Yuan Keli smiled and bowed, saying, "Although I am already over sixty years old, I am in good health and can still help Your Majesty with your worries."

Zhu Youxiao also smiled and said, "Master Yuan is still strong despite his age, which is very comforting to me. When we go to Denglai, Master Yuan can act as he sees fit and does not need to be restricted by others."

"If anyone in the court attacks Master Yuan, I will defend him." Zhu Youxiao's face turned serious, and he sneered, "The atmosphere in the court is deteriorating. It's time to rectify it."

Yuan Keli was startled and quickly said, "It is the duty of the censors to discuss or impeach. Your Majesty should not act too radically."

"When criticizing people, censors should keep the general principles in mind. Forming a faction to attack dissidents and maliciously attacking others is not their job."

Zhu Youxiao shook his head, but didn't dwell on the point. He changed the subject and said, "I have decided to establish a garrison in Dongjiang, and this is the same as General Yuan's. Mao Wenlong seems to be a capable general, but General Yuan should be careful. Even if he appreciates him, he must exercise restraint. At least he must have a relatively accurate grasp of the personnel and combat situation of Dongjiang Garrison. Misconduct such as false reporting and concealment must not occur in Dongjiang Garrison."

Yuan Keli nodded and said, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. Old habits in other military garrisons are difficult to change, and it takes time and effort to get rid of them. Dongjiang Town is newly opened, so we should be more thorough and eradicate these bad habits beforehand."

Zhu Youxiao said, "I have already dispatched the Jinyiwei to Dongjiang Town to gather intelligence and supervise the supply verification. From now on, they will report to General Yuan, so that General Yuan can understand the situation."

"Your Majesty has prepared for the future and laid the foundation for this old minister." Yuan Keli was deeply moved and bowed, saying, "I, your Majesty, would like to express my gratitude to you."

Zhu Youxiao smiled and said, "It would be more convenient for me to do some things. When General Yuan takes office, he will be in charge of the two garrisons. All matters related to military expenses, levies, deployments, and defense and suppression will fall under his purview. I will only be responsible for raising money and food, and ensuring General Yuan does not suffer any hardship."

"Your Majesty's favor is deep, and I, an old minister, can only devote myself to repaying Your Majesty." Yuan Ke stood up and knelt to thank the emperor for his grace.

Zhu Youxiao personally stepped forward to help the teacher to his feet, saying, "Teacher Yuan, please take care of yourself. I intend to wipe out the Jiannu and revive the Ming Dynasty within ten years. Teacher Yuan, please wait and see what I accomplish. When the time comes, let's raise our glasses and celebrate together as teacher and student."

Yuan Keli nodded repeatedly, excited and moved, and was choked up for a moment. "This old minister, this old minister will live to see Your Majesty create a peaceful and prosperous era, with achievements surpassing those of the Han and Tang dynasties."

Zhu Youxiao encouraged Teacher Yuan again and again, and asked Teacher Yuan to recommend some talented people. He also invited Teacher Yuan to the sand table to discuss strategies for beating monsters, well, strategies for suppressing slaves.

When Yuan Keli was about to leave, Zhu Youxiao took out a wooden box and told Yuan Keli that it was a communication code. In the future, if there were any confidential memorials, the Jinyiwei of the Zhenfu Division could present them directly to the emperor for his review.

Yuan Keli didn't know much about the code, but the young emperor said there were instructions inside and it was simple to operate, so he took his leave and went back to study it in detail.

As soon as Yuan Keli left, Zhu Youxiao ordered the palace maids to send wine and food to Yuan's mansion.

If I invite Teacher Yuan to have dinner with me, he is a gentleman who observes etiquette, and he will definitely not feel comfortable eating. It would be better for him to enjoy himself at home.

……………..

Luo Sigong sat sideways on an embroidered cushion, reporting on his experiences in Tianjin, Denglai, and Pidao, and made his own evaluation of Tianjin Governor Bi Ziyan, Denglai Governor Tao Langxian, Lieutenant General Mao Wenlong, and several generals of the Dongjiang Army.

The young emperor smiled and hugged the white cat, which had grown fatter. He pinched the cat's two front paws in his hands and beat them like drums, sometimes slowly and sometimes quickly.

Only when White Lady becomes stupid will Zhu Youxiao manipulate her like this. To be more precise, it is when Little White is more like a cat, not a cat spirit.

Although the young emperor seemed casual, even absent-minded, Luo Sigong's decades of experience as a Jinyiwei told him that the emperor listened carefully and seriously and would not dare to fool around.

Sure enough, when the young emperor heard the Dongjiang Army's Qianzong Zhang Pan, he stopped what he was doing and said with a smile: "Zhang Pan is not bad, he should be able to use a general. But -"

Luo Sigong pricked up his ears, waiting for the emperor's comment after the change of words, but there was silence for a long time.

"Let's talk about this after Zhang Pan achieves his goal!" Zhu Youxiao pondered for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Mr. Luo, please continue."

"Yes!" Luo Sigong responded, feeling a little puzzled. He wondered why this little-known captain would be praised by the emperor. Even when talking about Mao Wenlong, the emperor didn't say anything special!

Finally, Luo Sigong finished his report and waited quietly for the emperor's inquiry.

"Lord Luo believes that Mao Wenlong is courageous and intelligent, and familiar with the geography of Liaodong, making him suitable for the position of garrison commander." Zhu Youxiao nodded gently and said, "You are also concerned that Pi Island is located in a remote area overseas, where communication is limited and control is difficult. That makes sense, very good."

Luo Sigong bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, you prepared for a rainy day and stationed the Jinyiwei before the Dongjiang garrison was opened. This is extremely wise."

Zhu Youxiao smiled and said, "The person you choose will surely be able to keep me informed and put Dongjiang Town under the control of the imperial court."

Luo Sigong hesitated for a moment and said, "I have selected people who are smart and capable, but people are fickle, so I dare not guarantee their success."

"I know. If something goes wrong in the future, I won't blame you." Zhu Youxiao waved his hand, and the cat took the opportunity to break free, jumped out agilely, jumped onto the table, and turned back to glare at Zhu Youxiao.

Zhu Youxiao had enough of his cat addiction and began to question Luo Sigong more seriously, and learned more about the situation.

Zhu Youxiao finally stopped asking questions and said, "Mr. Luo, you've been through a lot of hardship on the road and the rough seas. Go home and rest for a few days before returning to the Pacification Office for work!"

"Your humble servant dares not complain." Luo Sigong bowed and said, "The war situation in Guangning is critical now. The Pacification Office should go all out to help Your Majesty."

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "Lord Luo is loyal, I know that. Liu Qiao of the Pacification Office is not bad, and Lord Luo's son is also a talent that can be cultivated. Well, please leave for now. I will give you an imperial decree shortly."

"I'll take my leave." Luo Sigong didn't have time to think about it, bent down and retreated.

The Jinyiwei were the emperor's personal army, and Luo Sigong was appointed as the guard of the Eastern Palace, responsible for internal and external protection, and diligently protecting Zhu Youxiao's personal safety. He can be said to have worked hard and made great contributions.

Moreover, when Luo Sigong was in office, the main responsibility of the Jinyiwei was to serve the "Three Major Expeditions". The focus of their work was external warfare, such as spying, transmitting information, and even directly participating in combat, and they made great contributions.

Now, Zhu Youxiao still lets the Jinyiwei focus its work externally, and also internally, but not as much as the Dongchang.

Zhu Youxiao was most concerned about military affairs, and he hated the concealment and deception of his generals the most.

Moreover, supervision by civilians seemed to be ineffective, and was likely to cause resistance and dissatisfaction among military officers, and it also conflicted with his plan to enhance the status of military personnel.

Jinyiwei, on the other hand, could see and hear, supervise the military pay and personnel, but did not interfere with military command. Although there were some individuals who were corrupt, Zhu Youxiao had no choice but to rely on them as his eyes and ears.