At this point on 19 December, the various examinations held by the Songjiang Army basically came to an end.

Thousands of applicants, after experiencing this new model of exams, waited with different moods for the results to be released in a week. For most people, it's a little apprehensive with some expectations. But there are also some people who are so confident in themselves that they start the celebration early; Or completely failed the test, and before the list was released, he began to pack his things and prepare to leave.

Huang Chen is undoubtedly the former.

He competed for the position of Clerk of Criminal Investigation Records in the Home Affairs Department.

This position is relatively ordinary, and it is not even called an official, but can only be regarded as an official. The aristocracy with a little fame and status does not look down on it. But after all, Huang Chen is only the third son of a small nobleman, and his ability is limited, and the prospects for this position in Dengzhou are also good. The combination of the two factors made Huang Chen, who was eager to find a way out, choose it.

The decision turned out to be very wise.

Songjiang is a prosperous place, and Dengzhou is the essence of a county, full of talents. The lack of talent faced by the Songjiang Army is only a relative one. As an aristocratic background, Huang Chen knew very well that this involved the game between the new governor's forces and local forces, which gave outsiders a chance. Once local forces are forced to get involved, the competition will be fiercer than ever.

Some relatively noble positions have all encountered dozens or even hundreds of people competing for them. If it weren't for the Songjiang Army's restriction that each person could only submit two at most, I am afraid that this competition would be even more intense.

Compared with these competitors who need to be talented and have a background, Huang Chen does not have the slightest confidence.

The Clerk of the Criminal Investigation Records of the Home Affairs Department is different.

It is precisely because of its inconspicuousness that the local forces look down on it, and outsiders come from all over the world, and they also give priority to positions with better treatment and status. So much so that only four people competed for this position. Huang Chen's good handwriting alone made him stand out among the four. Because of his family, he also has a certain understanding of the types of cases necessary and responds very decently.

No matter how you look at it, this position is your own!

On the day after the exam, he was full of confidence and celebrated with two friends who had come together. Subsequently, while patiently waiting for the release of the list in a week, he began to collect information on the Matsue Army in advance. If you want to work here in the future, you must have enough understanding of this legendary force that has risen and recruited peace. After all, his ambition is not small, and he is not satisfied with just being a clerk.

Climbing up this springboard until he enters the Home Affairs Bureau, is what Huang Chen wants.

However, contrary to the elated Huang Chen, Zeng Siwu, who also came with confidence, walked out with a dazed face after the exam, and was stunned by all kinds of tricky and strange questions on the test paper.

"What are the properties of saltpeter?"

"How to purify charcoal and remove impurities?"

"What is sulfur used for?"

"In which direction do you think the formula should be improved to make the gunpowder of the flower cannon more stable and the explosion more powerful?"

"Under what circumstances does gunpowder burn? Under what conditions will it explode? How to better preserve large quantities of gunpowder? ”

"If you increase the amount of gunpowder, can it be used to make weapons? What are your ideas for gunpowder weapons? ”

Some of the previous questions involve the basic properties of minerals, and Zeng Siwu can roughly answer them. It may not be comprehensive enough, and the perception is only superficial, but at least it can say a thing or two. But some open-ended questions in the back made Zeng Siwu confused. Not to mention this never-before-seen mode of questioning, just talking about specific questions, making gunpowder more powerful and stable? Or even to make weapons?

These thoughts have never been thought of by Siwu!

For him, gunpowder was invented in the Eastern Continent to make fireworks and make a sound. If you are not careful, it may catch fire or explode. Basically, every few years, you can hear about people who are accidentally injured or simply killed by a blast. But gunpowder weapons?

Shouldn't weapons be swords, guns, bows, crossbows, plus trebuchets, siege vehicles, and so on?

Zeng Siwu faintly felt that the person who came out with this test question had a very high understanding of gunpowder, and he might even far surpass his old ghost master. Although he didn't think of how to answer at the time, he scribbled on it, but he inadvertently felt that a door he hadn't thought of opened open, revealing a corner of the new world behind the door.

However, that should be for later.

At least for now, Zeng Siwu is very unconfident in his answer. Eight times out of ten, this exam is going to be over, not only wasted time, but also used up several gold coins of travel expenses.

The cost of Dengzhou is several times higher than that of Languan County. In the past few days, thousands of talents from all over the country have poured into Dengzhou, and the cost of food and accommodation has risen by more than 30%, which has already made Zeng Siwu, who is not rich in money, feel painful.

However, just when Zeng Siwu was already hopeless and was about to leave early, he was approached by the soldiers of the Songjiang Army and stopped directly.

"Isn't it a week later?"

Zeng Siwu was a little puzzled, he didn't understand why the soldiers of the Songjiang Army wanted to stop him, he had been honest in Dengzhou for the past few days, and he hadn't broken any law.

"Your Excellency the Governor said that your exam was particularly passed. Tomorrow afternoon, the Governor will summon you personally, and when the time comes, remember to get your own spirit - and your robe, hurry up and change! ”

The soldiers who were ordered to come were obviously a little envious and puzzled on their faces, and what they were envious of was the good luck of this guy, who was able to be personally received by the governor, or was he recruited in advance. What is incomprehensible is that such a sloppy and tattered wild Taoist priest who appeared out of nowhere can also pass the assessment.

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