At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 382: The Fusion of New and Old Nobles and the Demotion of Education

Pinglu Fort, natural residence.

This is the largest restaurant in the entire southern desert. It is 5 stories high and the chefs come from all over the world. All kinds of delicacies from the entire Han Dynasty can be tasted here, even the new barbecue cooking method from Chang'an.

Today, Tianranju was reserved by the princes of the Han Dynasty. There were many great scholars chatting and laughing inside, and there were no ordinary people coming and going.

The princes of the Han Dynasty were divided into different places all over the country, and the only time they could get together was at the annual princes' meeting.

This year, the Han Dynasty once again enfeoffed hundreds of princes. Many of the newly enfeoffed princes wanted to consult their old superiors and old friends on the issue of establishing vassal states, so the communication among the princes was particularly active this year.

Liu Bang, Fan Kuai and Lu Wan met here.

Liu Bang smiled and said to Fan Kuai: "You have been in Monan for almost five years. I think you know where is suitable for establishing a feudal state. I will not remind you of this."

Then Liu Bang took out ten scrolls and slowly opened them one by one.

Lu Wan was surprised and asked, "Brother, what do you mean?"

Liu Bang smiled and said, "Fan Kuai is lucky, these are all noble ladies from famous families. The most beautiful one is the legitimate daughter of Taiyuan Guo.

This is the legitimate daughter of the Linghu family. This Linghu family is very special. It is said that they followed Duke Wen of Jin. Their family has been aristocrats for hundreds of years. The children of the family are both civil and military. If you marry the legitimate daughter of the Linghu family, you will have no shortage of money and talents when you establish a vassal state. You should marry such a noble woman, and you will get both money and people. You are not young anymore, and you have established your career. Now you should start a family."

Afterwards, Liu Bang introduced the other eight families to Fan Kuai one by one. Each of them was a noble family with hundreds of years of history. Even though the Han Dynasty had declined, these families still had abundant assets.

The emerging nobles of the Han Dynasty like to marry into these families the most, even though the world has already shouted that kings, princes, generals and ministers must have guts!

Moreover, 90% of the princes of the Han Dynasty were of commoner origin, and 70% of the Han officials were children of poor families and common people.

The Qin-Han War not only destroyed the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, but also broke apart the aristocratic system established since the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties.

It can be said that the rulers of the Han Dynasty and the nobles who had ruled the world for thousands of years during the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties were completely two different groups of people. The nobles relied on bloodlines to rule, and the system of the world had collapsed.

But countries can be destroyed and bodies can be killed, but the ideas that have been rooted in people's minds cannot be easily changed.

After all, people like Xu Fan who can stand at the height of history and look down on these blood nobles are a minority.

These new nobles of the Han Dynasty were actually extremely inferior in their hearts. They were extremely eager to marry these old nobles in order to change their family bloodline.

Xu Fan was also helpless about this kind of problem, because he alone could not prevent such a marriage.

At the beginning, these old noble families looked down on the peasants of the Han Dynasty. As a famous saying in later generations goes, it takes three generations of wealth in a family to cultivate a nobleman.

Ninety percent of the Han nobles were born into the mud. In the eyes of the old nobles, these people were vulgar, swearing, and they didn't even wash the mud off their legs. Respectable people would not marry into these families whose legs were still covered with mud.

But under the successive attacks of the Han Dynasty, these old nobles were banished to the wilds, and their families were plunged into the quagmire. After rounds of purges by the Han Dynasty, the old nobles finally realized that the brutality of the Han Dynasty was no less than that of the Qin Dynasty.

Under such brutal suppression, those families with corrupt ideas and inability to adapt flexibly died out, and those who survived were those families that were weak and could turn around quickly.

In order to find a backer for their family, these old nobles began to give away their legitimate daughters and took the initiative to marry with the new nobles of the Han Dynasty.

The Han Dynasty's purge actually promoted the integration of these new and old nobles, which was something even Xu Fan had not expected.

Today, the Han Dynasty has been established for nearly 10 years. Its national strength is growing rapidly, its people are prosperous, and the official granaries in counties and prefectures are full.

People of insight have already understood that the Han Dynasty has a solid foundation, and there are hundreds of princes guarding the country. The Han Dynasty will have a national fortune of at least a few hundred years. Even if it continues to be divided into different states, it may have a national fortune like the 800-year Zhou Dynasty.

Among those princes and peasants who are enfeoffed today, there may be potential dragons like Qin, Zhao, Han, Wei, Chu, Qi, and Yan.

As a result, the attitude of the old nobles towards the marriage between the Han princes changed 180 degrees, from disdain to active attack.

After the meeting of princes ended, the new round of enfeoffment of nobles in the Han Dynasty was announced to the world.

It is clear at a glance who is the Duke, who is the Marquis, who is the Earl, Viscount, and Baron.

These old nobles who wanted to marry also chose suitable sons-in-law based on the wealth and power of their families.

Fan Kuai ranked second among the meritorious officials and had no wife. In that era, he was considered a golden son-in-law and naturally attracted the attention of many people. After these people learned that Liu Bang was Fan Kuai's elder brother, they gave Liu Bang generous gifts and asked him to act as a matchmaker, which led to the current scene.

Lu Wan was a little excited and asked, "Brother, do you have one? Didn't those noble ladies ask you to be a matchmaker?"

Liu Bang rolled his eyes and said, "You are married and even have three concubines. Why do you want a noble lady? Instead of thinking about your wife, you should spend more time on military affairs. You are the most disappointing among our brothers in Pei County. I am really worried that after you are over 2000, you will not even be a high-ranking official with a salary of shi."

Lu Wan was the least talented among Liu Bang's brothers, and was still only a Sima military supervisor with a salary of only 1,000 stones.

Lu Wan said: "With this conferment of titles, a number of meritorious officials will leave the court, so I may be able to be promoted to a higher rank."

Liu Bang waved his hand and said, "Forget it, I won't talk about your business anymore."

Then he looked at Fan Kuai and said, "Which noble lady do you like? I will propose marriage to you."

Fan Kuai said: "I want to marry Lu Shi!"

Liu Bang was stunned and said, "You have to think carefully. My father-in-law doesn't have much money. Most of it has been invested in my Pei State. If you marry Lü Shi, you will no longer have your father-in-law to support you in establishing a vassal state."

Fan Kuai said firmly: "I will marry Lü Shi."

When Fan Kuai saw Lü Shi when he was young, he was struck by her beauty and made up his mind to marry her.

Liu Bang said: "Just think it through."

Liu Bang had no choice but to put the scrolls away and decided to return the gifts. Otherwise, if these people found out that Fan Kuai married his sister-in-law, he, Liu Bang, would no longer be able to remain a human being in the Han Dynasty.

After talking about Fan Kuai, several people began to recall their life in Pei County.

"I wonder how Xiao He and the others are doing. I haven't seen them for several years?" Liu Bang sighed.

Lu Wan said with some envy: "Xiao He and Cao Shen both have the Prime Minister as their backer. After the Grand Canal is completed, I'm afraid they will be promoted to the Nine Ministers of the Han Dynasty, and they may even have a chance to become the Three Dukes."

After Xiao He and Cao Shen received the task of building the Grand Canal, they have been the focus of attention of high-level officials. The two counties were already wealthy areas of the Han Dynasty, not to mention that the canal also undertakes the task of connecting the north and the south. The completion of the Grand Canal will surely be a great achievement, and the two will definitely go further.

Liu Bang said: "With Xiao He's ability, he can be the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, not to mention the nine ministers of the court. Cao Shen is also a man of both civil and military talents. Few of my brothers can compare with him."

"Speaking of which, the one who has developed the best among us is Zhou Bo. I never thought that he has a talent for taxation. The tax revenue of the Han Dynasty has skyrocketed in recent years, but there has not been much unrest among the people. This is a great achievement.

His position as the Tax Supervisor is comparable to that of the Nine Ministers, and with the support of the fake Prime Minister Chen Ping, Zhou Bo may also have a chance to become one of the Three Dukes."

"The positions of the Three Dukes of the Han Dynasty are higher than those of the princes. Who doesn't want to rule the world!" Liu Bang said enviously.

Inside Tianranju, there were many groups like Liu Bang who were having discussions. Those princes who did not have wives became popular, and they were dazzled by these noble ladies.

However, the princes of the Han Dynasty were still very realistic. No matter how beautiful they were, they could not compare to a fortune. Appearance was secondary. The key was whether their father-in-law's financial resources could support them in building their own vassal states. Of course, in addition to these old nobles who were eyeing the princes of the Han Dynasty, another group of people also began to take the initiative to come to the door and ask for an audience.

I saw a long line outside Han Xin's mansion, all of them were Han Xin's followers who wanted to join him.

The imperial court has announced the list of princes to be enthroned this time. Han Xin ranks first. He is also the first duke after the founding of the Han Dynasty. Naturally, he has attracted great attention.

Han Xin is now like the top manufacturers in later generations. He is the first choice of scholars who think they are capable.

A soldier with a broken hand raised a megaphone and shouted, "Listen, all the scholars who want to become my master's retainers. If you don't have a certificate from Mo Academy, Luban Academy, Agricultural Academy, or Law School, don't continue to line up. My master will not accept you. Continuing to line up is just a waste of everyone's time."

As soon as these words came out, the whole place fell silent. Soon, an unconvinced scholar shouted angrily, "Why do you look down on me? You deny my talents without even meeting me!"

"You are bullying the scholar Huaiyin Hou like this, do you know that?"

The soldier said, "What I conveyed is what the commander meant. You don't even have a certificate of completion from the academy. What kind of talent are you? Don't waste everyone's time here."

"Even if the imperial court wants to select talents, it has to take the imperial examination. Marquis Huaiyin denies our talents without even taking the examination. Marquis Huaiyin is too arrogant."

"When the four great princes were recruiting retainers, they were not as arrogant as the Marquis of Huaiyin. Doesn't the Marquis of Huaiyin fear the criticism from the people of the world?"

"There are too many of you here. My commander can't handle them all. In addition, to establish a vassal state, we need talents like those from the Nong Family, the Mohist Family, and even the Gongshu Family. You are not any of them, so you are not the talents my commander needs."

"My commander-in-chief, I don't want to waste everyone's time. You should go and have a look at the other princes."

But such an explanation could not convince these scholars, and their anger remained unquenched.

"Marquis Huaiyin was also born into a poor family. Now that he is rich and powerful, he has forgotten his roots. I am ashamed to be associated with him."

"The river flows east for thirty years and west for thirty years. Today we are poor and the Marquis of Huaiyin looks down on us. When we are rich and powerful in the future, we will avenge ourselves."

After saying these harsh words, a large number of scholars left here angrily.

In Han Xin's mansion, he was chatting with Chen Ying.

Chen Ying was Han Xin's former master. When he came to Pinglu Fort, he came to Han Xin's territory. Han Xin naturally would not let him stay in the inn, so Han Xin took Chen Ying to live in his own mansion.

The gatekeeper soldier just told Han Xin what happened outside.

Han Xin said calmly: "No need to pay attention to these people."

Chen Ying said: "This is too offensive and bad for your reputation. These scholars may not have much ability, but they can ruin your business. It is better not to offend them if it is not necessary. After all, to establish a vassal state, you need talents from all sides. If your reputation is ruined, it will be difficult to attract followers."

Han Xin was too disdainful to explain to other people, but Chen Ying was not only his former master, but also his first mentor. If Chen Ying had not recommended him to the emperor, he might have been able to succeed, but he would definitely not have his current status.

You have to know that the Qin-Han War lasted only three years, and when he surrendered to the emperor, there were only two years left. The chaotic times were too short, and there was no time for him to display his talents. If he had been a step slower, he would not have the position he has today. Without Chen Ying's recommendation, he could only become a captain of the Han army at most.

Therefore, Han Xin was extremely grateful to Chen Ying for recommending him, who was still a small soldier at that time, to the King of Han.

He explained: "I haven't thought about my vassal states yet, so I don't need too many retainers. Even if I want to build vassal states, with my financial resources, I will need at most a hundred officials. The number of people outside has exceeded a thousand, and most of the scholars will still be eliminated. I just told them the truth so as not to waste both sides' time."

Chen Ying said: "You have been too successful. You are still a little lacking in social skills. Even if you take an exam, the resentment of those scholars will not be so great."

Chen Ying couldn't believe it when he saw the young Han Xin. The young soldier back then could actually grow up to be a Duke of the Han Dynasty in just a few years.

Even now, Han Xin is no more than 30 years old. At such a young age, he has fought in many battles and achieved feats that countless generals could hardly achieve. Even in the Warring States Period when heroes emerged in large numbers, few could achieve as much as Han Xin. He could only sigh that heroes are made by the times.

Han Xin said calmly: "Nowadays, the Han Dynasty has universalized education. Even in my Pinglu Fort, there are many people who can read and write. If you still regard them as talents by this standard, there are too many talents in your world."

"There are more and more scholars in the Han Dynasty now, and literacy is no longer considered a criterion for talent. In my opinion, scholars who can't even get into an academy are not worthy of being called talents."

Chen Ying shook his head, obviously not agreeing with Han Xin's idea. When he built his own vassal state, he realized that talents are made by doing. Han Xin's statement was a bit biased.

On the other hand, these scholars who left Han Xin's mansion went to the mansions of other princes, and even to the inns where they lived, to submit their business cards.

Unfortunately, the effect was still not good. Although the other princes did not directly reject him, they even tested them.

This made many scholars very confident. They did a lot of five-year imperial examination and three-year mock examination papers, and believed that as long as they took the exam, they would not lose to others.

But the final result disappointed these confident scholars. As long as there were scholars from the Agricultural College, Mo College, Lu Ban College, and Law School, it would be difficult for them to compete with these people, and they would definitely fail.

Some people who were interested did some statistics and found that almost no scholars from these academies failed the exam. This cruel reality made many scholars extremely panicked. They didn't understand what was going on.

Why didn't those princes want them to be their retainers?

"Why is it so? Han Xin is an arrogant man. It would be fine if he didn't need us, but why don't other princes accept us?" Someone said angrily in the teahouse.

Others also sighed. A series of blows made them lose confidence and they felt that their future was bleak.

"Your competitiveness is too low!" Xu Fan, who was traveling incognito, said to these scholars who were sighing.

"Brother, what do you mean? Why do you say that we are not competitive?" asked the scholar just now.

"The concept of talent is relative. When the Han Dynasty was first established, the emperor wanted to find some literate people to become Han officials, but he couldn't find enough. He could only find a way to teach the soldiers to read and write and train them to become Han officials."

At the same time, education was popularized throughout the country. When the Han Dynasty was founded, talents were relatively abundant. At that time, tens of thousands of people took part in the imperial examinations every year. But now, the Han Dynasty has been popularizing education for five years. The first batch of children who received popular education have become adults. This group of people has a number of about hundreds of thousands, and the number will increase in the future.

With too many scholars, they are naturally less valuable, and the princes' standards for talent will naturally rise. Scholars who do not have any special skills can hardly be considered talents.

"How could this happen?" Many people were not confident. But thinking of the countless primary schools in their hometown, they just thought that the culture and education of the Han Dynasty were flourishing, but they did not think deeply that these people would be their competitors.

Xu Fan continued, "It's not that you don't have competitiveness, it's just that the princes of the Han Dynasty have been developing the country for a few years, and they already have a certain amount of experience. The people who have a special skill among the various schools of thought are the ones they need most.

Talents who only know how to manage people are less cost-effective than other talents who have a special skill.

Given other options, the princes of the Han Dynasty would naturally choose talents with a slightly higher cost-effectiveness. "

"Don't I have a chance if I wait?"

Xu Fan smiled and said, "Of course there is. You can also apply to the college in Chang'an to improve your abilities."

"Or you can look down a little bit, and don't just focus on the top nobles. The viscounts and barons of the Han Dynasty also need some retainers. Their territories are small and it is difficult to attract top talents. The scholars of those academies are unwilling to join them. Your chance has come."

"While you seek refuge with these nobles, continue to study and improve yourself. You can buy some books by the Agricultural School, the Mohist School, and the Gongshu School to study on your own. As long as you have strong abilities and skills, given the current situation of the Han Dynasty, there is no doubt that you will have a bright future."

At this time, the scholar in the teahouse bowed to Xu Fan and said, "Thank you, brother, for pointing out the direction for us to move forward."

(End of this chapter)