And when the Great Zhou Dynasty was preparing to open up new schools to recruit scholars and reshape the dynasty into a new era, another change occurred in the border land.
The borders of the Great Zhou Dynasty are still under threat from the Tatar troops, but the overall situation is still in a stalemate. It will take time for the court to mobilize troops and prepare logistics and equipment.
On the other hand, the Tatars were blocked by the heavy troops of the Zhou Dynasty. All the roads going south were blocked. Even if they wanted to attack the grass valley, they had no chance. They had also made a small fortune by conquering the city before. If they were determined to go south, they would be very successful. They may be surrounded and cut off their retreat.
Therefore, the Tatars are now in a dilemma.
The lobby of the General Military Mansion.
Tuogu Khan was wearing a robe and leaning on the main seat. In half a month, the muscles on his face had loosened a lot, and he had gained a lot of weight. Not only him, but also many tribal leaders in the hall. It’s also much richer.
In the previous raid, they penetrated the border defense line, broke into an important town, and robbed a lot of things. It was the first time for many of them to come to the colorful world of the Central Plains, and they were almost fascinated.
In half a month, the surrounding towns and villages were devastated by them. Fortunately, the secret guards of the Xuanjing Division delivered the message very quickly.
In fact, the place that Dazhou now occupies was once the territory of the grassland. The people here are no different from the grassland herdsmen, so they did not suffer much losses when they evacuated.
"Tell me, retreat or fight!"
Tuogu Khan took a sip of milk wine and glanced at the faces of everyone in the hall. His sharp eyes were like eagles, making them feel like rays on their backs.
An old man on his left stood up from his seat and said, "Great Khan, the people in the south can no longer be trusted. Although they have supported a lot of food these days, according to the spies, they have always been in the south. There is no A hint of war.”
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by another bald middle-aged man. He glared at the old man with an angry look on his face, "You mean, we have to retreat?"
"Don't forget, this was originally the territory of our grassland. We finally conquered it. Do we have to spit out the meat we ate in our mouths?"
As soon as he said this, the old man was stunned and didn't know what to say.
Although this land is grassland, they have lost it for decades. Isn’t it just a waste of time to say this now?
Another old man put down the thing in his hand and looked at the bald middle-aged man with disdain, "Huh, Barhan, if you don't retreat, then how do you think of fighting! Now there are heavy Zhou troops guarding the left and right flanks, and the city's The city wall is so high and massive that it will take many times the number of troops to capture it. And although we have 300,000 people, we only have 200,000 troops to fight."
"And don't forget, there is no shortage of cavalry in Zhou Dynasty. We haven't seen the shadow of their cavalry now. What if we go south and cannot capture the city, and they use cavalry to cut off our supply line? What should we do then? manage?"
When it came to the specific strategy, the middle-aged man named Barhan suddenly turned off his fire. Now they want to solve the current dilemma. It is simple to say, they just need to remove the Zhou army on the left or right.
But the problem is that both sides are tough. No matter which tribe they fight against, they will suffer heavy losses. All the soldiers in their hands are gone. Even if they win the city and make great achievements, what's the use?
In the grassland, only strength is king, and no one is willing to bite these two hard bones. This is one of the reasons why the Tatar army hesitated to move forward.
As for the rebels in the south, Tuogu Khan and the others have never taken them seriously. The Great Zhou Dynasty is now in control of the most elite place in the Central Plains. As long as the court is given enough time, they can transform their national power into a steady stream of fighting power. .
"Peng!"
Just when they were about to continue arguing, a crisp sound attracted their attention, and they saw a broken cup lying at the feet of Tuogu Khan. At this moment, he had an angry look on his face, like a tiger that chooses people to devour. .
"enough!"
These days, Gou Tuogu Khan, the fly camp dog of the various tribes below, is all watching, but now he has to step forward. He must make a decision whether to go south or return to the grassland.
He glanced at everyone and said in a cold voice, "We summoned the warriors of the tribe to go south, isn't it just to wipe out the shame of the past? Now just two cities are stopping you from moving forward. Is it possible that our eagles in the Everlasting Sky are just little ones with broken wings?" It’s impossible!”
"Three days later, each tribe will allocate manpower, and my men will personally lead the attack on the city. They must pull out a nail and open the road south. This time, I want to avenge our ancestors!"
"I'm telling you, if you don't take advantage of this moment to get enough benefits, when Dazhou takes care of the rebels in the south, it will be time to take care of us. By then, none of you will be able to escape!"
In just a few words, the tone was set. Having said that, if they objected further, they would be in trouble with the Khan, and no one could touch him.
Not to mention, the people under Tuogu Khan personally led the troops to attack the city. Even if they lose troops and generals, everyone will bear the losses together, and it will be acceptable if they are divided equally.
Seeing that no one had any objections, Tuogu Khan showed a cold look in his eyes and said in a deep voice, "You guys should discuss which city to attack. I'll tell this Khan in the evening and you guys should go down and rectify the troops under your command. We'll be able to do it in three days." Don’t hold back!”
"I will obey the orders of the Great Khan!"
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Three days later, Tuogu Khan ordered his ten thousand captains to lead a team. One thousand people from each tribe were mobilized, and a total of 50,000 people were gathered to attack Hanyang City on the border of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
And all of this was already expected by the general.
Hanyang City was located on the left wing of the city occupied by the Tatars. The frontier army built a line of defense around this city, and the same was true for the other city.
The two lines of defense are filled with densely packed bunkers. These large and small bunkers occupy key terrain points, limiting the advantages of the Tatar cavalry and making it impossible for them to come and go freely. This is why the Tatars dare not move south in large numbers.
These two lines of defense are like a pocket. It is easy to get in but difficult to get out. Tuogu Khan is not a fool, how could he commit such a taboo of military strategists.
But what has to be said is that in order to build this line of defense, the imperial court allocated a lot of manpower and material resources, and its suppression of rebels in various places was greatly reduced.
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In the south, after Mo Lihai reached an agreement with the Dragon Clan, the two sides helped each other and benefited each other. With the help of local forces, the Dragon Clan's erosion of the inland water system greatly increased. At the same time, the entry of the Dragon Clan also increased the momentum of the rebels, and the Demon Cult supported them. The rebels began to kill and attack the remaining rebels and consolidate their strength.
With the support of the Demon Cult and the Dragon Clan, how could the rest of the rebels be their opponents? As a last resort, they could only unite to fight against the enemy.
It has to be said that the timing of the entry of the Demon Cult was just right. The imperial court was preparing for the imperial examination and dealing with the Tatars in the north, and had no time to take care of the south. Therefore, in just half a month, the territory of the Xuanyi Army supported by the Demon Cult expanded. Double.
The leader of the Xuanyi Army is named Tang Xuanyi, who is from a noble family. Everyone in the Xuanyi Army wears Xuanyi, which is black, and the color of the symbol of the Demon Sect is also black. Tang Xuanyi even met Mo Lihai , received generous support.
When the power of the Demon Cult was expanding, the Demon Clan was not idle either.
Their base camp, Shiwanda Mountain, is adjacent to Southern Xinjiang. After the original alliance was torn up, the demon clan came out in large numbers. Now the entire southern Xinjiang has become the paradise of the demon clan, and their power has a faint tendency to expand outwards.
However, their actions also aroused dissatisfaction and hostility from many casual cultivators.
The Great Zhou Dynasty has been recuperating for more than forty years, and the world has a population of hundreds of millions. Although the conditions for cultivating immortals are very harsh, it is especially difficult for casual cultivators.
But it can't stand up to the large population base of Dazhou, and casual cultivators who kill demons can also collect materials from demons and exchange them for things needed for cultivation in official institutions.
Now the branches of the Xuanjing Division of the Great Zhou Dynasty in various places are waiting to be renovated, but they lack nothing but people. Those casual cultivators are eager to enter the imperial court and eat official meals.
This is also Su Ming's decision. There will be too many enemies in the Great Zhou Dynasty in the future. He must take precautions. As long as these casual cultivators do not move closer to the three major sects or aristocratic families, it will be fine.
There are also geniuses among the casual cultivators, but they have not had enough resources to advance to the next level. Now that the court has let go of this and no longer suppresses the cultivator community, it finally gives them the possibility to get ahead. This method is similar to the imperial examination.
The difference is that those Confucian scholars mastered wisdom, while the monks mastered real power. This was one of the reasons why Emperor Shenwu wanted to suppress the world of immortal cultivation.
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Qingzhou, Xunyang County, Gongyuan, where the imperial examination is being held.
The bamboos and parasols are green, and the pods are green. When the wind blows, the coolness enters the room and drives away the heat.
Above the examination room, two examiners were patrolling back and forth. Suddenly, he heard a continuous sound of the rustling of the pen tip, like a spring flowing through frost and stone, which was very pleasant.
"Huh,"
When the examiner heard the sound, his heart skipped a beat. His ears twitched, he stopped and looked for the source of the sound. He thought to himself, "The strokes are continuous and done in one go. This kind of writing power is extraordinary."
In the imperial examination, the test paper must be neat and tidy. Even if it is a draft, there should be no smears. If you make a mistake, you can at most cross it out. However, the average candidate has a manuscript in his mind before writing. Even if it is a draft, he still writes seriously. Don't dare to be careless.
Candidates who can write like this must either have a high level of knowledge and strong writing skills, or they may just be sloppy and scribble. The examiner walked gently into a dormitory accompanied by other people.
As soon as he entered the door, he saw a young man sitting upright on a stone bench, with a pine-like posture and a serious expression. He was wearing a blue robe, some parts of which had been washed and turned white. It seemed that the candidate's family background was average. .
At this moment, the young man was busy writing and was engrossed in his writing. He did not notice the arrival of the inspector at all. The inspector stepped forward and took a look. After this glance, the inspector could not move forward.
All I saw was the words on the paper, the size of which was well proportioned, round and smooth, like a mountain, picked like a sudden rain; as slender as a thread, as light as a cloud, strange and graceful, powerful and powerful, it was already in a good state, if it hadn't been for this examination paper, It's enough to become a masterpiece if you put it outside.
In his eyes, the words on the paper seem to have spirituality. Just looking at them quietly can make people's thoughts flow freely and their spirits happy.
After a while, the examiner looked away from the calligraphy, with a look of shock on his face. His good handwriting was rare among this class of scholars. This person was extraordinary!
He didn't check the article on the test paper, he just admired the handwriting and then turned around and left.
In the dormitory, the rustling sound of the moving pen tip continued. Suddenly, a wisp of breeze blew by, lifting the green hair on the young man's forehead, and a fair and upright side face slowly emerged.
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Half a month later, it was time to release the results. At this time, the scholars all over the city were excited. It was about their own future. Who couldn't care less? There was a sea of people in front of Gongyuan, which was longer than before the exam.
As the time for releasing the list came, the names on the red list were revealed in front of everyone from bottom to top. When they saw the names, some people cheered with surprise, while others were disappointed.
Moreover, there are examination papers for scholars posted behind each name. You can tell who is superior and inferior at a glance. Some people wailed and fainted when they saw the examination paper at the bottom of the list.
Since the reform of Emperor Shenwu, the imperial examination has been an important way for the imperial court to select talents. It has been fair and transparent to the greatest extent. The purpose of posting test papers is to convince other candidates.
At first, the whole court was in an uproar, and the officials came to remonstrate and stop it. However, under the iron-blooded hand of Emperor Shenwu, a large number of officials were beaten with imperial rods and imprisoned. In the end, this reform was promoted.
The reason why Emperor Shenwu did this was to curb the powerful families and local squires, and released the examination papers. How confident that the examiners could only convince the scholars if they were fair, impartial and impartial.
After that, there were far fewer cases of cheating and secret operations in the imperial examination. Of course, fraud cannot be truly stopped. As long as there are rules, there will be loopholes.
As soon as this move came out, Emperor Shenwu won the hearts of the people. This was one of the reasons why when Emperor Shenwu was alive, neither the cultivators nor the rebels at the bottom dared to act rashly.
If he hadn't destroyed the city wall, caused anger and resentment, and lost people's hearts, it would be difficult for the Demon Sect to deal with him.
As the names on the list appeared one by one, the scholars were either happy or worried. Most of them lingered under the list, eyes wide open, checking the articles above, trying to find out any errors or injustices. .
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Qin Tianjian.
Su Ming stood in the Hall of Stars and looked at the stars in the sky. As the imperial examination progressed, the starlight of Ziwei became more and more stable, and he also gained a lot of luck. Even if the war broke out between the south and the north, there would be no Affecting Ziweixing's status.
This is the foundation of Dazhou!
Seeing this scene, Su Ming was filled with emotion. The heritage of the Great Zhou Dynasty does not lie in the many treasures of heaven and earth, nor in the hundreds of civil and military officials, but in the billions of people in the world.
After the new examinations are gradually held, those scholars who passed the examination will become the emperor's disciples, and they will bring a new atmosphere to the court in the future. At the same time, the gentry and aristocratic families from all over the country gradually calmed down their disputes and were no longer hostile to the imperial court with the help of the imperial examination.
