March 9, 1793, naval headquarters in the north of Heilongjiang City.
Zhao Xin, Wu Siyu, Jiang Fan, Li Rui and others were standing in front of a sand table to study the army's offensive route.
In order to completely eliminate the Manchu forces north of Ula, Jilin, the Northern Navy mobilized four regiments and the Heilongjiang City garrison battalion as the main attack force, with a total strength of 11,000 people. The frontline commander of this battle was Li Rui, the former deputy chief of staff of the Northern Navy, and his deputy was Jiang Fan Jiang Ziping. The launch date of the campaign was set on March 25.
The battle plan formulated by the staff was to divide the troops into two groups after capturing Butha. One group would go west to seize the general jurisdiction of Hulunbu Yuer, thereby opening up the connection with the Khalkha Chechen Khanate; the other group would attack southward. Qiqihar, passing through Hulan, occupied Alchuka and Boduna. The entire campaign was planned to take four to five months, and the core towns, post roads and waterways in the five deputy capital areas were fully controlled before the winter of 1793.
In addition, the two regiments stationed on the front line of the Lafa River west of Ningguta will also cooperate to launch a diversionary attack on Dashou Ula and Jilin Ula to prevent the Jilin Qing army from going north for rescue.
In order to ensure the marching speed of the troops and reduce the difficulty of supply, the participating units were only equipped with 82mm mortars this time. You must know that in the 18th century, the Nenjiang Plain flooded in spring and covered forests and swamps. As soon as the snow melted in spring, the post roads became muddy roads. If the troops wanted to complete the campaign objectives, they must advance lightly.
Relying on the "Bohei Railway" which took more than three years to build, the Northern Navy's speed of mobilizing troops in winter has been significantly improved. Since February 25, 1793, personnel from two regiments have arrived in Heilongjiang City, and the staff expects that all troops will be in place no later than March 20.
The completion of the "Bohei Railway" greatly promoted the exchange of people and materials in the lower and middle reaches of Heilongjiang. Therefore, capturing the fertile Nenjiang Plain and starting to develop it became the next goal of the civil administration. In addition, in order to achieve control over the upper reaches of Heilongjiang and Eastern Siberia, preliminary earthwork construction for the railway from Heilongjiang City to Humar also began at the end of last summer.
At this time, a staff coach was giving instructions on the sand table, "The first echelon of our army will advance to Kolor Station, 76 miles away from Mergen, and the second echelon will advance to Karkatu Station..."
Jiang Fan interrupted: "After the attack force arrives at the location, where is the special operations battalion team?"
The staff officer pointed to a place 112 miles south of Mergen City and said: "Here, Kamuni Station."
"Is this going to be penetration?"
Jiang Fan and Li Rui looked at Zhao Xin, saw the other party nodded, and stopped talking.
The tactics used this time were the result of discussions between Zhao Xin and Wu Siyu. Specifically, they secretly interspersed with small units, and the main offensive troops inserted while fighting, to first encircle and then annihilate the enemy forces in various Manchu garrison areas, so as to prevent them from going south. Escape or enter the Zhelim League among the six leagues of Monan Mongolia.
Both of them rushed back from Red Rock City after concluding negotiations with the Russian Empire last year. The current garrison in Siberia is commanded by Sheng Haizhou, with Zhao Jiuzang and Chen Jishan as his deputy.
Negotiations between Beihai Town, the Cossack Emirate and the Tsarist Empire broke up after months of wrangling. The Russian Empire has been accumulating strength in the past two years. Currently, the Russian army has deployed its most elite "Ekaterina Group Army" from Tobolsk to St. Peter's Fortress. Although it can't defeat the Northern Navy, it is more than enough to deal with the undisciplined Cossack Emirate troops.
Zhao Xin has no intention of letting the Northern Navy bleed for the Cossacks. He will only cherish what he has earned through hard work. Moreover, the troops in Chiyan City only have two regiments, which are more than enough to protect themselves but not enough to attack. Although Tobolsk has an important position in current Siberia, he values Tyumen, which is still only a small county, more.
As they were talking, Yin Bingwei, who served as a personal guard, walked in and whispered a few words in Zhao Xin's ear, who was looking at the sand table. Zhao Xin said "oh" in surprise and whispered to Yin Bingwei: "He Did you say something happened?"
"No."
"Just say I'm in a meeting and ask him to wait a moment."
"yes."
After the meeting ended, Wu Siyu came over and asked, "Who is here?"
Zhao Xindao: "Wang Zhong."
"Why is he coming all the way here?"
Zhao Xin did not answer, but looked at Wu Siyu and asked, "What do you think?"
Wu Siyu thought for a moment and said, "Imperial examination?"
"Well, he is anxious. At the end of the year, both Yuan Mei and Zhao Yi wrote letters."
"I've heard of Yuan Mei, the author of "Suiyuan Food List". Who is Zhao Yi?"
"Brother, let's not wear glasses and pretend to be knowledgeable. I dare you to remember to eat so many books written by my lover?" Zhao Xin smiled and teased a few words, and explained: "Zhao Yi is very famous. He has been in In the Military Aircraft Department, I worked as a secretary for Qianlong, wrote edicts, and worked as an aide to Agui and Li Shiyao. Later, I suffered a stroke and became disabled, so I went to teach at Anding Academy."
"To be honest, I have never understood why you want to hold the imperial examination. Wouldn't it be nice to abolish it?"
Zhao Xin decided to have a good talk with Wu Siyu about this issue so that everyone could have a correct understanding of it. He sorted out his thoughts and said: "Abolition of the imperial examination and opening of new schools are of course the trend, but it is not the end of the Qing Dynasty now, foreign enemies are not at all relevant, and social conflicts are not that acute. I have thought about it for a long time. If we abolish it rashly, we will It will artificially create a social crisis."
"What crisis?"
"The traditional gentry class collapsed."
"Isn't disintegration just what you want? I remember you said that when we engage in industrialization under the public ownership system, the gentry is our natural enemy."
"I did say this, but there are two sides to the matter. The imperial examination not only cultivates intellectuals, but also cultivates the gentry class. Have you ever thought about what the sudden disappearance of the gentry class meant before schools spread to the countryside? "
"What? Eliminate the landlord class?"
"It is the complete disintegration of the four people's society of 'scholars, farmers, industry and commerce', which will then lead to the reorganization of the entire social class, and will also cause the rapid decline of rural society." Zhao Xin took a puff of cigarette and slowly puffed out: "With our current capabilities, it is basically impossible to There’s no way to deal with this.”
“If we don’t carry out land reform, will the countryside decline?”
"Yes. Don't underestimate it. Before the rural administrative system is established and perfected, the dissemination of grassroots laws and public moral education must rely on the gentry. Without these people, our laws will be empty words, and how many people will not be able to read or write? Everyone can understand. Furthermore, if the imperial examination is stopped, how can traditional culture be spread? Mathematics, physics and chemistry are all tested. Who is willing to memorize the "Three Character Classic" and "The Thousand Character Classic"? I admit that there are dregs in the Confucian classics, which praise monarchy and patriarchy. , Husband’s authority, advocating foolish loyalty, foolish filial piety, and foolish foolishness, but that was caused by later generations in order to flaunt imperial power. It’s OK to throw dirty water, but you can’t throw away the children together, right?”
"Old Wu, I really don't believe it. Why are all Western things good and our traditional culture is wrong! Putting aside natural science, think about our era, which was less than a year old. A hundred years later, everyone is looking back for traditional culture. Chinese studies classes are being opened everywhere, from children to adults. What does this mean? It means that the spirit contained in Confucian classics such as the Four Books and Five Classics is reasonable! But looking back now, they are all fake! I have attended all the so-called "Chinese Studies Senior President's Classes", and the professor's level is not as good as Huang Chengji, a scholar. Nowadays, Westerners do not dare to invade China, and the popular voice for change is not that strong. Let's put it bluntly: our struggle with the Manchus The meat will still rot in the pot. If we cut off the imperial examination as soon as we come up, the consequences will probably be worse than those of our time. If that happens, you and I will become sinners for the ages!"
"It makes sense." Wu Siyu nodded and sighed: "Shock therapy is not necessary. Even if we don't consider it for ourselves, we must consider it for the next generation."
Wu Siyu is different now from before. He has a son, so he naturally has to think about the future. I can't conquer the world and let my second generation perish. He looked at Zhao Xin, and the teasing tone disappeared from his tone: "The path you have chosen is not easy to follow! There are many things that we can't even learn from."
Zhao Xin put out the cigarette butt with all his strength and said: "To borrow a sentence from Qu Yuan, I have a good heart. Even though I died nine times, I still have no regrets."
More than half an hour later, Zhao Xin met Wang Zhong. As soon as he came up, he smiled and said: "Mr. Rong Fu, why do you need to come all the way?"
Wang Zhong took a train for more than ten hours to arrive in Heilongjiang City, and ended up sitting there waiting for Zhao Xin for another two hours. He couldn't help but feel a little impatient, and when he felt unhappy, he became rude to his words.
"I don't dare. King Zhao is in charge of the military and political affairs and is troubled by everything. Wang came here without warning, so it is natural that His Highness should not be seen."
Huh? Zhao Xinyi was emotional when he heard what he said. He smiled and made another cup of tea for Wang Zhong and brought it to him respectfully. The reason why Zhao Xin did this was because, publicly, Wang Zhong was the vice principal of Beihai Town Primary School; privately, he had a half-teacher relationship with him and knew Wang Zhong's character shortcomings, but he was still a good person.
Seeing Zhao Xin's attitude, Wang Zhong also knew that what he just said was too much. He stood up and took the tea, and then said: "Wang knows that His Highness is busy with military affairs, but now it is urgent to start the imperial examination. Cangshan Gong and Oubei Gong I’m waiting for a reply there.”
Zhao Xin asked: "Then do you think it is a rural examination or a government examination?"
Wang Zhongdao: "I'm afraid it's too late for the government examination, but the provincial examination is fine."
The government examination they mentioned was a test for talents. The imperial examination qualification examination in the Qing Dynasty was called the "Children's Examination" and consisted of three levels: the county examination, the government examination, and the hospital examination. If you only pass the first two levels, you can only be called a Tongsheng; if you pass the three levels, you can be promoted to a student member, that is, a scholar; if you fail the college examination, well, see you in more than a year, there is still a scientific examination Waiting.
The "Children's Examination" under the Manchu Qing Dynasty was usually held in February every year, and the county examination was held five times in a row. After passing the exam, you will have to take the government exam in April, three times in a row. When it comes to the college examination, it will be presided over by the provincial academic administration and there will be two examinations. As mentioned before, the teacher-student relationship between Liu Yong and Jiao Xun was that he presided over the college examination when he was in Jiangsu Academic Affairs and admitted the latter. Specific to the provincial examination, although it is also held every three years, it is usually held in August, so there is enough time.
Zhao Xin thought for a while and said to Wang Zhong: "I don't think it is necessary to be a scholar. Children can come if they want. Just divide it into two examination rooms. You will make the overall arrangements for contacting Jiangnan Shilin. I will ask the Intelligence Bureau to fully cooperate. If you need anything, You can go directly to Wang Changsheng. In Shandong, I will ask Kong Shaoan to notify the military control committees of various places. Those who want to participate will be issued with tickets and just come by boat. Let's estimate the number of people first and decide on it by the end of May at the latest, so that the civil affairs can build temporary residence."
He paused and then said: "We don't need to take the exam every three years. We can take the exam every year. Give us more opportunities."
"Wang made a special trip to meet with His Highness this time, and there is another matter regarding the Gongyuan. Wang believes that since Beihai Town holds imperial examinations and recruits talents from all over the world, it should build its own Gongyuan."
Wang Zhong then talked a lot, and then Zhao Xin understood what was going on. What Gan Qing Wangzhong meant was to build an examination venue in Beihai Town that would not be inferior to Jiangnan Gongyuan in scale and layout, and to declare Beihai Town's cultural governance to the world, but Chen Qingsong rejected it.
The Jiangnan Gongyuan in Jiangning was built in the Southern Song Dynasty. After seven hundred years of repair and expansion, it has its current layout. Its scale ranks first among all tribute colleges in the country. There are more than 20,000 examination halls alone, which can accommodate more than 20,000 candidates for examinations at the same time. Together with hundreds of ancillary buildings, it covers an area of more than 300,000 square meters.
According to Wang Zhong and Duan Yucai, although there is currently no need to build 20,000 test rooms, Beihai Town is a vast area with sparsely populated areas, so a land of 300,000 square meters is nothing. In addition to the main gate, the second gate and the dragon gate, Mingyuan Tower must be built with majesty, otherwise it will not be able to highlight the momentum of the new dynasty. In addition, there must be archways, Hengjian Hall, Zhigong Hall, Feihong Bridge, main examination room, examination room, and stele pavilion.
Chen Qingsong's eyes widened when he heard this, and he thought to himself, "What a guy!" How much money will it cost and how much manpower and material resources will it take up? Moreover, even in August, the nighttime temperature in the outer northeast is very cold. If you really have to build a large bungalow like a tribute courtyard, eat, drink, have sex, and answer papers in the open-air examination room, you will at least get frostbite after one night.
What I didn’t say is that I don’t agree. However, he also gave a plan to build two three-story buildings to the north of the site of Beihai Town Higher Polytechnic Institute as examination rooms.
Maybe it was because Chen Qingsong was busy with something, maybe it was because Wang Zhong and Duan Yucai came to him at the wrong time, anyway, Fatty Chen left without explaining clearly to Wang Zhong, which made Wang Zhong so angry. He was too lazy to talk nonsense with Chen Qingsong, and said to himself that if you don't agree, I will go find King Zhao. He knew that Zhao Xin had gone to Heilongjiang City, so he got on the carriage to Fuldan City, and then found the carriage to Boli through the principal of the local primary school; then it was easy to get on the train and arrived in Heilongjiang City.
Zhao Xin didn't know whether to laugh or cry, thinking that this person was too temperamental.
"Mr. Rongfu, may I ask what Mingyuan Tower, Archway, Hengjiantang, Zhigongtang, and Feihong Bridge are used for?" Zhao Xin didn't understand the functions of the buildings in the Gongyuan. Since he wanted to mediate, he had to ask clearly first. Just fine.
"This is to be used in conjunction with the towers in the four corners of the examination room for the purpose of invigilating the exam. In addition, it can also give orders, use flags during the day and light up lanterns at night to coordinate all parties."
After listening to Wang Zhong's explanation, Zhao Xin smiled knowingly. For him who had participated in the college entrance examination in another time and space, this was a big deal. Isn't it just to prevent cheating and send out notifications? Install a camera in the examination room to monitor the exam, and install a loudspeaker to announce the announcement, and it will be over.
As for the Feihong Bridge, it is purely used to isolate the examiners from the examination room; the Zhigong Hall is the office lobby in the Gongyuan, where the examiners will hold pre-exam ceremonies; the Hengjian Hall is where the marking and marking officers mark the papers. The place where rankings are determined; Jieshentang is the place where officials inside and outside the palace copy the articles before the list is released. Just put all of the above together.
"Mr. Rong Fu, the natural conditions of Beihai Town mean that we cannot build according to the regulations of Jiangning, and there is no need. As for the rural examination in three years' time, if nothing unexpected happens, it will definitely be held in Jiangning Gongyuan."
Wang Zhong didn't know what had been decided in the meeting that took place years ago. When he heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up and he looked at Zhao Xindao: "Do you really mean what your highness said?"
Seeing Zhao Xin smiling and nodding, Wang Zhong excitedly punched his fist in the palm of his hand. After waiting for all these years in Beihai Town, he finally saw the light of day!
Two days later, the Military Control Commission of the four counties in Jiaodong issued a notice at almost the same time that the imperial examination would be held in Beihai Town. As soon as the news came out, it shocked everyone.
(End of chapter)
