Chapter 98: Abolishing the imperial examination

The war period is a special period, with great power in hand, and many things can be handled by power. Moreover, war can divert people's attention. People pay attention to the winning or losing of the war. As long as you win, no matter what you have done, they will recognize you and think you are right.

There is a historical law about reform, that is, if any reformer wants to promote reform, he must fight a desperate battle with conservative forces. People have a habit, that is, it is difficult to accept a new life all at once. No matter how correct your reform proposal is, it can be said that the more correct your proposition, the greater the resistance you encounter. This is the reason why many reformers always despise them at the same time, but history is just the opposite, recognizing their behavior.

For those vested interests, they cannot tolerate reforms, which will harm their interests, which is particularly obvious in history.

Shang Yang's reforms even the crown prince of Qin and later King Huiwen of Qin came to oppose it. When King Huiwen of Qin saw the huge benefits brought by Shang Yang's reforms, he actively maintained it and did not abolish the "Shang Jun Law" because Shang Yang cut off his teacher's nose.

It was precisely based on this understanding that Li Jun decided to take advantage of this period of time to carry out all-round reforms to the Southern Song Dynasty. Li Jun believed that when the war was no longer attractive and people turned their attention to internal affairs, they realized that everything had changed. They had adapted to the reform. They lived a happier life and would not have any resistance to reform, but only recognition of reform.

Now, Li Jun has to re-examine the resistance to reform because he encountered unprecedented pressure. So far, Li Jun's reform of the Southern Song Dynasty was in all aspects and progressed smoothly. Although there was resistance, it was not so huge. Only his reform of education encountered unexpected resistance, which did not come from other things, but from the opposition of Confucian scholars.

Since Emperor Wu of Han was the only one, Confucian scholars were even more self-righteous. They thought it would be great to read some "sages of sages", they thought they could do everything and thought they could only be able to achieve the country. They have never taken other schools and doctrines seriously. They often put a big hat on other voices such as heretics and evil words, and they acted as a real suppression.

Li Jun's implementation of universal education touched the nerve center of Confucianism. If this continues, Confucianism no longer ruled people's thoughts and could no longer bind people's minds, and their benefits would be gone. Li Jun's imperial edict to start a new study caused a sensation among Confucian scholars. Many "famous scholars" immediately wrote a letter to Li Jun, saying, "The harm of new study is endless! This evil saying, false words, cannot contribute to the country, do not benefit the people, and do not accumulate wealth, should be stopped."

Li Jun didn't know how many similar books he would receive in a day, and it was piled up on his desk as much as three feet thick. Li Jun estimated that if he had read every book, it would be impossible to do it without ten days and half a month. Li Jun is now a busy man who is busy with state affairs, so busy that he doesn't even have time to eat, so he has no time to pay attention to them.

When Li Jun received the first book, he was still interested in browsing it. Later, more and more books were published, and Li Junli was too lazy to read it. He put the book on his desk and said, "Look at how many of them are. When they don't say it, use a ruler to measure it, and see how thick it is." Li Jun thought that as long as a while, the truth of "time will heal all pains" would take effect, and they would not make trouble again. Li Jun, who has always been accustomed to the will of his mistakes, this time, the Confucian scholars made a mistake. Originally, they just wrote a letter and said a quick word, it was fine, and they could be regarded as an angry word. Now, they actually knocked on the verge. More than 300 Confucian scholars knelt in the square outside the palace, demanding that Saint Chen Yi be in the face of the saint Chen Yi, requesting Li Jun to abolish the new learning and restore the position of Confucian orthodox.

There is no way for scholars in all dynasties to deal with scholars. These people cannot be beaten, locked up, and even more so, they cannot be killed. If it is not good, giving up a lot of money to history, it will leave stains. Qin Shihuang's "burning books and burying scholars" is the best example, leaving behind a thousand years of infamous reputation. Therefore, the kings of all dynasties were careful about Confucian scholars. It is best not to offend them if they can.

Li Jun knew the power of it, patted his forehead and muttered, "I'm really fine after eating, I'm fine, and it's all messed up." He patted the Confucian scholars' books heavily, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth, saying, "I'll go and meet you. If I give it to you, I'll ruin my new learning, and I won't call him Li Jun." He walked out of the imperial study room with big strides.

More than 300 Confucian scholars were kneeling straight in the square. The Confucian scholar who was kneeling in the front was He Shuren. He was not small and seven feet tall. If he used the self-proclaimed style of Confucianism to describe his appearance, it should be "seven feet long, a husband with a Confucian crown on his head, and a Confucian uniform, and extraordinary."

He Renshu held a joint letter in his hand. This joint letter is called the book of ten thousand people. In today's terms, at least ten thousand Confucian scholars signed the name. It can be imagined how enthusiastic they were when Li Jun asked to abolish Xinxue.

These scholars are really amazing. They knelt for three days and three nights but did not fall down. What's even more rare is that they had not yet entered the water, and the food sent by Li Jun did not move. In today's words, they used hunger strikes to put pressure on Li Jun. In fact, it's not that they don't want to eat, but that if they eat too much, they may not be able to kneel down again if they have to go to the toilet.

Everyone knows that eating too much and drinking too much will lead to higher frequency of defecation problems, which will have a negative impact on their actions. Those who claim to be on hunger strike are not dying, but have to do it.

Duan Ganmu came over with a few guards and said to the Confucian scholars: "The emperor has an order, and the Confucian scholars will meet at Jiying Hall." After he finished speaking, he turned around and left, ignoring them.

Li Jun finally showed up. For He Shuren and the others, it was a great joy. They stood up and followed Duan Ganmu. Many Confucian scholars had been kneeling for too long, their legs were numb, their feet were unstable, and they fell a lot, causing a lot of jokes.

I don’t know what happened. Li Jun was very kind to ministers like Wen Tianxiang and others, but he had no good feelings for these Confucian scholars. He sat on a chair and looked at He Shuren and the others with no expression on his face, as if He Shuren and the others had no presence at all.

He Shuren and the others bowed to Li Jun and knelt down and said, "Long live the grass people, please come to see the emperor." According to their ideas, Li Jun should have asked them to be calm, give them a seat, comfort them with kind words, and give them some food and drink. Confucian scholars missed the 100% of the preparations, and this time was no exception. They didn't know Li Jun's plan at all, and they kept thinking about it better, maybe because of their paranoia.

Li Jun had no intention of asking them to be flat. After a long time, he said, "Raise your head."

It seems that there is no hope for giving a seat to the public. He Shuren felt a little shocked. He raised his head as he said, looking at Li Jun uneasy. Li Jun slowly said, "You have written a letter to me quickly, complaining about the harm of Xinxue and stating Confucianism's propositions. Confucianism has an extremely important position in the history of China and has made significant contributions to the development of China. Many historical officials are from Confucianism. The court is now in a war period, and the battle with the Mongols is very difficult. No one wants to see such a waste of money and money. I have decided to accept your proposal and make peace with the Mongols."

The truce talk about peace talks is something that Confucian scholars mentioned in their book. They believed that as long as new studies were abolished, Confucianism was promoted, benevolence and righteousness were promoted, and the barbarians retreated without fighting, they could truce peace talks. When Li Jun mentioned this, they really thought that Li Jun had adopted their suggestions, and they were all very happy and shouted long live the mountain.

Li Jun remained calm and continued, "If you want to make peace, you have to go to Dadu alone. You are all great scholars who are well-read in poetry and books, knowledgeable and talented, and have been widely spread throughout the past and present. After I have thought about it, I will select a group of people from you to Dadu to go to Dadu. If you succeed, you will be the king. If you fail, don't come back."

The land was split into kings, but the most rewards in the rewards, the Confucian scholars' eyes that lost their glory because they knelt on the ground for too long, and they were eager to try. However, Li Jun's next words suddenly dispelled their enthusiasm. Li Jun said: "My request is that the Mongolians retreat north of the Great Wall, return all the land of China to the court, and surrender to the court. My request is not excessive, right? Who are you going?"

Li Jun is not an exaggeration. The Great Wall is a symbol of the Chinese nation. Now it is under the control of the Mongols. How many patriots are so angry that they can take back the Long March is the wish of many benevolent people. Li Jun's words are 100% reasonable and no one can refute them.

As long as there is no problem with the nerves, it is impossible to get the request made by Li Jun, and no one dares to take on this job. Li Jun looked at He Shuren and said, "Mr. He is interested in going to visit Mainland China? Let me make it clear first. There is no time to wait in the court. I will give you two months. Can you complete it?"

This was a bad thing to hit the gun. He Shuren was even more courageous and did not dare to take it. He hurriedly found an excuse and said, "Your Majesty, it is the duty of the people to contribute to the court. However, I suddenly suffered from a serious illness and could not walk. I often said crazy, and I might not be as if the emperor wanted." His mind was very meticulous, afraid that Li Jun would just send someone to send him there, so he added another crazy sentence to dispel Li Jun's intention.

Li Jun's eyes swept across the faces of the Confucian scholars, and when he looked at someone, he looked terrified, as if Li Jun's bright eyes were the incarnation of the King of Hell, which was terrifying.

"Just this little courage, I dare to come and write a letter, and I don't even have the energy to write a book." Li Jun looked down on them in his heart, stood up and said, "By the way, I want to tell you now that the court is fighting with all its might, and there is no time or money to hold the scientific examination. The scientific examination will be temporarily suspended. As for when to recover, it depends on the situation." After saying that, without waiting for He Shuren and the others to react, he strode away.

He Shuren and the others thought they would regain their status as Confucianism, but they never expected that they would not even have the scientific examination. They were stunned and knelt down stupidly until Duan Ganmu came over with a bunch of guards like wolves and tigers and bombarded them out like pigs.

This cessation has never been restored. The scientific examination system has been sealed in history. After the new school flourished, all industries have flourished, and people no longer remember the scientific examination.

Li Jun had long wanted to abolish the scientific examination. When a new school was run, there could only be one examination system. If there were two examination systems, it would be extremely unfavorable to the new school, but it was not seized. If the scientific examination system was explicitly abolished, the resistance would be very great, beyond imagination. If nothing else, I would probably not even be able to pass Wen Tianxiang's level.

Ninety-nine percent of the officials in the court came from the scientific examination. If they were deposed openly, the impact would be too great, and Li Jun would not dare to take risks easily. If they were deposed openly, they would be deposed secretly. Li Jun only said that they would not hold the matter, but did not say that they would abolish it. It was actually a pragmatic and clever method.

Wen Tianxiang, Li Tingzhi, Chen Yizhong, and Huang Yongshan were here to listen to Li Jun's great opinions.

Li Jun looked at them and said, "The court implemented a new policy of rewarding science and advocating technology. This science and technology will naturally innovate. The court also needs to set up a special agency to deal with technical problems, namely the Technical Patent Office. For new technologies, patents can be applied for, scientists can get rewards from them and have greater energy and better conditions to engage in scientific research."

Patent offices are modern things and have been recognized by the world. You can imagine how difficult it was for scientists to conduct scientific research in ancient times without patent technology. The issue of food and drink funds would take up a lot of their time and energy, and the time spent on research and research was naturally less.

If scientists can get rewards from patents, if life problems are solved, they will have more energy to conduct research, which is really a good solution.

Li Tingzhi had a keen insight and immediately understood the benefits, praising: "What the emperor said is really a clever one. I think that even those secret recipes and techniques inherited from the ancestors can also apply for patents, so that they can understand that these are protected by the court laws and can benefit the people with peace of mind."

In ancient times without patents, once a new invention was made, the common people often cherished their own secret techniques and passed on from generation to generation, which is the origin of what we are talking about now. For those who have secret techniques and secret recipes, the ancestors are a very proud thing, and they can brag about "how good my ancestors are." For the common people, it may be a bit sad because the common people enjoy much less benefits.

The current Southern Song Dynasty has a consensus on the need for technology. As long as it can promote the development and innovation of technology, Wen Tianxiang and others will naturally be happy to do it. Wen Tianxiang agreed: "What Xiangfu said is very reasonable. It is not okay to not have a special organization to protect technology. It will cause secret techniques to cherish themselves and benefit the people. The emperor, I believe that the court should strengthen legislation and establish a special code to protect it."

Before Li Jun could express his opinion, Chen Yizhong nodded and said, "Your Majesty, the words of goodness are in line with my wishes. I am already working on drafting a code of protection technology."

"Okay." Li Jun did not expect that Chen Yizhong, the original escape king, had such insights. He was very satisfied and said: "This legislation is inevitable. The court also needs to formulate measures to promote technology so that the developed technology can adapt to needs and not waste too much resources. In addition, the court also needs to pay a sum of money to conduct basic research, and develop technologies that have a promising future, wide impact but cannot make profits in the short term.

"Chemistry is an important topic. The court must develop chemistry as soon as possible. With the chemical industry, many things will be easy to handle. It can be said that with the chemical industry, the Song Dynasty will undergo earth-shaking changes. This is the reason why we invited two scientists Huang Yongshan and Shen Bi today. I will give you a task, which is to organize a group of people to study basic chemistry immediately, and we must succeed."

Li Jun said solemnly, and the importance of the chemical industry can be imagined. Huang Yongshan and Shen Bi couldn't help but get excited and said, "Abide by the order." However, they didn't know what the chemical industry was, and looked at Li Jun with some embarrassment.

Li Jun understood that they were a little confused and said, "If you want to study the chemical industry, there is a very simple way, which is to find a group of alchemists and gather them together for research. Of course, it is not to communicate their immortality skills, but to communicate how they refine alchemy and the valuable phenomena they found in alchemy. In addition, you can also find a group of smart children to cultivate them and cultivate them into our chemists. I have a glass formula here. You can make the glass first, and everything will be easy."

Friends who are familiar with the history of science and technology must know that the predecessor of chemistry was alchemy, which was the title of the West, and the title of China was the alchemist. Those alchemists who have made great achievements in alchemist were actually excellent chemists, but chemistry had not yet developed at that time and was still in the prototype stage. Alchemists invented a lot of things, and gunpowder was discovered by alchemists inadvertently.

Under the conditions at that time, if you want to find skilled chemical workers, you will never find them again except for alchemists, so Li Jun took the idea to them.

Ancient alchemists were all "gods" living in seclusion in the mountains and forests. They were very respected, noble and arrogant, and would not go down the mountain. Li Jun's words really made Huang Yongshan and Shen Bi embarrassed. They looked at each other and said in extreme embarrassment: "Your Majesty, can this work?" This means, how to get these people.

Li Jun smiled and said, "Just say that the court wants to hold an alchemy conference, they will come by themselves." These secluded masters have always respected themselves, but what they want most is how to improve their alchemy skills, become immortal, and achieve immortality. If the court holds an alchemy conference, aren't they still crazy? If they don't sharpen their heads and squeeze in, they have to come.

As soon as Li Jun finished speaking, a chuckle sounded. Li Tingzhi and the others couldn't help but laugh. They never expected Li Jun to tell such a big lie, so they had to laugh.

This decree not only gave birth to the chemical industry in the Southern Song Dynasty, but also made "all the hidden men in the mountains and forests empty". From then on, no one lived in seclusion in the mountains to refine alchemy, and they all went to learn chemistry.

With the help of glass, the valuable phenomena found in alchemy can be developed into a technology that can apply for a patent and obtain rich returns. Who would have gone to the deep mountains and forests to refine alchemy and live the hard days of "sucking morning dew and drinking sweet rain", but actually sleeping in the open?
Chapter completed!