Indeed, there seemed to be nothing for Zhu Xiong Ying to worry about. Beiping, and indeed the northern region at present, was generally stable and orderly. Many things were proceeding smoothly, and Zhu Xiong Ying even felt that he no longer needed to oversee things.
This is not like when they first arrived in Beiping, when the Crown Prince needed to oversee things and make decisions. Now, whether it's the construction of Beiping or the Imperial Palace, everything can proceed according to procedure. The general direction for road construction or the development of Tianjin is clear; now, only the details are needed.
The same applies to matters concerning the Nine Garrisons. It would be best if Zhu Xiong Ying were present, but his absence would not affect the army's training.
However, Zhu Xiong Ying had no intention of leaving. His development plan for Beiping had only just begun and was only just starting to take shape. Zhu Xiong Ying felt it was better to stay here and oversee things; remote command was not as good as direct command like this.
I chatted with Xu Miaoqing for half the night, but naturally, we didn't neglect any important business. Zhu Xiong Ying isn't being pressured to get married now, he's being pressured to have children. It's not just Old Zhu and First Zhu keeping an eye on him; many civil and military nobles are doing the same.
Ultimately, Zhu Xiong Ying was the foundation of the nation; whether he could have children and whether he had a son were matters of succession to the throne. If the Crown Prince had no heir, many people might have ulterior motives.
Lazy Zhu Xiong Ying didn't want to get out of bed, and seeing him lingering there, no one else dared to say anything. They decided to give him two days off first, and then consider state affairs. Zhu Xiong Ying wouldn't emulate his grandfather, the emperor; he couldn't do some of the workaholic things his grandfather did.
While Zhu Xiong Ying was resting, many people were busy and couldn't stay idle at all.
The large number of cattle and sheep brought back by the Crown Prince need to be distributed. Many projects are currently in dire need of supplies, and these prisoners are highly sought after. Officials from the Ministry of Works are keeping a close eye on them, eager to collect their labor and return them to work as soon as possible.
As for the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the various military governorates, they also have their own ideas. We can't give everything to the Ministry of Works. We also need people to raise horses and cultivate land. If we think about it carefully, some people can be incorporated into military households. We can't let the Ministry of Works pull them out all at once to do hard labor.
Zhu Xiong Ying didn't get involved in these messy battles; he trusted his men to handle them. As long as things didn't go too far astray, Zhu Xiong Ying could turn a blind eye. His only curiosity now was whether he would receive an imperial edict soon.
While it wasn't a resounding victory, it was still a win. Furthermore, the fact that the Crown Prince personally led the troops completely changed the significance of the battle. I suspect many people are now debating it, or are simply trying to curry favor.
This is no exaggeration; who dares to deny the achievements of the Crown Prince?!
Indeed, that was the case. Zhu Yuanzhang was the first to receive the report, but it came from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which was even faster than the court's report of victory. This made Zhu Yuanzhang very happy!
Old Zhu laughed heartily and said to Da Zhu, who was bent over his desk reviewing memorials, "Biao'er, look at the great achievements our good grandson has made!"
Da Zhu took the report, read it carefully, and then laughed. "Father, Ying'er led an army of 50,000 to attack, not counting the 30,000 men under the command of my brothers. With 80,000 troops, they only managed to kill less than 1,000. That's a bit unreasonable!"
"Look! Look!" Old Zhu exclaimed anxiously, pointing at the memorial. "Our Ying'er is kind and benevolent; she didn't kill anyone. She captured 15,000 men, women, and children. If those killers had gone, they would have all been slaughtered! Our Ying'er is kind and benevolent; if they had all been slaughtered, it would have been a military achievement!"
Da Zhu chuckled and said, "Let Ying'er send five thousand cattle back. The Guanzhong region is short of cattle, and the southwestern regions are also short of draft cattle. Let him send them to Kaifeng and Taiyuan, and have those places send some cattle back."
The distribution of the 17,000 stolen cattle was completed through a series of intermediaries, and the decision was made happily.
Da Zhu suddenly remembered something and said, "Father, don't let Ying'er go to the north again next time. That boy is unreliable. He said he was going to patrol the border, but he ended up in the heart of the grasslands."
Old Zhu was stunned for a moment, then cursed back, "It must be your brothers who are causing trouble; they're probably the ones who instigated this!"
The grandson did nothing wrong; it was those good-for-nothing sons who were instigating him. That must be it!
Da Zhu smiled and then said, "Ying'er will probably also be submitting a memorial to garner merit. Should we process it all or hold off on it?"
Old Zhu immediately fell into deep thought, somewhat troubled; this matter was not easy to handle.
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