Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 306 Three Houses in Chang'an
Just as the magistrates, heads, and agricultural officials of Linjin and even Zuofengyi counties were engaged in the vigorous locust eradication campaign, the Imperial Academy in Chang'an began its first assessment for promotion.

After Dong Zhuo seized power and set Luoyang ablaze, the Imperial Academy was reduced to ruins. For the next thirty years, wars raged and conflicts continued. The famous Xiping Stone Classics were destroyed by rebel soldiers and civilians. The Imperial Academy was closed for more than thirty years.

When the Wei dynasty replaced the Han dynasty and established itself, Cao Pi rebuilt the Imperial Academy.

Such measures were not only to restore Confucianism and reshape the orthodox cultural lineage, but also to continue the lineage of the Imperial Academy of the Han Dynasty, giving Cao Wei a political color of "inheriting the Han Dynasty and receiving the Mandate of Heaven", thus strengthening the legitimacy of the Cao Wei regime.

In its early days, the Cao Wei Imperial Academy was far inferior in scale and even in terms of formality to the Han Dynasty. The school buildings were simple and there were no standard lecture halls. The only guarantee was that the professors who taught the courses had houses to live in. The students could not afford to live there and had to pay for their own houses or rent them.

As for teaching materials, craftsmen were ordered to gather the Xiping Stone Classics, which had been damaged by war, and repair them, managing to mend and rebuild several stone tablets, which were then placed in front of the Imperial Academy for the students to refer to.

Because it was difficult to find great scholars, the standards for doctoral candidates had to be relaxed, and the original restriction of "being fifty years of age or older to be a doctor" was removed, which barely allowed them to gather nineteen doctoral candidates.

In addition, Cao Pi also established the "Five Classics Examination Method" for the Imperial Academy.

Upon entering the Imperial Academy, one becomes a disciple, equivalent to a preparatory student of the Imperial Academy.

Two years after graduation, preparatory students must master one classic text and pass an examination in order to be promoted to formal disciples.

The subsequent promotion of students at the Imperial Academy was all linked to the number of classics they had mastered and their exam scores.

Those who are proficient in both classics can supplement literary anecdotes.

Those who are proficient in the three classics can be promoted to the position of attendant to the crown prince.

Those who are proficient in the four classics can be promoted to the rank of physician.

Those who are proficient in the Five Classics will be promoted to the highest rank and employed according to their talents.

In most cases, if a student fails the exam, they are allowed to repeat the year and take the exam again with the next cohort of students. If they pass, they can still be promoted.

This system assessed the learning outcomes of students at the Imperial Academy through regular assessments every two years and the number of classic texts they had mastered, and directly linked the exam results to the appointment of officials.

Cao Pi intended to combine Confucianism with the bureaucratic selection system through the so-called "Five Classics Examination" in order to counter the "Nine-Rank System" which he had compromised with the scholars of Yingchuan before he ascended the throne.

However, its core still lies in the memorization of classics. When it comes to memorizing classics, how can the students of the Imperial Academy who only came into contact with the orthodox Five Classics in their teens or twenties compare with the children of aristocratic families who started memorizing classics from their early education?

This means that the talents selected through the "Five Classics Examination Method" were still mainly from second-rate academic families.

In addition, the Nine-Rank System had already been established at that time, and official positions were quickly monopolized by powerful clans. A poor family member who entered the Imperial Academy and became a disciple had to go through at least ten years of hard study and fierce competition, and the best result was that he would only be employed according to his talents.

A son of a prominent aristocratic family, relying on family prestige and blood ties, could obtain a high-ranking official position through the "local rank" without going through a lengthy examination, and his promotion speed far exceeded that of students from the Imperial Academy.

Given this enormous opportunity cost, truly talented and ambitious students from humble backgrounds either choose to attach themselves to prestigious families or seek other paths; the Imperial Academy is not the optimal choice.

The truly distinguished sons of noble families, such as Zhong, Xun, Chen, and Han from Yingchuan, disdained to walk this arduous and uncertain path.

How many decades does one have in a lifetime?

After ten years of cultivating their reputation, they are now known to everyone in the world.

As for the Han Dynasty, it had never established an Imperial Academy in Shu.

When Zhaolie entered Shu and became the governor of Yizhou, he could only appoint the Confucian Scholar to be in charge of Yizhou's academic affairs.

After Zhaolie became emperor, he began an eastern expedition and had no time or energy to manage the Imperial Academy.

When Emperor Zhaolie died prematurely, the Chancellor took charge of the military and political affairs of the country, and was also busy restoring the people's livelihood and national strength of the Han Dynasty, and making preparations for the southern and northern expeditions.

Until Guanzhong was pacified and the capital was moved back to Xijing, restoring the Imperial Academy became an inevitable trend and an urgent task, whether for reshaping the orthodox cultural tradition of the world, strengthening the legal system of the Han regime, or cultivating urgently needed reserve officials for the Han.

The Imperial Academy was first established.

Any young person from Hanzhong, Shuzhong, or Guanzhong who aspires to restore the Han Dynasty can come to Chang'an to apply to join the Chang'an Imperial Academy.

Perhaps because of the great victory of the Han Dynasty's northern expedition and the return of the capital to Xijing, the news spread throughout the land, and more than 5,000 people signed up.

More than 3,000 people from Longyou and Guanzhong applied, while more than 2,000 people from Shu, despite the long distance, applied.

Because the imperial court did not set high thresholds for enrollment in the Imperial Academy, many people came to the capital with a try-it-out mentality. Some were ignorant and incompetent, and in the end, more than three thousand scholars passed the initial screening.

The drawbacks of the old system of recommending outstanding talents and filial piety officials were already well known.

There is a folk song that goes:
"He was recommended as a scholar, but he was illiterate."

"He was recommended for the position of Filial Piety and Incorruptibility, but his father lived separately."

"The poor and humble are as pure as mud, while the high-ranking officials and virtuous generals are as timid as chickens."

The system of recommending scholars and officials based on filial piety and integrity was initially a benevolent policy, but now it has been completely controlled by local powerful families and has become a tool for exchanging interests among various parties. It cannot ensure that the officials' talents and virtues are in line with the will of the imperial court.

Although the Han Dynasty still recommends outstanding talents and filial and incorruptible officials, it is no longer a talent selection process, but rather an honor. Only officials who have achieved political success and possess excellent moral character are granted the title of filial and incorruptible.

Since the existing system of selecting outstanding talents and those who are filial and incorruptible can no longer meet the strong demand for talent from the Han Dynasty, a regime that is rising to power, it has become an inevitable trend to establish a more efficient, fair, and practical talent cultivation and selection system.

In fact, Emperor Ling did attempt this, establishing what is known as the "Hongdu Gate Academy".

However, the reforms of the Hongdu School were too radical. Those who were introduced to the school were able to directly obtain the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary, which was equivalent to that of a prime minister. Ultimately, under the deliberate guidance of powerful clans, it aroused the anger and fierce resistance of Confucian scholars across the country, and thus failed.

After much agonizing reflection, Emperor Ling turned his attention to compiling the "Xiping Stone Classics." This move successfully won over a vast number of impoverished scholars who had no access to education, as well as powerful clans who desperately sought knowledge to change their fate. As a result, the powerful clans, having lost the support of scholars from across the land, suffered a setback.

Cao Pi's establishment of the "Five Classics Examination System" was also a failed attempt.

In order to usurp the throne from the Han dynasty, he had already compromised with the powerful families who urged him to become emperor by accepting the so-called "Nine-Rank System." What else could he do if he was unwilling? He could only struggle a little.

He was not unaware that for the Imperial Academy students who had to study diligently for ten years to master a classic text and take an exam, there was no way out. But this was already the result of the approval of the three high-ranking officials of Cao Wei.

Therefore, the biggest obstacle to breaking the old order is the vested interest groups under the old system.

The vested interests of those who benefited from the system of recommending filial and incorrupt officials and the Nine-Rank System are self-evident.

When the world is in chaos and the old order is also falling into disarray, it presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rebuild a new order, and once missed, it will be gone forever.

The Later Han dynasty, established by Emperor Guangwu, was founded by a powerful clan who elected him as the "ruler of the world." However, he failed to resolve the problems accumulated over two centuries by the Former Han dynasty, leading to the need to strengthen the concept of "divine right of kings" to maintain his rule after unification.

When Cao Wei abdicated, it received the Mandate of Heaven and the land of the Nine Provinces from the Han Dynasty, but it also fully accepted the ills accumulated over four hundred years by the two Han dynasties.

The powerful clans that annexed large amounts of land and people evolved into scholarly families in the Later Han Dynasty, and these scholarly families further evolved into powerful clans in the Cao Wei Dynasty.

The powerful clans were very influential, and the Cao Wei state, with their support, was also very powerful. This presented both a challenge and an opportunity for the Shu Han state.

There may be aristocratic families in the Han Dynasty today.

However, almost none of the high-ranking officials who wielded real power came from aristocratic families, nor did they form a community of shared interests among these families. As a result, rebuilding a new order on such ruins was far less difficult than in the Cao Wei period. The so-called "Fubing System" and "Agricultural Manor System" were able to be piloted, and even the current vigorous locust eradication campaign in Fengyi was able to be implemented, all because the rulers of the Han Dynasty were all striving for a common ideal, without the obstruction and internal strife from powerful aristocratic families.

The same applies to the Imperial Academy.

After deciding to establish the Imperial Academy, Liu Shan and the Prime Minister discussed the matter together. Instead of directly restoring the old Imperial Academy system of the Han Dynasty, they imitated the "Five Classics Examination Method" of Cao Wei and created a more precise and practical "Three-Tier System". The Imperial Academy was also no longer the one that only studied Confucian classics.

The Imperial Academy is now divided into four disciplines.

Confucianism, mathematics, engineering, and agriculture.

On the surface, Confucianism remains the most important and fundamental doctrine.

The other subjects were essentially miscellaneous studies under the name of the Imperial Academy.

In reality, while recruiting Confucian scholars, the Han Dynasty also recruited a large number of scholars and commoners who were proficient in mathematics, engineering, and agriculture. Through rewards and preferential treatment, these scholars who were proficient in various fields of knowledge were encouraged to pass on their knowledge and experience, summarize them into books, and even become lecturers directly.

As for the accompanying "Three Houses System," it was designed to train officials with practical abilities for the Han Dynasty more quickly.

The so-called "Three Dormitories System" refers to three types of dormitories. Students of the Imperial Academy were divided into three levels: outer dormitory, inner dormitory, and upper dormitory.

The outer dormitory was the primary level, with a staff of over three thousand students from the first batch of Imperial Academy students.

The inner office is at the intermediate level, with 300 staff members.

The upper-level dormitory is for senior staff, with a staff of sixty.

This is equivalent to the distinction between outer disciples, inner disciples, and direct disciples.

The students of the Imperial Academy were managed according to "Zhai" (斋), with about thirty students in each "Zhai".

Unlike Luoyang, Chang'an was burned to the ground by Dong Zhuo, leaving many vacant houses, so a boarding system was implemented.

Students from all directions would attend classes at the Imperial Academy on weekdays, and after returning to their dormitories, they would study and research together with their fellow students.

The Imperial Academy organizes two examinations in the third month of spring and the ninth month of autumn to conduct the public examination for promotion to higher-level dormitories.

"Ascending to a new home" is the core of the Three Abandonment Method.

The most crucial promotion depends on the public examinations held twice a year, in spring and autumn.

Taking Confucianism as an example, although the examination still tests the meaning of the classics, it no longer focuses on understanding the classics, but rather on assessing students' ability to handle practical matters, as well as their ability to think about and handle specific events and political affairs.

This is the "strategy topic" outside of the interpretation of the classics.

As for mathematics and agriculture, the assessment also focuses on the ability to handle specific government and administrative affairs.

The number of students to be promoted from the outer dormitory to the inner dormitory is tentatively set at 50 for the excellent grade and 250 for the good grade.

The quota selection process, without a doubt, aims to ensure the elite nature of the final candidates by eliminating the weak and retaining the strong through continuous high-pressure competition.

Once you enter the inner quarters, and then pass the examination to enter the upper quarters, your career path will be smooth sailing.

The final examination for the students in the upper-level dormitory was presided over by a high-ranking official of the imperial court.

The grades are divided into three levels.

Those who excelled in their studies could be directly appointed to official positions, thus realizing the direct transformation of those who were good at learning into officials.

Those of average ability could "serve as officials," which meant acting as county lieutenant, assistant, or magistrate, and learning from their seniors by doing odd jobs.

Those of lower quality may continue their studies.

Not only that, the Imperial Academy also holds monthly mini-exams presided over by academic officials.

After the preliminary examination, the academic officials were responsible for evaluating the students' academic performance.

Grades are divided into three levels: excellent, good, and bad.

By accumulating a certain number of "excellent" points, you can earn points. Even if you have enough points but fail to pass the spring and autumn exams each year, you can still enter the inner dormitory or even the upper dormitory. It is no longer a matter of one exam determining your future.

In addition to the examinations, the Han Dynasty also established the system of agricultural officials. If a student of the Imperial Academy could not pass the examination to enter the upper dormitory, but had enough points, he could choose to become an agricultural official.

The position of the agricultural official may not seem high at first glance, but in reality, it carries considerable power and responsibility. The official is in charge of managing one or two thousand farms and people, and is responsible for coordinating production, taxation, education, and disaster relief, making him essentially the head of half a county.

The imperial court decreed that if an official in charge of agriculture had outstanding political achievements and the assessment proved to be true, he could be directly promoted to the position of county magistrate of a small county.

This shifted the selection criteria for officials from purely Confucian scholarship to, in part, practical governance capabilities and policy performance.

After all, the position of agricultural official is the best form of administrative training, and those who succeed undoubtedly prove that they have the ability to manage a region.

Ultimately, restoring order to the world requires human governance.

The Han Dynasty was suffering from a lack of capable officials and was unwilling to hand over the empire it had fought so hard to regain to the powerful clans of the Central Plains.

Once Jingzhou and the counties of the Central Plains are recovered, the magistrates and county heads of the counties that were originally within the territory of the Han Dynasty can be transferred to the recovered counties.

These officials in charge of agriculture in a village will be able to be directly promoted to county magistrates in the future, which will not only solve the problem of lack of manpower in the Han Dynasty, but also ensure that they have the ability to govern a county.

The efficient operation of farms in Zuofengyi, Linjin, and other places in suppressing bandits, overcoming famine, and controlling locusts was due to the efforts of a group of agricultural officials who were not good at classical studies but were good at practical work.

Although the system was newly established, everything seemed somewhat rushed and rough, and there was even a shortage of doctoral students and lecturers. Most of the time, the students of Chang'an Imperial Academy studied and discussed in their dormitories, and the students' quality varied.

However, by exploring and innovating in practice, the results are far better than conceiving a perfect system and then carefully implementing it.

The system of screening through at least three levels—outer quarters, inner quarters, and upper quarters—and the quota-based elimination process ensured that those who ultimately entered officialdom were primarily elites capable of handling government affairs.

The high-intensity, short-cycle competition of monthly minor exams and semi-annual major exams was far more efficient than the low-intensity, long-cycle, and inefficient assessment system of Cao Wei, which required exams every two years and ten years to serve as an official. This system was more effective in quickly and efficiently selecting capable officials for the Han Dynasty.

In any case, the Five Classics Examination system in Cao Wei, which was detached from actual political affairs, only tested the students' familiarity with Confucian classics.

As for how to handle specific administrative tasks such as criminal justice, household registration, raising funds and supplies, and building water conservancy projects, there are no answers in classical studies, which leads to the fact that what is learned is not used.

After graduating from the Imperial Academy ten years later and becoming an official, one still has to learn everything from scratch. Ten years of hard study proves useless once one is assigned to a local post.

As for the Three-Tier System, the Policy Essay Examination System, and the Agricultural Official System, these provided opportunities for those with genuine talent and aspirations to serve the country to advance their careers and change their own and their families' destinies through their abilities and achievements.

What use are Confucian classics? Take sides slightly. Everything is guided by ability and political achievements in governing the local area, and everything is guided by loyalty to the Han Dynasty.

No matter how incompetent this group is, it's still much better than the backlash from powerful clans, right?
Rebuilding order from ruins is certainly difficult, but if we want to fundamentally and gradually dismantle the monopoly of powerful families on official careers, strengthen central authority, and truly achieve the revival of the Han Dynasty, there is no other way but to set up a makeshift team.

(End of this chapter)