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

Zhao Yuan said, "Let's announce the names tomorrow."

After the cabinet and Ministry of Rites officials withdrew, Zhao Yuan continued reviewing memorials.

Chapter 3657 The Troubled Ministry of War

The memorial submitted by the Ministry of War was a headache; it was almost time to end the war in the southwest.

Last autumn, troops from four routes—southern Sichuan, eastern Sichuan, western Hunan, and Guangxi—were dispatched to sweep away disloyal barbarian chieftains along the way, and then attacked the kingdoms of Luodian, Ziqi, and Temodao.

Faced with Yang Zaixing's army, the chieftain of the Temodao Nong clan was the first to surrender.

This surrender was no different from no surrender at all, because Temodao had long since submitted to the Ming Dynasty. But it was merely submission; they didn't come to pay tribute, didn't obey orders, and frequently raided surrounding tribes.

Yang Zaixing ordered the Nong clan chieftain to surrender in person, but the chieftain hid in his mountain stronghold and refused to come out.

Then the only option is to attack the mountain and start fighting!

In just two days, Yang Zaixing broke through the barbarian village, but the Nong clan chieftain fled.

They then rallied their remaining forces and waged guerrilla warfare in the vast mountains, occasionally coercing or plundering other small tribes.

Four whole months have passed, and the Nong clan chieftain still hasn't been wiped out. Who knows which ravine he's hiding in?

Enraged, Yang Zaixing attacked and burned down the barbarian strongholds, destroying twelve in total. This, in turn, forced the barbarians of Temodao to unite in their hatred of the enemy.

According to recent news, the chieftain of the Nong clan seems to have fled to the territory of the Dali Kingdom.

Yang Zaixing then sent a memorial to the court, saying that the weather there was about to turn hot and requesting that the troops be withdrawn first.

Another chieftain named Nong Dezhi was very obedient throughout the battle, and we hope that the court can appoint him as the Pacification Commissioner of Temo Road.

The battle at Temodao was already very difficult; the battles at Luodian and Ziqi were even more challenging.

The terrain of those two small countries was more complex, and they shared the same origin as the thirty-seven barbarian tribes of the Dali Kingdom.

The Ming army marched in and won several battles in succession.

Those barbarians immediately changed their tactics, not only waging guerrilla warfare among the mountains, but also retreating to the Dali Kingdom whenever they encountered danger.

Then, leading the thirty-seven barbarian tribes of Dali, they launched a surprise attack and ambushed them in the mountains.

The Dali Kingdom agreed to help, but was powerless to do so.

From the Nanzhao Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty to the Dali Kingdom of today, the thirty-seven barbarian tribes have never been able to be conquered.

They could only force these barbarians to submit, and then they would rebel from time to time, even killing two of the prime ministers of the Dali Kingdom.

The Ministry of War has summarized these situations and has provided a solution:

First, withdraw troops before the weather gets hot.

Secondly, the states of Qi and Luodian must abolish their national titles and submit to the imperial court.

Third, in Ziqi, Luodian, and Temo, a local chieftain was appointed as a Pacification Commissioner in each of the three places.

Fourth, accelerate the pace of immigration to the surrounding areas of these three locations.

Zhao Yuan picked up his pen and wrote: "Approved."

This approach signifies a strategic failure.

With four armies attacking, the total number of troops mobilized, including soldiers and laborers, was nearly 100,000.

Despite wasting countless resources and inflicting heavy casualties on the barbarians, they failed to capture even a single king or chieftain.

We can only do what the Dali Kingdom did: force those barbarians to submit, but who knows when they might rebel again.

Juzhou has been renamed Guizhou. Zhao Yuan added a sentence in red ink: "Within five years, we will no longer wage war against Temo, Ziqi, and Luodian."

"Severe criminals from Sichuan are mainly exiled to Guizhou."

"The army in southern Sichuan gradually encroached upon the three barbarian tribes of Mahu, Nanguang, and Luoshi, and recruited displaced farmers to form villages and cultivate the land."

Damn it, we can't take down the Southwest!

Zhao Yuan was ultimately not like Zhu Yuanzhang or Zhu Di; he simply couldn't bring himself to carry out large-scale immigration.

When Zhu Yuanzhang and his son Zhu Di conquered the southwest, they often relocated hundreds of thousands of people.

During the forced relocation, countless families were torn apart, and countless people died in the Yunnan-Guizhou region.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Yuan added: "Those who voluntarily immigrate to Mahu, Nanguang, Luoshi, and Guizhou will be pardoned if they are guilty, and their debts will be wiped clean."

"The government shall not pursue his crimes, and creditors shall not collect his debts!"

"This decree was proclaimed to the whole country by imperial edict, and those who wish to immigrate may register at the local government office."

It seems that the southwest region will require long-term management, and the Dali Kingdom can continue to exist for many more years.

Zhao Yuan decided to shift the focus of expansion to the northwest and destroy the Western Xia first!

Although the Northwest is barren, the environment for immigrants is better than that in the Southwest, and it is also easier for the imperial court to send troops to suppress them.

……

The Grand Ceremony of Chuanlu.

"The top scorer in this imperial examination is Zhao Kui from Zizhou."

A short, thin, ugly 19-year-old with a face full of acne strides confidently to the top.

Since the establishment of the imperial examination system from the Tang to the Song dynasties, there has never been such an ugly top scholar!

At this moment, everyone is watching.

This Zhao Kui was historically known as "Little Dongpo" by Zhao Gou, and popularly referred to as "Pockmarked Scholar".

Because he advocated resistance against the Jin dynasty and was at odds with Qin Hui, this top scholar was relegated to a minor post in a remote area.

He could have been directly appointed as a proofreader, but the appointment was delayed for three years in violation of regulations, and his luggage was searched on his way back to the capital. It turned out that apart from travel expenses, all he had with him were books.

Unable to punish Qin Hui for his corruption and abuse of power, Qin Hui brought his family to the capital, ostensibly to take care of them, but in reality to threaten them.

It still didn't work, and Qin Hui's henchmen impeached him for writing poems that complained about the emperor.

Chapter 3658 The Top Scholar

Unfortunately, this person died young.

The newly appointed scholars changed into unranked official robes and lined up to enter the main hall to pay their respects to the emperor.

Zhao Yuan beckoned and said, "Scholar, come closer."

Zhao Kui walked forward.

Zhao Yuan carefully observed the pimples for a while: "After the Qionglin Banquet, you should find the imperial physician to treat you."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty!" Zhao Kui said, bowing.

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "You, the third-ranked scholar, go and choose a flower."

"Yes!"

Sun Yaochen gladly accepted the order.

Sun Yaochen is 31 years old this year. He is from Shaanxi and is historically unknown. He died in the Jingkang Incident.

He happily left Donghua Gate with several palace guards, becoming the first Tanhualang (third-ranked scholar) after the resumption of the Tanhua (third-ranked scholar) activity.

The group rode horses through Luoyang, heading straight for Tianwang Temple, which had more than 100,000 peony plants.

Since the capital was established in Luoyang, and the imperial examination coincided with the blooming season, the scholars naturally used peonies to adorn their hair and parade through the streets.

When Sun Yaochen was selecting flowers at Tianwang Temple, many citizens of Luoyang came to visit.

Especially the flower vendors, who would bring samples to recommend themselves, asking the imperial envoy to select peonies from their gardens.

The newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) were already waiting outside Donghua Gate. Sun Yaochen returned with three hundred peonies.

After everyone finished adorning themselves with flowers, they began riding horses through the streets.

Cao Tuan, the envoy from Western Xia, stood by the roadside, watching the triumphant scholars and hearing the cheers of the citizens of Luoyang. He couldn't help but exclaim, "This is how scholars should be!"

Taira no Kiyomori, carrying a Japanese sword, asked, "Cousin, could we reform the imperial examination system?"

"Difficult," Hanoi Kyung-qun said, shaking his head.

Japan also had an imperial examination system at this time, but it had been abandoned for over a hundred years.

All Japanese test takers must be recommended by powerful figures. As long as they take the exam, they are guaranteed to pass; if their essays are so poor they cannot pass, the recommender will change the decision and grant them a pass.

This is similar to the civil service examination system in Goryeo and Joseon.

Especially in North Korea, the exam results have already been released, and only then do students from poor families find out that there was actually an exam this year.

Taira no Kiyomori said, "I know why the Ming Dynasty was so powerful. It was because people with talent could become officials, rather than being promoted based on their noble bloodline."

"Japan also has many heroes, but without illustrious backgrounds, they can only be buried among the common people."

Hanoi Gyeong Quoc said, "Anyone who dares to reform the civil service examination will surely meet a terrible end."

"Don't mention these kinds of things again after you return to China."

"I know," Taira no Kiyomori said, sounding rather helpless.

Hanoi Gyeong-guk then asked, "How are things going at the Imperial Academy?"

Taira no Kiyomori said, "I had already completed my elementary education, much of which I had learned in Japan."

"If you take the exam again, you can be promoted to the inner dormitory to study the scriptures."

"The Confucian classics contain the great principles of governing a country; you should study them diligently," Hanoi Kinh Quoc instructed.

Taira no Kiyomori was too lazy to argue. He still wanted to study military strategy, but unfortunately, military academies did not accept foreign students.

After the flower-adorned parade through the streets, the next day they would worship at the Confucian Temple.

Next was the Qionglin Banquet.

Zhao Kui made another appearance at the banquet.

When composing a poem in front of the emperor, Zhao Kui, an ugly scholar with a face full of pimples, wrote two lines that became famous in Luoyang: "Thousands of scholar flowers bloom, but I am the first to open."

Wen Huanzhang also attended the Qionglin Banquet. After eating and drinking his fill, he returned to the palace and said to the emperor, "I will move out in a few days."

"So soon? Why don't you stay for another two years?" Zhao Yuan urged.

Wen Huanzhang laughed and said, "Luoyang is boring. It's much more comfortable at the villa resort."

“Every day I farm, grow flowers, and fish. In my spare time I go hunting and work with craftsmen to make inventions.”

"Haha, you'll be able to enjoy this kind of retirement life in decades."

"No, you might never be able to enjoy it in your entire life. Retiring as an emperor is extremely difficult!"

...

Upon receiving Zhao Yuan's approval, Liu Jian shook his head and said, "The Emperor is really going to great lengths to encourage immigration."

He personally picked up his pen to draft the edict, and after a few strokes of his brush, he added three preconditions.

First, the crime and the loan must have occurred before New Year's Day of this year.

Second, except for the ten heinous crimes.

Third, eliminating debt requires the entire family to relocate.

This is to prevent people from deliberately committing crimes and defaulting on debts, which could lead to local disorder.

Immigrating to Guizhou is tantamount to exile. If one is willing to move the whole family to Guizhou to pay off debts, then they certainly won't be able to repay them.

Even without this policy, creditors would never be able to recover their loans.

Relocating the entire family of such debtors would actually contribute to local stability.

The imperial edict was drafted and then sent to Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan approved of this, personally signed it, and had the Tongzhengyuan stamp it for publication.

He picked up another memorial, which was Zhang Shuye's request to retire.

Zhang Shuye is 71 years old and resigned last winter.

His intentions were quite clear: after three requests and three resignations, the imperial examination would be over, allowing him to participate in the grading of examination papers one last time before retiring.