Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 104 Interesting Strategy (Subscription Request)
In the temporary examination hall converted from the palace, Lu Jin sat in the center hall drinking tea, while Li Shanchang and Feng Guoyong were wandering around below.

The two of them chatted in low voices while checking the candidates' answers.

"This question, Marshal, is very interesting." Li Shanchang couldn't help laughing.

Feng Guoyong also nodded and said, "Yes, the key point of this question is to limit it to 20 articles. There are many laws and regulations, and in troubled times, people's hearts need to be stabilized. Which laws are the most important? From the emphasis of the students' answers, we can see a person's governance level."

The two of them walked around and found that each of them had different emphases. Some believed that severe punishments should be used in troubled times, and that punishments that were not severe enough could not deter villains.

Some people think that it is urgent to put things right now and to abolish the Yuan laws that legalize selling people and usury first, and abolish these clauses that harm people first.

There were even clerks who were expelled from the Yuan court and were extremely experienced in writing.

There are generally only a few common types of legal cases, including criminal cases such as murder, theft, robbery, rape, household registration and tax cases, and property disputes. As long as you handle these well, you can quickly stabilize people's hearts and you can tell at a glance that the lawyer has experience in handling cases.

Lu Jin looked at his watch and asked the second question half an hour later.

“The second question is to encourage farmers.

“Whether it’s an army or a country, the most urgent task is to have enough soldiers and food. I’ve heard that Luzhou has been an important grain-producing area since ancient times. Whenever there was a disaster or famine, Luzhou could not only feed the people within its jurisdiction, but also provide grain relief to nearby counties.

"During the Song Dynasty, Luzhou had double-season rice again. It was also planted in the early Yuan Dynasty, but it is gone now.

"How do you think we should encourage people to cultivate crops and restore double-season rice cultivation? Or how to cultivate land? What methods do you think we should use? Please write them down. Please give your thoughts."

This question is a little difficult. Even if you have never been to the fields yourself, you have to be very familiar with farming, otherwise you will not be able to answer it at all.

However, even landlords in ancient times had to care about agricultural production. There were not as many "urban populations" as there are today who do not know the difference between grains, so they all had some knowledge of farming.

Some people thought for a moment and then started writing quickly, while others bit the tip of the pen, not knowing where to start.

Half an hour later, Lu Jin asked the third question.

“The third question is about military preparation.

"As the head of a county, I don't ask you to fight the enemy, but if the enemy comes, you should lead the soldiers and civilians in the city to defend the city, right? Even if there are military generals guarding the city, you should cooperate as a civil official.

"How do you cooperate with the generals to defend the city? What items should we pay attention to? Please try to explain."

As soon as the third question came out, Li Shanchang and Feng Guoyong couldn't help but sigh.

"The Marshal said that we will not test you on the meaning of the classics, but only on practical knowledge. It really is all about practical knowledge."

Feng Guoyong nodded and said, "Indeed, if we can stabilize public security, restore production, and have a way to defend the city when the enemy comes, whoever can do these three things will be able to secure the county!"

The exam lasted for three hours. Lu Jin asked the soldiers to serve tea to the candidates. If anyone wanted to go to the toilet, they could raise their hands and let the soldiers take them there. No one else was allowed to talk or whisper.

After a twenty-minute break, Lu Jin asked the fourth question.

"The fourth question is about official document writing. How to report the enemy situation, disaster situation, or people's sentiments? Please choose one and write an official document. You are not allowed to use allusions. It must be simple and concise with few words, and you are not allowed to use uncommon characters."

This question is even easier to answer. Rather than calling it an exam, it's more of an opportunity to set rules. When you report to your superiors in the future, don't give me a fucking ten-thousand-word letter that's filled with a ton of verbosity but contains only a few sentences of useful information.

Lu Jin remembered that after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang beat such a person, so it would be better to set the rules now.

"Question 5, arithmetic problem."

There are two arithmetic problems. One is how much food there is, how many people there are, how much each person consumes, and how to make careful calculations to hold out longer and overcome the difficulties when trapped in the city.

This question is true.
The second question is about food supply. How much food is needed for the front line, how long is the distance, how fast is the speed, how many days is the time limit, how much a vehicle can carry, the number of soldiers and horses required, and the consumption of the soldiers and horses themselves? The question is how many vehicles and laborers should be arranged to deliver the food on time.

Local officials are also responsible for organizing the laborers to deliver food to the front line, which is the job of the county magistrate.

Compound application questions are slightly more complicated, but they test more on logical analysis skills, and the mathematical calculations themselves are not difficult.

After the official document and arithmetic exams, it was almost dark. Lu Jin came to the middle of the candidates and said this.

"The last question, a policy essay question, is titled 'What is a country?'
"In ancient times, people wore animal skins, picked wild fruits, fished and hunted, ate raw meat and drank blood, lived in clan settlements, and there was no country. Therefore, the people could live without a country. If so, where did the word 'country' come from?

"Please think carefully, and write an article based on the current situation."

When this question came out, a group of candidates were dumbfounded. How could it have a bit of the meaning of an eight-part essay? If you want to write an essay well, you must first find a good angle to solve the question, and also combine it with the current world.

What is the current situation in the world? It is that the Yuan Dynasty is tyrannical and lawless, the world is in chaos, and the country is about to cease to exist!

Is that what you mean?
Many people began to think about how to solve the problem.

Li Shanchang and Feng Guoyong looked at each other again. The question the Marshal asked was quite sophisticated. How could an ordinary warrior come up with such a question?

In fact, Lu Jin mainly wanted to shape the ancient people's concept of the country. In ancient times, the concept of nation and country was not strong, and they did not realize what functions a "country" should have.

It may also be that China has been unified for too long, and it is surrounded by barbarians. On the contrary, Europe, with its numerous city-states, was the first to develop the modern concept of nation and state. However, there are pros and cons. Their development of this thing means that Europe will never have a chance to unify again.

What is the function of the state? The simplest one is to lead citizens to resist foreign enemies. Citizens voluntarily give up part of their power and hand it over to the rulers to centralize power and concentrate the power of the whole country to do things that a clan, a county, or a prefecture cannot do, such as disaster relief, such as Dayu's flood control.

Dayu's son Qi, inspired by his father's legacy of flood control, established the Xia Kingdom. This was something that no clan or tribe could do. Someone had to lead all the clans and tribes in the world to coordinate the management of the Yellow River. This is the role of the country!

On the other hand, the Yuan Dynasty seized power in this country but failed to fulfill its national responsibilities, allowing floods to spread and drowning so many people, so it deserves to die and its country deserves to be destroyed!

The Song Dynasty seized state power but was unable to lead the military and civilians to resist foreign enemies, so the Song Dynasty deserved to die and be destroyed.

Whoever can lead the people to fulfill this national responsibility like Dayu will be able to build a new country!
This shaped the national concept for the ancients and was also the basis for Lu Jin's rebellion.

Anyone with decent abilities can answer the previous questions, but this question is the basis for the ranking of scores. Whoever can match Lu Jin's brain waves will be at the top.

As it gradually got dark, Lu Jin asked people to light candles and oil lamps for them. After the two candles burned out, they just packed up.

Lu Jin said, "The results will be announced at 9:00 p.m. tomorrow," and took Li Shanchang and Feng Guoyong back to the Marshal's Mansion.

Three people graded the papers overnight, and there were more than 320 papers in total, which was not a lot.

"How many people does the Marshal want to recruit?" Li Shanchang asked while looking at the test paper.

Lu Jin calculated that he currently had Lu'an, Luzhou, Liangxian, Heyang, Chaoxian, Hanshan, and Wuwei, and he would soon take over Lujiang, Shucheng, Dingyuan, Quanjiao, and Chuzhou. That's 12 cities, one county magistrate, and one chief clerk, so all together he would have 24 people.

Qin Li has already taken the position of Lu'an County Magistrate. Li Shanchang's elder brother Li Xu was originally the County Magistrate of Dingyuan and had the merit of surrendering the city, so he could also be made a County Magistrate.

Bao Yu also made contributions, but Lu Jin did not intend to let him be the county magistrate. It would be better to keep him by his side to collect intelligence.

In this way, at least 10 county magistrates and 12 chief clerks must be recorded for the time being.

Lu Jin then said, "Ten county magistrates, twelve chief clerks, and some people will be left to work in the Marshal's Office. Let's pick forty first. The rest who are not selected can also serve as clerks first. When we conquer new territory, we can turn them into officials."

Li Shanchang nodded, and Feng Guoyong asked again, "How many clerks does the Marshal want to recruit in the army?"

Lu Jin thought for a moment and said, "There is one instructor for every 200 people in a company. A regiment would need about 20 people, and ten regiments would need people."

"This means that all the candidates this time will be admitted?" Feng Guoyong asked in surprise.

"That's not necessarily true. Let's take a test tomorrow to see their level. We'll pick out a few dozen to use first, and then select some from the army. Those who don't have real talent and knowledge can't be forced to make up the numbers. It's better to have less than enough." Lu Jin said immediately.

"That's good." Feng Guoyong nodded.

Li Shanchang was a little puzzled. "What is the role of this instructor appointed by the commander? If he is responsible for military law and military supplies, there is no need to set him so low. One for each battalion officer is enough. One for every 200 people seems too much."

Lu Jin was very persistent, "Not much. The instructors have a lot to do. They have to teach the soldiers to read and do arithmetic, help them read and write letters home, teach them to learn military regulations and military newspapers, and teach them to sing military songs. In short, everything that can boost morale should be done by them!"

Li Shanchang and Feng Guoyong looked at each other, both seemed puzzled, as they had never heard of such a position in the army.

Seeing their reactions, Lu Jin immediately explained.

"Since ancient times, those who talk about military affairs have said that they love their soldiers like their own sons, or that they love them like brothers. However, if a soldier violates military regulations, he will be beaten or killed. I would like to ask, is this the way to treat your brothers and nephews?
“When your brother’s son made a mistake, did you just beat him to death?

“Military law is indeed strict, but I think that education is the most important thing. As the saying goes, ‘If a son is not taught well, it is the fault of the father.’ If your brother’s son makes a mistake, it means that you, as a father, have not taught him well.

“Most scholars look down on warriors, thinking they are unlearned and unskilled. So why don’t they take the initiative to teach them?

"Just like soldiers robbing civilians and kidnapping women, why don't you teach them? Confucius said, 'Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you.' If you don't want your own sisters and mothers to be kidnapped, then don't kidnap other people's women. The truth is very simple, why don't you teach them?

"The morale of a soldier who passively follows military regulations is definitely different from that of a soldier who understands and actively follows and maintains military regulations. We are a royal army that establishes rules and regulations and helps the people. A royal army must have the demeanor of a royal army. Military education is particularly important!"

Li Shanchang was not known for his military talent, and he had never seen Lu Jin's operation. However, Lu Jin insisted on setting up this training officer, so just let him do it. After all, there were only twenty people in a regiment.

Feng Guoyong thought about it and did not object. He had read quite a few military books. In the past, when a general led the troops, he would win the hearts of the people by sucking out the pus from the wounded and sharing the joys and sorrows with the soldiers. Huo Qubing even poured the wine bestowed by the emperor into the spring water and drank it with the soldiers.

He had never seen Lu Jin play like this.

With the traditional way of leading troops, most soldiers are loyal to their generals, but it is hard to say whether they are loyal to the court or the emperor.

Simply put, generals have more influence than the imperial court and are more likely to become private soldiers.

But it is different to appoint a political commissar. It is to cultivate the public spirit of the soldiers. Even if they are not fighting for the emperor, they are fighting for the country, for their family, and for themselves. First, it can improve morale, and second, it is not easy to turn the soldiers into the generals' private soldiers.

This is very useful, but neither of them understands it and has never seen it.

The three of them began to mark the papers, and soon, Hu Weiyong's name appeared in Lu Jin's hand.

"Fuck, when did this guy come?"

(End of this chapter)