Old Zhu was serious. He said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "We originally thought about becoming in-laws with Tang He, but now we think he should just go and patrol the coast for us and then go back to his hometown to retire."

Zhu Xiong Ying paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's right. It's time to take back the military power. These generals should go back to rest and retire."

"Ying'er, what do you think we should do?" Old Zhu stared at Zhu Xiong Ying. "Should we learn from Liu Bang, or Zhao Kuangyin? Or perhaps we should learn from Li Shimin!"

Zhu Xiong Ying blurted out without hesitation, "They should all learn from them. Our Zhu family has never treated our old brothers who fought for the country back then unfairly! We remember their contributions! They should enjoy their lives, and I will not touch their titles. However, if they are corrupt, arrogant, or domineering, we can make an example of them."

Old Zhu paused for a moment, then tapped Zhu Xiong Ying's head. "What kind of trick are you trying to pull?"

"It's certainly good that the Duke of Xin is returning to his hometown to retire. The Duke of Song, Feng Sheng, should also go back to retire now," Zhu Xiong Ying laughed and said, "However, Sun Chen still wants to conquer the world in the future, and these old generals will still be useful. Grandfather, if the time is right, I would like to set up a school specifically to teach how to fight!"

Old Zhu was taken aback, then immediately criticized, "Nonsense! How can you teach military strategy? Our Ming Dynasty has only been established for twenty years. Do you want to throw our Ming Dynasty into chaos?"

"Grandfather, I know," Zhu Xiong Ying quickly explained. "I know some of the old generals' knowledge of leading troops. It's just that the Military Governor's Office is there, and some middle and lower-ranking officers definitely need to learn. They can't just blindly fumble around and read military books on their own."

Old Zhu seemed to understand something. He felt that Zhu Xiong Ying meant to give middle and lower-ranking officers some "advanced training." This so-called martial arts training was just a place for some veterans to retire, a place for old generals to continue contributing their remaining energy.

Zhu Yuanzhang remained noncommittal, saying that he would discuss this matter with the Crown Prince and the Grandson of the Crown Prince later, as there were still many other things to do.

"What do you plan to do about Feng Sheng's matter?" Old Zhu looked at Zhu Xiong Ying and said irritably, "Should we send him back to his hometown, or should we find a reason to let him retire comfortably?"

Feng Sheng is undoubtedly a great general, currently the top military figure in the Ming Dynasty. This can be seen from his appointment as Grand General in this Northern Expedition, with Fu Youde, Lan Yu, and others as his deputies.

In fact, in the early days of the Ming Dynasty, Right Deputy General Feng Sheng was ranked below Chang Yuchun, and Lieutenant General Tang He was ranked below Feng Sheng!

In Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, Feng Sheng was indeed the third most capable military commander in the Ming Dynasty. It was a pity that Xu Da and Chang Yuchun were both dead, leaving only Feng Sheng. His recent subjugation of Nahachu was already an excessive achievement.

After saying this, Old Zhu handed Zhu Xiong Ying a secret report.

When Feng Sheng subdued Nahachu, he hid many fine horses. But most importantly, Feng Sheng secretly contacted Prince Zhu Su of Zhou. This was something Zhu Di greatly feared, since his fifth son, Zhu Su, and his fourth son, Zhu Di, shared the same mother.

“Let him return to his hometown to enjoy his retirement. He can inspect the border defenses and garrisons. There aren’t many major battles going on for the time being,” Zhu Xiong Ying said. “After all, he is the third most meritorious official of our Ming Dynasty. Let him stay in Yingtian Prefecture.”

Zhu Yuanzhang remained noncommittal. Feng Sheng's contributions were too great, and after being reprimanded last time, he still dared to have contact with Prince Zhu Su of Zhou, which made Zhu Yuanzhang quite unhappy.

Remembering something, Zhu Xiong Ying hurriedly looked at the battle report and felt utterly speechless.

As expected, Lan Yu was arrogant and domineering. During the Northern Expedition, when accepting the surrender of Nahachu, Lan Yu took off his clothes and gave them to Nahachu to wear, which angered Nahachu.

This guy's temper really needs to be tempered; he gets all pampered with the slightest bit of kindness! Even if he's your great-uncle, he shouldn't be like this!

Ultimately, Zhu Xiong Ying was the second in line to the Ming throne, and he naturally wanted a reliable military pillar under his command. However, he could not accept a warlord who was arrogant and domineering, nor could he accept such a faction emerging within the Ming military.

Zhu Xiong Ying's gloomy expression secretly pleased Old Zhu: He truly is our grandson!

“We’re planning to choose a daughter from the Xu family to be your grandson’s consort.” Old Zhu patted Zhu Xiong Ying’s head and said, “The Chang family, your three uncles are all unreliable. Lan Yu, someone should also keep him in check.”

Zhu Xiong Ying paused for a moment, somewhat surprised, "The Prince of Zhongshan? It seems that he doesn't have any daughters around my age in his household."

Old Zhu said with a smile, "Tiande's eldest daughter, Miaoyun, was betrothed to your fourth uncle. Now, his second daughter, Miaoqing, is about your age. Although her mother, who is arrogant, jealous, and rude, is not good, the daughter is alright. Your mother-in-law has also passed away, so you're not afraid of her arrogance."

Zhu Xiong Ying was dumbfounded, and then hurriedly said, "Grandfather, this is not right! Fourth Aunt... then how are Fourth Uncle and I supposed to be related by seniority? Does this mean Fourth Uncle should divorce the Princess?"

Old Zhu wore a look of "you're teachable," which was exactly what he thought. If there are difficulties, then solve them; that's all!

"This matter still needs further discussion. We'll talk to Biao'er when he gets back. I'm just giving you some breathing room now." Old Zhu laughed and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "We've already agreed that once you're married, we'll be holding our great-grandchildren!"

Zhu Xiong Ying felt like he had truly walked into the lion's den. He had only come to show off his navy and the income from the imperial treasury. But unexpectedly, at the age of fourteen, he was being pressured to get married! He was being urged by his grandfather, the Emperor, to go around looking for beautiful young women!

Remembering something, Zhu Xiong Ying said, "Grandfather and Father will naturally decide on Xi'er and Yue'er's marriage, but I, as the elder brother, still need to go and take a look!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!