Zhu Xiong Ying nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "Are there any people who are capable of great use?"

Xu Yungong shook his head and spoke frankly, "In my observation, they are all mediocre. On the other hand, the Prince of Yan's guards are mostly veterans, and they are not lacking in bravery."

This surprised Zhu Xiong Ying. Zhu Di's successful usurpation was due not only to Zhu Yunwen's series of questionable actions and the unreliability of some of the Jianwen Emperor's generals, but also to the fact that Zhu Di had a large number of elite troops and generals at his disposal.

It seems that Zhang Fu, the war god of the Ming Dynasty who died in the Tumu Crisis, was the son of Zhang Yu, who was a meritorious official who rose to power during the Jingnan Rebellion.

This is quite normal, though. It's too difficult for people like Zhang Yu to get ahead now. Even though the Ming Dynasty has lost some of its founding generals, it doesn't lack elite troops. It's really too difficult for people like Zhang Yu to get ahead.

Zhu Xiong Ying had no interest in looking for Zhu Di's "meritorious officials." Whether they remembered him or not was irrelevant. The main thing was that Zhu Xiong Ying had no shortage of elite troops and generals, so there was no need to think about ordinary soldiers who had no reputation or achievements.

This was no joke from Zhu Xiong Ying. With founding dukes and marquises like Fu Youde and Wang Xu in charge, Zhu Xiong Ying could feel relatively at ease. Furthermore, Xu Yun Gong's performance was satisfactory; although he lacked practical combat experience, he was definitely a promising talent.

As for Zhang Yu and the like, they could wait. Zhu Xiong Ying didn't have much time or inclination to discover and cultivate those people. It was true that he had a lot of resources at his disposal, but Zhu Xiong Ying needed to train far more talent.

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled and asked many questions about military affairs, then said, "If I grant you 5,000 men after the spring, would you be willing to lead them into the northern desert?"

Xu Yungong was thrilled. He knew that the Crown Prince was grooming him. "Your subject accepts the decree. I will certainly not fail the Emperor's grace! I will not fail Your Highness's expectations!"

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled and took out the tiger tally, saying, "I entrust the Three Guards of the Prince of Yan to you. Train your troops well, as many armies will be dispatched at that time. I hope you will achieve great success. Remember, capture as many men, horses, cattle, and sheep as possible, as our Great Ming is currently lacking in manpower, horses, cattle, and sheep."

Xu Yungong was even happier. His Highness's willingness to let him lead troops for training was a form of cultivation and development. The Crown Prince also explained the purpose of this expedition, allowing Xu Yungong to make targeted arrangements.

Compared to others, Xu Yungong believed he had more reason to achieve a satisfactory result. If he fought well in this battle, he would certainly have no shortage of opportunities to fight in the future.

The sky is high enough for birds to fly freely, and Xu Yungong and his companions had many opportunities to hone their skills. Zhu Xiong Ying was no different.

Although Old Zhu and Big Zhu also told Zhu Xiong Ying some things, that it was not suitable for a major conflict in the north at the moment, but small skirmishes were perfectly fine, which naturally meant that Zhu Xiong Ying did not need to be polite.

We must fight the Northern Yuan, and we definitely must fight them!