Xu Yingxu walked over at this moment and said in a low voice, "Duke of the Founding State, I hope you will show me some kindness in court today."
Chang Mao stroked his beard and said with absolute confidence, "Nephew, don't worry. To be honest, we are all of the same lineage in the martial arts world. I don't think anyone will take away the position of the Marquis of Wuding's heir."
Of course, no one would try to take Zhang Fu's position; no one is stupid. Even though many military officers wanted to send their eldest sons to serve in the Eastern Palace to get closer to the Crown Prince, such a thing wasn't easy to do; it required the Emperor's permission.
Everyone knows the situation of the Imperial Guard Orphans. The position of leader of the Imperial Guard Orphans is not something to be fought for or competed for. No one is stupid; if they want to show their bravery or gain merit, they can fight for other opportunities to go on campaigns, not for the position of Imperial Guard Orphans.
The purpose of this trip is naturally to seize some opportunities—not to gain command of the Imperial Guards, but to secure a chance to accompany the army on the expedition to Goguryeo. Those from military families still have some backbone; they still dream of being ennobled and appointed generals.
Indeed, some sons of military merits have become spoiled brats. Those people have little confidence in going to the battlefield and prefer to enjoy their wealth and status.
However, many sons of military merit still harbored ambitions, and even though the Ming Dynasty had been established for thirty years, their fighting spirit had not completely disappeared. After all, over the years, there had always been battles, large and small.
Ordinary bandit suppression is hardly enough to earn someone a title or a high-ranking position. The war to destroy Goryeo is the real deal, the platform for countless soldiers to make their mark, and naturally, many more people are eyeing it.
The advantages of the Ming Dynasty are quite obvious. Whether it's to gain prestige or to truly showcase their talents, many military families are still very enthusiastic about it. Even if they are wealthy now, they understand even more clearly that the foundation of a military family's livelihood lies in their military achievements.
Xu Yingxu gritted his teeth. Chang Mao was the biggest playboy representative of the Ming Dynasty's military elite group, but no one could do anything about this complete scoundrel.
This is the eldest son of the Prince of Kaiping, the current emperor's maternal uncle. Who can do anything to him? So what if he's a playboy? Everyone knows that Chang Mao and the current emperor are very close.
Xu Yingxu couldn't help but mentally complain. He knew that although Chang Mao was a playboy, he wasn't truly ignorant. This was just him deliberately feigning ignorance, showing no intention of helping the Xu faction. If nothing unexpected happened, he would definitely be thinking of helping the Chang faction.
As expected, all the bloodlines of the Chang family are alike. The three Chang brothers are like this, and even his nephew, Prince Wu, Zhu Yunwen, is equally dissolute. Fortunately, the Zhu family has good bloodlines, otherwise the current emperor would be completely dissolute.
What pleased Xu Yingxu even more was that the Crown Prince possessed both the Zhu family's fine bloodline and the Xu family's excellent lineage, which is why he was intelligent and wise, without any trace of being a spoiled brat.
Just then, a young man quickly approached Chang Mao and said, "Lord Duke, I come from a military background and have served under Duke Liang since I was a child, following my late father."
Chang Mao interrupted him directly, pointing out that the man before him was Wang De, the eldest son of Wang Bi, the Marquis of Dingyuan and the Double-Blade King. He was of impeccable lineage, a true member of the Chang family. After all, Chang Yuchun was also from Dingyuan, and Wang Bi had advised Lan Yu to use a surprise attack years earlier, even personally leading the vanguard to achieve a great victory at Buyur Lake.
Chang Mao glanced at Wang De and said helplessly, "Marquis Dingyuan, you should give up on Goryeo. We should leave some credit for others. Your uncle is training troops in the Northwest. If you are interested, you can ask His Majesty to go to the Northwest. Maybe you can restore the glory of the late Marquis Dingyuan."
Wang De's eyes lit up, but he still flattered her, saying, "I hope Lord Kaiping will speak well of me. After all, I am a native of Dingyuan!"
Seeing that there were people over there, a rather handsome young man walked over and said, "Lord Duke, Lord Marquis."
Xu Yingxu was in high spirits. Back when he was besieged in the northern desert, it was Guo Yong, the third son of Marquis Wuding, who was the first to lead troops to his aid.
Although the rank of Assistant Commander-in-Chief, a second-grade official, was different from that of a regular Assistant Commander-in-Chief in the Five Military Commands, Guo Yong still had some ambitions.
He had military merits, but not enough to be ennobled as a marquis. Although his elder brother Guo Zhen was the eldest son of a concubine, he was also a son-in-law of the emperor. Even if something happened to their father, the title of Marquis of Wuding would not be passed on to him, the third son.
The censor coughed, offering a slight reminder. Some of the more timid among them left, but others continued to surround Chang Mao and Xu Yingxu. These two were the emperor's maternal uncle and the crown prince's maternal uncle, respectively—both held very important positions.
What's even more baffling is that Duke Feng Cheng of Ying also joined in, not only because he's also from Dingyuan, but more importantly, because he's the husband of the current emperor's younger sister and is quite favored.
“Uncle, if you ask me, we should send Marquis Dingyuan to Goryeo this time.” Feng Cheng said with a smile, which could be considered as helping his fellow villager. “Although Marquis Dingyuan has been on the battlefield since he was young, he has little experience in leading an army on his own. If His Majesty is waging war in the Northwest, those descendants of the Mongol Yuan dynasty should not be underestimated.”
Chang Mao pondered for a moment and said, "We've also heard that the second and third sons once built a city in Busan. They all said that Goryeo is mountainous, which is not conducive to cavalry. Marquis Dingyuan is good at cavalry. This trip to Goryeo would be too much trouble. It would be better for him to go to the Northwest to help his uncle train troops."
Wang De was unwilling to let this opportunity slip by, and quickly said, "Lord Duke, you know my situation. I mostly served as a personal guard under my late father or the Duke of Liang. If I could be in Goryeo, even just leading infantry, I could gain some experience."
The martial arts practitioners here seem rather unruly, and Lian Zining can only turn a blind eye and avoid the trouble. None of them are someone he can control. Even though he is nominally the emperor's father-in-law, he is not really respectable. Although his daughter is a 'unique' Imperial Noble Consort, a position specially established by His Majesty for the harem, she is essentially just a concubine.
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