Tang Dynasty: The Holy Prince, the Dragon that Reigns Over the World

On the third day after Li Chengqian drunkenly burned the mansion of Duke Zheng, Li Shimin issued an edict to let Li Chengqian take charge of the first military examination in the capital of the Tang Dynasty. In fact, as early as the end of the fifth year of Zhenguan, Li Chengqian had already submitted a petition to Li Shimin, requesting the Tang Dynasty to open a military examination. Li Chengqian wrote in the petition.

"I have heard that for a country to prosper, it must have both civil and military power. Both civil and military power are indispensable. Tian Rangju, the Sima of Qi, once said: Therefore, even if a country is big, it will perish if it loves war; even if the world is peaceful, it will be in danger if it forgets war. Why? The prosperity of a country, without a strong army, will eventually be a castle in the air, which will fall at the first touch. However, the strength of an army lies in its general. An incompetent general can kill the whole army.

Today, our Great Tang is powerful and majestic, and has entered a golden age. To ensure that the Great Tang will prosper for thousands of years, I request that a military examination be held to select the best talents in the world to strengthen our Tang army.

After discussing with Li Chengqian and other ministers, Li Shimin decided to divide the military examination into three levels: the provincial examination, the imperial examination, and the palace examination. It was originally planned to hold the first military examination in the sixth year of Zhenguan, but the Tang Dynasty had been engaged in constant foreign wars in recent years, so the military examination was not held as scheduled.

At the beginning of the 9th year of Zhenguan, the Tang Dynasty's foreign wars had basically ended, and there would be no more foreign wars in the short term. Therefore, Li Shimin ordered all states to conduct state examinations in May of the 9th year of Zhenguan. Li Shimin and Li Chengqian overruled all opposition and decided to add the newly established Changzhou, Shanzhou and Anbei Protectorate to the list. The newly returned people from the three places were grateful to Li Shimin after hearing the edict, which was the recognition of the Tang Dynasty.

The content of the military examination proposed by Li Chengqian included literary test, practical combat deduction and martial arts test.

Literary test: Tests on basic military theories, such as the art of war, military marches, deployment of troops, logistics and supply, etc. The test results are divided into three major grades: A, B and C, and each major grade is divided into three minor grades: upper, middle and lower. Those who are above C will enter the next test, and those who are below C will lose the qualification for the next test.

Actual combat simulation: classic battle examples or simulated battle situations are used as test questions. Candidates draw number plates and enter the examination room in batches according to their numbers. The two candidates who enter the examination room are divided into two parties, A and B, on the sand table according to the questions to conduct battle flag simulation. Candidates take turns to compete, and the winner gets one point, and the loser gets zero points, and they are ranked according to the points.

Martial arts test: The top 6% of the actual combat deduction scores will enter the martial arts test. For example, if there are 1000 people in a martial arts test, the top 600 in the actual combat deduction can enter the martial arts test. The martial arts test includes five sub-items: horse archery, foot archery, boxing, weapons, and weight-bearing. The scores of each sub-item of the martial arts test are also divided into three major grades: A, B, and C, and each major grade is divided into three minor grades: upper, middle, and lower.

Each state selected the questions according to the content of the military examination, reported to the Ministry of War, and then conducted the state examination. The top three candidates in the comprehensive scores of the Beijing examination participated in the palace examination, and Li Shimin personally selected the top three candidates.

At the beginning of the tenth year of Zhenguan, the state examinations in various states were over, and the imperial examination was scheduled for June of the tenth year of Zhenguan. In June of the tenth year of Zhenguan, candidates from various states had arrived in Beijing one after another, and Li Chengqian was the chief examiner in charge of this military examination. Li Chengqian met with the candidates who participated in the imperial examination at the Imperial Guards training ground.

"You are all outstanding talents selected from various states, and you are also outstanding talents of our Tang Dynasty. You have gone through layers of selection in various states, and today you came to Chang'an to participate in the imperial examination. On behalf of the Saint, I welcome you all.

I hope you can perform steadily and achieve good results. Before I came, the Saint said that anyone who can enter the Beijing Martial Arts Test, regardless of their ranking, will be awarded the title of "Son of Heaven's Disciple" as an honor. Gentlemen, work hard for the sake of honor. The Saint and I are looking forward to your good results. "

After hearing this, all the candidates in the audience were eager to try and were extremely excited. They all shouted "Long live the emperor". Seeing that everyone was in high spirits, Li Chengqian immediately announced the start of the military examination in Beijing.

After a month-long exam, 1089 candidates from 200 candidates were selected to take the martial arts exam. After the martial arts exam, the results of the 200 candidates were released. On this day, the deputy chief examiner Li Dejian came to Li Chengqian with the test results of the 200 candidates discussed by several deputy chief examiners and examiners.

"Da Lang, the Beijing military examination is over. Here are the score reports of 200 candidates, take a look." Li Dejian said.

"How come there are only 200 of the 1089 candidates, and less than % of them enter the final stage?" Li Chengqian asked with a frown.

"Who can be blamed for that? Historically, the selection of generals has always been based on bravery, and you organized a written test. Many people are very brave, but their basic military theory is too poor to pass the exam. Why not give those who were eliminated in the first round a chance for a retest? Who knows, there might be a powerful general among them." Li Dejian suggested.

"No, it's better to have nothing than to have someone of poor quality. A general must be both brave and strategic, otherwise he will be just a coward. The commander of the three armies can only fight alone and is brave and ruthless. No matter how brave he is, he is just a reckless man and cannot be a general." Li Chengqian said firmly.

"I know that people who are good at both civil and military affairs are few and far between, but our Tang Dynasty is full of talents, and we can still find a few. In fact, I have always thought that instead of recruiting, it is better to train them ourselves. The Imperial College has trained political talents for the country, so why can't there be a special academy to train military talents for the military?

I have suggested to my father that we open a military academy in our Tang Dynasty. We should recruit talents from all over the world to the military academy for systematic training, and continuously supply fresh blood to our Tang Dynasty army. Besides, our dynasty now has more famous generals than any other dynasty. It would be a pity if these generals' valuable experience and military theories were not passed on. "Li Chengqian said.

"That's good. That's what the saint said." Li Dejian nodded.

"Father agreed and decided to build the Tang Dynasty Military Academy near the Royal Horse Farm. If nothing unexpected happens, the imperial edict will be issued after the martial arts palace examination is over.

At my suggestion, my father was appointed as the first principal of the Tang Dynasty Military Academy. And the principal can only be a successive emperor, so that the loyalty of students can be quickly and effectively obtained. After all, "the emperor's disciple" is a golden sign.

In addition, after these graduates serve in the army, they can lead by example and comprehensively enhance the army's loyalty to the emperor." Li Chengqian said.

"Since you are going to build a military academy, why do you still need to hold a military examination?" Li Dejian asked.

"Training talents is not something that can be done overnight. In the past few years, we will focus on the military examination, so that students of the Tang Dynasty Military Academy can receive good training. When there are more students graduating from the Military Academy, we will gradually cancel the military examination.

By the way, tell those candidates who were eliminated in the first and second rounds of the Beijing exam that if they are willing, they can come to Beijing in November this year to apply for the Tang Dynasty Military Academy. "After Li Chengqian finished speaking, he opened the scorebook of 11 martial arts candidates. When he saw the name of the first place, Li Chengqian was surprised.

"The first place is Xue Li? Xue Rengui from Hedong?"

"Yeah, how come Dalang knows him?" Li Dejian asked in confusion.

"Anyone with a little historical knowledge knows Xue Rengui, the man who conquered Tianshan with three arrows. In the early Tang Dynasty when many generals gathered, he was still so dazzling, which shows how powerful Xue Rengui was. I originally wanted to send the Jinyiwei to Xiu Village, Longmen County, Jiangzhou, Hedong Road to look for him, but I didn't expect that he came to participate in the military examination." Li Chengqian thought.

Li Chengqian looked at Xue Rengui's results and nodded with satisfaction.

"Well, he got A in the literary examination, second in the practical deduction, and A in all five items of the martial arts examination. Not bad results, worthy of being a seeded player." Li Chengqian continued reading.

"Hey, this person is quite interesting. He got A in the literary test and first in deduction. In the martial arts test, except for A in archery, he got C in all other subjects. He ranks 10th? There are many candidates behind him whose scores look better than his." Li Chengqian wondered.

"You are talking about Zhuge Fu, right? This guy has some skills. My father (Li Jing is the deputy examiner of this Beijing exam) praised him after reading his answers to the military theory exam, saying that he has the talent of a general. He is very good at deducing and deploying troops, and he does not play by the rules. He is good at using strange troops, which gives all opponents a headache.

The Duke of England had watched this guy's deduction once, and said that if he were to become an enemy of this guy, he would also have a headache. I also watched it twice. If you want to sound nice, you can call him a genius. If you want to sound bad, you can call him an old bastard. He is the kind of person who will kill people without paying for his life. "Li Dejian said thoughtfully.

"As for the martial arts test, he is basically a layman in martial arts and can't even tie a chicken. He shot ten arrows while riding and only hit the target with three. His physical fitness is terrible. If we were to face each other head-on, I could kill him in three rounds. If it weren't for my father's strong opposition, this guy wouldn't even be in the top 100." Li Dejian said disdainfully.

"Oh? Duke Weiguo thinks so highly of this person, I guess he must have some real skills." Li Chengqian smiled and put the list aside.

"Just follow this list. Tomorrow you will go to the palace to present it to the emperor and prepare for the palace examination. The top three candidates in martial arts will have to be chosen by your father." Li Chengqian said

Li Dejian submitted the results to Li Shimin, who ordered the palace examination to be held in Liangyi Hall and summoned the top ten candidates at the same time.

On the day of the palace examination, the top ten candidates arrived at the Liangyi Hall in advance. Zhuge Fu walked to Xue Li and whispered.

"Brother Rengui, you will definitely be the top scorer in this martial arts exam. I would like to congratulate you first."

"Zhici (Zhuge's second name), please don't make fun of me. The top three in the martial arts examination need to be selected by Your Majesty. Your Majesty hasn't made a decision yet, so how dare I talk about the top scorer?" Xue Li said with a simple smile.

"Brother, there is no need to be modest. Among all the people in this martial arts examination, your strategy is not inferior to mine, and your martial arts are the best among them. If you are not the top scorer, who can be the top scorer?" Zhuge Fu said with a smile.

"Zhici's strategy is far superior to mine, but it's a pity that he has been weak since childhood, otherwise how could I be your opponent? However, I have never understood that with your talent and intelligence, if you study hard, it should be no problem for you to pass the imperial examination and become the top scholar. Why do you have to give up literature and pursue martial arts?" Xue Li asked.

"Hehe. What I hate most is people shaking their heads and pretending to be serious. A real man should hold a three-foot sword and accomplish great feats. This is what I wish for." Zhuge Fu said proudly. When the two were about to continue chatting, they suddenly heard a palace servant announce, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has arrived."

The two quickly stood back to their original positions, and Li Shimin and Li Chengqian walked to their seats and sat down. Li Shimin stroked his beard and said with a smile.

"Thank you for your hard work, all the candidates. I have long wanted to see the elegance of Ying'er of Tang Dynasty. I am very pleased to see you all in the palace examination today. The top three candidates in this martial arts examination will be announced." After Li Shimin finished speaking, Xue Li and other top three candidates in the martial arts examination came out and bowed and saluted.

"Well, not bad, you have a lot of energy and spirit. I have seen the test results of the three of you, they are all very good. Xue Li, come forward to receive the title." Li Shimin said with a smile.

"Xue Li, kneel down and listen to the imperial edict." Xue Li knelt on one knee and said.

"Xue Li is a man of both civil and military talents. He won first place in this military examination and was named the top martial arts scholar. He was granted the title of fifth rank, guerrilla general, and entered the prince's mansion to accompany him to the Eastern Palace." Li Shimin said.

Xue Li was stunned when he heard this.

"From the fifth rank, it is easy to understand that he is a guerrilla general. After all, he is the first martial arts champion. But why did he go to the East Palace? The current prince is no less capable than a saint in both civil and military affairs. Moreover, his subordinates are all brave generals and strong troops. Whenever the Tang Dynasty has a war, the prince's men will participate. Besides, the Prince's Mansion, to accompany the future emperor and be a minister in the palace. Isn't this a bit too self-important?" Xue Li certainly didn't know that he was specifically requested by Li Chengqian.

"Mr. Xue, why don't you thank me?" Li Chengqian said with a smile.

"Your servant Xue Li, accepts your orders and thanks you." Xue Li woke up with a start and thanked him hurriedly.

Li Shimin also named the second place in the military examination as Wu Bangyan, and granted him the title of the sixth rank, Zhaowu Xiaowei, and appointed him to Youweiwei. The third place in the military examination was named Wu Tanhua, and granted him the title of the sixth rank, Zhaowu Fuwei, and appointed him to Zuoweiwei. For the rest of the 200 candidates, the officials drafted official titles and arranged military positions.

After Li Shimin named the top three candidates in the martial arts examination, he stood up and said with a smile.

"In order to protect the Tang Dynasty for eternity, I have decided to accept the prince's proposal to build the Tang Dynasty Military Academy. The Military Academy will recruit talents from all over the world for systematic training, and continuously supply fresh blood to our Tang Dynasty army. The Military Academy was built near the Royal Horse Farm. I am the principal, the prince and the Duke of Weiguo are vice-principals, and the Dukes of China and veterans of the various armies are professors.

From now on, the Ministry of Revenue will provide food and lodging for students of the Imperial College and the Military Academy during their stay in school, and they will be awarded the gold medal of "Son of Heaven's Disciple" after graduation. I will personally issue graduation certificates to the top ten students of the Military Academy, and grant them a royal sword, and the rank of Grade 7, Upper, and the title of Guo Xiaowei. The rest of the graduates will be awarded Grade 7, Lower, and the title of Guo Fuwei. Today I will hold a banquet here to entertain you all. "Everyone shouted "Long live the emperor" when they heard this.

After the banquet, Zhuge Fu just walked out of the palace gate. He saw a big man walking towards him, and the man clasped his fists and said.

"You are Zhuge Fu, and I am Deng Xiaohu, a servant of the Crown Prince's Mansion."

"It turns out to be Lord Tiger, who risked his life to save his master, was wounded dozens of times, and fought bravely against the enemy. I, Zhuge Fu, am honored to meet you." Upon hearing this, Zhuge Fu hurriedly saluted.

"Mr. Zhuge, you're too polite. I'm just the master's servant. I don't really care whether I'm a tiger marquis or not. If you don't mind, Mr. Zhuge, you can just call me Ah Hu." Deng Xiaohu said with a silly smile and scratched his head.

"Brother Hu, what do you want to talk to me about?" Zhuge Fu asked.

"My master would like to invite Mr. Zhuge to the Prince's Mansion in a few days for a chat. My master wants you to work in the Prince's Mansion, so I am here to inform you. Please give me a reply after careful consideration in a few days." Deng Xiaohu said with a smile.

"Please tell the prince that I will visit you in a few days." Zhuge Fu bowed.

Li Shimin issued an edict to build the Tang Military Academy. When the people in the Tang Dynasty heard that they would be awarded a gold medal of "Crown Prince's Disciple" after graduation, countless young and middle-aged people with lofty ambitions came to Chang'an to sign up.

The Military Academy is located next to the Royal Horse Farm and covers a large area. On the day the Military Academy was built, Li Chengqian wrote the couplet of the Whampoa Military Academy, "The guests are free from resentment, and our military is strong", which means: recruit talents widely and make the military powerful. It was hung high at the entrance of the Military Academy.

Entering the gate of the Military Academy, there is a huge stone standing in front of you. This stone was found by Li Chengqian from Yinshan Mountain. On the stone is engraved "It is the duty of a soldier to obey orders, and it is an honor for a soldier to die in battle to defend his country", and below is engraved "Fight for the Empire, for Your Majesty, for glory, and for eternal peace".

Li Shimin was present at the opening ceremony on the day of the school. His impassioned speech made all the students in the Military Academy excited and passionate.