now there are too many troops stationed inside and outside Zhangjiakou Fort and there is no plan to send troops. Should we withdraw the Xuanda local troops back to the garrison first to reduce the pressure of insufficient food and grass under Zhangjiakou Fort?"

Lu Wan looked at Hu Lian. He was originally a little contemptuous of Hu Lian. In terms of the imperial examination, palace examination results and qualifications for entry, Hu Lian was not qualified to jump to such an important position as the governor of the Xuanfu. It was Chen Xi who broke the old rules and insisted on arranging Hu Lian to Zhu Houzhao to represent him in order to lead the army, which was the rocket-like improvement.

But after many days of Hu Lian's speech and doing things, Lu Wan found that this person is indeed a practical person. In addition to occasionally being impulsive and irritable, he also does things very appropriately and thinks very thoughtful.

“You can make a report.”

Lu Wan said, "All things must be decided by Your Majesty. As a minister, you only need to provide reference for Your Majesty's rule, and the decision-making power is not with us."

...

...

After Zhu Houzhao learned the results of Lu Wan and others' discussions from Xiao Wuzi, he looked neither happy nor sad, so Xiao Wuzi couldn't figure out what Zhu Houzhao meant.

However, Concubine Li seemed to understand it. She was very confident and could show her all-round charm in front of the emperor, making Zhu Houzhao trust her. Concubine Li knew how to win the holy favor.

Concubine Li smiled and said, "Congratulations to Your Majesty for having so many capable ministers who are dedicated to working for the court. Several adults have made a decision to ask the Ministry of Revenue to allocate food from the capital and urge Shangshu Chen to return the army. It seems that the day when the army is triumphant. "

Zhu Houzhao frowned: "I can actually understand that they are so anxious to urge Mr. Chen to come back, but it is inappropriate for them to allocate grain from the capital... Will this make the world feel that I am untrustful? I promised that this war will not be transferred from the Ministry of Revenue regardless of victory or defeat. Now isn't it to make people laugh at the world?"

Zhu Houzhao has always taken the most face care, and letting him do things that damage his face is even more uncomfortable than killing him.

If it were someone else, he would definitely not disobey Zhu Houzhao's intentions, but Concubine Li turned to Hushan and said seriously: "The war had not yet come to an end. Mr. Xie and others were afraid that Secretary Chen would waste national treasury and fight meaningless wars. If they distrust Lord Shen and His Majesty, they would say that there was insufficient food and grass..."

"Now everything is enough to prove that Master Xie and the others are worried about it. Lord Shen has won such a big victory on the grassland. Who dares to criticize Your Majesty's wiseness? If you do not collect food and let the victorious soldiers save money, it will seriously affect Your Majesty's reputation... What does Your Majesty think?"

Zhu Houzhao immediately let go and said with a smile: "What I am right about is that I cannot just remember the original promise, but ignore the true needs of the soldiers, causing the morale of the army to be damaged... I will still be hungry after winning the battle. They will definitely feel that I am not a competent emperor."

Zhu Houzhao's change in attitude further deepened Xiao Zhuozi's admiration for Concubine Li.

Xiao Taozi thought to himself: "It seems that except for Concubine Li, others say that His Majesty cannot be touched. This is really rare. Will a woman decide the Ming Dynasty in the future? But this is not bad. If I choose the right person, I will follow Concubine Li's wishes in the future, and there will be no trouble."

After untiing his heart, Zhu Houzhao's tone seemed much easier and said, "Since the decision made by Mr. Lu and others made sense, what reason do I have to object? Quickly arrange personnel and make decisions according to the meeting. Retract the people recruited from the Xuanfu around him for a while, just wait for the final merits and ask for rewards!"

Xiao Taozi really wanted to say that these people just went to Zhangjiakou Fort and did not win a battle. Why do they just want to ask for rewards based on their merits?

But even if Xiao Taozi complained in his heart, he didn't dare to say anything. In front of a smart person like Concubine Li, he felt that he was too stupid. Even the best-study ideas he felt before was impossible. It was far less stable than following Concubine Li's advice.

Zhu Houzhao said again: "It's just Mr. Chen's side. If he could come back soon, it would be fine if this war ended earlier... I don't want to stay in Zhangjiakou Fort for too long, but if I don't stay here... If I don't have enough military merit to accompany me, it's not like that..."

Concubine Li smiled and said, "Your Majesty, if you really feel bored in Zhangjiakou Fort, why not set up a house here, renovate the courtyard, and then transfer some people from the capital, or even set up a leopard house in Zhangjiakou Fort?"

"Um!?"

Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up.

The reason why he wanted to return to Beijing was not because of something else, because the capital had a more stable and comfortable life. After all, Zhangjiakou Fort was a frontier, and there were too few entertainment resources here.

But now Concubine Li reminds him that you can also set up a palace for eating, drinking and having fun in Zhangjiakou Fort. Wouldn’t all the worries be solved?

“It makes sense!”

Zhu Houzhao slapped his thighs suddenly and said enthusiastically, "It's still the beloved concubine who thought it carefully. I decided so... Little Twist, you arrange someone to send me the capital to the East Factory and the Jinyiwei cooperate to transport the things in the leopard room to me... As soon as possible, you can dispatch the Beijing camp if necessary, and do your best. At the same time, you can also invite my friends who have left in the capital to come over. I want to drink and have fun with them!"

At this time, Zhu Houzhao suddenly thought of Zheng Qian and Su Tong. The two of them were friends with him and were good at eating, drinking and having fun. Zhu Houzhao had a lot of feelings when they got along with them.

Because of the imperial commander-in-chief, Zhu Houzhao had not drunk alcohol with ordinary people for a long time, and when he had a banquet with Qian Ning, Xu Tai and others, he could not taste the taste of drinking with Su Tong and Zheng Qian. After all, Su and Zheng were real playboys in the city. As for Qian Ning and Xu Tai, they didn't know how to get along with the emperor with the mentality of a petty citizen.

When Li Fei heard this, she understood what Zhu Houzhao’s needs were. She smiled and said nothing, but she had already made a decision in her heart and prepared to arrange the next program for Zhu Houzhao.

Xiao Guozi didn't know how to cater to the emperor at all, so he could only do what he told him.

When Xiao Tiaozi went out, he heard Zhu Houzhao say to Lifei: "If you can set up a leopard house here, you can live a happy and joyful life even if you are in the northwest border. If that is the case, why should you go back to the capital? I might as well stay here to defend the territory and be a wise lord who expands the territory and defends the country!"

As for what Zhu Houzhao said later, Xiao Guozi could no longer hear it, but he knew that Emperor Zhengde's selfish desires began to expand again, and it was time to find a woman for the emperor.

...

...

That night, Zhu Hou shined in bright lights and wine, and Concubine Li was with him until midnight.

When Zhu Houzhao was visiting another woman, Concubine Li chose to retreat because her body was not very suitable for this kind of life of singing and singing every night.
To be continued...