Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 273 A fool who inherited his position, a hero of the imperial examinations
"I'm up early today, the ice and snow are melting, railways stretch across both banks; machinery is turning on both banks, I'm used to the early morning bell, I'm used to the white fog from the power plant..." Xuan Chong hummed a little tune.

Xuan Chong used his connections to obtain some exam materials from other scholars and began to study and memorize them on his own. Xuan Chong couldn't help but sigh, "Only at this age can one still find the time to focus on exams while shouldering work responsibilities."

Since it was a "memorization exam," Xuan Chong was able to openly and legitimately avoid a series of unnecessary social interactions.

Of course, some colleagues secretly speculated: "It's just a young person's whim, following the trend, they won't pass the exam at all."

In Hanzhong today, not to mention those who have passed the imperial examinations, even those who have passed the provincial examinations are not from humble backgrounds.

In the Jiangnan imperial examination system, the successful candidates who passed the regular examinations in the past hundred years were all those who had cultivated their families for at least five generations and had been taught by renowned teachers and experts. Only in this way could they stand out and become one of the two thousand outstanding individuals in the country each year.

The imperial examinations did not consider bloodline. The son of a successful candidate in the provincial examinations was not necessarily a successful candidate in the provincial examinations, but among the hundreds of disciples a successful candidate in the provincial examinations, there was a high probability that one of them would become a successful candidate in the provincial examinations.

For a scholar to pass the imperial examination, physical strength, energy, and intelligence are all indispensable.

Because the exams did not only involve the eight-legged essay, but also a large number of logical theories such as mathematics and criminal law, it meant that scholars had to have absorbed a large amount of rigorous logic and complex calculations in their minds before the age of twenty-five, including subjects such as astronomy, geography, natural sciences, and humanities.

It's not difficult for someone of average appearance to grasp a subject before the age of twenty-five; but to master all the connections between theories? That requires establishing a system of thinking that "understands nature and society." And this way of thinking is unique to each scholar who has passed the imperial examinations.

Unlike some of Xuan Chong's bizarre humanities papers from his previous life, which were short essays filled with fallacies and emotional outbursts, and nonsensical logic;

The "Neo-Confucianism" in modern Chinese is a whole set of interconnected logics.

Take, for example, the "Great Han Law." Each article, from a later perspective, seems quite lenient, as if it left ample room for discretion. However, this wasn't truly a matter of "discretion." When a law was used to oppress the people, it had to conform to the interpretation of "Neo-Confucianism." That is, if a scholar (with official rank) present believed that the criminal law applied by the county magistrate did not conform to "Neo-Confucianism," he could refute his argument.

Note: In a courtroom, there are no situations where someone says, "These are the rules," or "I know the rules," and "You must abide by them." In commercially concentrated areas like Zhuhai and Guangzhou, having the status of a scholar (秀才) was highly advantageous, as many judgments required the expertise of a scholar to argue their case.

The common people of the Han Dynasty held the "Juren" (successful candidates in the imperial examinations) in great awe, believing them to be reincarnations of the God of Literature. After getting to know the Xiucai (successful candidates in the county-level imperial examinations) better, Xuan Chong gradually began to take their abilities seriously.

…Xuan Chong: Han Confucian scholars had achievements…

In October of the same year, Xuanchong set sail again and arrived at Zhuguang City with the fleet.

Xuan Chong gazed at the endless factories and railway bridges spanning the river within this "Rome City in the Nanhai Region".

The Guangzhou-Zhuhai-Haikou area is the Rome of Southeast Asia.

Other areas surrounding Nanhai, such as Champa and Jiaozhi, also have cities with populations of hundreds of thousands. Their urban centers, located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, are modeled after large cities in the Han-Zhu-Guang region, with wide roads lined with vegetation. But this is the difference between a rooster with beautiful plumage and a true phoenix.

Urban construction can be imitated, but industrial development cannot.

The Han dynasty has maintained its technological advantage, and over the past century, numerous capable local lords and merchant groups have attempted to catch up by introducing new technologies. Throughout these centuries, all the overseas heroes (unexpectedly powerful figures) who tried have ultimately given up in despair!
Industrial competition does not rely on cheap labor; cheap labor? Even the cheapest labor cannot compete with advanced machinery.

Large mechanical cranes can replace hundreds of dockworkers at the docks. But how to ensure the safe operation of these cranes? This requires the top echelons of industrialized societies to put in dozens of times more effort than those of feudal societies.

Xuan Chong's review of the main historical timeline reveals that the key to a nation's rise cannot be described as "cheap labor," but rather as successful management.

The Confucian system of the East can mass-produce "excellent and inexpensive managers".

A single large mechanical crane can be equivalent to the labor of dozens of people; however, managing such a large mechanical crane, preventing major accidents, deaths, and worker discontent leading to sabotage, requires management to be mindful of hundreds of regulations.

What helps managers become familiar with the meaning behind each regulation is a set of moral responsibility education.

In my previous life, industrial management jobs in the West offered salaries at least four times, or even eight times, higher than those in East Asia.

Xuan Chong used to believe that to develop the manufacturing industry, it was necessary to select the most outstanding people in science and engineering exams as leaders, because these people had "meticulous thinking".

After competing with these top students, Xuan Chong realized that they rarely made mistakes when taking the test; while a poor student who couldn't even grasp many of the elements on the test paper could master them when he came to a leadership position in the factory.

A closer look at the content of the modern Han Dynasty's imperial examinations reveals that, in addition to traditional STEM subjects like physics and chemistry, it also covered areas such as criminal law and medicine. These were also the professional fields that workers needed to address when they encountered concerns during production.

In some ways, the talents cultivated by the current imperial examination system are even more outstanding than those trained in science and engineering in Xuan Chong's previous life.

While modern Confucian scholars may not be as keen on cutting-edge industrial technology as Xuan Chong's previous life's science and engineering elites, they are definitely superior to those "pigs that took off on the wind" in the management of large enterprises.

In the past, the Eastern "science and engineering" talent selection system destroyed the industrial companies that originally had a first-mover advantage in technology, which were owned by the wealthy second-generation heirs in the West who obtained finance degrees through "donations".

In this timeline, the "first-mover advantage" is in the hands of the modern Han. The barbarians, apart from the Han, are being oppressed to the point of near ecstasy.

…the most difficult circle to enter in Hanzhong…

Xuan Chong is planning his future path. Without a doubt, his most valuable identity right now is that of the Crown Prince of Dongtu.

Xuan Chong: As the son of the King of Dongtu, this identity currently allows him to become a high-ranking naval officer and mobilize considerable high-level resources. However, if he wants to achieve further, he shouldn't cling to this identity!
Many regional kings also existed in Southeast Asia, and all of them attempted industrialization! The result was utter chaos. (Historically, Britain criticized the serf factories of Tsarist Russia, arguing that the large amount of ineffective labor in these factories could have been avoided. This is probably similar to the joke Xuan Chong sees in the internet age about workers in African countries slacking off.)
The vassal kings undoubtedly spent a lot of real money, but in the end they all relied on the scholars sent by the Han court to develop raw material industries in order to make a living in the wave of industrialization.

These regional kings of Southeast Asia have tried every trick in the book. For example, seventy years ago, the former king of Luzon tried to bribe local gentry to recruit scholars, but a few years later, this king was stripped of his power.

For fifty years, the Eastern Shu Kingdom had been sending bandits to abduct talented individuals who had passed the imperial examinations in the Han Dynasty. These repeated major incidents escalated tensions between the two kingdoms, eventually leading to a major war.

However, the titles of Juren and Jinshi have been mythologized. What was truly powerful was the imperial examination system itself. It fostered a large number of scholars who formed an organization centered around the Jinshi and Juren.

Within this organization, scholars who had passed the county-level imperial examinations (xiucai, tongsheng, and juren) had standardized understandings of certain basic "management" and "scientific" concepts. Industrialization, however, is a process of standardization; in its development, it requires millions of people to be unified in certain ideas and concepts.

Xuan Chong: The sons of lords and nobles have not undergone systematic education and training, and many of their perceptions are not unified. They also regard their own mavericks as "personal advantages." However, to master industrialization, it is necessary to conform to group thinking.

Xuan Chong believed that "industrialization is absolutely correct," so he disregarded the debate between arts and sciences. Regardless of which circle controlled industrialization, he himself had to enter that circle.

Within Zhuguang City, many people jokingly referred to Xuan Chong, as a member of the imperial family, as someone who "had nothing better to do than try his luck with the God of Literature." However, he remained engrossed in his studies and did not venture into the city to experience the charms of "women from the Kingdom of Buddha."

Xuan Chong: Even if I don't pass the exam, knowing more classmates who are good at studying will give me more connections when my family's Dongtu Group is assigned an oil refining business in the future.

…the ships are returning to port…

Two months later, the ships returned to port. Inside the Qiantang Maritime Trade Office, Xuan Chong bowed to the shipyard officials who were scholars who had passed the imperial examinations.

Xuan Chong, referring to himself as a young man, introduced his "old ship renovation" plan, prioritizing the cost; the renovation required for this light cruiser was 40,000 silver dollars (the total cost of the ship was 600,000 silver dollars).

The effects were then explained: After the magnetosphere modification, the thickness of the magnetosphere at the forward turret and the stern was reduced to three meters, while its density increased fourfold. Now, from an external perspective, only the middle hull remains vulnerable.

Finally, I would like to thank the judges for taking time out of their busy schedules to conduct the assessment.

The ship's chief officer put on his glasses, boarded the warship, and ordered the fleet to deploy the modification modules. The acceptance testing began.

As the ships moved left and right in the harbor, like models on a catwalk, Commander Wang confirmed that the project to upgrade the old ships' combat capabilities by 70% for 40,000 silver dollars was real. He then began to question them carefully.

"After activating the magnetosphere, how much does the power system drop?" "How stable is the system's operation?"

At first, Lord Wang's expression was cold and unapproachable; however, after the three-day test, he became increasingly amiable towards Xuan Chong. Initially, he thought Xuan Chong was just launching a project haphazardly, wasting national funds; as a former censor, he was not optimistic about the princes and their sons, but after investigation, he determined that the project had great potential and that Xuan Chong's work was traceable.

Just as a student can tell whether someone is working hard or not, this shipping professional can also tell whether the research and development of certain technologies is a scam to get funding or a genuine effort.

The data from Xuanchongjiao is not perfect, but this imperfection reflects its authenticity.

The data records marked in red in the operation manual correspond to accidents such as partial unit shutdowns and power outages; the corresponding entries for "impact of severe wind and waves" can also be found in the nautical log.

Lord Wang was very satisfied and said to Xuan Chong, "It is rare to find someone as ambitious as you in the imperial clan."

Xuan Chong seized the opportunity and said, "Sir, I would like to ask you for some knowledge!"

Lord Wang stroked his beard and nodded slightly.

Xuan Chong prepared a gift for the apprenticeship ceremony; after finding out the teacher's preferences, he presented a painting or calligraphy work by a famous artist from three hundred years ago.

Ordinary poor students don't need to bring such expensive gifts when they become apprentices. Xuan Chong: "But for our family, if we were to come empty-handed and offer tea like poor students, that would be considered impolite."

A master accepting disciples is expected to repay their kindness. Disciples from humble backgrounds don't need to offer gifts because they can't afford to now; they will naturally repay their master's kindness once they achieve success. Furthermore, disciples from humble backgrounds are only accepted after passing rigorous examinations. Xuan Chong, being of noble birth, already possessed considerable influence from the start. Offering gifts would imply, "If anything happens now, you can turn to my father! I'm a paid player, so just bring me in!"

This Mr. Wang put the calligraphy and painting away. He then gave a brief reply: "You are welcome to visit Lingjue Academy."

…borrowing a book became…

Meanwhile, inside the Yuefu in Hangzhou, Qin Tianyi was quietly keeping an eye on Xuan Chong's progress.

There's no other reason than that, as fellow students at the same school, this female student was somewhat curious about the male students in the same school!

Beep beep beep, the futuristic communicator next to her rang, Qin Tianyi pressed a button, and Xu Xi's projection appeared.

Xu Xi is currently in the South China Sea, aboard a flat-bottomed deep-sea submarine. This submarine, codenamed "Crystal Palace," is currently on a 20,000-mile underwater voyage beneath the Pacific Ocean. It carries 300 people and is conducting a survey of the Thousand Islands in the South China Sea. The Crystal Palace is currently afloat on the surface of the sea, communicating with Qin Tianyi via longwave radio.

Xu Xi had just returned from the submarine deck; in the distance, the special forces he had dispatched were lurking and heading towards the coastline.

Back in the cramped officer's cabin on the submarine, Xu Xi explained the current mission: "So far, no origin of the 'war mission' has been found in any region of Southeast Asia."

Qin Tianyi: "The industrial strength of Southeast Asia is insufficient, and it does not have the foundation to be a source of war."

Xu Xi: "However, the current Han Dynasty is internally a land-owning patriarchal society, in a very stable state, and there is no possibility of civil war. (During their discussion, the two compared the current Han Dynasty to the United States in the first half of the 21st century, where, despite internal differences, hegemony allowed its various parts to make do.)"
Qin Tianyi: "This world has likely been altered by multiple time travelers. Many situations in the present Han Dynasty are similar to those in the Second Red Dynasty's maritime situation. Do you think that's possible?"

Xu Xi used "reading AI" to search for various fantasy works from the 24th century that depict time travel back to ancient times.

After analyzing the "ideological quality" behind these works in each period, the AI ​​provides a series of suggestions.

Xu Xi glanced at the screen, nodded, and confirmed: "This timeline was most likely altered by a time traveler from the 23rd century."

Then Xu Xi's thoughts wandered: "Hmm, by the way, how is that person?"

Qin Tian rested his chin on his hand: "Very serious and humble, very reliable. He has the sense of responsibility typical of a classical man."

Xu Xi: "I'm asking you if you can confirm his place of origin in his 'original timeline'."

Qin Tianyi: "At least before the 23rd century. He hadn't heard of brain regeneration technology because in some of his conversations, his concept of life was limited to 'a hundred years.'"

Xu Xi pondered for a moment: "So you think he comes from the ocean generation?"

Qin Tianyi: "Do you have any other guesses?"

Xu Xi: "Could it be before the 22nd century?"

Qin Tianyi: "You mean even earlier generations? Schools probably don't have that many spots for students from that ancient era. They're usually concentrated in our 26th century generation. There are very few from the 24th century."

Xu Xi paused, then silently recited a name in his mind: "Xie Ming";
Although the number of people summoned by the Dimensional School before the Great Nuclear Conflict was small, it was not nonexistent.

Qin Tianyi chattered on, speculating wildly: "He's very thoughtful and gentle; if he's from the Ocean Generation, is it possible he was originally a girl and then underwent gender reassignment surgery?"

Xu Xi curled her lip: "Ha, did the 'celestial maidens' back then have such a hardworking character?"

…Time Notes…

After the 2.2k era, artificial womb technology emerged.

Initially, it was suitable for agricultural and livestock manufacturing. However, just as drones in the East became deadly weapons in Europe, technology in barbaric lands without morality can be exploited and used in a "demonic" way.

This technology was subsequently modified by the Third World for use in population cultivation. (Before the main reproductive technology was perfected, the resource-rich, hedonistic groups in Mediterranean civilizations spurred a huge demand for organ production.)
After decades of pioneering innovation in the Third World, artificial womb technology finally matured and was used by advanced civilizations to cultivate the next generation of citizens.

As a result, at that time, the original philanthropists no longer had to consider their own losses in the process of giving birth to new children. Others who had worked hard to support the family were also finally freed and began their prodigal son era.

However, before this, the Tanaka members who contributed to the Han family possessed a heartbreaking level of resilience. They would remain silent in the face of failure, only gritting their teeth and enduring it.

Xu Xi and Qin Tianyi are currently unaware of what lies at the end of the school's recruitment process that extends into the past.

But they knew that the school seemed to be recruiting from the "past," and they were part of the "past."

At Weixiao, life moved much slower than in Xuanchong. This was because they encountered dozens of time-travel missions in just half a semester, with almost every class involving a time travel.

As for why the school recruits students from the past, Xu Xi once heard a high school student say something crucial: "Because they want to acquire consciousness that has not been contaminated by spirits," but he had no way of knowing what that meant.

…at the end of the exchange…

Xu Xi pulled a fish out of the waves: "How's your music transcription going? Why don't you give the people around him (Xuan Chong) a round of ideological enlightenment?"

Qin Tianyi was wary: "Don't you have your own 'sports field'? Why are you eyeing my 'score'?"

Xu Xi: "My 'sports field' has already reached the 'top three' level, where's your sheet music? You don't have enough credits yet."

Qin Tianyi muttered, "Almost, almost. Can you help me out?"

Xu Xi: "Don't be like the 'Millennium Fairy' of the one-child era."

Qin Tianyi, angered by the sarcastic remark, retorted: "Who are you talking about? Be polite, don't swear!"

(End of this chapter)