Yan Shizhao came to the court and knelt down in front of the emperor.
Emperor Wuxing looked him over.
Yan Shizhao inherited his father's resolute appearance. After long-term training, his figure is also quite strong. His energetic appearance makes people feel good at first sight.
Zhu Changxun is no exception. At first glance, the impression is very good. After all, the Ming Dynasty also values "appearance" very much.
The Dukes of this generation... no, perhaps, the people in Chen Guogong's family are basically like this, whether it is his father Yan Chenxin, his uncle Yan Chenhao, or the other members of their family who are in the court. An official's concubine.
Of course he didn't know that the children of the family would receive training and physical training from a young age, regardless of whether they were needed or not. Naturally, there would be no such thing as the other princes, both father and son, who were both fat-headed, drunk, lustful and wealthy.
Naturally strong and energetic.
Otherwise, Yan Yuanmo would not have been favored by Emperor Jiajing.
Anyway, the current emperor has developed the most basic affection for the Duke. He showed a faint smile on his face and said:
"Give me a seat."
After Yan Shizhao thanked him and sat down, he asked:
"I heard that you once served in a border town in Liaodong and made many military exploits?"
"Yes, my father said that our family started with military exploits, so we must not forget our roots. We need to remember the laws and military affairs from generation to generation, and serve your Majesty in a useful way. So he ordered me to join the army and serve under General Li for seven years. After a long time, he accumulated merit and was promoted to deputy commander-in-chief."
Yan Shizhao replied loudly that when he was seventeen to twenty-three years old, he went to Liaodong and served under Li Rusong, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, and worked with him to fight against the enemy Tatars and other tribes.
It’s just that there were Li Rusong, Ma Gui and other capable generals in Liaodong at that time, but what about the imperial court? The battle to establish the crown prince was bloody. So much so that he obviously played well, but had almost no sense of presence.
Until the thirty-second year of Wanli.
His father died.
He just returned to the capital and inherited the title, but since then he has been far away from the battlefield and has no further achievements.
Now, has it finally come my time? He felt excited inside.
And Zhu Changxun was also very satisfied.
The phrase "serve His Majesty as a useful person" was Yan Shizhao's words, but it also made him feel very comfortable. Who doesn't love capable and loyal ministers?
Chen Guogong’s lineage are truly loyal ministers from generation to generation! He couldn't help but sigh.
Later, he asked about some military matters and his views on the war in the north. Yan Shizhao answered fluently, which made Zhu Changxun feel more reassured, so he smiled and said:
"As expected, he is a general. It seems that I did not choose the wrong person."
"Now the northern border is uneasy, the enemy invaders are raging, and the people are in dire straits. I want you to command the armies, the governor declares great power, and goes north to expel the Tatars. Do you have the confidence?"
Of course Yan Shizhao had been notified, and he was already mentally prepared at this time. The Tatars were also old friends and would not make him fearful, so he said loudly:
"Swear to live up to the emperor's favor!"
Zhu Changxun nodded with satisfaction. The other party's decisiveness and brave temperament in his answer were very popular with him, and he appreciated Yan Shizhao even more.
This exchange between the monarch and his ministers determined the position of commander of the army.
The courtiers nearby listened and couldn't help but cast envious glances at Yan Shizhao in front of him.
Yan Shizhao was only thirty-six years old now, and he had already become the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army Commandery Mansion. He was also trusted by the emperor to command the army in battle. Although this age is not particularly young, compared to the group of old antiques in the imperial court, he is absolutely young. Even those famous "prodigies" among the people are at most a junior official of the sixth or seventh grade at this age. Still struggling to get qualifications.
But he is indeed talented. Unlike other nobles, this opportunity to command an army is indeed a reflection of Yan Shizhao's ability. Otherwise, even if the emperor was very partial to Chen Guogong's lineage because of the previous appointment of the crown prince, he would definitely not hand over the army to him.
Maybe the previous military exploits in Liaodong were just false reports, and when the time comes a Tatar attack will reveal their true colors. Now that we are so optimistic, if we lose the war, we will lose face, not to mention being punished by the emperor. The greater our expectations, the greater our disappointment.
There are also people who think so viciously.
But no matter what, they could not change the reality that Yan Shizhao had been appointed as the commander-in-chief of the army.
He came outside the city and began to rectify the troops under his command.
The first thing to do when arriving at the camp was to order a thorough investigation of the number of troops.
"I know that the number of 60,000 Beijing troops is definitely insufficient, and the number of troops in various places must also be deficient. I have no intention of holding you accountable."
Yan Shizhao's majestic eyes swept over the people in front of him. Most of their eyes were dodged, and there were many nobles among them who did not dare to look at him:
"But now that the expedition is imminent, we are about to fight the Tatars. I don't need to say much about their combat effectiveness. If I want to win, I must know the true situation of the army under my command."
"Do you want to be buried in the frontier?"
These words made all the generals tremble with fear, and they all cooperated with the people sent by Yan Shizhao to check the number of troops.
Sixty thousand people from the Beijing army were mobilized to follow him on the expedition. Together with the troops mobilized from Shandong, Beizhi and other places, theoretically his strength should have reached 130,000.
But after the troops conducted a thorough investigation, Yan Shizhao couldn't help feeling angry.
The troops in Shandong and Beizhi were okay, with 70,000 soldiers, and nearly 60,000 were left, but the actual number of the 60,000 Beijing troops was less than 40,000, and many of them were decrepit or child soldiers. It is simply impossible to form combat power.
No wonder those generals of the Beijing Army were so guilty, they had eaten up nearly half of their free pay!
Fortunately, Yan Shizhao did not blame them or mean that they went to the peak.
Just like the contemporary British Duke Zhang Weixian is also a very capable person, but the fifth military camp he commands is also riddled with holes.
No way, Duke Liang, Duke Yingying, Duke Wei (descendant of Zhu Wenzheng), and Marquis Huaiyuan (descendant of Zhu Neng) who commanded each battalion of the Beijing Army are all the mainstays of the Xungui lineage, and most of the officers are served by Xungui. They are all their in-laws and allies! How can they blame this? Drawing a sword against one of your own?
I can only turn a blind eye.
Yan Shizhao let out a long sigh, and ordered that those who had no fighting power be eliminated. Then he recruited some young and strong refugees from Zhili, which could make up the number of 100,000, and then led the army to go on the expedition.
Coupled with the troops guarding the border, it should be enough to fight against the Tatar army. He made some calculations secretly and could only think this way.
Since the cessation of a series of measures to strengthen the army such as the Beijing Army's training, the Ming Dynasty's army has deteriorated to this level!
(End of chapter)
