Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

In Nanjing, Jiang Yueguang was also thinking about Japan.

He received a letter from Hong Chengchou last month, urging him to go to Japan to recruit soldiers as soon as possible.

However, due to the postponement of the Jiangnan County Examination, this matter had to be delayed.

At this time, seeing that the provincial examination was over, Jiang Yueguang could not wait to go north to recruit soldiers and make achievements.

He said to Liu Lishun:

"This year's provincial examination is finally over, and the list has been finalized."

"I'll trouble you, Mr. Liu, to handle the rest of the trivial matters. Mr. Jiang is going to Japan."

Liu Lishun dissuaded him:
"Why so anxious?"

"You presided over the Mingjing section of the provincial examination, and the successful candidates have not yet become his disciples?"

"Why rush for one or two days?"

According to the convention of imperial examinations, the chief examiner of the provincial examination is the teacher of the successful candidate, and the two are in a master-disciple relationship.

One of the reasons why officials from the Hanlin Academy could become prime ministers was that most of the examiners for the provincial examinations came from the Hanlin Academy. By presiding over the provincial examinations, they were able to gather a large number of candidates as their disciples, thus forming a complex power in the officialdom.

Therefore, the end of the provincial examination is just the beginning. After the provincial examination, it is even more important for the chief examiner for the successful candidates to become his disciple.

Liu Lishun was appointed as the chief examiner on a temporary basis. He did not want to be criticized for taking away Jiang Yueguang's opportunity, so he tried his best to keep Jiang Yueguang.

Jiang Yueguang wanted to give up this opportunity, but he knew that opportunities were rare. If he missed the opportunity to fight in Liaodong, it would be more difficult to recruit Japanese troops to fight in Liaodong in the future.

Therefore, he attached more importance to this matter, and was not so concerned about accepting candidates as his teachers.

He also didn't believe that any candidate would violate the rules that had been passed down for hundreds of years. There was no need to waste time on things that had already been decided.

Therefore, he did not accept Liu Lishun's request to stay, but instead said passionately:
"The court employs us, isn't it to help you solve problems?"

"Now that the Liaodong war is about to begin, how can I delay?"

"Liu Shijiang, there is no need to persuade me any further. I'll trouble you to take charge of the follow-up affairs of the provincial examination!"

Decided to set off immediately and said goodbye to Liu Lishun and others.

Liu Lishun tried his best to dissuade him, and then he thought of something else and discussed it with Jiang Yueguang:
"Brother Jiang said the provincial examination is over, but it's actually not over yet."

"According to the imperial court's order, the top scorer in this year's provincial examination will be selected according to the new method."

"It's better to settle down and leave, Brother Jiang."

Jiang Yueguang laughed:
"Who is this year's champion? Is there any doubt?"

"Zhang Pu was the first in the mathematics exam, the five classics exam, and the law exam."

"With his name on three lists and two top scores, there is no doubt that he will be the top scorer."

"Brother Liu, please stop trying to persuade me. I am leaving today!"

With a hearty laugh, he and his entourage boarded the ship that had been prepared long ago and headed for Japan.

He wanted to recruit as many soldiers as possible and raise an army that could at least be called a detachment for next year's Liaodong battle, so that he could lead them to achieve merit and earn a title for himself.

Liu Lishun looked at his receding back, shook his head and sighed.

He knew that one of the reasons why Jiang Yueguang insisted on leaving was to avoid the turmoil in the Jiangnan literati circle.

The affairs of the New Donglin and Donglin Academy had intensified by this time, and many students taking the exams were involved.

As a talent sent out of the Hanlin Academy for training, Jiang Yueguang naturally knew the emperor's taboo against forming factions. As a member of the Donglin Party, he also vaguely knew that there was a struggle between the emperor and his ministers behind this matter. He did not want to be involved in this matter, so he left in a hurry.

But Liu Lishun had no choice. As the chief examiner, he could not avoid the students taking the exam. He even had to work in the Susong New District after the provincial examination, and he had no connection with the Jiangnan scholars.

Finally, he could only sigh and give the order:
"Release the list!"

"Zhang Pu is the first place winner, and the other second place winners are second place winners."

He ordered the yamen runners to post the notice and at the same time send the list to the Nanjing Tongzhengsi and let the Nanjing News Agency send out the news.

Many eagerly awaited students soon saw the list. After the 100 successful candidates were confirmed in the Ming Suan exam, more than 250 scholars passed the Ming Jing exam and Ming Suan exam.

The most eye-catching one was, of course, Zhang Pu. Seeing that Zhang Pu was one of the top five classics and also made it onto the list of Ming law exams, everyone admired this person who made it onto three lists in a row and thought he was worthy of being Xu Guangqi's disciple.

Zhang Pu could not hide his joy at this time, because he knew that after he won the first prize, the road to winning the third prize was open to him:

"I should have no problem with my math in the exam next year."

"I need to take more exams and strive to become the champion."

Suppressing his excitement, Zhang Pu returned the gift to the person who congratulated him, and said to Yang Tingshu:

"Congratulations, Brother Yang, for becoming the Asian champion. Next year we will go to Beijing together to take the exam."

"Weiye, you are also the Asian champion this time. Do you want to take part in the imperial examination next year?"

Wu Weiye was also very excited about becoming the top scholar. When he heard his teacher's words, he immediately said:
"Yes! Of course I'll go!"

"Next year the imperial court will recruit 800 Jinshi candidates, and I look forward to passing the exam with you, Master."

Zhang Pu laughed loudly, fanning himself and said:

"Good! Good!"

"Next year we will go to the capital together, and both master and disciple will pass the imperial examinations."

He fantasized that he would win the top three places in the imperial examination and his disciples would also become Jinshi.

At this moment, he could never have imagined that his biggest rival in winning three titles in a row would be the disciple Wu Weiye in front of him.

The master and his disciple will have a duel to decide who will be the champion.
-
After passing the provincial examination, a Deer Singing Banquet would be held. As the new champion, Zhang Pu stole the limelight.

After Yang Tingshu became the second-ranking scholar, his reputation became even greater. Especially since he and Zhang Pu were both members of the Ying Society, Wu Weiye was Zhang Pu's disciple, and Wu Changshi of the Ying Society also passed the imperial examination. This made the Ying Society's reputation extremely popular. Many literary societies in Jiangnan all regarded the Ying Society as the leader.

Yang Tingshu, the founder of Yingshe, undoubtedly became the leader of Jiangnan literary societies with the support of Zhang Pu, Wu Weiye, Wu Changshi and others. He convened many literary societies and held the Jinling Conference.

At the Jinling Conference, Yang Tingshu, at the suggestion of Zhang Pu, decided to establish the Donglin Academy, and each society would recommend talents to join the Donglin Academy.

The current goal of the society is to prepare for the next year's imperial examination. To this end, they have established the Donglin Journal to encourage academic debate and exchange of knowledge.

The new Donglin flourished under the name of Donglin Academy. It was also decided to hold a meeting in Jinling for each provincial examination to recruit new talents.

This change surprised Xiang Junqing, who had secretly encouraged the establishment of the Donglin Academy.

Because this was beyond his expectations, and he did not want to see the Donglin Academy grow stronger by absorbing talents.

So he quickly found Zhang Pu and asked:

"Who came up with this idea?"

"Who will preside over the next Jinling Conference?" Zhang Pu said with a wry smile:

"It was Wu Changshi who proposed it."

"He said that if he fails to pass the imperial examination next year, he will preside over the Jinling Assembly in the next exam."

"I never thought that this person would be the one stirring up the storm."

"He was the one who instigated Yang Tingshu's thoughts."

As one of the first eleven members of Yingshe, Zhang Pu thought he knew Wu Changshi well enough, but he never thought that this good friend of his had such thoughts.

If Yang Tingshu had not informed him in advance and he had not paid close attention to the establishment of the Donglin Academy, he would have never thought that Wu Changshi had this intention.

When Xiang Junqing heard Wu Changshi's name, he immediately realized that this person was behind all this. But it was still unknown whether there was someone else behind Wu Changshi.

So he said to Zhang Pu:
"You don't need to worry too much about the affairs of the Donglin Academy. I will send someone to infiltrate it."

"The most important thing now is what Yang Tingshu is thinking and whether he is willing to cooperate with us?"

Zhang Pu had already communicated with Yang Tingshu and replied:
"Weidou wants to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi. If he fails, he wants to become a Yuanshi."

"So he is willing to cooperate and intends to spread his knowledge in the Donglin Academy."

If you have a request, that's easy to do. Xiang Junqing said:

"You can promise him that he can obtain the status of a Yuanshi in the future."

"But if he fails to pass the imperial examination next year, please ask him to come back and preside over the Donglin Academy."

"We must guide the Donglin Academy to become an academic society, rather than allowing it to be used by Wu Changshi and others to realize their ambitions."

Zhang Pu nodded, accepted the task, and said:
"Weidou only wants to teach, and he said that if he fails to pass the imperial examination, he will not become an official."

"Commander Xiang can rest assured that he will be in charge of the Donglin Academy."

Xiang Junqing nodded and congratulated Zhang Pu:
"Mr. Ximing passed the imperial examination and won the first prize in the mathematics exam."

"I will take the mathematics exam next year, and I'm sure I'll pass it."

"Xiang would like to congratulate you here first and wish Mr. Ximing a successful Jinshi next year."

Zhang Pu laughed out loud and was very confident about this.

As the top scorer in the Mingsuan exam in the Jiangnan provincial examination, he didn't believe that he would fail in the Mingsuan exam.

As long as you pass the Ming Suan exam, it is a sure thing that you will become a Jinshi next year. You can even be selected as the top scholar by the emperor in the palace examination.

The biggest obstacle for him to win three first prizes in a row was that he was unsure how to become the first prize.

He only hoped that next year's championship would be as certain as the Jiangnan Provincial Examination, and that he could win the championship by passing multiple subjects.
-
After parting with Xiang Junqing, Zhang Pu went to visit Liu Lishun again.

As the chief examiner of this provincial examination, Liu Lishun was the teacher of all successful candidates, and the relationship between them was incomparable to ordinary people.

Moreover, Zhang Pu knew that Liu Lishun was sent by the emperor in order to make the scholars in Jiangnan become Yuan Keli's disciples and join the so-called neutral faction.

Therefore, he was very respectful to Liu Lishun, and they immediately established a master-disciple relationship after he passed the imperial examination.

Liu Lishun's knowledge was indeed worthy of his teacher. Having participated in the imperial examinations many times, he taught Zhang Pu many tricks of the imperial examinations.

But what they talked about more was the governance of Suzhou and Songjiang. Liu Lishun, who was in charge of the planning and construction of the Suzhou and Songjiang New District, was very curious about the employment association organized by Zhang Pu.

After carefully consulting Zhang Pu and learning about the formation process and role of the Employees Association, Liu Lishun keenly realized that:
The association can replace the gentry and serve as a link between the government and the people.

So he quickly decided to bring the association under parliamentary management and at the same time split it up to prevent it from getting out of control.

He said to Zhang Pu:

"Scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans are the four classes of the country."

"The parliament is elected according to the four classes of people. In the future, Suzhou and Songjiang should not only have an association for hired workers, but also an association for tenant farmers, an association for slaves, an association for self-employed people, and other associations."

"The four classes of people, scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, can all set up associations for their respective trades, rather than mixing them up in the workers' association."

This was to split up the employment association that Zhang Pu had established. Zhang Pu was silent for a while and said:
"The Hired Workers Association is indeed too mixed now. It should separate tenant farmers, slaves, self-employed people, etc."

"You can make the decision on this matter, teacher. I plan to go to Beijing to prepare for the imperial examination next year."

He gave up the leadership of the Employees Association and handed it over to Liu Lishun.

Liu Lishun was very satisfied with his understanding. However, the number of employees in the employment association now reached hundreds of thousands, and even Liu Lishun, as the chief of the Susong New District, did not dare to split it rashly. So he said to Zhang Pu:

"This matter still requires Tianru's cooperation."

"You are the founder of the Employees' Association. Who else but you can organize it?"

"Also, the court is setting up a central military camp, but it is short of 6,000 soldiers. It plans to recruit soldiers from various places, and especially mentioned Suzhou and Songjiang."

"You must comply with the court's orders and preach to the people in the Hired Workers' Association, encouraging them to enlist and go to the capital to serve as soldiers."

Both of these issues were very tricky, because even Zhang Pu was not sure whether the workers' association, which had hundreds of thousands of members, would obey him.

It was even more difficult to recruit soldiers from the hired workers, as he had previously promised the hired workers that they would not be allowed to serve in other places.

If you go back on your word and give the employees a pay raise, it is likely to cause unrest among your employees, leading to chaos.

So Zhang Pu had to explain the situation to Liu Lishun and state his concerns.

After hearing Zhang Pu's views, Liu Lishun thought for a while and said:
"The employment association was established not long ago. If we don't rectify it now, it will be more difficult in the future."

"As for enlisting in the army, the court has not asked Suzhou and Songjiang to provide a certain number of soldiers. Everything is entirely voluntary."

"But the soldiers who serve in the Central Army Camp can receive military pay, similar to the treatment of the border troops."

"Unlike your engineering battalion, service is compulsory."

As elite troops mobilized by the imperial court from all over the country, most of the soldiers in the Five Military Camps are professional soldiers who can receive corresponding salaries.

The 6,000 men missing from the central military camp were also recruited, and military funds would naturally be paid.

Compared with the Susong Engineering Battalion, which was a completely compulsory service, the treatment was naturally better. What made people worried was that the Central Army Battalion was far away in Beijing, and they had to serve in the capital.

At the same time, there is the danger of going to the battlefield, and the people in the south of the Yangtze River, who have a gentle folk character, may not be willing to go.

Zhang Pu, who knew the customs of the people in the south of the Yangtze River well, said to Liu Lishun:
"If we go to the Central Army Camp to serve as engineers, we can recruit at least 3,000 people."

"But if they have to go to war, most of them are unwilling to go."

"Teacher, please ask if the Central Army Camp needs an engineering camp?"

Liu Lishun listened to Zhang Pu's suggestion and nodded slowly. He thought that considering the customs of the people in Jiangnan, it would be more reliable to recruit engineers. It would be difficult to recruit many people if he told them to go to war directly.

There were walls and fortifications to be built in the capital, and engineers were indeed needed. So he immediately wrote a letter and sent it to the Privy Council to ask for advice. He hoped that the Privy Council would set up an engineering battalion in the Central Army Camp and recruit engineers from the Hired Workers Association. (End of this chapter)