First Minister of Ming Dynasty

"Sir, what you mean is that we need to recruit more talents and increase the number of people we hire... But in that case, won't it increase expenses? After all, the burden still falls on the common people?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "My lord, even if there are fewer admissions, the local affairs must be done by no one. The same thing is to recruit clerks, but you don't have to pass the imperial examination. Isn't Mr. Li originally such a small official! More admissions, my lord, will make people lenient. Yan Sheng... More people come in, and the standard is lower, so you don't have to spend a lot of money to support scholars like in the Song Dynasty. But when there are more people, the competition will naturally become fierce. Originally, you can get a magistrate position by passing the imperial examination If you pass the exam now, you are just a clerk. If you want to be a county magistrate, you need to work hard to break out of the encirclement... Please think about it, my lord, will we be able to select a group of real officials in this way?"

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, completely convinced, and no longer had any doubts.

Lao Zhu finally finalized the plan to recruit talented people. The first batch of recruits is planned to have as many as 500 people.

The news spread quickly, and even Dantu, who was not far from Yingtian, got the news.

Ouyang Su, a Confucian in Dantu, was dumbfounded when faced with such a handwriting. What is this man surnamed Zhu planning?

He had no idea at the moment, so he had to write to his old friend about what had happened in Jinling these days, and ask him for his opinion.

And Ouyang Su's old friend is called Liu Ji!

Chapter 177 Liu Bowen Exam

Liu Ji is a native of Wuyang Village, Nantian Mountain, Qingtian Jiudu, Zhejiang Province. He is a 23-year-old Jinshi... At this age, a Jinshi admitted to the Yuan Court is undoubtedly an outstanding small-town writer.

However, due to the dimness of the Yuan court and the constant disasters and uprisings in various places, Liu Ji's official career was also bumpy. And because of the impeachment of the censor, no one supported him, and instead he was dismissed from office.

In the first few years, he went to Ouyang Su's place, opened a school in Dantu, taught and educated people, and forged a deep friendship with Ouyang Su.

After Tianwan Hongjin invaded Hangzhou, he ran back to his hometown again, summoned the townspeople, and suppressed Hongjin.

Zeng Guofan of the Yuan Dynasty belongs to it.

It's a pity that he didn't have the luck to shave his head. He just messed around with the provinces. He even tried to curry favor with Tuotuo, and praised his contribution to the suppression of the Xuzhou Red Scarf.

Some time ago, when Tuotuo went south, he also actively ran around, hoping to be appreciated by the grand master, and from then on he made great progress.

But it's a pity that people don't know Liu Ji at all, so he is the only one left to output into the air.

Seeing this, do you feel that there is a gap between this man and Liu Bowen, who dominates the country?

Could it be fake?

Really not, this is the first half of Liu Bowen's life, even when Lao Zhu's army came to kill him, he ran back to his hometown Qingtian, where he hid for more than a year, and later Lao Zhu coerced and lured Liu Bowen out.

After becoming a courtier of Lao Zhu, Liu Ji also missed the Yuan Dynasty a little bit, and felt that he had served the Yuan court for 20 years and betrayed the Lord overnight, which was a merciless act. All in all, Liu Ji's official position was a bit awkward.

And Lao Zhu made him a sincere uncle, which also has a lot of meaning.

In any case, between Liu Ji and Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei are not like Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei.

Today's Liu Ji is still in the east of Zhejiang, leading some village braves, and is responsible for killing the red scarves in Chuzhou and other places.However, because the momentum of the red scarf here is not as good as that in the Central Plains, and Fang Guozhen is also at both ends of the head rat, and his will is not firm.

So Liu Ji is very leisurely and doesn't have so many wars.

It is precisely because of this that Liu Ji was able to spare time to examine the overall situation of the world.

But looking at it like this made Liu Ji panic.

Originally, he once wrote a letter, praising Tuotuo, saying that the red scarf thieves are not worth mentioning, as long as the army advances to suppress them, they will immediately disintegrate and disappear.

But it turned out that Tuotuo capsized, and Liu Ji was instantly embarrassed. It turned out that living gods also have moments of insanity.

Now after the disastrous defeat of Gaoyou, Yuan Ting has lost the main force of elite soldiers it relies on for a living, so it can only rely on the armed forces of landlords and the power of vassal kings in Shaanxi and other places to barely maintain it.

And looking at the Red Scarf Army, Xu Shouhui, the Great Emperor of Tianwan, came out of the mountains with such momentum as a rainbow, and seized a vast area of ​​land in the lake.

Liu Futong established King Xiao Ming as the main force, and has already launched the Northern Expedition.

Relying on the great victory in Gaoyou, Zhang Shicheng gathered 20 million soldiers and horses, and dominated Huaidong.

It can be said that the situation of the Yuan Dynasty has reached a precarious time.

But among this group of heroes, it is Zhu Yuanzhang who upsets Liu Ji the most!

That's right, Liu Ji saw it right this time.

Unlike other tyrants in troubled times who pull troops and grab territory, Zhu Yuanzhang has a clear program from the very beginning, to fight against the powerful, to divide the land equally, to clean up the hearts of the people, and to eradicate the bad government... After doing this whole set, Lao Zhu already has The weather of the new dynasty.

Although he has not yet claimed the title of emperor, or even the title of king, the momentum has already picked up.

Recently, he even crossed the Yangtze River, marched forward triumphantly, took Tongling, went to Taiping, and entered Jinling... It can be said that he pushed all the way, and it seemed that even his hometown was not safe.

In case Zhu Yuanzhang came to kill him with his troops, what should he do?

Liu Bowen forgot to eat and sleep, thinking about countermeasures.

But at this time, a letter from an old friend surprised Liu Bowen even more!

"Zhu Thief wants to hold the imperial examination, but also to admit hundreds of people at a time? Such a big hand, such a big ambition!"

Liu Jizai read it carefully several times. Ouyang Su analyzed some of Zhu Yuanzhang's strategies, such as severely punishing tyrants and dividing the land evenly. Now the legend of the brothel in Jinling is about to be closed.

It is especially worth mentioning that Zhu Yuanzhang executed Zhu Yidou, killed many officials, and cleaned up the local snakes in Jinling... Now he has to open a course to recruit scholars.

Ouyang Su Lala talked a lot, and wanted to ask Liu Ji's opinion. Do you think Zhu Yuanzhang and his group of red scarves can go further?Or the rabbit's tail can't grow!

When Liu Ji was young, he was a prodigy. Although his official career was bumpy, he had been an official for many years, and now he leads the Xiangyong and kills the red scarves.

Liu Ji knows exactly what the common people want!

Juntian!

Just these two words can mobilize the hearts of [-]% of the world!

As for severely punishing tyrants, banning brothels, and recruiting scholars... After doing this, at least [-]% of the hearts of the people will all belong to Zhu Yuanzhang!

If it is true, the Zhu thief's great career can be prosperous, and the king can succeed!

Liu Bowen was completely confused.

Could it be that the Yuan Dynasty, which I have served for more than 20 years, is about to come to an end?

Will this surname Zhu win the country in the end?

No way!

After Liu Jisi thought about it, he decided to write to the court to find a way to concentrate his strength and kill the Zhu thief.For Zhang Shicheng and his like, they can be let go. If there is no military force, then encourage the landlords to arm themselves and be strong and brave... In short, the big guys go together, and Zhu Yuanzhang will be killed first.

Otherwise, if this person does not die, Da Yuan will perish!

Liu Ji splashed ink and wrote until the third watch before finishing.

After he finished writing, he looked at Tianming again, and then he was torn to pieces, and he sighed dejectedly... When Tuotuo was still alive, his writing was useless, now that Tuotuo is dead, who would treat his writing as What happened!

The person speaks lightly, and what he wrote is just the content of an old friend's letter. He doesn't know what Zhu Jiajun is like.What if Zhu Jiajun can only speak beautiful words, but is actually very crotch?

All in all, see you first!

When I figured out the details of Zhu's army, whether it was resisting the red bandits, or writing to the court, and offering advice and suggestions, I would have evidence.

When Liu Ji was the county magistrate, he liked to go to the countryside in person to understand the sufferings of the people and understand the feelings of the people.

This time Liu Ji also decided to take a trip to see what Zhu Jiajun was really like.

It happens to be an imperial examination, and I can see the talents of the world myself. Would you like to join Zhu Yuanzhang?

If it is really a gathering of talents, then, the vitality of the Great Yuan Dynasty... Liu Bowen sighed in his heart, he is indeed not that important, he was given a vain job, and he was given the honor of Xiangyong.

Every time I write a letter, I ask for money. People in Zhejiang Province wish that Liu Bowen would not exist!

In this way, Liu Bowen set off from his hometown with two bookboys, and traveled all day and night. He did not go to Dantu to meet Ouyang Su, but went directly to Jinling.

Liu Bowen is not a reckless person, he has calculated that he has no reputation, so he can sneak into Jinling casually and just ask for news.

Just look at it.

However, Liu Bowen underestimated Zhu Jiajun... As mentioned earlier, Zhang Ximeng set up tax cards at various intersections in Chuzhou to collect taxes, and when he brought goods, he had to register. After calculating the value and paying taxes, he could get a voucher.And with the tax payment certificate, you can go unimpeded under the rule of Zhu Jiajun.

Due to the recent occupation of Jinling, the tax card was naturally established. In addition, there are registrations for other people.

The person in charge is Kang Maocai, who was appreciated by Zhang Ximeng because of his great contribution in eradicating Zhu Yidou, and shouldered the mission of collecting taxes from heaven.

By the way, foreign personnel are registered.

What do you want to do?

If you are visiting relatives and friends, write down the names of relatives.

It is for buying and selling things, write down the scope of business.

If you are just passing by, write down the route.

If you want to wander around in Jinling, I'm sorry, the Generalissimo has not agreed yet!

Faced with the cross-examination of these people, Liu Ji was dumbfounded.

Seeing how serious they are, my plan to casually sneak into Jinling is probably in vain, and I won't be able to get in at all.

Could it be that he just bumped into a nail and went back?

It seems that Liu Bowen is not so easy to give up.

He happened to see a young man who looked like a scholar in front of him, and told the soldiers that he was taking the exam, and he was immediately greeted warmly, and all the officials inside came out to ask questions.

Liu Bowen's eyes lit up, and he came up with an idea.

When Liu Bowen arrived, he also said that he wanted to take the exam. The soldiers looked at him and found that he was not young, and he was probably an old Confucian scholar who could not be an official in the Yuan Dynasty, so he came to Jinling.

The soldier was quite sympathetic to him, "don't worry old man, the exam is not difficult this time, the superior is looking for talents wholeheartedly, I wish the old man high school in advance!"

Liu Bowen was said to be inexplicable, which is really interesting, what does this soldier know, and you dare to say that the exam is not difficult, how many words do you know?

How did Liu Bowen know that these soldiers were all veterans transferred from Zhu's army by Zhang Ximeng. The best of them had already studied for more than three years. Because the military center was clean and there was no mess, those with excellent grades knew two to three thousand characters. , Writing and writing official documents, there is no problem.

In the army, they are also responsible for registering rosters, calculating money, food and supplies, and even exploring terrain and drawing maps.

This time, Yingtian's imperial examination has been clearly stated by the superiors. It is similar to the military examinations in the past. Soldiers are also given quotas and allowed to take the exams. The final admission quota will be 150 people.

It stands to reason that being an official is not a step up to the sky?

Lieutenant generals should fight to go.

But the big guys are not stupid, this imperial examination is different from Yuanting's imperial examination.Moreover, promotion in the army is faster and there are more opportunities.

So only those who are older, less physically fit, have been injured, or have other reasons will take this test.

Roughly speaking, the soldier told Liu Bowen that the exam is not difficult, it's just that a senior is teaching some students, it's as simple as that!

However, Liu Bowen didn't realize it. He still felt that the soldiers didn't know the depth and were talking nonsense.

It's just that what happened next caught Liu Bowen by surprise... It turned out that all the students who took the exam had a special green channel. After he signed up, he received his ID card, and then was escorted by the Zhu family army all the way to the military camp.

In order to prevent them from cheating, the whole process is strictly controlled.

After arriving at the military camp, I sent a test guide, which roughly introduced the content of the test and how to answer the questions.

The whole exam includes the recitation part, including poems and articles, four books and five classics. In order to reduce the difficulty, it is specially made into a fill-in-the-blank form.

Next, there are a few general knowledge questions, nothing more than asking about mountains and rivers, geography, economy and people's livelihood.

Then there are arithmetic questions to test the candidates' arithmetic level.

At the end, there is a big question of choosing one of the two. You can choose to write a policy theory and put forward your opinions on the Grand Marshal Yingtian's Mansion.You can also write your own judgment based on the case presented, and explain your understanding of the law.

That is to say, if you have enough literary talents, you can be an official; if you have practical experience, and a rough understanding of the law, you can also be an official.

For Liu Bowen, this is a piece of cake.

The only thing that made him uncomfortable was that he was trapped in the military camp. Others were forgetting food and sleep to study, and he couldn't get out, so he could only put on a pose. Fortunately, the food in the military camp was not bad, otherwise Liu Bowen would have been suffocated to death!

Five days later, Liu Bowen and a large group of students were brought out from various barracks and sent to the examination room. It didn't take long, only half a day. After passing the examination, they were free.

Liu Bowen couldn't hold back anymore, so he quickly picked up his pen and finished the paper. He managed to stay up until noon, and he handed in the paper with a group of students. Finally, he was able to see Jinling City and Zhu Jiajun's abilities.

But soon Liu Bowen realized something that was not so fun... What should he do if he passed the exam?

Chapter 178 Liu Ji, You Are Arrested

Liu Bowen didn't know if he would be able to pass the exam. Anyway, he didn't use his real name. It was impossible for Zhu's army to find him. He walked around Jinling City, and before the result came out, he quickly slipped away.

Liu Bowen is in a good mood and wants to visit Jinling, the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, and the place where the beauty and beauty in the south of the Yangtze River are popular. How can he not take a good tour?

Liu Bowen walked around the street for a while, and the most obvious feeling was that the street was clean, and it was completely clean.In the past, there were all kinds of messy people in any city, such as gangsters, beggars, helpers, villains... None of these regular combinations were seen in Yingtian.

Then there are the streets, debris, leaves, and even excrement and urine... all cleaned up and looking brand new.

This is something that cannot be done in Yuandadu.

Liu Bowen was very curious, so he inquired, who is in charge of this matter?Zhu Jiajun asked the common people to do it, right?