Chapter 372: Big Brother Leads the Troops
"Stop it! I don't want you to always focus on state affairs." Zhao Xiaofei said.
"Stop it? If I stop it, people inside and outside the court will eat up the palace until nothing is left. Didn't you see what happened to Zhang Juzheng's children after his death?" Princess Kunxing said.
"What can they do to me? As long as the Kenan Army is in my hands, who will dare to do anything to me? If one day the Ming Dynasty really can't accommodate us, you can all come and live with me. There are delicious food, drinks and fun things there. I guarantee that you will never have enough fun, see enough and enjoy enough in your lifetime." Zhao Xiaofei said.
"Your place is just a cozy nest. If you stay there for too long, your willpower will be worn away." Princess Kunxing was not interested in modern society. Perhaps she was used to it, or perhaps she simply disdained to go there. It could be a refuge, but it wasn't a long-term solution.
"Then what do you want to do?" Zhao Xiaofei asked.
"I wanted to create a peaceful and prosperous era for the Ming Dynasty. I used to be a little girl. I just wanted to marry someone I loved and raise children for the rest of my life. But after experiencing so much, I also realized that only when you have the strength, others will not dare to covet you." Princess Kunxing said.
"But I'm afraid that you will focus all your energy on government affairs, and you will have no time to take care of me and my children." Zhao Xiaofei said.
"When I'm not here, you have Zhaoren to accompany you, Li, Kou, and Shen. With so many people accompanying you, it's not enough for you? Do you want me to give an order to the court and let officials all over the world select beauties to bring to Beijing for you?" Kunxing looked at Zhao Xiaofei and asked.
"I...they can't replace you! Even if they are with you, it's not as good as having you by your side! We are a couple who have been through hardships together. I am not the kind of person who forgets the old one when I have a new one!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"Newcomer? What? To be honest, you want to find a newcomer?" Princess Kunxing's focus was indeed different.
Zhao Xiaofei just wanted to slap himself, as he found that his wife was becoming more and more unreasonable.
That night, not only did Zhao Xiaofei fail to persuade Princess Kunxing to give up her power, he also paid a lot of public grain.
In the morning, Zhao Xiaofei went to Li Sihong's place. When Li Sihong saw him holding his waist, she burst into laughter.
"What's wrong? Not only did I fail to convince her tonight, but I even sprained my waist! Hahaha!" Li Sihong said with a smile.
Zhao Xiaofei said dejectedly, "I guess she's been frightened by those ministers. She's afraid they'll mess up the country like they did during the Chongzhen era. She's afraid someone will try to seize the throne from her Zhu family. She's got big ambitions now, a lot of revenge. She wants to create a prosperous era!"
Princess Kunxing clearly distrusted the civil service, but most officials linked to the interest groups had been purged. Those who rose to power were children of humble backgrounds, but these were often limited in their experience. Training new officials would take considerable time.
The court is currently in a period of lack of talent, and she is absolutely reluctant to let go.
"Aren't you afraid that she will become Wu Zetian one day? Then when you meet her, you will have to kowtow to her!" Li Sihong said with a smile.
When Li Sihong said this, Zhao Xiaofei couldn't laugh anymore. Yes! If she continued like this, she would be just like Wu Zetian. He didn't like women like Wu Zetian.
Li Sihong saw the smile on Zhao Xiaofei's face suddenly disappear. She knew that her joke had gone a bit too far, so she immediately stopped laughing and said with her head down, "Husband, I was wrong! I shouldn't have said that to my sister!"
"It's okay! We are all family, there is no need to be so cautious. You are right, I really feel that she might go down that path." Zhao Xiaofei said.
"What should we do then?" Li Sihong asked.
"It's too late to say anything now. We can only tie her down with family affection," said Zhao Xiaofei.
"Will that work? Wu Zetian even dared to kill her own children. Family affection is a luxury for the royal family." Li Sihong said with a dejected look.
"What should we do then?" Zhao Xiaofei asked.
"Why don't you, your husband, join the cabinet? If you join the cabinet, I'm sure you can help her share some of the burden. She can rest assured to leave many things to Ni." Li Sihong said.
"But the Jianlu in the north have not been eliminated yet, and I am already busy with government affairs. How can I have so much energy?" Zhao Xiaofei said.
"It is not necessary for my husband to lead the troops. My eldest brother has been leading troops for a long time now, and he has three generals, Zhou Shuai Wanshan and Fang Xinyu, by his side." Li Sihong said.
"Brother?" Zhao Xiaofei nodded. His brother was actually a better leader than himself. He was a meticulous thinker and a rigorous worker. He was calmer than himself when faced with problems.
"Okay! I'll go talk to my brother!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
At Juyongguan, Zhao Xiaokun oversaw the construction of a new city. All key locations leading to the capital were lined with castles of varying sizes. They resembled medieval European castles, varying in size.
During the last battle of Xi'an, Zhao Xiaokun also asked the Ming army soldiers to dig tunnels. Each castle had a tunnel connected to the outside world. Even if the castle was in danger, soldiers from other castles could provide support through the tunnels.
Several former Ministry of Works officials were now serving sentences. They had surrendered after the arrival of Li Zicheng and the Jianlu. Empress Dowager Zhou nearly had them all killed after entering Beijing, but fortunately, she died early, sparing them all.
Zhao Xiaokun stood on the city gate tower and asked, "Minister Zhang, how long will it take to finish at this speed?"
Minister Zhang was an official under investigation. He immediately bowed respectfully and replied, "Your Excellency, the court has provided such excellent cement, and with so many refugees working, we estimate that 80% of the project will be completed before winter."
"Give priority to building fortifications, and the rest can come later!" said Zhao Xiaokun.
"Yes, Admiral!" everyone answered.
After inspecting the fortifications, Zhao Xiaokun went to the barracks. He met Wu Sangui and Kong Youde. Wu Sangui and his men knelt and saluted Zhao Xiaokun. Wu Sangui said, "Commander-in-Chief, our Guanning Army has completed its repairs. We have now stationed at the various forts as you instructed. Please give us your instructions!"
Zhao Xiaokun put his hands behind his back, nodded, and said, "Very good! Uncle Chang is really good at leading troops!"
"Thank you for the compliment, Admiral!" said Wu Sangui.
"Okay! Get up!" said Zhao Xiaokun.
When Kong Youde saw his son-in-law asking Wu Sangui to stand up, he cursed in his heart: "I am your father-in-law, you should ask me first! I am still kneeling on the ground!"
After Zhao Xiaokun asked about Wu Sangui, he turned to Kong Youde and asked, "Have the artillery and mines been deployed?"
"Alright, alright!" Kong Youde said hurriedly. Then he pointed to the guards behind him and said, "Get the map!"
One of Kong Youde's personal soldiers quickly brought the map over and spread it on the table. Kong Youde stood up and pointed at the map and said, "Admiral, this is the firepower distribution map. This is a minefield. I guarantee that once the Jianlu come, they will never come back!"
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