Chapter 4 is both the perfect strategy and the only one!
As soon as Xia Zhibai’s words came out, the surroundings became silent for an instant.
Ding Xian, who had made a mockery before, turned even pale at this moment, and looked at Xia Zhibai with eyes full of fear and panic.
As candidates, they are aware of the changes in this scientific examination.
Since the inception of the imperial examination, the content of the imperial examination has been different in all dynasties.
In the Tang Dynasty, various subjects such as Xiucai, Mingjing, Junshi, Jinshi, Mingfa (law), Mingzi, and Mingshu (mathematics) were examined.
The examination content includes political policies, scriptures, essays, etc.
The imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty included the Jinshi and Ming Jing subjects, and the examination content included Tie Jing, Mo Yi and poetry.
However, after Wang Anshi was appointed as a political advisor, the Song Dynasty canceled poems, poems, scriptures, and Moyi, and selected scholars based solely on classics, theory, and strategies.
During the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial examination was suspended for a long time. Although it was reopened later, there were great restrictions on Han people and Southerners.
There was even a saying that was popular at that time, "Only Mongolian students can be the number one scholar and respect their countrymen." This countrymen refers to Mongolians and Semu people.
The Yuan Dynasty said it held imperial examinations, but in fact it used the imperial examinations to consolidate the privileged status of the Mongols and Semu people.
Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang reopened the imperial examination, and the scientific examination program imitated the Yuan Dynasty.
The "Five Classics" and then the "Four Books" retained the habit of "ancient commentaries" in the Tang and Song Dynasties. At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang still attached great importance to the traditional "Confucian classics" and "Confucian classics".
After the imperial examination was launched for the first time, Zhu Yuanzhang was not satisfied with the situation of selecting scholars at that time, and then directly announced the abolition of the imperial examination.
When the imperial examination was reopened in the fifteenth year of Hongwu's reign, the content of the imperial examination was greatly restricted. Not only did it directly become a test of eight-legged essay, but it also limited the academic vision of the examination to the Neo-Confucian viewpoints that emerged in the Song Dynasty.
To a certain extent, this change reduced the difficulty of the scientific examination, so southern candidates believed that Zhu Yuanzhang was deliberately suppressing southern students in order to admit more northern students.
This invisibly intensified the estrangement and conflict between students from the north and the south.
If His Majesty's reform fails...
Ding Xian was thinking these words in his heart, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He was so frightened by these words that he could not speak.
Hua Lun glanced at Xia Zhibai indifferently, and then looked at Ding Xian, his eyes full of contempt and disdain. Can a dignified person be frightened by these bluffing words?
What a disgrace to their southern scholars.
Hua Lun looked at Xia Zhibai, his eyes were straight, but his expression was still cold, and he said: "The court has its own considerations when making changes to the content of the imperial examination. As candidates, can we All you have to do is take the exam."
"As for whether the reform you mentioned has failed, what does it have to do with me and other candidates? Even if the reform really fails, it is the fault of the court. ."
"What does it have to do with me?"
"I have done my duty according to the reference. I have never done any fraud or malpractice for personal gain. The rankings are also ranked by the court. Is there anything wrong?"
"If there is no Northerner among the top three, it only means that there is no one from the north. One thing is that the people of the north are really stuck in the mud. No matter how many changes the court makes, it still can't change the bad situation. "
"It also completely proves that the north is really not good. "
"No matter how you change it, it's all in vain."
Hualun's tone of voice was very slow, but there was strong aggression in it.
Xia Zhibai nodded, then shook his head.
The weak cultural context in the north is not something that happens overnight. Since the Yuan Dynasty unified the world, there has been a situation where "the north and the south are separated and the records are not connected".
If we go further, since the Anshi Rebellion, China's cultural economy has begun to favor the south, and the long-term war in the north has also seriously affected the spread and development of academics in the north.
This is also inevitable.
When life is on the line and livelihood is a big problem, how can you still have the energy to study knowledge? If it were not for the efforts of southern Confucian scholars such as Jianghan and Zhao Fu to spread Neo-Confucianism to the north, the current culture in the north would have declined even more.
After Zhu Yuanzhang unified the world, he obviously realized this.
Therefore, the "Four Books and Five Classics" were promulgated to the north many times, and officials were ordered to move to the south to learn officials and go north. They also specially promulgated the "Great Edict" that was consistent between the north and the south.
It has little effect.
Zhu Yuanzhang saw that the culture of the south was too strong and that the north had experienced wars for a long time and had a poor cultural heritage, so he deliberately suspended the imperial examination for ten years to allow the north to recover.
But Xia Zhibai knows that this so-called recovery is too one-sided, and the economic base determines the superstructure.
After being devastated by long-term wars, the production level in the north is far lower than that in the south. In this case, no matter how much support the court gives, it is almost impossible to catch up with the south in terms of education and culture.
Again.
The early Ming Dynasty was actually a southern regime.
Both politics and economy are based on the South, especially since most bureaucrats are from Jiangnan. These officials will undoubtedly pay more attention to the local interests of the South.
After Zhu Yuanzhang unified the world, he was already deliberately suppressing the southerners, but in the end he still treated the symptoms rather than the root cause. If he wanted to truly achieve a balance between the north and the south, he would ultimately have to develop the northern economy.
Xia Zhibai took a deep breath and said solemnly: "We are now officials, and almost all of us will be officials of the Ming Dynasty. As officials, we should take the world as our own responsibility."
" If after the imperial examination there are only southerners from the south of the Yangtze River and no northerners from the north of the Yangtze River, does that mean that only half of the Ming Dynasty will be conquered? "
"When your Majesty raised the army, the slogan he shouted was to expel the Tartars. , restore China, establish principles and disciplines, and save the people. "
"Restore China, does it only restore the south of the Yangtze River, but not the north of the Yangtze River? "
"The north of the Yangtze River has experienced wars for a long time, and it is true that it is inferior to the south in all aspects. But restoring production and life in the north should not be what Ming officials should be committed to?"
"The reason why His Majesty is committed to reforming the imperial examination system today is because It’s because you students from the south have no thoughts about the world and only have selfish motives.”
“You even take pleasure in belittling the north.” If you don’t understand this truth, you really have read these sage books in vain.”
“Your words have strengthened my confidence to become the number one scholar, because I have to become the number one scholar. Reason.”
Xia Zhibai's tone was very calm, as if he was saying something that had already been determined.
Hua Lun snorted coldly, and did not refute any more, and could not refute any more. He just said coldly: "Since you are so confident, let's see who will fall in this meeting in ten days. "
"I hope your mouth will be as hard as it is today."
Xia Zhibai shook his head, showing two rows of white teeth, and said with a smile: "You said it wrong again. , I am not a top scholar, but a top scholar.”
“Besides, if I become a top scholar, I will be different from the top picks in previous dynasties.”
"My number one scholar will be Tiance."
"It is also the only one in ancient and modern times!"
"Heaven..." Hualun had just wanted to be born, but the number one scholar had never had the title of Tiance.
Immediately, he thought of another title related to Tiance, his face changed dramatically, and he looked at Xia Zhibai with eyes filled with horror.
I cursed secretly in my heart.
Can the word ‘Tiance’ be used casually?
Throughout the ages, only Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty has been awarded the title of General Tiance. This was because his military merits at that time were so high that he could not be awarded the title.
How dare you, Xia Zhibai He De, have such ambition?
This is courting death!
(End of this chapter)