Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 302 The Real Battle

The policy issued by Liu Bei was not called the "Edict for Seeking Talented Individuals".

Its full name is "Examination and Examination Order for Selecting Officials" – which can also be simply called "Examination".

Of course, you can't just let anyone take the exam; you have to be a student in each college first before you're eligible to apply.

Zhang Fei's art academy is certainly an option... Art is beneficial for publicity, which is actually a very useful practice.

This is for the purpose of running the school and enrolling students, as well as to promote the educational development of children from poor families.

Running schools at a loss is unsustainable, but if students gain access to various colleges and the opportunity to become officials, then private sponsors will naturally emerge to continue running the schools—just like Mi Zhu and Guan Hai.

Liu Bei understood the merchant community; merchants from all over the world were happy to provide financial assistance or training for local scholars to become officials.

In fact, scholars in the Han Dynasty were very familiar with examinations, because in the past, those recommended by local officials to the central government for their filial piety and integrity did not become officials directly, but also had to go through the central government's examinations.

This examination format was also known as "policy question," in which the Three Dukes' Offices would pose questions related to the interpretation of the classics, and the recommended candidates would provide written answers, known as "countermeasures."

However, the imperial court's policy questions were generally just a formality, and the questions were always tailored to the person being questioned, and the questions were all derived from classical texts rather than practical matters.

Furthermore, since only wealthy and powerful families could be recommended for official positions, the path for poor scholars to become officials was cut off from the very beginning.

Liu Bei's exam focuses on practical skills, requiring neither recommendation nor reputation; anyone willing to take the exam can try, with no entry barriers.

Liu Bei knew that this talent-based recruitment order would inevitably cause a huge uproar once it was issued.

Historically, the selection of officials has been based on "reputation" and "virtue," such as a reputation for benevolence and filial piety, which are things that prestigious families are best at packaging and can easily package.

The criteria for becoming an official have become practical work...

That would really be the end of it.

People from wealthy families aren't necessarily lacking in practical skills; the key issue is that they might not be able to compete with those from humble backgrounds when it comes to practical matters.

This is severing the roots of powerful families, breaking the monopoly of official positions, and bringing the gentry and commoners back to the same starting line.

The social hierarchy established over the past centuries, including noble families, respectable families, commoners, and exiles, was treated equally under the civil service examination edict.

The advantages of a family with a long tradition of classical studies are completely lost. Skills such as cultivating a reputation and engaging in empty talk are utterly useless when faced with practical issues.

On the contrary, young people from humble backgrounds, such as scholars, minor officials, merchants, self-cultivating farmers, salt workers, and canal workers, are forced by life to do practical work from a young age. If they are good at thinking, they can gain deeper insights into practical matters.

—In fact, this was the most brutal battle.

It is impossible for prominent families to accept this decree; the resistance and backlash will inevitably be enormous.

But Liu Bei had to do it, and should do it.

After all, it was difficult for Liu Bei to obtain talented people from wealthy families, so he could only recruit those from humble backgrounds.

To be honest, before obtaining the power of regent, Liu Bei would not have dared to conduct such a talent selection process...

Even in Luoyang, you wouldn't dare do something like that.

Liu Bei is still a threat to life...

Now, Liu Xie has been brought to Qingzhou to issue an edict in the name of the emperor. Qingzhou is relatively stable, external enemies have temporarily gone into hiding, and the Jixia Academy and various colleges have resumed operations.

This is the best time.

Zheng Xuan immediately confronted Liu Bei after the decree for selecting officials was issued, demanding an explanation: "Why did you change the ancient method of selecting officials? The selection of officials should be based on virtue! If this is the method used to select officials, then officials and common people will not seek benevolence and filial piety but only focus on examinations. Wouldn't this lead to chaos in the world? Scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants should each do their own thing. How can we treat everyone the same?"

In fact, Liu Bei could understand Zheng Xuan's concerns.

Zheng Xuan was indeed a great Confucian scholar with a broad mind and life goals. He himself did not actually pursue officialdom... but few people could see through the meaning of "fame".

It is not wrong to select talent based on virtue.

Opening up the path of examinations gives everyone an opportunity, and it is true that many people will abandon productive work in pursuit of official positions.

—But most of those who didn't engage in productive work in order to become officials failed the exams, because the questions set by Liu Bei weren't about classical texts, but rather practical problems encountered in real work. Without the ability to solve real-world problems, even if they passed the written exam, they wouldn't pass the interview, let alone the probationary period (temporary worker's trial period). Zheng Xuan raised so many reasons for his opposition, all of which seemed reasonable, but he didn't mention the most important point…

"Did Mr. Kang Cheng oppose the civil service examination because it changed the established laws of our ancestors, or because it severed the reputation of Confucianism?"

Liu Bei countered with a question.

Zheng Xuan remained silent for a while, then stared at Liu Bei and shook his head: "To appoint such an unworthy and unethical person to office will disrupt the peaceful system of the past and sever the foundation of the century-old tradition of renowned scholars. It will inevitably lead to chaos in the world... Why does Your Excellency, who assists in governing the country and the world, not seek peace but instead seek chaos?"

"Isn't the world chaotic enough? How did the Yellow Turbans rebel five years ago? How did Qing and Xu rebel two years ago? What did the famous scholars do during those times of chaos? To put it bluntly—Kang Cheng Gong is renowned throughout the world and respected by all, but can you, Kang Cheng Gong, bring peace to the world?"

Liu Bei then countered, "And those unworthy and nameless soldiers fought to the death, and those unworthy and nameless serfs toiled to control the floods, which is how the rebellion in Qingzhou was quelled... What did the famous scholars do?"

Zheng Xuan remained silent, only shaking his head slightly.

"Lord Kangcheng, there's no need to beat around the bush. I know that Confucianism is the foundation of a renowned scholar's character, but how much of that 'renowned' is truly genuine? Kong Wenju became famous throughout the land at the age of five for his filial piety in sharing pears, but what practical things has the Kong family done for the Han Dynasty?!"

Liu Bei didn't want to argue too much, and said bluntly: "The stability of the world is not maintained by empty names... nor should the continuation of a dynasty rely on the transmission of scriptures in private schools. The chaos in the world is caused by names. Only by severing the teachings of names can names become true names. The names of benevolence, kindness, filial piety and righteousness are only worthy of respect if they have true names!"

“I know what Duke Kangcheng is worried about… He is worried that from now on, it will be difficult for the disciples of famous scholars to rise to prominence, and the status of famous scholars will fall into the dust… However, Duke Kangcheng, you are now the Chancellor of Jixia Academy. As long as you can uphold the reputation of Jixia Academy for fair teaching, you will surely gain merit that will last for ten thousand generations.”

"I am not seeking chaos, but quelling it. If you, Lord Kangcheng, cannot understand, I will not force you; please return to your hometown..."

Zheng Xuan sighed, said no more, bowed to Liu Bei in farewell, and turned to leave.

Zheng Xuan opposed the selection of talent through examinations, primarily because Liu Bei's examinations no longer used reputation to determine candidates or tested their understanding of classical texts and essays.

Even great Confucian scholars are conflicted... They spend their whole lives cultivating their reputation and their whole lives gaining the right to interpret the classics... Great Confucian scholars themselves do not pursue official positions, but they need to rely on their reputation and the right to interpret the classics to establish themselves.

Those who aspire to become officials are athletes, while great Confucian scholars like Zheng Xuan are coaches and referees.

But now the standards of judgment have changed... so what you've studied your whole life can only be used for moral education, and can no longer be used as a judge.

But Zheng Xuan also knew very well that if something could only be used for moral improvement, then very few people would be willing to learn it...

How many people spend money on education to improve their moral character?

People pursue education either to learn skills to make a living, to gain the status of a disciple of a famous scholar, or to make friends with fellow students and build connections, and so on.

The value of a renowned scholar lies in his "reputation." If we no longer select scholars based on their reputation but only on their practical abilities, it will be a devastating blow to renowned scholars throughout the land—it will make them no different from ordinary private tutors.

Zheng Xuan returned to his hometown. He did not slander Liu Bei—it was just a difference in stance. Although Zheng Xuan was dissatisfied, he expressed his opposition openly to Liu Bei. He was not the kind of person who would resort to intrigue.

Shortly thereafter, Liu Bei appointed Hua Xin, Guan Ning, and Bing Yuan as the three heads of the Jixia Academy, dividing the affairs of the libationer into three separate entities.

The books from various schools of thought brought from the Cai family were also put into the library of the Jixia Academy, and Cai Yan served as the East Pavilion Libationer in the capacity of a proofreader.

The East Pavilion would also become Liu Xie's residence. Liu Bei did not build another imperial palace, but simply expanded the Jixia Academy a few miles to the east and stationed troops there. The "East Pavilion" had multiple meanings. It was a synonym for the place where the prime minister recruited talented people, and it was also the name of the personnel agency of the prime minister's residence.

Liu Bei did not want Liu Xie to hide in the deep palace and be isolated from the outside world, which was also Liu Xie's own wish.

The imperial palace was not actually the safest place; the East Pavilion Library was the truly safe place... because Liu Bei's entire family would also live there.

Children such as Liu Xie, Guan Ping, Cao Ang, Yang Xiu, Fu De, and Fu Shou will also live and study here.

Diao Chan became Liu Bei's kindergarten teacher, helping him take care of his children. Liu Bei thought Diao Chan was really good at taking care of children, and Liu Xie was taught very well by her.

Three months later.

With the completion of the East Pavilion, the first examination was officially held.

On the very day of the examination, three urgent military reports came simultaneously from the north, south, and west of Qingzhou.

To the north, the plains of Pingfan County and Xiping County north of the Yellow River were attacked by bandits, who even displayed the imperial regalia.

In the south, in Xuzhou, Que Xuan, a powerful clan leader from Xiapi, gathered several thousand men, occupied the county seat, and proclaimed himself emperor.

Meanwhile, in the southwest, an unknown number of bandits from Taishan County attacked Linzi, and they even claimed to be the emperor!
(End of this chapter)