"What is the response to the New Deal on Article 10?" Zhu Youxiao asked.

"In the people, most of the younger generation of students support Your Majesty, and most of those who oppose Your Majesty are Xiucai, and the ministers think that this group of people should be dealt with harshly." Jin Yiwei commanded Luo Yangxing to reply.

"Most of the younger generation of students start from the township school, read to the county school, and then read to the government school, so they are used to this model, this imperial examination reform is beneficial to them, and I cancel the township examination, these talents have no hope for the future, naturally resentful of me, this is all expected by me, I allow them to participate in the government school examination of the state capital, if they can be admitted to the government school, after the school graduates, I allow them to participate in the examination." Zhu Youxiao can still understand such emotions for the imperial Xiucai, and he decided to give this group of Xiucai another way.

"Your Majesty is merciful!"

"What is the reaction of the court?" Zhu Youxiao asked.

"There are not many people who support the new policy, represented by Sun Yuanhua and others, and there are very few people who openly oppose it, represented by Hou Sui and others, but most of the court officials have a neutral attitude towards the new policy, and neither support nor oppose it." Luo Yangxing replied.

"During my reign of 29 years, I have created a grand situation that China has never seen before, and there are only a handful of people who dare to openly oppose me, and their neutral attitude shows that the vast majority of people do not support me in their hearts, but it doesn't matter, every new policy I have experienced such a process, and I believe that the reform of the imperial examination will eventually be accepted by everyone like the other nine new policies."

"The students who came out of the township school, the county school, and the government school have already come to the forefront, and they absolutely support Your Majesty, and the minister believes that in ten years, there will be more and more officials in the court who can understand Your Majesty and support Your Majesty." Chen Si said.

"That's right, ten years of trees, a hundred years of people, I have planted trees for so long, and it is almost time to harvest."

"Your Majesty, there is another matter related to Prince Dongying Liangren." Chen Si said softly.

"Go down, all of you." Zhu Youxiao asked the others to withdraw from the Qianqing Palace.

Everything about Wang Sai'er is a top secret, and only the admiral and emperor of Dongchang have the right to see it. Chen Si had seen the top-secret files of the East Factory and knew about it.

Seeing that the outsiders had already left, Chen Sicai said softly: "Your Majesty, Emperor Gomizuo's middle palace has requested to meet Your Majesty in August this year. "Emperor Gomizuo's middle palace is Wang Sai'er, in Dongying, the emperor can have two wives at the same time, that is, an emperor and two queens, one is called the queen, the other is called the middle palace, and the status of the queen is slightly higher than that of the middle palace.

"Yes, let her come."

"Nakanomiya Niangniang hopes that His Majesty can send a fleet to Kyushu to pick her up from the empire."

Why is that? The naval power of the shogunate was negligible, and the navy of Kyushu was more than capable of escorting her to the empire. ”

"The minister doesn't know, maybe there is something hidden in it."

"Could it be that Zheng Zhilong wants to be treacherous?" Zhu Youxiao asked suspiciously.

In history, Zheng Zhilong was two-faced and three-stabbed, returned to the Ming Dynasty and opposed the Qing Dynasty, and then surrendered to the Qing Dynasty.

"Nakanomiya Niangniang didn't say that, she just strongly hoped that His Majesty would send a fleet to Kyushu."

"When the time comes, let the entire East China Sea Navy set off and go to Dongying to meet her." Zhu Youxiao thought about it and said.

"The minister immediately sent someone to pass on this news to the middle palace mother."

"In addition, the additional manpower in Dongying, especially the army in Kyushu is formed with retired soldiers of the empire as the main body, Dongchang can develop the power of Dongchang in it, if Zheng Zhilong dares to be treacherous, I will not let him have a good end." Zhu Youxiao said coldly.

"No."

……

In March, Zheng Zhilong again sent troops to attack the shogunate. Compared with the shogunate, the army in Kyushu was weaker than the shogunate, if it was only defensive, Zheng Zhilong was still more than enough, if it was an attack, Zheng Zhilong felt that he had more than enough strength and was insufficient, in terms of troops, he was able to mobilize less than 80,000 troops in order to defeat the shogunate, while the shogunate was able to mobilize more than 200,000 troops. The combat power of the shogunate army at this time was much stronger than that of the army at the end of the shogunate.

Due to the strength of Zheng Zhilong, his goal is to control the entire Chugoku region of Honshu Island (Sanyo Province and Yama** area in the western part of Honshu Island, Japan). The reason why Zheng Zhilong wanted to launch the second campaign against the shogunate was that he wanted to give an explanation to Wang Sai'er, who was bent on helping Liangren to the position of emperor, and second, he wanted to continue to encroach on the shogunate's power.

Faced with the elusive navy of the Kyushu army, the shogunate hoarded the army mainly in the area. After Mitsumasa Ikeda joined Kyushu, most of the daimyo in the Chugoku region were in a period of vacillation. Zheng Zhilong's army sent troops to the Chinese region, but did not encounter much resistance, and before the shogunate could react, the army of Kyushu had completely controlled the Sanyo Province and Yama** region in the western part of Honshu Island.

In early April, Kyushu's 80,000-strong army led by Zheng Zhihu attacked Himeji Castle. Himeji Castle, also known as White Egret Castle and later known as "Japan's No. 1 Castle", was an important checkpoint into, and it was at Himeji Castle that the shogunate stationed 30,000 troops. And the Himeji domain was a pro-domain, and the lord of the domain was Matsudaira Naoki.

Himeji Castle is a difficult bone to gnaw, and the 80,000 troops of Kyushu have been gnawing under Himeji Castle for five days, and even Himeji Castle's Nishimaru has not yet been taken.

"I just received a report from the spies, and in three days, 70,000 reinforcements from Edo will reach the vicinity of Himeyama." Wang Ying said in detail.

"An army of 70,000 will encounter our army within three days, and Himeji Castle may not be able to take it even if it takes another ten days, I wonder what you can do?" Zheng Zhihu asked.

"General, Himeji Castle is not in our army's plan this time, even if our army retreats, the prince will definitely not blame." Hong Xu suggested.

"I also suggest a temporary retreat, Himeji Castle is strong and deep, there are a large number of artillery, the 30,000 troops in the city are all equipped with firearms, it is said that the proportion of flintlock pistol equipment is more than fifty percent, it is the most elite army of the shogunate, and Himeji Castle was not in our army's plan in the first place, at this moment the reinforcements of Himeji Castle are only three days away from our army, our army should decide as soon as possible, late, I am afraid that the army will fall into the situation of being attacked on the back." Wang Yingshen suggested.

"I hope the general will decide as soon as possible!" The crowd pleaded together.

"Our army has been storming Himeji Castle for five days, and the consumption is huge, so I am really unwilling to withdraw like this!" Zheng Zhihu said unwillingly.

"Adult ......"

"Order the whole army to retreat early tomorrow morning."

(End of chapter)