The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 141 The Tacit Understanding Between Xu Da and Zhu Xiong Ying

"If it's just about capturing people near Yingtian Prefecture, there's no need to make a big fuss. I've already personally gotten involved. If it's just about capturing them, it wouldn't even be worth an appearance fee!"

"Third Uncle, you can take charge of things around Yingtian Prefecture. As for the other places, I will ask the Duke of Wei. Most of the troops in the nine important border towns in the north are under the command of the Duke of Wei!"

"This scout unit has caused the Duke of Wei a lot of trouble, and this time they will finally pay back the debt with interest!"

After Prince Zhu Gang of Jin left, Zhu Xiong Ying came to the Duke of Wei's mansion again.

Just as they arrived at the gate of the Duke of Wei's mansion, they saw a familiar figure.

"Fourth Uncle, it's been a long time!"

The visitor was none other than Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan.

Prince Yan, Zhu Di, was surprised to see Zhu Xiong Ying here.

"Xiongying, what are you doing here? I heard you're going hunting soon, could it be that you've come to ask Commander Xu for reinforcements!"

Zhu Xiong Ying shook her head and did not say anything about it.

Given Prince Yan Zhu Di's temperament, it's better if he doesn't know about this matter.

"Fourth Uncle, how's your study of military strategy going lately?"

Prince Zhu Di of Yan patted his chest.

"Don't worry, Xiong Ying. Although we haven't studied for very long, with Marshal Xu's abilities, as long as we can learn two or three tenths of it, it will be enough to deal with those Tartars from the north!"

Zhu Xiong Ying said in a low voice.

"It won't be long before Wang Baobao in the north makes a move. At that time, we'll probably still need Marshal Xu to take action. You might even have the chance to go with the army!"

Prince Yan, Zhu Di, scratched his head.

"How do you know all this? It seems like Bei Yuan isn't making any moves lately. Do you perhaps have spies in the north?"

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled but didn't say anything.

The two arrived at the Duke of Wei's mansion together and heard a noisy commotion inside.

Zhu Di was already very familiar with the Duke of Wei's mansion. Several servants carried half a basin of roast goose and ran out of the mansion as if their lives depended on it.

"I guess what happened. Uncle Xu must have stolen some roast goose again, and Miaoyun caught him!"

"Roast, roast goose?"

Zhu Xiong Ying never expected that this matter would cause such chaos in the entire Duke of Wei's mansion.

"Roast goose is considered a 'trigger food' (a food that can exacerbate certain conditions), and Uncle Xu's health isn't good. He developed health problems during his battles, so the doctor forbids him from eating these things. But this is Uncle Xu's only hobby, and he can't give it up, so he can only eat it secretly at home!"

As they talked, the two walked into the main hall and, sure enough, saw Duke Xu Da of Wei looking like a wilted eggplant.

Duke Xu Da of Wei looked at his daughter Xu Miaoyun with a pitiful expression.

"Daughter, I only ate one bite. With this much food, I could go to the battlefield three times over without any problem. What can a little roast goose do to us? Don't worry, I won't eat more than one piece!"

Duke Xu Da of Wei was a pillar of the court, so who would have thought he had this side to him?

Just as Xu Miaoyun was about to reprimand him, she saw Xu Da's expression, his lips pursed outwards.

She turned her head and saw that Zhu Xiong Ying and Zhu Di were already standing there.

The group bowed in greeting.

"Your subject Xu Da pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Prince of Yan!"

Zhu Di hurriedly helped Xu Da up. This man might be his future father-in-law, and he absolutely could not afford to offend him.

"Uncle Xu, please get up. We are all juniors and do not deserve such a grand ceremony, right, Xiong Ying?" Zhu Xiong Ying nodded.

“That is indeed the case. The Duke of Wei is a pillar of the state. In public, one might observe the proper etiquette between ruler and subject, but this is at home. My grandfather and the Duke of Wei are close friends. In a sense, we are all family members, so there is no need for formalities!”

After the group entered the inner room, Xu Miaoyun realized it wasn't appropriate to stay there and turned to leave.

Xu Da breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Xu Miaoyun leave.

Thankfully, these two people arrived; otherwise, this matter might not have been resolved so easily today.

"Your Highness, what brings you to this old minister's residence?"

As for Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, who was standing to the side, Xu Da had deliberately ignored him.

"Since the Duke of Wei has asked, then Xiong Ying will be frank: we have come here today to borrow troops from the Duke of Wei!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Da froze on the spot, then became serious and said in a deep voice.

"I wonder if Your Highness the Crown Prince has the Tiger Tally for mobilizing troops? If not, I'm afraid I cannot obey your command!"

Zhu Xiong Ying shook her head.

"If I had the military mobilization tally, I wouldn't have come to you, Duke of Wei, in person. I only have the military mobilization tally of the Five Armies Commandery, but it can only mobilize two or three thousand men, which is probably not very useful!"

Prince Yan, Zhu Di, was stunned.

What could possibly require so many troops? In this realm of hard talent, being able to mobilize two thousand troops is already the absolute limit, yet Xiong Ying is still not satisfied.

What's the point of having so many troops? Could it be to blockade Yingtian Prefecture and stage a rebellion?

Thinking of this, he quickly banished the dangerous idea from his mind.

If nothing unexpected happens, Zhu Xiong Ying will be the future emperor, so why the rush?

Xu Da waved his hand, directly refusing.

“Your Highness, if it were any other matter, Xu Da would risk his life to accomplish it. But I am afraid I cannot comply with this order. War is a matter of vital importance to the state, a matter of life and death. If anything were to happen, I would not be able to answer to Your Majesty!”

"Duke of Wei, please don't be so quick to refuse. If I tell you the truth, I believe you will change your mind!"

Zhu Xiong Ying then recounted everything that had happened, including what had occurred in the Prince of Qin's residence.

Prince Yan, Zhu Di, paused for a moment and scratched his head.

"Scout Commandery, what is that? I've never heard of it before. Was it established by the Northern Yuan people?"

Xu Da's face began to darken.

"Chief Scout, I didn't expect this thing to still exist. It seems I really underestimated it!"

He then glared angrily at Zhu Xiong Ying.

"You're incredibly bold, kid. How dare you keep such a dangerous thing at home? Do you know how many of your grandfather's or Chen Youliang's generals died at the hands of scouts?"

"You actually kept him at home! If something happens to you, how can this old minister explain it to His Majesty!"

Zhu Xiong Ying said somewhat awkwardly, "I hadn't thought about these things."

"Nothing happened, did it? Besides, I have Yu Huatian, the director of the Western Depot, by my side. Duke Wei knows how capable Old Tian is. The scouts won't be able to affect me!"

Xu Da shook his head.

"You underestimate the strength of the Scouts. This organization has been established for a long time, and the members are all elites from the Kheshig (Imperial Guard). Their methods are all kinds of hard to guard against!"

"Perhaps Lun Daoben, the guard by your side, is indeed quite skilled, but the scouts won't do anything openly; poisoning and drugging are commonplace for them!"

(End of this chapter)