In the fourth year of Hongwu, autumn turned to winter, and Luoyang City ushered in the first heavy snowfall of this winter.
The heavy snow came a few days earlier than usual, and it was also extremely heavy. It was just the first snow, and the sky and earth around Luoyang were completely white. The temperature also dropped sharply below freezing point, and thin ice floes could be seen flowing down the Luoshui water surface that passed through Luoyang City.
However, although the weather was cold, it could not freeze the enthusiasm of the imperial examination candidates in the Song Dynasty to pursue fame and fortune. Just when Luoyang was covered with white snow, candidates from the civil, military and military examinations from Yingtian 4th Road and Zhuan 2nd Road braved the wind and snow and entered the large and empty capital of the Song Dynasty one after another.
That's right, next spring, the Luoyang court of the Song Dynasty will hold a large-scale scientific research competition!
This is also the most formal scientific examination since the Song Dynasty reopened, and it also has the largest number of applicants - yes, it is a "scientific examination", not an "imperial examination". Because this examination is a comprehensive talent selection examination consisting of one imperial examination and two college entrance examinations, it is different from the imperial examinations before the Xuanhe tragedy.
In fact, when Zhao Kai first came here, he didn't quite understand the meaning of the imperial examination, and confused it with the public examination of later generations. But in fact, the meanings of the two are completely different. Those admitted to the public examination are grassroots civil servants, which are equivalent to the public officials and magicians in the Song Dynasty. The imperial examination only admits high-ranking officials...even a county lieutenant is equivalent to the chief of public security in a county!
In future generations, no one will regard a county police chief as a minor civil servant, right?
Moreover, this type of position is only a "starting price" for Song Dynasty civil servants who were born as Jinshi. Although there are very few Jinshi who can climb to the level of Prime Minister, most Jinshi can get positions such as county magistrate and general magistrate step by step - of course, there must be some who are particularly unlucky, such as when they were named on the gold list and The day when the King of Hell is asking for his fate has come, so he has no choice but to accept his fate!
However, most civil servants with Jinshi background hold quite high-level positions. When the world is at peace, it is not a big deal to recruit some scholar-officials who can only write essays but have no practical knowledge or work experience to fill these positions... Just use this method of selecting middle and senior civil servants. Just think of it as a way to appease the powerful and talented people in the world.
The powerful and talented people in the world have spent their energy studying the teachings of Confucius and Mencius and writing essays. Aren't there fewer people who want to rebel?
But in troubled times, this method of selecting officials is completely inappropriate. When the world is at peace, if you are an official and you can mess around, but don't be too greedy, then you will be considered a good official. But in troubled times, there are many times when it’s impossible to get along... It’s our duty to protect our land! This is just talk in peaceful times, but in troubled times it is true!
Moreover, in troubled times, it is also nonsense to use land, the most important means of production in a farming society, to support a group of scholar-bureaucrats who study Confucius and Mencius and write essays.
There are many people and vast land, but you cannot use the population and land to raise soldiers, but to raise useless scholars... This is equivalent to tying up your own hands and feet, and then using it to raise a voice for the people of the world. Courage to shake the enemy's mace!
Although he is very brave, there is a high probability that he will be knocked to death!
After figuring out the essence of the imperial examination in the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kai used his "sophomore" wisdom to propose some improvement measures.
For example, an imperial examination is divided into three parts: the imperial examination, the public examination, and the college entrance examination.
Among them, the imperial examination was the original liberal arts examination, the one that passed the imperial examination. However, the number of people admitted to Jinshi will be reduced. Hundreds are too many. There is one subject every three years, and the maximum number of people in one subject is thirty.
Don’t think that thirty people is too few, but Zhao Kai’s requirements are really high!
According to Zhao Kai's requirements, a Jinshi of the Luoyang court must be self-taught and have the ability to lead the army and people of a county to establish an anti-golden base. Able to organize industrial and agricultural production in peacetime and lead the recruitment and training of militia. In wartime, he could lead the army and people of a county in the armed struggle against the Jin Dynasty... How many such talents can be obtained in a year in the public examination of later generations?
The public examination is the selection examination for magicians and civil servants. This is a bit like the civil service examination in later generations. All low-level civil servants are recruited. They start working at the grassroots level and then climb up based on ability or other means... Because the number of Jinshi places is limited and lasts three years. Only thirty are taken, so there will be quite a lot of mid-level positions that can be reserved for these civil servants who come from the grassroots level.
Because there are a large number of grassroots civil servants, it is impossible for the Luoyang court to be directly responsible for recruiting people. Otherwise, the court would have no time to care about other things and would be busy taking exams every day!
Besides, the cost of taking such a test is too high.
Therefore, the public examination was organized by the local Junzhou Prefecture and the imperial staff according to needs. It was also an examination every three years, but the date of the examination was staggered with the imperial examination competition of the imperial court.
In addition to the imperial examination and public examination, Zhao Kai also held a college entrance examination... This was an examination for admission to the five universities run by the Song Dynasty court.
These five universities are Artillery Academy, Infantry Academy, Artillery Academy, and Science and Technology University.
Among them, the Artillery School is also called Xuanwu Hall because it is located in Xuanwu City next to Ziwei Palace.
The Infantry School is also called Shendu Hall because it is located in Shendu Garden.
Because the Cavalry School is located in Shangyang Palace, it is called Shangyang Hall.
Xuanwu, Shendu, and Shangyang are all military academies. The current academic system is three years (including two years of classroom and one year of internship). The enrollment targets are soldiers under the age of 35 or those between 16 and 20 years old. The heroic young man among them.
Among them, the prefect students only need to pass a simple qualification examination to wait in line for admission (ranked according to their level), while the junior students only need to score!
In addition, soldiers under the age of 20 can also take the junior examination.
After graduation, Fubing students will be promoted accordingly based on the size of their previous honorary titles - if the rank is too big, they will not be promoted.
After graduation, young students are directly awarded the rank of corporal, assigned to junior officer positions, and given job fields.
According to Zhao Kai's plan, in the future, actual officers of the Army of the Song Dynasty will enter the military academy to receive formal military education as much as possible.
The Science and Technology University Hall (also known as the Science Hall) is located in Xiyuan to the west of Shangyang Palace, and is also called the Xiyuan University Hall. The reason for the big letters in this school is not because it occupies a larger area, nor because the students are relatively large. More, but because Zhao Kai, a "sophomore" in high school, also serves as the head of the University of Science and Technology Hall!
Therefore, in the Luoyang court, those who passed the imperial examination cannot be called the disciples of the emperor. Only those who graduate from the University of Science and Technology are the real disciples of the emperor!
Well, according to Zhao Kai's requirements, these students in the University of Science and Technology must improve their mathematics, physics and chemistry skills to...close to the level of the third grade of junior high school in three years!
Although it is still unknown what kind of future these junior high school students will have after graduation, but because the four words "emperor's disciple" are so attractive, many people still want to take the exam. of.
Moreover, in order to encourage more scholars to take the university entrance examination, Zhao Kai arranged the examination schedule to make it convenient for scholars all over the world... and there were also relatively few examination items.
"You can take the Ministry Examination for Jinshi first... The exam will start as soon as the Lantern Festival next year! After the Ministry Exam results are released, there will be three military academy exams. After the three military academy exams are completed, then the university exam will be held !" Zhao Kai was currently in the Xinuan Pavilion of Zhenguan Hall, which was warmed by the earth dragon, discussing the imperial examination with the Four Prime Ministers, the Sixth Minister, and the Commander of the Three Armies.
He considered it carefully and said: "The Great Hall Examination is the same as the Jinshi Examination, there is no age limit, and there is no martial arts test... only two subjects: mathematics and literature."
"Just take these two subjects?" Zhao Kai, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, said with a smile, "Isn't that similar to the public examination of the Ministry of Revenue?"
"Indeed, it's almost the same," Zhao Kai nodded, "but after being admitted to the Ministry of Revenue, you will directly have a job to make a living... After being admitted to the university, you have to go to school to study and study more sophisticated arithmetic and inquiry. Learning...this is a university-level subject that involves studying things to achieve knowledge. How can it be compared to the clerks in the Ministry of Finance who are doing abacus calculations?"
In Zhao Kai's case, even a scholar who is close to the junior high school level can look down on the civil servants of the Ministry of Finance... But since he wants to improve the level of natural science, he must adopt the Confucian "investigation of things to gain knowledge" This principle is promoted as high as possible.
Zhao Kai's "high school sophomore" level in his previous life can't explain these Confucian principles, but in this life he is the "top scholar" and he understands all the Confucian principles!
Zhao Kai added: "Book of Rites. Daxue says: After knowing things well, you will know what you are doing. After knowing what you know, you will be sincere. After being sincere, your heart will be right. If your heart is right, you will cultivate your body. If you cultivate your body, you will have a harmonious family. If you have a harmonious family, you will be able to govern the country." When the country is governed, the world will be at peace...and how should this thing be judged?
I think that the so-called investigation of things is to explore the truth of everything in the world. Everything has its own way. The Great Dao is the sum of the ways of heaven, earth, and all things. If we want to obtain the great road, we must start from the small path of things. We do not seek to ask for a single step, but we seek to make progress day by day, month by month. "
Zhao Kai glanced at the several "great scholars" present, but did not see any expressions of contempt on their faces... They all hid their contempt for natural science very well!
But I will still convince you old stubborns, because I have the truth and the sword to defend the truth!
Zhao Kai thought about it for a while and then said: "Our country in the Song Dynasty can be governed now and the world can be peaceful in the future. You and my family can be in good order. Isn't it because of the gunpowder? Although we We haven't mastered gunpowder to the point where we know it, but we can already use it to organize our families, govern our country, and bring peace to the world... This method of gunpowder is the way to go after the sages of Confucius and Mencius! If we in the future If you can understand all things in the world and know the avenue of the universe, what does it mean to be a mere gold thief? What does it mean to rule the world?"
