Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 426 A New Tide Rises in the Spring Examinations, Undercurrents Emerge in Military Reform

In the first month of the lunar calendar, Nanjing still felt a chill in the air, with the cold wind like icy needles, relentlessly piercing people's collars.

The heated debate over the new school and new policies is in full swing, and the spring imperial examinations are fast approaching, making the atmosphere in the city increasingly heavy and tense.

This year is very different from previous years.

The imperial examination added many unprecedented subjects, and at the same time, the Imperial University of Peking opened its doors for spring admissions.

As a result, the number of people traveling to Nanjing to take the exam increased exponentially compared to previous years, far exceeding expectations.

Of course, there are other factors behind this.

First, there was a significant improvement in transportation conditions in the Ming Dynasty.

In this era, it was by no means easy to travel long distances and overcome numerous hardships to reach the capital for the imperial examinations.

Not to mention the arduous journey that leaves one exhausted and possibly with legs aching and numb, almost to the point of being useless, the cost of food, lodging, and transportation alone is quite substantial.

Those scholars who passed the imperial examinations usually received generous gifts of silver from local gentry, and their clans would also lend a helping hand and provide financial assistance. Therefore, they did not need to worry about the travel expenses to the capital for the examinations.

Furthermore, the imperial court also provided corresponding guarantees in this regard, allowing candidates to use the resources of the post stations by presenting their travel documents.

However, the imperial court's post stations only provided convenience in terms of transportation.

If a candidate comes from a poor family and the money given by local gentry and clans is not enough to support the journey, some people have to borrow from merchants to barely scrape together the travel expenses to the capital.

Fortunately, they held the title of Juren (a degree in the imperial examination system), and most merchants were very willing to lend them money, hoping that they would pass the imperial examination and receive a generous reward in the future.

This type of loan, specifically created to raise money for traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations, is known as "capital debt" and has become quite prevalent in many places.

Whether there are corruption issues such as power-money transactions involved is another topic.

After Zhu Yunwen came to power, a wave of cement road construction swept across the Ming Dynasty, and the transportation situation was dramatically improved.

In addition, the imperial court vigorously built post stations and inns open to the public, rather than just for officials, which ensured reliable food and lodging for those taking the imperial examinations.

In the past, guesthouses were generally small in scale, with very few guests, resulting in high operating costs. Naturally, the average price per customer also increased.

Nowadays, with increasingly convenient transportation and more frequent business travel, inns are booming.

Seeing the immense business opportunities, people continued to invest in it, and new inns sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

Increased market competition and higher guesthouse occupancy rates have ironically led to a continuous decline in food and lodging prices.

Thirdly, under Zhu Yunwen's active guidance, public horse-drawn carriages have been opened between cities in many places.

These public carriages are typically pulled by two strong, well-built horses, and consist of specially designed four-wheeled carriages that travel on wide, flat cement roads, carrying dozens of people at a time.

These public carriages departed at fixed times and locations every day, and the fares were very low, greatly facilitating transportation between cities.

In addition, the imperial court continued to crack down on江湖人士 (jianghu figures), 绿林劫盗 (outlaws), and various bandits, resulting in a significant improvement in social order and ensuring safety during journeys.

These significant changes have made traveling from various parts of the Ming Dynasty to Jinling City no longer a daunting and extremely difficult undertaking.

For this reason, not only did successful candidates from all over flock to Nanjing, but even those who had not yet passed the imperial examinations, and even ordinary scholars who had not even passed the county-level examinations, came to Nanjing in droves, hoping to find their own future in this land full of opportunities.

At present, Nanjing is like a rising star, in a stage of vigorous development, and its thirst for scholars is growing rapidly.

In the past, being a scholar sounded good, but in reality, apart from struggling to enter officialdom through the imperial examinations, there were only a handful of options, such as becoming a teacher in a private school.

Among them were those who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations and remained unsuccessful for many years. Even if they wanted to obtain a position as a private tutor, it would be extremely difficult for them.

For them, who had been immersed in poetry, books, and history since childhood, taking off their long gowns to do heavy manual labor was even more unacceptable, and they simply could not take that step.

Also, because they have not done hard work for a long time, their bodies have not been exercised and they lack the corresponding physical strength.

You can't reach the high level, and you can't settle for the low level.

Although I have read many books and possess a wealth of knowledge, I have no room to apply it in the face of reality.

If there is no substantial wealth or property to inherit, what awaits them is mostly a miserable end of poverty and destitution.

Such helpless and tragic examples were as numerous as the sands of the Ganges during the long feudal era.

However, those who are remembered in history are often the lucky ones who succeeded in the imperial examinations and were listed on the honor roll.

In reality, due to the extremely low acceptance rate of the imperial examinations, in this fierce competition where thousands of people were crossing a single-plank bridge, 99 percent of the scholars became losers.

Even obtaining the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations) was like a distant star in the sky for them, an unattainable luxury. This was the harsh reality faced by most scholars.

They invested a great deal of precious time, a considerable amount of money, and endless energy in reading, but ultimately gained nothing, just like trying to fill a basket with water.

Why was Fan Jin's mercenary father-in-law so opposed to his studies and offered no support whatsoever before he passed the imperial examination?
Because of the merit-based selection system of the imperial examination, from the very beginning, it was destined that the vast majority of people would fail.

If everyone could easily succeed, then even if ordinary people lived in poverty and endured hunger, they would surely try every means in the world to send their children on the path of studying and taking the imperial examinations.

In fact, it was precisely because they witnessed the ultimate destitution and emptiness of most scholars that many ordinary people were not interested in sending their children to school. They were content with letting their children study in private schools for a year or two, learn a few characters, and have a basic understanding of literature.

For them, studying for the imperial examinations and achieving top honors was like winning the lottery in later generations—a completely unrealistic fantasy.

But now, the situation has changed drastically.

Zhu Yunwen's series of sweeping reforms were like a spring breeze that swept into the world of scholars, ushering in an unprecedented golden age for them.

Today's scholars are no longer limited to the narrow paths of becoming officials in the imperial court or teaching in private schools.

Looking around, there are plenty of job openings eagerly awaiting people who can read and write.

When Xie Jin was in charge of compiling the book, he urgently needed the assistance of learned scholars.

Peking University is eager to attract talented individuals and seeks ambitious students to pursue advanced studies. It is also particularly eager to fill teaching positions.

The Daming Daily is recruiting editors and reporters, seeking writers with eloquent writing skills and sharp minds.

The advancement of numerous imperial projects cannot be separated from skilled and knowledgeable personnel.

Many newly established factories also urgently need literate people to record production and manage operations...

There are so many different things.

For this reason, scholars flocked to Nanjing in droves.

Those who were not qualified to participate in the imperial examinations could still try to apply for jobs in compiling books for the imperial court, thus embarking on a different life journey.

If this path is blocked, one can always take the entrance exam for the Imperial University of Peking and strive for an opportunity to improve one's knowledge.

If even that doesn't work, there are still many factories where, as long as you can read, you can find a well-paying job that's enough to make a living.

In other words, in Nanjing today, scholars of different educational levels can all find their own "place".

By passing the imperial examinations, one could enter the imperial court and realize one's ambitions.

Even if they retire, they can find a job to support their whole family and live a comfortable life. In short, they will have no more worries about the future.

They naturally flocked to it, taking this opportunity to rush to Nanjing.

In the past few years, Nanjing has undergone tremendous changes.

The old city walls still stand, but now they are only maintained routinely and no longer undergo major construction. The city gates are open day and night.

After all, the city has long since expanded beyond the boundaries of its former walls, extending for dozens of miles in all directions, and its size has increased several times over.

The area inside and outside the city blends together seamlessly, forming a unified whole.

Rows of brand-new, modern buildings, constructed with reinforced concrete, rise from the ground with extraordinary grandeur.

The streetlights are neatly arranged, casting a soft glow in the night.

Public carriages shuttled back and forth, clanging and jingling.

In the distance, the clock tower stands majestically, its melodious chimes ringing out precisely on time.

And then there are the towering chimneys of the factory, spewing out clouds of smoke.

The bustling crowds, day and night, left the book lovers visiting the city in awe.

They were like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden for the first time, their eyes filled with novelty and awe, looking around and unable to get enough of what they saw.

Indeed, in this life, one should not only read ten thousand books, but also travel ten thousand miles.

If one did not personally visit Jinling, who could imagine that such a prosperous paradise on earth existed?

Scholars have always been keen to discuss national affairs at length, believing that they can use a pen and a mouth to guide the nation and change the world.

Currently, the debate between new learning and new policies has become a hot topic of discussion both in and out of government.

After Fang Xiaoru arrived in Nanjing, every time he held a lecture, the number of listeners who came to hear him would often be no less than ten thousand.

Those scholars who were about to take the imperial examinations also put down their books and rushed to the scene to listen to the teachings.

After all, it is widely speculated that this year's imperial examination questions will most likely be closely related to the new learning and new policies.

Listening to lectures by Fang Xiaoru, the founder of modern learning, might be of great help to one's path in the imperial examinations.

Even generals like Lan Yu, Zhu Neng, and Zhang Fu, who originally had no connection with the imperial examinations, were frequently visited by scholars who humbly inquired about the details of their implementation of new policies in the three Jurchen tribes, hoping to put their skills to use in the imperial examinations.

However, this only applies to the beginning when they themselves were somewhat confused about the reasons.

Now, having already received Zhu Yunwen's explicit instructions, they are to keep the gates tightly closed and refuse visitors.

On ordinary days, besides going to the Military Affairs Office to handle military affairs and fulfill the duties of the Minister of Military Affairs, they would go to the Ming Military Academy to either give lectures or listen attentively to lectures.

He ignored all scholars who came for the imperial examinations and all the civil officials in the court, and never had any dealings with them.

Since issuing the edict to exempt the accumulated land taxes from previous years and rejecting all the memorials submitted by the ministers regarding the new policies and new schools, and ordering the court officials to make public comments, Zhu Yunwen rarely got involved in complicated political affairs.

Instead, he devoted all his energy to governing the army.

He frequently visited the Ming Dynasty Military Academy, personally lecturing to the generals who came to study there, in his imperial capacity.

At the same time, Zhu Yunwen inspected the troops around Yingtian Prefecture and reviewed the three armies.

Moreover, he launched a new round of meticulous mobilization and deployment targeting the military across the country.

Because of the current separation of military and political power, and because matters such as military training, troop relocation, and the transfer of generals were not published in the *Da Ming Daily*, the public was completely unaware of this and it did not cause any discussion.

All actions were carried out steadily and quietly.

Only the internal newspaper, sponsored by the Military Affairs Department and issued to officers of the rank of colonel and above, continuously published news of His Majesty the Emperor's personal inspection of the garrison.

The disbandment of the old army is nearing completion.

Millions of former soldiers have mostly retired from the military, changed careers, and taken up new jobs.

Instead, hundreds of thousands of new Ming troops were deployed.

Fewer people, but better equipped and more well-trained.

The army, which was originally composed of half farmers and half soldiers, has been transformed into a fully professional army.

Each province of the Ming Dynasty had at least one or two brigades of the new army stationed there to guard the local area.

Some important provinces will have more.

More than a dozen brigades of the new army were stationed around Yingtian Prefecture, firmly guarding all the key passes and protecting the safety of the capital.

On the surface, these things seem to have nothing to do with ordinary people.

After all, the new army was only stationed around the checkpoint and did not set up checkpoints to check passersby.

The soldiers of the new army were all stationed in the military camp, and rarely even stepped out of the camp gate, so they naturally did not cause any disturbance to the daily lives of the people.

The same applies to the political situation.

His Majesty has repeatedly and solemnly emphasized that the Ming Dynasty implements a system of separation of military and political power, and that military personnel must not interfere in politics.

The ministers of military affairs remained silent on any political matters of the court, offering no opinion whatsoever. Instead, they devoted themselves wholeheartedly to governing the army according to His Majesty's decrees, vigorously cracking down on corruption, disturbances to the people, and the misappropriation of credit within the military.

After repeated purges, the first batch of military academy students personally taught by Zhu Yunwen of the Ming Dynasty had grown into the backbone of the entire new army in just a few years.

Especially at the captain level, the new army was almost entirely composed of students from the military academy, and the majority of them were from the first class led by Zhu Yunwen.

They also occupied a considerable number of positions at the higher-ranking captain level.

This is partly because the new army was a modern army equipped with muskets, cannons, and various advanced weapons, which was completely different from the old army, and the generals were naturally different as well.

The first batch of military academy students were the first to study the relevant knowledge and gain corresponding war experience. They then passed on what they had learned to other soldiers and generals, and their positions naturally continued to rise.

On the other hand, as soldiers carefully trained by Zhu Yunwen, they were the emperor's protégés and were given important positions and promoted quickly, which was also reasonable.

Conversely, these people were absolutely loyal to Zhu Yunwen. As they gradually took control of the grassroots level of the Ming army, the influence of the former noble generals began to decline rapidly, while Zhu Yunwen's control over the army greatly increased.

However, not many people noticed these changes.

All eyes were focused on the debate over the new education and policies, and on the upcoming imperial examinations.

The imperial examinations officially began on the ninth day of the second lunar month.

……

(End of this chapter)