The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 178 Ninth Rank

The third year of Jianyan (1129 AD), the first month!
Ever since the rebel army defeated Baliyuanshan for the second time, the pseudo-Jin thieves have really not come again.

After Baliyuanshan retreated to Changyi County, he did not even organize a defense in Changyi County. Instead, he directly abandoned Changyi and led his troops back to the important city of Jinan. After being scolded by everyone, the matter was left unresolved.

None of the cats and dogs did anything to Bali Yuanshan, but only ordered him to make amends and attack other places.

The scholars' analysis was correct. When the Jin army encountered a tough nut to crack, they would not fight to the death foolishly. They directly chose to give up the tough nut Laizhou and pick the softest persimmon first.

Bali Yuanshan led his army southward to attack Mizhou, Yizhou, and Huaiyangjun (not an army, but an administrative division). He simply ignored the two states of Denglai and ignored them.

They didn't even leave anyone to defend Changyi County, Weizhou and other places, and acted as if "you can take these territories at will."

But after Wu Jialiang's last speech, the rebels had clearly realized their own strength. While defense might be possible, retaking lost territory was unacceptable. No matter how tempting Changyi County and Weizhou City looked, the rebels would not take a single bite, firmly defending their own territory.

But the territory is dead, but the people are alive.

The people of Weizhou are not stupid. If the rebels don’t come, we can go over there!
As a result, people from the eastern part of Weizhou fled to Laizhou every day, dragging their children, the elderly and the young, creating a spectacular sight.

Yue Wenxuan welcomed the refugees with open arms, welcoming everyone who made it to Laizhou. He immediately welcomed them into an "immigrant camp," providing them with porridge and relief to ensure their basic needs. He then instructed the magistrates of Ye County, Jiaoshui County, Jimo County, and Laiyang County to survey the local farmland and allocate unowned land to the immigrants.

The migrants who received the free land were also subject to an additional requirement: "Before the spring plowing and sowing season begins this year, they must attend several 'farming classes' in the county town."

What the hell is this "farming class"? It's confusing. Farmers have been farming their entire lives and don't think they need to take any classes.

But if they don’t take this course, they won’t be able to get the land, so the farmers have no choice but to obey orders.

They decided to just listen and forget about it, but when they went to the county government office to inquire, they learned that the Agricultural College was currently in preparation and that classes would not begin for a few days...

In Jimo County, preparations for the Agricultural College are underway.

Yue Wenxuan does not plan to continue using plastic people to teach. He plans to select a few farmers trained by Mr. Liao to be teachers.

But... this job sounds simple, but there were problems in the actual operation. The first batch of students taught by Mr. Liao made a fortune because they all had a good harvest. Therefore, they were all obsessed with farming and only thought about harvesting a few more buckets of grain next year. They were not willing to be distracted to do other things.

Yue Wenxuan possessed Wang Zhaoye's body and frowned, "No one is willing to become a teacher?"

Qian Zhuoqun, the second-in-command of the rebel army, stood before him and said with a bitter face, "No one is willing! Your Majesty, we have to think of another way."

Yue Wenxuan tapped his head lightly with his hand: "Hey, okay, I do have a solution, but I didn't expect to have to use it so soon."

Qian Zhuoqun: “?”

Yue Wenxuan said, "Pass on my order. I will establish a special government office called the 'Agricultural College'. This college will be directly under my jurisdiction. The dean of the Agricultural College will be the Immortal Liao. In addition, an 'Agricultural Branch College' will be established in every county." Qian Zhuoqun was stunned. "Huh? Huh? Huh?"

Yue Wenxuan said, "Spread the word that each county's 'Agriculture Branch' is in need of a group of 'Agriculture Officers.' Their job is to teach the county's people how to farm. All 'Agriculture Officers' in the branch will be of the ninth rank, receiving a salary from the court. Anyone interested in becoming an 'Agriculture Officer,' regardless of their status, can take the 'Agriculture Examination' I will organize. If you pass, you will be promoted to the ninth rank."

As soon as Qian Zhuoqun heard his plan, he knew this thing was going to be a big hit! A huge hit!

The people's obsession with "being an official" is not exaggerated.

Plus, this is Shandong!

Just based on the two words "Shandong", this agricultural science examination is going to be a blast.

Qian Zhuoqun wiped his sweat and asked, "Your Highness, when will the imperial examination be held?"

Yue Wenxuan: "It will be held in Jimo County at the end of the first month. The chief examiner will be Immortal Liao. You should announce this matter."

Qian Zhuoqun thought: End of the month? Time is so tight! Oh no! This exam is going to be a disaster. Will I have enough time to prepare? Oh no! I need to find a huge venue to use as the exam room.

Qian Zhuoqun didn't dare to delay and ran out quickly. As soon as he reached the door, he ran into Ji Menghan.

This Master Ji has been reporting to Zhao Ye for quite some time. Yue Wenxuan naturally accepted his offer, but he couldn't find a suitable position for him for the time being, so he let him serve as a staff member in the "Prince's Palace" temporarily.

Seeing Qian Zhuoqun's anxious look, Ji Menghan couldn't help but ask curiously, "Mr. Qian, what are you anxious about?"

Qian Zhuoqun quickly explained the agricultural science examination: "I have to prepare a huge examination hall. Oh, I'm afraid this will cause quite a stir."

"If you pass the exam, you'll get a ninth-rank official position?" Ji Menghan's eyes lit up, and he almost shouted "I'll sign up" on the spot. However, he was aware of his level of "agronomy" and stopped himself from saying it. He didn't want to embarrass himself, so he asked cautiously, "Can anyone sign up? Then people from Changyi County can also do it? Our Ji family does have several branches that are good at farming..."

Qian Zhuoqun smiled and shook his head. "Your people will definitely fail the exam. It doesn't take much of a guess. The exam is all about 'new farming methods.' Only the first batch of farmers in Jimo County have learned them, and only they can pass the exam. People from Jiaoshui and Ye counties have no chance."

Ji Menghan's eyes lit up. "The new farming method seems to be taught by Mr. Liao, right? Is the old man still giving classes now?"

Qian Zhuoqun: "Yes, he gives lectures every day. You can go anytime and there is no tuition fee."

Ji Menghan laughed, thinking, "That's a sure thing! We scholars are naturally quick learners. What takes an old farmer a year, we Ji family members can definitely catch up in a month. Let's quickly notify the children and nephews of the branch family. Those who already know how to farm can spend a month studying diligently with Old Liao. By the end of the month, they might even pass the exam. By then, the branch family will produce a few ninth-rank agricultural officials, and I'll make a name for myself by following the prince, and our Ji family will be secure."

Thinking of this, Ji Menghan didn't wait any longer, turned around and ran to notify the branch family.

(End of this chapter)