Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

The soldiers, upon hearing the king's words of benevolence,

They all knelt down on one knee.

"I am willing to die for Your Majesty."

"Rise, all of you! The battlefield is cruel."

"How many people have fought in ancient times?"

"An ordinary person who can fight for three years is considered to be incredibly lucky."

"Of course, once the world is at peace, the dangers of joining the army are much less."

"But life is full of variety,"

"Military control is very strict,"

"Serving in the military for life will take away a lot of fun."

Even if everyone doesn't know how to make a living,

"The veterans of Liangshan will inevitably receive more land,"

"The imperial court has once again exempted farmers from taxes,"

"Even the land rent would be enough for everyone to live comfortably for the rest of their lives."

"As long as my Great Liang Dynasty stands,"

“That land is enough to ensure your descendants live comfortably.”

"Of course, the premise is that there are no spendthrift children in your family."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers

They couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Upon hearing Zhao Yuan's words, Sun Li

But I couldn't help but think of Emperor Taizu of Song's famous "releasing military power over a cup of wine".

After Zhao Kuangyin conquered the country,

He feared the military power held by the generals who had bestowed the imperial robe upon him.

He then forced everyone to lay down their arms and return to their fields.

However, Zhao Kuangyin only relieved the generals of their military power.

The king, however, wanted the veterans to retire and return to their fields.

Could it be an implication that these elderly people should also resign?

However, Sun Li thought about it again and felt that something was wrong.

Without a doubt, the King is the most prestigious figure in the Liang army.

The others joined forces.

None of them could shake the king's position.

Especially in the hearts of the Liangshan veterans,

The Great King is a celestial being who descended to earth.

It's simply impossible for them to join others in opposing the King.

Moreover, among the elders of Liangshan...

Most of the generals were brought to Liangshan by the King from the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world).

He can be considered the king's confidant.

These people were stripped of their military power.

It would be difficult to cultivate another group of trusted confidants.

Sun Li thought for a while,

I can't figure it out either.

He also knew that the king was straightforward.

He then asked directly, "Does Your Majesty perhaps have other intentions?"

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "First of all, of course, we should share wealth and honor with the old men of Liangshan."

"Secondly, we must promote universal military service,"

"Everyone must serve three years of military service when they turn twenty."

"I want to make the Han people martial."

"If all Han Chinese had served in the military,"

"No matter how the world changes,"

"No ethnic group can enslave the Han people."

"Of course, this is to maintain the army's combat effectiveness,"

"Excellent soldiers must also be selected,"

“Let them serve as officers.”

Sun Li stared in disbelief and asked, "Everyone is serving in the military?"

Zhao Yuan nodded and said, "Yes."

Sun Li shook his head and said, "The soldiers of our dynasty enjoy generous benefits."

"Most people should be fine,"

"However, most intellectuals probably wouldn't serve in the military."

"Back then, Di Qing served as the Deputy Privy Councilor,"

"The Chinese in the court then rose up in attack."

"The Imperial Censor Wang Juzheng spoke frankly,"

"I fear that the court will be looked down upon by all sides,"

"This shows the contempt that scholars have for warriors."

"Han Qi and Di Qing are at odds,"

"Han Qi sought to kill Jiao Yong, a subordinate of Di Qing,"

Di Qing pleaded, saying that Jiao Yong had military merits and was a fine man.

Han Qi, however, said that the one who sang the name of the top scholar outside Donghua Gate was a good son.

"How can this be considered a good child!"

"Therefore, Jiao Yong was executed."

"Even a martial artist like Di Qing is looked down upon by scholars."

"How could they be willing to be soldiers?"

Chapter 1913 The Status of Martial Artists

Many soldiers knew that military men had a low social status in the Song Dynasty.

But they were unaware of these allusions.

However, they had heard of Di Qing's great name.

Hearing Sun Li recount Di Qing's grievances,

They couldn't help but show indignation on their faces.

Zhao Yuan looked around at everyone and smiled.

Do you know what kind of people I despise the most?

Ma Lin guessed, "Could it be a scholar?"

Zhao Yuan nodded and said, "We're getting close."

"The people I despise most are scholars."

"A scholar is good for nothing."

"Those who only know how to read books to death,"

"Yet I feel that everything else is inferior."

"Only those who are highly educated are truly accomplished."

"How many people spend their entire lives studying and preparing for exams?"

"Even though they can't pass the exam, they don't do any work and dream of instant success."

"The Song Dynasty created a system of special appointments,"

"This makes those people even more enthusiastic about it."

Special recommendation was a type of examination system in the Song Dynasty.

Those who failed the imperial examination multiple times

In addition, a register was compiled and submitted to the emperor.

Then the imperial court set some simple questions.

Let them take the test.

Those who passed the exam were granted a special undergraduate degree.

Therefore, it is called a special name.

Sun Li nodded and said, "This is also a measure taken by the Song Dynasty to treat scholars well."

"It's clearly an imperial examination system for selecting talent,"

"Yet they came up with this ridiculous and absurd title for special performance."

"The more times you take the test, the lower the difficulty will be."

"When has the Song Dynasty ever treated military men so well?"

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "Those people who fail repeatedly but still insist on taking the exam,"

"It was by chance that they passed the imperial examinations and obtained official positions."

"I'm afraid their first priority will be to recoup the money they've spent over the years."

"How can one be a conscientious official?"

"Moreover, how can these people, who have spent their whole lives studying books, understand politics?"

"A few days ago, I saw quite a few white-haired scholars in Tokyo,"

"That's when I had this idea,"

"It's just that many of them traveled a long way to Tokyo,"

"It's because we suddenly locked them down in Tokyo that we didn't bring up this suggestion."

"In the next imperial examination, those over the age of thirty-five will not be allowed to participate."

"Let those useless people change careers and do something to make a living as soon as possible,"

"To avoid wasting the court's manpower and resources."

There was an age limit for participating in the imperial examinations.

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Once these two measures are implemented,

Even if we cannot say that the imperial court suppressed scholars,

However, this also suggests that the imperial court would not treat scholars as favorably as it did in the Song Dynasty.