On March 27th, Chen Xi had a lot to do, so he had to walk out of the mansion.

Meeting with Li Yu, the Minister of Works, was only one of many things. When he went to the expedition, he had to bring some middle and lower-level generals cultivated by the military school before. These people followed Zhu Houzhao to Xuanfu. Because the emperor made major mistakes in the allocation of personnel, it made it difficult for him to perform what he learned in the military school.

This time, Chen Xi specially applied to Zhu Houzhao and asked these students to walk south with him.

Previously, the Military Academy recruited three-stage students, among which many of them overlapped with the first and second stages, and it was not until the third stage that they were rotated. However, after the end of the War against the Tatars, it was difficult for the fourth stage students to make up for it, which was related to Xie Qian's tightening of the Ministry of War's fiscal budget and Zhu Houzhao's indifference to this matter.

In the eyes of Emperor Zhengde, the biggest hidden danger of the Ming Dynasty... the northern border troubles have subsided. Although Batumonk was not dead, the Tatars could no longer pose a substantial threat to the Ming Dynasty within 10 or 20 years.

The momentum of the Tatar cavalry invading the border of the Ming Dynasty no longer exists, and Zhu Houzhao's attention to military affairs is not so high. After all, in Zhu Houzhao's view, quelling civil strife or Japanese pirates alone is not enough to keep his name in history. He needs to work hard on civil governance, so he has no intention of urging the military school to continue running.

Because most of these people who graduated from military schools have never gone to the battlefield with Chen Xi, Chen Xi needs to meet them in advance, and the meeting location is chosen at the school site.

As a former military school martial arts and riding instructor, Wang Lingzhi was also a famous general in the court. This time he accompanied Chen Xi to the school, but because Wang Lingzhi was not very good at speaking, he was more of a foil.

Chen Xi didn't talk much about it. Among these people, there are martial scholars and martial Jinshi, all of whom are "professional". In addition, Chen Xi talked about many military strategies and military strategies, as well as the application in actual combat, and conducted several drills. These people are very clear about the combat modes that Chen Xi most admires, namely, shield soldiers, spear soldiers, muskets, and cannons.

Chen Xi told the students that they should use practical measures to test their abilities immediately, and that some of the outstanding people will be promoted and reused, which is considered a big pie.

Then Chen Xi brought these people under Wang Ling's command. That afternoon, he was preparing to meet his old subordinates who came from Xuanfu and had no time to stay in the military school for too long.

Chen Xi left Wang Lingzhi and asked him, the instructor, to "make up" the people, but he left the school gate and was about to leave by carriage opposite him.

Chen Xi stood in front of the sedan chair and looked at it, recognizing that it was the car driver of the British Duke Zhang Mao.

"That's so thick, haha!"

As the carriage approached, Zhang Mao jumped out of the carriage, with a smile on his face, like a smiling tiger.

Then the one who got off the carriage was Empress Xia's father Xia Ru.

As a new and old foreign relative, Chen Xi actually doesn't want to meet Xia Ru before going to war.

Emperor Zhengde and Empress Dowager Zhang violated the tradition of the Ming Dynasty and established two queens at a time, which made the Xia family lose face. There was a lot of discussion among the people. It was obviously impossible to say that there was no conflict between the Shen family and the Xia family. Chen Xi apologized for this. Although he was not the one who led the matter, the reality was that the Shen family was the beneficiary.

"I've seen two."

Chen Xi did not have a specific name, and he bowed his hand after he went there.

Xia Ru replied with a calm expression and did not seem to be very hostile to Chen Xi.

Zhang Mao smiled and said, "I haven't seen you for a few days. Zhihou, you have become a Duke of the Kingdom, and you are on par with Lao Jiu... Now you serve as two ministers in the court. You only have the position of Tianguan of the Ministry of Personnel to be in charge of the assessment and appointment of civil servants in the world. It's really amazing! In the future, the Ming Dynasty will rely on your talents like you to support you."

This is insincere.

Chen Xi knew very well that Zhang Mao could not be unprepared for him. He, the so-called talent, was just a young backward, and these old guys would definitely be wary of Chen Xi's random... The more concentrated the power a person has in his hands, the greater the threat to the system that has been operating for more than a hundred years.

Chen Xi bowed and said, "Old Zhang is a misunderstood and serving the court is the duty of a minister. I have to learn from Mr. Zhang and Mr. Xia..."

“No need not.”

Xia Ru was a little helpless and waved his hand quickly, looking in fear.

Zhang Mao smiled and said, "Let's go in and talk?"

Chen Xi glanced at the two of them.

The other party's attitude fully demonstrates that Zhang Mao intended to "block" his door with Xia Ru. You must know that he had taken sick leave at home for a long time. Even if he went out, there was a Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War and other places to go. How did Zhang Mao know that he had arrived at the military school and happened to "meet" at the door?

Originally, Chen Xi left to go home and was waiting for the future of his former troops to meet, but now he was blocked by Zhang Mao and Xia Ru, so he could only take the two back to the military school to speak temporarily.

"please!"

Chen Xi turned sideways and asked Zhang Mao and Xia Ru to go first.

But neither Zhang Mao nor Xia Ru took Qiao in front of Shen Xi and gave in some courtesy. In the end, the three of them stepped into the school gate almost in parallel.

On the way, Zhang Mao turned around and asked, "Zhihou, come here, are you going to meet the officers who graduated from here? They have few opportunities to go to the battlefield to train, but their abilities are not bad. I told the people below that all generals from the military school should be promoted first. Alas! Unfortunately, it seems that there are no more students this year."

Chen Xidao: "After the end of the Battle of Tatars, I submitted a memorial to reopen the military school in the lower house, but the court has not replied yet."

Zhang Mao asked in confusion: "Zhihou, you have never mentioned it to Your Majesty in person after you have met the saint many times?"

Chen Xi smiled and said, "Tit is mentioned, Your Majesty is not concerned about this, so you can only postpone the matter for the time being. Maybe the military school will be restarted after the troops are brought back."

"oh."

Zhang Mao nodded with a smile and said, "There is always a priority for the matter. Now the most important thing is to calm down the chaos in the Central Plains, and you can put other things back."

When he entered the school office, Chen Xi called the two of them to sit down, and a servant came in to serve incense tea.

Zhang Mao explained his purpose: "I know Zhihou, you will send troops tomorrow, so today I will come with the father-in-law to see if there is any place that needs our help."

It sounds like the reason is quite good, but Chen Xi believes that Zhang Mao must be in trouble, but the old fox-like smile on Zhang Mao’s face is really hard to figure out.

Chen Xi was a little tired of speculating about what Zhang Mao was thinking, and said, "The preparations for sending troops have been basically completed. I will leave the city to command the troops tomorrow morning. Thank you for your kindness."

“It’s so indifferent.”

Zhang Mao said with a smile, then looked at Xia Ru, but Xia Ru was always unable to let go of her in such an occasion and sat aside without saying anything.

Zhang Mao had no choice but to continue, "Zhihou, you have met Yu Qiao. I think the subsequent ruling affairs should be arranged almost the same? For example, the issue of the garrison in the capital after sending troops..."

Chen Xi narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Old Zhang is not trying to say that the Beijing camp is now making an offer, that is, the prince-in-law is not qualified for his current errands, right?"

Zhang Mao was stunned and then smiled and said, "Zhihou, you speak directly. Actually, this is the case. Something is coming from the palace. I want the Zhang brothers to return to the Governor's Office of the Five Army to handle the work."

When Zhang Mao said this, Xia Ru looked at Chen Xi with a little enthusiasm, as if he was very concerned about whether the Zhang brothers would return to the court.

Even though Zhu Houzhao made a ruthless move on his two uncles, Empress Dowager Zhang's influence in the court was still there. Now, whether it is Xie Qian or Yang Tinghe or others, they will feel that Emperor Zhengde is unreliable, and they will subtly move closer to Empress Dowager Zhang. Empress Dowager Zhang wants to use the power of the minister to get his two younger brothers back to the court to take power, so she consciously put pressure on the Governor's Office of the Five Army.

Chen Xi shook his head: "I have never heard of this."

Zhang Mao sighed: "I am not saying that I have any prejudice against the Zhang brothers, but their work... is indeed difficult to convince the public. You will be led to the army to fight immediately. After you leave, these two people may be able to do whatever they want... I am afraid that no one can suppress them then!"

"Isn't there the youngest person in Xie Ge?"

Chen Xi deliberately mentioned Xie Qian's name to see Zhang Mao's reaction.

Chen Xi has basically understood why Zhang Mao came to him.

Zhang Mao should have gone to the cabinet chief Xie Qian to find a way to find a way to find such a thing, and came to him to show that Zhang Mao felt that Xie Qian was narrow-minded in his position.

As Chen Xi knew about the situation, not only Xie Qian, but also Yang Tinghe began to move closer to Empress Dowager Zhang. As a result, those who had conflicts of interest with the Zhang brothers and did not want to see these two guys who had failed to do anything but failed and returned to the court, they could only focus on Chen Xi.

Zhang Mao said: "What kind of temper is Mr. Xie? In fact, you should understand that you are so handsome. You don't need to repeat it, right?"

It is rare to see the worldly old man Zhang openly and honestly speaking in front of him, Chen Xi stopped going around and said directly: "When Mr. Zhang mentioned Mr. Xie, then I will say that in fact, Mr. Xie has changed his mind recently in sending troops and helping the Zhang brothers. Otherwise, why would the Empress Dowager not find a way through Mr. Xie? If Mr. Xie mobilized the court officials to report a joint report in the court, perhaps Your Majesty would be able to do it with a mercy?"

Zhang Mao frowned: "Zhihou means... I shouldn't come to you?"

Chen Xidao: "This matter involves a dispute between relatives in the court and abroad. Now the identity is not as neutral as before, and it is difficult to come forward. After all, the sister-in-law is now in the palace..."

While speaking, Chen Xi looked at Xia Ru specifically, which roughly means that it is best if he and Xia Ru both did not come forward with him and Empress Dowager Zhang to make trouble.

The key to the problem now is no longer the question of whom the ministers in the court support, but the increasingly irreconcilable contradiction between the emperor and the empress dowager.

"Haha, Zhihou's idea is different from that of ordinary people." Zhang Mao said with a smile, a hint of suddenness flashed in his eyes.

Chen Xi said again: "I am firm in the issue of the Zhang brothers returning to the court. I will never agree with this matter, but I will not express support for any joint memorial... Since Mr. Zhang is here to show his position here, I will mention this matter in my memorial to Your Majesty today."

“So good, very good!”

Zhang Mao was very satisfied.

As long as Chen Xi comes forward, many things will go smoothly. After all, the person the emperor trusts most is Chen Xi, not Empress Dowager Zhang.

As for the ability of the Zhang brothers, anyone with a discerning eye can see that Zhang Mao does not think that Zhu Houzhao will make mistakes on this principle issue.

Chen Xidao: "Do you guys have anything else?"

"It's just a few chats, just to take it as a kind of practice."

Zhang Mao smiled and said civicly, "If you hadn't been leading troops outside in the past few years, and after returning to the court, you were also serving as two ministers, you were so busy that I should have gathered with you more. I have not seen your ability to play chess yet. How many games will we play with each other if we have the chance?"

Chen Xi smiled and said, "There must be a chance! I believe that that day will come soon!"

...

...

Chen Xi saw Zhang Mao away, but did not stop at the military school, so he got into the sedan chair and went to the other side of the street.

Sitting in the sedan chair, Chen Xi recalled the visit of Zhang Mao and Xia Ru, but did not think that the other party was just simply opposing Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling's return, which was more like a temptation.

"Old man Zhang is not young anymore, so he doesn't consider the issue of successor? He was admired by Emperor Chenghua when he was young and was in charge of the army. He didn't want his eldest son to die early. Now he should know that there is not much time. Even if the eldest grandson inherits the title of Duke of England, can he support his position in the court? He is worried that the military power will fall, so he came to test me!"

Chen Xi could roughly see through Zhang Mao’s intentions, because he put himself in his shoes and considered what Zhang Mao’s biggest concern is now.

"His grandson Zhang Lun is still not visible and has no reputation in the court, and he has not made any achievements. His Majesty trusts the slander ministers around him, so how could he easily hand over the military power to his unprofitable grandson? And he must be considering who will take over his position in the Governor's Office in the future. He is worried about me, but he knows that as a civil servant, it is impossible for me to hold both civil and military positions at the same time. So he wants to know who I prefer to support, or simply come and make a hint, and let me understand everything without mentioning it."

As the sedan chair was moving, Chen Xi thought about it, the clearer it became. The Duke of England was no longer a secret here.

But Chen Xi obviously could not help Zhang Mao on the issue of successor. The two of them also had certain conflicts of interest. Zhang Mao could not trust him completely. Chen Xi probably understood that Zhang Mao now hoped that his grandson Zhang Lun would accumulate military merits and reputation in the army, and he would only say that Zhang Lun would send troops to him and work under his command.

...

...

On March 27, just after noon, Chen Xi met with his old subordinates who were transferred from Xuanfu to the capital in the mansion. They were all middle and lower-level generals, and they followed him to make achievements on the grassland.

When these people saw Chen Xi, they were very intimate and surrounded them, rushing to get close.

Chen Xi has a good memory. Basically, every general can name his name accurately, and then point out when he made any contributions and what was going on at home. Everyone's face was blushing and looked proud.
To be continued...