Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 276 Official Career?
In early 2107 of the Han calendar, on Longdeng Street in Hangzhou, the original gas lamps were replaced with electric lights, and many cars with boilers emitting hot steam were mixed in with the four-wheeled carriages on the street, indicating that the times were changing rapidly.

After a year of study, Xuan Chong successfully passed the preliminary examination for the lowest degree; and participated in the first two of the five preliminary examinations (equivalent to mock exams) for the lowest degree. Xuan Chong successfully reached the threshold of becoming a scholar.

This made the powerful figure from the southern faction who had been paying close attention to Xuan Chong look at Liu Haoxing with even greater respect.

Xuan Chong received a personal letter from Lord Wang, and the scholar who delivered it conveyed a meaningful message to Xuan Chong: "You are a seed of learning!"

This "test" is similar to a mock exam from a previous life, but it is also somewhat different from a mock exam.

The current Han government is planning to establish formal examinations and record the results in the archives in order to prevent cheating in the imperial examinations.

For the princes and nobles of the Han dynasty, obtaining a student certificate in the imperial examinations was not unusual; after all, as long as one wanted to learn and was willing to put in some effort, and the princely residence could obtain the best materials and professional expertise, it would always take about three years to obtain a student certificate.

However, Xuan Chong, who studied diligently for a year and passed the preliminary examination at the age of sixteen, and even reached the threshold of becoming a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination), was considered a "seed of learning".

Most of the promising sons of princely families only obtained the title of "Children of the First Rank" at the age of eighteen.

Qin Tianyi commented: Test-taking expert.

Obtaining the title of "Tong Sheng" at the age of sixteen means that within five years of obtaining this qualification, one's mental and physical abilities are at their peak, making them ideally suited to pursue the title of "Xiu Cai". However, to become a Xiu Cai, one must be young; to become a Ju Ren, one must not only be young but also possess abundant energy.

In recent years, the top three scholars in the imperial examinations all seized the "peak period of energy" to pursue their studies during their youth.

The renowned scholar from Hangzhou recognized Xuan Chong as a "promising scholar," which clearly indicates that Xuan Chong had seized his "peak of energy."

In the eyes of adults who are used to seeing promising candidates in the imperial examinations, this is "a rare talent, a true rare talent."

Among the princes and brothers of the feudal lords who enjoyed the same educational resources, the proportion of scholars was much smaller than that of those from scholarly families; the core reason was that the princes and brothers of the feudal lords had the task of procreation after the age of sixteen, and thus had to play with maids!
Losing protein every day will deprive the brain of essential nutrients for development. Xuan Chong didn't waste his vital essence on this.

For Xuan Chong, the meaning of Lord Wang's letter was quite clear: focus on your studies and simply dismiss him from his naval post.

The navy spends half the year at sea, busy with various sea conditions, which greatly affects one's ability to concentrate on reading.

It has to be said that this was the right thing to do; Xuan Chong was certain that if he studied patiently, his score could improve significantly. However, this put Xuan Chong in a bit of a dilemma.

…To join the military or to pursue a career in literature…

The accumulation and research of industrial technology do not require cultivating prodigies; most industrial production positions only require average talent and dedicated effort.

In Xuan Chong's previous life, many boys had poor grades in their youth, but correct values; and in adulthood, they all became technical backbones in some manufacturing plants.

However, the education system still needs to cultivate a segment of elites; because in modern social management systems, the higher the ceiling for highly educated individuals, the better.

In the reserve bureaucratic system, the earlier young people develop their senses and master systematic knowledge, the more energetic they will be when they enter their positions, which is more beneficial to the country.

Currently, the "trial and error cost" of regional management systems for industrial development is extremely high, and the aging bureaucratic system can lead to every single detour in the development process.

In my past life, the government always transferred young and elite cadres to those highly developed economic regions.

This is because they are afraid of being a step behind, which would slow down industrial upgrading; then they would be slow at every step, unable to seize the market, and ultimately have to rely on policy support, resulting in losses of tens or hundreds of billions of yuan.

In emerging industrial chains such as the Industrial Revolution, electric vehicles, ultra-high voltage power transmission, photovoltaics, and robotics, the actual amount of government-level financial support is relatively small, at least much lower than in the United States. However, a closer look at the management teams reveals the difference between dragons and snakes.

They discussed heroes over wine.

Russia, needless to say, is an oligarchic bloc. The most promising young people are either in the military or energy companies. Those in Russian industry are mostly bald old men who have fought their way to the top and now sit in their "monopoly" positions. They've given up on competing in new industries, simply waiting to shop online from friendly countries—the Russians think: as long as I can compare prices and buy affordable new technologies online, I'll consider myself keeping up with the times.

Europe has talent in industry, but young talent is all talking about "freedom"; they need to mature in their forties to develop a broader perspective, but by then their energy is already waning. When a new technology breaks through, European teams still need to hold meetings for several years, while responsive young teams in the East have already completed the process of "formulating policies, allocating resources, pilot production, finding market users as quickly as possible, and recovering funds." Meanwhile, in Europe, the first wave of funding, determined based on market conditions from several years ago, hasn't even arrived yet. —European bureaucrat: As long as my brand exists, I can hire Indians to make PowerPoint presentations and project an unlimited future, and I'm not lagging behind the times.

The same is true for the United States. If it weren't for its world-leading financing platform, leveraging its superior credit ratings to pour dozens of times more capital into new industries than China, it would have been struggling to build cars despite its market disadvantage! American bureaucrats believe: as long as my new industries remain top investment targets for global investors after listing, the advantage is mine!
Eastern bureaucrats are pragmatic, thorough, and hardworking, playing a leading role. In the photovoltaic and new energy industry chains, the feedback on a key product launched six months after its market debut is already in the bureaucratic reports. Then comes information analysis, policy formulation, and leading banks and emerging industry companies in loan programs, with the government as a guarantee, pouring funds into the market. This whole process makes outsiders think they are "kings of venture capital." Little do they know that these are technical bureaucrats, products of the Eastern college entrance exam, who possess capabilities that completely outclass the "market research departments" of those monopolistic Western companies.

The second-generation professionals in European and American market research departments are dealing with "prodigies" who are one in a hundred from the East.

This demonstrates how crucial a highly professional and young bureaucratic team is during a technological revolution.

The Han Dynasty was still in the midst of the First Industrial Revolution; just a few years ago, ships and trains were still using rivets, but in recent years, welding technology had begun to be used in steam engines and locomotives. The industrial chain along the Jiangnan region was booming, and the elites selected through the imperial examinations were flocking there.

…Yearning for Jiangnan, lamenting the eastward expansion…

Xuan Chong commented that his poor hometown only needed about two hundred scholars to govern it.

Returning to the familiar military field, dreadnoughts will definitely appear within twenty years! As for the air force, whether it is airships or airplanes, they will be completely different from what they were twenty years from now.

Xuan Chong, as a military strategist, was experienced; that is, as an officer, one must replace him every twenty years, otherwise it will harm the country.

In modern history, before the Xinhai Revolution, those military officers who graduated from the Army Academy enjoyed ten years of glory after returning home, only to be swept away by the next generation.

The pace of technological advancement and military transformation is incredibly rapid. Just when you've painstakingly figured out the optimal solution for a version, a new version is already out.

Xuan Chong: The effort, investment, and returns from joining the military are not guaranteed! But in the literary field, one's own returns are the highest.

…develop…

Although he kept referring to it as a "poor, wretched place," Xuan Chong knew very well that his roots were there, and he would eventually return no matter where he went. But what could he bring back after returning? A hundred battle honors? Honors require recognition from the top; that's what real honor is. If they don't recognize it, what can you do?

What exactly is Dongtu lacking? It has mineral resources, a port, and a geographical location that's neither particularly good nor bad. What it lacks is talent! Not a single scholar would consider developing their career here.

The current Han dynasty scholars, especially the young ones, represent a "key industry." For Xuan Chong, passing the imperial examination would be even more extraordinary, because through the social circles among scholars, he could attract investment in related industries once he entered those circles.

In Dongtu, the most profitable industry in the future will be oil drilling.

When Xuan Chong first arrived, he "didn't want to work hard" and just wanted to rely on owning the oil field to make a living. However, after being hit hard by reality, he was forced to work hard, so much so that after understanding the modern system, his calculations were two orders of magnitude more complex than they had been a few years ago.

The oil industry is a gift from God, but how do you eat it? Do you eat at the table, or do you eat in a corner? That's a matter of dignity.

Xuan Chong: If I were to share the oil profits as a vassal king or landlord, how much of those profits would I actually receive? It would depend on how diligently I paid the court's protection fees and how subservient I was in my stance.

However, if one has the status of a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), the partners one encounters are one's fellow Juren graduates and other Xiucai (successful candidates in the county-level civil service examination); from the basic technical level of drilling and smelting, one can control this industry. The Han court cannot arbitrarily take or demand; if it forcibly takes or demandes, it is competing with the people for profit, which is "contradicting the will of Heaven and the people."

In this way, he could keep the oil profits in his hometown without having to be on tenterhooks and watch the emperor's face. He could openly use the money for other things, such as building infrastructure, developing aquaculture in the Arctic Ocean, and investing in diversified industries.

During his journey south, Xuan Chong thoroughly examined numerous cases of how the various regional princes of Southeast Asia had disrupted industry!

Some tried to attract industries by manipulating finance; others tried to bring scholars to settle down by marrying off their daughters. But without exception, all their efforts failed!
The only remaining path, "allowing close relatives to take the imperial examinations," has not yet been taken by the princes and brothers of the feudal lords.

Why didn't any princes choose this path? Compared to other routes, which all involved investing capital inherited from their ancestors, this path required them to rise to the top themselves. They had to compete with the rising stars of this era to see who had the strongest wings. "Studying for the rise of xx," Xuan Chong silently recited this phrase.

Xuan Chong felt that he should compete, not because he was incapable, but because if it was his turn, he had to step up.

Note: Xu Xi didn't have this idea. After multiple time travels, he had subconsciously developed the mindset of "weighing various routes." He would skip over overly difficult paths.

Xuan Chong, reborn into this life, appears humble on the surface, but deep down he harbors a grudge: So what if they're geniuses? Don't make them too mythical! They all have one brain and two hands. When I was growing up, the readers of Yilin magazine confused my Daoist heart, creating a plethora of myths. What crowns and jewels? After I fell from grace, looking back, they were nothing special.

If you are intimidated, then let your opponent "surrender without a fight," allowing them to win at the lowest cost and then use more resources to crush you in other areas.

After his "rebirth," Xuan Chong possessed an indescribable confidence: as long as he remained steadfast and followed the right path, he could actually explore all the "paths he had once looked up to" that were rumored to exist!
I accepted being a "bad student" in my past life because I wavered or used the wrong methods.

It's like when you play a game and you don't have a strategy guide for the first game, so you sway left and right while controlling the controls and end up doing a terrible job.

Xuan Chong: The more difficult the problem, the more you can widen the gap. If you want to reach the top, don't back down.

…Math teacher: The student body this time is quite good. …

Once the decision to take the imperial examination was made, Xuan Chong began planning from that day forward. His recent exam results were close to the passing score for the lowest level (xiucai). This was the result of his planning.

There are several factors that influence Xuanchong's learning during the planning process.

First of all, military navigation is indeed a bit of a drain on energy, but there's no other way! My participation in the Southern Naval Academy is actually not simple; it's a pledge of allegiance from the Eastern Tu to the Southern Jianye.

How did the steel plant that Dongtu is building in the north come about? It was invested in by the Southern Group.

Why did Dongtu suddenly have a steel plant after all these years? It's because Dongtu has switched sides to the southern camp.

Lord Wang's letter urging me to leave the navy and focus on my studies is absolutely unacceptable! — Unless the bigwigs behind the navy give the order, I absolutely cannot change my career path at will.

Unless one makes a contribution? The reason I was able to take the imperial examination is actually because I was too "autonomous".

However, his previous report on the modification of the old warship was useful. He made a small contribution, which is why he was tacitly allowed to go to Lingjue Academy.

…small scene…

Upon returning from the academy, a car pulled up in front of him, and the person handed him an invitation. Xuan Chong glanced at it and confirmed it was a banquet invitation from a merchant. He shook his head and declined. (He had to give Zhou Xu face; others were out of the question.)
Xuan Chong's past life experience: The most annoying behavior is to unilaterally accept other people's resources without refusing them, while feeling that you have free will and can completely disregard the feelings of the resource provider and go your own way.

During several banquets, Xuan Chong refused to be corrupt, because he did not want to "consume resources provided by others in areas where he did not need to."

When invited, Xuan Chong declined the merchant's invitation, citing that he was on a scientific expedition.

Xuan Chong learned through eavesdropping that the maritime merchants had a complete strategy to deal with him.

It seems that these businessmen have their own agenda now that they've accepted the company of the beautiful Qin Tianyi. They want her to take them there so that the popular actress (star) can sleep with them.

This is a common tactic used by maritime merchants to win over those rapidly rising talents in the navy: using women of sufficient weight to lock in potential high-achievers.

Of course, the so-called "sufficient weight" refers to a famous actress who is popular among the public and whose value is inflated.

Xuan Chong avoided the car and headed straight for his camp.

…the hardships of pursuing education…

In the first half of the year 2107 in the Han calendar, Xuanchong returned to work on the ship. During breaks from daily exercises, training, and navigation, he began to supplement his work with additional questions.

According to the teacher, I am currently unbalanced in my studies; I am excellent in the subject of physical investigation, with almost no omissions, but I am still rigid and inflexible in the subject of philosophical reasoning.

Xuan Chong felt that his teacher was being too polite; to put it bluntly, they were just uncouth people from barbarian regions!

The subject of "Gewu" (science) was something Xuan Chong excelled at in the examination hall in his previous life; while "Liyi" (the study of principles) belongs to the humanities, but in his previous life, the humanities subjects were mostly language-based.

The philosophy of this world (humanities) is based on logic. Its philosophy is still based on the words of sages, but the exam questions are no longer the rigid, formulaic essays, but rather the application of various rules and regulations in complex work scheduling.

Indeed, in modern Han Dynasty industrial production and social management, all regulations and laws are based on Confucian and Mencian theories and were formed in the process of production organization practice.

(Note: There are three statues at the entrance of American law schools, one of which is Confucius; the highly logical system of law is based on a set of "moral blueprints" when it is compiled. The American moral blueprint is the Bible. As for Xuanzang's previous life, he abandoned Confucius and Mencius and became a malie.)
In Jiangnan today, the study of "principles and righteousness" is very strong. In this industrially and commercially developed region, veteran Confucian officials have personally compiled revised collections of Legalist laws and regulations for various industries. — Unlike the Confucian scholar-officials of the late Qing Dynasty who were detached from production and only engaged in empty talk, the Confucian system in modern China is pragmatic.

When Confucian scholars living in Jiangnan answered these questions, they knew not only what to do but also why they did it. But what about students who did not live in Jiangnan?
Lack of environmental influence. When Xuan Chong saw the correct answers to many exam questions, he was unclear about the underlying logic of the system's formation and how relevant ethics supervised the operation of these systems.

Lingjue Academy organizes its students to visit legitimate workplaces every year, such as roads, water conservancy construction sites, factories, and farmlands, to understand why regulations operate in this way and ultimately to understand the logical thinking of the test setters.

The teachers were to take students who weren't very good at explaining things to various factories. Xuan Chong, as a countryman from a "barbarian region," belonged to this category, but because Xuan Chong was in the army, these activities had to be strictly booked in advance.

…a subtle fragrance wafts…

After docking and disbanding once again, Xuan Chong took his books and went to work in a factory.

As Xuan Chong left the military camp, Liu Kehua silently watched his hurried figure from the airship in the sky behind him, while the projector to his left showed the image of the Lord of Lin.

Liu Kehua: "A person of such talent and ability, can you leave him for me to train?"

Lin Zhu: "His ambitions are lofty."

Liu Gehua said with slight dissatisfaction: "What? The ocean is so vast, can't it accommodate his ambitions? How many men would rather fight on the raging seas than not be able to do so?"

Lin Zhu: "He probably doesn't really care about your position as 'Grand Admiral of the Navy.' Among the disciples I recruited this time, he's the one who's most interested in future technology. In recent years, he's been the one who downloads the most materials from me."

Liu Kehua retorted, "I'm quite interested too!"

Lin Zhu: "You are different from him. He focuses on things that can be quickly realized in the next ten years, planned in the next twenty years, and anticipated in the next forty years! But you just look at 'big cannons and strong ships' for fun."

Lin Zhu did not elaborate, but Xuan Chong searched for technologies such as "ballistic missiles attacking fleets" and "satellite clusters building communication networks" in the Lin group.

When Xuan Chong inquired about this thing, Lin Zhu knew that Xuan Chong viewed the fleet with the perspective of "being phased out every ten years," and did not regard the fleet as a power or throne at all.

Liu Gehua: "Oh, so he's going to become a high-ranking official?"

Lin Zhu frowned: "He gives me the feeling that he is someone who jumped back from the future."

Lin Zhu is qualified to say this, as his special ability allows him to observe other timelines, thus he can sense the future characteristics on Xuan Chong.

(End of this chapter)