"That's it for the coin minting. But what Xiang Guo said made me think of one thing." Zhao Kuo said.
"May I ask what's going on, Your Majesty?" Lin Xiangru asked.
"The problem of officials. Almost all the officials in various parts of Zhao State are passed down from generation to generation by the local powerful. From father to son, and from son to grandson. As long as you are born, you will have no worries about having a job. This has led to the fact that most of the officials are not What kind of talent is there? They just rely on the blood of their ancestors to become minor officials. These people do not seek advancement, have no knowledge and skills, and may even cause trouble for one party, but in the end they have to bear the infamy on the court."
"But there are very few talented people left, but because of their low status, they can't wait for the opportunity, unable to display their talents, and end up growing old alone in the wilderness. This is the loss of our Zhao country. In this case, why not give them a chance?"
"I plan to conduct a nationwide civil servant examination. All civil servants must take part in it, and it will be conducted on a county-by-county basis. Only those who pass the exam can stay and continue to work as civil servants. Those who fail the exam will all be dismissed. There is a shortage of manpower. You can re-recruit, but you also need to take an exam. After the officials pass the exam, they can go to Handan to take the second exam. Among them, the top 80 will be awarded official positions."
"In addition, from now on, not only officials but also staff will be assessed. Those who excel in the assessment can be promoted. Those who fail to pass the assessment will be dismissed. Similarly, for those who fail to pass the exam, in addition to being demoted or dismissed, there are other He may be demoted as an official." Zhao Kuo said.
From the pre-Qin Dynasty, to the Han Dynasty, to the Tang and Song Dynasties, the continuous deterioration of officialdom was essentially due to the continuous solidification of class.
In the pre-Qin period, there were still channels for officials to rise, but this channel was very narrow. During the Han Dynasty, this channel was even narrower.
By the time of the Tang and Song dynasties, the promotion channels for officials had been completely blocked. Anyone who was an official was not allowed to participate in the imperial examination for three generations. How could he become an official if he could not participate in the imperial examination?
In this case, unless the daughter of the family is attracted by the emperor and can soar into the sky, no matter how capable you are, you will at most be an old man who is relatively famous in the local area.
Since it's useless no matter how hard you try, then don't work hard and just make money.
Is it possible not to be evil if you think about making money all day long?
During the Warring States Period, the classes of officials and officials were not as distinct as after the Tang and Song Dynasties. Now Zhao Kuo is about to completely break the boundaries between officials and officials. In the future, officials may be demoted to officials, and officials may also have the opportunity to be promoted to officials.
Everyone is the same, no one can despise anyone.
Beyond that, it’s all about selecting talents.
Zhao State is in short supply of talents. It was in short supply in the past, it is in short supply now, and it will be in short supply in the future.
Not every talented person will meet Bole. After all, it is the majority who will not meet their talents.
Who would have thought that Baili Xi, who was begging in Qi State, would eventually assist Duke Mu of Qin to dominate Xirong, and that Sun Shuao, a barbarian living in the suburbs, would assist King Zhuang of Chu and become famous.
Zhao Kuo didn't believe it. With so many petty officials in Zhao State, could there not be a few capable people? To put it bluntly, even if it is a group of hooligans, there will be a more powerful hooligan leader.
Everyone looked at each other. Although Zhao Kuo said that he suddenly thought of it, such a mature idea did not look like a sudden thought, but rather seemed to have been planned for a long time.
There is no doubt that as long as this matter is announced, it will cause an uproar in the entire officialdom of Zhao State.
A small number of capable people will celebrate with their titles, while those who are incompetent and just rely on the shadow of their ancestors to become officials are like mourning for their heirs.
Even the lower-level officials are in danger. No one wants to become a small official from a dignified official.
"May I ask your Majesty, is the civil service examination only held once, or is it a routine?" Seeing that Lin Xiangru didn't speak, he had to step forward and ask.
"It is customary, but the second examination for the promotion of officers will only be held once for the time being. We will wait until the assessment system is optimized." Zhao Kuo thought for a moment and said, if the assessment system can be improved, such an examination is not necessary.
As long as the examination is conducted when selecting officials, there is no need to set special thresholds for officials to reach official positions. .
"When will this exam be held?" Lin Xiangru asked.
"It will take next year for Yanland to gradually regain stability. Let's leave it to the end of next year. The specific time and events will be
It will be arranged by all your dear friends. But now the news can be released so that everyone can prepare. As for the title. Yu Qing is in charge and can work with the college to come up with the questions. Focusing on law, case management, civil disputes, arithmetic, governance, national and local development. Factors such as local characteristics, customs and culture can be added to local assessments. After Zhao Kuo thought about it, he naturally put the blame on the minister.
The minister is there to help him.
This is why he thinks about how to recruit and train talents day and night.
The more talents and abilities he has, the easier it will be for him.
"Law, case handling, civil disputes, arithmetic, governance, national and local development..." Yu Xin already knew which talents Zhao Kuo wanted to recruit.
"I will work hard to get it done," Yu Xin said.
"The last thing is to develop Yandi, especially the Liaohe Plain." Zhao Kuo said.
Yan State, again, is far away from the Central Plains, with a cold climate and underdeveloped agriculture. The main grain-producing area in the country is south of Yanshan Mountain, with Jicheng as the center.
The water conservancy facilities in this part are already very complete, the population density is also very high, and the development potential is not too great.
The Liaohe River Basin was not included in the territory of Yan until the period of King Yan Zhao. It has only been a few decades and has not been effectively developed due to various reasons.
Of course, in addition to the Liaohe Plain, there are also larger and good places in the north, namely the remaining areas of the Northeast Plain and the Outer Northeast.
A large area of black soil means extremely high yields per mu. Even if it is winter for half the year, it is enough to be considered the foundation of a dynasty for any country.
But Zhao State currently does not have the ability to develop the Northeast, not because the road is difficult and there are swamps along the way.
For the Chinese people, who are determined to conquer nature, climate and soil are not problems. The Central Plains was not fertile soil before, but it became fertile soil after generations of development and management.
The prerequisite for man to conquer nature is that there must be people, and there must be enough people.
Developing Northeast China is not something that can happen in a short period of time. It depends on the generation, and it requires continuous efforts of several generations.
The problem is that there is no one in Zhao State now.
After annexing Yan State, the population of Zhao State was only just over 10 million.
This small population can barely maintain the current territory, and there is no extra population to develop the Northeast. Therefore, even though Zhao Kuo knew that there was a large area of good land in the Northeast, he did not tell anyone.
Not only the northeast, but also the eastern part of Monan, that is, several leagues in the eastern part of Inner Mongolia in later generations, can also farm land.
In later generations, Inner Mongolia's grain output was higher than that of major grain-producing provinces such as Jiangsu and Hebei. However, Inner Mongolia's main grain production was corn. Zhao State had no corn and could only grow a few soybeans to feed livestock in winter. It was impossible to develop it into farmland. Yes, it's still because of insufficient manpower.
If Zhao had enough manpower, he would definitely choose the Northeast and not go to Monan to farm.
Now... Northeast and Monan, Zhao can only watch...
The only place within reach and capable of being developed by human hands is the Liaohe Plain.
There are large tracts of swamps and saline-alkali land in the Liaohe Plain, but that doesn't matter. If you have water, you can farm. Regardless of whether it is a swamp or a saline-alkali land, the State of Zhao can transform it and turn it into fertile farmland.
There is no shortage of water in the north these days.
With good water conservancy construction, the Liaohe Plain can not only grow wheat, millet, soybeans, and millet, but also rice. In later generations, the Liaohe Plain became the main rice producing area in Liaoning.
Therefore, Zhao State plans to vigorously develop the Liaohe Plain in the next few years on the basis of Yan State and build the Liaohe Plain into one of the core areas of Zhao State.
Everyone looked at each other again, sighed deeply, and had to redeploy manpower again.
To be honest, Zhao Guo did not expect that Li Mu could defeat Yan State so quickly, so he did not prepare manpower. Most of the water conservancy experts were still digging rivers in the Hetao.
To develop the Liaohe Plain, in addition to water conservancy experts, we also need the help of farmers.
But except for a few old men who are in the college, the rest of the farm families are all over the country. You can't just send the old men there. It's a long journey all the way.
Dun, if you kill someone, everyone in the Zhao country will regret it to death.
At the beginning of this year, farmers cultivated high-quality rice, and the yield per mu increased by 30% compared with before. Coupled with the popularization of rice transplanting, the yield per mu increased by nearly half.
Last month, Tiancang's newly cultivated wheat increased the yield per mu by more than 30% compared to before.
Zhao Kuo happily made each of the old men a marquis and gave them fiefdoms. For Zhao State, and even all future dynasties, this is much more important than winning a few wars on the battlefield.
With the continuous progress of farmers, Zhao Guo has enough confidence.
The old men in the farmhouse were Zhao Kuo's old men, and they would take the initiative to bow down and salute when they saw them.
"Your Majesty, all the water conservancy masters of the Zhao State are in Hetao. As for the farmers, they are all over the country. Recruiting them now will delay things and waste time. Why not... recruit people from Yandi? Governor Li Mu can post notices , Recruiting water conservancy masters and people in agriculture.”
"The people of Yan know the local area better and it is easier to do things. Moreover, the six counties of Yan are so big that it is impossible not to recruit people. If you really can't recruit people, it is not too late to transfer people from Hetao. In addition, I heard that, Master Zou Yan from the academy also has a lot of research on agriculture. He once helped the Yan State to cultivate cold-resistant millet. He is very familiar with the Yan State. Your Majesty may allow him to go to the Yan Land." Cai Ze said with his hand.
"Zou Yan? I didn't expect that I would tell him when I had time. Does anyone else have any other opinions?" Zhao Kuo asked.
"Your Majesty, if Han and Wei want to re-build the dike for Xingze, they will definitely send water conservancy masters there. After the dam construction is completed, the king can ask Wang Zhujun and Neishi to invite these water conservancy masters and send them to the Liaohe Plain." Lin Xiangru With his eyebrows flying, he has experienced the joy of poaching people.
"How could South Korea and Wei just sit back and watch Zhao do this?" said Chulong, who had been silent.
"We, the State of Zhao, have helped South Korea regain their lost territory, helped the State of Wei break the siege of Daliang, and also helped them with disaster relief. How dare they refuse to ask for just a few water conservancy masters?" Lin Xiangru said with a straight face and a stern tone.
"What the Prime Minister said won my heart." Zhao Kuo said with a smile, "Just do what the Prime Minister and Sinong said."
After the matter was finished, the monarch and his ministers began to deal with the long process of government affairs, and even Zhao Kuo did not leave.
A few days ago, he was thinking of being lazy, but later he heard that Lin Xiangru and Chulong and the other old men worked overtime until midnight every night and started working again before dawn. He really couldn't bear it.
If Lin Xiangru and the others are exhausted and have no one to handle government affairs, Zhao Kuo himself will suffer in the end.
Adhering to the principle that his ministers can only be favored by themselves, Zhao Kuo had no choice but to come over and handle government affairs with them.
"Your Majesty, the intelligence of the State of Qin." Liu Ping walked into the palace, whispered to Zhao Kuo, and handed over a small roll of paper in his hand.
"The Qiang Cavalry has arrived in Qin! I didn't expect Qin to borrow it. I don't know what price Qin paid, but it's a pity that the Qiang Cavalry arrived late. If it could have been half a month earlier, it would have been possible to turn the tide of the war. Now...it depends on what King Qin chooses." Zhao Kuo took the note, opened it, and said with a smile.
"Is there any news from the battlefield of Qi?" Zhao Kuo asked.
During this period of time, Li Mu and Le Yi continued to receive good news, and Lian Po also firmly blocked the Qin army from Shangdang. However, because there were too few troops, it was difficult to take the initiative to attack.
Only Pang Nuan sends a letter every five days. Each letter only says one thing, that is, the two armies are still confronting each other...
"I sent a letter yesterday, saying that the two armies are still confronting each other, but I didn't hand it to the king." Liu Ping said.
"I know." Zhao Kuo nodded and continued to deal with government affairs.
As for sending someone to urge you, that's impossible.
Since Pang Nuan was sent to lead the army, Zhao Kuo would give him full trust.
A few days later, King Yan was sent to Handan by Li Mu.
Looking at Handan City getting closer and closer, King Yan did not feel much sorrow for the country's demise. He was thinking about one thing: whether he was the worst king in history. He was arrested before he could even ascend the throne. It is even less likely that he will have the chance to ascend the throne in the future.
Yanwang’s frame is not
It was a prison van, just a very ordinary frame, so there were no passers-by watching.
Zhao Kuo did not go out of his way to humiliate King Yan. He just invited King Yan to have a drink and chatted for a while.
King Yan felt relieved when he saw that Zhao Kuo was still kind. After the banquet, he cautiously asked, "I wonder how King Zhao plans to deal with the guilty minister?"
"I have prepared a residence for King Yan. King Yan can live in Handan with peace of mind. Don't worry, I will not kill you." Zhao Kuo said with a smile.
"Thank you, King Zhao." King Yan bowed humbly, not daring to ask any more questions, and was led by his attendants to his residence.
After crossing a street, the guard stopped not far from the palace.
"This is it." The guard said, pointing to a residence in front of him that, although not as good as a palace, was comparable to an ordinary noble house.
"Thank you... little brother for leading the way." King Yan reached out and touched his sleeves, but found nothing. Then he remembered that he didn't have any money with him. The only valuable thing may be this clothes, but it is impossible to reward the guards.
"Hey! After all these years, I finally have a neighbor. Who are you? You have an unusual status. Ordinary people are not qualified to live here." At this time, the door opened and a tall, bearded man was heard. Walking out from the side door, he looked very excited to see King Yan.
"Are you..." King Yan asked cautiously.
"Oh, I am King Donghu." King Donghu came over and said very affectionately.
"I am... King Yan." King Yan was silent for a moment and then announced his identity.
"I'm just saying, ordinary people are not qualified to live here." King Donghu solemnly patted King Yan on the shoulder.
Donghu and Yan were once enemies, but when King Donghu saw King Yan, for some reason, he felt friendly.
"Why do you say that?" King Yan asked.
"Hei Gu, Zhu Raccoon Dog, and Xiu Min, you know, although their monarch was also captured, the State of Zhao said they were not qualified to be raised by the State of Zhao, so they were all sent to mine. The Xiongnu Chanyu died in the battle. I am the only one who has You are qualified to live here." King Donghu said quite proudly.
"..." King Yan.
"Then King Yan will leave it to you. I'll go back first." Seeing the two of them chatting happily, the guard said with fists in his hands.
"Thank you for your hard work. You can go back first. Just leave King Yan to me." King Donghu said very enthusiastically.
"..." King Yan.
"Don't worry, as long as you don't want to run away, Zhao Guo will not care about you, nor will they mistreat you. Moreover, Zhao Guo's food is really good. They will basically satisfy you whatever you want. I heard that even if it is eaten by King Zhao Food is no different from ours. I am fat now." King Donghu shook the fat on his belly.
He was once rebellious, but in the end his edges were smoothed by time.
He was the only one here. Although there were some guards, they usually didn't talk to him, and Zhao Guo didn't arrange a maid for him. King Donghu was almost going crazy.
It was not easy to see King Yan today, how could Donghu bear it.
"..." King Yan.
"There are only two of us here. It's still too few. No one usually talks. When do you think the third one will come? Will it be the King of Qi, the King of Wei, or another king?" King Donghu asked with interest .
His biggest interest now is to see all the courtyards on this street filled with people, so he can be considered a senior.
King Yan glanced at King Donghu and said silently:
"Is it possible that he is still King Donghu?"
ps: "The Biography of Alchemists" says: Zou Yan was in Yan, and Yan had valleys. The land was beautiful but cold, and there were no five hubs. Zouzi lived there, and when he played the music, the warm air came, and he grew up. Now it is called Millet Valley. ” Rhythm is a yang sound, so it is said that blowing the rhythm pipe can warm the floor.
In the book, it was changed to say that Zou Yan cultivated cold-resistant millet. If it were written as Chui Lu, it would be difficult to get it back.
