Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 566 Scientific Examination

In Liaodong, except for some disputes with the Russians, most of the place was very peaceful. The Jurchens made a living by fishing, hunting and animal husbandry, but a small number of people also engaged in farming.

Zhao Yongping was the general governor of Liaodong. The minor conflicts on the border did not tie down Zhao Yongping, and his main focus was on stabilizing Liaodong.

Although Zhao Yongping had been a soldier for many years, he was also a scholar when he was young. In his heart, he still had the highest beliefs in Confucian culture, which was to cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the country and bring peace to the world.

Throughout the dynasties, the Central Plains dynasties have always had an arrogant attitude towards the vassal states and tribes in the corners. But Zhao Yongping was different. He knew that if he wanted to completely stabilize Liaodong, he had to treat everyone equally. Therefore, when Zhao Yongping governed Liaodong, this atmosphere changed drastically.

Zhao Yongping knew very well that only by breaking old habits could he win the hearts of the people. He repeatedly stressed the importance of strict military discipline and prohibiting local disturbances. He also said that in order to govern the outside, one must first govern the inside.

In order to understand the customs and habits of the Jurchen tribes, Zhao Yongping sent envoys to each tribe, both to build relationships and to teach them how to farm and read, and even to encourage them to take the imperial examinations or join the army in the future. As long as they made military achievements, they could gain wealth and honor. Everything was based on talent.

When there are disputes in the tribe, Zhao Yongping will also mediate. Maybe there are still some unfairness, but Zhao Yongping will still try his best to maintain fairness.

Under the power of time, the appearance and customs of the Jurchen tribes were changed bit by bit. Zhao Yongping believed that if this continued, Liaodong would be well governed in twenty years.

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In the fifth year of Zhaowu, at the beginning of March, the capital city was full of green willows and red peaches, and the whole city was full of vitality.

This year, countless students who have studied hard, gathered here from all over the country with infinite longing, hoping to become famous overnight and known all over the world.

The capital city was already densely populated, and students from all over the country flocked there. The restaurants and dormitories near the examination halls, in particular, were already overcrowded.

These students all stood out in the provincial examinations. They came either by car or on foot. Those from wealthy families would also have bookboys and servants.

In recent years, people have been appointed as officials through the imperial examinations. Unlike the previous Ming Dynasty, the Qian Dynasty has included officials from all over the country in the ranks of promotion, and most of those who pass the examinations are minor local officials.

At the beginning, Zhao Yongping wrote a memorial saying that governing officials is not as good as governing clerks, and that the harm caused by clerks is worse than preventing floods. Meng Jun agreed with this and therefore established a system that "chief officials should have various posts to be familiar with civil affairs."

In the third year of Zhaowu, Meng Jun issued another decree: "All those who serve as key officials in the central government must experience local training before they are allowed to advance."

However, when Meng Jun established this system, many students had many discussions about it. In particular, students in the Jiangnan area were deeply dissatisfied with the fact that they could only become officials after passing the exam.

Because of the new system of the imperial court, the starting points of Juren and Jinshi were the same. The only difference was in the speed of promotion and the upper limit.

In particular, some students went north to take the exam but failed. After returning, they were full of complaints, saying that the northern scholars were vulgar and uncultured, and their articles were different from the sayings of sages, but they were favored by the examiners.

Some people secretly satirized the emperor, saying that although he was born in Jiangnan, he was an illiterate person. In his early years, he was a Qianzong of the Qing court, an official position he bought with money. Therefore, the emperor was not familiar with the books of sages, and it was no wonder that the people he chose were all of the same kind, with the same bad taste.

Therefore, in the Jiangnan area, some people secretly formed a society and agreed to refuse to serve in the Qian Dynasty. They would only serve after the imperial court changed its policies and benefit the people of the world.

These people held out for an entire year of imperial examinations without taking them, but their number was too small, and for a huge country like the Qian Dynasty, it didn't cause any waves at all. So, although these people still expressed their unwillingness to take official positions in the imperial examination in the fifth year of Zhaowu, when the time really came, some of them secretly went to the capital to take the imperial examinations, even if they started as clerks, after all, clerks were now promoted to officials.

The chief official of the imperial examination this time was Gu Yanwu, and there were five deputy chief officials: Xiong Ruolin, Lu Zhenfei, Chen Zilong, Wu Tai and Shen Congwen.

After the imperial examination questions were announced, the chief and deputy examiners could no longer leave the palace. They could only leave after the grading of the papers was completed and the list of examiners was announced. They were accompanied by bodyguards when eating, drinking, defecating and urinating.

In March, the spring rain continues.

Gu Yanwu stood under the eaves, looking at the misty sky, his mind drifting away. At this moment, Xiong Ruolin beside him coughed lightly.

Gu Yanwu heard the voice, stopped looking at Yu, turned around, and asked with a smile: "Master Xiong, are you feeling unwell?"

"Haha, that's fine. As the chief examiner, Lord Gu, do you have any thoughts on the questions His Majesty has set this time?"

Gu Yanwu smiled and said, "Your Majesty's topic, 'Defining the Border', is very clear at a glance. How could Scholar Xiong not see it?"

Xiong Ruolin shook his head and said, "To be honest with you, Master Gu, I am indeed a little confused. Looking at the question, how can we stabilize the border? It is to appease the vassal states. But now the court has repeatedly deployed troops to the border areas. It is not contradictory to deploy troops and seek to stabilize the border at the same time?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yanwu said calmly: "Your Majesty has a far-reaching intention. Dingbian, as Xiong Xueshi said, means to stabilize the border."

Seeing that Gu Yanwu was talking about something else, Xiong Ruolin stopped asking and changed the subject, asking: "Mr. Gu, in your opinion, if you don't read the books of sages, can you govern the country?"

Gu Yanwu replied casually: "Of course you can! In the past, before Confucianism flourished, the Qin Dynasty ruled the world with laws, and the early Han Dynasty worshipped Huang-Lao, so why can't they govern the world?"

"The Qin laws were so harsh that the second emperor died. Sir Gu, it's not appropriate to use this analogy!"

Gu Yanwu laughed and said, "Indeed, people all read books of sages, and they can indeed stabilize people's hearts. As the saying goes, if there is no courtesy and no rules, the world will be in chaos and killing will never stop. But can we achieve peace in the world just by relying on books of sages? The former Ming Dynasty ruled the country with Confucianism and controlled the military with culture, but what did they get in the end?"

After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, many scholars actually reflected on the reason why this huge empire was defeated by the Jiannu in Liaodong.

Xiong Rulin sighed and said, "If all the men in the world farmed and the women wove, working from sunrise to sunset and resting from sunset to sunrise, the world would be forever peaceful, and there would be no such thing as so many troubles. Alas!"

Hearing this, Gu Yanwu asked curiously, "If your children and grandchildren were allowed to cultivate the land for generations, would you be willing?"

Xiong Rulin was stunned for a long time before he sighed and replied, "Yes, I don't want to either. People are always greedy, what can I do?"