I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 806 Another village has a bright future

When Cheng Zhong heard Guo Jia reciting poetry, he was really stunned. He didn't expect that this young man was so talented and his words were so outstanding that they would be remembered forever.

Seeing Cheng Zhong's stunned look, Guo Jia burst into laughter.

"Thank you for your compliment."

"I did not write this poem, but heard it from the general."

"That day, I was discussing state affairs with the general. When we talked about the difficulties of implementing the new policy, he was inspired to chant this line. I felt it was wonderful and deeply impressed. I immediately memorized it. Today, I was moved by the scene and chanted it unconsciously."

"what?!"

"It was actually done by the general?!"

Cheng Zhong's originally round eyes suddenly widened three times, almost bulging out, he couldn't believe it at all.

In his opinion, General Su Yao was born in a humble family. He fought bravely on the battlefield, charged into battle, and killed countless people. He was an iron-blooded general.

In his opinion, the general was a genius for being able to come up with so many new policies and reforms.

Now, Guo Jia told him that the great general Su Yao, who was always sloppy and often spoke in an unruly manner, actually had such a high level of attainment in poetry?

How can this be? !
Guo Jia couldn't help but find it a little funny when he saw Cheng Zhong, who was almost petrified from shock.

When I think back to the scene when I first heard this poem, it doesn’t seem to be much better.

Thinking of this, Guo Jia shook his head slightly, picked up the gourd and took another sip, then said slowly:

"At first, I was just like you, and it was hard for me to believe it."

"After all, the great general's reputation on the battlefield is well-known to everyone. Who would have thought that he has such delicate literary sentiments and can chant such wonderful poems."

"But as I got along with the general for a long time, I found that his talents were far more than that."

"Have you seen the new policies implemented by the general, whether it is the imperial examination system, the equal-field system, or the reorganization of the Censorate and the implementation of the performance evaluation system, each of them shows his extraordinary foresight and profound insight into the situation in the world."

"Take the imperial examination system for example. It broke the monopoly of the aristocratic families on official careers and gave poor children like us a chance to stand out. How many people in ancient and modern times can match this kind of courage?"

Guo Jia stood up, tilted his head back and took another deep breath, then paced back and forth in the room, his expression becoming increasingly agitated:
"There is also the equal-field system, which aims to allow tillers to own their own land and fundamentally solve the problem of land annexation. This is an ideal that many people with lofty ideals have dreamed of but has found difficult to achieve. The general dared to take the lead in trying it. This courage and responsibility is also admirable."

"As for the reorganization of the Censorate and the implementation of the performance evaluation system, it directly hits the long-standing malpractices in the officialdom, leaving those who are idle and corrupt and have nowhere to hide."

"This series of measures are closely linked to each other, and each one is related to the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of the Han Dynasty. If it weren't for a talented person, how could such a grand blueprint be conceived?"

Cheng Zhong's heart was filled with emotion when he heard this. Originally, he surrendered to Su Yao more because of the pressure from the situation. Now, after hearing what Guo Jia said, he suddenly felt a sense of respect in his heart.

He stood up and bowed towards the north:

"The general is truly a rare person in the world! I just realized today that my previous understanding of the general was too shallow. It is my great honor to serve under the general!"

"Yes, it is definitely a blessing for us to follow the general."

Guo Jia paced back and forth, shaking the wine gourd in his hand and nodded:
"Now, we are shouldering the heavy responsibility of investigating the Hongnong Yang family case. Handling this case well is not only a test of our abilities, but also a response to the general's trust!"

"If Yang Biao dares to tamper with the imperial examination, he will be courting death. We must seize this opportunity to expose his crimes to the public and restore justice to the court!"

Seeing Guo Jia getting back to the point, Cheng Zhong nodded heavily: "Don't worry, Chief Censor, I will do my best!"

"But this imperial examination is of great importance. If Yang Biao wants to take action, he must be extremely secretive. How can we detect it?"

As the topic got deeper into the core, Guo Jia stopped and thought for a moment before saying, "This requires us to plan ahead."

"The imperial court has not yet announced the examiners for the imperial examination, but Yang Biao has extensive influence in the court, and he will definitely try his best to insert his people in."

“Therefore, we can start with the selection of examiners and pay close attention to those officials who are closely related to Yang Biao to see if their recent actions are abnormal.”

As he spoke, Guo Jia walked to the table, picked up a brush, and wrote a few names on the paper:
"These people were the targets of my previous investigation. They are all Yang Biao's students and former officials. They usually have close contacts with him. They are very likely to become examiners in this imperial examination."

"We must arrange personnel to secretly monitor their every move and report immediately if we find any signs of illegal operations by them."

"In addition, we also need to pay special attention to those candidates who have close relationships with Yang Biao."

Guo Jia continued, "Yang Biao has many students and former officials. Who doesn't have children who want to become officials?"

"In the past, they only needed to get a recommendation from their superiors to enter the government, but now they have to compete with those poor students who have studied hard. It is inevitable that some people will have crooked ideas and try to use improper means to help their children get on the list."

"These people are also the key targets to be wary of!"

"The more famous the family, the less talented and knowledgeable the people are. We must keep an eye on them all this time."

"Once they use connections or cheat, we can take the initiative to attack them."

"Furthermore, the safekeeping of the imperial examination papers is also of utmost importance."

Guo Jia looked at Cheng Zhong with sharp eyes:
"If Yang Biao and his team wanted to cheat, they would most likely tinker with the test paper, obtain the test questions in advance, or tamper with the answer sheet."

“We cannot miss any link.”

Seeing that Guo Jia was thoughtful, Cheng Zhong also listened carefully and nodded.

But soon, he discovered another problem:
"The Chief Censor is very thoughtful and considerate. It is really admirable. However, where can we find the manpower for this surveillance?"

"Monitoring the imperial examinations is not the responsibility of the Audit Department, but the job of the Supervision Department. It's probably not that easy to intervene, right?"

"Besides, even if they intervene, there are not many people available to serve as the Chief Censor, and they are not that reliable."

"Don't worry about that. I have my own way."

Guo Jia is full of confidence:

"The imperial examination is the most important thing for the general. The Imperial Censor Wang Yun has personally ordered that all members of the Censorate should fully cooperate with the supervision of the imperial examination. Although the Audit Department and the Supervision Department have different responsibilities, at this time of recruiting people, on this major event that concerns the world, our two departments will work together."

"But there aren't many Communists in Beijing in the Censorate right now, right?"

"There are nearly 20,000 candidates."

"It's fine to supervise the officials, but can the examinees really supervise them?"

"We also have to take into account various aspects such as the examination papers, which is probably very difficult."

Guo Jia frowned slightly when he heard this. He tapped the table with his fingers and said after thinking for a moment:

"I will visit Cai Yong in person tomorrow."

"In the past three months, he has been ordered by the general to prepare for the imperial examinations. He has been stationed in the Imperial College and interacted with many scholars. He must be familiar with the candidates' situations and has designed many details of the imperial examinations. If we can get his help, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"Finally, don't forget that the general has an elite division beside him - the Jinyiwei."

"They are resolute and ruthless, and they are loyal to the general. They have many spies in the capital, and they are most suitable for this kind of surveillance work."

"I will write a letter right now to ask the general to dispatch the Royal Guards to help us monitor the imperial examinations!"

After hearing this, Cheng Zhong's eyes flashed with surprise, and then he became a little worried:
"Although the Jinyiwei is powerful, it is a military force after all. If they intervene in the supervision of the imperial examination, it will probably attract criticism."

"Moreover, there are less than four days until the imperial examination begins, and the general is still far away in Bingzhou."

"Considering the distance, I'm afraid it will be too late to go back and forth to ask for instructions."

Cheng Zhong's words made Guo Jia pause for a moment, and he quickly thought of some emergency measures, but there would always be some hidden dangers.

Just as the two were discussing the decision and considering how to make a choice, suddenly there was a "bang" and the door opened.

In the flickering candlelight, Wang Ling strode over:

"Du Yushi, Jieshizhong, you two really work so hard that you forget to eat and sleep."

"But don't worry."

"The general has ordered me to rush back to Luoyang overnight to assist the Censorate in supervising this imperial examination. Don't let those evil spirits take advantage of the situation!"

(End of this chapter)