My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 218 The Obsession of Shandong People
On November 2, the Yuefu Xinbao published in full the emperor's edict and Su Ze's "Memorial Requesting the Opening of the Personnel Examination to Select Talents," and the news of the personnel examination immediately spread throughout the capital.

After Zhu Juntang got up from the school dormitory and finished washing up, he prepared to go to Minglun Hall to study, where he met his classmate Zhang Chun.

Although both of them passed the provincial examination and became Juren, there was still the imperial examination to be held two years later. Zhu Juntang quickly set his sights on becoming Jinshi!

Zhang Chun came from a poor family and was able to continue his studies only with the help of Shen Li and Su Ze's part-time job at the newspaper. Even after passing the imperial examination, he did not slack off.

But Zhang Chun seemed preoccupied today. He walked towards Zhu Juntang and said:

“Brother Si Zhao (Zhu Juntang’s courtesy name), there is something I would like to discuss with you.”

"Brother Mingzhi (Zhang Chunzi), is there something troubling you?"

Zhu Juntang assumed that Zhang Chun was short of money, so he took the initiative to ask. He was generous and often helped his fellow students.

Zhang Chun took out the latest issue of "Yuefu Xinbao" and handed it to Zhu Juntang.

"Brother Si Zhao, have you read Mr. Su's memorial?"

Zhu Juntang nodded. He read every issue of the Yuefu Xinbao carefully.

Zhang Chun said:

"My fellow townsmen who were scholars failed the provincial examination this time and want to take the civil service examination."

"what?"

Zhang Chun said:

"Look, the imperial edict says that a scholar can skip the preliminary examination and directly study in the civil service class at the Imperial Academy. After three months, he can take the graduation examination and be granted the title of Registrar of Shuntian Prefecture."

Zhang Chun said:

“These fellow villagers came to me to discuss this matter, which concerns their future, so I dare not answer without my consent. I want to discuss it with Brother Si Zhao.”

Zhu Juntang's expression also turned serious. It was a matter concerning the future of scholars, so it was no wonder that Zhang Chun was so cautious.

Zhu Juntang thought for a moment and said, "If you really have no confidence in the provincial examination, you can give the civil service examination a try."

Zhang Chun said:

"Brother Si Zhao, do you also think that the civil service examination offers a promising future?"

Zhu Juntang nodded and said:
“If this matter were initiated by someone else, I, Zhu, would not be confident. But since it was Mr. Su who submitted the memorial, then this civil service examination will definitely be completed.”

Zhang Chun nodded in agreement. He was able to study peacefully at the Imperial Academy thanks to Su Ze's job as a field reporter for the Yuefu Xinbao newspaper.

Many students at the Imperial Academy benefited from Su Ze's favor, and it was Su Ze's memorial that enabled the students of the Imperial Academy to participate in the provincial examinations in Shuntian Prefecture.

Zhang Chun was slightly relieved and said:

"I inquired with Shen Siye, and this time it's not limited to scholars from Shuntian Prefecture, but that may not be the case in the future."

“Brother Si Zhao also knows about the situation in my hometown.”

Zhang Chun is from Shandong.

Shandong's penchant for working within the system was a well-known anecdote before Su Ze's time travel, but in fact, this anecdote existed even earlier.

During the Tang Dynasty, it was said that "most people from Lu are knowledgeable in the classics." The imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty were divided into the Jinshi examination and the Mingjing examination. The Jinshi examination had the highest prestige, while the Mingjing examination had a lower prestige, and even if one passed, one could only become a minor official.

However, people from Shandong are keen on taking the imperial examinations, as long as they can get into the system, they don't care about the rank of official.

Song Jiang, a famous rebel in the Song Dynasty, was a clerk in Yuncheng County, Shandong. After joining Liangshan, he thought about being granted amnesty day and night, which shows how much he wanted to be an official.

During the Ming Dynasty, Shandong had the highest number of successful candidates in the imperial examinations who passed the provincial examinations and entered officialdom. However, the prospects for these candidates were limited, and even after many years in the officialdom, they could only remain at the position of registrar.

However, Shandong scholars still flocked to the position, and as long as they were qualified to become officials, they would take up their posts without caring about their future prospects. Therefore, there is now a saying that "half of the clerks in the country are from Shandong".

Shandong is not far from the capital, and if a scholar could become a clerk in the imperial court's establishment, it would be very attractive to Shandong scholars.

Officials in the capital are ranked three levels higher, so the clerk in the capital region is almost the same as the registrar.

Therefore, when the "Memorial Requesting the Establishment of an Examination System for Selecting Talented Individuals" was published, the most eager to try were these scholars from Shandong.

This is probably the obsession of Shandong people.
-
On November 7th, a cold wind swept through the capital.

Two personnel appointments made at court a couple of days ago have sparked some discussion.

The first was Shen Shixing, who was appointed as the Tianjin Military Commissioner.

Most officials in the capital were gloating over this appointment.

Shen Shixing was a top scholar in the imperial examination at a young age, and his career in officialdom was smooth sailing, which made many people secretly jealous of him.

One of the reasons why this provincial examination cheating scandal became so big was that the chief examiner was Shen Shixing.

In the eyes of the officials in the capital who were just watching the drama unfold, it must have been Shen Shixing who messed up the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination, which caused him to fall out of favor with Zhang Juzheng and thus be assigned to the "bitter job" of Tianjin Military Commissioner.

Shen Shixing didn't bother to explain these rumors.

The second was that Wang Xijue was transferred to the position of Director of Studies at the Nanjing Imperial Academy.

The officials were equally gloating. Wang Xijue and Shen Shixing were similar; both were successful in their official careers. Although the officials in Nanjing were considered officials in the capital, in the eyes of these officials, this was clearly a sign that Wang Xijue had lost power.

After receiving the appointment, Shen Shixing hurriedly set off without giving Su Ze a chance to see him off.

Today, Su Ze went out of the city specifically to see Wang Xijue off.

"Brother Zilin, the Prime Minister also told me that the main reason for going to the Nanjing Imperial Academy this time is to prepare for the civil service examination in Southern Zhili."

Wang Xijue knew that the civil service examination was promoted by Su Ze, and he did not shy away from the task that Zhang Juzheng had given him.

Su Ze hadn't expected Zhang Juzheng to be so efficient; the Shuntian Prefecture civil service examination wasn't even finished yet, and he was already making arrangements for the Southern Zhili civil service examination.

Su Ze smiled wryly. It seemed that Grand Secretary Zhang was very confident in himself and believed that the reform of the civil service in Shuntian Prefecture would definitely be completed. He was already planning the reform of the civil service in Southern Zhili.

That's true. Although commerce is thriving near the capital, the economic center of the entire Ming Dynasty is still in the southeast.

The most economically developed region in the southeast was Southern Zhili.

Zhang Juzheng also grasped the key point: the most important part of this new official reform was actually the training center for new officials set up under the Imperial Academy.

All prospective officials who pass the civil service examination must study at this training institute for three months before passing a qualifying exam to assume their posts.

After taking office, all new officials must return to this training center during the off-season for agricultural work to receive in-service training.

In the capital, the new officials' instructor was Shen Li, the Director of Studies at the Imperial Academy.

If the reform of the new officials were to be promoted in Southern Zhili, then the person in charge of training the new officials in Southern Zhili would naturally be Wang Xijue, the Director of Studies of the Imperial Academy in Southern Zhili.

Zhang Juzheng's far-sighted strategy!

Just like the tutors in the imperial examinations, these new officials' instructors will inevitably be revered as their mentors by the new officials in the future.

This relationship was even closer than that of the chief examiner in the imperial examinations, and these new officials had to undergo training at the academy for more than six months.

Any shrewd new official would understand that the Director of the Imperial Academy who guided them during their training was probably the highest-ranking official they would ever encounter in their lives, so how could they not accept this teacher-student relationship? Zhang Juzheng thus arranged for Wang Xijue to take on a position that could influence the entire group of new officials in Southern Zhili in the future.

It's laughable that those people are still mocking Wang Xijue for having fallen out of favor with Zhang Juzheng; they're a bunch of short-sighted fools.

Su Ze saw Wang Xijue off, bringing with him the two books that Huang Ji had left for him last time.

As an official, how could I possibly do without calculus and geometry when I was measuring fields in the future?
Of course, Su Ze wasn't so heartless as to teach this to newly appointed officials. These could be elective courses or exam items for future promotion assessments.

After seeing Wang Xijue off, Su Ze returned to the history museum.

These days, Su Ze feels that the history museum is getting more and more deserted.

Last month, Shen Yiguan saw off the Korean envoy from the capital. Before he could return, he received an order from the court to accompany Wang Shizhen north to the grasslands to discuss the matter of tribute with the grasslands.

The last time I sent a letter by carrier pigeon, Shen Yiguan wrote that he was close to Bansheng City, and judging by the time, he should have already made talks with Anda Khan.

Cuckoo.

Su Ze suddenly looked up, and a fat pigeon flew into the office building.

Su Ze thought the pigeon had gotten even fatter, and he really couldn't understand how this superdimensional pigeon could fly.

The fat pigeon stared at Su Ze, but took a half step back from the leg bound to the letter cage, as if it were using the letter in the cage to coerce Su Ze.

It's become sentient.

Helpless, Su Ze took out a handful of rice and scattered it in front of the fat pigeon. Only then did the fat pigeon stretch out its leg, allowing Su Ze to take out the letter.

It was indeed a letter from Shen Yiguan.

Upon opening the letter, just as the system had predicted, Wang Shizhen and Shen Yiguan had successfully arrived at the grassland.

This time, there were no setbacks along the way. The Mongol tribes encountered on the road gave way when they saw the banners of the Ming Dynasty.

Before Bansheng City, the seriously ill Anda Khan, accompanied by his third wife, led the entire Tumed tribe's high-ranking officials to personally welcome the Ming Dynasty delegation thirty miles outside the city.

Anda Khan greeted Wang Shizhen with the courtesy due to an envoy from a superior nation, and his attitude was much more humble than the last time.

That's how it is on the grasslands; they submit to the strong from the bottom of their hearts.

Some of the tribes that participated in the Battle of Dongshengwei also escaped back.

The Ming army's fortified bastions, terrifying firearms, and Qi Jiguang's powerful wagon corps all spread to the grasslands with these remnants of the army.

The Ming army's victory was so great that it severely shocked the various tribes of the grasslands.

Many tribes living near the border rushed to Bansheng City, fearing that the Ming Dynasty would attack their tribes, and asked Anda Khan for help.

Some tribes even suggested fleeing to the northern desert.

Anda Khan appeased these tribes and then proposed accepting tribute from the Ming Dynasty.

At this meeting, even Huang Taiji, who had always demanded a tough stance against the Ming Dynasty, did not raise any objections to the tribute system.

Before Wang Shizhen arrived at Bansheng City, Anda Khan had already reached a consensus to submit to the Ming Dynasty and pay tribute.

After reading this passage, Su Ze could only sigh that Anda Khan was indeed a mighty ruler of the grasslands.

When the Ming Dynasty was weak, Anda Khan could lead his tribe to plunder it.

As the Ming Dynasty grew stronger and realized the reversal of power, Anda Khan was able to be both flexible and assertive, and took the initiative to request tribute on multiple occasions, leaving himself ample room for maneuver and a way out.

The only saving grace is that this powerful ruler of the grasslands is nearing the end of his life.

In his letter, Shen Yiguan also described Anda Khan's physical condition, noting that he was no longer able to ride a horse on his own.

This was naturally good news for the Ming Dynasty.

In his letter, Shen Yiguan said that the person in charge of the specific negotiations was the Third Lady, the Khan's wife, who was proficient in Chinese. She was a heroine who engaged in a heated debate at the table, and the two sides reached a basic consensus.

First, Anda Khan became a vassal, and the Ming Dynasty conferred upon him the title of king and bestowed upon him a golden seal and imperial edict.

As a vassal state, following the precedent of the Joseon Kingdom, any future change of Khanate in the Anda tribe would require confirmation from the Ming Dynasty before it could be considered a legitimate succession to the Khanate.

Secondly, the Ming Dynasty opened horse markets on the border to trade with the grasslands.

On the matter of the horse market, Third Sister took a very tough stance. She demanded that the Ming Dynasty not only provide luxury goods and grain, but also not prohibit the sale of salt and everyday ironware.

Wang Shizhen was initially very firm on this issue, but in the end he "backed down" and reached an agreement with the Third Sister.

In exchange, the Ming Dynasty also demanded that the Anda tribe not restrict trade, meaning that any Mongol tribe could trade with the Ming Dynasty with any goods.

Su Ze's lips curled up slightly. In fact, this was all discussed before Wang Shizhen set off.

Originally, the horse market prohibited the flow of salt and ironware into the grasslands.

This is because in the past, the Ming Dynasty also regarded the grasslands as its biggest rival. The horse market was just a mutually beneficial arrangement. The Ming Dynasty needed warhorses, but it also had to guard against the rise of the Anda tribe. Therefore, it prohibited any goods that might enhance the strength of the Anda tribe, such as ironware and salt, which were in great need of the grasslands.

However, Su Ze persuaded the Grand Secretaries to allow the trading of ironware and salt at the horse market.

Su Ze's reasoning was simple: in the past, the imperial court had banned these supplies, but smugglers on the border continued to smuggle them. In the end, these smuggled goods were out of control, which was counterproductive.

Even if Qi Jiguang were stationed in Shanxi, with such a long border between the Ming Dynasty and the grasslands, it would be possible to crack down on smuggling a few times, but it would be absolutely impossible to completely eradicate it in the long run.

In that case, it would be better to conduct trade within a limited scope.

Another reason is the development of firearms technology, which gave the Ming Dynasty an advantage over the steppes in terms of weaponry.

Since that's the case, then there's no need to worry about the grasslands using these iron tools to make weapons.

Trading more goods will also allow the grasslands to export more supplies to the Ming Dynasty.

The last point is that the Anda tribe must restrain the grassland tribes and prohibit them from entering the Hetao region.

Even the Mongol tribes in eastern Inner Mongolia could not bypass the Ming Dynasty to trade with the Jurchens in Liaodong.

The last point was also added at Su Ze's strong insistence.

The Jurchens and Mongols traded frequently and later formed alliances through marriage; this clause was naturally intended to disrupt their communication.

With the problem of the northern grasslands resolved, the next issue is the Jurchen people of the northeast.

Su Ze closed the letter. With the investiture and trade agreements reached, Anda's investiture and tribute were a done deal.

In recent days, knitting sweaters has become a fashion trend among the upper class in the capital. The sweater lining Su Ze's official robes was knitted by Zhao Lingxian herself.

Su Ze believed that wool would soon replace warhorses as the largest export commodity from the grasslands to the Ming Dynasty.

When that time comes, will sheep start eating people on the grasslands?
Just then, the newspaper office door opened. Su Ze thought it was Luo Wanhua returning from the printing shop, but he didn't expect it to be Zhang Hong, the head eunuch of the Eastern Palace.

Zhang Hong said to Su Ze with a smile, "Su Hanlin, Imperial Uncle Li has returned to the capital. He brought back several of the plants you painted for the Crown Prince last time."

"The Imperial Uncle has also brought back many treasures; the Crown Prince invites you to come and take a look!"

(End of this chapter)