From the northern campaign until the emperor formally took command, the great army had been losing all along. This included renowned veteran noble generals such as Zhu Yong, Wu Kezhong, Jing Yuan, and Xue Shou; Zhu Yong and Song Ying had even died in battle outright.
This made the emperor question the capabilities of the Ming Dynasty's military commanders, while his dissatisfaction with the Duke of England, who had opposed him all along, reached its peak.
Wang Zhen was likewise dissatisfied with the Duke of England.
When no one else was around, Wang Zhen quietly said to the emperor, "The Duke of England is naturally a hero, but heroes grow old, and he is far too conservative in his dealings. The entire army admires him, and every commander regards him as the foremost man in the army. Since we set out, the civil and military officials have mostly listened to him, opposing His Majesty at every turn—but which battle did they ever win?"
The little emperor had forgotten that although the Duke of England had constantly offered suggestions, actual command had been in Wang Zhen's hands. Not once had the great army truly followed the Duke of England's advice.
At this moment, his mind was filled with the Duke of England's repeated, furious objections.
Wang Zhen was different. He directed the great army in secret, or dropped hints here and there, letting the emperor follow his train of thought and issue the orders himself.
He neither argued nor made a fuss, but worked quietly. When they lost, he acted as though nothing had happened; when they won, he flattered the emperor.
Looking back now, the emperor's head was filled with the chattering voices of the Duke of England, Cao Nai, and the others, along with the daily reports of defeat