Chapter 215: 213【Ideas for Civil Examination Reform】(For Alliance Leader

Xiong Wencan was certain this mission would succeed in securing their surrender, so he had brought along his official robes and seal.

Naturally, everything was kept simple — otherwise, he would have had to dispatch eunuchs, messengers, or the Embroidered Uniform Guard to proclaim the imperial edict.

Unfortunately, even the official robes were somewhat simplified. Zhao Han couldn't help grumbling, "Does this mean you're sure I won't be going to court? There's only one set of court attire."

Court attire is the working clothes of an official, generally worn only during office hours. Its overall form can be referenced from the Song-dynasty official dress in films and television dramas — the kind with the long, thin winged hat.

For formal occasions such as sacrifices, court assemblies, and classical lectures, there are specially designated ceremonial robes.

As for the "court full of beasts" rank badges and the short-winged black gauze cap, those belong to the officials' everyday dress, which they could have tailored themselves. By the late Ming, the wearing of everyday dress had become utterly chaotic — a military officer of the sixth rank would dare wear the everyday dress of the first rank, and no military officer below the fifth rank even bothered with it at all.

Xiong Wencan said with a smile, "Should Regional Commander Zhao enter the capital for an audience, a set of ceremonial robes will naturally be issued at that time."

"I'm afraid the Emperor wouldn't dare let me go." Zhao Han casually tossed the official seal to his secretary. The thing would be useful at critical moments.

This was a remark Xiong Wencan dared not take up. He hastily changed the subject, saying, "Now that roving bandits are everywhere, should they one day strike into Jiangxi, I hope Regional Commander Zhao will place the affairs of the state above all else."

Zhao Han replied as if it were his bounden duty, "That goes without saying. As long as the roving bandits dare come to Jiangxi, I'll kill as many as come!"

"Then I shall rely on Regional Commander Zhao." Xiong Wencan clasped his fist in thanks.

Yang Sichang had set the strategy of "Four Fronts and Six Corners, a Net Cast in Ten Directions," and Jiangxi was one of those directions. Assisting in suppressing the bandits was all nonsense; as long as the roving bandits were kept from bursting into Jiangxi, Xiong Wencan, as Governor of Jiangxi, would be considered competent.

With the great matter settled, Xiong Wencan's mood was light. He felt he had come to the right place.

Given Zhao Han's composure and forbearance, he would surely keep his word and not recklessly attack cities and draw the court's attention. And with Zhao Han holding Jiangxi, they could also guard against roving bandit incursions. Xiong Wencan had nothing to fear.

The only thing to fear was that Chongzhen might think Xiong Wencan especially capable and transfer him north to serve as Governor-General to exterminate the roving bandits...

Zhao Han and Xiong Wencan felt quite a sense of regret at not having met sooner, and Zhao Han even personally saw him off to the dock.

Only after the troopship had passed Jishui County did Zhu Guoxun finally relax. He asked, "Governor, will this rebel Zhao really not revolt again?"

"Do not call him 'rebel Zhao' anymore," Xiong Wencan cautioned. "Since he has accepted amnesty, he is now a fellow minister of the same court. Any other rebel would certainly be untrustworthy, but Zhao Yan will not revolt again."

Zhu Guoxun asked, puzzled, "Why is that?"

Xiong Wencan countered, "Did Zheng Zhilong revolt again?"

Zhu Guoxun had fought pirates alongside Zheng Zhilong for several years and naturally knew the situation well: "Zheng Zhilong is no fool. After accepting amnesty, he gained official rank and was no longer suppressed by the court. He could also join government troops in attacking other pirates, and any territory he took became his. Zheng Zhilong had no reason whatsoever to revolt again."

"Zhao Yan is the same," Xiong Wencan said with a smile.

Zhu Guoxun thought it over carefully, then suddenly saw the light. It was indeed exactly the same!

The difference between Zhao Han and Zheng Zhilong was simply that one was at sea and the other on land. If you counted the sea as territory, wasn't Zheng Zhilong exactly the same as Zhao Han?

Zhu Guoxun felt he had learned something again and hurriedly bowed. "Your instruction, sir, has opened this humble subordinate's eyes. I shall benefit from it all my life."

Let us turn now to Zhao Han, who returned to the Regional Commander's residence and immediately summoned several core officials for a meeting.

"Next year's development plan," Zhao Han came straight to the point. "First, retake the many county seats in southern Jiangxi occupied by the field troops, and control the key southern water and land routes. Second, the peasant association work in the southern Jiangxi counties must not be rushed; it must advance slowly. Third, expand the peasant associations in the north to cover the entire Nanchang Prefecture. Fourth, new peasant association organizations should develop toward Fuzhou Prefecture. Fifth, continue cutting roads through the mountains. Sixth, encourage the development of industry and commerce; we cannot rely solely on land taxes to sustain us. Seventh, take a look at this outline for cultural and educational development."

The education reform outline was passed around the meeting room. Everyone, including Pang Chunlai, was left utterly bewildered.

Zuo Xiaoliang asked, "Requiring xiucai and juren to go back and attend elementary school — I'm afraid this will provoke resentment among the literati."

Zhao Han said with a smile, "It's not that we're actually making them attend elementary school. They can study at home, and if they pass the examination, they'll be considered elementary school graduates. Moreover, while I do not recognize their examination degrees, I am not barring them from holding office. Everyone here, of course, cannot go back to elementary school either. But it must be made clear: those scholars who properly complete elementary and middle school will be promoted faster in officialdom in the future!"

"Is the Regional Commander planning to abolish the civil examinations?" Li Banghua asked.

"How could they possibly be abolished?" Zhao Han explained. "The method for the current stage is only suitable for a small scope. When our territory expands in the future, we will certainly restore the civil examinations. My idea is this: a scholar first graduates from elementary school, then from middle school, and may then take the prefectural-level civil examination, equivalent to the current circuit examination. Those who pass the circuit examination become xiucai. If a vacancy appears in a school or a county or town-level government office, the County Magistrate can organize a public examination, which those with xiucai status may take. We admit exactly as many xiucai as there are vacant clerk and teacher positions, rather than admitting a pile of xiucai to wait for official posts."

In essence, this was a county-level civil service examination, plus a teacher recruitment exam for schools.

Pang Chunlai and Li Banghua exchanged a glance, each pondering the pros and cons.

Allowing those with mere xiucai status to take the civil service exam might not necessarily be popular. Because these so-called civil officers were essentially the clerks of old, and most scholars looked down on clerks!

Pang Chunlai voiced this concern.

Zhao Han laughed. "Whether a civil clerk or a menial runner, as long as their administrative achievements are outstanding, they can keep being promoted. Scholars look down on clerks for two reasons: first, civil clerks cannot be promoted; second, menial runners are truly base servitude. Once continued promotion is possible, I fear countless xiucai will fight to become clerks. Isn't that exactly the case now? Even juren of the Great Ming, under my rule, are willing to start as clerks."

Xiao Huan asked, "Does the same apply to juren and jinshi?"

"Yes," Zhao Han nodded. "Whether xiucai, juren, or jinshi, I will grant no exemptions or privileges. Even if you pass the jinshi exam, I will not directly appoint you to office. Juren are eligible to take provincial-level public examinations. Based on exam ranking and actual vacancies, they may directly serve as minor officials in prefectural offices, and at most serve as assistant county-level officials."

"No posting outside one's home region?" Li Banghua suddenly interjected.

Zhao Han said, "Posting outside one's home region is mandatory, but within the province — as long as it's a different prefecture. Requiring a transfer to another province for a minor post is too inhumane. Of course, upon promotion to chief official, a transfer to another province is required."

"And jinshi?" Li Ke asked.

Zhao Han said, "Jinshi are eligible to take public examinations at any level nationwide. However, they still cannot be directly appointed to offices of the seventh rank or above. They must first serve as assistant officials to hone their abilities. If promoted to the seventh rank in the central government, they must be sent out as County Magistrate for practical training. Don't imagine that passing the jinshi exam means you can stay a capital official forever."

The group looked at each other, all feeling a pang of sorrow for future scholars. Just how fiercely competitive would that be?

But wasn't the Great Ming's selection of scholars fiercely competitive already?

Especially by the mid-to-late Ming, although all jinshi could obtain official posts, many only got idle sinecures with no power or influence.

Among them, capital officials had it particularly bad. Prices in the capital were expensive to begin with, they had to rent their own housing, and they lacked the ability to extort and take bribes. They lived entirely on that meager fixed salary, struggling even to support themselves, with no idea what year they might finally gain meaningful employment.

And Zhao Han's reform was this: xiucai, juren, and jinshi would be equivalent to academic degrees, qualifying one to take public examinations at various levels.

The government would recruit exactly as many people through public examinations as there were vacant positions. Those not selected could go do whatever they pleased.

You could find other work first and wait for the next public examination — no hindrance to the court, and no hindrance to yourself.

Zhao Han added, "After the realm is unified, if there are too many scholars waiting for official posts, an age limit should also be set. Officials of the seventh rank must retire at sixty; officials of the fifth rank must retire at sixty-five; officials of the third rank must retire at seventy. Anyone over thirty-five may no longer sit for the juren examination!"

All of this was to avoid redundant officials and surplus personnel.

Once you sit on the dragon throne, you'll find that scholars are highly adaptable — as long as you don't go too far.

Take Zhu Yuanzhang, for example. He once abolished the civil examinations for a full ten years. What could the realm's scholars do besides curse a bit? The later restoration of the examination system was not brought about by scholars' curses, but by Zhu Yuanzhang's own correction.

The reason was that Zhu Yuanzhang discovered the civil examinations had flaws: the officials they selected lacked experience and were useless at everything. So he abolished the examinations and implemented a recommendation system. Officials produced by recommendation could get things done as soon as they took office, effectively shifting the burden of training officials onto society.

Who knew the recommendation system would prove even worse than the examinations? First, the quality of recommended officials was wildly uneven; second, it was riddled with cronyism.

Zhu Yuanzhang tried to reform the recommendation system, but no amount of tinkering worked, and in the end, he simply restored the civil examinations and left it at that.

As long as he did not abolish the civil examinations, Zhao Han could follow his own ideas.

Li Banghua asked, "When examinations are held in the future, for xiucai, juren, and jinshi, will those subjects like Mathematics and Geometry also be included?"

Chongzhen had already formally decreed that the provincial and metropolitan levels of the civil examinations would include content on military strategy and tactics.

If Chongzhen, that last emperor of a fallen dynasty, could do it, why can't Zhao Han become the founding emperor of a new one?

Only, the examination grading system must be changed.

At present, the Great Ming civil examinations select officials purely by the eight-legged essay. The examiners, too, value only the eight-legged essay, whose content is drawn from the Four Books and the Five Classics. Other sections — official document writing, case adjudication, military strategy, and so on — are all merely optional bonus items. Though they are tested, testing them is as good as not testing them. So long as your eight-legged essay is rock-solid, you can hand in blank papers for the other sessions and still pass.

Zhao Han said with a smile, "Here is how I envision it. The first session tests the eight-legged essay, full marks one hundred. The second session tests official documents and law, full marks one hundred. The third session tests mathematics and geometry, full marks one hundred. The fourth session tests Great Unity theory, full marks fifty. Three hundred and fifty points in total, ranked by score."

Once he had made it clear, to his surprise, no one objected.

Even someone of Li Banghua's jinshi background did not object, because the content of the civil examinations had, through successive dynasties, always been in a state of constant adjustment.

Do not imagine antiquity was excessively rigid and hidebound. The Ming dynasty's Imperial Academy, in fact, used a credit system all along. There were monthly examinations and annual examinations; accumulate enough credits and you advanced to the next class. Once all credits were completed, you could graduate from the Imperial Academy.

As for Zhao Han's remark that one need not rigidly adhere to Zhu Xi's commentaries, that posed even less of a problem.

Because ever since the rise of the Yangming School of Mind, the eight-legged essay had already been diverging from Zhu Xi in all sorts of ways. Some candidates would even study the chief examiner's preferences, first investigating which school the chief examiner belonged to, and then choose accordingly whether to write their essay using the School of Mind or the School of Principle. And the School of Principle was no longer Zhu Xi's version, but the new School of Principle that arose in the mid-Ming.

Zhao Han said all this only to make things clear in advance, because the education system would be formally adjusted next year.

As for reforming the civil examinations, that would be implemented after Chongzhen was dead.

(Thanks to Piao De Feng NJ for the alliance-leader tip, and by the way, requesting monthly tickets.)

(End of chapter)