Daming Military Empire

Chapter 42
The first month in Beijing is very cold, the temperature is generally below zero, and it is even colder in the morning and evening, and it is normal to be more than ten degrees below zero.Most people would stay at home, huddle around the kang, hug their wives, tease their children, and basically would not go out if there were no particularly important things.

Naturally, Zhu Cijiong couldn't lie on the kang and hug Mingyue every day like ordinary people, or let Mingyue hug him and enjoy the warm and sweet time.Because he is the emperor, there are countless things waiting for him to deal with in the entire Ming Dynasty.

Just after the New Year's Eve, Zhu Cijiong couldn't wait to come to Wang Gong's factory and started the first machine tool by himself, thus announcing that the Ming Dynasty had officially started producing advanced gunpowder weapons - flintlock guns.

This is an important historical moment. With the gradual popularization of flintlock guns, Ming's army will surpass all countries at that time in terms of equipment and gradually become a military power.At the same time, a new combat mode will enter the stage of history, and hot weapons will gradually dominate the battlefield.

Of course, due to the serious shortage of personnel, the output of flintlock guns is not very high. After adding more than ten machine tools, only two thousand can be produced in a month.Zhu Cijiong is going to change the uniforms for the Shenji Camp after making about [-], and then the Shenji Camp will teach the three army camps to use gunpowder weapons as the regular weapons of the Beijing camp, gradually replacing knives, guns, arrows and halberds.

The production of flintlock guns has just begun, but the first imperial examination of the Chongzheng Dynasty has entered the final sprint stage.

The imperial examination is a system of selecting officials through examinations, which completely breaks the hereditary relationship of blood and the monopoly of the family, and is the only way for ordinary people to enter the officialdom in ancient times.Therefore, there is no doubt about the importance of the imperial examination system in ancient times.

In ancient times, there is a poem called: "In the night of the bridal chamber, when the title is given on the gold list." The meaning of this poem is that the two greatest happy events in life are to marry a wife and have children, to carry on the family line, and to win the Jinshi examination and get titled on the gold list. This shows how much the people attach importance to the imperial examination.

Naturally, you can't be late for such an important matter as the imperial examination. The examination starts in February, and candidates from all over the country usually arrive at the capital about a month in advance.Therefore, just after the New Year's Eve, juren from all over the country came to take the exam one after another in the capital, and among them was the famous national hero Shi Kefa in history.

Shi Kefa, courtesy name Xianzhi, was born in Xiangfu County, Kaifeng Prefecture. He was born in Yinshi on the fourth day of November in the 30th year of Wanli (AD 1602).Since he was a child, he was intelligent, studious and inquisitive, and was well-known in the village.At that time, he worshiped Zuo Guangdou, the leader of the Donglin Party, as his teacher. Under his guidance, he forged ahead and studied hard. He passed the provincial examination just after twenty.Zuo Guangdou placed high hopes on him and intended to cultivate him as his successor to lead the Donglin Party and lead Ming Dynasty to glory.

However, the day failed, and the Donglin Party was completely defeated in the ensuing struggle with the Eunuch Party. Zuo Guangdou and other "Donglin Six Gentlemen" were killed by Wei Zhongxian successively.Subsequently, Wei Zhongxian began to cleanse the Donglin Party again, and countless Donglin Party members died of injustice. Shi Kefa also lost his name in the Yi Chou Ke examination in the fifth year of Tianqi (AD 1625).

After suffering for two years, the situation finally reversed. Emperor Tianqi passed away, Wei Zhongxian fell out of favor, and the new emperor began to reuse Donglin party members. Finally, under the plan of Tai Fu Sun Chengzong, the eunuch party was captured in one fell swoop.

However, at this time, the entire Ming Dynasty had been corrupted by the eunuch party, and Houjin repeatedly provoked wars in Liaodong, and farmers in the northwest rose up one after another.

It was at this time that Shi Kefa followed the last wish of his predecessor, and with the dream of saving the country and the people, returned to the capital to take part in the Boshin Division Examination.

He performed fairly well in the general examination, and as he wished to advance to become one of the [-] tribute students, today is the day of the palace examination, this is the moment when the ranking is really determined and the fate of life is determined.

Shi Kefa got up early, had a good meal, took a bath and changed clothes, and then rushed to Fengtianmen outside the imperial city. It was only a quarter of an hour.

The palace examination will start at Chen hour, and Gong students can arrive at Fengtianmen before [-]:[-], but at this time, many students have gathered in the square outside Fengtianmen, a group of three, a group of five, discussing the examination questions and current affairs, it is very lively.

Shi Kefa stood beside the crowd, looking up at the imperial city, without saying a word, looking a little aloof.It's not that he is arrogant and unpopular, it's because he is a former student, and he really doesn't know any of the candidates in this year!
At four o'clock in the morning, the Fengtian Gate slowly opened, and a team of officials from the Ministry of Rituals came out from the gate, began to sign up for the whole team, and announced the discipline of the examination room.Then a group of students followed these officials into Fengtian Gate, passed the imperial city along the imperial road, entered the Meridian Gate, crossed the Jinshui Bridge, passed through the Huangji Gate, and came to the square outside the Huangji Hall.

At this time, the squares on both sides of the Royal Road were filled with individual tables and chairs, and each desk was equipped with the Four Treasures of the Study, which seemed to be for these tribute students.

Chongzheng Emperor Zhu Cijiong sat on the high steps outside the gate of Huangji Hall, waiting for a group of disciples to visit.

This is the rule of the palace examination. Every tribute student must go up to pay homage to the emperor and receive the test questions, implying that these tribute students are all disciples of the emperor.

Zhu Cijiong sat on the dragon chair solemnly, with a smile on his face, and gestured to the foreheads of Gongsheng who came to pay homage. He repeated this action hundreds of times. He felt that he was about to become a quail, and he couldn't help but cursed in his heart: " Do you want to do it like this, you can go forward together, you have to come one by one."

Although he was reluctant in his heart, he couldn't show a trace of impatience, because these tribute students would be his disciples in name in the future. In ancient times, deceiving the master was equivalent to destroying the ancestors. Loyalty will be relatively high, which is a kind of political capital. If these people are gradually promoted in the future, the voices of opposition from the whole court will gradually decrease.Unlike now, someone jumped out to sing the opposite tune every now and then, and then a bunch of people followed suit, making it impossible for him to implement many of his ideas.

Just when he was feeling bored, a Gong Sheng with a slightly dark complexion and a resolute face came forward, knelt on the ground and said loudly: "Student Shi Kefa sees the emperor."

Zhu Cijiong couldn't believe his ears, Shi Kefa, a famous anti-Qing general and a national hero!It can't be the same name, right?He subconsciously asked: "But Shi Kefa, a disciple of Zuo Guangdou, the imperial censor of Zuoqian at the time of the late emperor?"

Shi Kefa trembled excitedly when he heard the words, the emperor had heard of him, what an honor it was, he quickly kowtowed and said, "It's a student."

Zhu Cijiong's spirit was shaken, and he encouraged him: "The teacher is upright, upright and upright. He is a model official. I hope you don't fall into his prestige. Go down and answer the questions carefully."

Shi Kefa received the test questions, and thanked him a lot and went down. He hadn't started answering the questions yet, but Zhu Cijiong began to think about how to use Shi Kefa.

This Shi Kefa is not an ordinary person. If he uses it well, the problem of the Donglin Party will be solved.

After the last two lessons, Zhu Cijiong has seen the terror of the Donglin Party forces. This gang of human rights has reached the point where they can influence the emperor's decision-making. If they don't rectify it, Daming may really die in their hands.

Of course Zhu Cijiong would not be foolish enough to want to go, let them clean them out. There are traitors in the Donglin Party who are more loyal, and once they are purged, those who are killed are usually loyal. Those treacherous officials even do such shameless things as surrendering to the Qing It is simply impossible to clean them up in the Ming court they are familiar with.

Since it can't be cleaned, he has to find a way to control it, and this Shi Kefa is his hope to control the Donglin Party.

Shi Kefa is the successor of Zuo Guangdou, the leader of Donglin Party.

Some people will definitely say that the analogy of the prince of the Donglin Party is simply nonsense. Shi Kefa is still a scholar and has no official position. Why should he be called the prince of the Donglin Party.

In fact, there is a basis for saying this. Shi Kefa's position in the Donglin Party can be seen from the positions behind him.When Chongzhen was the emperor, Liu Ruozai was the number one scholar in the Wuchen Division, and Shi Kefa was No. 30 and eight in the top three. Shi Kefa is taller than Liu Ruozai.

Shi Kefa's last position was Crown Prince Taibao, Bachelor of Wuyingdian University, Minister of the Ministry of War, and Jiangbei Superintendent of the Ministry of War.As for Liu Ruozai, until he died, he was only a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, a minor official from the fifth rank.

In ten or so years, he could go from a top-ranked official with a Jinshi background to a first-rank official. Without the full support of the Donglin Party, how could he have climbed so high, and how could he have climbed so fast.

It can be seen from this that Shi Kefa is the recognized successor of the leader of the Donglin Party. That is to say, as long as he is cultivated as a confidant and then promoted to a high position, he can be used to control the Donglin Party and be used by the court.

The more Zhu Cijiong thought about it, the more he felt that Shi Kefa must be cultivated as a confidant. As for how to cultivate him, now there is a great opportunity, and he can just be named the champion of the new department!

The ranking in the palace examination was originally determined by the emperor, and with Shi Kefa's status in the Donglin Party, there would be no objection to naming him the number one scholar.

In this way, Shi Kefa has already become the champion of the new subject before he started answering the questions.

(End of this chapter)