Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

The famous young master's ranking in the top three did not cause much of a stir.

Ultimately, those qualified to serve as examiners are all figures from various factions who aspire to advance further.

In terms of power, they all far surpass the Duke of Qi.

A mere young nobleman is even less worthy of respect.

One by one, the exam papers were drawn out, evaluated by nineteen examiners, and ranked.

After about three days, the temporary order was finalized.

The top three scholars were Xu Anshi, Huang Shang, and Liu Zhi.

Besides these, Huang Tingjian ranked 57th and Qi Heng, the young master, ranked 320th.

Chapter 185 The New Emperor Kills Four Birds with One Stone!

Royal study room.

Jiang Zhao, dressed in a purple robe and jade belt, with a gold talisman and fish-shaped pouch hanging from his arm, entered the palace to pay his respects.

In the main seat, Zhao Ceying held a memorial in his hand, his face solemn.

"Your Majesty, the list of successful candidates has been tentatively finalized by the Ministry of Rites. We have brought over the examination papers of those ranked 30th and above," Jiang Zhao said slowly, holding his ceremonial robes.

The imperial examination, also known as the Ministry of Rites examination.

The list of candidates for the metropolitan examination was called the Ministry of Rites' list, and once it was posted, it was called the Yellow List.

Generally speaking, the emperor would glance at the top thirty papers to determine whether the examination was fair or not.

Zhao Ceying nodded, stood up, took the list from the Ministry of Rites, and scanned it.

He glanced at it twice and said, "In that case, let's post the results."

He trusts Jiang Zhao to get things done!

"promise."

Jiang Zhao bowed respectfully, took a step back, and prepared to leave.

As the chief examiner for the imperial examination, grading papers was merely a trivial part of the process.

The real highlight was the visits from the successful candidates in the imperial examinations and those who had passed the highest level of the imperial examinations.

A large pool of talent is available for selection.

The saying "disciples and former officials are all over the world" is accumulated little by little in this way.

"Zichuan."

Before he could even take a step, Zhao Ceying quickly waved and called out to him, "No rush."

Jiang Zhao was taken aback, his steps faltering slightly.

What else could it be?

Just then, Zhao Ceying walked to the desk, picked up the memorial he had been observing, and passed it over.

"Let us take a look at this memorial."

Upon receiving the memorial, Jiang Zhao quickly perused it and understood its contents.

The memorial submitted by Zhang Fangping, the Pacification Commissioner of Xihe Road, was about a thousand words long.

In essence, the core message can be summed up in one sentence.

Emperor Li Liangzuo of Western Xia personally led an expedition on a massive scale, reportedly with an army of 100,000.

The remaining content analyzes the composition of the Western Xia army and the resources that might be consumed in defending the border.

In short, either the court sent capable officials to guard the border, or the court allocated grain, and the border regions implemented a policy of "defense as offense".

“It’s said to cost 100,000,” Jiang Zhao murmured.

"In reality, it's only around thirty to fifty thousand, right?"

A war is not just about killing; it also involves logistical issues.

Soldiers who transported provisions, weapons, and other supplies, soldiers who managed provisions, craftsmen, cooks, and other miscellaneous personnel, as well as the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, were not truly combat-ready.

In addition, there may even be some soldiers who are receiving salaries without working.

With an army of 100,000, including 60,000 combat-ready soldiers, it was already a first-class elite army, and the administration was clean and efficient.

Under normal circumstances, it would probably cost between 30,000 and 50,000.

Jiang Zhao glanced at him twice, then asked in confusion, "Does Your Majesty intend for me to lead the expedition?"

The Xihe region has no shortage of real soldiers.

Yu Longke's 100,000-strong army, along with tens of thousands of old, weak, sick, disabled, and retired soldiers, and 60,000 to 70,000 border troops stationed on the frontier, were part of the "military-agricultural settlement" policy.

A rough calculation shows that the army numbered 200,000.

Li Liangzuo was nothing more than an army of 100,000.

Judging from the battle situation, Li Liangzuo only achieved some results because 60% of his 200,000 troops had laid down their arms and returned to their fields, while the remaining 60,000 to 70,000 were scattered across eight prefectures and were relatively disorganized.

This is about taking advantage of a time difference.

Once the soldiers of Xihe are gathered, it will not be difficult to defeat Li Liangzuo!

Ultimately, Li Liangzuo was not some extraordinary genius.

Is it really necessary for him to lead the expedition?

Jiang Zhao looked over in confusion.

In this situation, his trip to Xihe Road didn't have any effect!

“Exactly.” Zhao Ceying nodded.

He wanted Jiang Zhao to lead the expedition!

Zhao Ceying explained, “I intend to appoint you as Minister of War and lead the expedition. I will appoint Zhang Ding, son of the Duke of Ying, Zheng Xiao, deputy commander of the Divine Guard Army, Wang Shao, academician of the Privy Council, and Bao Shun, the Western Attendant, as your assistants.”

"Furthermore, since this involves matters of great importance to the military and the nation, it is advisable to have the newly appointed Marquis of Ningyuan, Gu Tingye, disregard his mourning period and go to the border to join the expedition."

The so-called "deprivation of mourning" refers to the system for officials who were in mourning for their parents.

If there is an emergency in the court's affairs, important officials may be recalled, and the mourning period may be canceled or shortened.

Of course, due to filial piety, the practice of "seizing the opportunity to mourn" was more common among military generals.

Scholars who cultivate their reputation rarely disregard matters of affection, and doing so is prone to controversy, potentially leaving behind a reputation for "coveting power."

Zhang Juzheng of the Ming Dynasty continued to preside over reforms even after his father's death, and the issue of "canceling the mourning period" was quite controversial.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhao couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

Zhang Ding, son of the Duke of Ying, is from the Duke of Ying's mansion; Gu Tingye is from the Marquis of Ningyuan's mansion; and General Zheng is from the Marquis of Zhongjing's mansion.

In addition, Marquis Zhongjing, Zheng Shunshang, was also stationed on the frontier.

The Duke of England's mansion, the Marquis of Ningyuan's mansion, and the Marquis of Zhongshun's mansion—these were the three most powerful noble families.

When it comes to the depth of their roots in the military, these three are undoubtedly the most prominent.

This time, they were outnumbered and the victory was almost a certainty. Why did they deliberately send the younger generation of the three noble leaders to the border? It's not hard to guess.

Show mercy!

If they make any contributions, the new emperor can bestow favors upon Zhang Ding, Gu Tingye, and Zheng Xiao.

The new emperor, having just ascended the throne, hoped to win over the nobles, and the nobles, in turn, also longed to align themselves with the new emperor.

By bestowing favors and winning over the three powerful nobles, one can easily gain their loyalty.

These three noble families were backed by other noble families.

Once this is initiated, the new emperor will be able to seize military power!

In addition, Bao Shun was the leader of the Yulongke tribe, which was conducive to the stability of the border and was essentially a rare political bargaining chip.

Wang Shao was a typical "scholar-general," one of the most capable and useful men in the field.

Jiang Zhao understood.

The new emperor intends to take advantage of Li Liangzuo's invasion to completely win over the nobles!

Once the nobles are bribed, no matter how much the scholars cause trouble, at least the throne is secure.

Jiang Zhao echoed, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"These men are all skilled warriors. I predict they will surely achieve unparalleled feats."

This plan has a profound sense of simplicity.

The new emperor has completed his campaign!

As soon as he said that, Zhao Ceying knew that Jiang Zhao understood his meaning, and he nodded in satisfaction.

This battle was won before it even began!

The new emperor's reign was unstable.

Once he secured the allegiance of the three major nobles, his power base was secure.

That's winning!

"This time, at least 100,000 troops will be needed, and only a commander-in-chief can coordinate them."

Zhao Ceying said earnestly, "In this world, apart from the Duke of Yingguo and the Marquis of Zhongjing, only Minister Jiang has the ability to coordinate and manage all aspects."

In fact, even the Marquis of Zhongjing was having some difficulty.

The main problem is the lack of opportunities to exercise.

The campaign of 100,000 troops was already a national war.

In the past, it was almost always the British public who took the lead.

With the opening of the Xihe border, Jiang Zhao has become another prominent figure.

The remaining people only play a supporting role and have no opportunity to practice.

Unless absolutely necessary, the emperor would never entrust a 100,000-strong army to a general with no command experience.

In other words, one cannot serve as a commander without prior experience as a commander.

Conversely, without serving as a commander-in-chief, one has no experience as a commander-in-chief.

"Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail your expectations," Jiang Zhao said, bowing respectfully.

For such a large-scale mobilization of the army, the new emperor would definitely try to use civil officials as much as possible.

Military generals, after all, have an unspeakable flaw: the inability to trust.

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, military generals wreaked havoc across the land, casting a shadow over people that lingered for a century!

"The scale of the Western Xia invasion was not entirely accurate."

Zhao Ceying said calmly, "In the next ten days or so, we will probably need to requisition grain and fodder, but there's no rush."

The implication was that there was no need to set off immediately; the opportunities for the tribute students and those who had passed the imperial examinations to visit their "master" were still available and would not be lost, so Jiang Zhao need not worry.

"Your Majesty, I thank you."

Jiang Zhao bowed respectfully and slowly withdrew.

About half an hour later, the yellow notice was posted.

At the same time, the dozen or so examiners were freed.

With the list of successful candidates announced, the next step was the imperial examination.

However, at that time, the list was determined by several grand secretaries and the emperor. Ordinary examiners only played the role of proctors and were not even qualified to touch the papers.

The chief and deputy examiners were essentially assistants.

The real decision-making power still rested with the Grand Secretaries and the Emperor.

Since it does not affect the fairness of scientific research, one can be free.

Of course, apart from the chief and deputy examiners, the vast majority of examiners maintained a low profile.