cite Han

Chapter 470 Policy Theory
The next day, in order to welcome the arrival of [-] Ming Jing subjects, the closed door of the main hall of the Jingzhou Prefecture Department was opened again with a loud bang.

As the place of the Jingzhou court meeting, the main hall is usually closed. It will only be opened when Liu Biao calls the court meeting on the first and fifteenth day of each month, and when important events happen.

In this scientific expedition, Liu Jing has opened the main hall twice, which shows how much he attaches importance to it.

One hundred and one candidates entered the main hall one by one under the guidance of two leading officials.

Liu Jing's current status is actually not qualified to open a course to obtain a scholar. He is not the emperor, and he is not even the chief political officer of Jingzhou. His current official position is only General Anyuan and the prefect of Lingling. Therefore, facing all the candidates, he has no Anzu accepted the visit, but got up and went down the steps to greet him.

Liu Jing, a corporal who is courteous and virtuous, looks like he is eager to seek talents, but he can be informal. Candidates don’t dare to go up or down. They stick to the way of superiority and inferiority. They lowered their eyebrows and bowed in unison: "I will pay my respects to the general... "

Liu Jing raised his hand to stop it, and said with a smile: "You don't need to be too polite, please hurry up..."

Among the candidates, there were many familiar faces. Liu Jing nodded his head one by one, and then said: "Everyone who has passed two exams in a row has outstanding talents and learning, and they are all talents of the country. Today, the world is in chaos, people are dying, and I have no talents. I want to save the country from fire and water. Solve the people's upside down, not to adapt to the right to change, start a course to recruit scholars, recruit outstanding talents, and jointly contribute to the great cause of revival. Today's policy inquiry does not examine the scriptures, but only political theory, I hope you will encourage it."

"No." The candidates were not surprised by this.It was a troubled time, and what Liu Jing needed was a talent to help the world, not a doctor of economics.

Liu Jing said some words of encouragement, then nodded to the examinees, turned and returned to the seat.

At this time, the chief bookkeeper Jiang Wan stepped forward and announced today's policy questions on Liu Jing's behalf: "Why did the country decline? Why did it recover?" The number of words should be more than a thousand characters, and the time limit is limited to one day.

The examinees immediately whispered to each other when they heard the words, the rise and fall of the country, this topic is too big, it can't be explained in a mere thousand words, it must be a long speech with thousands of words.

Fortunately, the meal time is only halfway through now, and there are three and a half hours before the end of the day, so the candidates have enough time to think and answer.

With the previous two experiences, all the examinees took the number plate and sat down with ease. Some were quick-witted, and immediately took a pen and ink, and buried their heads in the book.

The exam time was quite long, and Liu Jing could not bear to sit silently on it for several hours. After about half an hour, he ordered the master secretary Jiang Wan to replace him in the exam room, and then moved to another room to sit and rest. A pot of clear tea, while drinking, gossip with the examinees in the main hall with Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Wang Can and other close officials.

Liu Jing carefully savored the long-lasting fragrance of tea that lingered between his lips and teeth, and asked his confidants with a smile, "Who do you think can beat all the heroes today and win the championship right?"

Zhuge Liang took the lead and said: "Cui Zhouping was born in a famous family and has a wide range of talents and knowledge. When I was studying in Xiangyang, I was often inspired and benefited a lot from discussing world affairs with him. With his talents and knowledge, he is unmatched among all living beings." .”

Liu Jing was thoughtful when he heard that Zhuge Liang had such a high opinion of Cui Jun, of course he would not think that Zhuge Liang was bragging for his friend, Cui Jun must have extraordinary talent.

Among the four friends of Zhuge Liang in history, Xu Shu, Meng Jian, and Shi Tao served in Wei Dynasty. Although the official positions were not high in the end, there are still some records.And Cui Jun didn't know whether he died early or lived in seclusion, but he didn't even leave a word.

Wang Can also proposed a candidate: "Cui Zhouping is certainly a talent in the world, and Nanyang Liu Gongsi is not bad, enough to compete with Cui Zhouping. It is a pity that his brother Liu Wangzhi was also a good scholar in Chu, but he was wrongly killed by Liu Biao for his honest words. .”

Liu Gongsi is Liu Zhen, a disciple of Sima Hui, Huang Zhongtongli, a well-known official school, Wang Can had recommended him to Liu Jing before.

His elder brother Liu Wangzhi was well-known in the world, and he used to work in Jingzhou. He and two friends were slandered by sycophants for their integrity and punished by Liu Biao.

When Liu Jing raised his troops for the Northern Expedition, he issued a campaign against Liu Biao. He used Liu Wangzhi as an example to criticize Liu Biao for not distinguishing right from wrong and harming Zhongliang.

After Liu Wangzhi was murdered, Liu Zhen was afraid of being implicated, so he did not dare to stay in the official school and sneaked back to his hometown. It was not until Liu Jing entered Jingzhou and his teacher Sima Hui wrote to him that he returned to Xiangyang.

Pang Tong also believed that Cui Jun and Liu Zhen were the most likely to win the championship. He had known the two for a long time, and he knew that both of them possessed great talents. Even Xi Zhen, whose reputation is second only to him, is slightly worse.Of course, Pang Tong did not count himself.

Time passed quickly in the chatting of a few people, and it was midday in a blink of an eye. At this time, nearly two hours had passed since the exam started, and the writing was almost finished as soon as I wanted to.

With this in mind, Liu Jing immediately ended the conversation, returned to the main hall, strolled among the candidates, and checked the candidates' theories.

Walking and reading all the way, Liu Jingxing came to Cui Jun's desk, and the latter was still writing at his desk, and the finished articles were placed beside the desk.

Liu Jing looked closely, and couldn't help secretly praising: "Good calligraphy." His eight-point book, silkworm head and wild goose tail, has twists and turns, and has already entered the classroom. As far as calligraphy is concerned, it is undoubtedly the first among candidates.

It is normal for Cui Jun to have such calligraphy skills. It is necessary to know that the Boling Cui family prospered with literature, and the world is a model of Confucianism. Cui Jun's ancestors Cui Yuan and his father Cui Shi are both famous calligraphers.

Looking at his point of view again, he believes that the faint and incompetent monarch should bear the primary responsibility for the decline of the Han Dynasty. Those who are full of flattery and flattery; those who favor nobles and rich people are all the families of concubines and concubines... appoint eunuchs, imprison the loyal and good, abandon the common government, sell nobles and officials, and make the world tireless..."

Although he didn't mention his name, anyone could tell that he was talking about Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling.

Then Cui Jun launched a fierce attack on foreign relatives and eunuchs, saying: "The previous dynasty lost its title due to the loss of relatives, and this dynasty has collapsed due to eunuchs."

It is precisely because the relatives and eunuchs have dominated the government for a long time, causing chaos in the government, causing the virtuous to retreat to the poor, and the loyal and good to the inferior, disappointed from far and near, which led to the swarm of traitors and chaos in the world...

When talking about how to revive the Han Dynasty, Cui Jun believes that today, "inheriting the evils of a hundred kings, it is worth the meeting of bad luck", it is no longer possible to achieve the Eighth Emperor of Pure Law (Three Emperors and Five Emperors). Now the only way to save the country is to use tyranny.

Liu Jing continued to look down, and the more he read, the more familiar he became. Cui Jun's statement of "abandoning moral education and using hegemony" is quite similar to a book he recently read.

Liu Biao may not be the material to fight for world hegemony, but in terms of literature, he has made great contributions to the world.Not to mention the official schools run by him, which are better than Xu Du Taixue, but only one item of books. Since the troubled times, scholars and people have been displaced, and the classics have been lost. Keeping its old roots, so the collection of classical graves is full of Zhou Lu.”

It can be said that Liu Biao's rich collection of books, if called second, no one dares to be called the first in the world.

Of course, Liu Jing is now in vain.

Liu Jing happened to be reading Cui Shi's book "Politics" recently, and Cui Jun was Cui Shi's concubine, and his articles referred to "Politics", so Liu Jing felt familiar.

In fact, Cui Jun did not blindly copy the remarks of "Politics", and some of his personal views also made Liu Jing feel bright.

But it is undeniable that Cui Jun has "Political Theory" as a reference, which can be called a strategic position, which gives him an advantage when facing a lot of competitors.

Cui Jun's talent is already the best among all living beings, and with the blessing of Cui Shi, a writer, political commentator, and thinker, who else is the first?

…………

"Clang! Clang! Block!..."

In the afternoon, the clear sound of gong resounded in the empty hall, and the few remaining examinees looked anxious, and they handed in the examination papers slowly under the repeated urging of the invigilators.

Compared to the empty main hall, the seat next door was full of people.

Each examinee can have thousands of words at least, tens of thousands of words at most, and hundreds of thousands of words for hundreds of candidates. It is impossible for Liu Jing to read them one by one. The bureaucrats and other officials reviewed the papers together with Song Zhong, Qi Wukai, Sima Hui and other invigilators, selected outstanding works, and presented them to Liu Jing for review.

When the last few exam papers were delivered, Liu Jing took a quick glance and saw that there was nothing unusual, coughed lightly, and then said to everyone in the room: "The exam is over now, you guys think this countermeasure, who will be the first?" ?”

Song Zhong, as the chief examiner of the exam, spoke first: "Boling Cui Zhouping's essays are exquisite, political gains and losses, military strategy, everything. It can be called Boda, and it should be the first."

Wang Can lightly nodded and said: "Although Cui Zhouping has inherited the benefits of his predecessors, he also has his own unique insights. He who has no faults in life can be the first."

Zhuge Liang was very happy for his friend, and said with a smile: "Cui Zhouping is a well-known scholar in Jizhou. It is not his intention to take the exam this time. With his talent, he deserves to be the first."

The rest of the people also expressed their agreement, Cui Jun won the first prize, which can be regarded as the popular expectation.

Liu Jing immediately complied with the people's hearts, and named Cui Jun as the first, and then discussed with everyone for the second and third places.

Since No. 1 was given to Cui Jun, a northerner, in order to balance, No. 2 can no longer be given to a northerner, but must be given to a Jingzhou native.

Sima Hui, Wang Can and others nominated Liu Zhen, while Song Zhong, Pang Tong and others nominated Xi Zhen. The two received the most support, but Zhuge Liang nominated Yang Yi unlike everyone else.

Yang Yi's reputation is far less than that of Liu Zhen and Xi Zhen. Zhuge Liang didn't know Yang Yi in the past, and he knew very little about him. Call out: "Mr. Yang Wei is really Wang Zuozhi's talent!"

Liu Jing was not surprised that Zhuge Liang valued Yang Yi so much. Historically, Zhuge Liang cherished Yang Yi's talent very much.

Liu Jing looked down at Yang Yi's theories again, and had to admit that although Yang Yi was narrow-minded and lacked in moral character, she was indeed talented.

It is precisely because of his admirable talent that in history, Yang Yi went to Guan Yu, and Guan Yu valued him; when he saw Liu Bei, Liu Bei treated him favorably;

Regarding Yang Yi, Liu Jing still had doubts in his heart, and was not in a hurry to make a decision, so he turned his eyes to the examination papers of Liu Zhen and Xi Zhen.

Liu Zhen's articles are also very exciting, but most of them are Confucian views, frequently citing scriptures and classics, frequently referring to the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period, and the words of sages.

Liu Jing's evaluation of Liu Zhen is that the article is too elegant, but the strategy is inferior.

Liu Jing tapped on the book case unconsciously with his fingers, thinking repeatedly in his heart, if he chooses talents, he should choose Yang Yi, and if he chooses virtues, he should choose Liu Zhen.

As for Xi Zhen, he is not as talented as Yang Yi, and his virtue is not as good as Liu Zhen. He is a little mediocre, which does not match his great reputation in Xianghan.

Liu Jing thought for a long time, and finally remembered that Yang Yi was in the middle of the court in history, and he was at odds with Liu Ba. If he joined the army, he would have an enemy with Wei Yan. Don't you want to go up to the sky?So he abandoned Yang Yi and took Liu Zhen as the second.

No.3 Liu Jing did not choose Xizhen, but Hedong Peihui.

The Pei family in Hedong was the surname. Pei Mao, the father of Pei Hui, was ordered to lead the generals in Guanzhong to fight against the traitor Li Jue at the beginning of Jian'an, and he was named a lieutenant for his meritorious service.

His elder brother Pei Qian was recommended by Wang Can, and had joined Liu Jing's command a few days ago.

Pei Qian is knowledgeable and talented, but because he was dissolute when he was young and did not practice meticulous practice, he was disrespectful to his father.On the contrary, Pei Hui, who was clean and respectful since childhood, was very paternal, so he was very fond of his father Pei Mao.

Pei Hui is a few years younger than his elder brother Pei Qian, but his talent and knowledge are not much inferior. He stands out among all the students and is named No.3 by Liu Jing.

Next, Liu Jingjing and Shi Tao are fourth, and the well-known Xi Zhen is only No.5.

Liu Jing is not prejudiced against Xi Zhen, but as far as policy theory is concerned, it is indeed a bit misleading.If it wasn't for worrying about public opinion and fear of causing criticism, his ranking might be a few places lower.

The sixth is Yin Mo, a native of Guanghan in Yizhou. The land of Bashu has always valued modern texts rather than chapters and sentences. Yin Mo felt that the knowledge of Bashu was not extensive, so he traveled to Xiangyang to study and seek advice from Song Zhong and Sima Hui.If only the classics and meanings are tested, he may win the first prize.

The seventh is Liu Min from Lingling in Jingnan. He is Jiang Wan's younger brother.

Pang Lin and Luo Meng from Xiangyang are the eighth and ninth respectively. Pang Lin is the younger brother of Pang Tong, and Luo Meng is also from a rich family in Xiangyang. Both of them are the best of the young generation in Miannan.

Liu Jing ranked Yang Yi at tenth, Zhuge Liang thought that Yang Yi's ranking was too low, and with his talents, he was enough to enter the top five, or even the top three, and no matter what, he should not be ranked only tenth.

However, Liu Jing's attitude was very firm, and Zhuge Liang had no choice but to accept this result.

After Liu Jing personally finalized the top ten, he stopped talking and let the subordinates completely let go. With Song Zhong and other invigilators as the main examiners, Zhuge Liang, Wang Can and others as the assistants, everyone said what they said to each other, and within an hour they would draw up a plan. Alright, list A and B.

At only 16 years old, Ma Liang, a young talent highly valued by Liu Jing, only ranked 47th and failed to enter the first class.

(End of this chapter)