Doom Roar

"Your Excellency has good eyesight. After the initial screening, there are a total of 48 applicants who stay here." Liu Yuan hurriedly continued, not forgetting to pay a little flattery by the way.

"48? Only so few people?"

Li Erli's face turned dark immediately, and there seemed to be a lot of people, but the entire Song Dynasty had a population of more than ten million, and only 48 people were selected in half a month's recruitment. This number of hundreds of thousands is really a shame.

"What your lord said is very true, but the time for this list is still short after all. My Great Song Dynasty has a vast territory. Maybe some applicants are still on their way. Most of the 48 people in front of you are talents from various states and counties in the south of the Yangtze River. Caiqin  dumplings  觳 Nuo sauce mace G!

Liu Yuan and Zhang Meng hurriedly explained, but they said in their hearts that it was because they deliberately let go of the water during the initial test to keep these 48 people. If they strictly follow the assessment requirements given by the Ministry of War, the number of people can be one-third of the current number. Not bad. [

Li Erli stroked his long beard on his chin and nodded slightly. For him, it didn't matter whether the reason was true or not, the key was to be able to justify it with the officials.

"So that's how it is. The two of you have worked hard for many days. When I meet the official, I will definitely report the credit for the two of you."

Liu Yuan and Zhang Meng secretly wiped off a cold sweat, thinking that today's test has finally been fooled, and hurriedly saluted: "My lord is serious, the reward of eating the king, and the matter of loyalty to the king, it is the duty of the lower officials to choose talents for the country. , if there is a great talent in this world, it is also due to the great luck and blessing of my Great Song Dynasty..."

Li Erli didn't care what Liu Yuan and Zhang Meng were talking about. Anyway, it was just some clichés to show loyalty in the officialdom. It was pleasant to listen to occasionally, but it would make people feel inexplicably disgusting if they heard it too much.

In contrast, he cared more about the applicants in the recruiting hall.

The recruiting hall, first started in the Han Dynasty, was mainly used by the state or princes to recruit talents from the opposition. It was not until the Sui Dynasty that the imperial examination was first opened to select talents for the country. This method of selecting scholars for the country was gradually abandoned.

Song Dynasty reopened the recruiting hall this time to select generals who can lead troops to fight, and the focus of the test is naturally inseparable from the art of war and martial arts.

Li Erli very much hopes that among the applicants in the recruiting hall, there will be an all-rounder who is proficient in all aspects of civil and military affairs. Hundreds of thousands of tigers turned the tide, saved the Great Song Dynasty when it was in danger, fought the Yangtze River, smashed into the Yellow Dragon, regained the old mountains and rivers, and finally returned with the glory of the past... If you can be married to a princess by the court officials again What, that is the perfect ending.

But Li Erli also knows that this possibility is very small. Since the Taizu of the dynasty released his military power with a cup of wine, the atmosphere of the Song Dynasty has turned to emphasize literature over military affairs. Shame, even many families of military generals chose to abandon martial arts and follow literature when training the next generation.

Under such a deformed social atmosphere, literati refused to engage in martial arts, and warriors abandoned martial arts and followed literature. It is impossible to randomly pull out individuals who are both civil and military like in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty.

The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Officials had already taken this situation into consideration when they set up the recruiting hall, and the test of military art and martial arts was completely separate. Only one of them had to be qualified to enter the re-examination, and it was not necessary to pass both of them.

However, the status of warriors in the Song Dynasty was too low. Even if there was a literary test on the art of war, there were only a few literati who came to take the test. Even if there were a few passionate young people with aspirations, their understanding of military affairs was only on paper. , It is completely useless, at most it is used to make up for the officials.

What is gratifying is that the selection of military generals, which mainly focuses on martial arts, is going smoothly. Of the 48 people currently selected in the recruiting hall, 40 of them have gone all the way in martial arts, and their identities are also varied. There are disciples of martial arts sects, some There are escorts guarding the courtyard and running escorts, there are rangers who travel the rivers and lakes, there are even butchers who kill pigs and sell meat, and green forest heroes who occupy mountains and rob roads.

It is very fashionable and extraordinary. Although the origins of these people are a bit messy, in Li Erli's view, this is not important. Back then, the three brothers Liu, Guan and Zhang were just selling straw sandals, mung beans and pork, and they were able to achieve a lot. An earth-shattering feat.

The only thing that makes Li Erli regret is that the appearance of these warriors is really bad, and they don't feel like the eight-foot-tall, dignified and strong men they imagined.Some are tall, some are short, some are fat, some are fat, some are crooked, and some are unsightly. Occasionally, there are one or two who look normal, but they are no different from old farmers who are farming. Silly look.

"My lord, do you want to take the test again today?"

Liu Yuan followed behind Li Erli every step of the way, only half a body away from him. Seeing that the immediate boss was frowning inward, he knew something was going to go wrong, and hurriedly opened his mouth to change the topic.

"The war on the front line is tense, and the officials are also extremely anxious. We have lost a lot of weight. We, the courtiers, naturally have to share the worries of the officials. It is better to hit the sun than to choose a date. In my opinion, we will set the first round of re-examination at Let's do it today!"

Originally, according to the original plan, the re-examination at the recruitment hall should be held after [-] days, that is, one month after the posting of the recruitment list, so that candidates who travel far away can arrive in time, but no one thought that the impenetrable Yangtze River Defense Line would The strategy of dividing the troops of the Jin army will be broken in the next day, and there is not much time left for Song Dynasty, and it is impossible to wait as originally planned. [

As the official in charge of the recruiting hall, Li Erli's words represented the meaning of the court officials. Naturally, Liu Yuan and Zhang Meng did not dare to neglect, and hurriedly ordered their subordinates to ring the bronze bell in the courtyard.

"Exam candidates, please gather at the martial arts arena in the backyard within a stick of incense for the second round of reexamination..."

In order to facilitate the testing of the corresponding candidates, a martial arts arena was opened in the recruiting hall at the beginning of the reconstruction. The ground was paved with fine and dry loess, and the ground was covered with gravel.

There are weapons racks on the east and west sides of the Martial Arts Field, with [-] kinds of weapons such as knives, guns, swords and halberds. There are wooden targets fixed under the wall a hundred steps away on the north side, obviously for testing bows and arrows.

"Master Li, please take a seat."

A sun-shading pergola has already been set up on the high platform on the south side of the martial arts field, and the ground is evenly sprayed with clean water. After entering it, Li Erli felt the cool breeze and felt very comfortable. He couldn't help squinting his eyes and nodded to Liu Yuan and Zhang Meng. Nodding his head, he secretly thought that these two people can do things well, and maybe they should say a few good words for them in front of the officials in the future.

"Sit down...I'm just here to supervise the re-examination on behalf of the official family. After all, the examiner is still the two of you. If you stand by the side all the time, what is the majesty of my Song Dynasty?" Li Erli picked up the teacup and blew away the tea stems floating on the water. The two people next to him glanced at each other.

"Your Excellency is right, then forgive me for overstepping."

Liu Yuan and Zhang Meng hurriedly bowed to thank them, lifted the hem of their official robes and armor, and sat beside Li Erli on one left and one on the right.

"Reporting to the three adults, all 48 people in the recruiting hall have arrived and are absent."

Li Erli glanced over the 48 examinees who were facing the stands in front of the martial arts arena one by one, looked up at the scorching sun hanging high in the sky at noon, and waved to the little official who came to report: "Scholars are weak. I can't afford this kind of exposure, so I went to move some chairs, let the eight scholars in the field rest under the shade of a tree, this re-examination starts with the martial arts test."

"My lord is benevolent." Liu Yuan and Zhang Meng hurriedly sang praises.

The only few scholars among the candidates were arranged to rest under the shade of a tree to enjoy the coolness, and only the forty warriors were left in the center of the martial arts arena.

However, no one objected to the special treatment of those scholars. The concept of emphasizing civility over martial arts in the Song Dynasty had already penetrated into the bones of all warriors. In their concept, literati should not be under the scorching sun with rough people like them. Exposure to the sun, hiding behind a safe and comfortable place to strategize, winning thousands of miles away is what a literati should be like.

"Since those scholars have settled down, the retest will start... Hey? What's going on?"

Li Erli was about to announce the start of the retest of the martial arts test, but before he could finish speaking, he suddenly found that there were only seven people sitting on the eight chairs under the shade of the tree, and one chair was empty.

And among those martial artists in the martial arts arena, a white young man in a moon-white robe stood quietly, standing out from a crowd of crooked humanoid creatures like a chicken.

"Master Liu, Master Zhang, what's the matter with that boy? Didn't you hear what I told him to go down to rest? Or is it that this person has ear problems and can't hear what others are saying?"

Li Erli showed displeasure on his face, even if the officials pushed him hard, everyone can't just go to the recruiting hall, right?How can I explain to the officials when I have a disability?There are tens of millions of people in my vast country, but recruiting talents can only recruit a disabled person?

"My lord, you misunderstood me. This person is not disabled." Liu Yuanzhang hurriedly confessed, and explained in a low voice: "This person's surname is Xu, his name is Mo, and his characters are Chinese. He is twenty-three years old. He is from Qiantang County, Suzhou Prefecture. This time, the only candidate who passed both the civil and military preliminary examinations, stayed in the field because he also had to take part in the retest of the military examination... The official was negligent for a while, and forgot that there was such a person, and I hope Lord Li will forgive me."

"Oh? There are such strange people?"

When Li Erli heard this, he suddenly became energetic, and couldn't help but carefully looked at Xu Mo in the martial arts arena. [

Young, with both civil and military skills, although he is not handsome, he also has a delicate air. If it weren't for the fact that the information indicated that this person practiced martial arts, he would have looked more like a well-educated literati and scholar, but his self-confidence and refined demeanor were generally vulgar. The best fighters can't imitate it.

The more Li Erli looked at Xu Mo, the closer he looked to the young hero in his heart. Before the official retest, he gave a very high impression score in his heart, and he had already made up his mind. As long as Xu Moxu's Chinese retest results are not too bad, No matter what, he must be given a spot in the finals in the Golden Luan Hall.