Chapter 5008: Benefits of the Gentiles
Liu Ji has been coveting Yuwen Festival for a long time.
Before Fang Jun's sudden rise, Yu Wenjie was definitely a leader among the younger generation. With his own ability and the support of his family, he was once promoted to the high position of Zuocheng, the Minister of Finance, and became a central minister. Even though he was implicated due to Changsun Wuji's rebellion, he was able to show his talents in a very short period of time after returning to the post of Chang'an County Magistrate, clearing up all the long-standing abuses in the county government, making the officials' governance clear and clear, and the people praised him.
Zhongshu Province needs such talents.
Having been repeatedly suppressed by the military in the past two years, Liu Jie learned from the experience and discovered that the reason why civilian officials were defeated by the military was due to the difference in quality between the two sides.
I don’t know since when, those officials who were both civil and military and diligent in their duties at the time of the founding of the country gradually withered away, and were replaced by a large number of children from aristocratic families. These dandies filled the court, acted arbitrarily and colluded with each other for corruption and lawlessness based on their background, and the atmosphere was full of chaos.
Today, there are many people in the court who are boastful and talk about benefits. These people are very good at intrigues and fighting for power, but they either ignore government affairs or are powerless. There is an extremely lack of officials who are proficient in common affairs.
Looking back at the military, wars have not stopped since the founding of the country. Initially, the empire was prepared to prevent Turkic invaders from invading the border. The entire empire was prepared with hundreds of thousands of troops and dozens of famous generals, all of whom were elite. After the Turks, Tuyuhun, Xue Yantuo and other foreign invaders were eliminated, they immediately conquered the Western Regions and made great food. Coupled with the rise of the navy and the ability to traverse the oceans, the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were rampant outside the region and were invincible.
Countless battles and tense heartstrings kept the Tang army always positive, just like a piece of iron that was tempered in the fire again and again, removing impurities and uniting closely, and finally became a sharp and invincible weapon. An invincible sharp blade.
The contrast between civil and military affairs is as vast as a world of difference, one disappears while the other increases. In the long run, it is not only a problem that the civilian officials cannot compete with the military, but also that the civilian officials are overstaffed and compete for power. This will inevitably lead to chaos in the empire's officialdom, corruption will become prevalent, and it will completely shake the foundation of the country.
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The imperial examination has replaced all previous methods of selecting officials, which is nothing less than a disaster for aristocratic families. In the past, only recommendation was needed for the family's children to become officials, but now they have to undergo examinations, the survival of the fittest, and everything must be put on the table. The results speak for themselves, it’s really unbearable.
However, from the end of Zhenguan to His Majesty's accession to the throne, the family suffered an unbearable blow in just a few years. Multiple mutinies in succession resulted in the loss of almost all the soldiers who supported the family, and the measurement of acres of land required hundreds of years of accumulation. The land has been greatly reduced, and the industry that can support future generations to eat and enjoy endless enjoyment has been almost halved. The maritime trade that has benefited hugely has been tightly strangled by the imperial court...
The family has never been so weak since its birth.
Therefore, although they knew that the imperial examination would destroy the privileges that had been passed down for hundreds of years, no one dared to openly resist the central government. They could only hide and wait for opportunities.
……
The beautiful land in the south of the Yangtze River, the imperial state of Jinling.
The name Jinling has existed since ancient times. In the past, when the northern land was destroyed and the clothes were transferred to the south, Zhengshuo of China moved here, the Southern Dynasty established its capital in Jianjian, the Sui and Tang Dynasties established a state in Jiangning, the stone city was a dragon, and the Zhongshan tiger was in the Han Dynasty. The heart of culture.
The aristocratic families migrated south and took root here. Over the course of hundreds of years, they gradually radiated throughout the south of the Yangtze River, making it difficult to integrate with the imperial power in the north. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, they have naturally been suppressed and devalued by the central government, and their political status has plummeted.
But even so, with its geographical advantages and strong culture, Jinling is still the core of Jiangnan, and one of the few cities in the world that can rival Chang'an as a famous city.
The city tower is majestic, and the Health Palace is shrouded in the misty spring rain.
At this time, Jinling was just a county under the jurisdiction of Runzhou, but because of its attributes as a culturally important place and an important economic town, the provincial examination of a state was still placed here.
The Health Palace was the imperial palace of the Six Dynasties, also known as "Taicheng". It had a grand building and numerous buildings. The examination room for the imperial examination was located here.
The rain was pouring, and teams of soldiers controlled the city gates and patrolled along the streets. The entire city had a solemn atmosphere and was heavily guarded.
Inside the Zhuming Gate is the official residence of the Zhongshu Province in the Six Dynasties. It has been exposed to wind and rain for hundreds of years. The window lattice is old and the eaves are mottled, but the interior decoration is very clean.
Xiao Yu is sitting on his knees in the house, with a coffee table and a pot of tea in front of him. Through the open window, green bamboo leaves can be seen. The gate of Zhuming Gate is looming in the mist and rain. The gaps in the steps in front of the house are covered with moss. The eaves of the house are covered with moss. The next magnolia tree stretches its branches and its buds bloom in the spring breeze and rain.
The light rain is falling, and the mood of spring is strong.
Xiao Yu held the pot with his own hands, filled the tea cup with tea, smiled and signaled to the middle-aged man sitting across the coffee table: "The good tea before the spring rain this spring was delivered to the mansion yesterday via the waterway, General Gao enjoyed it. ”
The middle-aged man was Gao Kan. Hearing the words, he bowed slightly, took the tea cup with both hands, and said humbly: "How dare you serve tea with your own hands as the Duke of Song Dynasty? You will be in panic."
Xiao Yu was dressed in indigo robes, with white beard and eyebrows, and a strong spirit. He stroked his beard and smiled and said: "I am just an old man in the field today, but the general is in his prime and has military power. Why should he belittle himself like this?"
Gao Kan is dressed in cloth and wears a horizontal sword on his waist. He has a square face and a calm expression. He sits with his clothes straight and has a certain demeanor of Yuan Ting Yue Zhi.
"The Duke of Song Dynasty is arrogantly belittling himself. The Xiao family of Lanling is the head of the Jiangnan noble clan. You have served the country well and have an outstanding reputation. You have made promises in the land of Jiangnan. The last general is just a warrior. I need your help. Don’t dare to be abrupt.”
Xiao Yu knew that when the other party invited him to meet during the imperial examination, he must have something important to discuss, but he drank tea slowly and did not express his position.
I felt very sad.
Who would have thought that in the past, he was just a soldier in the Youtun Guards, but over the years he has repeatedly made military exploits and risen to the top. Today, he is not only one of the sixteen generals of the Guards, but also leads the army to guard Jinling and intimidate Jiangnan, becoming a veritable "King of the South" "?
Fang Jun's ability to recognize and employ people is simply amazing and jaw-dropping...
After a pause, he slowly asked: "Today's imperial examination has attracted everyone's attention. The general is responsible for martial law. Why do you want me to drink tea here?"
Gao Kan was not good at words, so he did not beat around the bush and said bluntly: "The land south of the Yangtze River has outstanding people, abundant resources and abundant people. It is also a collection of literature and Confucian cultural background. This imperial examination has brought together many children from aristocratic families, so it should be a blockbuster and shock the world." . If someone is short-sighted and has bad intentions, it will be a great pity that the imperial examination cannot be carried out smoothly."
Xiao Yu put down the tea cup, straightened his back, and said dissatisfied: "Is the general warning me?"
Gao Kan's eyes were burning: "I don't dare, I'm just worried."
Although he had invited the Jiangnan gentry to have a frank talk in Jinling City before the exam, and these people all agreed to ensure that the imperial examination went smoothly, but as the heartland of the Jiangnan gentry and the inheritance of the Confucian school, there may not be anyone with the name of "protection" Under the banner of "Confucianism", they secretly sabotaged the imperial examinations.
In this way, Xiao Yu had to be beaten to make him fearful, and then restrain the Jiangnan nobles.
Xiao Yu said in a deep voice: "I have now become an official. I don't care about the political affairs of the court. Today I came to Taicheng to cheer for my children because of the reference of my children. But I don't know what I have to do with it even if something unexpected happens? Do you know that even Fang Jun would not dare to be so presumptuous in front of me?”
Gao Kan looked calm and said calmly: "The general has the responsibility to ensure the stability of Jiangnan, and the imperial examination is the top priority. Don't use the commander-in-chief to pressure me. As long as something goes wrong, the general will punish me with thunderous means. As long as I am afraid that the Jiangnan nobles will not be able to bear such consequences.”
Two consecutive mutinies caused heavy losses to the Jiangnan nobles. They were depleted and lost their manpower, and the wealth they had accumulated since the late Sui Dynasty was almost wiped out. Without sufficient strength to rely on, one would never dare to openly oppose the imperial government's national policy, but after all, Jiangnan is where aristocratic families are entrenched and a blessed place where Confucianism flourishes, so it may not be possible that they will not secretly obstruct it.
Tens of thousands of Youweiwei's elite troops are stationed in Stone City to intimidate the entire Jiangnan. Any force that dares to cause trouble can be defeated in one fell swoop. However, if they secretly plot and stir up trouble, it is impossible to prevent it.
Xiao Yu didn't pay attention to the disrespect in Gao Kan's words. He drank tea and remained silent.
He dared not make a promise.
Although the Lanling Xiao family is the leader of the Jiangnan noble clan, this nominal leader does not have any binding force. The family members obey the leadership of the Lanling Xiao family on the surface, but they have secret plans and violate them in secret. Who can control it?
Furthermore, he may not have taken advantage of this and allowed the Jiangnan nobles to make some noise...
He is willing to completely fall to the center, but the risk is extremely high.
The gentry from the south of the Yangtze River have long taken root here since their migration to the south. Nominally, each family's county headquarters is still in the north, but in fact, the family's focus is in the south of the Yangtze River. Hundreds of years of management and strategy are deeply rooted and their interests lie in the north. The central figures in the imperial court were incompatible with each other and even hostile to each other.
Even though the former Sui Dynasty unified the mountains and rivers and unified the north and the south, the Jiangnan gentry were still outside the center. "Jiangnan is the Jiangnan for Jiangnan people" is by no means an empty statement. Once too attached to the center, the Lanling Xiao family would trigger rebellion among the other Jiangnan gentry. He was dissatisfied and was regarded as having "different intentions", and he no longer regained his previous status as the leader of Jiangnan.
After pondering for a long time, Xiao Yu sighed: "It's not that I don't want to, but I really can't listen."
"Jiangnan belongs to the Jiangnan people" is the consensus of the Jiangnan gentry. For hundreds of years, the Jiangnan gentry has followed the nine-rank Zhongzheng system, allowing the descendants of the clan to serve as officials and always control Jiangnan. As soon as the "Imperial Examination" came out, the nine-rank Zhongzheng system was abolished, and the power of selecting officials and appointing officials was transferred from the aristocratic families to the central government. Who can serve as officials, and who and where they should be officials are no longer under the control of the aristocratic families. How can the Jiangnan gentry be willing to do so?
In particular, the implementation of the "Southern List and Northern List" eliminated the advantage of the Confucianism of the Jiangnan gentry. Even if the northern students were uneducated and low-level, their official quotas would be the same as those in Jiangnan. In the future, all officials in Jiangnan will be northern students. How can we talk about "Jiangnan belongs to Jiangnan people"?