Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 160 The Han Chinese, who were afraid of private fights but brave in public battles, began to occupy Central and West Asia!

Half a month later, the imperial examination in Zhongdu officially began.

The Han Chinese are the ethnic group that values ​​education the most.

Zhao Shuo has been implementing the equal-field system and the militia system in Shandong and Hebei for seven years. After the people have solved their basic needs for food and clothing, they naturally begin to pay attention to the education of their children.

In terms of martial arts, martial arts schools are everywhere in major cities, teaching not fancy moves, but horseback riding, archery and combat skills.

Nonsense, who doesn't know that soldiers in the garrison are exempt from taxes?
Who doesn't know about the generous treatment of the Eight Banners soldiers?
Diligently practicing martial arts, first becoming a soldier in the local government, and then a soldier in the Eight Banners, is the most clearly visible path for ordinary people to rise through the social ladder.

The most popular soldiers under Zhao Shuo were the wounded or retired Mongol and Eight Banner soldiers, followed by retired veterans from the former Jin Dynasty. Even veterans from the Southern Song Dynasty came to get a share of the pie.

Although there were few martial arts schools in the village, there were local soldiers. When busy, they farmed; when not, they participated in military training. These soldiers were trained by the regular Eight Banners army under Zhao Shuo. These soldiers learned how to fight and also taught the village children and teenagers in their spare time, charging a fee to supplement their family income.

After the soldiers returned from the western expedition, a surge of martial arts enthusiasm swept through the region, causing even the price of horses to suddenly increase by 20%.

Of course, the surge in horse prices quickly subsided.

Zhao Shuo's forces in Fuzhou, Huanzhou, and Changzhou had recovered their former strength, now numbering over 800,000 horses. Zhao Shuo directly sold 100,000 horses to Shandong and Hebei, causing horse prices in those provinces to plummet. However, border patrols still needed to be strengthened to strictly prohibit the smuggling of warhorses into the Jin state.

In conclusion, martial arts are now very popular in Hebei and Shandong, and the selection process for both local soldiers and those selected from local soldiers to become Eight Banner soldiers is becoming increasingly rigorous.

This is one of the reasons why Zhao Shuo found immigration so easy.

There's no way around it, it's too competitive. Even becoming a soldier in the local militia is difficult, let alone becoming a Bannerman and making a fortune abroad. Immigration, on the other hand, only requires a family with able-bodied men. If the first batch of immigrants didn't get selected, there were still later batches, weren't there?
Once you arrive in the West, your social status and daily life will be much better than in your hometown.

In terms of culture, the people of Hebei and Shandong will not neglect it either.

The prospect of becoming an official and bringing honor to one's ancestors by passing the exam was very attractive to people from wealthy families who were physically weak.

Moreover, Zhao Shuo's imperial examination system differed from previous ones, as it did not require arduous study of the Four Books and Five Classics.

The first imperial examination was simplified, with only policy essays and mathematics tested.

History was added to the second imperial examination. "To destroy a clan, first destroy its history"—the significance of history cannot be overstated.

In the following years, the imperial examinations also tested these three subjects. Among them, policy essays accounted for 40% of the score, while mathematics and history each accounted for 30%.

Without the need for arduous study and meticulous textual analysis, the role of teachers is greatly reduced, making it easier for children from ordinary families to excel.

Furthermore, Zhao Shuo's imperial examination system did not have any prefectural or county-level examinations; there was only one examination held in Zhongdu City, which anyone could participate in as long as they paid the registration fee. This made it easier for commoners to stand out.

The number of people participating in this imperial examination reached an unprecedented 23,000.

"What? The prince consort wants to recruit two thousand people?"

Upon hearing the number Zhao Shuo presented, Yelü Chucai's face was filled with disbelief. He said, "This...this is too much! In our first imperial examination, we only admitted a little over three hundred people. Although your fiefdom has many vacancies for officials, you don't need so many, do you?"

Zhao Shuo shook his head slightly and said, "Two thousand people isn't many. In fact, I plan to admit roughly that number in every imperial examination for at least the next ten years."

"Why? We have so many official positions for them to sit on?"

Although the territory Zhao Shuo newly acquired was ten times larger than Hebei, its population was less than five times that of Hebei.

Yelü Chucai did not believe that so many officials were needed.

Zhao Shuo replied, "If you can't be an official, you can be a minor official. This time, I plan to make a large-scale adjustment to the officials under my command. The original seventh-rank county magistrates can become prefects if they are willing to serve in the new area. The original county lieutenants can become county magistrates or prefectural military officers if they are willing to serve in the new area."

“The vacant official positions will be filled through promotions at each level. The remaining minor official positions will be filled by scholars who have passed the imperial examinations. If these scholars are willing to serve as officials in the new lands, they will be one rank higher than their counterparts who serve in the central lands.”

"As long as one serves as an official in the new land for five years, one can apply to be transferred back to the Central Plains. However, I estimate that not many people will be willing to apply for a transfer back. The new land is short of officials, and the promotion speed is much faster than in the Central Plains. Once transferred to the Central Plains, such good things will not be possible."

"Of course, now is the time when we need people. We will give certain preferential treatment to the top one hundred in this imperial examination. If they are willing to serve as officials in the new land, they will be appointed as county magistrates and county lieutenants, or officials of the seventh rank or above at the prefectural level, just like in the first imperial examination."

“In the future, when the imperial examinations are held again, the number of such preferential positions will become fewer and fewer. In the end, within my fiefdom, there will be no distinction between officials and clerks. After passing the examination, one can only serve as a low-level clerk, and then be promoted based on one’s ability.”

"To be frank, in order to ensure fairness, the subjects I tested were not very relevant to daily governance. Without certain experience, how can one govern a county, a prefecture, or a state? It's better to start as a junior official and rise step by step."

Yelü Chucai's eyes lit up, and he said, "Does the Prince Consort mean that in your fiefdom, there is no distinction between officials? If a minor official does well, he can become an official? And in the end, all the court officials are selected from among the minor officials?"

"You could say that. What do you think?"

"The prince consort is wise!"

Having governed for many years, Yelü Chucai naturally knew that those selected through the imperial examinations were not necessarily as capable as those from aristocratic families. The reason was simple: scions of aristocratic families, from a young age, were exposed to how to manage subordinates, handle official documents, and how the government actually operated.

Those selected through the imperial examinations may be intellectually capable, but without practical experience, they rise to high positions, which is not good for either themselves or the court.

However, in order to ensure the fairness of the imperial examination, this was the only way to conduct the examination.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Shuo took drastic measures, directly abolishing the distinction between officials and bureaucrats and establishing the general principle of unity between officials and bureaucrats.

Originally, in both the Song and Jin dynasties, officials and clerks were separate. Officials were selected through the imperial examination system, while clerks were mostly from family lineages, and their influence in the local area was deeply entrenched.

It's not the county magistrate that's to be feared, but the local official. Countless abuses and corruptions have arisen in this process, even rendering the officials sent by the imperial court powerless.

Most of the minor officials under Zhao Shuo were people who had rendered meritorious service to the Mongols, and since their tenure was relatively short, they were still considered honest. However, given time, they might very well degenerate like the Jin and Song dynasties.

Now, officials and clerks are directly integrated, and even minor officials must be selected from those who have passed the imperial examinations. This solves both the problem of deeply entrenched local officials and the problem of those who passed the imperial examinations lacking practical experience.

Passing the exam is only the first step; one must also excel in practical matters to attain a high-ranking position.

Moreover, there's no need to worry about how many scholars are dissatisfied.

Because the total number of people who passed the imperial examinations increased by at least tenfold!
It used to be very difficult to pass the imperial examination, but now it's possible to pass and get a minor official position, which at least allows one to support their family, right?

After becoming a minor official, one can work diligently, demonstrate one's talents, and slowly climb the ranks. Isn't that much better than spending decades taking the imperial examinations, only to find that even if one passed, one wouldn't have a long and comfortable life, or even be a useless person for life?

If those at the top of the list are dissatisfied, other scholars can criticize them relentlessly!
It is obvious that Zhao Shuo could gain the support of most scholars with just this one move.

Ten days later, the results of the imperial examination were announced.

Yuan Haowen, who ranked first in the imperial examination, was received by Zhao Shuo along with ninety-nine other newly appointed scholars.

As the newly appointed top scholar, he presented Zhao Shuo with a poem on behalf of all the scholars: "Mountains beyond the borders rise high, reaching the heavens; the sound of Han dynasty strings thunders through walls. Beyond the nine provinces lie more nine provinces; the sea's clear color reflects the North Pole. Heroes of You and Bing rejoice in their achievements; a glance reveals the rise of winds and clouds. This year, the seal of office at my elbow is as large as a bushel; before my eyes, I feel the world is at peace."

This poem not only reflects the great achievements of the Mongol Empire, but also demonstrates the determination of the Han people in the north to serve Zhao Shuo. Moreover, it is a masterpiece of literature and quickly became a sensation throughout the land.

Yuan Haowen was also appointed as the magistrate of Isfayan County in the Khorasan Province.

This county is the largest county in Khorasan. It is located at an important node on the Silk Road and has a developed agriculture, so it is considered to be of great importance.

Zhao Shuo understood that Yuan Haowen was not only indeed intelligent and wrote excellent poetry, but also quite capable of governing.

Historical records indicate that Yuan Haowen governed Nanyang County for only three years, yet the Henan Gazetteer states that "he governed Nanyang County with remarkable good governance." The Nanyang County Gazetteer records: "Nanyang is a large county with over 100,000 soldiers and civilians. (Yuan Haowen) was appointed by the military governor to pacify and govern the area, and he maintained both authority and benevolence."

However, Yuan Haowen was unlucky. After the fall of the Jin Dynasty, he was placed under the control of the Mongol army as an official of the Jin Dynasty and had no opportunity to serve as an official.

When the Mongols relaxed their restrictions on Yuan Haowen, he was already old and no longer wanted to serve in the government.

Now, Yuan Haowen is just thirty years old, in the prime of his life. Let's see how he shines in the Khorasan region. In the blink of an eye, another year has passed.

During this year, Zhao Shuo was stationed in Zhongdu and began to deal with some matters that Yelü Chucai was unable to handle. For example, the troops left in Shandong and Hebei had not fought for five or six years and were located in the prosperous Central Plains, so corruption and depravity were inevitable.

Zhao Shuo selected dozens of typical cases to be executed, and then transferred all the regular troops originally stationed in Hebei and Shandong to the borders of Mongolia and Western Xia.

They were the vanguard when they attacked Western Xia again later.

While others risked their lives on the westward expedition, they indulged in corruption and decadence in the rear, even receiving a share of the spoils. What a joke! It's time for them to see some blood.

Of course, at the same time, Zhao Shuo also mobilized a large amount of grain and supplies, as well as siege equipment, to prepare for the conquest of Western Xia.

The immigration process went very smoothly throughout the year.

After the first group of 50,000 migrants arrived at their destination, the second group of 200,000 began their journey. Of these, 100,000 were still headed for Khorasan, while the other 100,000 were destined for Afghanistan.

Zhao Shuo will only proceed with the third batch of immigrants after these 200,000 immigrants arrive.

The third batch of immigrants, as determined by Zhao Shuo, totaled 300,000: 100,000 to Afghanistan, 50,000 to South Asia, and another 100,000 to Ukraine.

Of the 1,352 successful candidates in the imperial examinations, 1,352 were willing to go to the West to seek wealth and status.

These scholars, traveling alone, were much faster than migrants. With the addition of the post stations established by Zhao Shuo, they could reach their destination in about four months.

Then, they began to demonstrate their talents and strengthen their control over the locals.

……

Khorasan Province, Isfayan County, Novodal Village.

The raging fire was still burning in the village, the corpses lay scattered and had not yet been collected, the blood stained the ground red, and hundreds of young women were driven out of the village in tears.

There stood a thousand soldiers led by Yuan Haowen.

Now, more than two years have passed since the main Mongol force returned to the Central Plains.

Initially, Zhao Shuo left the Semu Eight Banners in the fiefdom to suppress the bandits with swift and decisive measures. Anyone who became a bandit was not only beheaded, but their entire family was also executed. After a year of rectification, the trade routes were completely restored.

However, as the nations of the true god sent assassins to incite the people of the true god to rebel, war broke out again across the land.

At this point, relying solely on the regular army to quell the rebellion was becoming insufficient.

Upon assuming office, Yuan Haowen faced the immediate challenge of rebellion in dozens of villages within the county.

According to Zhao Shuo's policy, any rebels would be killed without mercy, all their wealth would be confiscated, and their women would be spoils of war.

With the arrival of Yuan Haowen and more than thirty newly appointed scholars in Isfayan County, a local militia was mobilized.

Today, Yuan Haowen led 500 local militiamen and 500 Han Chinese soldiers to completely wipe out the village of Norfodal.

"Have all the spoils been counted?" Yuan Haowen asked.

County Lieutenant Li Youmin bowed slightly and said, "The inventory is complete. There are 147 taels of gold, 1,735 taels of silver, approximately 3,300 strings of copper coins, 2,243 shi of grain, 1,567 bolts of cotton cloth, 15 oxen, and 347 young women."

"very good."

Yuan Haowen looked at his thousand soldiers and said, "According to the rules, the government will get 30%. As for the remaining spoils, the Han army's agricultural troops will get 50%, and the local militia will get 20%. Let's divide them now!"

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

All the soldiers knelt down, their faces beaming with joy.

Nonsense, who wouldn't love splitting money and women!

As for the fact that the Han army's garrison troops received twice as much as the local militia, the militia had no complaints.

Firstly, Zhao Shuo established a rule that Han Chinese and Mongols come first. If you really can't accept that, you can rebel like the people of Nofodal Village! Let's see if your neck is tougher or the government's knife is faster.

Secondly, the fighting prowess of the Han army's garrison troops truly impressed them.

The year-long trek and cooperation greatly improved the organization of the Han army's agricultural settlement troops. With highly skilled martial artists and local militia as the backbone, the Han army's agricultural settlement troops demonstrated considerable combat effectiveness.

The astonishing discipline of the Han army's garrison troops further impressed these local militiamen.

The Khorasan region has always been Persia's best source of soldiers. The people there are brave and fierce, and prefer to settle disputes with their fists.

Where is the Han army?
Normally, he doesn't seem to have a flamboyant personality. He doesn't like to resort to violence when things happen, but instead asks a respected person or the government to settle the matter. He seems weak and easy to bully.

However, once they organize themselves, they're like completely different people.

Wherever the official pointed, they charged in.

Not only were they fearless and undaunted, but they also didn't become blinded by rage and recklessly charge forward in battle. Instead, they grew increasingly calm and learned how to better preserve themselves while killing their enemies.

If death is inevitable, they know where they should die, paving the way for victory for their comrades.

God is above!

How could such a race exist in the world?
They are a race born for war. They work diligently in peacetime and disregard the lives of the enemy, and even their own, in wartime, all to better complete the tasks assigned by their superiors!

After prolonged contact with the Han army, these local militiamen learned a Han Chinese idiom: "Be afraid of private fights, but brave in public battles!"
Fighting alongside such a powerful ally, even though they received less than half the spoils of the Han army, they had no complaints.

The Han army was even more satisfied with the large amount of spoils they received.

In fact, they were already very satisfied.

Upon arriving in the Khorasan region, each person was indeed allocated one hundred acres of prime land, and there were no taxes to pay! The area had far more women than men, so finding a husband, let alone taking concubines, was no problem. In terms of living standards, it was more than double that of their hometown.
So what if they're conscripted for combat?
That's defending their own land, their new home—it's only right and proper!

Moreover, the government mobilized them to quell the rebellion and distributed spoils of war.

Making a fortune is much easier than toiling in the soil, not to mention the added bonus of young female slaves.

If I had stayed in my hometown, where would I have had this opportunity? Joining the Eight Banners Army or passing the imperial examinations were not easy things!

Joining the Prince Consort's immigration program was truly the best decision I've ever made in my life!

At this moment, Yuan Haowen was filled with boundless pride.

It's fair to say that he's never felt so carefree since he was born.

Why shouldn't a man carry a Wu hook and seize fifty states beyond the passes? Please ascend the Lingyan Pavilion for a moment; which scholar among them has ever become a marquis with ten thousand households?
Which good man doesn't dream of being granted a high-ranking official position?

This dream would have been absolutely impossible to realize in the Jin or Song dynasties.

However, under the command of the prince consort, he became the magistrate of the largest county in the Khorasan Province as soon as he passed the imperial examination, leading the militia to suppress bandits.

In the future, it is not impossible for him to rise step by step to become a marquis and even a general or prime minister!
(End of this chapter)