1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 347 They don't take the test, but plenty of others do.

As the date of the imperial examination approached, more and more scholars from Hunan, and even a small number from Anhui and Jiangxi, came to Wuchang to try their luck and participate in the examination.

Since Peng Gang's triumphant return to Wuchang from his western expedition, his reputation and prestige have grown even more.

The number of scholars who came to Wuchang specifically to take the imperial examinations for the Northern Palace, or rather, those interested in official positions in the Northern Palace, increased at a visible rate after Peng Gang's triumphant return from his western expedition.

After all, Peng Gang's western expedition had conquered a large area of ​​land, and these places had not yet been formally appointed officials to carry out refined management like Jiangxia County and Hanyang County, which had already completed land reform. There were still many vacant official positions.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that these local officials will most likely be selected from those who passed the imperial examination in Wuchang.

Peng Gang's territory was mostly in prosperous areas, fishing villages, where in the past, it was a lucrative position that even spending money didn't guarantee a chance to get in one's lifetime.

Hunan, as well as parts of Anhui and Jiangxi provinces that are adjacent to Wuhan.

Many people with Qing Dynasty official titles, and even a very small number of those who passed the imperial examinations, were interested in this Wuchang examination.

Peng Gang has newly conquered many territories during this western expedition. In terms of actual control, Peng Gang's current area of ​​actual control is actually larger than that of Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing.

Hong Yang and others focused on developing prosperous cities and showed little interest in towns and villages.

Furthermore, the Taiping army and civilians were integrated, and the cities controlled by Hong Xiuquan, Yang Xiuqing, and others were actually more like large military camps.

Recently, Peng Gang even heard that Yang Xiuqing was a hands-on person, personally handling even trivial matters such as fights and brawls in Tianjing City.

Rather than saying this reflects Yang Xiuqing's hands-on approach to everything, it's more accurate to say that Yang Xiuqing could only effectively control the city of Tianjing.

Managing a small place the size of a city-state, Yang Xiuqing naturally had the time and energy to attend to all the specific affairs of Tianjing City.

The newly and old territories occupied by the Northern Kingdom are vast, even slightly larger than the size of some medium-sized European countries.

The vast occupied territory meant a huge shortage of officials at the prefectural, state, and county levels. The members of the Qingtian Corps, the students trained hastily at the Wuchang Administrative School, the soldiers with basic literacy, and a small number of former Qing officials who had surrendered were far from meeting Peng Gang's current needs. It was imperative to hold an imperial examination to recruit officials.

Peng Gang summoned his core aides to the West Flower Hall of the Northern Prince's Mansion to discuss the specifics of the upcoming imperial examination.

"An army marches on its stomach; governance begins with the development of talent." Peng Gang's voice broke the silence as he glanced at the key advisors present: Zuo Zongtang, Liu Bingwen, Liu Rong, and others, and gave his opening remarks.

"The imperial examination on September 15 must be held as scheduled, in order to gather all the talented people in Hunan and even the whole country."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Zongtang immediately replied, "Your Highness is absolutely right. However, the way to select officials should prioritize substance! In the past, the imperial examinations of the Ming and Qing dynasties focused solely on the eight-legged essay, driving all the scholars in the country into a trap, spending their lives studying classics. What benefit did this bring to the country and the people? Those selected were mostly incompetent people. Although they could write thousands of words and produce beautiful articles, they had no real strategies in their hearts. When faced with problems, they were helpless and had no solutions. They were of little use to the country and the people. Now, Your Highness should take the imperial examinations in the north to eliminate this problem, reform the old ways, and not test the eight-legged essay, but only test practical knowledge and policy."

Although Zuo Zongtang himself was exceptionally talented, he had also failed the imperial examinations because he was not good at or disdained to master the eight-legged essay format, and he deeply abhorred this long-standing problem.

If anyone else had said this, it might have seemed like sour grapes, but Zuo Zongtang had the right to say it.

Aside from his lack of skill in the eight-legged essay, Zuo Zongtang was top-notch in all other aspects.

People from Hunan all know Zuo Zongtang's talent, yet he still had to obtain official rank through special channels, which shows that the eight-legged essay was indeed outdated and that the eight-legged essay method of selecting officials was no longer appropriate, and some changes had to be made.

Apart from the Heavenly Examination in Tianjing (the capital city), all the princes of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had the right to hold their own imperial examinations, set their own questions, grade the papers, and select candidates. This was not a taboo for the Heavenly Kingdom.

Of course, even if it was taboo, Peng Gang didn't care.

The East Hall has its East Examination, the South Hall has its South Examination, the Wing Hall has its Wing Examination, and the North Hall Examination is naturally the North Examination.

In its early stages, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's civil service examinations largely drew their questions from classic texts of the God-Worshipping Society, such as the Old and New Testaments, the Heavenly King's Edicts, and the Heavenly Commandments. The content focused on praising the virtues of God, the Heavenly King, and other kings, reflecting a strong theocratic political character. Later, however, the examinations placed greater emphasis on practical political strategies.

For example, this year, when Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing had just established their capital in Nanjing, the examination question was: "The Heavenly Father's grace is vast and boundless, sparing not his own son, but sending him to suffer. Because of his redemption, we have yet to repay his kindness for our sins, and yet we have received glory."

Although Zuo Zongtang looked down on Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing, there was one aspect of their imperial examination system that he appreciated: they did not test candidates on the eight-legged essay, but instead selected officials based on their policy essays.

Although the imperial examinations conducted by Hong Xiuquan, Yang Xiuquan, and Feng Yunshan, from Pingnan County to Tianjing, often required candidates to sing praises of the emperor, and Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan even personally took the exams and appointed themselves as the top scholars, their behavior was somewhat frivolous.

As soon as Zuo Zongtang finished speaking, Liu Bingwen, who was sitting opposite him, slowly opened his mouth. He coughed lightly and expressed his concerns: "Ji Gao's words about the drawbacks of the eight-legged essay are all true. However, governing a country is like cooking a small fish; one cannot be too hasty."

From their earliest schooling, scholars throughout the land have been immersed in the Four Books and Five Classics, and the eight-legged essay, devoting decades of diligent study to this pursuit. Their aim is nothing more than to acquire both literary and martial skills, and thus secure a legitimate official position to serve the emperor. If we were to abruptly abolish the eight-legged essay, it would likely discourage scholars, provoke resistance, and ultimately hinder our efforts to attract talent and maintain stability.

Your Highness, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. If the hearts of the scholars are scattered, public opinion will be unstable; if public opinion is unstable, how can the newly annexed territory rest easy? At that time, let alone governing Hunan, I fear even the three towns of Wuchang will be thrown into turmoil. In my humble opinion, this imperial examination should still test the eight-legged essay, with a little bit of policy essays and miscellaneous studies. It is the best policy to wait until the scholars of the land are won over and the foundation is solid before making gradual progress. I hope Your Highness will consider this carefully.”

Liu Bingwen's words represent the mentality of a considerable number of conservative scholars and old bureaucrats.

Liu Bingwen acknowledged that the traditional imperial examination system had indeed encountered problems, but he also worried that rushing things would backfire.

Zuo Zongtang, known for his outspoken nature, immediately retorted: "That's a misconception. Precisely because our court is newly established and this is the first time we've held the imperial examinations, we need to break with the old and establish the new to demonstrate a fresh start. If we continue with the old system, how are we any different from the corrupt Qing court? Do we really want to use those mediocre talents who can only read books and write empty words? Those who are truly talented and capable would not cling to the rigid eight-legged essay. Only those pedantic scholars who are good for nothing but the eight-legged essay would live in constant anxiety! We should not recruit such people!"

“Ji Gao! You can’t say that!” Liu Bingwen also raised his voice. “If we follow your idea and test only those with practical knowledge, then there will be very few candidates. Where will we find enough talented people to govern the prefectures and counties? Are we going to rely on commoners from the marketplace?”

Seeing the argument between the two escalating and the atmosphere becoming tense, Peng Gang, who had been listening quietly from the side, spoke up: "What you both say makes sense. The eight-legged essay system is indeed outdated, but its influence is too great to ignore, much less to adopt entirely."

Zuo Zongtang and Liu Bingwen each had their own reasons. Although Peng Gang disliked the eight-legged essay, he could not completely abandon it due to current objective conditions.

The eight-legged essay was the stepping stone to this era, and all the serious scholars of this era studied it.

Even Zuo Zongtang and Liu Rong devoted a great deal of effort to studying and writing the eight-legged essay.

Completely abandoning the eight-legged essay style will attract a certain type of scholars. Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing have already set an example for Peng Gang.

After much deliberation, Peng Gang expressed his thoughts: "Why not divide the weight of the examinations and give equal importance to both the old and the new? This year's examination will still test the eight-legged essay, but its weight in the final score will only be 40%. This will appease the scholars who have studied hard for many years, show that our court is not completely abandoning tradition, and give them a way to advance and a period of adaptation."

Trying to hastily and thoroughly dismantle the old system of selecting officials before a new elite faction has been formed is unlikely to achieve the results Peng Gang desires.

Peng Gang planned to continue the eight-legged essay examination, first recruiting scholars, and then gradually reducing the weight of the eight-legged essay in the examination year by year until it was completely abolished.

Chinese people have always been pragmatic. When taking the imperial examination, they study the eight-legged essay and delve into its essence. When taking the strategy examination, they study practical and miscellaneous subjects.

Once scholars who have mastered practical learning have reached a certain level, abolishing the eight-legged essay will be a natural outcome. Peng Gang won't even need to speak up; these scholars will willingly act as his vanguard in abolishing the eight-legged essay. At that time, completely abolishing the eight-legged essay will simply be a matter of going with the flow.

Peng Gang looked around at everyone, paused, and continued, "The other 60% will be specifically tested on practical knowledge such as policy essays, mathematics, geography, agricultural administration, finance, and criminal law. This will select truly capable individuals who can govern well and ensure the people's well-being, and who are knowledgeable in practical matters. In this way, we can both stabilize the minds of the scholars and prevent unrest, and ensure that we select the talents we urgently need. It will also let those scholars who only know the eight-legged essay know that without practical knowledge, even if their eight-legged essays are eloquent, they will find it difficult to pass the imperial examinations, thus guiding the academic atmosphere to gradually shift from abstract to concrete."

Liu Rong expressed her approval: "To cure a serious illness, one needs strong medicine, but also gentle treatment. The two must complement each other, and neither can be lacking. The eight-legged essay accounts for 40%; policy essays, mathematics, geography, agricultural administration, finance and criminal law together account for 60%. This will enable the Wuchang Administrative School to recruit urgently needed and usable talents."

Five counties have now completed the fundamental policy of ensuring that farmers own their land.

Of these five counties, apart from Jiangxia and Hanyang, which were of paramount importance, the principal and assistant officials of those two counties, as well as the principal and assistant officials of the four departments and one team, were all personally selected and appointed by Peng Gang.

The county magistrates, assistant magistrates, registrars, and officials of the four departments in the other three counties that completed land reform were basically appointed from among the outstanding performers in the land clearing team.

As for the captain and deputy captain of the security team, those positions were reserved by Peng Gang specifically for officers who had been discharged with minor injuries, were still able to take care of themselves, and had a basic understanding of literature.

The appointed captain and deputy captain of the security team are all retired officers who were injured.

During the Jiangxia and Hanyang Qingtian periods, most of the members of the Qingtian team were Hunan disciples of Zuo Zongtang and others, while a small number were selected by Peng Gang from the third class of students at the Jiangwutang.

Now, half of these people have been appointed to their posts, and the new recruits in the Qingtian team are all from the Wuchang Administrative School.

The majority of the students at the Wuchang Administrative School were minor intellectuals brought by Peng Gang from Guangxi and Hunan, while a minority were minor intellectuals who joined Peng Gang's service after he occupied the three towns of Wuhan.

The literacy rate in the Qing Dynasty was low. Although there were over 100,000 people who followed Peng Gang to the three towns of Wuhan, not including the students Peng Gang trained himself, only a few hundred were young and literate.

The establishment of the Wuchang Administrative School, the Wuchang Military Academy, and the Wuchang Normal School had already drained the intellectuals in Peng Gang's team dry.

Although Peng Gang had already established the Wuchang Normal School to teach teacher trainees for literacy education, even if an illiterate person were to take a full break from work, the time it would take to become literate would be measured in years.

To meet the admission standards of the Wuchang Administrative School, the required training time was no less than long.

Compared to the traditional eight-legged essay system or the practical learning system, Liu Rong was more concerned about the student body of the administrative school.

As long as they are literate, young, and not bookworms obsessed with the Four Books and Five Classics, Liu Rong is confident that she can train them into clerks with basic administrative skills to handle simple government affairs.

"Isn't 40% a bit low?" Guo Kuntao, who was listening in from the side, interjected.

"What if some scholars feel that the eight-legged essay only accounts for 40% of the total score, which is a bit too low?

“They don’t need to take the exam, but plenty of others do,” Peng Gang said.

With 40% of the shares held by eight shareholders, this is Peng Gang's bottom line; it cannot go any higher.

Peng Gang was willing to take the eight-legged essay exam in order to win over some intellectuals at the level of students who had passed the preliminary examinations.

These people are cultured, but limited by their exam scores or lack of financial resources and connections, they cannot become officials in the Qing Dynasty, whether they take the proper path or the crooked one. Peng Gang is willing to provide them with an opportunity and a platform.

Registered Jinshi and Juren were not Peng Gang's primary targets for recruitment.

On the contrary, more often than not, these Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) and Juren (successful candidates in the provincial imperial examinations) were the targets of Peng Gang's purge.

Although the saying that "a poor family can produce a great son" has existed since ancient times, the poor families of ancient times are not the same as those of modern times.

In an era of low productivity, a family that could support a student full-time or part-time was no longer considered poor in the modern sense.

Taking Peng Gang's own family as an example, even when his father Peng Xin was still alive, Peng Gang still needed to participate in labor during the busy farming season and was not completely off-the-job.

However, his family's financial situation already surpasses that of more than 90% of families in Guangxi.

As for the claim that the people Peng Gang was trying to win over were the scraps left over from the Qing Dynasty's talent selection system, Peng Gang didn't care.

The eight-legged essay system could select scholars who were good at taking the imperial examinations and writing eight-legged essays. Those who were not selected were not necessarily lacking in talent.

In a sense, Liu Rong, who only held the title of student, was also a leftover candidate under the Qing Dynasty's talent selection system. However, Liu Rong's administrative abilities were stronger than those of more than 90% of the successful candidates in the imperial examinations.

The fact that many people failed to enter the Qing court system does not mean that they lacked talent and ability, but rather that the Qing court had a serious problem with the distribution of official positions, with too many people occupying important positions without doing any work.

However, in terms of official positions, Peng Gang, Yang Xiuqing, and others have killed many Manchu, Mongol, and Han officials since the uprising began. Among them are Dong Zhenduo, the prefect of Hanyang, and Jiang Wenqing, the governor of Anhui. These were all civil officials.

With even lower entry requirements and no educational requirements, there were even more military officers, such as Yiketanbu, the deputy commander of Qingjiang, and Shuangfu, the admiral who was killed during the capture of Wuchang, who were both Manchus.

The performance of these Manchu officials in the face of the Taiping Army, whether in terms of ability or so-called integrity, was far inferior to that of non-Manchu officials.

However, because of their Manchu identity, Manchus had a much easier time than Han Chinese in terms of taking the imperial examinations and getting promoted.

After discussing the content of the imperial examination, Peng Gang selected the chief and deputy examiners from among his officials.

The chief examiner was Liu Bingwen, Peng Gang's teacher, while the deputy examiners were Liu Rong and Liu Qixian, the former prefect of De'an Prefecture who had recently joined Peng Gang's service.

As for Zuo Zongtang, he had already been used as a tool by Peng Gang and was burdened with the heavy responsibility of land reform. His burden was already heavy enough, so it would be inappropriate to put him in charge of the imperial examinations as well.

Zuo Zongtang had no complaints about Peng Gang's arrangements.

Zuo Zongtang was simply straightforward, had a bad temper, and was extremely quick-witted and intelligent.

Most of the members of the first batch of Qingtian Team were his students. The students who had passed the imperial examinations and were now serving in the Northern Palace, including Liu Qixian, Guo Kuntao, Liu Rong, and even Wang Xutao, who took office as the magistrate of Huanggang County a little over a month ago, all had dealings with him, Zuo Zongtang.

Competing with Liu Bingwen again for the first batch of students to take the Northern Examination would do him more harm than good.

Peng Gang, who was to appoint the chief and deputy examiners for the upcoming northern examination, moved to the main hall and summoned Liu Qixian, the prefect of De'an Prefecture, Pang Gongzhao, the magistrate of Pingjiang County, and Zhao Xiulian, Pang Gongzhao's legal advisor, who had volunteered to serve him during the western expedition. He prepared to bestow honors and appointments upon them.

(End of this chapter)