Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 526 Crisis and System

"Mr. Minister, Mr. Minister, Mr. Jia, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, is here again!"

The clerk's report made Wang Molin lose control of the pen in his hand. With a shiver, an embarrassing scratch appeared on the document on the table.

The imperial inspection and major plans were carried out at the same time. The people from the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate were like sharp swords, cutting off the claws of countless corrupt officials.

What followed was the distress of the Minister of Personnel Wang Molin. Almost every government office came to him to ask for people, especially Jia Cong from the Imperial Household Department. This guy was simply not a human being.

If anyone fights corruption, there will be only a few people left in the entire government office.

Now I know I'm in a hurry, what can I do? Where can I find someone for you?
"Just tell him that I'm not here and let him go back!"

The person Wang Molin least wanted to see now was Jia Cong, but unfortunately Jia Cong had already arranged for clerks to squat outside the Ministry of Personnel, so he knew that Lord Tianguan had not left at all.

"My Lord, I'm here to bring you a talent!"

Jia Cong pushed open the door of the Minister of Personnel's duty room, and as soon as he came in, he hurriedly placed a thick roll of official documents and a stack of rosters and resumes in front of Wang Molin.

"These are the names of the recommended students who have been recommended to the capital over the past three years, as well as their detailed information, including their academic performance in public schools and the Imperial College..."

"Recommended student?"

For Wang Molin at this moment, this word was like a ray of light, dispelling the haze hanging over the head of the Lord of Heaven.

He happily grabbed a list of resumes and started reading it. The disgust on his face just now turned into joy in an instant.

It’s like helping someone when they need it the most. It’s really like helping someone when they need it the most!

"Mr. Jia Si, you have really solved my great problem! These people just fill the current vacancies in the court..."

As he spoke, Wang Molin picked up his pen and prepared to copy the list, ready to let his subordinates evaluate and make arrangements.

slap~
A chubby hand appeared on the list. Wang Molin looked up in confusion, only to see Jia Cong's mouth was almost grinning.

"Don't be impatient, old man. Let's make it clear first. I have found talents for you, but we can't let them down. Most of these people can't pass the imperial examinations, but as long as they are willing to work hard, they can compete with the young masters from scholarly families in ten or eight years, if not three or five years. The court is facing a problem now, and they gave up the opportunity to be named in the Golden Hall to help us solve the problem. We can't just use them so casually. Don't you think this is the truth?"

After learning martial arts, he became a member of the emperor's family.

The saying of the previous dynasty that a man is one who can be called out outside the Donghua Gate is a real man. This saying has its problems, but it is the ultimate pursuit of reading in the hearts of the people.

Who among those who are studying for an exam doesn't want to take a chance at the palace examination?
Diligence can make up for lack of talent, and studying is all about diligence.

Although Wang Molin disagreed with Jia Cong's statement, he also knew that a small number of these recommended students were indeed capable of earning a Jinshi archway.

He was the Minister of Personnel, so he naturally understood the difference in promotion between officials from official backgrounds and recommended officials.

In the civil service sequence, only Hanlin scholars can enter the cabinet. Just this sentence can show the huge gap.

"You are right. We cannot place these people so casually. Since the implementation of compulsory education, many people have been waiting to see the effect of the huge amount of money spent by the court to implement this policy. If the talents we have cultivated are casually thrown into the corners and left to waste, it will not only be a dereliction of duty for me, but also a slap in the face of the court!"

Wang Molin's thoughts were much more thorough than Jia Cong's. Although his subordinates had not done anything illegal or disorderly, as a key department in charge of the promotion of officials in the imperial court, a fifth-rank Yuanwailang could make the governor of a province treat him with "caution".

If he just wrote a warrant and asked his subordinates to arrange official positions for these people, he might end up forcing the talents he had found with great difficulty to leave in anger.

Jia Cong saw that Wang Molin's expression was becoming increasingly serious and his brows were beginning to frown, and he knew that the old man had taken his words to heart.

He immediately proposed his idea: "Prince, I think we can copy the joint examination and palace examination and have a special examination for recommended students."

Bang!
Wang Molin slammed the table and said, "Yes, we can hold the imperial examination! The imperial court adopts the imperial examination to select talents, which can be regarded as raising the status of these recommended students. When the news spreads, it can also make the imperial court have a good reputation for cherishing talents... It's all thanks to you young people who are quick-witted. Don't worry, after the imperial examination is over, the best students will be given priority to be arranged to your Imperial Household Department!"

The Zhike, also known as the major examination or the special examination, is an irregular and unconventional examination held to select "extraordinary talents".

According to the ancient system, the imperial examinations were divided into five grades. The top two grades were all vacant, but the bottom three grades were recruited. However, those who were selected were all from the fourth grade.

That is to say, the examination for science is divided into five grades for admission, but the first and second grades are always vacant and no one is admitted; the third grade rarely admits people unless they are particularly outstanding; those who pass the exam are mainly placed in the fourth grade, and those who fail are placed in the fifth grade.

The idea of ​​the imperial examination came to Jia Cong from a powerful figure recorded in the vast history books of his previous life.

This fierce man is named Su Shi, with the courtesy name Zizhan. He is known as Su Dongpo, Su Xian, and Po Xian. He likes to eat... Dongpo pork and Dongpo elbow are all masterpieces of this immortal.

Su Xianren took part in the palace examination and was awarded the title of Jinshi. Four years later, he took part in the imperial examination and won the first place (third place in the imperial examination).

Even Su Xian went through the imperial examination to become an official in the court, so if the recommended students entered the court through the imperial examination, it could solve the problem of difficulty in future promotions to a great extent.

This is the best that Jia Cong and Daiyu can achieve. The imperial examination is still the most important way for scholars all over the world to enter officialdom.

Unless the imperial examination system is reformed or abolished...

Forget it, this mine cannot be touched for the time being.

……

Wang Molin has been annoyed these days by official documents from various ministries and temples demanding people's help. Now that he has a solution, he naturally won't delay it any longer.

He immediately put the documents and lists on the table into his sleeves, left Jia Cong and went to the palace.

Jia Cong watched Wang Laoguan leave, and his right hand involuntarily reached out to the desk of Lord Tianguan.

The old man was really nice. The list of candidates for the Ministry of Personnel was placed right in front of him...

"Mr. Jia, Lord Jia, you can't do this!"

The clerk was anxious. He watched Jia Cong take out a stack of blank official certificates from his sleeve, then picked up the roster and began to look for the talents he needed. He filled out two sheets in a flash.

Jia Cong curled his lips at the clerk, handed him the completed certificate, and ordered him, "Take it over and ask the Ministry of Literature to stamp it with my seal. Tomorrow, I want to see these people report in on time at the Imperial Household Department!"

The clerk was about to cry. His own master had gone to the palace, and the entire Ministry of Personnel, including the left and right vice ministers, were unable to stop this young master.

What could he, a small clerk, do?
Jia Cong quickly wrote two more cards and grinned, "Don't worry, your minister owes me more than just these few people. I just picked a few to use first. I can't let me handle the official duties of the Imperial Household Department alone. Go quickly, when your minister comes back, I will tell him and I won't blame you!"

……

Wang Molin would indeed not blame the clerk, so the emperor issued an imperial edict with a stroke of his pen, asking the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites to make arrangements as soon as possible and to hold the Yisi Imperial Examination in the eleventh year of Yuanyou at the Imperial Examination Hall on the first day of March.

Moreover, according to the Emperor's will, the third and fourth grades of the imperial examination in the Yisi year are planned to be recruited, totaling 120 people. As for the first and second grades, they are gods, not in the realm of the human world.

That is to say, the Ministry of Personnel will be able to get 120 new available talents at the beginning of next month, and Jia Cong will take three or five of them to help.
The Lord of Heaven was very happy, and he picked out two good candidates from the candidate officials and sent them to the Imperial Household Department.

With the Ministry of Personnel sending this person, the staff crisis of Taipu Temple was alleviated.

"Everyone, get busy. Within three days, I want to see the number of available war horses in Anbei, Beiting, and Xiyu."

"If you don't have enough money, take this official's note to the Ministry of Revenue to withdraw it."

"I have only one request, the warhorse must be the best. If anyone dares to give me some crappy horses to make up the number, I will take his head!"

After a hundred years of development, the horse policy of the Ming Dynasty has now become a mere formality.

According to the custom at the founding of the country, every five households exempted from taxation were given a horse, and every seven households not exempted from taxation were given a horse, until anyone who could raise the animals diligently was pardoned of his sins.

The court encouraged people to raise horses by reducing taxes and exempting crimes, which shows how much importance it attached to horse affairs at that time.

The emphasis on horse management, the basic improvement of the relevant management system, and the continuous introduction of incentive policies for horse breeding made the horse management business flourish in the early period of the Qing Dynasty.

In the 12th year of Zhaowu, there were a total of 891,280 horses in the country, which was basically enough to meet the needs of both officials and private individuals.

Later, after the five expeditions to the desert by Zhaowu, the number of war horses obtained, plus those raised by the imperial court itself, soared to an astonishing 1.2 million.

But what followed was twenty years of neglect. The prosperity of the dynasty was also accompanied by widespread corruption, with the most serious problems being the Ministry of Revenue's silver treasury, granary, and the horse administration under the supervision of the Imperial Household Department.

What the Ministry of Revenue lacked was money and grain, so the people from the Imperial Household Department set their sights on the horse households who provided war horses to the court.

Plundering, threatening, and almost all the means that could be used were used, and the important war preparedness policy of the dynasty was abandoned.

According to the information on horse administration that Jia Cong asked the Dragon Guards to collect, one secret letter from Shanxi was the most shocking.

He said: The strategy of horse administration is in name only.

The so-called "namely existence" means that "the land is named as grassland, the sections are marked and recorded, the ministry issues registers, there are halls and courts in the wild, the rescue edicts are issued to the generals, and the supervision is entrusted to the officials." These all still exist.

And the real death refers to "the land has not been cultivated for a long time, the soil is not of its original nature, yellow reeds stand up, grasses are entangled, the smell of the air dares not approach people, and it is only difficult to feed horses."

In the past few years, the country had been fighting wars in the south and the north. In order to gather the needs of the army, the people of Taifu Temple even exchanged the court's pastures with the aristocratic families for usable horses.

As the number was not enough, they wrote IOUs and borrowed a lot of horses from wealthy merchants for the army to use in the war.

After finally enduring the consumption of several major wars, the army had captured hundreds of thousands of fine horses, and after returning those that had been borrowed, there were originally 300,000 to 500,000 horses left.

But these people from the Taifu Temple had sold a lot of pastures belonging to the imperial court in the past. Horses could be rented out to cope with annual inspections, but if the pastures were sold, they would be gone.

So, these people thought about it and exchanged their war horses for the pasture...

What's more, if those nerds in the Censorate were asked to check this operation, they would not be able to find any problems in the account books.

Even if you go to see it in person, the annual inspection time is basically a fixed time, which is enough for this group of people to rent horses from merchants on time to deal with the court's inspection.

With this operation, Jia Cong exclaimed that it was a good thing.

The people of the Qing Dynasty and the adults are not as smart as you!

But Jia Cong happened to be born in Rongguo Mansion. He didn’t know about other places, but the Jia family had connections at the horse farm in Hetao!

Those who are able to raise large numbers of horses, cattle and sheep are either powerful families outside the Great Wall or have military achievements behind them.

Coincidentally, the Jia family has a large horse farm in Hetao...

When Jia Cong learned from his housekeeper that people from the Imperial Household Department had purchased a number of fine horses from his stable, he immediately realized something was wrong.

After taking out the archive account books, I found that the Taipusi horse farm had been prosperous year after year, so why did they still need to buy horses from others?

……

"If the Ministry of Revenue had not had the money to purchase enough horses from various places in time, the laxity of horse administration alone would have been enough to bring the country's war to a standstill."

Fortunately, the expedition against the Japanese mainly relied on infantry and artillery battles, and did not require too many horses. Otherwise, the irritable Prince Jing Liu Yi would have returned to the capital long ago and skinned all the people in the Imperial Household Department and hung them on the city gate tower.

Lin Ruhai was frightened when he saw the official documents sent by Jia Cong.

He could have imagined that the horse administration would be in disarray, but he didn't expect it to be this bad.

"The account book recorded 800,000 horses, but in reality there were less than 80,000 horses. The horse pastures were stolen by soldiers and civilians, and the nobles and relatives petitioned for compensation, resulting in the loss of 60 places, and the actual land was 55,343 hectares and 94 mu."

hiss!
Lin Ruhai couldn't help but take a deep breath. Ma Zheng was already dead, and it would be difficult to save him even if he wanted to.

"What are you going to do now that the horse government has become so decadent and declining?"

Jia Cong spread his hands and said, "Ma Zheng is dead. I have calculated that it would cost too much to save him. Even if we cut off the corruption this time, it might still be the same after 10 or 20 years. Why not start over again?"

Reopening does not mean starting over again according to the policies of the Ma regime when the country was founded.

In Jia Cong's mind, he was already outlining a new strategy for horse policy.

"We are now buying good horses for the army, and then sorting out the pastures that are still usable, and sending people to raise war horses. We just need to maintain the current situation. My nephew plans to send people to the north and the Western Regions to see if we can find professional talents and better stallions from there..."

No matter what strategy is adopted, Jia Cong always holds the attitude of having talents and seeds.

As long as there are enough talents and excellent stallions, there will be the foundation for building high-rise buildings.

As for the pasture and the new system, Jia Cong still had to go back and think about it carefully.

The value of war horses and pastures is so high that people forget the pressure of the law and take risks.

This time, he must come up with a horse management system that is as perfect as possible and must not make the same mistakes again.

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

　Regarding horse politics, my knowledge is limited. There are problems in the previous chapter, which were pointed out by a reader. I looked up a lot of information today and will address them in this chapter.

　　I will write about the expedition later, and also use the crisis in horse administration to bring up the issue of the imperial examination, so I will just briefly write about it.

　　Thanks to the guys who pointed out the problems to me. I will stop here for tonight and continue tomorrow. Good night!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)