There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 155 February

(I’m sleepy, so I’ll leave it at that for now)

February 2, the second year of Jiaqing.

Qianlong tried every possible means, from appointing people based on their merit in the military and political arena, sending capable ministers and generals to suppress the White Lotus bandits and the powerful and unruly Han army. He also used the esoteric magic of the Western Regions to curse and kill Nie Yu, the world's greatest rebel, through a telepathic curse.

Of course, Nie Yu didn't know that he had become so famous that he had to trouble the Ten Perfect Old Man of the Qing Dynasty to personally perform a ritual to curse him. At this moment, he was busy working in the fields, encouraging the people to engage in farming.

Although Nie Yu was not yet an emperor and even his title had not been established, his authority was growing day by day and he was no different from an ordinary prince.

This suggestion of having the general personally till the fields was led by Gu Jing from the Ministry of Rites, and was jointly submitted by civil officials from other departments.

There was no other way. The Han army's rebellion against the Qing Dynasty meant that they no longer recognized the laws of the pseudo-Qing Dynasty, so they had to do many things themselves.

On the outskirts of Jingzhou, there is a specially selected area for "farming".

"General, it's time to plow the soil." An old farmer came over leading a plowing ox.

As the person who proposed it, Gu Jing is indeed quite reliable in his work, and all the details are close to the real farming ritual.

For example, the old farmer who is pulling the cow, according to the etiquette of farming, has to find an elder who is over 60 years old and is highly respected and knows how to farm.

It is necessary to have a legitimate reason!
Nie Yu is not an emperor, not even a king, so he must pay attention to every detail and do things thoroughly. Let the officials and the people under his rule realize that the pseudo-Qing Dynasty of the past is no longer possible and that the laws of the Han army are now the law.

Nie Yu took the rope and did not let the old farmer help him lead the cow. Instead, he simply waved the whip himself, imitating the movements of leading the cow and plowing the fields with his grandparents in his memory before he traveled through time.

"Moo~"

The ox was very obedient and did not get angry with Nie Yu. It just plowed the field honestly.

After plowing a few times, officials such as Gu Jing at the back realized what was happening and followed behind with boxes of rice seeds to spread them out and plant seedlings.

Originally, Gu Jing wanted to follow the ancient rituals in the book, use grains and crops, and build a Xiannong Altar for sacrifices, but was rejected by Nie Yu.

Because it is too time-consuming and wasteful. Why build the Xiannong Altar if there is nothing to do? You can set an example by cultivating the land yourself. Building a useless altar will waste people's manpower, financial resources and time.

After plowing an acre of land, Nie Yu was exhausted, but the effect was very significant.

The people who came to watch the general's work were just there to watch the excitement, not knowing what the general was going to do. But when they saw the general actually leading the cattle to the fields himself, and that his farming skills were quite skilled, it was obvious that this was not just a temporary show.

"Long live the general! Long live the Han people!"

"Long live the General!"

"Long live the big man!"

"..."

No one knows who shouted first. It might be a shill arranged in advance by the Han army officials, or it might be the spontaneous shouting of the onlookers. It was scattered at first, but soon evolved into a thunderous shout of "Long live the Han army!"

The few scholars who were watching from a distance were suddenly at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

"This Han army's general isn't the emperor, not even a thousand-year-old king, so where does the title of 'Long Live' come from?"

"It's alright. The common people are ignorant. When they see the ruler ascend to the throne, they only want to know "Long live the ruler" and nothing else."

"This is what the people want!" "Brother Jingling, what do you think?"

"Before this, the Han army distributed land to the people, which was just a good oath in the eyes of the people. But now everything is different. The general personally leads the oxen to plow the fields without the help of others. In the eyes of the people, this means that he can farm and is one of their own."

Good boy, now everyone understands.

In other words, before this, the Han army was just "good" in the eyes of the people, but now Nie Yu's move has truly put himself in the hearts of the people.

Throughout history, there have been many wise and benevolent rulers, but a good emperor who is truly respected by the people and truly treats them as one of their own is indeed rare.

If there is such a leader, he will definitely be the founding emperor of a country, and he can even compete for the title of emperor of all ages!

"..."

The atmosphere was a little cold because no one was talking.

These scholars who came to watch were all from local wealthy families in Jingzhou. They had all passed the imperial examination and were just one step away from becoming a Jinshi and making the leap to success.

Then, the Han army attacked and Jingzhou was lost in an instant. The governor and prefect were all useless.

Originally, these scholars had already accepted the reality and even cut off their braids. How could they still expect to escape?
However, just when these people finally made up their minds to serve in the Han army, the Han army gave them the position of land distribution officer at the beginning.

What is a land distribution official?
They are officials in name only, but clerks in reality.

There was a man who had never done land division before. He thought he would be the one to direct and let others do it, but then he found out that he actually had to do it himself. He was busy like a dog every day, running his legs off, and even wore out the soles of several pairs of shoes.

Especially when meeting with rural farmers every day, they know nothing and can't even recognize words. They can quarrel and fight over a few acres of land, a ridge, or a spring. It takes a lot of effort to separate them.

Anyway, these scholars had tried for a few days but still couldn't carry it, so they just held it for the time being. Because they knew that the Han army still respected scholars, and the general even specially conquered Yuelu Academy, performing a good drama of "harmony between the monarch and his subjects".

Be patient, wait until the general becomes king, wait until the general holds an imperial examination to recruit scholars!
All of them had once passed the imperial examination and after a year of studying hard, they would surely be able to get their names on the list of successful candidates when the Han army opened its imperial examinations.

But now...

A scholar asked, "Brother Jingling, do you want it?"

The young scholar called Brother Jingling was born into the wealthy Zhang family in Jingzhou. His family name was not very famous, but he was good at studying. He passed the examinations and became a scholar and a juren in one try. However, he failed the imperial examination because of a shortcoming in chess.

Zhang Jingling nodded: "I have made up my mind. The general has the qualities of a great leader. Isn't the reason why scholars like me study to support our great leader and achieve great things?"

Another scholar frowned and said, "But this heroic lord wants us to be the lowest-ranking land distribution officials..."

Zhang Jingling laughed and said, "It doesn't matter whether they are officials or clerks. Under the Han army, everyone can be promoted based on their merits. Let's not talk about others, just take our former classmate Song Zimo. He was born in the lower class of the Song family and didn't even have the title of scholar. But now, thanks to his merits, he has become a high-ranking official in the Army Department of the General's Mansion."

"We all know what the Army Department is. Even Song Zimo, a student, was able to leap into the Dragon Gate by seizing the opportunity first. If we don't catch up, it will be too late. Even if the general really opens the imperial examination now, can the career path through the imperial examination really be as fast as that of an ordinary official?"

A soul-searching question: Can one really become an official faster by passing the imperial examination than by becoming a clerk?
Several young scholars looked at each other and saw the struggle and hesitation in each other's eyes.

However, Zhang Jingling did not give them time to think further, because he really intended to enter the officialdom.

If he doesn't enter the officialdom now, does he really have to wait until the general becomes the emperor before considering supporting him?

You're just a shitty dragon. When the time comes, you won't even be able to become the crown prince!
(End of this chapter)