The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 485: Talented Generals and Ministers
Cao Duan was not in the academy, but he was not far away, living temporarily in a small town not far from the academy.

The town was formed around the academy.

The academic city planned by Chen Jingke naturally also included living areas.

Although there are only three colleges here and not many students, there are many people living around these three colleges.

For example, Luoxia Academy is also the location of the Institute of Mathematics, where thousands of mathematical elites study and conduct research.

Many of these people's families were also brought here and lived in the living area.

Then the three academies needed corresponding facilities for food, drink, defecation and urination, and most of the relevant personnel also lived here.

There are also many scholars who come here to study, and they simply rent houses here to live permanently.

The current scale of the living area is no less than that of an ordinary town.

There are restaurants, teahouses, inns and other facilities.

Cao Duan did not stay in the inn, but looked around.

I found that the people here are very well-mannered. You won’t see anyone spitting on the street, and all garbage is thrown into the trash cans on the roadside.

I habitually walk on the right side.

There was almost no loud noise, and even the hawkers' calls were more subdued.

But there were two things that really shocked him.

First, people here know how to queue.

When buying things, people will queue up spontaneously, and anyone who cuts in line will be looked down upon by everyone.

Merchants will not serve people who cut in line.

This may seem insignificant at first glance, but if you think about it carefully you will realize that it is too difficult.

For a town of several thousand people to be able to achieve this, it shows how much effort the people who govern this place have put in.

But there is a prerequisite, that is, the people have a sense of shame and know that they have to protect their face outside.

To put it bluntly, we need to teach the people "etiquette".

Ordinary people can all understand etiquette, which shows how great the influence of academies is.

Second, almost all of them can read and do simple arithmetic.

It's not surprising that people in small towns are polite, there are so many ways to do it.

He believes that if he is in charge, he can also educate the people around him well.

But it is difficult to make most people literate.

But almost all residents of this small town can write their own names and recognize some common characters.

For example, the words on the sign, whether you can write them or not, at least you can recognize them.

At first he thought that these people were accustomed to the surrounding environment, so they knew what was written on the sign.

Later, I broke apart some of the characters and showed them to people individually, and most of them were recognized.

This shows that they really know each other.

Moreover, almost everyone here can skillfully use addition and subtraction, and many can also use multiplication and division.

You know, in many of the big landlords' homes in the countryside, there are only a few literate people.

Many landlords' housekeepers could only write a few common words and knew simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

These behaviors not only made him confused.

How did you do it?
He went to inquire and soon got the answer.

The academy ran a primary school to teach people in the town how to read and write.

Initial acquaintance means literally that it teaches people to learn some basic knowledge.

He could hardly believe his ears. Chen Jingke actually did this?
This made him a little bit unbelievable about the truth of the matter.

So I went to Chushi School in person to conduct a field investigation.

My first encounter with the school was actually a large wooden shed built under a big mulberry tree.

There are no desks, no pens, ink, paper or inkstone.

The teacher stood in front of a blackboard and wrote with white chalk.

The teachers were a few half-grown children - all students from three academies.

Those who were studying would sit on the ground, writing and drawing on the ground with wooden sticks in their hands.

Students are not fixed either.

Anyone can come and learn, there is no charge, no one will ask questions, and no one will stop you.

Newcomers should find their own place and not disturb others.

Some people have learned it, or have something else to do, so they leave on their own.

It can be said that you can come and go freely.

Among them were old people, young people, children, and women.

Some were neatly dressed and looked respectable, while others were laborers in tattered clothes.

But no matter what their identities are, at this moment they are all sitting together studying, it is so harmonious.

The teaching content is very simple, which is to start with a simple story about ancient people.

Then we extract a few simple commonly used characters from the story and teach everyone how to write them.

In mathematics, it is simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

A few children taught over and over again, and the people listening below learned over and over again.

Watching this scene, Cao Duan couldn't help but recall Han Yu's words:

That is why there is neither noble nor low, neither long nor short, where the Tao exists, and where the teacher exists.

Isn’t this a true reflection of the words of the ancient sages?

Then I remembered an article in "Da Tong World":
The unity of knowledge and action.

This is the true unity of knowledge and action.

A benevolent person, when he wishes to establish himself, establishes others as well; when he wishes to achieve himself, he achieves others as well. If one can draw analogies from the nearest place, this can be regarded as the way to benevolence.

Chen Jingke not only proposed his own Tao, but also practiced it.

This is the true benevolent person that Confucius talked about.

I really should have come to ask him for advice earlier.

Just then, he noticed that there were several young men, just like him, standing not far away, observing the situation here.

With an idea in mind, he stepped forward and said, "I am Cao Duan from Mianchi. I am honored to meet you. May I ask if you are here to study at Luoxia Academy?"

Cao Duan?

Several people couldn't help but feel a little surprised, as they were very familiar with this name.

After all, he is the child of other people's family and is often compared with others by teachers.

But isn't he a disciple of Neo-Confucianism? Why is he here?

They thought so in their hearts, but did not dare to neglect it on the surface, and returned the greetings one after another:
"I am Yang Rong from Jian'an..."

"I am Yang Pu from Shishou..."

"I am Han Kezhong from Yanzhou..."
-
After seeing off the students and returning to the office, Chen Jingke was just about to learn about the academy's recent situation when he saw Cheng Yimin handing him a stack of papers:
"Since we are going to meet Cao Duan anyway, why not meet a few more people?"

"There are many people who submitted their papers to the academy. These are the outstanding ones I selected. There are thirteen in total."

"I think they are all promising talents. You might as well meet them all."

Xingjuan was something that scholars in ancient times used to apply for jobs. They would write down their best works and send them to high-ranking officials in the hope of gaining their recognition.

Later it was widely used in occasions such as paying homage to a teacher and studying.

Chen Jingke: "..."

Okay, I still rely on this old man for work, so I have to give him some face.

So he said, “Are these people in town?”

Cheng Yimin said, "They should all be in town... Let's meet as many as we can find first, and we can meet the rest later."

Chen Jingke: "Okay, let them all come over... I'll take a look at their articles first to avoid making a fool of myself."

Then he picked up the article and started reading.

Yang Rong? Yang Pu?
How could Chen Jingke not know these two people? They were two of the famous Three Yangs of the Yongle Dynasty.

When he met Yang Shiqi before, he was curious about when the remaining two Yangs would come out.

I was also worried that these two people would be blown to death by the butterfly's wings.

Now it seems like I was worrying too much.

He was not at all surprised that these people were able to come to the fore.

Some people succeed by luck, some by strength.

As long as the talent and ability are still there, you can still achieve something in a different environment.

For people like San Yang, their strength is unquestionable, and it is only a matter of time before they come to prominence.

But I didn’t expect that they would actually deliver the documents to me?
Although he already knew that he was a big shot, Chen Jingke still felt very excited.

But more of it is weird.

Just imagine if all the seven scholars in the cabinet in the future were recommended and promoted by him.

tsk...

I really want to see Zhu Xiongying’s expression.

At this time, he didn't know that Yang Rong and Yang Pu had been recommended by the local government and were coming to the capital to take the assessment.

But the difference is not big.

Since both of them came to Luoxia Academy to study, their relationship was basically confirmed and could not be separated.

There isn't much to say about Yang Pu's article, but he used materialism to discuss his understanding of history, which is quite insightful.

But for Chen Jingke now, that's all.

On the contrary, it was Yang Rong's article that surprised him.

What he wrote was actually military strategy, and his cognition was very orthodox.

Here, "conventional" is not a derogatory word, but a compliment.

It is not easy for a scholar, especially one who has never been on a battlefield, to have a clear and correct understanding of military strategies.

It can be said that he is gifted.

With a little training, he can become a good general...

Considering Yang Rong’s achievements in his previous life, he was definitely a talented general.

This couldn't help but surprise Chen Jingke.

Wasn't Yang Rong a cabinet scholar and a leader of civil officials? Did he also understand military affairs?
I've never heard of it in my previous life.

In fact, he only knew about the Three Yangs in his previous life, but he didn't know much about them in detail.

Moreover, the history books only mentioned that he practiced martial arts, without giving any further introduction.

It's normal that he doesn't know.

But it’s not too late to understand now.

Chen Jingke couldn't help but turn around and began to read Yang Rong's article word by word.

I found that although his views on many issues were not new, they hit the nail on the head.

For example, he believed that the North should be pursued relentlessly and Mongolia should not be given a chance to recover.

We have to keep fighting until they completely join the Ming Dynasty.

The south and southwest are different, with harsh climate, complex terrain and complex ethnic composition.

It is not advisable to use military force blindly, it is better to use both suppression and appeasement. Those who disobey the court should be severely punished, and they should be beaten hard, frightened and subdued, so as to serve as a warning to others.

Those who obey the court should be comforted and educated so that they can become citizens of the Ming Dynasty.

Apart from anything else, based on these two points alone, Chen Jingke dared to assert that Yang Rong was definitely not a person who only talked about military affairs on paper.

Make the decision immediately that you must train him well.

The Ming Dynasty had no shortage of administrative talent.

Not to mention the bigwigs who already existed in history, there are already countless related talents trained by the court after he traveled through time.

Relatively speaking, the military generals are slightly inferior.

It’s not that there are no generals available, but there are too few generals who can coordinate the overall situation.

If the Ming Dynasty chose to be an ordinary dynasty, it would be enough.

But if Chen Jingke wants to realize the imperial system he built, these people are far from enough.

The country lacks talented leaders, and it is very difficult to expand.

Even if it succeeds, it will waste dozens or hundreds of times more resources and cause countless unnecessary sacrifices.

The war against the Huns during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han is the most typical example.

When Wei Huo was in power, he defeated the Huns with ease.

Many generals who had previously performed mediocrely also made great contributions, and good news came from all fronts.

When they are gone, it seems that the country will suddenly no longer fight wars.

Not only are there no talented generals, but the generals who had performed well in the past have also begun to perform poorly.

The Han-Xiongnu War entered the stage of exchanging pieces and became a pure competition of national strength.

The Han Dynasty won the war thanks to its greater financial resources, but even though it killed one thousand enemies and lost eight hundred of its own, it was still a tragic victory.

Just imagine if Wei Huo lived another ten or eight years, or if the two of them had reliable successors.

The situation will definitely not be that ugly.

As the saying goes, heroes are made by the times and heroes also lead the times. These two people are typical representatives.

Yang Rong's administrative ability has been verified in his previous life, so now it depends on his military talent.

There is no requirement for him to charge into battle, as long as he has a sense of the overall situation and can perform at the strategic level.

No matter what Chen Jingke said, he had to be given special treatment.

Then he looked through other people's test papers.

He knew some people, who were famous in his past life. He felt familiar with some people, but he couldn't remember where he had heard of them.

However, most people don’t know him and can only get a preliminary understanding of this person through articles.

Generally speaking, they are all outstanding people. If they are trained well, they will achieve great things in the future.

Among them, there were two people who impressed him the most.

The first one is naturally Cao Duan, who actually tried to reinterpret Neo-Confucian thought using the duality of human rights.

Although it is full of loopholes and its logic cannot stand up to scrutiny, this proactive behavior of improving academic research is highly worthy of encouragement.

Moreover, given Cao Duan's status in the field of Neo-Confucianism, if he took the lead in doing so, it would influence a large number of people.

This is the best good news for Chinese culture.

For this reason alone, Chen Jingke decided to teach him everything he knew.

The second person was Han Kezhong, a completely unfamiliar name.

The article is written in a plain and balanced manner, and its content is about culture and education.

He believed that the constant changes in the Ming Dynasty over the years had led to confusion in the ideological world and that scholars did not know what to learn.

If this continues, it will lead to instability among people and give some evildoers opportunities to take advantage of the situation.

Therefore, it is suggested that the court determine the ideological outline as soon as possible to calm the people's hearts.

At the same time, he also put forward many views and suggestions on the construction of educational administration and the education of the people.

These suggestions are very pertinent and hit the mark.

This person is definitely a doer. The key is that he is a talent in education and must be used.

Chen Jingke was so happy to get so many talents at one time, including three scarce talents.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that Yang Yangpu is not excellent.

But Chen Jingke had long known that he had the talent to be a prime minister, and no matter how well he performed, it was all natural in Chen Jingke's view.

Unless he can have a contrasting personality like Yang Rong.

When Cao Duan and others appeared, Chen Jingke, who was still in an excited state, showed a little too much enthusiasm.

This surprised several people.

Cao Duan couldn't help but sigh. Everyone said that Marquis Anping was magnanimous and warm-hearted, but he thought it was an exaggeration.

Unexpectedly, he is even more tolerant and gentle than the legend says, and is truly a gentleman.

Others felt similarly.

This Marquis of Anping does not have the arrogance of a big shot at all. He is truly a role model for us.

Apart from chatting with Cao Duan for a few more minutes and encouraging him to study hard, Chen Jingke treated everyone else equally.

He did not show any special appreciation even for Yang Rong and Han Kezhong.

But in my heart I was more attentive to the two of them.

Yang Rong's appearance completely overturned the impression he had from his previous life. He was truly a fierce general in the army.

But it is quite consistent with that policy paper.

Han Kezhong is a quiet person who rarely speaks, but he always hits the nail on the head when asked.

This made Chen Jingke appreciate it even more.

Afterwards, he encouraged them to study hard, put their knowledge into practice, and make contributions to China, the country, and the people.

After seeing them off, Cheng Yimin smiled and said, "How is it, I didn't lie to you, did I?"

Chen Jingke gave a thumbs up and said, "You are really a wise old man. Each of these people is a talented general."

Cheng Yimin said unhappily, "You are praising people just like you are scolding them... Never mind, I have to be busy and I don't want to get angry with you."

After saying that, he was ready to leave.

Chen Jingke said, "Well... you can select the talents who are going to Nanyang."

"Next month, a fleet from the imperial court will go to Southeast Asia. Let them go with them."

Cheng Yimin frowned and said, "Is it so urgent? The students have to go home and their parents..."

At this point, he suddenly came to his senses and said:
"You want the orphans adopted by the academy to go to Southeast Asia?"

Chen Jingke nodded and said, "It takes ten years to grow a tree and a hundred years to cultivate a person. I'm afraid they won't be able to come back this time."

"Who would want to go there if they have parents and relatives at home? They wouldn't stay there for long."

"Those orphans have no relatives, and therefore no worries. It is most appropriate for them to go there."

“And this is the best arrangement for them.”

After all, they are not very talented, and it is almost impossible for them to become officials through normal channels.

By going to Southeast Asia, one can directly teach at the national schools of various countries, which is equivalent to obtaining an official status.

Now I have the capital to make a living.

If you are really interested in science and engineering, you can also use the convenience of work to continue your self-study and research.

However, Chen Jingke also knew that the orphans regarded the academy as their home and their classmates as their relatives.

Sending them thousands of miles away was too cruel, so he said:
"It's best to choose people you know well to go with you, so that you can look after them."

Three or five familiar people go to teach in the same academy.

We can take care of each other in life, have emotional sustenance in our hearts, and discuss work with each other.

This was the last bit of help Chen Jingke could give them.

Don't let them go?
Stop joking, not going would be really irresponsible to them.

After all, they can't stay in the academy forever, they will have to leave sooner or later.

Although Cheng Yimin was very reluctant, he knew that this was the best arrangement, so he did not object, but asked:

"When you adopted them, did you plan for this day?"

Chen Jingke shook his head and said, "No, I just felt sorry for them at the beginning, and everyone is prejudiced against science and engineering."

"I just thought that I would train a group of talents from a young age. It can only be said to be a coincidence."

Cheng Yimin didn't say anything, but his face was full of disbelief.

Chen Jingke could only smile bitterly.

I swear to God, he really didn't think about these things at that time.

But this matter is hard to explain. Who made him plan everything?
-
After leaving the academy, he returned to Luoyang City.

Seeing that it was still early, he went into the palace and found Zhu Xiongying in the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Xiongying was writing and drawing on paper. When he saw him coming, his face lit up and he said:

"Now you are here, come on, let's discuss how to set the test questions."

Chen Jingke knew that he was talking about the assessment issue of recommended officials.

The first batch of recommended talents have all reported to the Ministry of Personnel, and the next step is assessment.

However, he didn't have any ideas about the questions, nor did he need to have any special ideas:
"Just follow the old rules. For the first question, let them write a random policy paper to test their best abilities."

"The second question asked them to write a policy paper on certain things."

The first question is not set, and candidates will definitely write about what they are best at, or even what they have prepared in advance.

In fact, this question is to test basic abilities.

As for cheating... don't worry, there are still second and third questions.

The true level will be revealed after a test.

It would be fun if anyone dared to cheat.

Zhu Xiongying said: "I have already prepared those questions. What I am thinking about now is whether I should ask a few questions from the Great Harmony World."

Chen Jingke was also very excited, as this meant so much.

But after thinking about it, he refused: "The time is too short, they don't have time to study, and this proposition is unfair to them."

Zhu Xiongying laughed and said, "Why are you confused? Why not just make it an additional question?"

Chen Jingke thought about it and agreed.

The so-called additional questions are a few special questions besides the prescribed questions.

The scores for these questions will not be included in the total score, so it does not matter whether you answer them or not.

But does it really not matter?

Ordinary exams may not matter, but this kind of talent selection at the national level is very important.

On the surface, these questions do not affect the total score, but they will affect the emperor's attitude towards the test takers.

The emperor's attitude determines so many things.

But everyone is the same, having never been exposed to the idea of ​​"Great Harmony World" before.

Those who answered better either have a strong ability to accept or are more receptive to the idea of ​​Datong.

No matter who comes to power, they will definitely give priority to these people.

There is no way to say whether it is fair or unfair.

(End of this chapter)