"Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"

Facing the ministers prostrating themselves on the ground, Zhu Youxiao said with a warm expression, "My lords, please stand up!"

"Now is a time of great turmoil. The Eastern Tartars are rampant, and the local chieftains are in rebellion. However, this is also the time for you to fight on the battlefield and achieve great things." Zhu Youxiao's voice echoed in the hall. "I hope you will be loyal and brave, serve the country, and share my worries."

"We, the ministers, respectfully listen to the Holy Spirit's teachings and will faithfully follow His Majesty's instructions." The officials from the Ministry of Rites took the lead, and the military scholars echoed in unison.

Zhu Youxiao nodded with a smile, looking very pleased, and said: "The palace examination policy essays are set by me, and they test the talents of all the ministers."

After saying that, Zhu Youxiao nodded to the chief examiner Sun Chengzong.

Sun Chengzong immediately bowed, stepped forward to read the imperial edict, and announced the topic of the palace examination.

After the announcement, everyone took their seats. It was similar to the previous palace examination, with the only difference being the nameplates on the desks.

This was a change specially ordered by Zhu Youxiao. He didn't know any of these military scholars, so although he might not be able to remember them all with this arrangement, he could at least have an impression of them.

The emperor's gaze slowly scanned the area and stopped at Wu Xiang. His expression remained unchanged, but his heart was restless. Was this Wu Sangui's father?

After a pause, the emperor seemed to have figured it out, and then he looked away, searching for another military scholar. He didn't do so because he knew of any glorious deeds this military scholar had done, but because he thought his name was a good one.

That’s right, it’s Qi Shiguang. He only has one character different from Grandpa Qi, but he has nothing to do with Grandpa Qi.

He looked tall and mighty, and had answered the examination papers well. However, Zhu Youxiao frowned slightly. Was that a birthmark on this guy's face, or had he been beaten?

Blinking his eyes, Zhu Youxiao suppressed his doubts and looked at the other military scholars.

Xu Hongyu, just one character different from Xu Huaiyu, but there's a difference between men and women. Zhu Youxiao's gaze froze again. Panda eyes? Is this a non-mainstream makeup, or was it caused by a punch?

The emperor looked around and found that several of the military scholars had some injuries. There was no fighting event, so what happened to these guys?

The bruised and battered martial arts champion rides a horse and boasts about the streets, okay?

Zhu Youxiao stroked his forehead, feeling a little conflicted.

…………………………Dividing line…………………………

The autumn wind blows, leaves fall all over the ground, and the bleakness of autumn in the north makes people feel desolate.

Nurhaci let his horse run free, as if he was admiring the scenery, or as if he was in a trance.

Abandon Manpu, Changcheng, and Lushun Fort. Although the Ming army did not occupy them, the Later Jin did not have that many troops and could not defend the forts that were too remote.

Of course, it is possible to temporarily divide the troops. The Ming army adopted a defensive stance and did not have the ability to launch an offensive in a short period of time.

But what was the point of doing so? They were just a few forts, and garrisoning them couldn't form a tight defense line to stop the enemy's attacks.

Alas, the Ming army's strategic retreat was a brilliant move, leaving our army with no way to attack. If we can't break the deadlock, and the confrontation continues like this, it will be enough to bring down the Jin army!

The old slave flicked his whip lightly, feeling a little irritated.

Breaking the deadlock was no easy task. With Xiong Manzi in Liaoxi, their city must be strong and have deep moats, making it even harder to attack than Guangning City.

The Dongjiang Army, which was distributed on the islands, was a cunning opponent that was difficult to capture and even more difficult to eliminate for the Later Jin Army, which lacked ships and sailors.

And the Mongolian tribes that are colluding with the Ming Dynasty are just waiting for the Later Jin Dynasty to weaken so that they can pounce and bite them?

Thinking of these enemies and the strategic situation of the Later Jin, Nurhaci hesitated and began to waver about the originally planned winter offensive.

Although supplies were scarce, it was still possible to persevere and wait for changes favorable to the Later Jin.

Starving to death?! This was of course inevitable. But the people who died of starvation were also Liao people, Han people, and this old slave had no mercy at all.

But doing so is equivalent to leaving everything to fate and handing the initiative to the opponent.

You want to wait for your opponent to make a mistake, giving you an opportunity to attack. But you can't be sure whether your opponent will become stronger. Patience and waiting are just waiting for death.

Thinking of the changes in the Ming army's tactics in the Battle of Port Arthur and the loss of the Bordered Blue Banner, the old slave put aside his hesitation and felt that launching an attack in winter would be more correct.

This kind of indecision has been repeated several times in the old slave's mind in recent times.

The sound of hurried horse hooves approached from afar, then stopped not far behind him. The old slave didn't even turn his head. If there was any urgent military information, someone would come forward to report it.

Not long after, with the sound of horses' hooves, the great prince Daishan urged his horse to gallop closer.

Stopping his horse a few meters behind the old slave, Daishan bowed and reported: "Father Khan, a Ming army of about 2,000 men landed by boat and occupied Lushun Fort."

Is there another one?

Nurhaci pondered for a while, then said in a deep voice: "Our army will not move for the time being, and will continue to inquire about the situation of the Ming army."

"I will follow the Khan's orders." Daishan said nothing more and left.

Lushun, Jinzhou, and perhaps Fuzhou. This place surrounded by the sea on three sides is really a headache!

Especially for Port Arthur, if troops were sent to attack, the enemy might escape by boat; or they might hold on to Port Arthur, but use the advantage of ships to land at the narrowest part of Nanguan, thus blocking the army attacking Port Arthur.

Two thousand men, most likely out of pity for the abandoned Port Arthur, were conducting a test. If they were to send troops to attack, the Ming army would most likely sail out to sea again, leaving them empty-handed.

Nurhaci felt that the analysis was very clear, and he felt that even if the Ming army occupied Lushun Fort, it would not pose a major threat.

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