Just as Zhu Houzhao was enjoying his life in Xuzhou City, Chen Xi was holding a mobilization meeting to fight against Japanese pirates.

The new city has begun to take shape, and Chen Xi has to focus on extermination of Japanese pirates. The soldiers are dull and their training is becoming increasingly desolate. If he doesn't seize the time to fight a war, then he will be the city lord when he comes to Jiangnan, and forgets that his job is actually to lead troops to pacify the sea.

Chen Xi set the time for the initiation of the first war before Zhu Houzhao arrived in the new city.

According to his estimate, it should be the end of September and early October. Of course, he could not directly tell the generals present that it would be difficult for Zhu Houzhao to arrive in Xincheng October. He only stated that the war to wipe out the Japanese pirates in about a month will begin, and before that, the soldiers must prepare for the next battle.

At the meeting, the generals were excited and motivated, and were full of expectations for the upcoming war.

However, Tang Yin had some doubts. As a military advisor, he had sufficient say in the army. Su Tong and Zheng Qian, who were specially allowed by Chen Xi to attend the meeting, were not qualified. However, Tang Yin was greatly stimulated to show his understanding of the battle situation as much as possible.

"Before His Majesty arrived, the morale of the entire army was at its peak. It would be best to start a war at this time. However, now there are only two large ships built by Xincheng Shipyard, and the third one might have just been launched in a month... The new ship and artillery cannot be fully compatible. If the landing war is launched directly, it would be fine, but if the Japanese pirates are fighting on the sea, the number of Japanese pirates is far more than ours, and we will be at a disadvantage in the naval battle."

Tang Yin's words did not get much recognition, and Hu Songyue shouted: "What are you afraid of? Even if you go into the water to swim, you have to sank their ship."

“Yes, yes!”

Hu Songyue's words were echoed.

Although Hu Songyue was ambitious, it was obvious that these words were just verbal because he was not good at water. Moreover, the tactics of ship-driving that Hu Songyue said were never used in naval battles. The storm at sea was too strong, making it difficult for people to control their bodies. Only water wars on big rivers would use the tactics of ship-driving ships. Most of them were used by bandits, and the government rarely did this.

Tang Yin said angrily: "General Hu, let's not talk about whether you can successfully dive under the Japanese pirates' ship. Just talk about how far you can swim after falling into the water? The sea is never comparable to rivers and lakes. If soldiers fall into the water at the sea, no matter how good the water is, they will not last long. The number of thieves is indeed more than us. This is not the sea ship owned by the Folang Ji people."

Zhang Lun said: "If the entire army has only two large sea ships and wants to go to war with the Japanese pirates, it is indeed only suitable for fighting on the island. If it is a sea battle, we will be at a disadvantage. Even if our ships are larger than those of the Japanese pirates, their total number is far greater than that of us... If we fight with the Folang Jiren's warships, our chances of victory will be even lower."

Tang Yin and Zhang Lun had discussed privately and reached a consensus, so they spoke surprisingly consistently at this time.

Tang Yin looked at Chen Xi: "So I suggest that the start of this war will be put until the end of the year. At that time, the weather is cold and the possibility of thieves going out to sea is relatively small. If we hide on the island, it will be easy to fight an island landing battle... At that time, we equipped more sea ships, and even if we encounter them at sea, our chances of winning will increase a lot."

Tang Yin's words made the generals present anxious. They couldn't wait to gain military merits. Chen Xi proposed to start a war. They felt that this was already very sure, but what Tang Yin said made sense. They could not refute it, so they could only turn their expectant eyes on Chen Xi and wait for him to make the final decision.

Chenxidao: "Even though the number of large ships we have now is not as many as the Japanese pirates, the artillery and firearms we equipped with are much stronger than the Japanese pirates."

"Don't forget that Longjiang Shipyard has also built two warships now, because we actually own four sea ships, and with many small and medium-sized ships, our strength may not be inferior to that of the Japanese pirates. If you encounter it at sea, you may suffer some losses, but the final victory must belong to us."

"Actually, what I am more worried about is the situation I face after landing... You should know that it is an island that Japanese pirates have been running for many years. Traps and institutions are indispensable, and it is very likely that the brothers will lose their lives."

Song Shu seemed a little puzzled: "Sir, I'm worried about a problem after climbing Shanghai Island? There is no need to! We have a lot of people, so we can steadily after going up and push forward step by step to the center of the island. Is this supposed to be okay?"

As Chen Xi analyzed that this battle could be fought, the morale, which was originally a bit depressed, was revived.

Chen Xi explained: "If you are too cautious, what should you do if you take the opportunity to escape by boat? This battle may not mean that you will win a complete victory, but a tone must be set, that is, kill and hurt Japanese pirates as much as possible. Therefore, after landing on the island, you need to fight quickly to prevent the bandits from escaping or organizing counterattacks..."

"You said that every step is to take action. When there are only a few enemies, there are Japanese pirates on many islands on the sea. When we go to the island, they will retreat. We cannot station troops on all islands. Once they leave the island, they will make a comeback. If you are too cautious, how long will it take to fight?"

Song Shuji was stunned and didn't know how to answer.

Liu Xu said: "Sir, just order us to send troops to prepare your brothers."

Chen Xi nodded: "Twenty days to prepare, and another ten days to fight. In the next twenty days, we must select brothers in the army who are good in water and suitable for boarding and landing wars. I will lead them to the expedition. As for those officers and soldiers who are not suitable, they will stay in the city to be responsible for military supplies. In the end, the number of people going out to expedition is set at 3,000. Who is qualified to attack with me and who stays behind is not decided by any of you, nor by the decision of the officers and soldiers, but by the performance of the officers and soldiers!"

...

...

Chen Xi gave a specific plan to start the war by the end of September.

The method of Chenxi's selection of soldiers sounded very interesting to these generals. It was actually an assessment of the entire army. Only those who perform well can be qualified to go to the battlefield.

It sounds cruel, but it is the fairest way. Everyone's competition is the same. Whoever can pass the assessment can go to the battlefield and get the opportunity to make achievements.

The mobilization meeting ended, and the generals conveyed this meaning to the entire army, and the morale of the officers and soldiers immediately rose to the highest point.

The soldiers had no desire to fight, but now they suddenly learned that this selection system is equivalent to a survival of the fittest in the army. Whoever excels will have the opportunity to gain military merits. Those who originally thought it was difficult to have a chance to stand out finally saw hope.

In the evening, Tang Yin went to the government office to inform Chen Xi of his experiences in inspecting various parts of the army.

"Shangshu Chen, as you expected, the soldiers in the army are now full of expectations for the next battle, and they all want to stand out in this selection. However, they are all northern soldiers. Even if they step up their time to practice hard, they are afraid that the soldiers recruited in the south will not be as good as those recruited by the south in terms of water and boating. Just seasickness will eliminate most people."

Tang Yin explained the difficulties to Chen Xi.

Tang Yin found that if he only said good things in front of Shen Xi every time without saying bad things, he would not be able to get Chen Xi's approval. Instead, he discovered and analyzed the problem, and Chen Xi admired it even more.

Chen Xi smiled and said, "Although it is a naval battle, there are also land battles. All projects set a selection standard and give specific scores. If the total score exceeds a certain score, it can meet the standards. What's wrong with doing this? None of these selection projects cannot be used on the battlefield. On the contrary, I don't think of the ability to use swords, guns, swords and halberds in the past. If it really develops to the point of fighting with Japanese pirates, the victory or defeat will be difficult to control... I will definitely not allow this situation!"

Tang Yin asked: "Shangshu Chen thinks we are confident in this battle?"

Chen Xi shook his head slightly: "No one will be sure of the battle on the battlefield, but it's just that there are more chances of winning... There are actually not many people in three thousand. If you select from 20,000 people, it will be difficult to compress the number to such a number without setting a high admission standard. No matter how brave these people were before, I need them now as if they were on the ground on the sea, and after going to the island, they can distinguish the direction and fight a relatively arduous battle in a strange environment."

Tang Yin thought about it and nodded silently.

Chen Xi said again: "There may be a lot of casualties in this war. In fact, who was selected may not be a good thing. I guess the number of people who lost this battle will definitely be much more than before. It will be no danger to stay in the city to guard it."

Tang Yin smiled bitterly and said, "Shangshu Chen, now the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty want to follow you to fight, and they will never be afraid of death. Honor is more important to them than anything else."

Tang Yin returned to the position of military advisor, as if he had found himself.

...

...

Regarding this military selection, Chen Xi finally used Tang Yin as the chief examiner, and the deputy he was given to was Zheng Qian.

Chen Xi intended to arrange for Tang Yin to be the enemy to do things. Stimulated by the silver carp effect, Tang Yin would do his best to supervise this matter. There are still ten days before the selection period, and the soldiers in the city have stepped up their training.

Regardless of whether you can make meritorious contributions on the battlefield, this selection exam is equivalent to an assessment of the comprehensive abilities of soldiers. Whoever has poor grades means that they are far away from military merits and no one is willing to be at the bottom. Even if they fail the selection in the end, they cannot be at the end of the crane. They must get excellent results in some aspects.

It was only after two days of so busy that Chen Xi met Hui Niang.

When Chen Xi was about to go to war, Hui Niang said angrily: "Such a big thing has spread in the city long ago, how could I not know?"

Chen Xi smiled and said, "I will go to war at the end of September and may not be able to come back for more than ten days."

Hui Niang's face was gloomy and she didn't want Chen Xi to step onto the battlefield. Apart from not wanting to stay alone in the empty bedroom, she didn't want to be a widow again. All her hopes now depend on Chen Xi. If something happened to Chen Xi, she would have nowhere to stay and would have to be buried with her.

Li Jin suddenly said for no reason: "Sister said she wanted to go on a war with you."

Chen Xidao: "What does this mean? War is not a fun thing. It will be very dangerous to go to sea this time. I don't want you to take risks."

Hui Niang did not argue, Li Jin sat next to her and said nothing. Some things were taboo in this courtyard. It was originally something to be happy about Chen Xi coming over, but because he wanted to lead the army to fight, the atmosphere became depressing.

Chen Xi smiled: "I haven't had dinner yet... aren't there any preparations here?"

Hui Niang turned her head and looked at it: "Didn't you let Dongxi do it long ago? Jin'er, go and have a look."

Li Jin understood that Hui Niang was going to talk to Chen Xi alone, so she got up and headed towards the door.

When only Chen Xi and Hui Niang were left in the house, Hui Niang had no intention of getting to the point immediately and started talking about it: "I have been talking to the people in the city these days to see if there are any girls with good qualifications. If you buy them, you can serve them and train them to do business... Otherwise, the yard will be too deserted and the master will always feel lonely."

Chen Xi nodded: "If you want to buy it, buy it. It is always their blessing to come to you."

In this era, population trading is reasonable and legal, but it is not a lifelong purchase, but a signing of a contract for sale, which will take many years to sign.

However, with Hui Niang's maids, except those who are not adults, they all have a good home, especially those maids of the Shen family, who now have the life they want.

Hui Niang said again: "The master should have more people to serve him, but I know that he has no flaws. Besides, the master has a high vision, but I still hope to choose a few beautiful girls in Jiangnan, and serve him in the water room to make him satisfied."

Chen Xi frowned: "Why did you say this suddenly?"

"I just said it when I remembered it."

Hui Niang said, "Otherwise, what can a woman do in the deep boudoir? The account that the master asked to manage was already done. In fact, the expenses in the city have been paid by each account. I cannot check carefully. It is impossible to determine whether it is more or less. I can only estimate it. As for the previous deficit, it is basically compensated now. Even if the court's one million taels of silver is not allocated, it is enough for the time being. The subsequent output is enough to continue to build the city and build more large ships."

Because Hui Ning spoke in a strange tone, Chen Xi felt that he had the meaning of explaining "after-interest", and immediately frowned and asked, "Do you want to go to the battlefield with me?"

Hui Niang shook her head: "Don't listen to Jin'er's nonsense. What I mean is that if the master is interested, I will follow you. But this time the master went out, maybe only a few days. If I go, it will only ruin the master's affairs. It's better to stay in the city and wait. But I also heard that the master wants his family in the capital to move to the new city earlier?"

Chen Xi did not hide the matter in this matter and nodded, "I do think so."

Hui Niang said again: "The master did this to reunite with his family. I don't think so. But the master... won't he plan to go back to the capital in the future?"

When asked this question, Hui Niang was very serious, and her eyes looked at Chen Xi with great questions. When Chen Xi and Hui Niang looked at each other, they found that they could not block Hui Niang's scorching gaze and wanted to avoid it several times.

Chen Xi looked calm: "Why did you suddenly ask such a question? Can this place be used as a long-term residence?"

Hui Niang said, "I don't know what the master is going to do now, but as I think, I have always had the idea of ​​retiring, and I am hiding in the city. Maybe the master just wants to settle down here and regard this place as a place to live in the future, right?"

Chen Xi shook his head: "Don't think too simple about things. Even if I want to leave the court, will Your Majesty allow it? There are so many things in the court, and no one can do it if I leave it."

Hui Niang shook her head: "The master was a civil servant in the past and could not choose, so he could not leave the court at will. But now the master is a Duke and a hereditary nobleman. Regardless of whether he is on duty in the court in the future, he will be a pillar of the court. Even if His Majesty wants to use it, he may not need to tie the master to the specific position... The master is qualified to tell His Majesty that he will retire for a few years after this war and will be re-entered in the court if there is a major event."

Hui Niang was very serious at this time. She was asking Chen Xi for verification, but Chen Xi could not face her problems.

Although all this was just speculation by Hui Niang, because Hui Niang is the woman who gets along the most with him, and he almost showed his truest side to Hui Niang, many things can't be hidden.

Chen Xi had long thoughts about retirement because he felt that he was too tired.

Chen Xidao: "If I have the chance, I do want to take a few years off, but the problem is that it is easy to retreat, but it will be difficult to go back."

"With the master's character, I won't be reluctant to leave."

Hui Niang smiled faintly, "The master's mind is unparalleled. I have never seen anyone compare with the master's mind. So... If the master decides to let go, he may never pick it up again in his life."

Chen Xi smiled bitterly and said, "Hui Niang, why do you say everything so seriously? You are like a roundworm in my belly..."

Hui Niang closed her eyes slightly and shook her head and said, "I have been with the master for a long time and have seen too many things. Isn't it enough to understand each other? Isn't the master always using my weaknesses to control me, so that I have to stay by your side and be a woman with three obediences and four virtues?"

This made Chen Xi feel a little embarrassed. The corners of his mouth twitched, but he couldn't find a reason to refute.

Hui Niang said again: "In my opinion, perhaps this battle may be the last time the master planned to lead troops for the court. After this battle, the master may be about to retire... But I think the master is not just about retirement... But I don't know what it is."

"Why did Hui Niang say this?"

Chen Xi asked in surprise.
To be continued...