Increase the Imperial Guard? What a joke! Just the mess of the Imperial Guard in the capital, adding one more is just an extra burden. Zhao Xi doesn't want to go south and kill all the way...

  "Your Highness, the bandits have now broken through several provinces, and with the surrendered soldiers and fleeing refugees, their numbers have reached tens of thousands. Two thousand imperial guards against tens of thousands... as the saying goes, 'two fists cannot contend with four hands.' If more troops are not dispatched, Your Highness will be unable to proceed south."

  "The Crown Prince goes to war, a body worth ten thousand pieces of gold rushes to the front line. If the court cannot send more troops, I think Your Highness should reconsider. Do not disturb the borders, do not disturb the capital, and do not let the petty thieves on the border disturb yourself."

  "Your Highness's presence will inevitably lead to Di Han's deployment of troops to protect Your Highness's safety. It is still unknown whether the Guangnan army can be used, and the Western army has 20,000 soldiers. If troops are deployed to protect Your Highness, it will inevitably reduce the number of combatants, which will not benefit the war in Guangnan. I hope Your Highness will think thrice."

  ……

  It seems that Wen Yanbo has found a way to persuade Zhao Xie, and the entire court is now speaking in unison, all starting to exert their strength.

  Seeing this situation, Zhao Zhen also felt at ease. Xi Er would not ignore the overall situation and act unilaterally. After all, the northwest defense and the capital's Forbidden Army were immovable, which was what the courtiers had said, and Xi Er also agreed with it.

  So, according to what the courtiers are saying now, Xi'er doesn't have to take risks anymore... This isn't about sparing lives in the imperial family, it's just that circumstances don't permit it.

  Xi'er had ideas and words for governing the court, generals, and people of the country, which was also a motivation and a whip.

  Yes, it's good this way.

  Even the officials did not dare to speak out. At this time, the entire court had formed a one-sided situation, with almost everyone opposing the crown prince's expedition... The Crown Prince was not that kind of person who would dare to defy heaven and earth.

  "Your Majesty, gentlemen, ministers, it's not that I'm being arrogant, but what's meant by sending more troops is that even if it were possible to send more now, I wouldn't want the court to do so this time I go out to battle."

  "It is not the quantity of troops that matters, but their quality. When bandits rise up, at first there were over 5,000 of them, and in every city they passed through, the soldiers and generals would immediately flee. Is it because the number of garrisoned soldiers and generals on the southwestern border of our dynasty is small? No, it's just that the soldiers and generals are not as good as others."

  "It is well-known that the Eastern Palace Guards are selected through a similar process as the Wuju martial arts selection, although it's not possible to rashly conclude that one can defeat ten, two thousand guards can be compared to five armies or even the Imperial City Forbidden Army, and this can be considered a fixed principle."

  This time in the southern expedition, Zhao Xi has made up his mind. Originally always low-key and reserved, but for the sake of the future, Zhao Xi can no longer hold back.

  Soldiers who have never been on the battlefield and have never seen blood can never become real soldiers.

  The Imperial Guard originally intended to cultivate Zhao Xi as a seedling, but he was unexpectedly forgotten or put on hold by the imperial court.

  So many years have passed, and he has never even moved a single soldier from the Imperial Guard, let alone gone to the Western Army or Hebei for training. This is contrary to Zhao Xi's original intention.

  He had originally wanted to wait until he could take charge and then expand the model of the Imperial Guard.

  But he also knew that training and actual combat were two different things... Now, with great difficulty, there was a soft persimmon, such a good opportunity, if he didn't take the guards out, when he really faced the northwest, his treasures would be damaged.

  So he simply made a big show of it.

  This rumor, if it gets out, will be most unwelcome to Shi Kuoji of the Shi family... He is currently a high-ranking official in the Imperial Guard of the capital and the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army.

  This is Zhao Xi's first clear statement... The so-called Imperial Guard of the capital is nothing but a waste.

  "Your Highness, these words are wrong. Although the Imperial Guard in the capital has not experienced war for many years, they have never been lax. With 25,000 troops on one side... even if the Imperial Guards can fight alone and win against multiple opponents, the battlefield is not just about brute force."

  Shi Kuo couldn't say that he could easily wipe out the Guards Regiment.

  His family also had sons and nephews who were initially interested in joining the Imperial Guard, but they didn't even pass the initial selection at Kaifeng Prefecture.

  Cao's Cao Lin and Gao's Gao Jingxian, he knew that they could indeed take on three with one. But if you say that his 25,000-strong Imperial Guard would lose to the Upper Guard Camp of 2,000, he still wouldn't believe it. Even if people were stacked on top of each other and squeezed together, he felt that he could still squeeze out the Upper Guard Camp.

  "Your Highness, don't speak rashly! Shi Zhui's words are extremely reasonable. The battlefield is not just about brute force, it's about the overall situation."

  Pang Ji immediately stopped Zhao Xi's words. For so many years, the gentle crown prince suddenly became so reckless today?

  "Sir, Shi Zhonggui has been ordered to lead the troops into the capital. The Western Army is gathering and it will take some time. During this interval, the Imperial Guard and the Capital Garrison can conduct a drill."

  "In the capital, the Imperial Guard and the Guards Brigade will hold a drill competition in a mountainous area to simulate the terrain of Guangdong. If the Guards Brigade loses, I will never mention the southern expedition again."

  It's a mule, it's a horse, pull it out and let it run.

  As for the quality of the Imperial Guard, who in the entire imperial court does not know? Only the old emperor is unclear, and seeing those relatively young soldiers in front of the palace, he thinks that the several hundred thousand Imperial Guards in the capital can still be called the Imperial Guard.

  In fact, it's probably worse than the rotten and corrupt army of the past.

  The training of the Imperial Guard had almost wandered through all the garrison locations in Beijing, and basically they could come and go as they pleased.

  "Is Your Highness telling the truth?"

  Shi Keji had not yet spoken up when Wen Yubo suddenly became energetic.

  Also, as a civil minister who knows military affairs and is also the imperial envoy, he naturally has a stance to shout for the capital's forbidden army.

  In those days, it was the sheer number of people that killed Wang Zhen, surrounding him to death in Bei State. So, I thought that with just one wing of the Imperial Guard, we could surround and kill the Eastern Palace's Imperial Bodyguards...

  "Really!"

  Got it! Zhao Zhen looked at this... didn't want his son to be disappointed, but also wanted to use this to cut off Xier's idea of going on a distant expedition. It was quite a dilemma. However, this matter, is probably set in stone now.

  "How to practice?"

  "Wen Gong, the mountainous area of Xiyue in Jingxi is similar to Guangnan West Road. I led the Imperial Guard into the mountains, and the court sent a group of imperial guards to surround us."

  "All the soldiers' weapons were made of wooden sticks, dyed with colorants. Anyone whose body was stained with colorant would be considered wounded and could no longer enter the battlefield. The judges were from the Imperial Censorate, the Imperial City Guard, and the students of the Imperial Academy."

  "Two days later, the Imperial Guard will enter the mountain. After half a day, the Forbidden Army can search and attack. The third day is the limit. Whoever suffers more than 30% casualties loses. If the Imperial Guard approaches within an arrow's distance of me, they lose. If the Forbidden Army suffers more than half casualties, they lose. If after three days neither side has reached a decisive victory or defeat, calculate the casualties and determine the winner based on the standard."

  "Moreover, this matter arose because of me. The East Palace donated 50,000 guan to the imperial court for the expenses of this exercise, including the military deployment and personnel arrangements for five days."

  Zhao Xi directly blocked all unnecessary chatter with a single goal... entering the exercise.

  Early in the morning, before the court session, an imperial edict arrived from the Empress Dowager, summoning Zhao Xie to Ciming Palace... However, this emperor father also didn't stay behind and followed Zhao Xie hastily to Ciming Palace.

  These family matters, husbands just exchange a knowing smile and don't get involved.

  "Mr. Wen, are you still preparing for...that exercise?"

  Shi Keji saw his wife preparing for childbirth and felt that he shouldn't have to rush to Xiangyang anymore. However, he still had to ask his master.

  Feng Yanbo looked at him coldly...

  "Can the Japanese army arrive at Gongying in two days?"

  Li didn't even bother to make sense of the stone, Wen Yanbo hadn't prepared to flatter the Japanese army at all, and even the Crown Prince hadn't mentioned flattering the Japanese army... It turned out that it was purely self-inflicted?

  Shi Keji is very happy, doesn't have to work hard, and doesn't have to lose face, how great!