Chapter 193 Martial Arts Examination
Chapter 193 Martial Arts Examination
The second list of the military examination was the first to finish the examination and one hundred people were admitted. The vast majority of candidates who took the second list were low-ranking officers in the army. Their common characteristics were that they were born in poverty, were illiterate, and had almost no chance of promotion.
However, in order to appease the low-ranking generals in the army and give them a glimmer of hope, the Military Examination B List was set up.
The one hundred admitted warriors on the second list will be recognized as military candidates and will at least be given the rank of colonel. If they were colonels already, their rank will remain unchanged but only be promoted.
Many military candidates were originally captains. Although they were not promoted to higher positions, their ranks were generally raised by two levels, and they also gained honors, which meant that they would be given priority for promotion in the future.
This is a great encouragement to the generals who can pass the military examination.
Generally speaking, most of the civilian warriors who can participate in the martial arts examination come from wealthy families. They practice martial arts while studying literature, so they mainly sign up for the A-list. Among the 300 A-list candidates, less than 10% are from the military, and the rest are civilian warriors.
According to the regulations, the top 100 candidates will continue to take the written examination, and the remaining 200 candidates on the A list, if they score more than ten points in riding and archery, will also be awarded the title of military candidate.
Two days later, one hundred top-ranked candidates came to the main hall of the Imperial College to take part in the written examination held by the Ministry of War, and twenty of them would be admitted as military scholars.
There were not many people, so the test papers were distributed quickly. The chief examiner Dou Yan said loudly: "Please write down your name and test number first. There are three pairs of candidates with the same name, so it's best for you to write down your place of origin as well."
Soon, a bell rang and the written test began.
The written test has two parts. One is a written test on pasting scriptures, which relies on memorization and dictation. You are given a context and asked to fill in the missing parts. There are twenty questions in total. It may not seem like a lot, but in fact you have to write two to three hundred words for each question, and the total number is more than five thousand words.
Of course, this is a military examination after all, so the requirements for calligraphy are not high. As long as the calligraphy is neat and clean, it is considered qualified.
Everyone picked up their pens and wrote rapidly; only the sound of rustling could be heard in the hall.
Xiao Xia glanced through the questions quickly. The questions involved "Six Strategies", "The Art of War", "Wu Zi", and "Wei Liao Zi". He had memorized all the answers.
The first question was from the "Beginning of Strategy" in Sun Tzu's Art of War. 'Sun Tzu said: War is a matter of great importance to a state, a matter of life and death, a road to survival and destruction. It must be carefully considered...'
Asked to continue reciting the whole passage, Xiao Xia picked up his pen and wrote: "So we should examine it with five things, check it with strategies, and seek its truth: one is the way, two is the sky, three is the earth, four is the general, and five is the law. The way is to make the people and the ruler agree, so they can die with them, can live with them, and are not afraid of danger..."
The candidates were all concentrating on answering the questions. In fact, they were all very simple. Basically every candidate had reviewed them. The only difference was their proficiency levels, so the difference in scores was not that big.
Then, the written test scores were added to the military test scores, and the top 20 were selected as Jinshi. Finally, the top 10 took part in the policy-making session, where the emperor personally asked questions.
In the afternoon, the bell rang, signaling the end of the written test, and all the candidates put down their pens.
In a restaurant in Wubenfang, Xiao Zhurong invited Xiao Xia to drink and have lunch.
"How did you do in the exam?" Xiao Zhurong asked.
Xiao Xia nodded, "I have finished writing it all, but I have only checked half of it because I am afraid there will be typos and I will lose points."
"So did you find the typo when you were halfway through checking it?"
"not found!"
"That's okay!"
Xiao Zhurong smiled and said, "There will definitely not be the other half."
Xiao Xia shook his head, "Not necessarily. It doesn't matter anyway. There's no way to correct it if it's wrong."
Xiao Zhurong filled his glass with wine and said with a smile, "Old Six, do you still remember?"
Xiao Xia suddenly remembered his good friend who was not good at talking, and he quickly asked, "How is he?"
"He's doing well. I received a letter yesterday from my second brother Xiao Hongye, who mentioned Lao Liu in it. He said that Lao Liu was promoted to be a warehouse manager and got married. His bride is Yaya."
Xiao Xia smiled and said, "Then he should be satisfied." Xiao Zhurong sighed and said, "You know why I say that about him. He is the same age as you, and you are still struggling for your future, but he has already started a family and established a career. I find that the lower the class, the earlier they start a family."
Xiao Xia stared at the wine glass and said, "It should be that the goals we pursue are different. Life is not easy, so we have to do something."
Xiao Zhurong smiled and said, "You didn't think like this before. You didn't care about anything before, and you just let nature take its course. Now you're also starting to pursue a better future?"
Xiao Xia shook his head. "It's not that I want to pursue a better future. I am forced to do so by the current situation. If I don't find a way to protect myself, I will surely die once the prince ascends the throne!"
Xiao Zhurong was silent for a while, then said, "My father also said that. The fight for the throne in the royal family is too cruel. It's either you die or I live. You'd better find a way to get the military power. Only military power can protect yourself!"
Xiao Xia nodded, "I am also working hard in this direction, and hope to achieve something before I turn 20."
In the afternoon, the results came out. A total of four people scored full marks in the written test, Xiao Xia, Pei Xingyan, Yang Yichen and Wei Wentong. The Wei Wentong here is not the prince's name changed, and he has the same name and surname as Wei Wentong in the Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties. Maybe it is a coincidence, or maybe he is the prototype of Wei Wentong in the romance. He is the grandson of Wei Chong, the imperial censor of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and his father is Wei Qun, the general of the Jinwu Guard.
In this way, the top ten came out: Xiao Xia, Pei Xingyan, Yang Yichen, Wei Wentong, Wu Yunzhao, Xie Yingdeng, Yao Junsu, Song Laosheng, Xue Wanjun, and Huangfu Wuyi. The oldest among them was Yang Yichen, who was thirty-eight years old, and the youngest was Xiao Xia, who was only sixteen years old.
The highest-ranking official is Yang Yichen, who has been appointed as the governor of Shuozhou. Like Xiao Xia, he is currently undergoing the assessment of the Lingyan Pavilion, and his third task is to be among the top three military scholars.
Yang Yichen was under a lot of pressure. He was only two points higher than Wei Wentong. It all depended on his performance in the final question. If he did not perform well and could not make it into the top three in the martial arts examination, then his third mission would have failed and he would have to do it again next year.
Tomorrow morning, the top ten will be questioned at Chengtian Gate and examined by the emperor himself.
At dawn the next day, Xiao Xia took his elder brother Yang Zhao's carriage to Chengtian Gate.
"Did you know? Zheng Yu, the military doctor, was dismissed from his post."
"Is it because of the horseback archery competition?"
Yang Zhao nodded. "The Crown Prince knew about this. How could he miss this opportunity? He told the Emperor through the eunuchs. My father told me this. Grandfather scolded the King of Han and dismissed Zheng Yu from his post."
Xiao Xia smiled and said, "These little actions are really meaningless. I didn't know the King of Han would have such an idea."
"He just holds a grudge against you and wants to get you whenever he gets the chance. I have seen through it. I used to tolerate it, but now I can't. If they dare to mess around, I will immediately report it to my grandfather and make them lose more than they gain."
The carriage arrived at Suzaku Gate, where officials from the Ministry of War were already waiting. The other nine people did not go home last night. Xiao Xia wanted to go back to practice, and thanks to Dou Yan's relationship, he was allowed to return home as an exception.
"Mr. Xiao, please follow me!"
Two officials from the Ministry of War took Xiao Xia in a palace carriage to Chengtian Gate.
Xiao Xia showered and changed clothes, then was taken to a large room where the other nine people were waiting.
Dou Yan asked Xiao Xia to sit down and said slowly: "Everyone is here, listen to me tell you the rules. Today we are going to ask questions, and the emperor will personally examine you. The chief examiner is Prime Minister Gao. Everyone has one stick of incense time, and there will be a bell to remind them. As for the content of the questions, I will tell you in advance so that you can prepare.
But please don't worry, everyone is now a military scholar, with the authority to lead 2,000 troops. The top three who answer correctly will be awarded the rank of Tiger Guard Lieutenant General, and will also be given the authority to lead 3,000 troops. In addition, the first place winner will receive an additional reward."
Yang Yichen asked, "Excuse me, Minister Dou, do you mean the top three who answered the questions correctly, or the top three in terms of overall scores?"
"Of course, the top three in the overall score, 10 points for each correct answer, today's performance will definitely affect the final ranking, so everyone has a chance to be in the top three."
At this time, an official came running over and handed a piece of paper to Dou Yan. Dou Yan looked at the paper and said, "The topic is out. The strategy for attacking Tuyuhun. Don't whisper to each other. Think about it yourself!"
All irrelevant personnel withdrew, the door was closed, and ten people sat silently in the side hall of more than a thousand square meters, each thinking about their own opinions.
Although this was just an imperial examination question, Xiao Xia was keenly aware that the emperor might attack Tuyuhun next year. If this was true, this would be his chance!
Half an hour later, a bell rang and an eunuch walked into the side hall and said, "The questioning has officially begun. Jiangdu Xiaoxia, please follow me!"
(End of this chapter)