Longzang

Chapter 12 Literature Test
The written test was conducted in rounds of twenty, and it was already evening by the time all three hundred-plus candidates had finished. According to the regulations for this unified examination, the written test would be completed on the second day.

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Wei Yuan was led to a brightly lit hall. Tables, chairs, and writing implements had already been set up in the hall. Like Dao Ce, Wei Yuan saw his number flashing on a table as soon as he entered the hall.

Wei Yuan walked over and sat down, and immediately felt as if an invisible wall had risen around him, shutting out all sounds and noise. He couldn't hear anyone else's voice, and the surrounding scenery became blurry; even at the next table, he couldn't make out what was written on the paper.

The table was simply furnished. A sheet of white paper sat in the center, and to the right was a brush holder with a fine calligraphy brush. In the center of the table were an inkstone and a bowl of water. Then, the Taoist priest's clear voice rang out beside Wei Yuan, briefly explaining the uses of the various writing implements. The most remarkable thing was the bowl of water; if one made a mistake, dipping the brush in the water would erase it, allowing one to rewrite.

After explaining how to use the stationery, the Taoist priest's voice turned authoritative: "The written test, begin!"

As the Taoist priest spoke, lines of dense writing appeared on the white paper in front of Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan had picked up a pen, but was taken aback when he saw the exam paper. There was practically no blank space on the paper; where was there room for him to write his answers?
Wei Yuan composed himself and carefully read the questions. The first question was:

In the thirteenth year of Emperor Jingxuan's reign, ( ) stopped Emperor Hui's carriage and presented "Eight Strategies for Pacifying Liaodong".

A: Zhongheng; B: Ding Shu; C: Gongshu Luyuan; D: Xianju Daozhang
Wei Yuan had never heard such a question before, nor had Zhang Sheng mentioned it. Fortunately, the question was not difficult, and this matter was a major event in Tang's history. Wei Yuan had a solid foundation in history, and after a quick search of his memory, he picked up his pen and put a checkmark on the character "丁".

Then comes the second question: In the thirty-fifth year of Mingde, ( ) led 8,100 armored soldiers and defeated the mountain people at Ji, killing 273.

A: Mao Gong; B: Xu Chu; C: Master Huihai; D: Harnikz
This question was no challenge for Wei Yuan, who knew the history of Tang Dynasty by heart. He glanced at it and immediately saw the characters "Xu Chu," then ticked the "B" mark. After answering the question, Wei Yuan's pounding heart gradually calmed down. Although the question format was strange, it wasn't actually that difficult. If all the questions were like this, the written test would be a piece of cake.

However, a strange thought suddenly surfaced in Wei Yuan's mind: what if this question wasn't about Xu Chu, but about the 34th, 35th, or 36th year of the Mingde era, or even more extreme, about the number of armored soldiers being 8,100 or 8,200, or even about whether 273 or 74 soldiers had been killed...

Xiao Weiyuan suddenly shuddered and quickly banished the terrible thought from his mind. Then he chuckled to himself, thinking to himself, "Who would be so stupid as to ask such a foolish question?"
Wei Yuan gradually calmed down and answered fluently. The subsequent questions did not contain anything that had frightened him.

After answering a page of questions, Wei Yuan would put it aside, and a new blank sheet of paper would automatically appear on the table with new questions.

Soon, Wei Yuan encountered yet another unfamiliar question: In the twenty-first year of Xuanwu, Emperor Taizong of Tang defeated the Northern Liao at ( ), and seized seven thousand li of land, establishing ( ) prefecture.

This time there are no options for A, B, C, or D; you have to fill them in yourself.

This battle was the decisive one for the Tang Dynasty, during which Emperor Taizong fought for seven months, ultimately defeating the Northern Liao at Wuyang, beheading two of the Northern Liao's three great national advisors, and establishing seven prefectures in Yanzhou. Of course, Yanzhou now has twenty-two prefectures, but that's another story.

Such an important matter was no challenge for Wei Yuan. He picked up his brush and began to write, each character upright and vigorous. He discovered that the brush in his hand was also quite ingenious; it could produce extremely fine strokes, even characters the size of a grain of rice. The brush Wei Yuan used as a child was not so good; characters the size of a bean would easily become a blurry mess.

Wei Yuan wrote furiously, and the test papers on the table grew taller and taller. After answering more than a dozen pages, only one line appeared on the new blank paper, the rest was blank: On Xu Jie's Presentation of Emperor Mingzong's "Letter of Accepting Worthy Men".

Policy Discussion!

Wei Yuan's spirits lifted immediately; the familiar place had finally arrived.

Xu Jie was a renowned prime minister in the early years of the Tang Dynasty. He presented a letter to Emperor Mingzong, who had recently ascended the throne, advising him to open up more channels for recruiting talented individuals, thus laying the foundation for a century of prosperity that followed. This question actually tests the strategy of employing people, specifically whether to employ people based on virtue or talent.

After a moment's thought, Wei Yuan began to write rapidly, his pen moving swiftly. When Zhang Sheng taught him, he not only required Wei Yuan to memorize the Book of Recruiting Talents, but also to carefully interpret each point, explaining the actual impact of each point in light of historical facts. Finally, he made Wei Yuan consider how the strategies in the book would affect different eras, and only when he could answer all of them would he be satisfied.

There is no fixed answer to this kind of question. According to Zhang Sheng's instruction, a qualified answer requires consideration of the prevailing circumstances at the time. Anything divorced from the context of the time is just empty talk.

In a short while, Wei Yuan had finished writing the entire page, set it aside, and began to look at the next question:
In the tenth year of the Xuan Guang era, an earthquake struck three prefectures of the Western Jin Dynasty. In March, starving people rose up in rebellion, and in May, mountain people from the south invaded. General Fan Yuan led 50,000 troops away from the capital. Should he advance westward or southward?
This question tests whether to prioritize external defense or internal pacification, but there's no definitive answer. Historically, Fan Yuan's westward campaign to suppress famine victims resulted in the beheading of hundreds of thousands, yet the unrest persisted. Taking advantage of the chaos, mountain tribes invaded, threatening the capital and ultimately forcing the Western Jin to sign a humiliating treaty. As a result, the Western Jin's power was greatly diminished, falling from one of the three major warlords to the bottom of the nine kingdoms.

This question is quite difficult. Wei Yuan pondered for a moment, then looked for some real cases in historical books as references and began to discuss the gains and losses.

To answer this question well, one needs not only to learn from history but also to be familiar with the geographical environment of the Western Jin Dynasty, the characteristics of its rulers and ministers, and the movements of neighboring states. This is far beyond Wei Yuan's capabilities. Even a scholar of history would struggle to answer this question.

Sheets of white paper were filled with writing, then placed aside. Before he knew it, nearly two hours had passed, yet Wei Yuan felt no fatigue whatsoever. The cool air emanating from the chair he sat on kept him mentally sharp and full of energy.

When Wei Yuan filled another blank sheet of paper and put it aside, there were no more blank sheets of paper on the table. Wei Yuan let out a breath, put the pen back on the pen holder, picked up the completed exam paper, and reviewed it again. Throughout the entire exam, Wei Yuan hadn't encountered any questions he couldn't answer. There were a few unresolved questions in the policy essay section, but Wei Yuan remembered to justify his answers and was satisfied with his performance.

Judging solely from the strategy questions, the questions Zhang Sheng had previously given Wei Yuan were far more difficult than this exam.

With the tolling of a bell, the written test came to an end.

The candidates left their exam papers on the table and filed out of the main hall to return to their quarters to rest.

Leaving the main hall, Wei Yuan immediately felt a wave of weariness wash over him. Even with the support of the throne, the three-hour written test had completely exhausted him. The other examinees were also too exhausted to speak, hurrying back to their rooms to rest. The martial arts test was early the next morning; they needed to be well-rested.

(End of this chapter)