I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 547: Test and the Western Regions

The two of them were talking to each other, and during that time, He Yong also listened to Lu Jun talking about the county's imperial examination.

But when he heard that Lu Jun wanted to promote the test, he had some different opinions - "Nowadays, the selection of officials is usually based on inspection and judgment, which seems fair, but it is not known that there are many mistakes in the examination of their moral character and ability. In addition, the three imperial colleges all test their classics and civil service. It is because the three imperial colleges select people with moral character, so there are not many people who are not virtuous."

"Once the system of examinations is fully implemented, and people are divided into different levels based on their writing skills, civil service, etc., I am afraid that all the scholars in the world will abandon their virtues and pursue fame! The pursuit of fame is like water flowing downwards. If the superior likes something, the subordinates will also like it even more. In my opinion, the selection of scholars should be based on virtues and behavior first, and all other factors are secondary!"

At the end, He Yong emphasized: "I have heard that your words and deeds are also those of a famous person of morality. When you govern, you also act with virtue. Why do you neglect the main thing and pursue the trivial?"

Lu Jun had naturally heard of He Yong's reputation.

He originally wanted to refute He Yong, but as he listened, he felt that what He Yong said made sense and that morality was indeed very important.

And...he praised me as a moral celebrity!
However, although Lu Jun barely understood what He Yong meant, he also knew that although the method of examination for imperial examination also tested classics, the final assessment of people was still on paper and could not assess people's moral character.

But as far as he felt, even though they were not screened in advance like the three offices and the Imperial College, after the quota limit was relaxed, the officials who came from the imperial examinations were indeed better than those who did not. Lu Jun believed that this reality could not be false.

As for the problem of moral decline that He Yong is worried about.

After thinking for a long time, Lu Jun finally came up with an answer: "According to the process of the trial selection, after passing the county examination, one must also be reviewed by the county before finally taking office. Perhaps this aspect can be considered. Moreover, in the past, when recommending famous scholars and talents, morality was considered. Today, when selecting officials for promotion and demotion, morality can also be considered!"

After listening to Lu Jun's serious words, He Yong thought about it and didn't know whether to refute it for a moment.

Originally he wanted to say that moral character is difficult to measure, but even now when selecting filial and honest officials based mainly on moral character, hasn’t there been a case where “the selected filial and honest official’s father lives separately, and his family is poor and incorruptible, and he is as muddy as mud”?
In comparison, the method of trial selection can at least solve the problem of "selecting talented people who are ignorant of reading, and selecting high-ranking generals who are as timid as chickens".

Thinking of this, He Yong’s desire to object was not as strong as before.

However, although Lu Jun revealed a lot of things, he still had some ideas in his mind and did not tell Emperor He Yong what he was thinking.

After a friendly exchange with He Yong, Lu Jun felt that he could also write a letter to the emperor expressing He Yong's concerns. On this point, he received He Yong's approval, and at He Yong's cordial invitation, Lu Jun was flattered to write a joint letter with He Yong.

……

In Yuntai Palace, Liu Bian summoned Xun Yu and Jia Xu again.

"Two things." Liu Bian said straightforwardly, "One is the matter of improved wheat varieties. Li Ye, the military governor appointed by me last year, has successfully cultivated a batch of improved wheat varieties this year. I have urgently ordered the agricultural governor Zao Zhi to continue promoting the method of transplanting rice seedlings. Please hand it over to your subordinates and come back to arrange this matter."

"Next year, this batch of wheat varieties will be planted in Sanfu, Sanhe, Hebei, Shandong and other places to see the effect. Zao Zhi will be in charge of this matter, and the Shangshutai will provide full support."

Xun Yu immediately obeyed the order. Although he was over thirty years old, he had already grown a beard, which gave people a sense of steadiness just by looking at him.

Recently, Shangshu Ling Gai Xun had to stay at home to recuperate due to illness. Liu Bian did not arrange a new Shangshu Ling, but instead asked Xun Yu to inspect the Shangshu Pushe and take charge of all matters of the Shangshu Tai.

Under Xun Yu's management, everything is currently going normally in the Shangshu Tai.

"The second thing is the trial."

"Nowadays, there are vacancies in various states and counties due to war. In the past, the method of trial selection was carried out in the five states of Guandong, and the effect was remarkable. Now we must further promote the trial selection, and I intend to make it a custom."

"But the Shangshutai can first draft a proposal on how to implement it."

Xun Yu continued to obey orders.

Jia Xu, who had never been mentioned, sat quietly and did not seem anxious because the emperor summoned him but did not give him any instructions.

After Xun Yu left, Liu Bian said to Jia Xu: "It is a big deal to promote the test. I am worried that rumors like the one after the land measurement will appear again."

After hearing this, Jia Xu bowed and said, "I am incompetent and failed to see through the conspiracy of Pang Ji, Yuan Shao and others to cause rebellion in advance."

"Although we should nip a problem in the bud, you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days, and you have discovered it in time." Liu Bian said a few words to comfort him, and then announced: "So this time I plan to take the initiative to attack!"

"On the one hand, you should collect the scholars' true opinions on the large-scale implementation of the examination system. On the other hand, you should try your best to make the concepts such as 'True gold is not afraid of fire' and 'Only those who seek fame and reputation are afraid of the examination system' deeply rooted in people's minds!"

Jia Xu was such a smart man that he understood Liu Bian's words as soon as he finished speaking, and immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty is a man of great talent, and I am far inferior to you!"

Liu Bian smiled and said, "This strategy was used as early as the first trial, but the angle and strength are slightly different."

Seeing that Jia Xu seemed to want to praise him a few more times, Liu Bian smiled and waved his hand: "Go ahead!"

Only then did Jia Xu respond and take his leave.

"Wait!"

Hearing the emperor's voice, Jia Xu stopped.

"The school affairs department must pay more attention to the various armies fighting the rebellion, including the Xiyuan Army, the Northern Army, and the county troops, to see if there are any who kill innocent people and take credit for it, or who violate military discipline and rob innocent people."

"Everywhere the rebellion is being suppressed smoothly, don't let anything go wrong at the last minute!"

Jia Xu took the order and left.

After Jia Xu left, Liu Bian finished dealing with a batch of official documents in front of him and prepared to go to the harem.

The double-ear wheat representing "auspiciousness" that Li Ye, the captain of the military farm, presented to him a while ago was indeed effective. Now he can return to the harem and make love with her safely.

Just as he was about to leave the Yuntai Palace, Liu Bian saw a eunuch rushing over. Regardless of the sweat on his face, he reported to Liu Bian, "Your Majesty, urgent news has come from the Western Regions, saying that the front and rear of the Cheshi Kingdom colluded with the Xianbei and attacked the Western Regions Chief."

When Liu Bian took over the battle report, he saw that it said that because the Chief Secretary of the Western Regions Hu Zhen did not have many troops to rely on, the Shanshan Kingdom where the Chief Secretary of the Western Regions was stationed was afraid of the coalition forces of the Xianbei and Cheshi countries and dared not resist. In the end, the Chief Secretary of the Western Regions Hu Zhen and the officials under his jurisdiction disappeared, and were suspected to have been killed in the battle.

Western Region...

Ever since Huangfu Song opened up Liangzhou and reconnected with the Western Regions, Liu Bian, although interested in the Western Regions, has never been able to spare the time.

Later, only a more symbolic Chief of the Western Regions was sent to the Western Regions to represent the presence of the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions and act as a mediator between the countries.

But now, he didn't go looking for trouble with the Western Regions, but the Western Regions came looking for him.

From a purely strategic perspective, the Western Regions are far more important to the grassland nomads than the Central Plains dynasties. Especially the Western Regions located in the south of the Tianshan Mountains, they are two different civilizations from the Western Regions countries accustomed to nomadism in the north of the Tianshan Mountains. The southern countries, which are mainly based on farming, can supplement some things that the nomads lack, including craftsmen, trade, stable settlements, etc.

From a topographical perspective, the grassland nomads occupying the Western Regions could use the Western Regions to encircle the Hexi Corridor on three sides. Once the Hexi Corridor was lost, the three prefectures would face the offensive of the grassland army.

Therefore, Liu Bian had already made the decision without consulting his ministers. In the past, the Xianbei people, who had only risen a few years ago, did not show this ability, and the Han Dynasty could allow the Western Regions to maintain the status quo. But now, the Xianbei people have a tendency to swallow up the Western Regions, and Liu Bian will never allow the Xianbei people to control the Western Regions.

The key lies in how to stop the Xianbei people.

Seeing that it was not too late yet, Liu Bian immediately summoned the court officials working in the Taige area to discuss countermeasures.

This was the first time that Lu Jun attended such an impromptu meeting, and the salary of 600 shi (600 stones) just reached the threshold for participating in the meeting.

Although Jia Xu was not in the Taige area, he was summoned just like the three dukes and nine ministers.

Zhu Jun, the Grand Commandant, was familiar with the deployment of troops in various states. He was also one of the first officials in Beijing to know about the Western Regions. He started by saying, "Your Majesty, in the past, troops were mostly sent to the Western Regions from Liang Province, and Liang Province troops were mainly from the four counties in Hexi, with Dunhuang being the most numerous. However, the Dunhuang troops have not seen war for a long time, and since Dunhuang Governor Zhao Qi took office, his administration has focused on keeping the people safe."

"We need elite troops to fight against the Xianbei and show the might of the Han Dynasty to the Western Regions. Dunhuang has more than enough military supplies, but the county soldiers are insufficient."

After talking about the advantages and disadvantages of Dunhuang County, Zhu Jun added: "Liangzhou is not actually without soldiers, and has elite troops, but they are pinned down in Jincheng County."

A familiar yet unfamiliar name appeared in the court again - the governor of Jincheng, Ma Teng.

"Your Majesty, I think that the most urgent task now is to quell the civil unrest in various places in Guandong. The Western Regions and the Xianbei are just minor issues. It won't be a big deal even if we deal with them later. But the internal troubles cannot be underestimated! As long as the internal troubles are quelled, even if the Xianbei occupies the Western Regions, we can send elite troops to quell them!" said the Chief Censor Yang Xu.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jun immediately argued with Yang Xu, "If we ignore this, won't it make the officials and soldiers stationed in the Western Regions feel discouraged?"

Yang Xu responded: "The journey from the Western Regions to Luoyang is long, and by the time the messenger had delivered the message, he had already lost track of the life and death of everyone in the Western Regions Chief Secretary's Office..."

Yang Xu's implication was very clear. Hu Zhen and others probably had lost their livelihoods, so it would be better to wait until the civil strife was quelled before taking any action on the affairs of the Western Regions.

However, Zhu Jun still insisted: "Your Majesty, in the past, Geng Gong was stationed in Liuzhong City in the Western Regions. Our dynasty sent troops to a distant expedition and rescued thirteen soldiers. Are people today inferior to the ancients?"

Yang Xu wanted to say that Zhu Jun was making excuses. At that time, Geng Gong had sent back a messenger who clearly stated that he was leading the troops to hold their ground. This was different from the situation today.

But he really couldn't say in person that he had given up on the missing people in the Western Regions Chief Secretary's Mansion.

Seeing that the two sides seemed to be arguing endlessly, Liu Bian immediately made a decisive statement: "We must rescue the Western Regions Chief Secretary's Office, but what Yang Qing said is not without reason. Therefore, we will only mobilize the elite troops of Liangzhou to go to the Western Regions to quell the rebellion."

Upon hearing this, Minister Dong Zhuo bowed and said, "Your Majesty, if you want to mobilize the troops of the Protector of the Qiang to go to the Western Regions, I am afraid that Liang Province will be left empty and treacherous people will cause chaos."

Dong Zhuo was originally from Liangzhou, so what he said was very convincing.

Dong Zhuo continued, "Although Liang Province has been stable in recent years, it was originally stable because there was a large army stationed there. Now Sun Jian has led his army eastward, and not all Qiang people agree with the court's policy of cultivating land. If a prestigious person among them raises his arm and calls for action, I am afraid that all the hard work of many years will be destroyed in an instant."

"As far as I know, the most prestigious person among the Qiang people in Liangzhou is Ma Teng, the governor of Jincheng."

If troops are to be deployed, the hidden danger posed by Ma Teng must be eliminated.

Liu Bian also felt that after so long, it was time for Ma Teng to move out of his position as the governor of Jincheng.

He watched as the ministers put forward various suggestions one after another, such as directly ordering him to serve as an official in the court, or to be appointed as a governor of Guandong, or to send an envoy to explain the pros and cons to him, and so on.

After listening to the discussion, Liu Bian decided, "The military officer Ma Chao is currently in the army of the General of Chariots and Cavalry. Send someone down the Yellow River to summon Ma Chao to Luoyang. If you want to persuade Ma Teng to come to the court without bloodshed, you should use Ma Chao as your envoy."

Liu Bian chose to believe Ma Chao.

It was relatively late when the impromptu meeting ended that day.

When Liu Bian was taking a walk to Zhuolong Garden after dinner, he suddenly saw Concubine Mi Zhen crying with her face covered.

Although he knew that this was most likely done intentionally by Mi Zhen, Liu Bian still approached and asked, "Zhen'er, why are you crying here? What happened?"

"Your Majesty!" Mi Zhen bowed to Liu Bian with tears in her eyes, and then said, "I just heard that there was a war in the Western Regions. Suddenly I remembered that my second brother had led a caravan to the Western Regions a long time ago. According to the time in previous years, he should have returned to Luoyang a long time ago, but this time there has been no news."

"I was so worried that I cried in the garden... and disturbed Your Majesty..."

Seeing Mi Zhen about to pay her respects again, Liu Bian grabbed her hand and said, "Why disturb her? Zhen'er, don't worry. I have just discussed this with my ministers and have decided to send troops to the Western Regions."

"Your second brother has been in the Western Regions for a long time and knows how to advance and retreat. He must have been blocked by the rebels. I believe that once the road is clear, he will come back!"

After hearing this, although Mi Zhen's face did not show joy, the worries in his heart were relieved a lot.

"With your Majesty's words, I feel much more at ease."

The Western Regions were far away from the emperor, so Liu Bian couldn't guarantee anything. But when the conversation came to this point, Liu Bian immediately pulled Mi Zhen, whose face was still tearful, into his arms.

……

Langya Kingdom.

The speed of traveling down the Yellow River day and night is faster than that of traveling by land. Ma Chao received the imperial edict and understood the cause of the matter from the angel usher. He immediately said goodbye to Wang Can, with whom he had just met for a short time.

After learning the whole story, Sun Ce asked General Huangfu Song to return to Luoyang with Ma Chao.

After listening to Sun Ce's explanation, Huangfu Song said, "I have an important memorial here that needs to be delivered to Luoyang."

Sun Ce understood the hidden meaning of Huangfu Song's words and immediately thanked him, "Thank you, General!"

Just when they were about to set off with Wang Can, they saw that Wang Can had already packed his bags.

"Don't get me wrong," Wang Can explained to his two friends who were looking worried, "I could have returned to Beijing to report on my work a long time ago, but I didn't leave because Langya State has not yet been completely stabilized."

"But I really want to go to Liangzhou."

(End of this chapter)