The matter was settled, and after a brief rest, Zhou Hu led the army and began to retreat.

This time he returned to the territory of Tushetu Khan, it was the end of summer, and Zhou Huchen was going to prepare to go north.

Zhou Huchen is now facing not a problem of troops, but a supply problem, and there is really not much food in the army. Trying to get a lot of grain in Mongolia is tantamount to a dream, where is there so much grain in the Mongolian steppe, although the caravan has entered Tongliao, it is obviously extremely difficult to provide sufficient supplies two thousand miles away.

There is no shortage of meat in the grassland, and there is no problem for the grassland people to eat beef and mutton for a long time, but Zhou Huchen's army is not good, this is a matter of living habits, although the meat is good, I can't stand it if I eat too much, so I can only wait for supplies.

It would take twenty days for the supplies to arrive, and the Mongol tribes had already surrendered, and there was no need to worry about security, so now there was only a matter of waiting.

Northern capital.

In the palace of the imperial city, the father and son wearing dragon robes sat opposite each other.

"Father, when do you think my brother-in-law will come back? It's been over a year! ”

"It depends on whether the trip to Outer Mongolia goes smoothly or not, but it seems to be very smooth, but it is a little strange that this slave chief always runs so fast, why did he run to the steppe?" The weather was a little hot, and the emperor, who was already very fat, sweated slightly: "It's a problem that he won't come!" Hundreds of thousands of troops are outside the pass, the consumption of people eating horses and chewing is very huge, the ministers in the court have been making trouble, this northern land has been famine for many years, coupled with the rebellion of Li Thief and others and Jiannu, the supply of materials in the army is really extremely difficult, and I can't hope that those courtiers will always come to make trouble! ”

"Father, Mongolia must take the opportunity to subdue, my brother-in-law's vision will not be wrong, this opportunity is extremely rare! The slave chieftains are not important, the important thing is to pacify the northern steppes, so that the Mongols can honestly go to grazing to solve the long-term border troubles. There is no need to worry about the rectification of brothers-in-law in Liaodong and Liaoxi, with our army, as long as the relocation of people is successful. The remnants of Jiannu need not be worried. The matter of military funds, no matter what, we have to keep up, it is a matter of my Zhu family, even for the sake of me, thousands of people in the Ming Dynasty dare not slack off, father, do you say this is the truth? ”

The crown prince Zhu Lianbi talked eloquently, the prince of the Ming Dynasty and Zhou Huchen had completely changed when they left Nanjing, the slender young man had grown up, there was a slight beard on his lips, and his exit was even more clear and abnormal.

The son was very satisfied with him, and Zhu Youxiang kept nodding his head in approval. No matter how difficult it is, you can't treat this time as a child's play. It is a matter of social affairs in the country, and there can be no sloppiness. No matter how much trouble the courtiers make, they will not shake Zhu Youxiang's heart to support the Northern Expedition. The stability of the country is fundamental, and his son-in-law is for the great cause of the Zhu family, how can he not support it vigorously, he Zhu Youxiang still understands this basic truth.

"There is also the matter of the canonization of various Mongolian tribes, and it cannot be delayed, first send people to Monan, and Mobei and Moxi will also be canonized in the future. The generals in the army should also be added to the knighthood, and Mo Xiancheng Mo Zongbing and Wang Deyong Wang Zongbing should also hurry up to add knighthoods. They are all generals in the army who can be trusted, and it is very suitable for one to guard Mongolia and the other to guard eastern and western Liaoning. In addition, it is necessary to send officials to these places, and there are a lot of things to do. Too much! Zhu Youxiang wiped his sweat and continued: "By the way, there is also your brother-in-law, first give your brother-in-law a promotion to the next level and make a marquis." After he comes back, he will be given the title of Fu Cheng Hou, and then your brother-in-law, it is estimated that the world will be decided after he comes back! ”

"Father is wise! Brother-in-law is still too young. It's okay to wait, it's very appropriate to give credit to Fu Chenghou, just to plug the courtier's mouth, and it can be regarded as relieving some pressure on my brother-in-law. ”

Zhu Lianbi was obviously extremely protective of Zhou Huchen, because Zhou Huchen entered the north without authorization, and went out to fight for more than a year without the resolution of the imperial court, and there was no supervising army around him, which was also the most dissatisfied place for the civilian class. Although there is no need to question the correctness of Zhou Huchen's operation, this is the court, there will always be different voices, and now coupled with the difficulty of military supply, many people have begun to target Zhou Huchen. And Emperor Zhu Youxiang has been suppressing, and the first assistant Gao Hongtu has adopted an attitude of ignoring it, and the ministers are also in this posture. The senior officials are very tacit, because everyone understands the stakes, which is related to the major affairs of the military state and the stability of the Ming Dynasty, although Zhou Huchen is too self-conscious, but everyone knows the consequences of Zhou Huchen's northern expedition, and a great tomorrow that can be stable for more than a hundred years is too tempting, and no one is willing to stop there.

Silence is tantamount to acquiescence, the emperor is like this, the cabinet is like this, therefore, even if it is to smash the pot and sell iron, Zhu Youxiang and his son must let Zhou Huchen continue.

Mei Zizi came to take a bite of iced sour plum soup, Zhu Youxiang put down the exquisite porcelain bowl, and the topic was still related to Zhou Huchen: "Let me tell you, this North Korean Li Weishenme is suddenly going to be attached?" ”

Zhu Lianbi also put down the official kiln porcelain bowl in his hand: "Father, how can Shang Kexi have such ability?" It's not my brother-in-law's meaning, the North Korean Li family is not attached, and Shang Kexi still hasn't slaughtered them! But give this Shang Kexi a knight, just seal it, anyway, after two years when North Korea is stable, he will be withdrawn, my brother-in-law just doesn't want to bear the criticism of destroying North Korea with his own hands! It's okay if North Korea is attached, the future troubles of the province, my brother-in-law's vision, in the long run, and I also gave this North Korea a Dongzhou name, which is a good name and available! ”

"The name Dongzhou is good, and this matter will be settled in two days, which also reassures Xiaohu. By the way, I remember to go to see Xiao Zhentian for a while, my father misses him, and my father can't always go out of the palace, the weather is hot these days, so I don't want your imperial sister to bring him over, and it's not too late to come over after a few days when the weather is cool. Your brother-in-law also decided to kiss early! Where is the Zheng family worthy of our family Zhentian, this is the future Guogong, the grandson of my eldest son, what is his Zheng family in Fujian? It's still a side room, hey! I don't know what your brother-in-law thinks! ”

Zhu Youxiang complained all over his mouth, he liked that cute little guy very much, but Zhou Huchen was too unkind to rob himself of such a thing as the emperor. According to Zhou Zhentian's status and identity, this high-ranking official and dignitary of the Ming Dynasty, the Shili family can choose at will, and it is not a word which family you want to have a daughter. The Zheng family, who was born in Haikou, really lowered his status, and this week Huchen was too visionless.

Zhu Lianbi smiled and said, "Father, will my brother-in-law make a loss-making deal?" Marrying the daughter of the Zheng family is not because the Liliang of the Zheng family on the sea is good! Father, you underestimate my brother-in-law, if you don't believe in your father, you will look at the future, my brother-in-law will come back to operate the sea, and it is estimated that he will propose to open the sea in an all-round way, is he an idle person? ”

"That's right! Xiaohu's vision has never been like this, it seems that my son is still smart, and your brother-in-law seems to have a lot of plans! Zhu Youxiang couldn't help but praise his son's cleverness.

"Father, this is a good sea! The city can bring us a lot of taxes, so that the treasury will be full. My brother-in-law has the Zheng family to help at sea, in addition to the courtiers' consent, this sea has my brother-in-law in charge of nine out of ten, and I can just sit on the benefits of the world! Especially if Ningbo, Fujian, and Guangzhou really have to operate, how much silver is this? My brother-in-law is restless or not, just let him run the city, I see which one dares to disobey my brother-in-law's orders, and then do those nonsense things, see which one has the guts? Look at my brother-in-law not cutting off his head! ”

In fact, I know that if you are as smart as Zhou Huchen, you can't hide it from me, and Zhu Lianbi will undoubtedly continue to show off his vision.

"My son is so good, he even calculated your brother-in-law, but this comprehensive opening of the sea courtiers will be hindered, it's not easy!" Zhu Youxiang certainly liked to open the sea, and the once displaced emperor was not a fool who understood the importance of open trade.

"If my brother-in-law wants to run the sea when he returns, the courtiers want him to go! Save yourself from being afraid of him, and it is estimated that he will celebrate with the crown! ”

"That's right! That's the truth! Many people are afraid of your brother-in-law, and I am afraid that your brother-in-law will not live in peace in Beijing, and it seems good to run the sea, and when the small earthquake is big in the future, your brother-in-law's temperament will be more restrained, and it will not be too late to come back at that time! Zhu Yousong is obviously very satisfied with his son's performance, and these views are very insightful.

This prince is smart and clever enough, and he will consider it holistically, he will be absolutely competent to be the emperor in the future, Zhu Lianbi's achievements may not necessarily surpass his own, but it is more than enough to be a king. In addition, he is not a few years younger than Zhou Huchen, and with Zhou Huchen on his side to help and supervise in the future, Zhu Lianbi will never be a decadent king, and it will be difficult to think about it in the future.

The prospect is promising, and Zhu Youxiang's fat face is full of smiles. (To be continued......)