1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 321 Imperial Civil Service

Time passed, and the autumn of 1472 arrived as expected in the gentle breeze and drizzle.

The weather was gradually getting colder, and there was a chill in the sea breeze. A young man was riding a horse, slowly walking down the mountain path. The road was not steep, and the docile mare was also very steady.

The mountain scenery is picturesque, with the green trees on the mountainside and the white snow on the top of the mountain complementing each other. As the sun sets, the glow of the sunset gives the snow-capped mountain top a layer of gold.

This is Mount Olympus, the mountain of all gods and the sacred mountain in ancient Greek mythology. According to legend, this mountain was once the residence of the gods, and the rarely visited central main peak was the throne of Zeus, the chief of the gods.

After Rome converted to Christianity, the status of polytheism declined significantly and by the end of the 15th century it had basically disappeared. This holy mountain became an ordinary mountain range near Thessalonica, becoming the boundary mountain between the Thessaly region and the South Macedonia region.

A few years ago, the emperor established the Royal Academy of Sciences in Constantinople, funded Veneto Vittorio to invent the telescope, and agreed to his request to build an observatory for him for astronomical research.

Veneto traveled all over the empire, repeatedly inspecting the conditions in various places just to select the best observation points.

Perhaps because he liked the scenery here, or perhaps because he thought it was close to Thessalonica, the second largest city in the Balkans, or perhaps because he was influenced by ancient Greek mythology and believed that this was the "place of light" and the closest place to the kingdom of God, Veneto finally chose Mount Olympus and planned to build an observatory on a mountainside with a wide view.

The observatory cost a lot of money, and the emperor attached great importance to this kind of scientific research. Even though the war was in full swing, the construction of the observatory was not affected. Carriages dragged various building materials up the mountainside, slaves installed marble on the base, and architects contributed their talents to the observatory.

Just last year, the Olympus Observatory was officially completed, with residential areas, research areas, observation areas, a chapel... everything available.

After the observatory was completed, the small village at the foot of the mountain developed rapidly. The villagers would regularly provide food and various supplies to the observatory. The staff of the observatory also liked to come to the village in their spare time, have a few drinks in the tavern, listen to the poems of the bards, and listen to the legendary stories made up by the old drinkers.

The sky gradually darkened, and the lights were on in the village at the foot of the mountain. The air seemed to be filled with the faint aroma of wine and food. The young man was invigorated, patted the horse's back, and trotted off.

As the village got closer, there were more farmlands and animal pens. By the well at the entrance of the village, farmers were carrying buckets of water back home. In the fields by the roadside, several children gathered together, chasing and playing. They would be responsible for guarding the grape fields and olive fields at night, but they were not on guard against thieves, but birds and beasts.

The people here are simple and honest. If a passing traveler is thirsty and wants to pick a few bunches of grapes to eat, it is not considered stealing.

When the granaries are full, people will know etiquette. The emperor does not like to plunder people's wealth. Years of light taxes and levies have allowed the people of the Eastern Roman Empire to live a better life that was unimaginable before. Only when their stomachs are filled will people pay attention to civilization and culture, the rule of law and morality.

"Herris, do you want to try some of my grapes?"

The children spotted the young man, and one of the older ones waved a half-cut piece of smoked ham in his hand and shouted at him incoherently.

"You said last time that my grapes weren't as delicious as Old John's. This time we used bone meal fertilizer. Let's see how it goes."

"Maybe some other time! I want to drink today!"

Harris also shouted loudly and waved to the children.

"It's cold in the mountains, don't get drunk, or you might freeze to death on the way!"

The children burst into laughter, made faces at Herries, and ran away.

Herris smiled and shook his head, walked straight to his destination, tied the horse to a pillar, and pushed open the door of the tavern.

The tavern was bustling with activity and everything was as usual. The hunter returning home was carrying a bloody hare and arguing with the tavern owner about the price. The drinkers sat in groups of three or five around the wooden table, making vulgar jokes at the waitresses, each holding a large glass of turbid ale in their hands.

Harris was obviously a regular customer of the tavern. The old and frail tavern owner nodded slightly at him across the bar, and several drunken guests also greeted him loudly.

Chris was a person who couldn't stand loneliness. He liked this atmosphere very much. He looked around with a smile, but found some unfamiliar faces.

A tall stranger examined him, looking him over from head to toe, his eyes filled with pride and disdain.

"When will barbarians be able to drink in Roman taverns?"

Harris, who was about to walk to the bar, frowned and ignored him, but the stranger took a step forward and blocked his way.

"I'm asking you, barbarian."

The stranger's mouth curled up slightly as he took in his slightly odd features and darker skin.

"Where did you come from?"

"India? Congo? Cuba? New Thrace?"

The atmosphere in the pub became stagnant. The drinkers stared at the two men, some with frowns on their faces, some looking nonchalant, and others whistling, waiting to see a good show.

Harris did not answer, his expression calm, as if he was waiting for the stranger to make way.

"Hey you--"

"Okay, get out. You're not welcome here."

The tavern owner's weathered voice sounded.

"I'm talking about you, blondie."

The tavern owner looked at the stranger's long golden hair.

"You ask where he came from, and where do you come from?"

"Me? I'm from Genoa. The most noble emperor has half Genoese blood!"

The stranger's partiality for the tavern owner seemed somewhat incredible.

"As far as I know, the Republic of Genoa almost no longer exists. It was defeated by the French many years ago. It has finally increased its autonomy, but now it seems to be attacked by the Milanese tyrant again."

The tavern owner said calmly.

"You are not fleeing here, are you?"

Seeing that the stranger's face was becoming increasingly ugly, the tavern owner took out a few copper coins and began to count them.

"You should be thankful that you are a Genoese, not a Venetian, or you probably wouldn't be alive today."

"For the sake of the late Queen Catherine and your help in recovering the capital, we can accept the Genoese, but you must abide by our rules."

The tavern owner threw the counted copper coins to him.

"Leave, I won't take your money. Remember to pay attention next time."

The stranger took the money, his face changed, he cursed, and left the tavern in shame.

"Thank you, old Rick."

Herlis approached the bar and handed over a gold coin.

"Same old thing, Athenian ouzo, and candied kola nuts."

"too much."

Old Rick, without even looking up, poured a glass of aniseed wine for Herris.

"Candied kola nuts are out, but would dates work? Or salted olives?"

"Okay, let's have the dried dates. I won't give you any more. Just consider it as a thank you gift."

Chris took the aniseed wine and dried dates, looked around, found an empty seat, sat down, took a sip of wine, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"you……"

A voice sounded from beside him. Harris turned his head and saw another unfamiliar face with blonde hair.

Harris was a little annoyed. He didn't like to cause trouble, but the repeated provocations still made him annoyed.

"Why? Another Genoese?"

Herris stared at him.

"Sorry, I just want to talk... From your looks, you came here from afar, maybe you have the same purpose as me..."

The blond young man was startled and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Besides, I'm not a Genoese, I'm a Milanese... Three years ago, I crossed the sea to the Western Frontier, and the emperor called us Latin Romans."

Milan smiled in a friendly manner.

"I'm also a little curious, where are you from?"

Seeing that Harris was still a little irritated, the Milanese felt a little embarrassed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean anything else..."

Harris took another sip of wine and exhaled the alcohol.

"My father is a Roman, and my mother is a Khoisan from New Thrace. I was brought here by my father when I was six, but was abandoned. I was then protected by Prince Alexios, and grew up and studied in Bulgaria. Are you satisfied?"

"It's really legendary..."

The Milanese were somewhat surprised.

"I heard that New Thrace is full of gold, ivory and diamonds. Is that true?"

"How should I know? I've been here since I can remember, until now. I'm almost fifteen years old."

"You're not yet an adult?"

The Milanese became serious and looked at the tall figure of Chris.

"My mother said that you can only drink after you turn sixteen, and you can't drink too much."

Harris found it a little funny and ignored him.

The Milanese shook his head with some regret and drank the beer in the glass.

"What do you do? You look like you are quite rich. You can even afford aniseed wine."

"I came down from the mountain."

Harris finished his drink and asked for another one.

"Olympus Observatory, Padawan."

"Observatory? That's amazing."

The Milanese's eyes lit up.

"When I passed by Larissa, I went to listen to a speech by students from the University of Larissa. They said that Academician Veneto of the Olympus Observatory observed Saturn with an astronomical telescope, is that right?"

"Yes, but I feel his conclusion may be wrong."

Seeing that the Milanese had no hostility, Chris, who was naturally a lively person, also started talking.

"Academician Veneto believes that Saturn is actually three planets orbiting each other, which form the rings."

Harris thought.

"Your Majesty received the report from Academician Veneto, but he obviously did not agree with his conclusions and asked him to continue his research."

"how about you?"

The Milanese were confused and didn't quite understand.

"Me? I'm just an apprentice who does odd jobs. To be honest, I'm not that interested in these things."

Harris shook his head.

"I want to deal with people more than stars."

"But Academician Veneto has been very good to us, so I have no reason to resign."

"Besides, this position was recommended to me by Prince Alexius, and I don't want to make him sad."

"As long as you contribute to the empire, how can His Royal Highness be sad?"

The Milanese finished his beer and smacked his lips.

Seeing this, Herlis waved his hand, asked for a glass of anise wine for the Milanese, and pushed the plate of dates towards him.

"Thank you very much!"

The Milanese chuckled.

"I thought you were here to take the exam as well."

"Taking an exam?"

Harris raised an eyebrow.

"What's the test?"

"Don't you know? The papers in Constantinople and Carthage have all published it, and the Daily Chronicle has also written it clearly."

Milanese dug into the package and pulled out a crumpled newspaper.

"Here, the latest issue of Carthage Monthly is for you."

The Milanese graciously handed the newspaper to Herris.

Harris took it and looked at it carefully.

"There are too many newly conquered lands. The emperor plans to expand the government and make some reforms. He will adopt an examination system to select civil servants. The main purpose is twofold: open examination and admission based on merit."

The Milanese explained while drinking.

"The first civil service examination will be held soon. The examination venue will be set up in Constantinople. There are more than 2,600 positions in total. The examination will be written in three languages: Greek, Latin, and Arabic."

"There are five compulsory subjects: Greek literature, law, geography, history and agriculture."

"There are many elective subjects. Different positions have different requirements, such as Latin literature, natural philosophy, chemistry, and many small languages, such as Nahua, Hindi, and Persian. These are special requirements of the Colonial Office and the Foreign Office."

"Everyone has to take the compulsory subjects, but positions are based on individual subject scores. You are not required to know all of them."

Milanese said. "For example, if you get full marks in the agronomy exam, even if you get zero marks in other subjects, you will be admitted to the agricultural department or agricultural institute."

"Some important departments may have higher requirements, such as administrative departments, Greek, law, history and geography, which cannot be too low."

"You can choose elective subjects based on your needs. Each department has different required subjects."

"I plan to study Greek, Latin and history more, hoping to enter the education department."

The Milanese said enthusiastically.

"In theory, all citizens with Roman citizenship can take the exam, but only a few people are actually able to take the exam, and most of them are in big cities."

"Now the emperor has money and is preparing to open a large number of schools to improve the quality of the people and strengthen cultural education. Full-time schools will be established in large cities. After receiving early education in Sunday schools, some outstanding students will be sent to full-time middle schools. The outstanding students in full-time middle schools will enter higher education institutions. Part of the funds will be donated by wealthy merchants and nobles, and part will be provided by the central government."

"The emperor will also set up royal scholarships to help students who have excellent academic performance but come from poor families."

"As for military schools and seminaries, they are different systems. We don't think it's possible."

Seeing that Herris was lost in thought, the Milanese continued.

"The civil service examination is divided into three parts. In the first round of examinations, students will be divided into several categories based on their scores and assigned to various employing departments. They will then take the second examination to select the most qualified talents, rather than the talents with the highest comprehensive scores."

"The third exam is the final one. The emperor will set the questions himself. In fact, your destination has already been decided before this exam. But it is also very important because it is related to the emperor's opinion of you."

The Milanese paused.

"After all, in this country, the emperor has the final say."

"At the end there is an interview to test your practical ability. Some people joked that if you want to work for the Ministry of Agriculture, you will probably be taken to the fields to identify crops and how to deal with diseases."

The Milanese smiled.

"This is the first exam and it's still in the experimental stage. The admission standard may be very low. I must give it a try."

"It says that the Minister of Education, Balsamon, has printed out some test questions?"

Heris raised his head and looked at Milan.

"Yes, in every Sunday school, and in the newspapers."

The Milanese reached out his hand again and pulled out a few sheets of paper from his bag, which were densely covered with comments.

"History test question three, please explain the causes and consequences of the Punic Wars and their impact on later generations."

The Milanese read it.

Harris thought about it, didn't think so, and shook his head.

Milan grunted and pulled out a second sheet of paper.

"This is the retest question from the Ministry of Education, which is basically very subjective."

"History Education Question 2: According to accurate research, both the Khoisan people living in New Thrace and the Tlaxcalans living in New Rome have the same ancestors as the Romans, but they all went astray. We should reintroduce them under the illumination of the double-headed eagle flag and let them learn the writing and language of God. Please explain your educational methods."

“No, but it’s a good topic.”

Harris nodded with some relief.

"History Education Test Question 5: Emperor Isaac taught us to be honest. If you were a teacher, please briefly describe your teaching methods."

Seeing that Chris was still shaking his head, the Milanese sighed.

"Look, you don't know anything, how can this be possible?"

The Milanese thought about it.

"But you can actually take the exam. There's a shortage of people everywhere right now. As long as you can barely pass the key subjects, I'm sure there will be a position."

“Is there no age requirement?”

Harris' eyes lit up.

"The emperor was short of men, so he lowered the adult standard by one year. Now, those between fifteen and eighteen can serve as lower-level clerks, such as copyists. There are no restrictions for those over eighteen."

The Milanese shrugged.

"However, I advise you not to make a hasty decision. An apprentice at the observatory is already a very good position. You may not get more salary if you go to the administrative department."

“Besides, you might even be discriminated against.”

Harris' eyes flickered, but he did not answer directly.

"Ever heard of Archbishop Valens of New Rome?"

"no, what happened?"

The Milanese were confused.

"He is of Arab descent, and it is said that he was promoted out of turn because of his special identity."

Herris said.

"The emperor intends to assimilate me. Perhaps that will give me more opportunities?"

"Maybe. The first civil service exam is still three months away. You can take this opportunity to prepare."

The Milanese said.

"Next month, there will be a registration point in Thessalonica. After signing up, we can go to Constantinople together. How about that?"

"Good! I still don't like observing the stars. Prince Alexios and Academician Veneto will definitely not object to my contribution to the empire."

Harris nodded heavily, threw down his glass, and rushed out of the tavern.

The sky outside was full of stars. Herlis mounted his horse and galloped towards the post station at the east end of the village.

The weather was a little chilly, but Harris' heart was burning with passion. He rode his horse wildly under the influence of alcohol.

"Herris?"

Outside the post station, Veneto, an astronomer from the Royal Academy of Sciences, was stunned when he saw Christie.

"Come to send a letter too?"

"No, sir, I know you came to post a letter. I came to see you."

Harris dismounted and bowed.

"Oh, that's perfect. It's getting late. Let's go back together."

Veneto nodded and mounted his horse.

Seeing that Chris was standing there stubbornly, Veneto was a little confused.

"what happened?"

"You're not going back to the mountains with me?"

Harris nodded.

"Teacher, I don't want to go back."

"Herris, aren't you happy that you're with me?"

Veneto asked with concern, thinking that his apprentice was worried about something.

"I'm happy... but a little uncomfortable."

Harris lowered his head.

"I thought about it and I still don't like the boring life and looking at the stars. I want to take the civil service exam, go to a big city, and realize my own value!"

Veneto was silent for a moment and then smiled.

"You should know that it was Prince Alexios who asked His Majesty to help you, and you were the most studious one, so you came to the observatory, which ordinary people cannot enter."

"Yes, I'm sorry."

Herlis whispered.

"Everyone has their own aspirations, I won't stop you."

Veneto nodded, took out his purse and handed it to Herice.

"This is your salary for these years. Use it to buy books."

"teacher……"

Christie took the purse and looked at Veneto.

"I know a few scholars who are writing textbooks. You will definitely have to deal with them when the time comes. Please mention my name."

Veneto touched Herris's head.

"They are all a bunch of diehards. They won't give you any preferential treatment just because you were my student, but they will definitely let you enjoy the same treatment as ordinary Roman students to prevent you from being bullied."

"Thank you, teacher. I——"

Harris was somewhat moved, and hesitated for a moment.

"Go ahead, and I wish you good luck on your exam."

Veneto winked at Herris and rode away.

……

Constantinople, the Great Palace, the study was brightly lit, and Isaac sat in his seat, facing the three officials.

The three officials were all wearing official uniforms of their own design. The old man in the middle wore a golden double-headed eagle badge. The double-headed eagle had shining eyes and a scepter in its claws. This was the Prime Minister of the Empire, Isurter.

The one on the left is wearing a silver double-headed eagle badge with books in its two sharp claws. He is the Minister of Education, Balsamon.

The person on the right also wears a golden double-headed eagle badge, but his right eye is bright and his left eye is dim. This is Basilius, the vice-prime minister in charge of eastern affairs.

After the end of the Great Turkish War, faced with a large number of newly conquered territories and newly surrendered populations, Isaac's already imperfect administrative system suddenly ran into problems. Taking this opportunity, Isaac prepared to reform government departments, expand the education department, provide talents for the administrative department, and promote cultural assimilation.

In fact, the Eastern Roman Empire once had a relatively good administrative system, but it declined during the Komnenian dynasty and began to gradually shift from a "public world" to a "family world". A large number of children from aristocratic families controlled the political power, and the lower-class people lacked opportunities for promotion.

This system of the Komnenos Dynasty superficially strengthened the royal centralization, but in reality, the rise of bureaucratic families challenged the imperial power and caused a series of problems. These bureaucratic families were proficient in corruption, selling official positions and heavy taxes, and administrative efficiency was very low.

Isaac's administrative department also had these problems. It had long adopted the "grant bureaucracy", in which staff in various departments were directly appointed by the emperor and senior officials. In the long run, this was by no means a good thing.

The Eastern Roman Empire was now in its heyday and everything was under control, but as time went by, various problems would emerge one after another. It was very likely that future emperors would be kept in the dark by these seemingly loyal aristocratic officials and be unaware of the sufferings of the people. They might even be sidelined or even overthrown by officials in power.

Now that Isaac is not short of money, he should make a change.

It is impossible to completely eliminate the hereditary succession of favored officials and nobles because it touches the interests of too many people. After Isaac's death, these people will quickly counterattack, causing all efforts to fail.

What Isaac wanted was to establish a relatively complete grassroots civil service system on the basis of ensuring the interests of the aristocratic families, and to ensure the efficiency and integrity of grassroots departments through examinations and assessments.

Of course, most of the top officials are still children of aristocratic families. There is no way to change this, and it remains the same even in the 21st century.

However, a strong empire needs fresh blood, and it also needs to allow the lower-class people to see hope and have the opportunity to change their destiny. Only in this way will they have a strong centripetal force towards the country.

Isaac roughly formulated a set of civil service reform plans. Based on the Eastern Roman Empire's own administrative system, he referred to some advantages of the civil service systems of Eastern dynasties and the British Empire, in order to make the imperial government relatively efficient as much as possible.

In this plan, grassroots civil servants are "administrative officials" rather than "political officials". They are policy executors rather than decision makers, and will always carry out the emperor's orders.

After a few decades, internal struggles will intensify, major families will compete for power, and cabinet ministers will likely collapse and be reorganized in repeated political struggles, but the entire civil service system will not be disturbed by this, will not be paralyzed by changes in the cabinet, and will not lead to the demise of the government due to the turmoil caused by political struggles, forming a "never-renewed behind-the-scenes government."

In addition, strong support for the education sector is also necessary. Education is of vital importance to a country. What kind of person a child grows up to be depends largely on the education he receives. Even a pure Turk can become a Roman citizen after receiving a complete set of Roman education in Constantinople.

If a Russian from the steppe is left alone, even if he changes to speaking Greek and believes in Orthodox Christianity, he will still maintain a distance from this country, whether shallow or deep, and will not be able to fully integrate with the main ethnic group.

The gold from overseas needs to be spent wisely, and promoting cultural assimilation is urgent.

Sunday schools at the grassroots level, full-time high schools at the middle level, institutions of higher learning at the upper level, and a civil service examination system that everyone can participate in...

All these things require a lot of money, which the government certainly cannot afford. In order to allow more children to enjoy education, Isaac spent a huge amount of money to set up the Royal Scholarship, which spends a lot of money every year to promote education and provide relief to poor students.

These children whose destinies have been changed by the royal scholarships will of course be grateful and loyal to the royal family. For a long time, they will form the emperor's most solid backing.

Of course, in modern times, the development of education and the improvement of national quality will inevitably cause the emperor to fall from the altar. This is the trend of the times.

In fact, there is only one reason that prevents ordinary people from participating in education, and that is poverty. When children have to sell their labor for a family, education cannot be carried out and the quality of the population cannot be improved rapidly.

Isaac has always been light on taxes and levies, advocating keeping wealth in the hands of the people. He has eased the pressure on the people through overseas plunder, allowing them to live a good life and allowing more families to support full-time students.

The last step is colonial assimilation, which is also a huge project that requires means and time.

Of course, both the civil service reform and the examination system are currently in the experimental stage. The number of people selected and examined is very small. It is very immature and has very big problems that need to be gradually resolved through long-term use and running-in.

"I have decided. You will form a 'three-person committee' to lead the civil service reform. Start with the examination and selection of officials in Anatolia. Do not promote it to other places for the time being."

Isaac said.

"Yes!"

The three of them nodded heavily.

In the late autumn of 1472, the Eastern Roman Empire began civil service reforms and tried out an examination-based official selection system in the newly conquered areas of Anatolia. At the same time, it opened a large number of full-time secondary schools to promote education, with royal scholarships as a strong backing.

(End of this chapter)