Time flies like water in the east, and after a few days, the martial arts competition that went through many twists and turns finally came to a successful conclusion. The B list, which attracted worldwide attention, ended in a more fair and objective way because of Yang Ji's strong intervention and Yu Wenshu's downfall. The final ranking also convinced many warriors.
When the list was posted together with the scores of each candidate, some of the tens of thousands of warriors were surprised, some sighed, some were sad, some were dejected... But no matter what, this unprecedented meritocratic martial arts finally broke the family clan. The monopoly on the right to appoint and serve in official positions gave the poor people who had been looking forward to it for hundreds of years a glimmer of hope.
At noon that day, the wine shop was still doing brisk business and was full of guests. Shan Xiongxin and others were chatting and drinking in their old seats by the window. Shan Xiongxin just received the news that he, Qin Qiong, and Huang Junhan were admitted among their group, and the rest all failed. This is one of the regrets; the second regret is that this martial arts examination was originally based on recruiting banned people. It was held in the name of Wei, but because List B was filled with too many people whose origins were unknown and could not be traced, for the sake of Yang Guang's safety, the imperial court unanimously decided to send all the four hundred people named on the list back to their home army. Government office.
Shan Xiongxin said with deep emotion: "For hundreds of years, the aristocratic families have always been at the top, and we, the humble people, have never had the slightest chance. This time, we thought that the court was really fair in selecting talents and meritocracy." Okay, now that I think about it, we still underestimated the control of the officialdom by aristocratic families and corrupt officials. If King Wei hadn't stepped forward, not only would the four hundred quotas have been taken up by mediocre and incompetent people who drank and went whoring all day long, Even the saints are kept in the dark.”
Cheng bit the golden jar and said angrily: "This matter originally had nothing to do with King Wei, but King Wei dared to come forward and was not afraid of offending the powerful masterminds behind Yu Wenshu, Yu Shiji, Liang Kun and other treacherous ministers. His sentiments, I Lao Cheng was convinced."
Huang Junhan, who was sitting opposite Cheng Yaojin, smiled and said: "I think the saint launched the martial arts examination this time, firstly, to give low-born warriors a road to heaven, and secondly, to test the national imperial examination. However, due to lack of preparation in advance, it was also There is no example to learn from, so it caused opposition from top to bottom among the family members. Fortunately, although there were countless twists and turns in the martial arts competition, it ended perfectly. I believe that the next martial arts competition regulations and assessment methods will be more complete and fair. "
"What Jun Han said is absolutely true!" Shan Xiongxin nodded in agreement: "From the sage's severe punishment of Yu Wenshu, Yu Shiji, Liang Kun and other treacherous ministers, it can be seen that the sage admires and supports the idea of meritocracy in his heart. , and those who cheat are all done by the people below behind the saint’s back.”
Shan Xiongxin pondered for a long time, and suddenly sighed and said: "The Sui Dynasty ended hundreds of years of chaos, and there are still various bad habits that need to be sorted out and solved. The most serious of them is nothing more than the influence of aristocratic families on local officialdom, The control of the army is fine in the Guanzhong area, but the officialdom in places like our Caozhou is almost dominated by aristocratic families. The many dirty things they do in the local area must not be seen or heard by saints; The news a saint receives may always be false good news.”
"Insightful!" Yang Ji's voice suddenly came from behind everyone. Everyone looked at the voice and saw Yang Ji wearing a black brocade robe and a sword hanging from his waist. He was escorted by Yu Chigong and Zhang Chuchen. Come over.
"Your Majesty, why are you here now? Please sit down quickly!" Everyone stood up quickly to greet them and invited Yang Ji and the others to their seats.
Shan Xiongxin poured a glass of wine for each of the three people and asked casually: "Your Majesty, where is Brother Xue? Why isn't he here today?"
"He went to Ganzhou with the army." Yang Ji drank the wine in front of him, then took up the topic they just talked about, and said: "Brother Shan just said it well, our world in the Sui Dynasty is really too big, and the saints are too big. We had no choice but to decentralize some powers. However, due to the imperfections of the official system, supervision, laws and other aspects of the system, corrupt officials had loopholes to exploit. However, the current system is the result of generations of sages who have patched it up. , we, the wise men of the Sui Dynasty, have integrated the wisdom crystallization of more than a thousand years into one. However, in the process of getting rid of bad habits and breaking various monopolies, it will inevitably offend the interests of many people, and these people are precisely the powerful ones. By."
"In the face of these powerful people, even the emperor has to give in step by step. If he does not give in, these people will either collectively remonstrate; if the emperor still does not give in, they will use their own strength and influence to drive up prices and make the world In order to force the emperor to make concessions, some people resorted to raising bandits to support themselves. As for the reason why the martial arts initiative is great, it does not mean how novel it is, and it does not mean that no one thought of it. It’s not that no one doesn’t know its benefits, but that this move has shaken and offended the interests of too many people. Everyone is afraid that they will become a self-destructive business, so they all remain silent. However, the saint ignores all the powerful people. What does it mean to oppose and forcefully promote it? It means that many people will have different ideas because of martial arts, and the price is not small!"
Yang Ji said this not out of nowhere, but to let the beneficiaries of the martial arts know that the emperor was on the same side as them, and that the person who blocked their promotion was not the emperor, but the aristocratic family members who controlled local officialdom and hindered social progress. Although it will not make them become die-hard members of Yang Guang and Sui Dynasty, at least it can sow a seed of hatred in their hearts.
Everyone remained silent.
"Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce" is a social structure that lasts for thousands of years. "Scholars" can simply be said to be nobles, or they can be said to be the gatekeepers of all big families. They are the de facto controllers and talents of this country. He is a vested interest in this system and is also the cornerstone of world stability. It is precisely because of the constant advocacy and suppression of "scholars" that the structure of "scholars, farmers, industry and commerce" continues unwaveringly to this day. If any emperor or minister attempts to change it, it will inevitably cause chaos in the entire society.
So what Yang Ji said was absolutely correct. At least for now, the martial arts promoted by Yang Guang offended the Guanlong aristocratic group that controlled the army. Thinking like this, Shan Xiongxin and others finally realized how many powerful people Yang Guang had offended in order to promote the concept of meritocracy and to provide a road to heaven for the poor people. Following this reasoning, if the Guanlong nobles join forces to remonstrate, it may not bring about the collapse of the Sui Empire, which has strong soldiers and horses and is rich all over the world, but it will almost certainly trigger a turmoil that spreads throughout the empire and all strata.
After a while, Qin Qiong asked Yang Ji with some confusion: "Your Majesty, hundreds of years ago, today's aristocratic families may not have a good background. Is family status really important?"
"These things are very troublesome to talk about. In a word, any rule was formulated by the rulers of past dynasties in order to maintain the long-term continuity of the country. However, all dynasties knew that the people are the most important thing and are the foundation of a country. , so the rules formulated by the rulers have benefited the people a lot. Because they know that only when the people's lives are better, the world will not be in chaos and the dynasty can continue for a long time, so the interests of the emperor and the people are consistent. And the aristocratic families, It is an existence that destroys balance and justice. Their way of life is to have family first, then people, and then a country. Only under the premise of these three "beings" can the king's worries be divided. Since there is first family, then when they act, they invisibly favor their own family, their relatives and friends, and their preferences are all taken away from the hands of the people, such as fields, food, official positions, power, status, etc. "Yang Ji saw that everyone was listening attentively, so he continued: "But civil and military positions are limited. The aristocratic families who stand at the top will naturally not allow the poor and common people to divide and rob them. If they open this gap, the population base will be huge. The poor common people could quickly wipe out their advantage, so they strongly requested the late emperor to issue a ban on books and asked the saints to abolish martial arts."
This was the first time Qin Qiong heard this kind of "the theory of imperial power, aristocratic families, and the interests of the people", and it came from the mouth of a descendant of "the best family in the world". He thought for a while and asked: "According to what the king said, the aristocratic family Aren’t the clans the poison of the world?”
"There are no absolutes in the world, and everything has its pros and cons." Yang Ji patiently explained: "At least when the common people from poor families could not shoulder the heavy responsibilities, the aristocratic families provided a large number of urgently needed talents to the court. Precisely because they had Only when officials from aristocratic families stabilize the place can the court concentrate on improving the country's system, opening up the people's wisdom, creating opportunities for poor families, etc. In terms of power, it is in the country's best interests to enter a situation where the emperor, aristocratic family members, and poor people jointly rule the world. It is beneficial and beneficial to the people. But in this way, it is equivalent to asking the aristocratic family to give up half of their power and interests. How can the aristocratic family allow them to give up the power and interests they have obtained? "
Yang Ji looked at Shan Xiongxin and said with a smile: "The truth is actually very simple. For example, if you have thousands of hectares of fertile land, and the court suddenly wants you to distribute 5,000 hectares to the common people, even though you are still living a prosperous life, But will you agree?"
Yang Ji's last question made Shan Xiongxin dumbfounded, and of course he was unwilling.
Huang Junhan next to him saw that Shan Xiongxin was quite embarrassed, so he took over the conversation and asked: "Your Majesty, is there a compromise?"
Yang Ji did not embarrass Shan Xiongxin and said, "Of course there is! For example, having two rankings of A and B in the martial arts examination is a good compromise."
Yang Ji poured himself a glass of wine, drank it down, and then asked: "The martial arts examination is over. If nothing else happens, the Ministry of War will soon grant military positions to Brother Shan, Brother Qin, and Brother Huang. What do you think? Do you follow the court's arrangements and return to the military mansion in this state, or do you have other options? And Brother Zhai, what do you think?"
Everyone was silent for a while, but Shan Xiongxin said: "Jun Han and I decided to follow the court's arrangements and go to our hometowns."
Yang Ji glanced at the silent Qin Qiong and asked, "What about Brother Qin? Should you continue working with Lai Huer, or return home?"
Qin Qiong smiled bitterly and said: "I was originally a general in Yingzhou because I was favored by the general who came to protect my children. However, not long after I came to the capital, I offended King Qi and Yu Wenshu and his son. Obviously I can't stay in the capital, so I can't stay in the capital anymore." I plan to return to Qizhou to take up a post. But this is good, as I can take care of my parents nearby."
Yang Ji nodded silently. He knew that Lai Huer's performance in Qin Qiong's case made Qin Qiong feel grudge. The important thing is that if Yang Xun troubles him again in the future, he may not be lucky enough to meet a powerful person. I'm here to help solve the problem. It's okay to go back to your hometown and take up a job.
Zhai Rang said to himself: "I plan to go home and practice archery and riding skills for a few years, waiting for the next martial arts competition."
Yang Ji nodded. He took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Qin Qiong: "My brother, Dao Wang, is currently the chief steward of Qingzhou, and Qizhou is the state under the jurisdiction of the general steward's office of Qingzhou. If you go to him, he will give you You arrange a suitable position." At this point, Yang Ji took out two more letters and gave them to Shan Xiongxin and Huang Junhan respectively, saying: "One of you is from Caozhou and the other is from Huazhou, and the other two are from Yanzhou. It is under the jurisdiction of the General Manager's Office, you two can go to Brother Teng with this letter, and he will definitely hire him based on his talents."
Qin Qiong, Shan Xiongxin, and Huang Junhan felt an inexplicable touch and warmth in their hearts. They never dreamed that Yang Ji, a stranger, would not only help them again and again, but even consider their own retreat. With this letter in hand, at least a few years of detours will be saved.
They received the letter respectfully, stood up, bowed to the ground, and said with great gratitude: "We will remember the kindness of King Wei in our hearts and never forget it. If the king needs us in the future, he only needs to call me with a piece of paper." Even if you are thousands of miles away, you will come."
Yang Ji smiled and said meaningfully: "You all have the talent to charge into battle and command thousands of armies. What you lack is just the opportunity to get ahead and practical experience. As long as you don't forget your original intention and work conscientiously for the country and the people, you will be a blessing to me." Yang Ji’s best reward.”
Yang Ji actually wanted to recommend them to Yang Zhao, but the whole world was paying attention to the follow-up arrangements for the martial arts competition. If he recommended them to Yang Zhao rashly, Yang Zhao might not dare to accept them. The most important thing is that, as a 'foreign minister' , it is not advisable to get too close to the prince, lest it cause unnecessary trouble for yourself.
At this time, Cheng Yaojin shouted: "Your Majesty, I want to go to Ganzhou with you, can you?"
Cheng Yaojin could not be more aptly described as a man of great wisdom but foolishness, pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger. He knew all the major and minor principles clearly, but he just liked to pretend to be stupid. Especially when it comes to recognizing people, he is particularly accurate. In history, Cheng Yaojin organized an armed force to protect his village due to troubled times in his early years. But when he discovered that the powerful Wagang was planning to plot against his village, he decisively joined Wagang to ensure the safety of his village. In the end, he was reused by Li Mi and became one of the hussars in the internal army. Later, Li Mi was defeated by Wang Shichong, and Cheng Yaojin, who fell into Wang Shichong's hands, was reused by Wang Shichong. Just seeing that Wang Shichong was not useful, he decisively instigated Qin Qiong, Luo Shixin and others to defect to Li Tang.
After that, in the three dynasties of Li and Tang, they all prospered, and their political IQ was evident.
From what Yang Ji said just now, "He (Xue Ju) went to Ganzhou with the army", he judged that something big was going to happen in Ganzhou. Otherwise, Xue Ju, who was Yang Ji's first guard, would never leave Liangzhou via trade. The army will not return before Yang Ji.
The big event is naturally related to the war. If he could hold Yang Ji's thigh and perform meritorious service in the war, he would be promoted much faster than taking the martial arts examination.
Yang Ji shook his head: "I told Yuwenshu to place people in the second list of the martial arts examination. If I take you with me, it will give others an excuse to criticize and give Yuwenshu a chance to come back. In addition, the battlefield is a life and death struggle. And your skills are not enough to be qualified for any position, so you go back to your hometown to practice for a few years. In the future, if you have learned something, you can come to me."
"Here!" Cheng Yaojin nodded silently.
"Okay!" Yang Ji raised his glass and said, "I will return to Ganzhou in three days. I don't know how long it will be before I see you again. I wish everyone success."
