Compared with the silence of the military reform, the sensation caused by the first imperial examination of the Great Jin Dynasty is definitely beyond anyone's imagination. All of a sudden, the imperial examination with the characteristics of "free registration, regardless of origin, only based on talent" swept through the entire land of the Jin Dynasty like a spring breeze, making the children of the common people of the world rejoice.

They all packed their bags and called friends to come to Luoyang together. One of them, a middle-aged man of about 40, was overjoyed when he heard the news of the imperial examination. This person is the talented Tao Kan from Jiangdong. Tao Kan has been living in Luoyang for many years at this time, he arrived in Luoyang in the sixth year of Yuankang, and it has been three years since this year.

However, he came from a poor family, and he came from Jiangdong, which was rejected by the northern family, which made it impossible for him to integrate into the Luoyang magnates. When he first arrived in Luoyang, he relied on his cheekiness to get the recommendation of Zhang Hua, the waiter, and was able to be awarded Langzhong.

Lang Zhong is qualified to be selected for various official positions, but a poor person like Tao Kan can't squeeze into those prominent official positions at all. In the end, the imperial court "took Kan Han officials and called them as people." "It is estimated that it is equivalent to the position of a clerk in the current agency, responsible for handling some simple documents.

Although Tao Kan got an official position, his background and appearance were different from those of the Han people (Tao Kan's appearance was different from that of the Han people, so he was once scolded as a "brook dog", and the history books also said that he was "vulgar and strange". It can be seen that he is an ethnic minority. ), still despised by Luoyang's dignitaries.

Once, he and Yang Yan, the lieutenant commander of Yuzhang Guolang in the same state, went to see Gu Rong, a native of Zhongshulang. On the way, he met the official Lang Wenya. Wen Ya asked Yang Yan: "Why do you carry it with the villain?" ”

Mingshi Le Guang wanted to meet Jing Yangshi people, and someone recommended Tao Kan, but he was also criticized. Tao Kan stayed in Luoyang for two or three years, but his future was still very bleak. During this period, the court civil strife in the Western Jin Dynasty intensified.

In 299 AD, in the ninth year of Yuankang, the crown prince Sima Shu designed to kill King Zhao and Empress Jia, and became the de facto ruler of the Jin Dynasty, and his momentum soared for a while. However, those who were as intelligent as Tao Kan had already sensed that the turmoil of the Jin Dynasty would soon develop from inside the court to outside the court.

In the future, the inside and outside of Luoyang, Kyoto, may become a place of conflict and contention between the king's army and the crown prince. In this case, the Jiangdong scholars living in Luoyang returned home one after another to avoid chaos. At this time, Tao Kan had already realized that under this kind of gate politics in Luoyang, it was difficult for him to get ahead.

And because of the influence of the atmosphere of the Jiangdong Shi clan returning to their hometowns one after another, he was also ready to go south. After being recommended by a friend, he had to be appointed as the commander of Wugang County. Wugang is a county in the southern part of Jingzhou. Just when Tao Kan packed up and was about to go on the road, the imperial examination system launched by the prince suddenly attracted his attention.

At this time, Tao Kan was in his forties. He remembered that he had struggled for many years, but he only ended up in the position of being the county magistrate in a small county far away from the political center, and his feelings can be imagined.

Therefore, when the crown prince proposed that talents should be selected only on the basis of merit, regardless of their background, he was moved. Tao Kan believes that he is talented, and he feels that he should go to a bigger stage to display his talents. Just like Zu Ti, Zhang Bin, Li Te and others, if they are favored by the prince, they will not have the opportunity to show their talents.

In the end, Tao Kan refused the position of county order and was ready to stay and participate in the imperial examination held by the imperial court!

In April of the ninth year of Yuankang, when the spring flowers were blooming, the first imperial examination proposed by the prince was officially opened, and the topics were all selected by Sima Shu himself, focusing on the actual talents of everyone. And because there are no textbooks and no experience, everything can only be carried out according to Sima Shu's conjecture.

Therefore, the first imperial examination of the Jin Dynasty basically adopted the form of policy theory, which was divided into two sessions, the first of which was mainly to test various classics such as Confucianism and Taoism, which was used to distinguish scholars from ordinary people. Because the imperial examination system was too attractive, and Sima Shu deliberately ordered that there should be no restrictions on identity and background when registering, many traders, craftsmen, and frustrated soldiers wanted to participate to try their luck.

As a result, Sima Shu had to pass a preliminary examination to screen out some of them. However, the initial exam is relatively simple, as long as you read the book carefully for a few years, you can pass. Tao Kan also successfully passed the preliminary examination, and then he will take the re-examination, and the questions in this part are more difficult, all of which are strategic topics.

Tao Kan got the title and looked at it, and frowned, it was not that the prince's question stumped him, but that he saw Sima Shu and the ambition to reform the maladministration of the imperial court. Because the first topic is: "The Theory of the Founding of the Two Han Dynasty and Cao Wei", which directly points to the disadvantages of employing people in the imperial court.

Tao Kan himself was deeply poisoned by the Jiupin Zhongzheng system, so this topic was very much to his appetite, and he saw that after a little thought, he wrote like a god.

When Sima Shu walked in, all the scholars were writing hard. He took a closer look, and one of the strange-looking middle-aged men caught his eye. Because this person not only has a peculiar appearance, but also has an extraordinary temperament, he is not a simple guy at first glance.

The invigilator Zhang Hua saw that the prince was staring at Tao Kan all the time, thinking that the prince disliked Tao Kan's appearance like others, so he whispered in his ear: "Your Royal Highness, this person's surname is Tao Mingkan, a native of Poyang, Jiangdong, who was originally awarded by the imperial court, but he refused to go to the post and resolutely asked to participate in the imperial examination. In addition, there are more than 100 Langzhong and small officials like him, most of whom are from poor families. These people have spent most of their lives in the capital, and if they are lucky, they can only be awarded the county government officials, and more people can only live dependent on the powerful for the rest of their lives. ”

"Alas! The big family controls the way to get in, how can those poor children have a chance to get ahead? ”

Sima Shu was talking to Zhang Hua while staring at Tao Kan with a bright face. This guy is definitely a great talent, to put it mildly, if there was no Tao Kan in the early years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Eastern Jin Dynasty might not be able to make trouble.

Historically, Tao Kan was born in poverty, first as a county official, and later as a county guard. In the fifth year of Yongjia (311), he served as the Taishou of Wuchang. In the first year of Jianxing (313), he served as the assassin of Jingzhou. The official to the servant, the Taiwei, the Jingjiang two states of the assassin history, the governor of the eight states of the military, the title of Changsha County Duke.

He spent his life fighting in the east and west, and made great achievements in order to stabilize the Eastern Jin Dynasty regime; Jingzhou under his rule is known as "the road is not left behind". He is also diligent in his duties, and does not like to drink and gamble, so he is praised. Xianhe died in the seventh year (334), posthumously presented the Great Sima, nicknamed Huan.

How could Sima Shu, who is familiar with the history of the Jin Dynasty, not know Tao Kan, this guy is definitely an all-rounder. He himself is proficient in internal affairs, diligent in his duties, more important than practical matters, and meticulous in his overall management, Xie An once praised: "Although Tao Gong uses the law, he always has extralegal intentions." ”

More importantly, Tao Kan is also a commander-in-chief, an absolute military wizard, in the early years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in history, Jiangnan was not stable, there were rebellions everywhere, it was he who stabilized Jiangzuo, and even broke Zhang Chang, Chen Min, Du Tao, Su Jun, Guo Mo and other thieves, in the army for 41 years, and his prestige was far away.

He is pragmatic and prudent, wise and decisive, and is praised: "Tao Gongji's gods are like Wei Wu, loyal and diligent are like Kong Ming, and Lu Kang is beyond the reach of others." ”

And this person is one of the few heroes in history who has been able to die well, at the age of seventy-five, and was promoted to the title of Great Sima by the imperial court after his death. Tao Kan can rise from the cold door, and there must be no lack of scheming and drilling; After holding a strong army, people at the time suspected that he had the ambition to peep, but Tao Kan was able to "hold the distinction of foot, not with the power of the court", which shows Zhiming.

He did this better than Wang Dun! Even later, didn't Huan Wen also coerce the imperial court after making great achievements?

"His Royal Highness can open the way of the imperial examination and provide a step for the children of the poor to enter the body, and he will definitely be able to win the hearts of the poor scholars in the world!" Zhang Hua couldn't help but feel admiration for the prince's imperial examination system! Although the first imperial examination was carried out in a bit of a hurry, some scholars in remote areas did not receive any news at all.

But just in the surrounding area of Luoyang, there are more than 1,000 people participating in the scientific examination, and in the end only more than 300 people participated in the re-examination, as for how many people can be admitted in the end, I am afraid it will not be more than half, this is still the prince in order to prevent the family from drawing salaries and specially reserved talents, otherwise so many people will never be admitted.

"Are all the people here from poor families?" Sima Shu saw that most of the people present were old-dressed children, and couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, Your Highness, as far as the minister knows, among the more than 300 people, more than half of them are from the Xincheng area, the remaining two-thirds are from poor families around the capital, and less than a dozen people are from high-ranking families. And these people are also the sons and grandsons of the family who do not pay attention. ”

"Hehe, isn't that better? Lone didn't plan to admit those children of the family, they didn't come, and Lone saved some energy. Sooner or later, there will be a day when they regret it! Taifu, you have to select these talents well, select some really talented people, and don't be alone for those who advocate clean talk. Lone only values the pragmatic side of the other party. ”

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, the minister will do as His Highness instructs!"

"Well, the selection of candidates for the imperial examination is related to the rise and fall of the country, and it is not allowed to be sloppy at all, and this matter is left to Taifu to do, and Lone will rest assured!" In the end, Sima Shu encouraged Zhang Hua a few words, and then left the examination room, after all, he was very busy now, and it was impossible to keep invigilating the exam.

Now that the situation in the capital has calmed down on the surface, in fact, both sides of the crown prince and the family are just making final plans, and once the time is ripe, more fierce conflicts will definitely break out between the two sides. Therefore, Sima Shu did not dare to relax at all, and he concentrated the army in his own hands through military reform.

After eradicating Jiahou's party, he tried to appease the family that was about to move, and bought time for his own troops; On the one hand, it weakens the influence of the family in the capital. The family is not easy to mess with, how can Sima Shu not know, but there is a fundamental conflict of interest between him and the family, and the possibility of a compromise between the two sides is too small.

Now the imperial examination has just been held, and it is only used as a means for the imperial court to select talents. If he combines the imperial examination with the education system, I am afraid that the world will really rebel. Why? Because the prince's move is clearly to grab power in the hands of the Chong family.

What does the family rely on to influence the government and politics, isn't it just the agents of the family who enter the court in batches? If the imperial examination system and the new education system were promoted, who would still go to the private academy of the upper family? Who would beg for a recommendation from the family? In this way, what does the family rely on to control the government?