I studied in modern times

Chapter 915: Using Firearms to Force Imperial Examination Reform

Ding Chou (28) in September of the second year of Yuanyou.

To the east of Bianjing City, there was a workshop of the Firearms Department of the Military Equipment Bureau that specialized in manufacturing military equipment.

Zhao Xu looked closely at a cannon that was pushed in front of him.

The thick gun barrel was placed in a lying position on a wooden cart.

The gun body is about two feet long (about 64-66cm) and the barrel is thick. It can be clearly seen that this is a cannon cast using the segmented method - because there are several iron hoops on the gun body for reinforcement and splicing.

Beside Zhao Xu, the left prime minister Lü Gongzhu, the right prime minister Pu Zongmeng, who were ordered to follow the emperor, and Lü Huiqing, who was about to be appointed as the governor of Xihe and stationed in Lanzhou, in charge of the Xihe area and the northwest strategy of the Song Dynasty, all looked at the door with curious eyes. In their eyes, they had no idea what the iron tool was.

"Sir, this is the latest cannon cast by the Firearms Department..." Shen Kuo introduced, "This cannon is made of the finest steel produced in Xuzhou, and then cast into seven sections by skilled craftsmen using the sand casting method, and then spliced ​​and reinforced with iron hoops..."

Zhao Xu listened and asked, "Can't we just cast it in sections now? Can't we cast it as a whole at once?"

Shen Kuo bowed and said, "I am incompetent... Over the past few months, all my attempts to build it have failed..."

Zhao Xu groaned and said, "It's not my fault, my dear!"

"To study things and acquire knowledge is the way of the sages. Naturally, we must use the spirit of the sages in studying!"

Shen Kuo raised his head and looked at Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu chuckled and said, "The inscription on Tang's plate says: If you improve every day, you will improve every day, and improve every day!"

"This is the way to study things!"

"If you make a little progress every day, you can make a little progress every month, and you can make a big leap every year!"

Shen Kuo listened and murmured to himself: "If you keep improving yourself, you will improve yourself day by day, and improve yourself day by day..."

"This is truly the profound meaning of the sage's words, which is just right for studying things and seeking knowledge!"

As he said this, he knelt down and congratulated: "I compliment your majesty the emperor for expounding on the profound meaning of the sage's words and enlightening the ignorant with the sound of a great bell... I, Kuo, congratulate you on behalf of the whole world!"

The officials and craftsmen from the Firearms Department who were around also knelt down and offered their congratulations.

Lu Gongzhu, Pu Zongmeng and Lu Huiqing were still confused.

However, on such occasions, everyone was praising the virtues of the officials.

If you don't sing praises, there will be a big problem.

So, after hesitating for a moment, they all knelt down and praised.

Of course, deep down, they were very disdainful.

To study things and acquire knowledge?

What kind of saintly way is this!
Although Lu Gongzhu, Pu Zongmeng and Lu Huiqing had different positions and propositions, they all had a consensus on this point.

But...

The emperor likes to play, let him play!

Who doesn’t have a hobby?

Moreover, although this "investigation of things to acquire knowledge" is unorthodox in terms of the meaning of the classics, it is quite desirable in practical application!
His many inventions have benefited the world.

The bile-water copper leaching method alone increased the Song Dynasty's copper smelting output by tens of millions of kilograms in more than a year.

Many copper smelters that were once exhausted have regained their vitality after the invention of the copper leaching method using bile water.

For this item alone, the Ministry of Revenue’s revenue from mining taxes last year increased by hundreds of thousands of kilograms of copper. This made the Ministry of Revenue’s revenue from copper taxes exceed two million kilograms for the first time!
This was based on the fact that the imperial court extended its favor to the whole country in mining and smelting, and issued a special decree allowing the use of copper produced by the bile water immersion method, with the government only taking 10% and purchasing 5%.

And copper is money!
Over the past year or so, the increased copper production from the copper leaching method has been used to mint two to three million coins.

In addition, the Jiaozi trade between Song and Liao increased by millions of strings of Jiaozi.

There was suddenly an additional seven or eight million strings of cash in the Song Dynasty market.

As a result, not only is the economy active, but business is also booming.

Even the court's financial situation improved.

Although the Ministry of Revenue still cries poor every day, the reality is that since the first year of Yuanyou in the Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty has conquered Jiaozhi in the south, conquered Dangxiang and Tubo in the west, repaired rivers in the north, and a serious drought occurred in Huainan, forcing the court to use the whole country's strength to provide relief.

While encountering these problems, the imperial court also abolished the Horse Protection Law and the Market Exchange Law, adjusted the Immunity Law, and reformed the Qingmiao Law, greatly reducing the burden on the lower classes.

After doing so many things, the finances did not collapse.

It's a miracle!
And this miracle can almost be linked to the military equipment manufacturing bureau headed by Shen Kuo.

Therefore, now both the New Party and the Old Party are in a state of observation and engagement with Shen Kuo and his advocacy of "investigating things and seeking knowledge".

Because they all discovered that the "investigation of things to acquire knowledge" advocated by Shen Kuo seemed to focus more on tools rather than the Tao.

This means that it is possible to incorporate it into one's own system.

Then he used his own Tao to package the "vessel" created by Shen Kuo's investigation of things and extension of knowledge.

Zhao Xu listened to the flattery and praise of the ministers, smiled, stepped forward to help Shen Kuo up, and said: "Since you know the profound meaning of the sage's words, you should respect this meaning and follow the sage's way to continue to find more truths for me and the country!"

"Especially this artillery..."

"I believe that this is the foundation that will never change!"

"It is also a tool for the scholars and officials to defend morality!"

"Yes!" Shen Kuo bowed again: "I respectfully follow your teachings!"

Lu Gongzhu, Pu Zongmeng and Lu Huiqing, who were still crawling on the ground, were full of questions.

The foundation that will never change?

A tool for scholars and officials to defend morality?
That big iron cylinder?
Why do they look a little different?
Zhao Xu looked at the expressions of the three men and asked, "Three gentlemen, you don't seem to believe it?"

"How dare we?" The three of them would not admit it.

Zhao Xu chuckled: "It's better to see the truth than to listen to what others say!"

"My three lords, please come and see the power of this artillery with me!"

"Yes!" The three important ministers bowed their heads again, then stood up and came to Zhao Xu.

"Mr. Shen, prepare for the test firing!" Zhao Xu ordered Shen Kuo.

"promise!"

……

Lu Huiqing looked at the scene in front of him.

The so-called "cannon" was taken down from the gun carriage by the craftsmen and walked to a rammed earth wall.

Here, a craftsman had dug a pit of about two or three inches in depth, and the craftsman placed the "cannon" flat in the pit.

Then several craftsmen took something wrapped in cloth and stuffed it into the muzzle of the cannon. Then they took something like a plunger and put it into the muzzle to press it down hard.

After doing this, they took some spherical objects of different sizes and stuffed them into the muzzle of the gun.

Finally, they stuffed a stone ball the same size as the muzzle into it.

Then he took out a two-legged fastener and placed it on the iron hoop under the muzzle of the "cannon" to secure it.

When all this work was completed, someone came to the so-called "cannon" holding a torch.

Following Shen Kuo's order, the man holding the torch extended the torch to a place behind the cannon.

There was something like a firework fuse.

The torch ignited the fuse, and it burned rapidly.

Smoke first came out of the muzzle, and then...

boom!
Like a spring thunder, Lu Huiqing only felt pain in his eardrums, and at the same time, a flash of fire flashed from the muzzle of the "cannon".

clap clap clap!
There were continuous muffled sounds coming from the rammed earth wall in front.

Lu Huiqing turned around in surprise, and then saw the incredible expressions on Lu Gongzhu and Pu Zongmeng's faces, as well as the smug look on the emperor's face.

"My three lords, please come closer to the earth wall and see the power of the artillery!" The emperor's voice came to my ears.

"Yes!" Lu Huiqing subconsciously bowed and accepted the order.

Then, he, Lu Gongzhu and Pu Zongmeng were led to the rammed earth wall.

When they got closer, the three of them widened their eyes.

Because the rammed earth wall in front of us is full of holes.

A stone ball as big as an egg was embedded in the middle part of the wall.

The rest of the body is covered with densely packed small holes.

Heat was still emanating from the small hole.

Obviously, this is the masterpiece of artillery bombardment!
One shot is enough to destroy a wall!

Lu Huiqing took a deep breath, walked forward, touched the earth wall with his hand, and then asked an official from the Firearms Department who was following him: "Are there bullets in the cannon?"

"Yes!"

"What are projectiles?"

"Lead shot!"

"How many are there?"

“More than a hundred!”

Hearing the answer, not only Lu Huiqing widened his eyes, but Lu Gongzhu and Pu Zongmeng also swallowed their saliva and looked at each other.

"It's truly a divine object!" The two prime ministers exclaimed at the same time.

……

Zhao Xu looked from afar at the three important officials standing under the rammed earth wall.

He chuckled and said to Shen Kuo who had been beside him: "After today, no one in the capital will question 'the study of things to gain knowledge'."

"This is all due to your Majesty's grace!" Shen Kuo lowered his head.

What happened today was naturally something that Zhao Xu and Shen Kuo had rehearsed in advance.

The purpose is to give important ministers some breathing space.

Let them know the latest progress in the country's military revolution.

"Let me show the three-barreled gun to the three gentlemen again!" Zhao Xu said.

"Yes!" Shen Kuo bowed and responded.

Zhao Xu looked into the distance, muttering softly, "There is still a long way to go in technological progress!"

From last year until now, Zhao Xu has been investing all his efforts and resources into the Firearms Department.

To this end, he even issued an edict to the officials in charge of all prefectures and counties across the country, ordering them to recommend skilled craftsmen to the Firearms Bureau.

In particular, the clay mold craftsmen and sand casting craftsmen in the local money supervisors are the key targets.

With the whole country's efforts and the advancement of iron smelting technology in Xuzhou, materials have been improved.

It was only in just over a year that the technology tree was finally raised to the level of the early and middle Ming Dynasty.

The appearance of the Tiger Barrel Cannon and the Three-Eyed Gun is evidence!
Moreover, the Song Dynasty's Tiger Barrel Cannon and Three-Eyed Gun were even more technologically advanced than those of the Ming Dynasty.

This is because the smelting temperature of the reverberatory furnace used in the Xuzhou Liguojian iron smelting system has far exceeded the level of the Ming Dynasty, and may even have reached the iron smelting level in Europe in the 18th century.

This enabled the craftsmen of the Song Dynasty to use the sand casting method to cast the Tiger Barrel Cannon.

However, if we want to go a step further and achieve overall one-time casting, it is still difficult and requires technical breakthroughs in sand casting or clay mold casting.

As for wanting to manufacture weapons such as bird guns and red cannons at the technical level of the late Ming Dynasty.

Zhao Xu feels that it may take more than ten years to cultivate industrial talents and develop smelting and casting technologies.

Fortunately, he is not short of time now.

……

Half an hour later, when Zhao Xu, Lu Gongzhu, Pu Zongmeng and Lu Huiqing walked out of the workshop of the Firearms Department, these three important officials still had expressions of shock on their faces.

After walking out of the Firearms Department workshop, Zhao Xu deliberately slowed down his pace to give the three important officials space and time to ask questions.

Seeing this, Lü Gongzhu stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty...please forgive my stupidity...why didn't you order the Firearms Department to mass produce cannons and muskets?"

"But are you concerned about money?"

Zhao Xu shook his head: "No!"

"I just feel that the current artillery and muskets have not yet met my requirements!"

Lu Gongzhu swallowed his saliva, looked at Zhao Xu, and said, "Is the emperor still dissatisfied?" Zhao Xu nodded: "Yes!"

“There are so many things that are not satisfactory!”

"Fire rate, range, power... I am not satisfied with any of them!"

Lu Gongzhu took a deep breath and asked, "Does your Majesty have a strategy in mind?"

"Of course!"

After hearing this answer, Lü Gongzhu took a deep breath and bowed, saying, "I am a stupid person, but I would like to ask your Majesty, what else do you need?"

After seeing the power of artillery bombardment and the shooting of the three-barreled gun, he has completely fallen in love with these two weapons!
In Lu Gongzhu's opinion, with this magical weapon, let alone the Western bandits, even the Northern Tartars are nothing but jumping clowns who can be destroyed in a snap!

In this way, the late emperor's grand plan of recovering Ningxia and taking over Youyan has a foundation for success!

And what will be his historical status as the founder after his success?
Just thinking about this, Lu Gongzhu couldn't sit still anymore.

The three immortalities of scholar-officials: establishing words, establishing virtue, and establishing merit!
This extraordinary achievement is enough to make him go down in history and be ranked alongside the wise ministers and prime ministers of all ages.

He was granted the title of a prince during his lifetime, and was given the title of king of a great country after his death. It was only a matter of time before he was enshrined in the Taimiao.

So, Lu Gongzhu made a decision.

Stud!

Bet everything!
Zhao Xu smiled and looked at Lu Gongzhu, the senior official of the old party, who was a peace advocate in the court and strongly opposed the five-way attack on Xia and the expansion of the war.

And Zhao Xu already knew this in his previous life.

What is the peace faction?

Those are the people who only show up when the war cannot be won.

As long as we can win!

The entire Song Dynasty is full of people who advocate war.

Just as the good news of Pingxia City spread throughout the world, those old party ministers who were exiled to Lingnan also wrote poems to congratulate.

This is the way the world is.

Everyone wants to win if they can, no one wants to lose!
Even Sima Guang, when he was young, was full of passion and wanted to achieve success on the battlefield and wipe out Western Xia. He was a true advocate of war!
It was not until he planned a war himself and suffered a disastrous defeat that his ideals were shattered and he went from one extreme to another.

Compared with the idealistic Sima Guang, Lu Gongzhu is more realistic.

It is precisely because of this that he cannot control himself when it comes to fame and fortune.

"I need talents!"

"We need a large number of talents who are good at arithmetic and mechanics!"

Zhao Xu looked at Lu Gongzhuo and saw his true colors.

"But the country's selection of scholars is biased towards the classics. The scholars who are selected for the subjects of mathematics and law are not from high-class families. I deeply sigh about this!"

Lu Gongzhu swallowed his saliva and bowed, "What is your majesty's will?"

"I want to expand the number of students admitted to the mathematics and law departments in next year's imperial examination..."

"Last year, the country selected no more than ten people in each of the Ming Dynasty's examinations..."

"I intend to increase it to fifty!"

"The top three in the mathematics exam are equivalent to the Jinshi exam!"

Zhao Xu looked at Lu Gongzhu with a burning gaze: "Left Prime Minister, my assistant and a senior official of the Emperor, I believe you will be able to help me achieve this wish!"

Lu Gongzhu lowered his head.

"Fifty people? The top three Jinshi?"

Although the number of people admitted to the imperial examinations of the Song Dynasty has been rising since Xining.

Up to now, every time the imperial examination is held, the number of successful candidates has exceeded five hundred.

For example, in the imperial examination in the eighth year of Yuanfeng, 575 people were admitted as regular nominees, and 847 people were admitted as special nominees.

Now, if the number of Jinshi in subjects such as Mingsuan and Mingfa is increased, and increased to fifty!
This means that a large piece of meat must be cut out from the scholars of classics.

Lu Gongzhu knew that if something like this happened, the scholars would be in an uproar.

Even fight him to the death.

"Your Majesty... there are already too many redundant officials in the world today..." Lu Gongzhu did not dare to refuse directly and could only say it tactfully.

Zhao Xu smiled: "Don't worry, Left Prime Minister. The scholars we enroll will not occupy the vacancies of the normal imperial examination scholars, nor will they be granted official positions together with them..."

"They will be employed as officials in the Military Equipment Manufacturing Bureau, the Imperial Academy of Astronomy, and various other departments..."

"Only after changing one's rank will one be able to participate in the normal examination and appointment process..."

This was the result of Zhao Xu's careful consideration.

If you want to promote the reform of the imperial examination system, you cannot touch the scholars' cake.

Any movement could trigger a strong backlash.

The only thing they can do is learn from the experience of expanding the college entrance examination and increase the number of admissions. At the same time, they can prevent new scholars from competing with old scholars and getting caught up in endless quarrels.

"This..." Lu Gongzhu frowned.

He still felt that the risk was too great.

Pu Zongmeng, who was standing beside him, could no longer bear it and said, "If the Left Prime Minister is unwilling, I beg you to take charge of this matter!"

Isn't it just offending people?
Pu Zongmeng is the best at it!
Anyway, if there are too many lice, you won’t have to worry about debts!
Even if hundreds or thousands more scholars scold him, it will be the same.

Not to mention, in fact, Pu Zongmeng has always been a promoter of imperial examination reform.

He has always wanted to do this!

Lü Gongzhu turned around, glared at Pu Zongmeng, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, adding 50 Jinshi in the law and mathematics subjects is really too many!"

"I am afraid that the world will talk about it..."

"Twenty people!"

"Twenty people per subject at most!"

In the eighth year of Yuanfeng, only 576 Jinshi were admitted. Now, all of a sudden, the enrollment for subjects such as law and mathematics has been expanded to 50 people.

It’s too much and the pressure is too great!

Lu Gongzhu felt that neither the government nor the public could withstand it.

Zhao Xu listened and smiled.

Because the fifty people he mentioned refer to the total number of people in all subjects.

However, Lu Gongzhu agreed to expand the number of students in each subject to 20!
So he nodded and said, "Just follow my husband's instructions!"

"Then...what about the top three in all subjects who will be awarded the title of Jinshi?" he asked.

Lu Gongzhu shook his head firmly: "The top three in all subjects will be admitted as Jinshi. Our ancestors never had such a system!"

Jinshi is an honor only enjoyed by the first and second class in the imperial examination!

How can I share it with scholars from various disciplines?
Lu Gongzhu is absolutely unacceptable!

Because this is an insult to him personally - the degree of insult is similar to that of a PhD from an Ivy League school being suddenly told that he has to compete for a job with a fake PhD from the Pacific Western University who earns $2,000.

What a disgrace!
But he didn't want to, but Pu Zongmeng did.

Pu Zongmeng immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, our ancestors have a system. In addition to passing the imperial examination, there is also the Nine Classics... and passing the Nine Classics, our ancestors have a system that can be used to grant an official position, just like passing the imperial examination!"

Lu Gongzhu immediately retorted: "That's because in the old days, the candidates were selected based on poetry and prose, and the Nine Classics are the classics of the sages, the most difficult of all the subjects. Our ancestors, in order to promote culture and governance, issued a special decree that the first place in the Nine Classics could be considered a Nine Classics Success, which is comparable to being awarded an official position by passing the Jinshi exam!"

This is a fact.

Before Xining, officials were selected based on poetry and essays, supplemented by the interpretation of classics. Therefore, among the subjects, there was the Mingjing subject, which tested the Nine Classics. The first in the Nine Classics meant the first in the interpretation of the classics, and had a thorough understanding of the Nine Classics by the sages. Therefore, the court wanted to elevate the status of the first in the Nine Classics.

Pu Zongmeng smiled: "Our ancestors not only had the system of passing the Nine Classics, but also the system of passing the Scholarly Examination..."

A scholar is one who specializes in one subject.

Xuejiu Jidi means being the first in a certain subject.

Lü Gongzhu looked at Pu Zongmeng coldly and said, "Yes, according to the rules of our ancestors, all scholars who are proficient in law, mathematics, or classics will be sentenced to Si Bowei!"

In other words, all of them were appointed as officials according to their rank as second-class Jinshi.

Pu Zongmeng laughed.

What he was waiting for was what Lu Gongzhu said.

Let the emperor take a good look at who is a loyal minister and who is a treacherous minister!
The emperor's policy is to serve the country, the people and the long-term stability of the country.

Only by selecting enough talents as quickly as possible can we manufacture cannons and muskets that meet the emperor's requirements.

Only then can the Song Dynasty be forever stable!

Only then can the Western bandits and Northern Tartars be defeated!

But he, Lu Gongzhu, was unwilling to do either of these.

It's obvious that he doesn't want to assist his king and father and unify the world!
What use is there for such a prime minister? It is better to depose him and replace him with Pu Zongmeng!

Lü Gongzhu also realized that he might have said something wrong, and quickly bowed his head and kowtowed again: "I have lost my manners in front of you, your Majesty, and I shall die!"

Zhao Xu chuckled and said, "My two lords, you are all serving the country and the people. How can you be guilty?"

"Besides, what the Left Prime Minister said does make sense!"

"According to the system of our ancestors, there is indeed no such thing as a successful candidate in various subjects or a successful candidate in the imperial examination..."

He helped Lü Gongzhu up and said, "Sir, let's do this..."

"The top three Jinshi in various subjects, named after the Jinshi in a certain subject..."

"How is his appointment as an official compared to that of a Jinshi?"

According to the system, Jinshi are divided into Class A and Class B.

Among them, the first and second grades were awarded the title of Jinshi; the third and fourth grades were awarded the title of Jinshi; and the fifth grade was awarded the title of Tong Jinshi.

The appointment of Jinshi officials was strictly based on their rankings.

For example, the top scholar in the imperial examination is usually initially appointed as an official in Beijing.

Although those who passed the imperial examination could not get a job as an official in Beijing, they could still be the magistrate of a certain state or a county magistrate.

With a little effort, you can quickly jump out of the sea of ​​choices.

However, all the Jinshi who passed the imperial examination had to start from the seventh rank of selected personnel. The Jinshi of the second category and other miscellaneous categories had to start from the position of judge, Bowei, and began their examination by serving as a judicial officer in a certain state or army.

If you are not careful, you may sink into the sea of ​​selection and never be reborn. You may even remain a small ninth-rank selected person until your death.

It is for this reason that, after passing the imperial examination, if the Jinshi candidates of the Song Dynasty were not satisfied with their ranking, they would resign from their official positions and continue to take the imperial examinations until they achieved their desired ranking.

Because doing this may be better than struggling in the sea of ​​choices for a lifetime!

Therefore, the so-called Jinshi origin, that is, the third and fourth grades of Jinshi, has an improved status compared with the past, but it is just an improvement, not like the successful Jinshi, which may break the rules!

The impact is not that big.

As for the so-called 'passing the imperial examination in a certain subject', it is just a nice-sounding title, just like our ancestors' so-called 'passing the imperial examination in a certain science'.

After thinking for a while, Lu Gongzhu bowed and said, "I respectfully obey your order!"

Zhao Xu nodded in satisfaction, held Lu Gongzhu's hand, and said, "Prime Minister, you are loyal to the country, I admire you very much!"

Then, he looked at Pu Zongmeng and said, "The Right Prime Minister is also a loyal minister. I encourage him very much!"

Pu Zongmeng smiled and bowed, saying, "I am a humble man, but Your Majesty has not abandoned me and appointed me as the Prime Minister. I will do my best to repay your kindness!"

Zhao Xu still held Lü Gongzhu's hand and refused to let go, saying with a smile: "Left Prime Minister, in addition to increasing the number of candidates for the science of calculation and the science of law..."

"I also want to open a department..."

"When Sima Wengong was dying, he held my hand and cried to me: When a country recruits officials, it should select useful people!"

"The current imperial examination system has many drawbacks!"

"So, I'll present the method of selecting scholars in ten subjects!"

"I have thought about this for a long time. I sincerely think that Sima Wengong is speaking from the bottom of his heart for the sake of the country and the people..."

Lu Gongzhu looked at Zhao Xu, with only one feeling in his heart: "I'm tired, let's destroy it!"

(End of this chapter)