Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 69: Workers and Peasants University Scholar!
Zhu Yuanzhang stared at Xia Zhibai gloomily, as if he wanted to eat Xia Zhibai alive.

When he came, he had already anticipated that Xia Zhibai would speak, but he didn't expect that Xia Zhibai would speak so quickly.

He also pointed out that he lacked enough people.

at this point.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not recognize it.

His employment of people was the most open-minded in ancient and modern times.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood with his hands behind his back, looked at Xia Zhibai coldly, and said, "Are you saying that I don't know how to employ people?"

Xia Zhibai shook his head and said, "Your Majesty is very bold in employing people, which is rare in ancient and modern times. He is not bound by any rules and is especially good at employing people from all corners of the country."

"And your majesty has tried many methods to seek talents in the past."

"There have been attempts to recruit well-known scholars under the names of intelligence, integrity, virtue, filial piety, and hard work. There have also been attempts to recruit ordinary scholars under the names of Confucian scholars, filial and honest scholars, scholars, talents, and senior citizens. There have also been attempts to recruit students from all over the country through the Imperial College."

"The opening of the channel and the breadth of its scope are unprecedented in ancient and modern times."

"Your Majesty not only seeks talents, but also dares to appoint them and promote them in an extraordinary way. This has indeed created a new atmosphere for the Ming Dynasty."

"As Your Majesty is eager to recruit talented people, people from the mountains and forests have risen from commoners to high-ranking officials."

"This is all because of my respect for your majesty."

“It’s just not enough.”

"Because your majesty's use of people has never escaped any fault."

"scholar!!!"

"Moreover, the scope of your majesty's selection of scholars has become increasingly narrow over time."

"When I was in Kaifeng, I met King Zhou several times. King Zhou respected Your Majesty very much and told me that Your Majesty wanted to emulate the Han and Tang dynasties and cultivate talents to the standards of becoming a general or a prime minister."

"In the twenty-seventh year of Zhizheng, Your Majesty issued a decree to recruit scholars."

"It is written in the imperial edict."

“I have heard that when the emperors of the past started their business, they used military force to keep the world safe; when they maintained their success, they used military force to intimidate the world.”

"As for governing the country, it is up to civil officials, and neither should be used in isolation."

"In ancient times, people learned etiquette, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics at the age of eight; at the age of fifteen, they learned how to cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world."

“Therefore, the system of election in the Zhouguan is called “Six Virtues, Six Conducts, and Six Arts”, which employs both civil and military talents, and selects both the virtuous and the capable. This is why the governance of the Three Dynasties was so prosperous.”

"I would like to review the ancient system and establish two categories, civil and military, to seek out talents from all over the world."

"It's just that after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Your Majesty followed the example of previous dynasties and began to hold imperial examinations to recruit scholars. However, Your Majesty overthrew the Yuan Dynasty, and it seemed that you overthrew everything about the Yuan Dynasty, but there was only one thing that was not overthrown, which was the imperial examination system. The Ming Dynasty still had to take exams, and the examination system followed that of the Yuan Dynasty. Therefore, the imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty tested the Five Classics and the Four Books."

"This is indeed an attempt to 'review the ancient system', and your majesty attaches far more importance to 'classics' and 'history' than any other dynasty."

“It’s just that two were missed.”

"Classics, History, Philosophy and Anthology."

"Your Majesty missed the following sub-episode!"

"And this is what I am most worried about and what I am most afraid of."

"I am a humble person."

"I think the 'sub-chapter' in the classics, history and philosophy is the most important."

"Especially the agriculturalists, doctors, astronomical calculations, and numerology, because they contain the principles of the world and the key to the world's long-term development."

"The potatoes and high-yield rice seeds that ordinary people bring out are actually following one of these principles."

"Scholars all read the works of sages and classics and history, but these are precisely the parts that local farmers, doctors, and craftsmen do not read."

"But it was these illiterate farmers, doctors, and craftsmen who constantly made technological breakthroughs and innovations amid the rise and fall of the world, which led to the continuous increase in rice production, the production of iron and copper, and more and more people were free from injuries and diseases."

"I think so."

"These grassroots people represent the most advanced productivity and the most advanced development concept at the moment."

"It also truly represents 'son'."

"They may not be suitable for being officials, nor for governing the country." "But they deserve a seat in the court. This is what I mean. The Ming Dynasty lacks such university scholars!"

"Workers and Peasants University Scholar!"

"Your Majesty is ambitious and does not stick to any particular pattern in recruiting talents."

"We should break the old jars and cans of the world and completely separate the scope of talent from the Four Books and Five Classics, from the classics and history."

"We should recruit talents from all over the world!"

“We should also arouse the hearts of tens of millions of workers and peasants!”

Xia Zhibai bowed respectfully and slowly returned to his seat.

But the whole place was silent.

Hua Lun and Lian Zining, who were standing right next to Xia Zhibai, felt as if they were stepped on. They quickly moved around, not daring to get too close to Xia Zhibai, for fear of being affected by his wild words.

They knew Xia Zhibai was crazy.

But no one expected that Xia Zhibai would be so crazy.

He dared to criticize Your Majesty in front of Your Majesty and directly refuted Your Majesty's way of employing people.

And who are they?

He is a scholar.

Isn't this just opposing yourself?
This is reversing Tiangang.

However, this kind of situation is not one in which they can speak, and they dare not speak, for fear of being implicated.

For a moment, the entire Jinshi team took a step back at the same time, further distancing themselves from Xia Zhibai.

Xia Zhibai was alone, facing the gazes from all directions.

He remained undaunted.

Right is right, wrong is wrong.

After the Ming Dynasty conquered the world, it intended to overthrow everything the Yuan Dynasty had, but it did not overthrow the imperial examination system. The Yuan people were barbaric and only knew the "Four Books" and "Five Classics". They had no idea of ​​the importance of books and mathematics. If the Ming Dynasty continued to follow the old path of the Yuan Dynasty, it would only get narrower and narrower in the end.

So much so that it is difficult to reverse the situation.

People in the Yuan Dynasty did not know its importance. Zhu Yuanzhang and most of the officials in the court had long been accustomed to studying "classics" and "history", but he could not just leave it alone.

Because this concerns the future of this land.

But Xia Zhibai knew that it was difficult to change the existing ideas in the world.

Since ancient times, the promotion of rituals and music, the establishment of systems, the support of the country, and the achievement of the beauty of governance have all been based on Confucianism.

Confucians know the past and present and understand the principles, which cannot be compared with mere grammar clerks.

This view has long been deeply rooted in people's minds.

However, the Confucian scholars of today are no longer the same as the Confucian scholars of the past who were proficient in the six arts of Confucianism.

Today's Confucian scholars cannot bear such a burden.

Their historical mission should have been gradually replaced by the increasingly powerful workers and peasants during the Song Dynasty.

It's just that the historical process was interrupted.

As the successor to the Han Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty should naturally take over.

Tang He glanced at Xia Zhibai, then glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang imperceptibly, with a meaningful look in his eyes.

He understood Zhu Yuanzhang.

I also know Zhu Yuanzhang's way of employing people.

What Xia Zhibai said actually fits Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't like Confucian scholars and civil officials who came from the gentry and landlords. Otherwise, why would he use harsh punishments to deal with the literati? Why would he go back and forth on the way to select talents? Now Xia Zhibai's words may have opened up a new idea for your majesty, but this idea is too broad and too wild.

It was also difficult for him to guess what His Majesty was thinking.

(End of this chapter)