Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1145 Epilogue : The time traveler is really awesome

This "Map of the Ming Dynasty's Territory" is in color and follows the four-color theorem.

Xie Yan just glanced at it casually, and ten thousand alpacas were running wildly through his mind.

The northernmost territory of the map includes Lake Baikal and is marked as "North Sea Lake".

The main area of ​​Outer Mongolia, as well as the Lake Baikal region, was called "Yanran Protectorate".

The Hulunbuir grassland and surrounding mountains, as well as the eastern part of Outer Mongolia and parts of northern Russia, are called "Dingbei Protectorate".

The central part and a small amount of eastern area of ​​Inner Mongolia are called "Monan Protectorate".

The Songliao Basin (formerly the Linhuang Protectorate) that spans Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning was divided into several parts: one for Beijing, one for Hebei, one for Liaoning, and one for Andong Protectorate.

The territories of Liaoning Province and Andong Protectorate were both extremely large. The former was "Liaoning + half of Jilin + a small amount of Inner Mongolia", and the latter was "Heilongjiang + half of Jilin + a large amount of Russian Far East territory".

Most of the western part of Inner Mongolia was assigned to Ningxia Province.

What's even more outrageous is that South Korea and North Korea directly became provinces of North Korea.

Japan's Kyushu, Hokkaido, Tsushima Island, Sado Island, Yakushima Island, Oki Islands, etc., all became the "Eishu Governor-General's Office."

The whole of Australia plus New Zealand is called "Governor-General's Palace of Australia".

To the west of Sichuan is the "Tubo Protectorate".

Xinjiang became the "Anxi Province" and had the entire Ili River Valley and most of Kyrgyzstan.

Further west is the "Seven Rivers Protectorate".

To the south of the Seven Rivers Protectorate was the Kingdom of Dayuan, and the word "vassal" was marked in brackets.

Most of Vietnam became the "Giao Chi Province".

The remaining half of Vietnam, plus the whole of Cambodia, and part of Thailand were called "Nan Yu Kingdom" and marked as vassal states.

The vast South Seas region, including the Malay Peninsula, the Philippines and Indonesia, has a large number of governor-general offices and vassal states.

Xie Yan stared at the "Australian Governor's Palace" and was basically certain that it was done by a time traveler.

If the world line was just off, it's unlikely that the place is called Australia. It's too coincidental, so it's most likely a name given by a time traveler.

Xie Yan asked: "Won't there be rebellion in such a large territory?"

Wang Sheng laughed and said, "There were rebellions every now and then, and every two or three years, there would be news in the newspapers that the soldiers had successfully suppressed the rebels. Anyway, the newspapers only reported victories, and if there were real defeats, they would definitely not report them."

Xie Yan looked at the map and said, "This vassal state called Dayuan has too much territory. They often rebel, right?"

The Kingdom of Dayuan extended from the Pamir Mountains in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west and to the mountainous areas of Afghanistan in the south. Although its territory seemed vast, it was actually mostly desert.

Wang Sheng said: "Dayuan is the most loyal country. It has been fighting all the countries in the west and south. When they can't win, the Ming Dynasty will support them with money and food, sell them weapons, and even send troops to them once. If the Ming Dynasty's Seven Rivers Protectorate is in danger, the army of Dayuan will also go north to help."

Xie Yan said: "You know a lot."

"Everyone knows it," Wang Sheng said, "Da Ming and Nanyu and Dayuan have always been father-son countries, and their founding monarchs were the two princes of Da Ming."

Xie Yan muttered in a low voice: "That senior who traveled through time is really awesome."

"What did you say, sir?" Wang Sheng didn't hear clearly.

Xie Yan casually replied, "I mean the Ming Taizu is really amazing."

Wang Sheng said, "Not only was Emperor Taizu powerful, but Emperor Taizong was even more powerful. Since Emperor Taizong started his army, he has never been defeated when he personally commanded the army, and he has conquered a huge territory in a few decades. If we don't count the vassal states in this map of the Ming Dynasty, 90% of the territory was expanded during the reign of Emperor Taizong."

Xie Yan asked: "What is the reign title of Taizu?"

"Hongwu," Wang Sheng said excitedly, "Hongwu coins are very valuable. No matter if they are gold, silver or copper coins, they can be sold at a high price as long as they are not too bad. I heard that the coin-minting technology was insufficient in the early years of the founding of the country, and they were recycled and recast for decades afterwards, so there are very few Hongwu coins in existence now."

Xie Yan muttered to himself: "Hongwu, Hongwu, it really is..." Suddenly he asked again, "Emperor Taizong's reign title couldn't be Yongle, right?"

"How could it be Yongle? Taizong is the famous Shenfu Emperor! By the way, he also changed the reign title in his early years, called Fuxing China." What Wang Sheng said was common sense.

Xie Yan had a strange expression on his face: "Reviving China... What kind of a name is this? How many years has the Ming Dynasty been established?"

Wang Sheng scratched his head: "More than a hundred years. I'll have to look up the book to find out exactly how many years it is."

"Are there any history books of this dynasty?" Xie Yan asked.

Wang Sheng replied: "There is definitely no official history. But there is a brief history, which scholars will learn after they are enlightened. It mainly talks about the events in the late Song Dynasty and the early years of the Ming Dynasty."

"Can you find it at home?" Xie Yan asked.

Wang Sheng walked to a corner of the study room, pointed at a used textbook and said, "It must be here."

Xie Yan squatted down to look for it together. When he saw the words "primary school" and "middle school", he felt it was ridiculous and absurd: "Can you tell me about the school system of the imperial examination?"

As Wang Sheng spoke, Xie Yan felt more and more that Emperor Taizong was awesome.

However, it was in the later years of Emperor Taizong that the imperial examination system was reformed again.

Four years of primary school, three years of secondary school (junior high school), and three years of university (senior high school) are divided into liberal arts and science.

Generally, children would go to school at the age of seven and take the imperial examination at the age of seventeen. But in reality, there was no strict distinction, because there were not enough government-run schools, and there were still a large number of village schools, community schools, and private schools.

Therefore, there are no unified examinations for primary schools or secondary schools.

The three levels of honors, Xiucai, Juren and Jinshi, still exist, but the first two are more like diplomas without any political or economic privileges. If you have the title of Xiucai, you can easily find a job by applying for a job in a trading company.

As for the Imperial College, it is more like a modern university and research institute. Currently, there is one in Luoyang, Kaifeng, Beijing, Nanjing, Chengdu and Lanzhou. Graduates will have the title of Juren, and the graduation pass rate has been improved.

Jinshi are divided into civil and science. The content of their studies is roughly the same, but the depth of their studies is different. For example, in addition to the required mathematics, liberal arts students also need to master basic natural science knowledge.

Medical, mechanical, military and other specialized schools have all been transformed into universities (similar to technical secondary schools and junior colleges). These students still take the imperial examinations, and if they obtain the title of Jinshi, they can immediately become art officials. If they fail the imperial examinations, they can take the examinations for clerks at all levels of government offices, and they will also be given priority for admission. If they apply for a job at a trading company, companies and factories are generally vying for people.

"I'm sorry..."

After hearing this, Xie Yan couldn't help but swear. The senior time traveler was too awesome.

Xie Yan is currently a college student (actually a high school student, but with a different name), and he will be able to take the imperial examination after one more year of study. It doesn't matter if he takes the exam now or in two years, there is no hard and fast requirement anyway.

However, official schools do not allow repeating a grade. If you have taken the exam for ten or eight years, you can review it on your own, or find a private academy to further your studies.

This was another compromise made by Emperor Taizong to the traditional imperial examination system. He tried his best to move closer to the modern education system, but had to give in due to various reasons.

Especially financial issues.

It is impossible to open public schools on a large scale, and private schools must be used to supplement them.

Where did the Ming Dynasty’s finances go?
Go pay the civil servants’ salaries!
The establishment of formal clerks has increased several times, which means that all section-level and section-level cadres have been regularized, and some section clerks have also been regularized, so as to minimize the number of temporary workers in government offices at all levels.

At the same time, the requirements for official clerks were raised: Official clerks in government offices above the prefecture level must have the title of Xiucai before they can apply for the examination. Official clerks in central agencies must have the title of Juren before they can apply for the examination.

If you don't have the title of scholar or juren, you can only move up from a lower-level department. This increases the upward mobility and mobility of clerks. A low-level clerk doesn't have to focus on becoming a high-ranking official, but can also dream of being promoted to a clerk in a higher-level government office.

There were several history textbooks in front of Xie Yan.

It is a traditional Chinese character, but it is simplified as much as possible.

For example, the character “无” was not written as “無”. Not to mention the popular way of writing, even Emperor Huizong of Song’s own calligraphy had basically written it as “無”. At that time, it was only written as “無” in official documents, books, or copied Buddhist scriptures. Since the folks had naturally simplified it to that extent, Emperor Taizong simply simplified textbooks and official documents as well.

There is also “云”, which is not written as 雲.

In fact, the word “云” has always been in oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions, and it was not until the appearance of seal script that the word “云” appeared.

Volume One, Ancient Times.

When the world was first created, people ate raw meat and drank blood, and then they used knives and fire to farm.

History textbooks also give examples of indigenous peoples of overseas islands and certain ethnic minorities in the country.

Then there are the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, Leizu's sericulture, Cangjie's creation of characters, Dayu's flood control, etc., most of which are ancient legends.

Volume 2, Xia and Shang.

Volume 3, Western Zhou Dynasty, Spring and Autumn Period, and Warring States Period.

Volume 4, Qin and Han Dynasties.

This set of history textbooks calls the ancient times the tribal era, the pre-Qin era the feudal era, and the period since the Qin and Han dynasties the county era.

The history textbook for the second grade of junior high school ends with the Qin and Han dynasties, and history is not taught in the first grade.

Xie Yan quickly flipped through the pages and pointed at the author's name on the cover and asked, "Why is the editor-in-chief's name not only printed on a separate line but also raised one space? The other authors don't have this."

Wang Sheng explained: "That is the name of Taizu. This set of history textbooks was also edited by Taizu in his later years. At that time, dozens of great scholars were summoned, and even some foreign scholars came to assist in the revision."

"There has been a lot of debate over the past few decades. I heard that there was no difference at the beginning. Then there was a blank space, then a separate line, and finally a line was wrapped and then a blank space was added. Now there is still a debate every now and then. From time to time, scholars will appeal in the newspapers, asking the Ministry of Rites not to print Taizu's name directly."

Xie Yan immediately thought of a joke, that Principal Chang who left a blank space.

The history textbook for third graders in junior high school covers the Three Kingdoms, Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Xie Yan found the first-year university (high school) textbook.

The book begins with the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, and then goes on to talk about the Song, Liao, and Western Xia dynasties, and briefly describes how Gaochang, Annan, Dali, Bohai and other countries split off. It also talks about how the Goryeo Kingdom was formed and how it sent troops to invade Pyongyang and other Han territories.

Xie Yan noticed that in the history textbooks of the Ming Dynasty, the Song and Liao dynasties were classified as the Southern and Northern Dynasties, while the Western Xia, Gaochang, Annan, Dali, Bohai and other countries were classified as separatist regimes.

The most outstanding achievements of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty were to unite the Song, Liao, Southern and Northern Dynasties into one, and to wipe out all the kingdoms and restore the former territories of the Han and Tang Dynasties.

Although Xie Yan was not very familiar with history, he understood at a glance the purpose of compiling history books in this way.

Determine and enhance the legitimacy of the Ming Dynasty court, especially establish legal authority over the northern grasslands and northeastern regions!

The second-year university (high school) textbook finally talks about the end of the Song and Liao dynasties and the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Compared with the brief description of the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties, the transition from Song to Liao and the establishment of the Ming Dynasty are described in great detail.

In the Liao Dynasty, there was a tyrant ruler in power, treacherous ministers in power, and the people were living in misery.

In the State of Song, a foolish ruler was in power, treacherous ministers were in power, and the people were living in misery.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty replaced the Song Dynasty, and the Jin Dynasty replaced the Liao Dynasty.

The Jin Dynasty was also ruled by a tyrant emperor and treacherous ministers, and the people were living in misery, so the Jin Dynasty also collapsed.

These contents are not just empty slogans, but detailed analysis.

For example, the ruling foundation of the Song Dynasty was based on the vast number of small and medium-sized landlords, small and medium-sized merchants, and self-cultivating farmers. They were the main source of revenue and taxation for the Song Dynasty. When a large number of small and medium-sized landlords, small and medium-sized merchants, and self-cultivating farmers went bankrupt, the Zhao Song court's finances were unable to make ends meet.

The same is true of the Liao Dynasty, whose ruling foundation is small and medium-sized herdsmen, small and medium-sized landlords, self-cultivating farmers, self-pastoralists...

Of course, the three redundancies of the Song Dynasty were also described, but it was ultimately a financial problem. The Song Dynasty’s army could not fight, which was also a financial problem. Even the imperial guards had more than half of their soldiers doing business, otherwise they would not be able to survive on the little military pay.

Finally, the time traveler appeared.

The names of Zhu Guoxiang and Zhu Ming are all placed on new lines in the book, which was of course done by the emperors and ministers later.

The book briefly describes that the father and son were from Guangxi, and their ancestors moved to Guangdong due to the war, and then went out to sea to do business, but suffered a shipwreck and went bankrupt. They traveled to Daming Town, Xixiang County, Yangzhou, Shaanxi Province, and stayed there because of the difficult life, and were even so poor that they had no money.

The next paragraph of the narrative was also added by later monarchs and ministers, and it was claimed to be told by Bai Sheng’s eldest grandson.

It is said that the father and son saw a precious light gushing out into the sky by the Han River. They walked towards the light for three days and found the magic armor (Heavenly King Armor) and the magic sword.

Then the neighing of war horses was heard.

A very majestic celestial horse, whose rope was entangled by a tea tree by the river, spoke in human language: "If you help me escape, I will help you pacify the world and save the people."

What the hell?

Xie Yan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Such unofficial history stories were actually included in the history textbook.

What he didn't know was that this content was added by Zhu Ming's grandson.

It caused great controversy at the time. Most scholars in the court and the public opposed it, but the fourth emperor of the Ming Dynasty still forcibly revised the textbooks.

The history book not only added the story of the Pegasus speaking human language, but also added the feng shui structure of Daming Town with tigers crouching and dragons coiling.

Even the two founding empresses had stories of fortune tellers saying they were invaluable.

After reading each article, Xie Yan was amused.

Suddenly, the smile on Xie Yan's face disappeared, and he thought of a question: Is this a father and son who traveled through time together? Or did the traveler give birth to a son, and then they started to cause trouble together when the son grew up?
But it is obvious that even if Emperor Taizong was not a time traveler, he must have received modern education from his father.

Xie Yan read the following content carefully again, and he felt that it should be worn alone.

Because all the inventions and creations were made by Emperor Taizu (actually Zhu Ming was too lazy to give him a name).

The Emperor Taizong was revered as a master of Confucianism and even won the imperial examination when he was young. It was obvious that he was a native son educated by a time traveler, and he was also good at both civil and military affairs.

"Is there a telegram now?" Xie Yan asked suddenly.

Wang Sheng was reading another book and didn't even look up when he heard this. "The telegraph was invented at the beginning of the country. In the past, only high-ranking officials in the imperial court could use it, but later, even county officials could use it. As more and more people paid to send telegrams, the imperial court simply opened it up to civilian use."

Xie Yan asked again: "There are trains too?"

Wang Sheng said, "Yes. There are even railways leading to the grasslands and the Western Regions. They were all built by the late emperor after he suppressed the rebellion."

"The late emperor is the previous emperor?" Xie Yan asked.

Wang Sheng nodded and said, "Yes, Emperor Dingtai."

Xie Yan asked: "How many emperors have there been since the founding of the Ming Dynasty?"

Wang Sheng whispered, "Seven. The current emperor was less than ten years old when he ascended the throne, but he was the grandson of the previous emperor. At that time, there was also a prince who staged a coup. I don't know how the emperor escaped from Luoyang. When he arrived in Chang'an, he sent a telegram to all the troops to come to the throne. Before the troops arrived, the Kaifeng Imperial Guards attacked them, and the Luoyang rebels defected one after another. The rebellion was put down in less than a month."

"Send a telegram to the king to support him..." Xie Yan felt uncomfortable when he heard it.

It has only been more than a hundred years from the end of the Northern Song Dynasty to the present, and normal development should have occurred by the end of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Trains and telegraphs in the late Southern Song Dynasty?
Outrageous!

(End of this chapter)