Dao Fruit

On the night of the provincial examination, the marking of the papers had already begun.

The marking officers and examiners were marking the papers inside, while many academic officials, officials, and the inspector of Jiannan Road were waiting outside.

Before the results were announced, these officials, regardless of their rank, had to stay in the Imperial Examination Hall and could not go out.

Inside and outside the Imperial Examination Hall, there were soldiers guarding, each of whom looked as if they were facing a great enemy, and they were on high alert. The soldiers' killing intent, combined with the literary atmosphere of the Imperial Examination Hall, revealed a solemn meaning, and even someone would feel uncomfortable if they approached.

These measures are to prevent cheating.

Rustling...

In each room, there was the sound of flipping papers everywhere. In a provincial examination, there were hundreds of examination papers, each of which could determine a person's fate and change a person's fate and fortune, so there could be no negligence.

The marking officers would bring stacks of examination papers from time to time, put them in order, and let the chief examiner, deputy chief examiner and others look at them.

Marking papers is not an easy job. They must be circulated first. The examiners will read the thousands of papers first. The criterion is that there are no problems with the meaning of the classics and the meaning of the text. The second criterion is that the essay is fluent and the sentences are clear.

After these two criteria are passed, they will be checked for taboos, and then stamped in turn. Only after all the examiners approve it will it be brought to the chief examiner and others.

In addition, in order to prevent the examiners from cheating, after the examinees hand in the papers, there are special people to transcribe them to avoid identifying the examinees by handwriting.

However, even so, it is still difficult to eradicate, because some people will use specific words and sentences as marks in the sentences, and even through the style and ideas, they can be identified. So in the end, even if the names are still unclear, the examiners have already known the general situation.

After the papers are handed over to the examiners. The examiners will rank them.

There are also some rules for ranking. Although the chief examiner has the most say, other examiners also have the right to give suggestions. Before deciding the ranking, all examiners have to discuss first, which requires the examiners to read all the test papers sent and give comments.

Marking papers is a mechanical, hard and repetitive work. After a long time, it is inevitable to be tired and exhausted. So at this time, if a beautiful article suddenly appears, it will be very conspicuous and can also make the examiners cheer up.

Just like this time, many examiners were marking papers, and suddenly a voice sounded: "This article is well written, repairing armor and showing off the military power! Understand the word momentum, know to act with great momentum, and be unparalleled."

The speaker. It was Kong Tixue. His voice came out suddenly. If it were normal, it would inevitably scare others. But the other examiners in the room didn't care. Instead, they stood up and came over.

They were marking papers hard, and they were waiting for such articles to adjust their mood.

Qi Zhengyuan nodded after reading it: "It is indeed good. He has extraordinary knowledge, but after all, it is just a theory of war, so he is somewhat presumptuous. He is alone in power and neglects the generals, but for a scholar, it is rare."

Next to him, the censor Li Qi said: "But this beautiful writing can add a lot of color." He is also one of the examiners this time.

At this time, someone else brought another article, and said with regret: "This article is not bad, it puts forward the idea of ​​'diligent in military lectures', but it's a pity that the paper is dirty, so it will be downgraded."

Several other examiners gathered over and nodded after reading it, while the censor Li Qi frowned.

"This one is not bad either," Qi Zhengyuan also pulled out a piece at this time, "This one says 'station troops in strategic locations to consolidate the momentum', not arrogant or impatient, knowing the importance of soldiers, and advocating not to use weapons rashly."

Immediately, an examiner said: "This statement is somewhat similar to the military strategy written by Yan Wu, I think it was written by his disciple."

"It's a pity for Yan Wu," Kong Tixue sighed, "but his disciple got the true teachings, not only good at writing, but also excellent in talent."

The atmosphere gradually opened up, and all the examiners put down their work and gathered together to talk and comment, which is also the norm when marking papers.

I saw Li Qi smiling and took out a piece and said: "I have one here too, you can nominate the first place."

"First place?"

Others were stunned when they heard it. The first place in this provincial examination is Jieyuan, which is not so easy to determine. Needless to say, the meaning of the classics and the meaning of the ink must be accurate and concise, and the essays must not be bad, and there must be something worth recommending. The most important thing is the questions.

The essay questions not only test the candidates' literary talent, but also their way of thinking and their ideas for dealing with problems. Moreover, the essay cannot be unrestrained, but must quote classics and be meaningful.

This is just the foundation. The most important thing is to show a certain talent in the essay questions. After all, once you pass the provincial exam, you are basically an official. After being appointed in the future, you must be able to do things.

Hearing Li Qi's words, others gathered around.

"Do you judge the attack and conquest of foreign countries by righteousness?"

The examiners looked at this essay question and were just curious at first, but after reading it in one breath, they couldn't help but applaud.

Kong Tixue read it and praised: "It makes sense to nourish desires and be arrogant! Whose article is this? It has a profound intention. It looks like a military strategy, but it actually has a vague strategy for governing the country."

After reading it all, he immediately thought of someone after savoring it.

"Yes, this writing style should be Gao Jing from Xingyuan Prefecture!"

When this person was mentioned, others also came back to their senses and discussed it.

Qi Zhengyuan looked at the military strategy with a slightly changed expression. He looked up at Li Qi and said, "If I remember correctly, Gao Jing should be a disciple of Dexue, and he is from the same school as Lord Li."

As soon as he said this, the other examiners who were discussing eagerly stopped talking.

Qi Zhengyuan and Li Qi represent two forces in the imperial court. They fight every day, and even Jiannan Road is affected. This provincial examination originally involves an exchange of interests. The new party exchanges "scholars" for "power", but now Li Qi took out an article from the New Party School, and the main point was Jieyuan, which seemed to be a bit of a confrontation.

Then Li Qi smiled slightly: "Master Qi is right. Gao Jing is a disciple of morality. His heart is righteous, and the articles he writes are also full of benevolence. He knows that swordsmanship is inferior, justice and principle are respected, and military strategy is the best strategy. Zun Zu is the best choice. I am good enough to be matched with Jie Yuan.

Zhe Chong Zun Zu refers to achieving victory thousands of miles away through diplomacy and banquets.

"You are so good at not avoiding relatives!" Qi Zhengyuan also smiled, "It would be too arbitrary to just nod now. Maybe there will be better articles later."

"Oh? From the looks of the adults, you also have the intention of not shying away from relatives. Could it be that you want to point out that Qiu Yan?" Li Qi said, taking out another paper from the side, unfolding it, and placing it in front of everyone, "Qiu Yan" I have read the paper for the Yan Dao test, so I recognize the writing style. This question should be written by him. Please give it a try. How do you like it?"

"Huh?" Qi Zhengyuan's heart moved and he felt ominous.

Several examiners gathered around.

"For soldiers, the top talks about people's plans, the middle talks about geographical advantages, and the bottom talks about the weather?"

After reading the beginning, several examiners exchanged opinions.

"Although this sentence makes sense, it is a bit ordinary, and there are traces of imitating the right time, place, and people."

But as I read on, things changed.

"Yes, yes. Although the idea seems to be old-fashioned, what is rare is that he does not aim too high. He has a very good understanding of the situation in the southwest and has something to say."

"Yes, this man is a good strategist. He knows the habits of the people in the swamp very well. The location is also good. He has a very clear understanding of the southwest terrain and the distribution of forces."

…

Several examiners were praising him, which made Qi Zhengyuan feel a little relieved. When he came here, he planned to promote a few scholars and strengthen his own reserves. Qiu Yan and Ma Yang had an old relationship, and Ma Yang had praised Qiu in front of Qi Zhengyuan. Of course, words cannot be missed.

However, when he looked at Li Qi, he was also smiling and didn't seem to care.

Soon, I heard an examiner say: "It's a pity that it's too much. If it just narrates the general situation and describes military strategies, it can be regarded as an excellent article. Although it is not as high-minded as Gao Jing's intention, it adapts to local conditions and is better than others. It's a pity that Qiu Yan He wanted to describe it in detail, but he actually acted out military battles and gave three examples, which is quite smug, which is a big taboo in imperial examinations. "

Even Kong Tixue sighed: "It's a pity. We have lived in the southwest for a long time. Of course, we can see the situation more accurately than a scholar. The alliance between the Marsh people is already a delusion, so how can it involve the Fan people? It is a bit fanciful, and The previous pragmatic style was contradictory.”

"Indeed, this military simulation is equivalent to a castle in the air, and it needs to be downgraded by two levels."

At this time, Li Qi said: "Especially the last sentence, 'You can't be focused on winning, and you can't be focused on losing.' This is a lecturing tone, and it's a bit ignorant of the advancement and retreat of human nature."

You must be focused on winning, and you must be focused on losing. It means that during war, don’t just think about victory, but also consider the unfavorable factors; when you lose, you must think about the reasons and strive to turn defeat into victory.

"What? Qiu Yan would make such a mistake?"

Qi Zhengyuan was startled, took the paper over and read it through, with a gloomy look on his face, a sense of anger.

Li Qi shook his head when he saw this, said no more, turned around and continued to grade papers.

But at this moment, there was a sudden chaos outside, and there was a lot of noise.

"What's going on?"

All the examiners frowned and were about to ask when a marking officer came in hurriedly and said that the observer wanted to see the censor.

"How can foreign officials contact the examiners when marking papers?"

Qi Zhengyuan was about to rebuke, but he heard the marking officer who passed the message say: "It is a very important matter, involving soldiers and generals, but all the commanders are gone. Without the censor's approval and seal, it will be difficult to mobilize the garrison soldiers!"

"You want to mobilize troops? What on earth is going on?"

After hearing this, the expressions of the examiners changed rapidly. After all, they were all officials of Dali. Of course they knew how urgent it was to have the observation envoy and the censor seal their seals at the same time.

Since the reviewer passed the message, of course he already understood the general situation, and immediately replied: "I heard that several large clans of the Marsh people have united to march together, and many people have joined in! Jiarong County has been conquered!"

"What did you say!"

All the examiners' eyes widened, and two of them turned to look at an examination paper on the table, their faces full of disbelief. (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature. The novels will be better and updated faster!

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