Zhu Yunwen was somewhat puzzled as he stepped off the carriage. There was no one from the Bureau of Personnel, and the place was overgrown with weeds.

It's practically a paradise for small animals!

Just a few steps away, you'll see several startled wild rabbits hopping and skipping out of their burrows and running into the distance.

Only a patch of dilapidated weeds remained, seemingly telling the story of the desolation of the Bureau of Personnel.

However, Zhu Yunwen did not care about any of this. The little eunuch led the way, clearing away the weeds little by little.

Does no one come here to clean it on weekdays?

"Your Highness, I heard that the Bureau of Personnel Management only has Lord Zhang now. He seems to be a blockhead who only reads books, so he doesn't care about these details!"

Zhu Yunwen nodded. There was nothing he could do about it. After all, it was already quite difficult for someone who was not successful to continue studying military strategy.

Moreover, in such an environment.

Is Lord Zhang here?

The little eunuch shouted at the top of his lungs, and it took several shouts before someone inside answered.

A middle-aged man walked out of the dilapidated room, wearing a coarse cloth long gown that had been washed until it was somewhat faded.

Who's shouting?

The young eunuch stepped forward but did not bow.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is here! Why don't you come and greet him at once?"

Your Highness the Crown Prince?

Zhang Bin looked at the young man behind the eunuch, his face full of doubt.

Zhu Yunwen took two quick steps and bowed respectfully.

"My name is Zhu Yunwen, and I greet Lord Zhang!"

Zhang Bin also quickly bowed.

The two smiled at each other and walked into the room together.

"I wonder what brings Your Highness the Crown Prince here?"

"As the saying goes, one doesn't visit a temple without a reason. I've come this time to ask you to come out of seclusion."

Zhu Yunwen recounted the army he had assembled and then explained the purpose of his trip to Zhang Bin.

He remained calm when he heard that the other party wanted his help with the training.

"Does Lord Zhang have no thoughts about the Japanese pirates?"

Zhang Bin shook his head.

I've been here for several years now, and no one has ever paid any attention to me. Now that the Crown Prince has suddenly come, I wonder what the court is planning.

"I'm afraid I can't do anything about the Japanese pirates, since I'm just a sixth-rank official and don't have that much power!"

Zhu Yunwen knew that Zhang Bin was probably angry, but he didn't take it to heart.

"Lord Zhang, this matter is entirely your responsibility!"

Zhang Bin put away the military treatise in his hand and shook his head once again.

"Your Highness is too kind. I, Zhang Bin, am not worthy of leading an army."

Zhu Yuntong looked into Zhang Bin's eyes.

"It's not an army, it's just a small team of a few hundred people!"

That's utterly delusional. Zhang Bin has been studying the Japanese pirates' situation these past few days, and even a single regular army from the imperial court wouldn't stand a chance against them.

Not to mention the mere few hundred people trained by Zhu Yunwen.

"Your Highness, the Japanese pirates of today are different from those of the past. They are a regular army. Even if you gave me an army of tens of thousands, let alone a few hundred, I'm afraid I wouldn't stand a chance!"

Zhu Yunwen stood up, his face showing a hint of anger.

"Are you just going to watch the people of my Great Ming Dynasty perish at the hands of Japanese pirates, watch their families be torn apart and their homes destroyed?"

"Lord Zhang, how can you sit idly by when faced with so many refugees!"

Zhang Bin didn't reply. Actually, he was quite helpless.

It is important to know that when the imperial court waged war, the Ministry of War was divided into three parts: one was in charge of troops, one was in charge of provisions, and the other was in charge of formulating marching plans.

Managing troops and provisions involves no responsibility and offers enormous personal gain.

However, this military command was different; even after formulating a marching plan, there were still many variables.

When a battle is won, all the credit goes to the military officers, and no one praises the Bureau of Military Affairs. But if a battle is lost, not only the military officers who led the troops, but also the officials of the Bureau of Military Affairs will be held accountable.

This is truly earning the money of selling cabbage while bearing the responsibility of selling flour.

If His Majesty happens to be in a fit of rage, it's not uncommon for him to just grab a few people and behead them!

Most officials dislike working in the Bureau of Personnel Management; instead, it is those who are unsociable who are assigned there.

Therefore, many people keep taking sick leave and refuse to come here.

Some people take a year off at a time, and some have even been photographed working here for several years without knowing which way the company's door faces!

Zhu Yunwen didn't say much. He looked around the room, where a thick layer of dust had covered the entire room.

Only the sand table on the side was spotless, and even the sand inside was very clean.

This shows that the sand table is not only regularly maintained, but the sand is also replaced periodically.

The items on the sand table were indeed exquisite, and the carvings were incredibly lifelike!

It seems that Zhang Bin is just angry, but hasn't given up on studying military strategy and formations!

"Lord Zhang, as an official of the Ming Dynasty, it is your duty to solve the problems of the Ming Dynasty, you..."

Upon hearing these words, Zhang Bin knelt down with a thud.

"Your Highness, it's not that I'm unwilling to go, but I'm simply not knowledgeable enough and afraid I won't be able to handle the task!"

Lacking in talent and knowledge?

Are you taking advantage of me because I can't understand sand table models?

The formation above is the Yin-Yang Formation, and its ingenuity is astonishing after just one glance.

"Lord Zhang, I really need you!"

Zhu Yunwen's words were sincere, and Zhang Bin found it difficult to refuse!

"Besides, the real place is where adults should be. In this dilapidated house, your brilliance will only be obscured by dust!"

grown ups?

This is the first time someone has addressed me like this. This Crown Prince is truly no ordinary person!

"My lord, you should consider joining me on this expedition to drive the Japanese pirates back to their homeland!"

Zhang Bin stopped talking; it would be rude of him to refuse again!

But Zhang Bin is arrogant, so how could he admit why he didn't want to go?

Actually, there are some reasons behind this. Several years ago, Zhang Bin predicted that such a day would come. He told the court about it at the time, but no one listened!

Now that things have come to this point, even if Hua Tuo were alive, it would be of no use, as the condition has reached the point of no return!

"Your Highness, please leave. I am truly incapable!"

Zhu Yunwen understood that if he didn't use some ruthless tactics today, Zhang Bin probably wouldn't leave with him!

The eunuch behind Zhu Yunwen was a little angry and stood in front of him.

"Lord Zhang, His Highness is only asking you to come out of retirement because he's giving you face. Don't refuse a polite invitation and then suffer the consequences!"

Zhang Bin's expression didn't change much.

"Your Highness, this is just who I am. I hope you will forgive me if I have said anything unpleasant."

Zhu Yunwen shook his head and slowly walked onto the sand table.

"This thing looks quite exquisite. I wonder if Lord Zhang could tell me about it?"

Zhang Bin gave a wry smile. This prince was truly different from others; he had already rejected him, so it didn't matter.

"Your Highness, a subject has no choice but to die if the ruler commands it. If you want to execute me, do it quickly. But if you want me to go with you... that's basically impossible!"