This year's exam is really difficult for scholars from all over the world, but it is finally possible to see the moon. The big exam still began, although it was a bit rushed, and it was not in vain that these scholars had to wait for a few years.

In the Song Dynasty, the imperial examination was divided into the scholar department and the system subject. Naturally, there is no need to say much about Jinshike, which is a serious selection of officials. The system is other examinations, such as the Ming Law Course, which is purely for the selection of judicial officers.

Jinshike is naturally the main one, and it is also the main way for these literati to enter the court. When people heard about the imperial examination, they often said Bagu Wen. The Song Dynasty was not like this, the eight-strand style only began in the Ming Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty became more and more strict and conservative.

Song Kao, poems, scriptures, theories, and strategies. The provincial examination, that is, the state examination, is followed by the examination in Beijing, mainly to test poetry, scriptures, and theories. As the name suggests, the meaning of the scriptures is the understanding of the classics, and the theory is to discuss some truths and the like, and it also contains the meaning of debate.

The policy is naturally the policy of the imperial court, and above the palace test, ask more questions.

This method of selecting officials is relatively scientific. It's much more scientific than writing a lengthy and flashy eight-strand essay. It is the selection of civil servants in later generations, and there is also the shadow of the imperial examination.

But there is also a difference, a literati who can write poems and songs well is actually a person who is more emotional. Emotional people often govern the country worse than rational people. Therefore, more and more people are selected in later generations, mainly in science. Including the leaders of the country, they are all from science and engineering. That's the difference.

Emotional people, on the whole, are inferior to rational people in terms of governing the country.

One by one, the literati approached the small examination room, with pen and ink and dry food. Most people are eager to try, and they all have a look of longing and expectation. Looking forward to the moment when the carp jumped over the dragon gate, the cold window was bitter for ten years, and once sat in the court.

Zhou Duwen is naturally among them. One search procedure after another, and even the need to undress for inspection. In this way, you can enter the examination room.

After three days of taking the exam, after taking a few exams, everyone seemed to have collapsed, and when they walked out of the examination room, their steps were vain, their eyes were sunken, and their faces were sallow.

In the examination room, it was already smoky and sour.

Coming out of the gate of the examination room again, everyone stood at the door like a new student, bathed in the sun, and felt comfortable all over.

In just ten days and half a month, outside the Donghua Gate, there is a crowd of people, and the black handwriting on the imperial list represents a turning point in life. There are also people who sing their names and places of origin, congratulate them a few times, and they can also get some rewards.

Zheng Zhi has already begun to plan to enter the grassland, this matter is not as good as before, he will inevitably face the Jurchens on the grassland, and he must be prepared. It is all the more important to prepare for possible conflicts.

The seed master was lying on the map seized from Yanjing, looking at it for a long time, and Wu Yong was also watching it carefully.

Zheng Zhi walked around the map.

Then he heard the seed master suddenly speak: "This time I went out from Guihua Prefecture (Zhangjiakou), that is, Fengshengzhou (Chahar Right Wing Front Banner to the north to the Zhenglan Banner), and I have entered the grassland, and the Jurchens are mostly in the north of the grassland, so I will go all the way to the west and occupy the south of the grassland." So it was up to the Jurchens to talk about it. ”

Wu Yong also continued: "The Jurchens are chasing Yelu Yanxi, and we will occupy more territory, as long as it is a tribe that has not surrendered to the Jurchens, no matter how big or small, they will be collected in their hands." ”

Zheng Zhi nodded, but he was not thinking about these things in his heart, but said, "What if the Jurchens don't want to talk to us?" Is it a fight with one? ”

What Zheng Zhi said is naturally a real problem. No matter how much they occupy, if in the end the Jurchens don't talk about these issues, but directly and forcefully reince up the tribes in the south of the grassland, whether Zheng Zhi has taken over or not, the Jurchens want it. That's the problem.

After all, the grassland is not as good as the Central Plains, not a city and a pond have become territory, and one tribe after another has no fixed place to live. The territory of the steppe lies with the tribes, not the land. Zheng Zhi could not have stationed an army in each tribe to deal with it, and it was also for this reason that the Liao State and the Jin State had a weaker control over the grasslands in history.

If the Jurchens are determined to get the entire grassland, the situation that Zheng Zhi said will definitely happen.

Wu Yong frowned when he heard this, and the seed master also felt embarrassed. The combat power of the Jurchens, the two of them also have a basic concept in their hearts, but they also know that it is not appropriate to easily start a war with the Jurchens. If a war starts, then we must be prepared in all aspects.

I heard Wu Yong speak: "Your Highness, now that I am waiting in Yanyun, Hebei, we still have to avoid being attacked by the enemy on our backs and enter the grassland, so it is better to be more cautious and forbearance." ”

"This is a bad statement, as long as you get out of the pass, there will inevitably be conflicts with the Jurchens, so you should make plans early. In this way, we can also test whether the Jurchens have bad intentions, and if the Jurchens already covet us, we must prepare even earlier. War or not war is not something we can decide unilaterally. The planter said.

When Zheng Zhi heard this, his brows furrowed, and he said, "That's the truth. Cowering will make people look down on it, and it will only make the Jurchens more aggressive, so they must not show weakness. To fight or not to fight, he threw this matter to the Jurchens, if he wants to fight, then he will fight. If they want to be peaceful, then treat them with courtesy. There must be a large piece of territory on the grassland, and it will also leave a backup hand for dealing with nomadic affairs in the future. ”

Zheng Zhi is not only thinking about the current Jurchens, but also about the future of Mongolia. Therefore, the matter of the grassland must not be retreated, and no matter how difficult it is, it must be resisted. If the steppe is lost at this time, when the Mongols rise in the future, Zheng Zhi or Zheng Kai can only sit and watch the Mongols integrate their forces.

If there is a piece of land on the grassland, it is completely different. Whether it's a proxy war or a direct military outright. For the Central Plains, the grasslands must be divided.

Wu Yong heard Zheng Zhi's attitude, so he nodded and said: "Lord Wang, in the land of Yanyun, about 20,000 old Liao people have been recruited, whether they are armed and brought directly into the grassland." These old Liao people are mortal enemies with the Jurchens. It's a good job. ”

Zheng Zhi nodded and said, "Those who can ride are the mainstay, and this time when they enter the grassland, they must all need cavalry." Now that the Western Army has almost arrived in Hedong, after Liu Zhengyan returns, there should be two or three thousand people to vote, and there are also five thousand troops in Cangzhou, plus old soldiers. Even the Han people have more than 10,000 cavalry. There are also more than 4,000 Mi and Xiangli, and another 6,000 strong men from the party are recruited into the army. In this way, the party also has more than 10,000 cavalry. plus the old Liao soldiers gathered more than 10,000 cavalry. In this way, more than 30,000 iron horses rode into the grassland, which is enough. ”

Hearing this, the seed master also nodded again and again, and only said: "The number of 30,000 is quite a lot, even if I heard that the Jurchen cavalry is only this number, and the rest are mostly captive foot soldiers." ”

"Today, the total number of Jurchen troops is only fifty or sixty thousand, of which more than 10,000 are Jurchen cavalry and about 20,000 other cavalry. There were also about 30,000 captives surrendered. But it is not to be underestimated. Yanyun, Hebei, and the north and south checkpoints and cities all have to garrison the army. Especially in the Beidi Pass, most of the Cangzhou iron armor had to be sent to garrison. "Zheng Zhi is already arranging these things.

The army in the early Jurchen period was not large in number, even when the soldiers besieged Tokyo, it was only 30,000 or 40,000 people, and they took the two emperors away. It is also that the Jurchen method of marching and fighting is too simple, the state has not really established a system, and the rule has not really begun to deepen. It is also unlikely that the main army will grow explosively.

When the seed master heard this, he said: "Your Highness still needs to keep a confidant to sit in Hebei, but if there is chaos, heavy troops will be suppressed." ”

Among the planters, they are worried about the backlash of those big scholars, and Zheng Zhi must have entered the grassland this time. If Zheng Zhi leaves, it is inevitable that these families will not have ideas, not to mention that there is also a Tokyo imperial court, which will inevitably spare no effort to disturb Hebei.

"This matter was handed over to Luda and Zhu Wu, and the two of them were stationed in the Daimyo's Mansion again to coerce the entire Hebei." Zheng Zhi obviously also has a plan, as long as Luda is in Hebei, if anyone makes trouble, it will definitely be turned upside down, and there is no other way to use heavy codes in troubled times. There is no room for mercy. Only by subduing coercion can there be kindness. The human heart has been like this since ancient times.

The three of them talked secretly for a few hours. Outside of Qingchi, a team of iron armor and healthy horses began to get busy again.

Wu Yong also set off for Hejian Mansion, and after a while in Hejian Mansion, he was about to go to Yanjing.

In the city of Tokyo, Geng Nanzhong was personally in charge of the imperial examination this year and also personally participated in the marking of the papers. Zhao Huan's first talent selection after ascending the throne naturally paid special attention. Geng Nanzhong's personal participation also began to cultivate the power of party henchmen.

After carefully selecting the test papers one by one, it is also necessary to present Zhao Huan for decision, and then there will also be a palace test, which will be divided into three top and two lists.

A large number of exam papers were sent to Zhao Huan by Geng Nanzhong, and Geng Nanzhong had already read all these test papers, and he also picked out the better part of them and slowly showed them to Zhao Huan.

"Your Majesty, this test paper is particularly outstanding, you see the theory, it is about the law of taxation in the imperial court, there are many summaries of the new law of Wang Xianggong, and there is also an explanation of the old law, and the advantages of the two laws are synthesized, and there is an explanation, although there are many discussions on the policies of the predecessors, but this insight is really extraordinary, and it is already a lot higher than others." Geng Nanzhong said while pointing out a test paper.

Where Zhao Huan saw Geng Nanzhong's finger, there were also marks made by Geng Nanzhong, and there was a circle, which meant that it was remarkable.

Zhao Huan read it a little, and in front of him, he thought it was good, so he asked, "Which scholar's opinion is this?" You can enter the temple to test the countermeasures, and if it is right, you will be named a top three. ”

When Geng Nanzhong heard this, he only felt that he had done a good job and had won the emperor's approval, so he smiled and said: "This person is Tokyo Zhou Duwen, and his father is Zhou Bangyan Zhou Xuezheng. The family history is really profound, how can ordinary people have such insight. ”

Zhao Huan was stunned when he heard this, his brows furrowed for a moment, he slowly flipped through the test papers, turned to the place where he signed in front of his head, picked up a brush on the table, and drew a few strokes on the words "Zhou Ke, Zhou Duwen", and his name was also drawn black.

Geng Nanzhong didn't understand the meaning, and asked, "Your Majesty's move. ”

I only heard Zhao Huan reply: "Everyone else can do it, but you can't take it alone!" In the future, it is not advisable to take big exams. ”

Geng Nanzhong is mostly in the East Palace, and he naturally doesn't know Zhou Duwen, a junior, and he also chose this volume when he was reading the papers, so he heard that he was the son of Zhou Bangyan. As for the matter of Zhou Duwen and Zheng Zhi, Geng Nanzhong is even more unclear.

But Geng Nanzhong didn't ask much, just frowned and put Zhou Duwen's test paper aside, took out another test paper, and then introduced.