Chapter 985: Gains from the Academy Inspection
Haihan used the maritime transportation resources at hand and the convenience of the Guangdong Office to sponsor scholars on Hainan Island to participate in the provincial examinations of the Ming Dynasty. This practice has been a tradition for several years and was implemented before Haihan took control of Danzhou. For example, when Pan Mo participated in the two rural examinations in the second and fifth years of Chongzhen, he took the Haihan sailing boat to Guangzhou for free. During the reference period, the food and accommodation were also taken care of by the Haihan Office in Guangzhou, and the candidates did not need to spend any additional money. money.
The cost of this kind of move is actually very limited. It only covers the board and lodging for 180 people for more than half a month. To Haihan, it just means that he has accepted a few more immigrants that month. But for scholars whose family background is not very good, this is tantamount to a huge favor. Therefore, after some failed scholars return to Danzhou after taking the exam, they will choose to join Haihan, firstly to find a stable job, and secondly. I came here to repay my kindness.
The first group of people to work in Sanya happened to be when Haihan had just started, and the need for intellectuals was very urgent. There was basically no threshold set, and the income was not low. You could be naturalized as soon as you got a job, and you could get it if you moved your family to Sanya. Proper placement. Moreover, Haihan was a very strong sponsor of cultural undertakings at that time. Almost all large-scale activities in the Danzhou cultural circle were sponsored by Haihan. Literati naturally had a good impression of this kind of boss who was willing to spend money and had good taste. .
However, when Haihan came to take control of Danzhou, some scholars realized Haihan's ambitions. Out of loyalty to the Ming Dynasty, they began to refuse to cooperate with Haihan. Some of the more extreme ones, such as Huang Zixing of Zhongming Academy, even planned riots. To resist. But when Haihan's rule in Danzhou gradually stabilized, some literati who were aware of current affairs once again chose to bet on Haihan and directly gave up the opportunity to participate in the imperial examination. The number of candidates traveling from Danzhou to the mainland to take the provincial examination has decreased year by year. This is actually the main reason.
At this time, Haihan's need for intellectuals was no longer as urgent as it was in the early days, and he began to slowly set entry barriers, and his propaganda efforts to recruit literati were not as strong. Today's Haihan has no shortage of literati who come to seek refuge. Therefore, Haihan has no interest in recruiting these old-style literati who still hold old ideas and place all their hopes on the imperial examination.
As Ning Qi said, instead of begging these literati in a low voice, it is better to comply with their own choices and let them continue to take the imperial examination for daimyo. If a blind cat bumps into a dead mouse and someone passes the Jinshi examination, it will not be too late to find a way to do the job at that time. However, if such a situation does occur, Ningqi's cultural and educational department will not be responsible for it, but the Ministry of Security will take over - these wedges that can penetrate into the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty will be damaged if they are not fully utilized. What a shame.
Haihan's investment in Fujian's officialdom in the past few years has achieved remarkable results. The carefully supported Xu Xinsu family has now basically controlled the garrison in Fujian, and has also helped Haihan enter the local market, control the Fujian Strait waterways, and penetrate the Ming Dynasty officialdom. Provides an excellent fit. If it were not for the help from Fujian officials, it would not be so easy for Haihan to seize footholds such as Penghu and Taiwan in the southeastern waters.
With such a precedent, Haihan was still very interested in bribing Ming officials. It would be best if he could establish a relationship of common interests with the officials from the beginning of his career. To achieve such a goal, the simplest and most effective way is to support and sponsor candidates from Hainan Island. After they reach high school, it will be easier to establish further relationships.
It is also difficult for local scholars to develop enough resistance to the help provided by Haihan. First, these people have their roots on the island. Even if they go to the mainland to become officials, their tribesmen still have to stay in the area under Haihan's rule. In life, one cannot afford to offend the ruler easily. Secondly, Haihan has both financial resources and channels, so it is not difficult to support Ming officials to rise to power. The changes in officialdom in Fujian in recent years have perfectly proved this. If you can get Haihan's help, your official career will definitely be smooth. Much more.
Of course, the most important point is that if Haihan feels uncomfortable with someone, with the resources at his disposal, it is ten times easier to hold him back than to promote him. Regardless of whether they are willing to accept it or not, these literati from Qiongzhou who plan to rely on the imperial examination to become officials will definitely not be able to refuse Haihan's request. Ning Qi spoke more loosely so that the audience could live with it.
After answering Pan Mo's question, Ning Qi selected another person from among those who raised their hands to ask a question. This man looked older than Pan Mo. There were obvious wrinkles on his forehead and at the corners of his eyes. Judging from his appearance, he was probably at least forty years old.
The man stood up and saluted and reported his family name: "Student Wang Qifan, from Sandu Town, Danzhou. He passed the provincial examination in the 45th year of Wanli. Now he works as a part-time teacher at Bailu Academy, teaching intermediate classes."
Ning Qi calculated in his mind that in the forty-fifth year of Wanli, which was 1617, he had won the imperial examination seventeen years ago, but had not made any progress since then. It seemed that his qualifications were limited, and that was the end of the matter after he had won the imperial examination. However, such old Confucian scholars, who have gained fame as a scholar, generally no longer worry about food and clothing, and their perspective on social change may be somewhat different from that of young people. But hearing this person who may be older than himself call himself a student, Ning Qi always feels a little weird. However, these scholars probably regard him as Haihan's academic advisor, so this title is quite appropriate. etiquette.
Wang Qifan continued: "Students have been enrolled in Bailu Academy since childhood. It has been nearly forty years. It can be said that they have spent half of their lives in this academy. I have seen many scholars coming and going. In recent years, Haihan has come After that, the teaching in the academies also changed. The students wanted to ask the leader whether each academies in Danzhou can still decide on their own teaching content in the future. ”
Fan Changyi heard that there was something wrong with his question, and when he was about to scold him, Ning Qi raised his hand to indicate that he should not interrupt, but answered on his own: "I have just said that for scholars who are willing to apply for the Ming Dynasty imperial examination, Haihan will still continue We will provide sponsorship and support, so in the foreseeable future, the academy can continue to teach the previous teaching content. We will not make rigid regulations on this. However, in order for scholars to better integrate into the new society under Haihan's rule, It is also necessary to add some new teaching content. People always have to look forward! In the future, everyone here will become Haihan citizens. I also hope that all scholars can contribute to the construction of Haihan country and contribute to the construction of Haihan country. Haihan’s culture is passed down from generation to generation! ”
Wang Qifan asked: "Since students from Danzhou can still apply for the Ming Dynasty imperial examination, does Haihan recognize that the people under his rule have Ming nationality?"
This issue is undoubtedly very acute. Nationality is the foundation of a country for Haihan. However, Haihan's country was founded on the territory of the Ming Dynasty. About 70% of the citizens are originally people of the Ming Dynasty. It is very difficult to recognize the nationality of the Ming Dynasty. It can easily cause a split in national consciousness and make people doubt their own identity. However, if we do not recognize the Ming Dynasty nationality, it is equivalent to asking the people to completely separate from the Ming Dynasty. This is obviously a difficult fact for many immigrants from the mainland to accept. Many people think that even if they join the Haihan nationality, they will still retain their status as Mingren, and are not aware of the problems that may exist after the establishment of the Haihan country. But if Haihan officially announces that his nationality is unique, chaos among the people may inevitably arise.
Ning Qi must answer this kind of ideological question carefully. After all, he has a high position and the attitude expressed here will basically be equivalent to the official opinion, and may soon become a hot topic among the public. topic. At this time, even Fan Changyi, the headmaster of the Academy, no longer planned to reprimand Wang Qifan for being reckless and rude, but pricked up his ears to hear what Ning Qi would say.
Ning Qi pondered for a while before answering: "As for the nationality issue... After the founding of Haihan, dual nationality will still be recognized. That is to say, people can have dual nationalities of Ming and Haihan at the same time, but this does not mean that they have both Ming and Haihan nationalities." After the people of the Ming Dynasty obtained Haihan citizenship, they could freely travel between the two countries, or use this to avoid Haihan's taxation and rule of law. In addition to enjoying the various benefits of Haihan, having Haihan nationality is more important to abide by Haihan's laws. We must obey the laws of Haihan, obey the work arrangements of the departments under the Executive Committee, and serve Haihan! If you commit an offense in Haihan, your nationality will not save your life. After becoming a Han citizen, they are subject to the Haihan system and laws. Is this correct for students to understand?" Wang Qifan responded.
"That's right." Ning Qi nodded and said: "Our legal system in Haihan will be more complete than that in Ming Dynasty, so don't expect to gain any benefits from using dual nationality."
"The student did not mean this." Of course Wang Qifan noticed the warning in Ning Qi's tone and quickly bowed.
This question made Ning Qi feel a little unhappy, and he seemed to lack interest in the following time. Even the inscription session that Fan Changyi had prepared in advance, Ning Qi temporarily canceled it. Of course, Fan Changyi did not dare to show any dissatisfaction with Ning Qi, so he could only put the account on the head of Wang Qifan, who spoke freely. He thought that after Ning Qi left Danzhou, he would have to find a reason to eliminate Wang Qifan, an old cancer. Out.
Since no one translated for Van Diemen in time, he simply didn't understand what happened during these few sentences. But seeing Ning Qi's unhappy expression, he could roughly guess that the old scholar's question just now annoyed Ning Qi. Originally, he planned to take a look at the bustling Van Diemen, but now he had no choice but to follow the large group and leave.
After returning to the carriage, Van Diemen said: "It seems that the person just offended you a lot. I guess this academy will be in trouble soon, right?"
Ning Qi asked in a relaxed tone: "Why do you have such an idea? Do you think I am a narrow-minded person who would get angry with the authorities just because these scholars raised a few questions?"
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Van Diemen noticed the cunningness in Ning Qi's expression and suddenly realized: "It turns out that your emotions just now were just fake!"
"We don't want the public to pay too much attention to some relatively sensitive issues or have unnecessary discussions about them, so we still have to show our attitude in a timely manner and let the public know what matters require them to be cautious in their words and deeds." Ning Saki explained: "After I said it here in the academy, I will ask the local newspaper to give it a proper airing to prevent people from continuing to argue about it."
"After talking for a long time, what question did he ask you just now?" Van Diemen had not found a chance to ask just now, and finally asked it now.
"Nationality issue." Ning Qi made no secret of this: "The scholars in the academy hope to know clearly their nationality in the future and whether they can retain their identity as citizens of the Ming Dynasty."
"Oh, this is a difficult problem." Of course, Van Diemen is relatively clear about Haihan's situation. He knows that the composition of the population under Haihan is relatively complex. Those people from the Ming Dynasty will naturally have doubts about the Ming national identity or Ming nationality they once had. More or less reluctant to leave.
Ning Qi smiled and said: "Does it feel familiar to you? As far as I know, the Netherlands has been fighting for independence for a long time in the past."
"It is said that the Haihan people know astronomy and geography, but it seems they are not bragging." During the time that Van Diemen and Ning Qi spent together, they gradually got to know each other's extensive records, and what Ning Qi said about the history of Dutch independence. , although it is quite different from the history of the founding of the country, there was indeed a period when some Dutch people had a relatively large dispute over their nationality.
The Netherlands was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages, but it was in a state of feudal separatism for a long time until the 16th century. At the beginning of the 16th century, Carlos I inherited the throne of Spain and was subsequently elected emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, known as Charles V in history. Before his death, he enfeoffed the Netherlands and Spain, which later belonged to the Netherlands, to his son Philip II, and the Netherlands became a Spanish territory.
Beginning in 1568, a war broke out in this region against Spanish rule, and in 1579 the League of Utrecht was established, which was the prototype of the later Dutch state. In 1581, representatives from various places announced in The Hague the abolition of the Spanish rule over the Netherlands, and the alliance officially declared independence and established the United Republic of the Netherlands, the Netherlands.
At the beginning of the founding of this country, many people still lacked a sense of identity for their own identity, because there was no similar state power in this area in history before this. This is indeed the same as Haihan who forcibly established the country on Hainan Island. There are different approaches but the same effect. Many people do not identify with their Dutch nationality and still insist that everything here should belong to the Kingdom of Spain. The war of independence between the Netherlands and Spain was undoubtedly much more intense than the resistance Haihan encountered on Hainan Island. The war that began in 1568 has not yet ended. According to historical trajectory, this war of independence will continue until 1648. In 2001, King Philip IV of Spain signed the Treaty of Münster to recognize the independence of the Netherlands. This long war was therefore called the Eighty Years' War by later historians.
(End of chapter)