Chen Xi led his troops this time and strived to make steady progress and not take risks and assault. Any aggressive advancement is very dangerous when the terrain is unfamiliar.

Chen Xi did not dare to seek victory in one battle. The tasks given to him by the court were not limited by time, so he could use his skills slowly in a noble manner.

The troops and food resources of the six provinces can be driven by the troops and horses. This is very relaxed for Chenxi, so he can take the opportunity to promote new drought-resistant crops.

Two years after the introduction of new crops into the Ming Dynasty, with large-scale planting in Fujian and Guangdong, there was no problem with seeds, and finally the scale and intensity of promotion can be increased in the Ming Dynasty.

Although these crops cannot enter the north for the time being, promoting corn, sweet potato and other crops in the south, especially in the barren mountainous and hilly areas in the southwest will be of great help to alleviate ethnic conflicts in this area, allowing the people to fill their stomachs and promote the development of animal husbandry.

In the capital, Zhu Houzhao was also concerned about this war.

Zhu Houzhao regretted it very much. He had just left Huguang, but not long after he heard that the scale of the war in the southwest had doubled. Even the governor of the two provinces, Chen Xi, had to lead the army to fight in person. Although there were not many soldiers, there were still 4,000 people.

Later, Chen Xi was appointed as the left censor by the court and was appointed as the Minister of War to coordinate the troops of the six provinces. Zhu Houzhao was even more upset when he learned about it. He missed the great opportunity to fight side by side with Chen Xi.

"Mr. Chen is really cunning. He must have known some news in advance, so he was in a hurry to send me back to the capital. As a result, he led his troops to fight... He would definitely say something about worrying about something happening to me on the battlefield, and he thought about me for the sake of me. He had a great opportunity to make achievements, but he never thought about me. It was so annoying!"

In Zhu Houzhao's mind, fighting is a fun thing, and you can show off your heroic power and achieve great fame.

As for bleeding and dead people, they do not exist. Even though Zhu Houzhao has personally experienced the battlefield of blood and fire, she still cannot understand the cruelty and helplessness of the war. She always regards Chen Xi as a leader in war very simply. Little did she know that Chen Xi didn't want to go to the battlefield at all, because even his teacher was afraid that he would not come back one day if he went to the battlefield.

As the war in the south deepened, more news spread to the capital, and Zhu Houzhao began to learn about the matter of Chen Xi's dispatch of troops on the battlefield from different channels.

But there is one thing Zhu Houzhao had to face seriously, that is, the death of his great-grandmother and the sudden worsening of his father Zhu Youzhang. Although he was not yet ill, his physical weakness was very obvious. These two things became the top priority of the current imperial court.

It was August of the 17th year of Hongzhi. Zhu Youting's body had not improved fundamentally. After the death of Empress Dowager Zhou, Zhu Youting's body collapsed for no reason. This time, the illness came like a mountain. Perhaps it was just too much sadness, coupled with the small cold, but because his health was very poor, any negative emotions and minor illnesses would have terrible consequences on him. The day after Empress Dowager Zhou passed away, she couldn't get up. Fortunately, after the imperial physician's emergency, her health has finally improved and she can resume court, but it still made the civil and military ministers sweat coldly.

In fact, the main cause of Zhu Youzhang is not caused by emotional influence or a small wind and cold, but heavy metal poisoning caused by taking lead and mercury elixirs over time. When the body is worse than before and after, the small cause will bring a chain reaction, which will amplify the condition without limit.

On August 23rd, there will be a court meeting on that day. In order to let his son adapt to the emperor as soon as possible, Zhu Youzhao will bring his son with him every court meeting. Usually, Zhu Houzhao listens behind the curtain tent. When the court meeting ends, Zhu Youzhao will discuss with his son, talk about some of the matters discussed at the court meeting, and listen to Zhu Houzhao's opinions. Then Zhu Youzhao will make comments. Emperor Hongzhi uses this method to help his son grow up quickly.

Today's court meeting is no exception.

As Emperor Hongzhi's health became worse and worse, the Wu Dynasty gradually became a prescribed rule, so Zhu Houzhao didn't have to go too early, and he didn't have to go to class that morning, so he could move freely in the Xiefang Hall. The naughty child was leisurely and read carefully with the military books, trying to find some appropriate way to "help" to Chenxi.

Zhu Houzhao was preparing to organize and record his "foresight" and then write it into a letter to Chen Xi to deliver it to him to "plan and fight thousands of miles away."

...

...

The bedroom is very quiet.

Zhu Houzhao used a brush to organize his own ideas on paper.

There are hundreds of thousands of rebels in the south, and they must be divided into them. They need to use their superior forces to attack the enemy's scattered troops, and then reorganize a strong army to attack Guilin Prefecture. It is best to train 20,000 elite troops, and light cavalry is the best. In this way, they can go into battle lightly and attack the Guilin Prefecture wall with muskets and cannons...

In Zhu Houzhao's eyes, this was a replica of the Battle of Tumu Fort. Moreover, the imperial court's military force was strong and had a numerical advantage. In addition, Chen Xi was good at training troops, so he could train 100,000 soldiers, each of which was one hundred. It should be no problem to defeat the southern barbarians.

Zhu Houzhao was already fantasizing about the wonderful scene of Chen Xi leading his troops to rush to the city of Guilin Mansion, and the soldiers shaking flags and shouting beside him.

But he forgot a basic fact. The terrain in the south is changing, with high mountains and dense forests, and it is not as flat as the north. Moreover, Chenxi has no cavalry at hand. Almost all cavalry in the Ming Dynasty were on the important grounds on the nine sides. There were very few cavalry in the southern region, so Chenxi could only rely on infantry to fight.

In addition, even if Chen Xi could pull out 100,000 troops, he would not all come in handy, because he didn't have that much money and food to raise so many troops.

The war requires money, and the court is responsible for all expenses in name, but now the court is short of money and food, so it is impossible to allocate it to Chen Xi, so he can only raise it by himself, which is equivalent to giving Chen Xi the title of a short marshal and letting him fight the war based on the resources at hand.

Zhang Yuan stood beside him for a long time. Seeing that Zhu Houzhao had been writing and painting for a long time, it was almost noon, he couldn't help but remind him: "Your Highness, it's time to go to the Ganqing Palace..."

Before, because he did not accompany Zhu Houzhao to Kunning Palace, Zhang Yuan was hit by twenty big slaps in vain. The wound on his butt has not healed yet. Now even if Zhu Houzhao takes a step forward, he will never leave him, for fear of being beaten again.

Zhu Houzhao shouted impatiently: "Why are you in a hurry? Didn't you see that this palace is formulating a southwest combat strategy? If it delays major events, can you afford it?"

Zhang Yuan smiled bitterly and muttered to himself, "My little ancestor, do you really not know your identity?" The war that happened in the corners of the southwest is also worthy of your old man's concern?"

Besides, even if you care, who will listen to you? My little nephew acts very stubbornly. He always insists on his own opinions in the future. What will he think about in the future?

He dragged on for half an hour. After Zhang Yuan urged him ten times, Zhu Houzhao stood up, pressed the paper on the table with paperweight, and said to the few eunuchs serving next to him: "Look, if something goes wrong, come back and chop your heads!"

After learning to threaten and intimidate, Zhu Houzhao became a vicious plague god in the East Palace. Now eunuchs and palace maids are afraid of being blamed by Zhu Houzhao, because at the least they will be beaten, and at the worst they will be transferred, and some will even be hung up and beaten.

Zhu Houzhao didn't understand what kind of kindness meant. He never took the humble eunuch and palace maid seriously. Anyone who he felt was unhappy could not escape his "harmful hands". This is also his pride as the crown prince of the country. He also hoped that everyone would be afraid of him, so that he would feel very proud.

Zhu Houzhao is not a qualified prince who regards fraternity, benevolence and righteousness as the standard of dealing with people. In the future, he will not be a benevolent and filial king. Chen Xi would do things under such a king, and he would be troubled in the future.
Chapter completed!