[Comprehensive History] Clothes are all over the world

After the household registration was completed, Mu Bai fell into a busy preparation for the exam.

The house exam on Mangbu Road was scheduled for August [-]th, leaving Mu Bai with less than ten days of review time, which also included the time for traveling.

The reason why the time is so tight is that Yunnan is located in a remote area, and the Mangbu Road was in war before, and the order from the central government was delivered a little later than other places, but in order to catch up with the rhythm of the large army, we had to specialize The situation is handled specially.

Fortunately, Yunnan does not have a large reference population like other provinces, so it can skip the county examination and go directly to the government examination, and there is barely enough time except for the notice and rush.

As for preparation?Hey, it's the first exam after ten years, what is the exam, not to mention the candidates, even the examiners have no idea, everyone just come based on their feelings.

Facts proved that Song Lian's decision was completely correct. On the [-]th day, the entire gate of the government office was bustling with excitement, but they were all coming to see the excitement. Mu Bai was the only candidate to take part in the essay test.

Mu Bai, who was surrounded by everyone with a small test basket, felt like a rare animal exhibiting, not to mention how weird it was.

Infected by this atmosphere, the little friend Mu Wen who was holding his hand also automatically and spontaneously distanced himself from him, and stood beside Mr. Wang without any brotherhood, expressing that he wanted to distance himself from him.

A gust of wind blew by, hula la rolled up the dust on the ground, Mu Bai felt a little chilly in his heart.

Fortunately, this embarrassment did not last long, and after a while, a small official came out of the yamen with a document in hand, and said loudly: "Candidate, Mubai, nine years old, Xiumang Village, Mangbu Road, come and report!"

"Candidates..." The clerk was about to repeat it a second time, when a figure flashed in front of him, and suddenly a well-dressed, dark-skinned child appeared with a small test basket in his hand.

The child respectfully handed over the household registration booklet, and the clerk took it and unfolded it and took a look. Hey, it was the latest version of the household registration certificate. With the seal of Kunming, it was a related household.

The little official stared at the portrait and himself for a long time, then closed the household registration booklet and handed it back.It's not that he was irresponsible and didn't review his identity again. It's really difficult to find a substitute for the exam at this age. In addition, the small face on the household registration book is like looking in a mirror, and nothing can go wrong.

The little official raised his hand and folded up the thin registration list with only a single sheet of paper in his hand, and then glanced at the crowd who were sent for the examination at the gate of the government office and watched the excitement, and signaled them to disperse as soon as possible, and don't gather at the gate of the government office , I brought a child with a small basket into the government office, and sang to Litang as I walked: "Candidates enter the hall—"

"Well, don't you need to search?" Mu Bai obediently sat down on the seat in the middle hall, and asked hesitantly after putting away the four treasures of the study under the watchful eyes of the servants.

"No need." The little official who brought him in smiled and put an incense table on the side. After a while, incense sticks for timing will be inserted on it. After hearing his question, the little official showed a mysterious smile, "You don't need it."

A small question mark appeared on Mu Bai's head, but after a while he knew why he had this "special treatment".

The two examiners and eight yamen servants in the government office, a total of twenty eyes all stared at him alone.

Under this kind of all-round marking with no dead ends, even if you really want to cheat, it's impossible to do it!In this case, even if you didn't intend to cheat, you still can't write it because of this look! !

The corner of Mu Bai's mouth twitched, and he opened his test paper under the eyes of the big men around him who stared like copper bells.

Answer the questions and answer the questions as if the people around you are the Maojiu raised by Mu Xiaowen, at least they are not as noisy as the Maojiu raised by his younger brother.

The current scientific examination system of the Ming Dynasty is inherited from the Song Dynasty, and it is also a three-level scientific examination system-the rural examination, the general examination, and the palace examination. The rural examination is held in the local area, and the general examination and the palace examination are held in Yingtianfu.

However, different from the Song Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty's scientific examination has now added a pre-selection test, and Mu Bai is now taking this kind of pre-selection test.

Because it was the first pre-selection, some places were not sure about the strength of the test paper, and the person who wrote the test was Song Lian, who could be the chief examiner in terms of qualifications, so the test questions Mu Bai got were actually comparable. It's going to be difficult.

Mu Bai turned to the last big question first, this is his personal habit, so that he can ponder over the answering ideas of the last question while answering the small questions, but when he saw the question clearly, he couldn't help being slightly taken aback, a little bit surprised He raised his eyes and looked at the examiner.

Grand Master Song was sitting on the seat at this time, with his eyes closed and his head bowed, with the attitude of an old monk in meditation, obviously not intending to make eye contact with Mu Xiaobai.

Mu Bai didn't expect to get any instructions from the chief examiner, he just made this move reflexively out of surprise.

In the last question of this test paper, I wrote a bunch of outlines, but it can be summed up in one sentence-how to make Yunnan become the Yunnan of Ming Dynasty.

This is not a simple question, and it should never appear in a government exam whose main purpose is screening. It is almost as outrageous as an argumentative essay on a primary school graduation exam asking you to talk about Sino-US relations.

But the only reference person didn't think there was anything wrong. He even felt that the examiner was quite in line with current affairs, but the questions were too sharp!

Is it a little bit to come up with such a question in the territory of Yunnan... well, but think about it, even if the references are all locals, since they come to participate in the imperial examination, they are planning to be officials of Ming Dynasty. As the saying goes, eating the emperor's salary , the matter of loyalty to the emperor, it's okay to correct your thoughts from this moment.

Mu Bai quickly finished answering the first questions. When he turned to the last question, he hesitated for a while, took out the manuscript paper that he had never used before, and listed the outline on it, and finally picked and selected some milder policies. Fill it in.

He has a solid foundation, and he has gone through repeated training and reminders from various gods before. The basic part of this test paper is not too difficult for him. stick.

Mu Bai checked the lower paper and found nothing wrong, then raised his hand to sign for handing in the paper.

Leaving the examination room where he was under constant surveillance, Mu Bai stretched out in a very inconspicuous manner. Because of being stared at all the time, Mu Xiaobai, who loves face, can only keep sitting upright. After a long time, he is still a little tired.

Because of the early submission of the papers, there were no people waiting at the gate of the government office, and the senior and younger brothers who came to send the exam were not there, so they must have gone to find a place to rest.On the contrary, the small door next door was bustling with excitement, and the sound of cheering and cheering could be heard from time to time.

Mu Bai looked at the place with some doubts, thinking that it was okay anyway, so he went over to join in the fun.

As soon as he leaned over, he heard someone say something in local dialect: "Halati, you can't do it, it's only two stones, if you are a man, you can go for three stones!"

Someone inside yelled angrily: "Don't talk nonsense, the requirement is only two stones, wouldn't it be a waste of effort for me to carry three stones, you bastard!"

At this time, Mu Bai had already reached the front of the crowd by virtue of his height, and saw a young man with his shirt off, clapping his hands and panting in the dust, with a huge boulder lying on the ground behind him.

Mu Bai tilted his head, and saw a familiar little official coming out holding a sign, and shouted in stiff local dialect: "Don't miss it when you pass by, Great Ming martial arts, lift two stones, shoot ten at 30 steps Four of them can pass the test."

Oh, this is actually the test site for martial arts.

Compared with Wenju's pattern of registering first and then taking the exam, Wuju actually adopts the mode of on-site registration and on-the-spot exam.

But when you think about it, it actually makes sense. After all, you need to prepare test papers for Wenju, and the test supplies for Wuju can be recycled, and public competitions are more likely to arouse men's competitiveness. Maybe those who didn't plan to sign up will be in the atmosphere Add under foil.

If you add a few more, it will stir up the atmosphere...

A young man spoke at the right time, and he shouted loudly in local dialect: "If you pass the customs, can you become an official?"

The petty official was obviously already prepared, and when he heard the series of fluent answers to this question, he blurted out: "You still need to take part in a higher level of competition, and you can only be awarded an official after passing all of them. One stone of polished rice, three buckets of sea salt, and one bolt of cloth are distributed as encouragement."

As he said that, he also pointed to the place where the prizes were piled up next to him, and added: "You can only claim it if you have participated in the follow-up trials."

As soon as these words came out, the surrounding people became commotion.According to today's market price, these rewards are already very good.

Especially salt, which is a control material, three buckets of salt is almost two or three years of expenses for a family, not to mention sea salt. In Yunnan, which is not close to the sea, sea salt can be used as medicine to treat big neck diseases, which is very valuable. no city.

But the problem is that you have to take the next level of exams to get these things, and no one knows what the next round of exams will be.

The local people’s distrust of the government is left over from the Yuan government. Even though the policies and attitudes of the Ming government can be regarded as generally friendly after taking over the place, the idea that the world is as black as crows is deeply rooted, not to mention the fact that the Ming army fought against the rebellion. The attitude of cutting people is also quite neat, everyone still has a shadow in their hearts.

When they heard that they were going to leave the local area to take the follow-up exam elsewhere, some people hesitated, and some persuaded the young people in the field to forget it and go to other places.

At this time, the man in the field rolled up his sleeves, obviously having rested, he took the bow and arrow and shouted: "I am not afraid, even our lamb knows that if you don't climb the mountain, you can't escape the danger." , if you don’t go to places where there are few people, there will be no most tender grass, don’t you understand this truth?”

Of course, everyone understands the principle of seeking wealth and insurance, but... Hey, don’t you still not believe that such a good thing will happen?

The people in Yunnan are martial arts, and there are many undeveloped jungles here. From a very young age, the males here have learned how to use blow arrows to hunt small mammals to add food to their families. When they are a little older, they can even make their own bows and arrows.

Due to the terrain, it is common to climb mountains with heavy loads. Daming's request is really not too difficult for them. The main reason is that they can't help but hesitate to leave their homeland and go to other places for reference.

Mu Bai tilted his head and thought for a while, then suddenly raised his hand, "I want to sign up."

He was small in stature, and now with the height of his arms, he is only the normal height of an adult. In fact, he is not very eye-catching, but his Chinese words are very eye-catching at this time, and he is instantly attracted by the exhausted little official. caught.

But when he turned his head and saw that familiar face, he was a little speechless, full of helplessness of "Why are you here to join in the fun".

Yes, this little official is really an acquaintance. He was the person Mu Bai replaced when he was registering, who stopped the Tu people from registering but almost collapsed due to language barriers.

Because of a few acquaintances before and a deep impression of this child, the little official is still very concerned about Mu Bai's situation, so he was even more shocked when he saw Mu Bai at this moment.

why are you hereShouldn't you be taking the test in the government now?

Mu Bai didn't care to look carefully at the shocked and puzzled expression of the little official, he took two steps forward and handed over his household registration booklet, and said loudly: "Mangbu Road Xiumang Village, Mu Bai wants to apply for the martial arts exam."

"Hey!" All the onlookers heard him now.Some people don't understand Chinese, but they are very surprised to see such a small man as a reference.

"Is it a baby? Or is it short?"

"It must be a child, how can a normal person be so short, let's go to our waist, this doll."

"Hey, don't you know that some people are born short, just that dwarf or something..."

A small vein appeared on the top of Mu Bai's head, and when the official was hesitant to take his household registration book, he added a sentence in local dialect: "Nine years old!"

You are a dwarf, your family is a dwarf, and I am still a child. My husband said that his height is already normal, okay?

"Uh, you..." The clerk pinched Mubai's household registration book and looked left and right, trying to find someone who could make decisions, but the soldiers around him just ignored him, and no one would give him money. idea.

The helpless little official could only pull out the documents from his superiors again, and read them several times as if he was looking for an order that refused his reference.

Seeing his appearance, Mu Bai coughed lightly: "Don't look, there is no age limit."

Pit father ah!The corner of the official's mouth twitched, and he found that the document really only said that people with criminal records were not accepted for reference, and did not stipulate the age of candidates. ,

This may be because the emperor of Ming Dynasty wanted to give those elders who were delayed by the ten-year suspension of the imperial examination a chance. Who would have thought that there would be a child less than ten years old to join in the fun and participate in the martial arts examination?

Since there is no age limit, it is natural to participate.After copying his information with his pen, the clerk felt a splitting headache. Looking at the little boy bouncing around in place, twisting his hands and feet to get ready, he decided to change the order of the exam: "Why don't you take the arrow test first? Branch?"

Looking at the child's small body, the little official didn't think he could lift two stones.Weightlifting is not a trivial matter, and one bad thing will kill someone.Archery is safer, as long as you don't shoot yourself, the worst is a sprain.

He thought well, if Mu Bai passed the archery test, he would naturally not have to take the weightlifting test.

The reason is also ready-made, there is not a candidate who wants to compete next to it, so it is said that the venue can be reused.

Mu Bai heard the other party's implication from the other party's unfinished words. He didn't have any negative emotions towards the other party's distrust. Instead, he showed a big smile at the other party. Prepare.

"Well, Mr. Xiao Lang, our targets are all adult height, can I give you a stool to step on?"

Mu Bai: "...Yes."

The author has something to say: In fact, there should be no military examinations in the imperial examinations this time. The number of military examinations in the Ming Dynasty was not many, mainly because the military officers in the Ming Dynasty were generally professional soldiers inherited from their families.

On the other hand, the Ming Dynasty also had military registration to supplement the military population, so the martial arts in the Ming Dynasty can only be said to be a supplementary method that is better than nothing.

In fact, this is quite a pity. The household registration system of the Ming Dynasty (that is, craftsman registration, military registration, and civilian registration) did ensure the stability of life for ordinary civilians in the early days (ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty did not need to participate in wars) but It also led to the solidification and decay of classes, so that the people in society lost their initiative and lost their vitality and mobility.

And because of a decision made by the ancestors, it is not fair to some extent that future generations have to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors. After all, some industries really need talent.

The household registration system was abolished in the Qing Dynasty, so the Qing Dynasty relied heavily on martial arts.

But it is worth complaining that the martial arts was born in the period of Wu Zetian, that is, the Tang Dynasty. At that time, the scientific research projects were still fighting sports such as archery and wrestling, so the quality of the talents selected in the martial arts was relatively high.

But in the Song Dynasty, it became mainly based on military art and supplemented by force, and it has continued all the way since then.

Some people may think that this is a problem with the heads of the people of the Song Dynasty, but it is not all.In the Qing Dynasty, considering that it might be too difficult for them to ask military officials to study, they once simplified the subjects of the civil examinations. As a result, the society regarded the status of military examinations as less important, thinking that military officers were reckless, so that talents abandoned martial arts and followed literature.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, most of the soldiers who led the war were civil servants, and they were called "Confucian generals" because of this reason.

Therefore, the selection and appointment of generals in a dynasty is very important.

Just like in our modern publicity, the recruiting advertisements you watch on TV are rarely to show you how many bricks the soldier brother can smash with one fist, (this good boy don’t learn, it will hurt your body) or how many push-ups you can do, how many Pull-ups, shooting and shooting can hit a few shots, but it will show you some very high-tech things.

For example, the aircraft operation interface, tank interface, radar data map and other things that laymen may not understand, do calculations, communication investigations, and even recruit troops from colleges and universities (the author wanted to go at the beginning! But the physical fitness is not enough) , gave up) Encourage doctorate masters to join the military system and so on.All these have shaped the image of the modern army with both civil and military skills.

In modern times, no one would think that being a soldier is a shameful thing. On the contrary, it is very honorable because the army is not a humble profession in our hearts, but a tall one, with feelings, treatment and respect.

But let’s put it ten years ago, only those who couldn’t get into high school or families who were too poor to support their children would send their children there.At that time, if asked: what is your dream, absolutely no one would say that I want to be a soldier.

So think about it, if the army has not been transformed, no matter how much you promote the concept of the people's soldiers, will people not want to join the army?

If someone asks what is China's biggest advantage?In fact, I think it should be that we have a history of 5000 years, so the lessons of what is happening now can be found in the history books. The experience and wisdom of our ancestors can help us avoid many detours.

After all, history is the study of people, and no matter how many years have passed, people are still the same person and have not changed.